Prologue
Haruna was running out of options. She knew she was outnumbered , and the lack of lighting in this abandoned warehouse cast shadows everywhere, making the detection of movement almost impossible. She heard a skittering of feet behind her, and turned with haste, only to find a rat scrambling across the floor. Every second lost gave her opponents a chance to position themselves better. Dressed in her flexible night black combat suit, Mina leaned against a nearby pillar.
If I know Mina, sheÕll have found the best sniping point... top of the stairs, Haruna thought. Without glancing to see if she was right, Haruna dove behind a nearby crate. It was lucky that she acted so quickly, for less than a second afterward the laser point of a sniper scope appeared where she would have been.
Haruna decided that it was now or never. She jumped onto the crate and aimed three shots at the sniper on the stairs with her 9mm Colt Double Eagle. Not making the amateur mistake of seeing whether the shots connected, she back flipped off the crate with the reflexes given by 18 years in the Special Forces. As the noise echoed around the warehouse, she noted the echo of 4 shots instead of three, and ducked as a fifth shot was fired.
He must be nearby... that shot definitely came from the right, 15 feet? 20 feet? Time to find out.
Haruna turned right and made her way quickly but stealthily until she came across an odd contraption. A handgun was tied firmly in place on top of a crate, with a small device linked up to the handgun set on some unseen setting. As HarunaÕs brain tried to interpret this, she felt the sharp blow to her spine, and an arm wrapped around her neck. A gun was pressed up to her ear as she heard a deep voice hiss, ÒGame over.Ó
Haruna, level-headed as usual, put her hands up and dropped her guns, saying, ÒIÕm unarmedÓ Before the man could react, she moved her arms down, swinging her elbows so they would hit his face and hopefully force him to drop his gun. All she could do is pray she was fast enough.
She wasnÕt.
BAM!!! Time seemed to slow as the trigger was pulled. HarunaÕs world went black as she briefly recognized one final echo. Her limp body hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Carey looked at Haruna with a grim look of satisfaction as the warehouse lights turned on. He went up the stairs and found a body lying at the top of the stairs. He quickly recognized it as his partner, Mina. He knew it would be at least five minutes before she regained consciousness, so he picked her up and brought her back to camp. Putting her down, he went back to retrieve Haruna.
Mina woke to find herself lying on a bed of grass, aching all over. Carey and Haruna were nowhere to be found, but she saw Klaus sitting on a nearby log, sipping a coffee leisurely, and working on his laptop.
ÒOh god, donÕt tell me we lost this one.Ó said Mina.
ÒNo, I think Carey pulled it off.Ó Replied Klaus. ÒHeÕs getting better, and youÕre not doing too bad yourself.Ó
ÒDonÕt you patronize me. Last time I checked, you were benching 80, max. I can more than double that.Ó
ÒIÕm just saying youÕve been stunned the last three times without firing a shot.Ó
ÒHey, those who live in glass houses shouldnÕt throw stones. You couldnÕt shoot someone to save your life.Ó
ÒYes, but my team does not rely on my accuracy skills to be successful.Ó
It was lucky for Mina that Carey walked in at that point, because as usual, Klaus had left someone without a comeback.
ÒGreat job, Carey!Ó exclaimed Mina as Carey gently placed Haruna down on the grass. This place totally rocks!
Haruna regained consciousness in time to see Mina give Carey a high five. A thought passed through her head as she tried to focus. IÕm getting too old for this. Back flipping off that crate? UghÉ but I canÕt let those guys one up me.
ÒDonÕt get too attached to this placeÓ suggested Klaus. ÒWeÕre only camping out here till we get our next mission, though itÕs nice to have a week where we donÕt have to sleep with one eye open.Ó
ÒHey Carey!Ó exclaimed Mina.
ÒUh-huh?Ó
ÒWanna go figure some new positions for the warehouse? IÕve got this idea about the supporting beams andÉÓ
ÒLetÕs go!Ó
Carey and Mina ran off to the warehouse, leaving Haruna to recover.
ÒKlaus?Ó
ÒYes?Ó
ÒExplain to me again how these combat suits work.Ó
ÒItÕs quite simple, really. The suit covers your entire body, and must be charged before usage. Electricity (bestowed by the charger) flows through the suit, and when the laser shot of the weapons hits the suit, electricity is discharged at vital nerve endings, rendering the user unconscious.Ó
ÒExplain me one more thing.Ó
ÒSureÓ
ÒWhy does it have to hurt like hell?Ó
ÒWell, that is an unfortunate sideÉÓ Haruna cut him off, saying, ÒNo, I donÕt need to know. WhatÕs the score at now?Ó
Klaus opened up a file on his computer. ÒItÕs 4-5, and theyÕre ahead by one.Ó ÒOh godÉÓ
ÒMind if I give you a little advice?Ó
ÒSure.Ó
ÒDonÕt strain yourself. YouÕre facing them two on one, and youÕre quite a bit older. Save a little energy for the actual missions, aÕight?Ó
ÒA leader without respect is nothing. I canÕt expect them to follow my orders if I canÕt establish myself as more experienced.Ó
ÒYes, and wearing yourself out entirely yourself will help achieve that how?Ó
ÒI canÕt believe IÕm being lectured by someone fourteen years younger than me.Ó
ÒHey, take it with a grain of salt.Ó
ÒYou wanna set us up for one more? I think IÕve got my energy back.Ó
ÒSure. You bring em back, okay? Just quit when you need to, all right?
Haruna ran off to the warehouse, leaving Klaus to set up the next battle.
Haruna woke up the next morning and found herself bruised all over. She turned over to see Klaus sitting on his log and reading a book.
ÒOwÉÓ
ÒWhere do you hurt?Ó
ÒEverywhereÓ
ÒWhat do you expect? Trying to pull a stunt like that, IÕm surprised nothingÕs broken.Ó ÒOWÉÓ
Haruna vaguely remembered trying to dive off the staircase to avoid a shot, and roll behind cover.
ÒThe plan was perfect. What went wrong?Ó
ÒI think maybe the fact that you were diving from 15 feet may have impeded your progress.
ÒOwÉÓ
ÒOh, IÕm sure youÕve taken worse hits than that.Ó ÒOwÉÓ
ÒDonÕt worry, IÕve got something to cheer you up.Ó
ÒMorphine?Ó
ÒNoÉÓ
ÒBeer?Ó
ÒNothing that good.Ó
ÒA vacation to the Bahamas?Ó
ÒAlright, enough guesses. WeÕve got a new assignment.Ó
ÒDoes it involve me taking lots of morphine?Ó
ÒSorry, no dice.Ó
ÒArgh, my headÉÓ
ÒThere have been some reports of supernatural activity in a small island near the Bahamas.Ó
ÒOh god, not another wild goose chase.Ó
ÒNot necessarily. Livestock have been disappearing, and we are worried that there may be a military group hiding in the forest and living off the localsÕ food.Ó
ÒSee? I told you we were going to the Bahamas!Ó
ÒWe leave at 9:00 A.M. tomorrow. Get some sleep.Ó
ÒWay ahead of you.Ó Mumbled Haruna as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Haruna was running out of options. She knew she was outnumbered , and the lack of lighting in this abandoned warehouse cast shadows everywhere, making the detection of movement almost impossible. She heard a skittering of feet behind her, and turned with haste, only to find a rat scrambling across the floor. Every second lost gave her opponents a chance to position themselves better. Dressed in her flexible night black combat suit, Mina leaned against a nearby pillar.
If I know Mina, sheÕll have found the best sniping point... top of the stairs, Haruna thought. Without glancing to see if she was right, Haruna dove behind a nearby crate. It was lucky that she acted so quickly, for less than a second afterward the laser point of a sniper scope appeared where she would have been.
Haruna decided that it was now or never. She jumped onto the crate and aimed three shots at the sniper on the stairs with her 9mm Colt Double Eagle. Not making the amateur mistake of seeing whether the shots connected, she back flipped off the crate with the reflexes given by 18 years in the Special Forces. As the noise echoed around the warehouse, she noted the echo of 4 shots instead of three, and ducked as a fifth shot was fired.
He must be nearby... that shot definitely came from the right, 15 feet? 20 feet? Time to find out.
Haruna turned right and made her way quickly but stealthily until she came across an odd contraption. A handgun was tied firmly in place on top of a crate, with a small device linked up to the handgun set on some unseen setting. As HarunaÕs brain tried to interpret this, she felt the sharp blow to her spine, and an arm wrapped around her neck. A gun was pressed up to her ear as she heard a deep voice hiss, ÒGame over.Ó
Haruna, level-headed as usual, put her hands up and dropped her guns, saying, ÒIÕm unarmedÓ Before the man could react, she moved her arms down, swinging her elbows so they would hit his face and hopefully force him to drop his gun. All she could do is pray she was fast enough.
She wasnÕt.
BAM!!! Time seemed to slow as the trigger was pulled. HarunaÕs world went black as she briefly recognized one final echo. Her limp body hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Carey looked at Haruna with a grim look of satisfaction as the warehouse lights turned on. He went up the stairs and found a body lying at the top of the stairs. He quickly recognized it as his partner, Mina. He knew it would be at least five minutes before she regained consciousness, so he picked her up and brought her back to camp. Putting her down, he went back to retrieve Haruna.
Mina woke to find herself lying on a bed of grass, aching all over. Carey and Haruna were nowhere to be found, but she saw Klaus sitting on a nearby log, sipping a coffee leisurely, and working on his laptop.
ÒOh god, donÕt tell me we lost this one.Ó said Mina.
ÒNo, I think Carey pulled it off.Ó Replied Klaus. ÒHeÕs getting better, and youÕre not doing too bad yourself.Ó
ÒDonÕt you patronize me. Last time I checked, you were benching 80, max. I can more than double that.Ó
ÒIÕm just saying youÕve been stunned the last three times without firing a shot.Ó
ÒHey, those who live in glass houses shouldnÕt throw stones. You couldnÕt shoot someone to save your life.Ó
ÒYes, but my team does not rely on my accuracy skills to be successful.Ó
It was lucky for Mina that Carey walked in at that point, because as usual, Klaus had left someone without a comeback.
ÒGreat job, Carey!Ó exclaimed Mina as Carey gently placed Haruna down on the grass. This place totally rocks!
Haruna regained consciousness in time to see Mina give Carey a high five. A thought passed through her head as she tried to focus. IÕm getting too old for this. Back flipping off that crate? UghÉ but I canÕt let those guys one up me.
ÒDonÕt get too attached to this placeÓ suggested Klaus. ÒWeÕre only camping out here till we get our next mission, though itÕs nice to have a week where we donÕt have to sleep with one eye open.Ó
ÒHey Carey!Ó exclaimed Mina.
ÒUh-huh?Ó
ÒWanna go figure some new positions for the warehouse? IÕve got this idea about the supporting beams andÉÓ
ÒLetÕs go!Ó
Carey and Mina ran off to the warehouse, leaving Haruna to recover.
ÒKlaus?Ó
ÒYes?Ó
ÒExplain to me again how these combat suits work.Ó
ÒItÕs quite simple, really. The suit covers your entire body, and must be charged before usage. Electricity (bestowed by the charger) flows through the suit, and when the laser shot of the weapons hits the suit, electricity is discharged at vital nerve endings, rendering the user unconscious.Ó
ÒExplain me one more thing.Ó
ÒSureÓ
ÒWhy does it have to hurt like hell?Ó
ÒWell, that is an unfortunate sideÉÓ Haruna cut him off, saying, ÒNo, I donÕt need to know. WhatÕs the score at now?Ó
Klaus opened up a file on his computer. ÒItÕs 4-5, and theyÕre ahead by one.Ó ÒOh godÉÓ
ÒMind if I give you a little advice?Ó
ÒSure.Ó
ÒDonÕt strain yourself. YouÕre facing them two on one, and youÕre quite a bit older. Save a little energy for the actual missions, aÕight?Ó
ÒA leader without respect is nothing. I canÕt expect them to follow my orders if I canÕt establish myself as more experienced.Ó
ÒYes, and wearing yourself out entirely yourself will help achieve that how?Ó
ÒI canÕt believe IÕm being lectured by someone fourteen years younger than me.Ó
ÒHey, take it with a grain of salt.Ó
ÒYou wanna set us up for one more? I think IÕve got my energy back.Ó
ÒSure. You bring em back, okay? Just quit when you need to, all right?
Haruna ran off to the warehouse, leaving Klaus to set up the next battle.
Haruna woke up the next morning and found herself bruised all over. She turned over to see Klaus sitting on his log and reading a book.
ÒOwÉÓ
ÒWhere do you hurt?Ó
ÒEverywhereÓ
ÒWhat do you expect? Trying to pull a stunt like that, IÕm surprised nothingÕs broken.Ó ÒOWÉÓ
Haruna vaguely remembered trying to dive off the staircase to avoid a shot, and roll behind cover.
ÒThe plan was perfect. What went wrong?Ó
ÒI think maybe the fact that you were diving from 15 feet may have impeded your progress.
ÒOwÉÓ
ÒOh, IÕm sure youÕve taken worse hits than that.Ó ÒOwÉÓ
ÒDonÕt worry, IÕve got something to cheer you up.Ó
ÒMorphine?Ó
ÒNoÉÓ
ÒBeer?Ó
ÒNothing that good.Ó
ÒA vacation to the Bahamas?Ó
ÒAlright, enough guesses. WeÕve got a new assignment.Ó
ÒDoes it involve me taking lots of morphine?Ó
ÒSorry, no dice.Ó
ÒArgh, my headÉÓ
ÒThere have been some reports of supernatural activity in a small island near the Bahamas.Ó
ÒOh god, not another wild goose chase.Ó
ÒNot necessarily. Livestock have been disappearing, and we are worried that there may be a military group hiding in the forest and living off the localsÕ food.Ó
ÒSee? I told you we were going to the Bahamas!Ó
ÒWe leave at 9:00 A.M. tomorrow. Get some sleep.Ó
ÒWay ahead of you.Ó Mumbled Haruna as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.