Before the Tac team could open fire on Robert
or Jon, Robert removed a flashbang from his trenchcoat, and threw it towards the
main body of men. It went off, blinding them, giving Jon the time to tip over a
nearby Chevy Blazer allowing Robert and Jon to use it as cover. Fire echoed as
the Tac team fired from behind the cover of their Hummers, but did nothing but
leave bullet holes in the car Robert and Jon were using as a shield. The team
continued to blast away with MP5s and M4A1's, hoping to hit their
targets. The same could not be said for the Tac team, using their incredible
aim, Robert and Jon brought up their weapons and returned fire, burning down
three men.
"I saw the leader, he's behind the centre
SUV, bag him." Robert said as he aimed and shot another man, killing or
crippling him, he really didn't care which.
"Don't have to tell me twice." Jon
said as he sighted in with his FN FNC, and promptly blew his head off.
Suddenly, Robert's super senses kicked in, he
smelt people coming up behind him, and he went to work. There were three of
them, X5's, they had decided to come and cap Robert and Jon's asses while they
had a gunfight with the Tac team nice try,
but you can't sneak up on a Tracker Robert thought. The three X5�s raised
their sidearms, but Robert had already started to track them. He drew one of his
P14-45's, and shot the guns out of their hands. They moved to engage him in
hand-to-hand combat, but they didn't realise what Robert was capable of,
meanwhile, Jon continued to fire back at the Tac team, preventing them from
moving in.
The first X5, the red-haired man Jon had shot
the previous day moved first, attacking with a high kick that would have knocked
any normal man off his feet. Robert was not normal, he swatted him from the air
with a fist that blocked the leg, and he fell to the ground. The others were a
bit more cautious after such a display of power, the girl moved in, she moved at
top speed, landing a hit first to his chest, then head, shifted her aim to the
back of his right leg, but failed to do damage. Robert proved to her that he
could take it, and dish it out, with a single kick, he sent her flying into the
X5 who had not even attacked yet, bowling them over.
The first was rising from the attack Robert
had dealt him, but he sighted in on Jon himself, but was dealt a heavy blow from
the butt of Jon's rifle for his trouble, knocking him out. The other two were
coming up, but Jon move to deal with them, abandoning his gunfight with the Tac
team. The Tac team was now moving in, laying down cover fire as they approached.
Robert reached into his jacket and pulled out two more of his napalm devices,
threw them, they detonated halfway between the Tac team and their cover,
creating an intense wall of fire. The two X5's moved to attack Jon, they both
hit him with all their might and knocked him back, feigning injury, he slumped
against a wall, the X5's, believing they had disabled him moved in. It was the
last mistake they made in that fight, he returned with a roundhouse kick that
knocked both of them down.
"Let's get out of here, Lydecker will
have reinforcements here any minute!" Robert said as he snatched up his
H&K UMP .45, and picked the Tac radio off the unconscious form of the X5 Jon
had knocked out.
"Right, think this will send him a
message?" Jon said as he retrieved his dropped FN FNC, replaced it back
into his long trenchcoat, and ran with Robert away from the scene. The Tac team
tried to chase, but the flames continued for ten minutes, to hot even for them
to dare venture with their Hummers.
"Hey Lydecker, buddy, remember us?"
Robert said into the Tac radio he had taken from the scene.
"I never thought I'd hear from you two
again." Lydecker's voice crackled through the Tac radio.
"Guess what, the past just came back to
get a little revenge, leave the X5's alone, or we'll give you far more trouble
than we have." Robert said into the Tac radio as he and Jon ducked through
alleys, and sniffed every once in a while to make sure they were not being
pursued.
"You've certainly caused me a great deal
of trouble so far, what's it to you if these kids are free or not, it's not like
you're one of them." Lydecker inquired, wondering why the two were so
hellbent on defending a few kids.
"Wrong shithead, we were made what we are
at Manticore, Manticore people take care of their own, you can't stop us, your
kids can't beat us, and we're not letting you get near the one's we know."
Robert said into the Tac radio as he and Jon moved like shadows throughout the
back streets of Seattle.
"You can't hide them from me forever,
sooner or later you'll let your guard down, and those kids are mine."
Lydecker said, his voice emanating from the Tac radio.
"We'll see about that, listen to me, you
can leave Seattle now and cut your losses, or you can keep looking, and lose
every last man you've sent in." Robert replied.
"I doubt it, the minute we find your
base, we'll storm it with everything we've got, even you two can't stop that
much firepower." Lydecker said.
"Try and find us, your kids can't track
us, we'll smell you coming a mile away, but really, fuck off, if you don't stop
now, you'll regret it." Robert said as he and Jon paused, checking for
anyone tracking them.
"I think you'll be the one who is
regretting not giving up when 150 of my agents storm your base." Lydecker
replied.
"Try it, but listen to my words Lydecker,
The X5's are under our protection, you should cut your losses and leave, we are
Trackers. You fucked yourself when you made us, we've not aged one day thanks to
those enhancements you gave us, we'll defend the X5 group to the day we die, so
before you come calling, try and remember that." Robert said as he crushed
the Tac radio, and dropped the remains at his feet.
"Let's go, Lydecker will blow a gasket
when he finds out the mess we made of his kids and team." Jon said as they
started walking again.
"What was the body count for the Tac
team?" Robert asked, wondering how much damage they had inflicted.
"Six, nine more wounded, they'll think
twice before attacking us again, the X5's, they'll recover, but they'll have
some nasty scars." Jon said as they walked.
"I would give anything to see the look on
Lydecker's face when he finds out his kids can't even scratch us, or that his
Tac team did nothing but waste a lot of bullets." Robert said as they
turned down the street, but kept aware of the area around them, not planning to
get taken by surprise.
"I can imagine, with any luck, in two or
three days we send him packing, then I can go pick Kendra up for some
recreation." Jon said as he smiled.
"Let's head back, with any luck, we can
find some base Lydecker has in the city that we can sabotage." Robert said.
"Is killing and blowing stuff up all you
think about, man, you need a good lay." Jon said as they turned down the
street.'
"No, I also think about drinking and
riding my motorcycle." Robert
said, as he thought could it work between
me and Andrea if I get my genes fixed?
"I've been getting mixed signals, even
with my nose, is there anything between you and Andrea right now, or what?"
Jon said, wondering what his friend had planned for his romantic life, which had
not seen action in over a decade.
"If there's anything, it's just physical
attraction, for now, once Alex finishes working out that defective gene that
rejects the X5 code, maybe I can move it along, but until then, nothing's
happening." Robert replied as they came up to their base of operations.
"I see, just remember, once that obstacle
is out of the way, move it up, you've been out of the game far too long my
friend." Jon said as Robert unlocked the door and they slipped in,
silently.
"Is it me, or do I smell the unique
pheromones produced by one when they are having sexual relations?" Robert
said as he took in a deep breath.
"It's not you, I'd say Max and Logan are
getting along, really getting along, maybe I should go see if they need any
help�" Jon said as he started walking.
"Jon, turn around." Robert said, Jon
turned to see a P14-45 in his face.
"Not now, not ever, leave the two
alone." Robert said quickly as he snapped the safety off of his pistol.
"I can't have any fun, I can't have sex,
I can't watch other's have sex, what am I supposed to do for fun around here
anyways?" Jon said as he sighed with discontent.
"You can leave Max and Logan alone, and
go get some sleep." Robert said as he lowered the pistol and replaced it in
its holster.
"Very well, I'll see you tomorrow, but
I'll be dreaming of Kendra, me and�" Jon started with a grin.
"Stop right there, I don't want to hear
it, not now, not ever." Robert said cutting Jon off from delving into the
details as he walked to his room, and shut the door.
Jon walked to his room, shut the door, and
feel asleep almost immediately.
Robert did not have that luxury, his mind
whirled with thoughts well, you've just
made Lydecker's hate list, he'll come for Max, Andrea, and Zack one of these
days, I'll just have to make sure he fails. Ah yes, your crusade to stop
Manticore from getting the X5's, how long will you continue it? Until Manticore
is nothing but a pile of rubble, I can't let those kids be denied their
humanity, it bears a great load on the soul of a simple soldier, but it is my
mission. You should just call up Alex tomorrow and ask if he's any closer, if he
has found it, you'll finally have someone to be with, then maybe you can bring
some meaning to your life. Ah fuck, who the hell am I kidding, Andrea needs
someone better than tough-as-nails, ex-Delta Force operative who's more violent
than a pissed-off rhino. I hope she realises that before she gets to involved,
and gets hurt, I can't let any harm come to these kids, outside, or on the
inside. That's enough angst for now, get some rest, kick Lydecker's ass all the
way back to Manticore, and keep the mission in mind. Robert thought as he
lay down, wondering if his life would ever achieve a deeper meaning than killing
people and blowing things up.
********
"You never told us there were people out
there that could not be hurt, and stronger than us." Anthony said as he
rubbing the back of his head.
"I thought they were dead, apparently
those reports of their deaths were falsified. These men are extremely capable
fighters, they have a sense of smell that puts a bloodhound to shame, they can
smell your scent for miles, their eyesight is superior to yours, and their
hearing is as good as yours. Their strength levels allow them to lift greater
than 50 times their bodyweight, you saw how big they were, add it up, and they
can tip over an SUV and not work up a sweat. Their healing abilities are
astounding, their bones literally cannot be broken, or damaged in any way,
bullets of all calibres reflect off of them. They can survive extreme gunfire,
but can still be killed by it, their organs regenerate themselves, and their
blood consumes any bullets in their bodies. They blood replicates at incredible
rates, they could lose a litre of blood, and a minute later its back. Their
codename was Trackers, I was creating them in the hopes that I could use them to
track the escaped X5's, they can not move like you can however, their speed has
been improved, but you can run circles around them. Should you encounter them,
run, they will not be able to catch you, even with their sense of smell, you can
easily outrun them, use that against them. We will have to find some way to draw
them away from their base, while the eight of you attack it, grab the X5's, and
get back here." Lydecker said, addressing his kids, the other five had now
arrived, bringing him up to the full group of eight. He had four of the captured
X5's currently undergoing reconditioning, several more were recovering from
genetic flaws that had nearly killed them, they were nowhere near where he
wanted them to be before he brought them into the field.
"I see, what kind of diversion will draw
them away, they are particularly devoted to the defence of the escaped targets,
what will bring them out into the open?" Jack said, wondering what his CO
had in mind.
"We'll find something, once they do,
you'll move in immediately, you cannot search for them, any of you, those two
will smell you coming, and evac to another location in minutes." Lydecker
replied dismissing the issue as he planned in his mind how to flush his quarry.
"Who will, who do you have that can find
these people, they're covering their tracks well." Emily said as she stared
at her commander, the X5�s were not used to being pulled off a job.
"I'll bring in some agents, they'll make
some inquiries, keep low-profile, those two won't be looking for them. Once we
have drawn those two out, you grab the targets, two hours later, we're all back
at Manticore, quick, clean, and simple." Lydecker replied cutting off the
concerns of his kids.
"When can we expect to execute the
operation?" Sam asked, he was anxious to pick up the rebels and go home.
"Inside of the next 72 hours, prepare
yourselves for the task, I'll alert you the minute we have their location, and
the Trackers have been drawn away." Lydecker said as he dismissed his kids.
"Yes sir!" All eight of them echoed,
and then filed out of the briefing room.
I
can taste those kids, they don't realise the only safe place for them is
Manticore, I'll bring them home, and they'll realise what they need is Manticore.
They'll train, and they will defend this country from any threat, America will
rise once again, Manticore will breed a new generation of warriors that are
invincible, and we will be the dominant power once again. Lydecker
thought to himself as he paced in the briefing room, he had called in some of
his undercover agents, to find
their location, he would have them soon enough.
********
God,
she's perfect, absolutely perfect. Logan thought as he looked at Max's sleeping form,
she had curled up to Logan, her head lying on his shoulder. Logan had
experienced the greatest pleasure he ever had in his life, the way they had made
love, it had never compared to anything he had ever experienced. He had felt
every part of her body, the incredibly smooth skin, the supple breasts, the hair
that was like silk in one's hand, the curves all over her body, all in the right
places. He didn't regret it one bit, they were consenting adults, professing
their love for one another, he had asked her if this is what she wanted, she had
given him a smile, then replied.
"I've never wanted anything more in my life than to be with you, it is because I love you Logan Cale, and nothing can change that." Max had said as she kissed him passionately.
They had gone on for hours, until finally
falling asleep still entwined in each other's arms, but Logan had always been a
light sleeper, and when a door shut, it jolted him awake. Max was beginning to
wake up, she opened her eyes and looked directly into his.
"Hey beautiful, still no regrets?"
Logan asked, hoping she had just not been caught up in the heat of the moment.
"Never, I have just had the most
gratifying experience of my life, nothing will change that, why? Are you
regretting that we just banged the gong?" Max said, as she brought her head
up and kissed him lightly.
"Not at all, I've never wanted anything
more than what we just did, you are absolutely perfect, you know that?"
Logan said as he kissed her back, and stroked her dark hair.
"So I've been told, I must say though, if
I knew that you were hiding a six-pack and those nice muscles under those long
shirts of yours, I might have jumped you sooner." Max said as she stroked
his chest.
"I'll try and remember to walk around
shirtless more often from now on." Logan said as he smiled and stroked his
hair, tangling his hands in the curls.
"You realise of course, that Robert and
Jon can probably smell what we just did." Max said raising an eyebrow.
"Robert seems to respect what we have,
Jon, we could have a problem there, just make sure you've got room to kick him
when you talk to him later." Logan said as he stroked her back.
"I see, later, which reminds me, how far
away is this later, would we have time for�" Max said as she laid her
head on his chest.
"If you want to, I'm not averse to it,
it's not like everyone's not going to know anyways." Logan said as he
stroked her hair, twirling one of the curls on his finger.
"Let's just show them how much we
appreciate each other's company." Max said as she came up, and locked them
into another embrace, as she pulled him into a long kiss.
"Just remember, as much as it may pain
both of us, we actually have to thank Jon for getting me back on my feet."
Logan said as he caressed her soft skin.
"Later," Max said as they went into
a fit of pure passion.
********
"Morning" Robert said as he came out
of his room, rubbing sleep-sand out of his eyes, nodding to Jon.
"I had the most amazing dream last night,
me and Kendra, and �" Jon started as he walked down the stairs, towards
the kitchen.
"Stop right there, and keep the perv talk
to yourself, I don�t need to hear it this early, my stomach isn't quite
settled yet." Robert said as he got the pot of coffee out from the coffee
maker, and poured himself and Jon a mug.
"Is this that local shit, or imported,
you know that local coffee tastes like dog shit, it makes me want to puke."
Jon said as he sat down.
"Relax, it's imported, It cost me a
bundle, but you know I need my morning coffee, as do you, meanwhile, just
remember, no comments towards Max and Logan, you know what I mean." Robert
said as he took a big sip from the mug.
"What do you take me for?" Jon said
accusingly.
"A perverted sex-crazed drinker."
Robert fired back.
"I can't believe you caught that!"
Jon said, smiling.
"I just wish you'd take offence to that
once in a while, try and keep up appearances for once, I'm surprised that tattoo
on your arm has not ripped itself off in disgust." Robert said pointing to
the Delta Force symbol with the hawk in the centre on Jon's right arm.
"I'm surprised your dick hasn't been
declared MIA!" Jon shot back.
"Ouch, you got me there, but at least
mine doesn't have direct control of my cerebral cortex." Robert replied as
they drank their coffee.
"What is it with men and insulting each
other, despite being best friends?" Andrea said as she walked in.
"Call it male nature, if we're not being
sarcastic and insulting, we're drinking, fighting, or screwing." Jon
replied as she poured her own cup of coffee.
"Is it also customary for men to walk
around with no shirts on in the morning?" Andrea said, Robert and Jon were
sitting there, just wearing pants.
"What's the matter, don't you like what
you see?" Jon replied gesturing towards his well-muscled chest.
"You really are an arrogant son of a
bitch aren't you?" Andrea said, sitting down.
"Yep, what are you going to do about
it?" Jon replied with a grin.
"I see, do you just let this guy talk all
day about sex, or do you talk about
guns and explosives." Andrea asked Robert
as he took a sip of his coffee.
"I get him off the sex talk most of the
time, as much as I hate to inflate his ego, he is quite the gun smith, I know
explosives like the back of my hand. If you can catch Jon here in a pleasant
conversation about normal stuff, and throw in a bottle of Jack Daniels, maybe
you can enjoy his company. I do admit though, the best way to deal with him is
in the ring, I got out all my frustration with him yesterday." Robert said
as he finished the last of his coffee.
"I see, do you always walk around
shirtless in the morning?" Andrea asked.
"I usually just walk around in my boxers,
I had to threaten Jon with my submachine gun not to walk around in the
buff." Robert replied nodding to Jon who was not wiping the grin off his
face.
"You're such a paragon of virtue."
Andrea said as she sipped her coffee.
"If you want a paragon of virtue, go talk
to Max's boyfriend, I'm here, I'm violent, I'm sarcastic, get used to it."
Robert replied in his usual tone.
"Where were you two last night?"
Zack asked as he came in, also only wearing his pants.
"Great, its now proven, three out of five
males in a household don't wear their shirts in the morning." Andrea said
as he walked in.
"Andrea here was just grilling Jon and I
about our lifestyles and the male perspective, but I'm sure she'll get around to
you soon enough." Robert said as he poured himself another cup of coffee.
"That didn't answer my question, where
were you?" Zack continued.
"We were chasing for an X5 scent, we
found the three that were after you kids, but they were with one of Lydecker's
Tac teams. We killed six of the men from the Tac team, wounded several more,
used some of my napalm tricks to put a wall of fire between us and them, the
X5's made a run at us, we gave them some bruises and cuts for their
efforts." Jon said as Zack poured his own cup of coffee.
"You attacked our own brothers and
sisters, what are you thinking?" Zack snapped.
"They were coming to haul your ass back
to Manticore, they attacked us, we gave them some bruises, their heads will hurt
a bit, that's all, we didn't shoot them or anything." Robert snapped back.
"If you haven't forgotten, Lydecker is
using your own brothers and sisters to haul your ass back to Manticore, they are
loyal to him, not you, or Max, or Andrea. As far as Manticore files say, eight
X5's are currently under control, four are undergoing
'reconditioning' and two more are recovering from gene therapy for
genetic defects. If Lydecker has brought the other five in to hunt you down,
you're in some serious shit, they won't care that you're their brother, all they
will care about is hauling your ass back home. We've been trained for Delta
Force, it is the most intense training that you can undertake, they break you
down, and turn you into a killing machine. This is the way it has to be, if you
won't hurt your own siblings, you might as well give in, they won't pull any
punches when they come looking for you." Jon said as he finished his
coffee.
"I see, and you being highly trained
operatives, how do you propose we all get out of this alive?" Zack asked.
"You start listening to us, if you don't
like the way we do things, you can kiss my ass. I intend to hurt Lydecker bad,
and send him running, if he doesn't run, all he will have is a small pile of
dead bodies, and some badly beaten X5's" Robert said as he peeked around in
the fridge, looking for anything resembling fresh fruit.
"Fine, but if Max or Andrea gets hurt, it
will be on your heads, remember that." Zack said.
"Still as protective as ever?" Max
said as she walked in with Logan, they were both smiling ridiculously.
"Just reminding the army boys that their
plan had better keep you and Andrea safe." Zack said as he got up and left,
feeling disgusted, he didn't have Robert and Jon's acute senses, but he knew
what Max and Logan had been up to last night.
"What's his problem?" Logan said as
he and Max poured their own coffee, still smiling.
"Hark! I smell the distinct release of
pheromones that only exist in the period accompanies one twelve hours after
someone's gotten some!" Jon said, smiling.
"As much as it pains both of us to do
this, thank you Jon, for giving Logan his life back." Max said as she gave
him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Hey, since I allowed you and your boytoy
to jump into the sack and all, how bout repaying me in a similar manner�"
Jon said, as Robert gave him a right jab.
"I'm sorry, I told this pervert that he
was not to discuss this last night, he never listens, sorry for spilling the
secret." Robert said, as Jon rubbed his jaw.
"You're not spilling anything, I can tell
what that goofy grin was all about, you don't need a bloodhounds nose to tell
that those two were getting it on." Andrea said, smiling.
"Now that the secret is out in the open
air, I expect that we can have some privacy, right Jon?" Logan said as he
kissed Max.
"He'll leave you alone, I'll make sure of
it, enjoy your new-found status as a lovers, I'm not bothering you about it, and
neither is anyone else. If I do catch Jon peeping, or anything else, I can
assure you, I will administer a swift beating." Robert said as he hauled
Jon out of his seat, and the two walked back to their rooms.
"So now that you two have hooked up, what
are the rest of us supposed to do around here? You've robbed us of an
entertainment special!" Andrea said as Max and Logan sat down.
"We'll wait for the next bit of sexual
innuendo, I saw you look at Robert, something on the horizon there?" Max
replied.
"If he gets rid of that makes his genes
kill me, yes, I think there is a possibility, I might be able to bring some
light back into that soul of his." Andrea replied.
"Why don't you work on something simpler,
like waving your fingers and making Manticore disappear?" Max said.
"He's not that bad, he was OK this
morning, just talking with Jon and I, I think it's that he gets really vicious
when he fights, but Jon seems to be somewhat of a brake on him." Andrea
replied as she stretched.
"Jon does seem to be somewhat of a
stabilizing influence on Robert, if he does ever get fixed up, go for it, I
never thought I'd be sleeping with a man I was trying to rob, but�" Max
said as she smiled and kissed Logan.
"I agree, go for it, every man with a
self-righteous crusade to save something needs an X5 for a girlfriend."
Logan said smiling, as he drank his coffee.
"Why do I get the distinct feeling that
you two had more than just dinner last night?" Bling said as he walked in,
officially making the kitchen now the gossip zone, Andrea thought.
"Because these two are smiling like kids
in a candy store, and that they were just talking about last night." Andrea
responded.
"I kind of picked up on that, does this
mean that you've found someone else to help you with your training?" Bling
said, looking at Logan.
"She's providing training that I don't
think you'd be interested in, I still could use a trainer, despite my mobility,
I'm tired of everyone Max brings around being able to beat me up." Logan
said as Max smiled and stroked his spiked hair.
"I'll see to that, now don't go to rough
on him, the boy needs his rest." Bling said, smiling, just like everyone
else, except Zack that had talked to Max and Logan about their relationship.
"I won't, he just has a hard time keeping
up sometimes." Max said, she laughed, then kissed Logan.
"I didn't think I was that slow, just
give me a chance, Jon's blood out to rev me up for next time." Logan said
smiling, as he returned the kiss.
"If he's half the man he boasts he is,
I'll take you up on that offer later, with good results I bet." Max said as
she kissed him, got up, and headed off to the bathroom.
"I take it you two have no regrets as to
what transpired last night?" Bling asked as he sat down.
"If there are any regrets, it's that we
didn't do it sooner, I couldn't believe what I felt last night, I finally feel
complete." Logan said as he thought back to what had happened the previous
night, and this morning.
"Finding the woman of your dreams and
finding out she loves you as much as you do her can do that for a guy."
Bling said as he drank his coffee.
"Amen to that, I'm going to go take a
shower, see you later." Logan said as he walked off.
"You might want to wait, Max is in
the�" Bling said, then stopped himself.
"I know, I just thought I'd help her a
bit." Logan said grinning. "A guy could really get into this
relationship thing." He said as he walked away towards the bathroom.
*******
"Let's go to work, Finger Eleven sound
good?" Robert said as Jon sat down at a table with a set of tools, and went
to work tampering with an H&K UMP .45.
"Sounds good for me, put 'er in."
Jon said as he emptied the magazine for the gun, ejected the round from the
chamber, and took the gun and magazine apart.
"Right, let's at least work to some good
music, even if the situation sucks." Robert said as he popped a CD into a
player, and turned it on.
The CD player started up, and music started
pouring out.
I had never thought
We were hanging on
But the fall looks very far
Staring at the ground
Andrea was in the sparring/weight room, and
she heard the song, and listened to it as she practised her moves.
What flesh will do to you
Will do to me too
Be free and on your own
It's not that simple
It's never that simple
She looked out the window that looked into the
car garage, Robert and Jon were working, and Robert was moving his head to the
beat, as he assembled something, and seemed intent on the task.
It feels like the first time
That we'd fallen behind
And we faltered too far down
No one could save us
It feels like the first time
And we're standing about them
And no one can touch us
The worst is over
What
did you expect to come out of his CD collection, feel-good music? Andrea
thought as she moved through the motions of a high kick. He was tinkering with
some sort of explosive, as the music played on, reflecting his thoughts.
I could say to you
A bitter word or two
There's no stopping now
Just get it out in the air
Heard it through the fog
And hurt by it all
I'd take it back today
But it's out of my hands
But it's out of my hands
Ah
yes, Finger Eleven, my mood reflected, my thoughts echoed, now if only the whole
pulse thing hadn't destroyed the music record industry. Robert
thought as he put together a new breaching charge, with it he thought, I could put down a ten-inch steel door with this bad boy. I could just
kick it down, but that kind of thing sticks in a man's memory, a mere mortal
knocks down a reinforced steel door, best be keeping up appearances.
Lost in the film again
All the signs were showing
Watching a single frame
When the wind begins
You're never anywhere
'Cause you're caught in my
weather every time
This
had better fucking work, I'm not going to spend all day here trying to
double-stack this mag for nothing. Jon thought as he assembled a newer, thicker magazine
for a disassembled UMP .45, he still had to expand the magazine slot to hold the
larger magazine, but if he pulled it off, I get a freaking 50-round magazine, that ought to do some damage. Jon
thought as he loaded bullets into the newly created magazine.
Feels like the first time
We'd fallen behind
No use is the other one to wait
But I can hold on
As sure as I'm strong
Get over the faithful yesterdays
It feels like the first time
That we'd fallen behind
And we faltered too far down
No one could save us
It feels like the first time
And we're standing about them
And no one can touch us
The worst is over
That
boy's got some problems if that's the kind of music he listens to when he's
working, wonder what he listens to when he's not working. Andrea
thought as she went through some stretching exercises.
"This ought to do it." Jon said as
he finished welding the new magazine, and magazine slot for the submachine gun.
"Check this out." Jon said as he tossed his newly modified gun to
Robert.
"Sweet, double-stack magazine, 50
rounds?" Robert said as he caught the weapon and looked it over.
"Yep, I just have to make some more mags
for that size, and modify yours, where is it?" Jon said as Robert tossed it
back.
He reached under the table he was working with
his explosives on and threw it over with incredible accuracy as it flew threw
the air straight at Jon.
"I'll get to work on it right away, how
are those grenade rounds coming for the M-203?" Jon said as he caught the
weapon, and started disassembling it.
"Done, I have thirty rounds here, twenty
breaching charges, thirty napalms, and four blocks of home-made plastique,
crude, but it can still blow up anything in a ten-foot radius." Robert said
as he flipped open a case containing grenade rounds.
"Good, you done yet, I'm working on a new
rifle, I think I can get something together if I have the right equipment, but I
need some special rounds, have any sources?" Jon asked as he worked on
adapting the magazine slot on the submachine gun.
"Done, I'm going to hit the treadmill for
a while, I had to break a few bones to get it, but it was some fat fuck of a
drug dealer, I figured let the jackass die when his heart seizes up. My contacts
are all gone, or on the other side of the continent, maybe you should try our
buddy Nyles up in Canada, I hear he's got a gun company going now." Robert
said as he got up.
"See you later." Jon said as he
worked away, but noticed that Andrea was also in the workout/sparring room. Seems
that he's got an alterior motive, I can't blame him, she is pretty damn hot, but
with his attitude, he's more likely to send her running. If that moron would
just open himself up a bit more, he might have a chance with women, he once told
me "easy for you to say, I don't see women and sex as the same thing."
I just hope he does loosen up, he's doing okay now, but for fuck's sake, I'm
getting it on with Kendra, Max is getting it on with Logan, when does he get
his? Ah yes, Kendra, my partner in breaking sexual records, she's nice, she
likes what I like, long-term sex. My life is dedicated to drinking, fucking,
fighting and music, but at least I don't have to worry about any health
problems, I've drank enough over the past thirteen years to rot 10 livers. Maybe
when this is all over I can go even further with Kendra, see if it's just the
sex, even I know that you need more than that in a relationship.
Jon thought as he worked at his weapons, doing what he did best.
********
"We really have to keep away from each
other for at least part of the day, otherwise Jon and Robert will never be able
to get that smell out of their noses." Logan said as he and Max came out of
the shower, a long shower.
"I suppose, you really should give me
fair warning with your little surprises though, I thought it was Jon trying to
sneak a peek at me." Max said as he bent over dripping from the shower and
kissed him.
"I guess, but what's the fun in
that?" Logan said as he returned the kiss.
"Point well taken, does Sir Eyes Only
have work to do? As much as I enjoy your company, I have things to do as well
today." Max said as she dried herself off.
"I'm going to look into what Lydecker has
for resources, any influence he may have with the local police forces. I know
how much this pains you, but remember, should Lydecker send X5's after you,
you'll have to hurt them to survive. I'm not sure I could bring myself to shoot
one of them if they came after you, but I'm not letting anything happen to you,
especially now." Logan said as he tucked a lock of her dark hair back
behind her ear, and kissed her.
"I'm not letting them take me away from
what I have here, not ever." Max said as she returned the kiss.
"What you have here in Seattle, or what
you have here in the bathroom." Logan said smiling.
"Damn you and that smile of yours, I
almost forgot about everyone else." Max said as she traced a line across
his chest with her finger.
"Don't take it to heart, I've already
worked hard enough to burrow my way in there." Logan said as he pulled her
into a long kiss until he started to run out of air.
"I'm sure you have, just dry yourself up,
and get dressed, I don�t need another reason not to take time off today for
pleasurable activities, you're far to tempting right now." Max said as she
wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes, letting herself be
drawn into the depths of his blue eyes.
"You're not exactly tempting me to get
back to work either, you're absolutely perfect, every part of you." Logan
said as he gently stroked her back and pulled her close.
"It's nice to hear that once in a while,
you're not exactly far behind my love." Max said as she stroked his spiked
hair.
"Maybe we should get dressed before its
nightfall, otherwise we're not going to get anything done, these aren't the best
of circumstances to start something like this. I'm not exactly opposed to it,
you mean far to much to me to wait for things to quiet down, I'm just mad that I
didn't tell you what I felt for you sooner, I love you, nothing can change
that." Logan said as he pulled her into a long kiss, until they broke off
and started getting dressed for the day.
Before they left, they shared one last
embrace, then went on with their respective days.
********
"Keep your leg up on the follow-through
kick, that move is supposed to break the jaw, not the collarbone." Robert
said as he saw Andrea move through the motions of one of the combat techniques
he had shown her.
"Give me a break, it's my second day at
doing this, you've had over a decade to practice." Andrea shot back as he
put on a Discman, put a pair of headphones on, and started the program on the
treadmill.
"I thought you X5's were supposed to be
able to pick up anything in a few days, didn�t they make you kids smart as
well?" Robert replied as he found a program for the treadmill he liked, and
started it up, he burst into a run as the track sped up, but it did not seem to
tire him.
"Smart enough to detect the comments of a
smartass, they did make us smart kids, I don�t see you pushing your limits, or
do you even have any?" Andrea replied as she went through the motions of
another attack.
"I have my limits, it's just quite hard
to test them, I'm doing a marathon run on this thing, see you in 26 miles."
Robert said as he flicked his Discman on.
"Men and their egos, the bigger they are,
the more they get inflated." Andrea said to herself as she went through the
moves that Robert and Jon had shown her, they were superior to the combat
techniques of Manticore, which would prove useful against the X5's after her.
After a while, she grew tired of the constant practice, Robert was still
pounding away on the treadmill. She wanted to run a bit as well, but she could
just go out on the street, she needed to get more familiar with the area
anyways.
No
point in bothering two meters of male testosterone to get off a tread, I'll just
tread on some concrete. Andrea thought as she went out, and started running.
She went down the street, then twisted, Manticore doctors had provided their
kids with a photographic memory, she remembered every twist and turn to get back
to Robert's base of operations. After ten minutes, she turned, but kept running
until she realised that ten meters in front of her was a brick wall.
"Watch where you're going Andrea, you
could've that wall, what would that say for Manticore genetics?" She mused
to herself as she turned around, but saw a figure blocking her way.
"You're not going anywhere, Lydecker told
us to lie low, but I'm not going to let his agents be the glory hogs in tracking
you down." He said, she recognised him, it was Jack, his brown hair rustled
with the slight wind, he stood 5'11",
with brown eyes, and was in a combat stance.
"You're not taking me anywhere, what do
you think, that you're superior to me just because you have spent more time at
that hellhole?" Andrea said as she brought herself into a fighting stance
as well.
"My genes are flawless now, my training
is far more complete, try and get past me, just try." He said, and Andrea
obliged him in a rather dramatic manner.
"Just because you've got more training,
doesn't mean you still can't fight." Andrea said as she moved at extreme
speed and landed a triple fist combo that gave him two swift blows to the chest,
knocking the wind out of him, then an uppercut that knocked him over.
"You're good, but I'm still better."
Jack replied as he leapt up and clipped her with a
right kick that smashed her side, sending her into the alley wall.
"Just give me a chance." Andrea said
as she executed a move that Robert and Jon had described as something that
Jackie Chan would be proud of.
The attack took multiple stages, and was
simple in execution, but precise aim was required for the hit to work, otherwise
it would not have the devastating impact that the move suggested. She leapt up
with a high kick that looked like she was about to smash his head in, but
instead when his arm came up to swat her, she shifted her foot, and instead
impacted on the arm he had raised, and broke it. Before he could react, she
landed and delivered two swift blows that knocked the wind out of him, and
finished with a roundhouse kick that smashed his head at the side, knocking him
flat on the ground.
"Wipe yourself up, Lydecker won't be happy when you come
back I can assure you, catch you later." Andrea said as she started
walking.
"Who said you were going to leave?"
He said, she heard a click, and turned around, he was raising an H&K USP
Tactical fitted with a silencer, he took careful aim and fired, emptying the
clip. Andrea did her best to dodge as much fire as she could, but two shots
nailed her as she ran away.
Fuck!
It's not bad, but I still need help with this, gotta get back, before he calls
in any reinforcements, for all I know, these bullets have homing beacons in
them. Andrea
thought as she looked back at the wounds, one had nailed her in the right
shoulder, and arm, she moved as fast as she could, with the adrenaline pumping
through her, the pain did not stop her that much. She arrived back at the car
garage that they were all hiding out in, and burst through the door, before
collapsing on the floor.
"Shit, can someone give me some fucking
help over here, I just got my ass shot up!" Andrea screamed as she
struggled to get back up.
Her call brought a response, Jon burst away
from the work he was doing, Zack also burst out of his room, and saw the state
she was in.
"If one of you could help me, I kind of
have two .45 rounds stuck in my arm and shoulder, does anyone around here know
anything about removing bullets or what?" Andrea said, Jon scooped her up
in his arms, and set her down on a metal table, leaning on her left side.
"What happened?" Robert said as
wiped a bit of sweat off his brow, and pulled off his earphones, and shut off
his Discman.
"I was out running, an X5 that was after
us caught up to me, I gave him a broken arm and concussion for his trouble, but
he got out a gun, fired twelve shots, I couldn't dodge them all." Andrea
said as she winced with pain as Jon pulled back the flesh, looking for the
bullets.
"I see, Jon, get the first aid kit, we
should have some tweezers in there, and a bottle of Jack Daniels." Robert
said as he looked at her wounds.
"What's the booze for, don't tell me you
perform bullet removal while hammered." Andrea said as she winced with pain
again.
"It's for you, it's going to hurt like
fucking hell when I probe for those rounds, I need to pull them out too, believe
me, you'll need it." Robert said as Jon came back with the first aid kit.
"Just take a drink, hold still, and it
will be over in a minute or two." Robert said as he grabbed the tweezers,
and Jon poured some of the whiskey in a shot glass.
"You had better know what you're doing, I
assume you have done this before?" Andrea asked, looking at Robert
suspiciously.
"Four times, out of my own body, two of
those times I had to pop it out with a knife, tweezers are not standard issue in
the field." Robert said as he flicked a lighter on, and burned the edges of
the tweezers, sterilising them.
"Just make sure you don't leave anything
in there." Andrea said as he opened the wound on her shoulder up, and
probed for the bullet, and possible fragments as she took a shot of the whiskey.
********
"It worked, our agents found her, Jack
wore her down, the agents kept up, now we have their location." Lydecker
said to his Tac team commander.
"Should we storm the place, or will
resistance be to heavy?" the Tac team leader asked.
"We'll draw out the Trackers somehow, the
X5's slip in, and grab the targets, we bring them back here, and in 24 hours
they're shipped out in a heavily armed convoy back to Manticore." Lydecker
said.
"Sir, I lost six good men to those
bastards last night, we've had 15 more dead from the convoy hit they pulled,
permission to kill them should the opportunity arise." The Tac leader said.
"You will do nothing of the sort, if we
provoke them, they will kill the first Tac group they see with extreme
prejudice, they are far to deadly for your men to engage." Lydecker cut off
the Tac leader with a piercing stare as he spoke.
"Very well sir, but how will my men draw
them out? What could hold them and interest them enough to allow us to trap them
long enough for your kids to do their job?" The Tac leader replied.
"We provide them with an opportunity they
cannot pass up, an apparent transfer of a captured X5 prisoner will take place,
they move, your men buy time for my kids, an hour later, it's over."
Lydecker said as he paced back and forth through the briefing room.
"How will we leak them the news without
being obvious about it, we can't simply hang signs in the streets about such a
thing." The Tac leader said.
"They have some hacker helping them out
here, they will know, we simply have to make it look genuine, can you do
that?" Lydecker said as he sat down.
"Easily, they'll think they're saving one
of them, they'll be losing two of them, when do we execute this operation?"
The Tac leader asked.
"In ten hours, we plant the evidence in
four, that should give them enough time to peak their interests." Lydecker
replied.
"What if they sense it's a trap and don't
take the bait?" The Tac leader asked.
"Then we bring in as many men as
possible, blockade every street, and storm their base, bloody, but we'll reach
our objective, and eliminate the two deadliest men alive at the same time."
Lydecker replied.
"I just hope it doesn't come to that, I
have no intention of seeing my men butchered." The Tac leader said as he
walked off.
"Neither do I, my kids are better, but
that doesn't mean your men are disposable, I'll call you when the operation
set's in motion." Lydecker said.
"Aye sir, with any luck, we'll be
toasting to our success inside of the next twelve hours." The Tac leader
replied.
"Call in my kids, it's time we set things
in motion." Lydecker said into his
radio, talking to his aide.
