"Do you need me to go over it again, Saxon?" A commanding rugged voice snaked its way through the static and into Saxon's ear. She up shifted the gear in her matte black Audi R8 and and floored the sleek sporty car down the freeway. "No, I'm good, Coop. Thanks." Saxon breathed back without a care in the world and narrowed her eyes on the road, weaving in and out of the oncoming traffic. "I'll brief you again before you go out there. It's an isolated area so be on high alert for anything abnormal or unusual." Cooper disregarded Saxon's last comment. Before she could answer, he had cut off the transmission signal, leaving Saxon in a boiling rage. 'He doesn't need to brief shit to me. I'm the top leading agent at COV-OP, for fuck's sakes!' She ranted in her head. She up shifted the German engineered car again, the sophisticated piece of machine whirring and roaring to life, tires screeching against the pavement.
At the safe house, ten miles down the road from the target area, Saxon Ranzetti prepped her snipers and silencers, along with extra rounds depending on the guarding situation. Her long wavy chocolate hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, she wore charcoal gray army pants, black army boots and a black fitted climate control tank. Saxon strapped her sniper on her back and her silencer in the holder on her belt. A knife was hidden on her back waist, ready to be pulled out for a stealthy up close kill. A state of the art ear piece was placed in her right ear for communication with Cooper over at Head Quarters.
Saxon made her way out to the safe house's garage and grabbed the keys hanging off the wall that belonged to a black Kawasaki ZX-14. Placing a helmet on her head, Saxon started up the bike, its purr was music to her ears. Easing herself onto the bike, Ranzetti revved the engine and peeled out of the garage and down towards the target area. The warm wind whipped around her as the agent hit 120 miles per hour, dodging potholes and cracks and turning corners with excellent precision. Damn, she loved the rush that riding a high performance machine gave her while still being in control. She loved it just as much as she loved the intense adrenaline surge her missions gave her. She would feel as light as a feather, as deadly as a king cobra and as fast as an air jet. And those were just the euphorias Saxon would experience when taking down body guards and armed regimes. When it came time for the assassinations, she had an all time high that made her reckless yet she'd complete her given orders even if she walked out with a bullet wound or broken ribs. Those were just battle scars to Saxon; stories. And boy did she have a lot of stories.
Two miles to the target house, Saxon pulled off the road and set the Kawasaki behind bushes to conceal it. She didn't want to give away her position with the loud engine and exhaust from the bike. She'd have to remind Cooper to let Jace, the owner of COV-OP, to have the bike get a tune up to silence it. Saxon ran a light jog along the roadside though concealed behind trees and shrubberies for the next two miles. After about a mile, she walked slowly to check out the sites of the target building. It was surrounded by a forrest, not to dense to hide the lights of the house from passers driving in the night. Saxon crossed the road as Cooper's voice came barreling into her ear.
"So, is Miss Top Agent Saxon Ranzetti ready for the assassination of most wanted homeland terrorist Sternum Katz?" Cooper asked in playful voice. "When am I ever not ready, Cooper?" Saxon rolled her eyes and crouched behind a tree. Swiping night vision goggles from her pocket, Saxon scoped out windows and entrances for security. Cooper scoffed before speaking. "How's coverage look?" Saxon did one more glance over the house. "High security protection. The front of the house has shooters in each window. Eight in total." She stated as she began to travel around the perimeter towards the back of the mansion. "Don't be doing any risky procedures, Ranzetti. We need Katz dead tonight and COV-OP doesn't need you fucking us over with your perilous tactics. Get in and get out with as limited noise as possible." Cooper declared to Saxon. She jogged to a far tree and scoped out the back of the mansion. Two shooters on the second floor balcony, two on the deck and two on the main level on opposite sides. "Just remember who's out in the field right now and who's behind the desk on parole for risky operations, Coop." Saxon spat back yet in a hushed tone. "That ambush called for a dicey tactic, Sax, and you know that. It was five months ago." Cooper's voice became defensive.
Saxon ran back to the front of the house and pulled her sniper off her shoulder. She added on a silencer attachment along with a night vision scope. "And you know that if it wasn't for me, your ass would be six feet under and Jakov would have detonated COV-OP Head Quarters." Saxon laughed as she settled her gun on a thick log for accuracy and support. "Exactly why I needed to call for a full on ambush." Cooper shot back. "Hey, you know, some FIELD agents are trying to gun down a homeland terrorist but their annoying tracker sitting behind a desk won't shut up." Saxon smiled to herself. "Whatever, Sax. Call for back up if you need. I'll try to keep the signal strong but it may be hard due to the jungle surrounding Katz's mansion." Cooper remarked. "Roger." Saxon said. "And be safe, Saxon." Cooper commented. "Always am."
Saxon set up her first shot. Top left. Two shooters in two windows. Aligning her mark with the first shooters head, she pulled tightly on the trigger and held a strong ground for the kick back. Dead on. First shooter was down and Saxon moved onto the next. Hit. She moved her way along the second story of the mansion before hitting all her marks on the main level. 'High security my ass.' Saxon chuckled to herself. She cut through the trees and up to the front porch, keeping herself low and fast. She strapped her sniper to her back and went for the silencer before sneaking in through the front door. She weaved through the living room and office towards the kitchen and dinning room. Saxon placed her silencer back in its holster and grabbed the thick knife from her back waist. Slowly moving up from behind to the first henchman, she palmed his mouth tight and sliced deep into his neck. She quietly set him down against the cabinets, the man's blood pouring out of his neck and soaking into his black long sleeve. Saxon creeped back to the front of the house and up the side to the next man in the dinning room. She did the same to the man guarding the room. She opened a window and stealthily sniped the two men on the deck before sneaking out onto the deck to get the two men on the balcony.
She made her way to the stairs and climbed them two at a time, light on her feet and her head on a swivel. Voices came from the south side of the house and another henchman made his way into the hallway, spotting Saxon and pulling his gun out on her. "Who the fuc..." He began until she pulled her silencer out and shot him right between the eyes. "Colt? What the hell was that?" Another man's voice came from the opposite end of the house. He appeared from the door way and quickly shot rounds at Saxon. 'Fuck!' She screamed in her head, dodging bullets and moving her way forward before pulling the silencer on him. Before he went down from a head shot, the man was able to hit Saxon in the arm. Pain seared through her right arm; her shooting arm. Warm blood ran down her arm from the wound in spidery streaks up to her hand. "Colt! Parker!" A menacing voice boomed through the hallway. Saxon raised her gun, her stance ready to kill the son of a bitch who planned an attack on his own nation's capital. "Agent Saxon Ranzetti from COV-OP." Sternum Katz smirked as he swaggered slowly down the hallway, careless to the gun pointed at him.
"Don't fucking move, Katz." Saxon gritted through her teeth. Her arm hurt from being held out in front of her, her hand shaking from the pain. "I didn't know we've sunk down to a last name basis. I thought we were friends, Sax. Boy, I never realized how attractive you really are." Sternum gazed over Saxon with his piercing gray eyes. Saxon didn't blink. She didn't respond to his comment. The injured agent tried hard to block out the pain and steady her hand. Once she could steady her hand, she'd pull the trigger and murder the cocky backstabbing bastard. Fucking COV-OP Agent Katz. Once he learned the government was making advances on the nation's military department, Sternum took any COV-OP mission that held ties to the government and tried multiple ways to get his hands on the new advanced gun power and tanks the department developed. Sweat trickled its way down Saxon's temples as she finally fought to stable her hands. "You don't have the guts to kill a fellow agent, Sax. Especially a fellow agent you've had relations with. You think you're all tough shit and don't give a flying fuck about anything but I've got you all figured out, sweet cheeks." Sternum smirked as he moved closer to Saxon. She froze up, her mind wandered back five months ago. Back to when Cooper called the risky ambush to save COV-OP Head Quarters. Back to when Saxon had come out of that gun fire fiasco with just a bullet in her leg and not in her head. Sternum Katz had saved her life and at the same time killed her. The relationship between the two agents after that mission had Saxon head over heels for Sternum.
"Shut the fuck up, Katz!" She spit through her teeth. She fought back the tears that were rimming around her eyes. She fired a shot at his feet, missing on purpose. "You have a weakness, I found it. I found it back at Head Quarters." Sternum began. She fired again. This time she fired off to the side of his left ear. Down stairs, the front door smashed open as an ambush came flying through the foyer and barreling up the stairs. In complete and utter surprise, she fired her silencer and hit Sternum in the chest causing him to fall back on his heels. Guns fired from the ambush squad in Saxon and Sternum's direction, one bullet hitting her in her flank, another in her leg, and multiple hits in Katz's torso. 'Shit!' She cried to herself as she hit the floor. She army crawled to the nearest room and closed the door behind her. She could hear the rounds blasting through walls, glass and furniture. She ripped off a piece of her tank and tied it tightly around her wounded arm. She searched through the drawers of the dresser and found a belt and a scarf. Saxon tied the scarf around her waist over her second wound and then tightened the belt on her leg for pressure on the third bullet hit.
'Who the fuck called the ambush?' Saxon asked herself. She peaked out the door and made a run for the room with the balcony she had spotted back when she was scoping out the back of the house. A loud rumbling come over the house and a sudden explosion caused the roof to collapse down onto Saxon. Dark clouds of dust and rubble engulfed the entire second floor. Saxon began to pull herself out of the rubble and debris scattered across her to find her ankle was caught under a wooden beam. "Fuck." She cried trying to pull her ankle loose. She could feel the burning sensations of gashes and lacerations throughout her body. Just when she was able to see through the dust air, the rumbling sound roared over the house again. Her eyes widened to see a fighter jet launching another bomb at the house. A piercing explosion bombarded the house again. Saxon covered herself with other debris before being rammed in the head by another wooden beam leaving her lifeless in a cloud of thick smoke.
"I want a full on assault. Anything moving, you fucking hit it. Got it?!" Sterling called out to his squad. The crew's heads nodded in agreement before receiving hand signals from Sterling to commence the ambush. 'That son-of-a-bitch Katz is dead.' Sterling told himself. He stood outside the front door, waiting for any noise or movement indicating someone was in fact in the house. 'It's not like that prick to have zero security.' Sterling commented to himself. ISIS had set up a full perimeter surrounding the mansion and not one gunman was seen. A crackling pop went off and took Sterling by surprise. He and his squad waited a moment to see if anything would come of this. Another crackling pop was shot and Archer gave a motion saying 'Up stairs, head on a swivel.' With that, he gave a count down from seven and busted through the door into the foyer. Another round shot off causing Sterling to shift his sight up to a injured Sternum Katz and a bloodied armed chocolate haired woman holding a silencer.
Sterling raised his gun and fired at Katz's body as he trampled up the steps. Gunshots were fired from his crew up towards the woman, Katz and throughout the house. When he reached the top of the stairs, a blood trail was left from the random woman that lead into a room with a closed door. Rounds continued to fire from Sterling's ambush squad both on the main and second level. He turned back to Sternum's lifeless body and fired at his temple to make sure the bastard was dead. Before he could move onto the woman, Malory's voice played through his ear. "Duchess, get out of there now. We called an airstrike in to clear out the loose ends." Sterling hesitated for a moment, indecisive about what to do with the woman in the room. Malory's voice ate at Sterling's ear. "Jesus, can't you just shut up!?" He remarked in an annoyed tone. "Sterling Malory Archer, you watch that fucking tone. I'm your mother!" She nagged him. "Yeah. Not by choice." He rolled his eyes. "The same goes for you. Now get out of there before the airstrike hits." Malory demanded as Archer ended the transmission.
He made his way down stairs and called for the ISIS hit crew to meet out at the designated location two miles up the road. The ISIS agents bolted up across the land and towards the road, Sterling bring up the end of the team. A fighter jet roared over their heads, dropping a bomb on Katz's mansion. The explosion was massive, an enormous dark smoke cloud cluttered the sky where the mansion had been. The fighter jet curved in the sky and came back towards Archer's direction, dropping another bomb just as the first mushroom cloud began to disperse into the air. The explosion was just as massive as the previous one, the sky now even darker with smoke.
Sterling's thoughts wandered to the chocolate haired woman locked in the room. He ran his hand through his short, tussled, jet black hair before turning to his team. "Austin and Duke, hitch a ride with JD back to the airstrip. I'm doing a last run over at Katz's." Archer barked orders at the two men. They simply nodded and headed for a gray Hummer H4 off the side of the road. Sterling made his way over to a black H4 and started the engine. He looked at himself in the mirror, looking over any lacerations that impaled his skin or tight fitting black turtleneck. Man, he loved his turtlenecks, sewn with the silkiest fibers in England. The H4 roared to life and Sterling drove his way over to the decimated remains of Sternum Katz's mansion. The left wing of the house was completely destroyed while parts of the right wing still stood. Thick smoke clouded the air causing Archer to cough into the sleeve of his turtleneck. He held a pistol low in his hand and crossed his way through the sooty rubble, looking for the woman who probably didn't make it through the airstrike.
Sterling kicked rubber out of his way with his luxury styled army boots as he searched through the debris. He carefully took what was left of the stairs up to the intact right wing of the mansion. He walked along the creaking, unstable flooring over to where the boards ended and large beams hung off the cliff of the second floor. A couple of feet over would be where the room the woman snuck into. He scanned down at the debris on the main level from above for any sign of human life or movement. "I'm gonna go with she didn't make it." Sterling spoke out loud to himself. He turned back towards the right wing until something caught his attention out the corner of his eye. It looked as if an arm or leg was peaking out of the rubble; whatever it was, it was a tanned flesh color. Archer quickened his step back over to the ending floorboards and carefully began to move plaster, beams, siding and other random wreckage items behind him. The more rubble he moved, the more of a body he came to find.
Sterling grunted as he struggled to move a massive wooden beam off the woman's ribcage. Squatting down and pushing up with his leg muscles, he finally lifted the weight off the lifeless body. He freed her ankle from another mass of wood. Sterling knelt down beside her, moving her stringy long hair out of her face. Putting two fingers to her neck, Archer felt a faint pulse and stared at her chest, watching it ever so slightly rise and fall. The fact that this woman was still alive after two fighter jet bombings and a full on automatic rampage left Sterling in pure confusion, awe and shock. He slowly lifted the woman into his arms, noticing a blood stained cloth wrapped on her arm and abdomen, and a belt fastened tightly around her leg. "Jesus Christ." Sterling muttered to himself.
He laid her in the backseat of the H4 before checking her body for any other injuries; large gashes on her temples and cheeks, deep bruising on her rib cage from the beam, and her ankle mangled in all sorts of directions. Sterling rushed to the drivers' seat, started up the engine and floored the gas pedal, knowing this woman was on the verge of dying. He reached Austin Ryans on his ear piece and barked orders to his second in command. "Austin. Get in contact with ISIS. Tell them to send the fastest jet, helicopter... whatever, to the airstrip we made base at. I got a body barely hanging on by a fucking thread." Austin's voice come over the speaker of the ear piece. "Got it. Location headed?" Sterling shifted the menacing vehicle to the next gear. He shook his head in annoyance. He knew it was a bad idea to go back for this random woman. He had no idea why he was so God damn compelled to save her. He narrowed his eyes and regret the words that came out of his mouth. "Woodhouse." Sterling finally answered with distaste in his mouth. Austin took a moment to answer, but when he did it was a simple "Roger."