| "Steady Gray" | ||
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Cardinal Target: Warehouse May 24, 2008 0130 hours The drop into the wind driven rain had been successful and Paige diligently led Alpha 1 and 5 the two miles to the Warehouse. It was cold and wet but their mission gear and adrenaline had kept them somewhat dry and basically warm. The two agents and one operative crouched just within the tree line along the east side of the structure. The thermal devices had been set along each wall and the resulting net now played out across Alpha 5's hand held PDA. Himself and Paige studied it intently as Baz kept his eyes on the service road that traveled the length of the east side and out into the woods. Two kilometers along that road would bring someone to a small paved side road, and eight kilometers along the side road would bring one to a highway. There was no movement currently on the small service road along the warehouse. For all intents and purposes, it looked deserted. And this notion loomed in Paige's mind, and not necessarily as a good omen. "The labs are generating so much heat it's hard to tell how many are actually in there," Joshua, Alpha 5 said quietly. "What the hell are they doing in there?" Paige shrugged, though in the dark the action went unnoticed. "Bogey, two o'clock," Baz relayed to them. Joshua darkened his panel as they both clicked their night vision goggles into place. They moved slightly watching the man walk along the warehouse wall. His shoulders were scrunched and his head bent against the driving rain. The man walked quickly without a glance sideways and unaware of those watching from the woods. He hopped up a small flight of stairs directly in front of the three and disappeared through a single door into the warehouse. Joshua turned his PDA back on and they monitored the man's movement through the warehouse. There were three additional targets inside but the fourth did not go near any of them and made his way to the lab areas being swallowed by a blob of red. "Tac 1, can you clean this intel up any?" Joshua asked. "We're working it, we've counted at least eight in the lab and office areas," Simon replied. Joshua snorted, it was eight more than they had counted. "Well, that brings it up to eleven or twelve," Paige said quietly, "what say we take a look on the inside?" Baz grinned, "after you." Paige moved quickly stopping just at the woods edge to scan the road and warehouse. Nothing. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. She sprinted to the door with Joshua and Baz behind her. Her heart rate picked up as she climbed the four stairs to the east side door. If someone were to open it, they'd be in a world of hurt. But no one did and she slowly peered into the small square glass window. The warehouse was dark, only a few overhead lights were on casting long shadows throughout the expanse of area. She ducked down speaking quietly to her teammates. "Directly in front of us and along the north side is empty. The south side has aisles of boxes, big crates or something, about 18 rows or so I saw." "Anyone visible?" Joshua asked. She shook her head, "we should get inside." They nodded their agreement. "Tac 1 we're going in, come up to check 2," Joshua directed as Paige tested the door. The choppers would be moving to check point 2, about a mile from the warehouse and the air teams would be getting ready inside. It gave them about a minute to get inside and decide on a scenario for the rest of ingress. A light tug on the door pulled it open and the three moved quickly inside, along the east wall, and into the dark protection of the first row of crates. Paige absently readied her weapon as she eyed the stacks of boxes and cartons that loomed some 15 feet into the air. This also worried her, as much protection as it offered the trio now, the stacks would offer the same protection to the enemy. They studied the PDA again noting the same three individuals placed through the warehouse where they had been the last ten minutes. The trio stealthily moved three more stacks into the warehouse sliding between the shadows. They again paused to study the PDA as Simon's messages scrolled along the bottom: another had left the lab area and was coming into the open area of the warehouse and a vehicle approached on the service road. If they did not move soon they would be trapped. The back end of the stacks went all the way to the south wall, while the leading edge of the stacks faced about 300 feet of open warehouse along the entire north wall. They did not know what was in the vehicle approaching, and it might not be anything, or it could be more Red Cell agents. The fourth target was moving steadily towards their position most likely heading for the east door to retrieve whatever or whoever was in the vehicle. Joshua sent the message quickly for the choppers to come in. Dropping the teams on the roof would be the only scenario and they only had about two minutes to stay hidden until they did arrive. The PDA off, comms silent, and weapons ready, the trio retreated back into the stacks towards the south wall in hopes of not being seen. The held their breaths as the fourth target walked past the aisle where they were hidden in. Still unnoticed and the fourth target out of view, the trio quickly moved to the leading edge of the stack and targeted two of the three remaining targets they could see. Paige counted silently in her head imagining the choppers quickly approaching their position. Even before she heard them, the choppers, the activity level of the targets suddenly increased. Where they had been silently standing looking almost bored, they now jumped, readying their own weapons. The two they could see cast their gaze about...they knew they were under attack. "Game on," Joshua said quietly, tensely, as he gripped his weapon bringing it up to his shoulder. Not a second later the target closest to them dropped to the ground, a well placed bullet in his head. Baz fired off a second round bringing down the other. "Cover us, watch the door," Joshua signaled to her and he and Baz stepped out from the protection of the stacks and moved quickly away from her. It was not premature, their actions, the more bogeys down would provide better cover for the air teams coming in from above. They were simply beginning the assault that would inevitably be the enemies demise. The familiar quiet calm of engagement swept over her as she watched the east side door occasionally looking to where her teammates had disappeared. She still held the protection of the stacks but the other two were not so lucky. Another short burst from a weapon caught her attention and she couldn't tell who it was from. Then more bursts. "Shit," Baz came clearly over her comm. Shit. Shit? That was never a good thing. She took two steps towards the west side only to see Baz and Joshua running towards her. She realized instantly why they were doing this as she saw the swarm of Red Cell agents behind them, at least a dozen or so who were showering bullets upon them. Where was the air team she thought absently as she turned towards the east side door. They had to get out, they had to get to that door. She started running, the gun shots getting closer and echoing loudly in the hollow vastness of the warehouse. The door she had been fixed intently on suddenly swung open and she skidded to a halt even as she took out the two individuals who attempted to come through it. In a long burst she emptied her weapon into the door and the wall deterring anyone else who was outside from entering. She couldn't even hear the choppers yet - where was the fucking air team? Visions of the choppers crashing into the woods from the weather (or a well placed RPG) flashed through her mind. There were others now, at the east side door and they fired at them. Paige slammed another clip into her weapon as Baz, coming up behind them, laid another round into the door. "Get in the stacks," he shouted and the three ducked between two of them. Trapped. They were now trapped with no way out. The three held their tentative position ducking in and out of the leading edge of the two stacks trying their best to keep the two opposing forces at bay. "Pilot, this is Alpha 4. Get me down now." Saf's voice, like an angel from heaven, literally, came over her comm. They were here then, but still, she couldn't here the choppers. Didn't matter, Red Cell was pressing hard and they were running out of ammo. "Get up on the stacks," Joshua ordered the two of them. Paige exchanged a glance with Baz - what would that do? Yeah, they would have momentary protection being up so high, and yeah, they would have a better chance at shooting the enemy - but that would leave him vulnerable, her Joshua. And despite all her hatred towards him, she still felt the urge for him to be safe, to protect him. She hesitated. "GO," Joshua shouted at them. She cast a forlorn glance at him. He answered that glance with one of determination and protectiveness. "Go," he said quietly. She turned to follow Baz who lead her down the row. Within seconds of Saf's voice she heard another. "You set us down NOW, easy way, or hard way!" Eric's voice. Another angel from heaven. What was the problem? Why weren't they on the roof yet? These questions flicked in her mind as Baz stopped and faced her, shouldering his weapon and grasping his hands together. "Get up there," he said as he closed his hands together. Paige placed one of her boots in his hands as he boosted her up. She grabbed the lowest beam of the structure that held up a huge row of large boxes. "Go, go," he yelled up to her. The huge beams had to be at least six feet apart and her five foot ten frame could not grip them properly. She moved to the middle line and using the boxes for leverage pulled and pushed her way up towards the top of the stack. She could hear the gunfire getting closer and redoubled her effort on getting to the top and out of the line of fire. They had been corralled now between two aisles of boxes with no escape and the Red Cell agents were quickly closing in on them. "Alpha 5 to all units, we are under heavy fire." Joshua's voice steady and with just the hint of fear came over her comm. Was it that bad? Had the realization of their situation been thwarted momentarily only because of the tone of his voice, the depth of his actions being valiant and steadfast? Was their predicament so precarious now that even one of his stature would betray it in his voice? Their only chance of not getting killed now lay in getting up on the stacks of boxes and hopefully outrunning their opponents over the top of the them. It would be easier to pick them off from above then on the same level. Her foot slipped on a box and she was almost to the top and Baz was not far behind her. A bullet ripped into the box near her head and she ducked as well as she could. She heard a grunt from Baz and instinctively knew he had been hit. She looked down to see him on the ground, clutching his shoulder, then glanced up and saw Joshua lying on his side motionless. Why wasn't the air team here yet? She did not register any emotion seeing two of her teammates down and focused on getting on top of the boxes. She could see Them now, ducking around the leading row of boxes and knew they were coming in through the door they had only minutes before came through themselves. They were so close now. She felt the two bullets bury themselves into the back of her kevlar and her body was pressed against the boxes. It was a familiar feeling, having the air pushed out of her lungs, her limbs instantly numbed. She lost her grip on the beam above her head, the last one that would have gotten her to the top of the stack. She fell, her arms flailing and her legs not responding to her commands of getting them under her. It was gonna hurt, she knew this. If there had been any air left in her lungs it was now pushed out upon her impact with the concrete floor some nine feet below where she had been. Her head exploded in a dazzling white brilliance. This pain, too, she was familiar with. She was on her side somehow trying to hold the back of her head that was the source of all the pain. One of her arms, however, was not working now, at all, and she braced herself as the dazzling white was replaced by a blazing red as it ripped up her arm and into her brain. She moaned but did not hear herself. She stilled her body then trying not to move waiting as the red and the white dulled into a steady gray. Waiting for the air team to come or if it were to be...waiting for death. Return |
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