by J. N. Chaney
X-37 realized where I was looking and explained, "Commander Briggs left junior members of the team on the perimeter. The sniper's primary mission is long-range target acquisition and neutralization, but I suspect their long experience with this unit has also given them substantial room-clearing skills. I think Briggs made a good decision by including them in the assault."
I agreed but didn't say anything. I'd only taken one glance at the men but marked them as people I didn't want to tangle with unless necessary.
We spread out into a wedge formation, moving through the lobby without much subtlety. The heavily armed guards at the elevator immediately perked up, stepping back inside bunkers and opening gun ports. Several doors opened on the second level and security teams filed out much faster than I had expected.
"Here goes nothing," I said.
Crank led the charge up the leftmost escalator, eliminating the need to protect that flank. He swept his weapon up, brushing back his long coat. For a coldhearted brute, he showed surprising restraint.
An alarm sounded, warning everyone there was a terrorist incident in progress. Many of the bystanders threw themselves to the ground and covered their heads. Others stood confused. Some ran for the front doors.
The rest of the team charged up the escalator behind Crank. Orlando and Jonji assembled the squad automatic weapon near a fountain and started laying down suppressive fire on the balcony.
I sprinted up the rightmost escalator, gaining the second-floor concourse long before the Union soldiers finished the first part of this assault.
Doors slammed shut. Warnings announced that the escalators and elevators were shutting down for security reasons. A voice declared that this was not a drill. It then went on to explain that police teams were on the way.
A pair of guards in business suits tried to stop me. I pulled my .45 and dropped them with head shots from thirty meters, which was at least five meters outside normal combat effectiveness of a handgun.
Another man stepped out of a door closer to my position. I kicked him hard enough that he flew back into the room he'd come out of. I hesitated a second too long and the door closed, the lock snapping shut loudly on some sort of magnetic switch.
"I didn't want to go that way anyway," I muttered.
Glass exploded. Alarms blared. Security doors slammed shut. The elevator guards opened fire to their gun ports, but they'd already lost the angle when Briggs took his team to the second level. It was the only good thing that had happened in our favor.
I'd expected this to be one hell of a fight, but this was like going up against seasoned ship Marines defending against boarders.
"I wish I'd made Briggs give me some body armor and an HDK," I said as I moved along the wall, seeking a better position of cover. The only thing that was keeping me alive was that most of the fire was directed at the spec ops team, who appeared to be the main threat in the situation.
They didn't really know me.
"He would've refused," X-37 said.
His voice always sounded off when I was in the middle of a fight. He didn't get winded or change his rate of speech when things got complicated. It helped me stay calm and detached, but could be distracting.
Briggs and his team assaulted the elevator nexus on the second level. I watched, slightly annoyed with their choice. We were trying to get into the elevator or go to a different level. The entire reason for being in this building was to get to the center building and gain access to the interior of the assassins’ guild complex.
I made my way to Crank and snatched one of his breaching charges from his vest. He looked at me strangely while he was reloading, probably suspecting he'd been robbed but not having time to check his inventory.
"Just stay behind me, Reaper. I'm wearing armor. You're not," he said.
I didn't want to link up with him, but he headed into a room and it was bad form to leave a teammate hanging. Following close behind him, I immediately turned right and cleared everything in my sector. We met in the middle.
"Clear," he said.
"Nothing seen," I answered, feeling nostalgia for my time before Dark Ops in the Reaper Corps.
We moved on, encountering some resistance, but driving most of the guards back rather than killing them. There was bloodshed, but less than I expected after the initial assault.
Briggs pulled the teams back together when he could and abandoned his attempt to take control of the elevator and stairways.
"That was a feint, in case you were wondering," he told me as we fell in beside each other.
"Sure," I said. "It got us this far."
We made our way to several hallways before I realized we had moved from one building to the next. "We are inside their headquarters."
Briggs looked at me, simultaneously signaling Crank and one of the other soldiers forward to deal with the next intersection. "How do you know? More Reaper AI stuff?"
"Limited AI," I corrected again. "And it's the emergency lighting. I remember that from my visit."
He nodded and adjusted his team’s movements, still refusing to allow me into the radio comms.
"You realize they are keeping their comms away from you because they plan to betray you in the future," X-37 said.
"Thanks for the pep talk. I couldn't figure that out myself. But maybe it's just standard operating procedure not to let an enemy agent on your secured network," I said, keeping my voice low to avoid drawing attention from my temporary teammates.
The next section was clearly defensive. I thought we were underground now, with several stairways and ladders required to get to their current location.
The hallway we had to traverse was wide and inclined to a broad double door that looked blast-proof. There were several landings on the incline without much in the way of decoration. I counted three escalators going up and three escalators going down, but they were all turned off.
"Team, move," Briggs said. "Let's double-time. I don't like this. Spread out into fire teams. Bounding overwatch."
Crank bounded first, not taking a partner. Up until now, he'd been attached to Briggs. They'd been searching for me while the rest of the team remained hidden. I assumed this was because the two men could identify me more easily than the others. Our time together on the Dreadmax mission had been memorable to say the least.
The team was halfway to the double doors when the gun ports snapped open.
"Orlando, suppressive fire!" Briggs ordered.
Orlando and Jonji set up the squad automatic weapon on one of the escalator railings and opened fire, spraying the gun ports with bullets. Jonji fed the ammunition belt into the weapon, reaching back for the next belt without having to look for it. His backpack seemed to be growing lighter with each encounter.
The spec ops team rushed the big center doors, bounding over each other and shooting at the gun ports, hoping for a lucky shot, but knowing this was a bad spot to be in.
David went down. Holmes helped him up. They staggered to a wall that put them at a better angle to avoid being shot but kept them from proceeding forward.
Gunny Bane and Corporal Galen moved to the other side of the multiple staircases. Ricocheting bullets screamed in random directions, proving the walls were reinforced and bulletproof. Shell casings spilled down the stairs like a miniature brass avalanche.
"They’re concentrating fire on the SAW!" Crank warned from his higher vantage point. He was pinned down but had a good view of the action.
Jonji took a bullet through his left arm, his armor absorbing some of the force but failing to stop it from penetrating. The impact flipped him sideways and he tumbled into the open. The stairwells around the escalators were surprisingly good cover, but once he was out on one of the landings, his chance of survival evaporated.
I dove at him, grabbing his armor with my Reaper hand and dragging myself toward cover with my natural right hand.
X-37 suggested I move to cover with no change in his voice. It was times like these when I thought my only friend wa
s a computer program with no soul.
Like I had one after all the things I'd done.
Working quickly, I pulled a tourniquet from his med pack. Seconds later, I tightened the strap and clamped the lever down to hold the life-saving device in place.
Gunny Bane stared at me from her own position, unable to cross the open area to reach us.
"He’ll be okay but will need some attention soon. The tourniquet can’t stay on forever,” I shouted.
She nodded as though she understood. A moment of silence came after an intensive exchange of gunfire.
"That was risky," she said. "You didn't have to take that kind of risk. You’re not even part of our unit."
I didn't answer.
Another exchange of gunfire provided an opportunity to move and I took it, noticing that Bane replaced me at Jonji’s side.
"Good news," X-37 said. "I have hacked into their comms."
I reached one of the access doors and knelt beside it, pressing my body as flat as I could to avoid exposing myself to further attacks. Meanwhile, I listened in.
"I don't care if he saved Jonji; we still can't trust him," Briggs said to no one I could hear.
Whoever he was talking to either chose not to answer or was unable to answer.
"We can't keep this up," Gunny Bane said, her voice hard. From what I could see of her, she was sheltering Jonji with her body armor while she adjusted the tourniquet and spoke on her radio. "We only have so much ammunition."
"I'm at the main blast doors," Crank said. He didn't sound tired or concerned about the violence around him. It was a side of the man I didn't know well. "I don't have the breaching charges needed to force the door. I'm missing one somehow. But I can blow the control panel and that may get us in."
"Do you see Cain?" Briggs asked.
"No," Crank said. "I'm telling you we can trust him for now."
That surprised me. I wouldn’t have guessed Crank would support me even for a second. Maybe he'd seen my desperate rescue of Jonji. Or maybe he just understood I wasn't about to sneak off during a fight.
"Thanks for hacking their comms, X," I said. "Can I also communicate with them?"
"Yes, but I would advise caution. Being able to listen in covertly may provide a tactical advantage for you in the future," X-37 advised.
"Understood. I think it's worth the risk." I moved to the next access door without drawing fire. It was a good sign. The Union spec ops team was low on ammunition, but maybe the guards were as well. They were exceedingly well prepared but probably never thought they'd actually have to do their jobs.
“Cain for Briggs, how copy?" I said.
A few seconds of silence followed.
"You're not authorized to use this channel," Briggs said.
"Technically, I'm not authorized to be alive, but I'm a glass is half full kind of guy," I said. "I have Crank’s missing breaching charge. If you can cover me, I can make it to his position and help him blow the door."
"You stole explosives from a Union soldier?" Briggs demanded.
"I was looking for cigars," I said, imagining that he suddenly realized who had taken his stash during our first meeting. "Don't worry about it. Crank and I can get through and continue the mission. That should be enough of a distraction that you and the rest of the team could follow afterward."
Briggs growled something I didn't understand. "I'm not crazy about it, but I agree with your assessment. I'll direct the team to lay down heavy suppressive fire. That will be your cue to move.”
"Thanks,” I snapped, preparing myself to sprint for the main doors.
"You're a real son-of-a-bitch, Cain," he said. "Did you rob Jonji when you saved him? I told you to keep your hands off my team."
"I had to do something to keep you honest," I said. “If I hadn't taken those breaching charges, you would've left me here without a second thought."
"We'll talk about this later," he said. "Let's get this done. I'm sick of this place."
Moments later, Briggs and the rest of the team created a massive diversion. I rushed across the remaining distance to Crank’s location.
28
I handed over the breaching charge to Sergeant Crank. He glared at me, taking the pre-wired bundle without looking at it.
"You're welcome," I said.
He snorted and went to work. Moments later, he had three explosive packages expertly placed to not only blow the control panel, but force a gap in the door that could be expanded with a mechanical tool.
We stepped back, ignoring the gunfight until he set off the charges with a remote detonator. Stepping through the smoke, I saw his work had been done to near perfection. My image of the man changed.
Until now I thought he was just a hotheaded bully who liked to choke people out on the jujitsu mat. Now I understood he was more complex, as most people were when you got to know them. Crank knew his job and was proud of his work.
Maybe that was why he hated Reapers. He had probably been taught we were a bunch of murderous rogues who needed to be put down like rabid dogs. To someone like Crank, all that mattered was his training. He believed what he was told and executed his missions with bravery and tenacity.
I still didn't like him.
"We need to hold here and wait for the team," Crank said. "Standard procedure, or have you forgotten?"
"No time for that," I said.
"If we go now, we would just be rushing to failure. Better to rally the team," he said.
"True, but I'm still going right now. You can come with me or you can stay, your choice," I said.
"You need to stay," he said, implying that he might restrain me if he could.
We both knew how that would end.
"I'm going after Elise," I said.
"Then get the fuck going,” he snarled, then turned back to the fight that was still raging in the hallway.
I heard him taking shots, covering Briggs and the others as they bounded forward dragging their wounded teammates.
It wasn't long before I found a familiar hallway. I made my way to the library-like cathedral where Mr. Gold ran his criminal enterprise.
He probably could've locked me out and kept his best guards to fight me off, but I sensed he wanted a conversation. There were only three people in the room when I entered: Gold, Thane, and Elise.
"I apologize for my lack of hospitality, but it seems most of my people are repelling invaders at the gate," Gold said without standing up from the huge chair that he had pushed back slightly from his desk. On his left, Elise sat patiently. Near her, Thane stood silently. He still had his mask on. He held a gun that would make Orlando and Jonji’s squad automatic weapon look tame.
I focused on Gold, assuming he was in charge of this interview. What I didn't understand was Elise. She hadn't been this timid, even with the compliance control drugs Michaels and Olathe had used on her.
"I'd offer you refreshments, but your friends in the Union are becoming quite a nuisance," Gold said. "They'll never make it this far, you know that."
"Then what's the rush?" I asked, moving closer to the desk and removing two cigars from a tray.
"I don't take chances. That's why I'm running the place," Gold said.
There still wasn't a reaction from Thane. He watched my every move but said nothing. Elise closed her eyes. I wasn't sure if she was sleeping, passed out, or suffering from some sort of chemical restraint.
"You really should call back your guards," I said. It wasn't the smartest thing for me to do but would give Briggs and his crew a chance to survive. With luck, they might even help me. I nodded toward Thane. "I hope you're not expecting him to help you."
"He's more on my side than he is on yours," Gold said. "Would you like to know why?"
I had a theory but wanted to hear him say it. "I'm listening."
"Because I can protect the girl. I think your Reaper friend has a crush on her," Gold said.
Thane shifted and I thought I saw him clench his fists angrily. He never looked away fr
om me, however.
"No one stands against the Union," I said.
"Except Reapers who are supposed to be dead," Gold said.
“He might have you there, Reaper Cain,” X-37 said.
My vision flickered, causing me to wonder why I hadn't had any hardware or nerve-ware attacks during the assault on the assassins' guild headquarters. Thane stood a few strides away, yet I was functioning nearly as well as before I came to Greendale.
X-37 had told me he couldn't activate the ROS device while engaging me in close combat, which made sense in this room, but what about in the hallway or on the stairs?
"What are you doing, Thane?" I asked.
"Playing the long game," he said.
"Don't talk to him," Gold interrupted. It was the first time I'd heard him raise his voice and it sounded strange.
I stepped closer to the crime lord, turning my back partially on Thane. Every instinct warned me not to do this. It was like standing with your back to a firing squad.
"What do you want from me, Gold? No one needs two Reapers. If you hadn't stacked the deck against me, I might've taken this one out for you, if that's what you need. But I'm standing here with a half-empty pistol and no armor. He's got all the advantages," I said.
"You think you're smart,” Gold said. "But you don't understand leverage and assets and how to manage the Union. All I have to do is hide what they want most, and then negotiate. And negotiate. And negotiate some more. And only give them what is to my advantage to give them."
"Yeah, I'm not sure you are working with the same Union I'm talking about," I said. "The team breaking down your door now might not get the job done, but there's a lot more where that came from."
"You’re just a vigilante," Gold said. "I know what you did on Boyer 5. Now you're here and think you could pull off the same thing. Well, you're going to respect me and do what I say. Just like your Reaper friend. How did he get two mechanical arms when you just got one?"
