They weren�t sure whether or not the building was still inhabited, which is why they had to take what precautions they could. N�tn�see and his group of ten AGF�s were huddled behind a log, while William�s group had scrambled for cover in the trees and bushes. Jean�s group was doing similar, but she was busy looking for a good sniper�s perch amidst the trees.
She found a tree that suited her preference, and scurried up it, silent as death. David opened up his private frequency with N�tn�see, William and Jean.
�Jean, I need LR coverage, have your people bring up rear. N�tn�see, I want you and your team to find an alternate route into the building. William, I�m joining your group; we�ll be storming the front door as soon as everyone is in place. Maintain cease fire as long as possible.�
�Roger.�
�Aye sir.�
�Copy that; almost in place, sir.�
A few seconds ticked by, and David stood with his back to his tree. His finger rested just above the trigger, ready to strike. A call came in over his radio; it was Jean.
�Sir, my men and I are in place; we have the external area covered. I�ll be watching over the front door, sir.�
David crouched low, and ran low towards the tree William was next to. He rolled, went behind a bush, and came up onto his feet standing next to tree three feet from William. William gave him a look of acknowledgement, that he was ready. N�tn�see�s call finally came in.
�Sir; alternate entrance located. Awaiting your command.�
�Roger that. Jean�s group will provide cover for us; storm them on my mark.� A second ticked by; adrenaline rushed through his body, and he could feel his muscles acquire the new power.
�Mark!� He rolled from his cover, and scurried for the main door. William and his men followed right behind him, using whatever cover they could.
The trees didn�t thin out before the clearing; the line of forest simply stopped. David went from stepping over thick roots and leaves to flat, hard grassy ground. He had to run through thirty meters of absolute vulnerability, with no cover. He sidestepped every once in a while, something that helped throw off snipers. Every fraction of a second that passed made David more on edge, knowing that he was completely open to anyone who wanted to take a shot at him.
The door lay just beyond an open hallway, which went for only five meters. David scrambled to the door, placing his back into the corner. The sudden halt of footsteps behind him and the sound of heavy breathing told David the rest of William�s group was here. He turned to look at William, and saw the cold expressionless face of his �combat mode�. The door suddenly whooshed open, surprising David. A man stood there, surprised, and moved to level his rifle at David. He was too far away for a melee attack, but he might beat him in drawing his rifle to aim. A slight level of panic went through David�s cold mind, when a CRACK! rolled through the air.
The top of the soldier�s head disappeared. His arms and legs went limp, and he slumped to the ground. A slight contrail of smoke trailed over to a treetop, where David was sure Jean was perched.
�Thanks.� He uttered over the radio. He could�ve sworn he heard a chuckle. David brought his rifle up to his shoulder, and marched in.
Every once in a while, as they passed through the halls, a guard or other personnel would pass. They showed them no mercy, killing all that stood in their path. Some of them were unarmed, but David couldn�t let morals or honor get in the way of his mission; this had to be done. Off in a distant hallway, they could hear N�tn�see�s group making their way through the building.
David kicked another door in; a radio room. The system was still firing up, desperately trying to load its software so its user could send a distress signal. Three people stood up in their chairs, surprised looks on their faces. David didn�t waste bullets; he plucked a grenade, counted to three, rolled it inside, and promptly shut the door. The AGF�s had already gotten far out of the way, but David had barely hit the ground when flaming bits of metal and flesh exploded through the door, barely missing him. The room beyond where the door once stood was in flames, the radio computers mangled and sparking. David stood, picked up his rifle, and moved on.
Jean sat there, fully alert and calm. Her finger rested just above the trigger, as she scanned for targets. She had just heard what sounded like a grenade from inside the structure, but so far no one had tried to escape the building. She had herself and her men located all around the building, twenty to thirty feet apart. If any of those bastards tried to get out, she knew they wouldn�t make it to the trees.
An engine fired up; a patch of grass lifted, exposing a secret underground entrance to the building. A buggy roared as it sailed out of it, attempting escape.
Jean�s mind went cold as more of her training kicked in, blocking out everything except logical thought. The adrenaline rush seemed to make time slow down; from when she had heard the engine, she had already had her rifle trained on the spot where the vehicle emerged. Four people occupied the cabin, all with looks of fear on their faces. One still had some shaving cream on his face, showing how much of an element of surprise they had had. She placed her crosshairs slightly in front of the vehicle. She followed it, but slowly decreased the crosshairs� rate of movement; the driver floated right into her sights.
She squeezed the trigger. CRACK! As the buggy entered mid jump, the driver�s head disappeared. She had hit him right at the neck, sending his skull flying. The man�s body tensed, sending all of his muscles spasing out of control. The engine screamed with acceleration, and the vehicle smashed into a tree. Two of its occupants were thrown into the trees, quickly followed by the sounds of gunfire from her men. The third occupant hit the back seat, and attempted to get out of the vehicle, but-
CRACK! The man was blown apart at the torso, and spun end over end until his upper body slammed into the ground with a soft thud. Jean�s slide was locked open; she pressed the magazine release, grabbed a clip from her waist, and slammed it into the rifle�s receiver. Her pulse calmed, and she got back to scanning for targets.
David and N�tn�see sat there crouched next to William, and the twenty other AGF�s guarded William as he did his work. He was placing explosives on one of the facility�s major fuel lines, which was connected indirectly to every room in the building, not to mention the fuel tanks a hundred feet below them. David�s rifle remained trained on the hallway, which lay stained with blood and decorated by the occasional body covered in the traditional dark blue uniform of Clanner soldiers.
William finished placing the last of the C-12 explosives on the fuel lines, and with a sense of satisfaction in his voice, said �That�s it sir. The fuse is ready to be programmed, we need to be way the hell outta here when this thing goes.�
�Good. Set it for fifty seconds. AGF�s, get moving! Make sure our path out of the building is clear!� N�tn�see barked at the soldiers, taking command over William�s group. William was busy using his wrist implant to calibrate the bomb�s digital fuse, and David stood. He could hear the occasional gunshot off in the distance, an indicator that the AGF�s were getting their path cleared. If they set the fuse to be too long, it could be deactivated. The gunshots drifted farther and farther away, and a minute ticked past.
�Sir, the fuse is set. It�ll begin its count down whenever you give me the word.�
David took in a deep breath, and put his rifle into its mechanical sling.
�Light it�, muttered David. He stood there beside William, waiting for him. He pressed a button, and David saw a yellow and red light pulse on the bomb.
�Sir, let�s get the hell out of here!� David couldn�t agree more. He sprinted out the door, running as fast as he could. He didn�t have the time to slow down at the corner, so he shifted his gravity into the turn, and in a half-step, half-leap, he placed his foot on the wall. His other foot made contact with the wall perpendicular to the direction he�d been traveling, and he came back down to the floor. He had barely lost ten percent of his speed in his little maneuver. William kept right on his heels, as they both ran for their lives.
David came around another corner, and saw the mess on the floor of where he had blown the communications room. He leapt over a pile of mechanical wreckage, but heard a thump behind him as he landed. He risked glancing over his shoulder, and saw William on the ground.
He had gotten his foot caught under some of the twisted metal, and it sat at an awkward angle, bleeding horribly. David�s boots screamed as he came to an almost instant stop, and he rushed back.
He tried to hoist William up, but in his fall he had wrenched his foot into the metal; his foot and the twisted wreckage were one, and he wouldn�t be going anywhere.
�God damn it, don�t worry about me sir! Get yourself out!� He yelped in pain as David made another attempt at prying him out, but his foot merely twisted and cut more. He only had one option, and that was sure as hell not going to be leaving one of his best friends, and team members, behind. He unholstered his pistol, and aimed right at the shin four inches above the ankle. He fired; the lower leg exploded, separating William from his left foot. William had passed out from the pain, and David quickly proceeded to scooping his friend off of the floor. He hoisted him over his shoulder, and continued running.
His eye implant showed only a few seconds left. He pushed his muscles harder, feeling them tear slightly from the stress. He saw the open door, just up ahead. Just as his foot touched grass, the countdown timer clicked to zero.
