Ducking and sticking to shadows, he had so far avoided the SWAT officers inside the compound. He was heavily outnumbered and outgunned. He could have taken on these men with decent firepower but he was limited to handguns. Killing these officers was out of the question. These were innocent men doing their duties. Not to mention these weren't gangland thugs but SWAT officers, well trained and battle tested. Hoping that Bill would arrange something, he kept on hiding. But he could not hide for much longer, he was boxed in. Two dull shots echoed somewhere close to him. Who were they shooting at? He peeked from behind a wall and saw a figure rounding a corner on his left. Two officers were lying on the ground, their weapons dismantled and their bodies immobile. The next few seconds happened in a blur.
He heard a flutter of clothes behind him and turned around, his body switching to a defensive position. A hand shot out at him and he swerved, narrowly avoiding being punched. He countered with a jab; the figure blocked and attempted to lock his arm. He retracted his arm just as the figure launched a kick at him. The kick caught him in the chest and he stumbled backwards. Working with the momentum, he let his body roll backwards and regained his footing mid roll. His assailant was closing the gap between them and Kyle saw his opening; his attacker's torso was exposed as the right arm was raised for a punch. Once again, he rolled backwards and raised his feet upwards just as his hands grabbed his attacker's waist. The attacker was launched into a somersault as he clung to the body and landed upright, his legs resting on the ground beside the waist. He raised his arm to deliver a knockout punch and paused. It was a girl. The girl let out a mirthless laugh as he stared at her, dumbfounded. She had expected this exact reaction from him.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Galina. Bill sent me."
His eyes widened as he realized who he was talking to. This was Galina Voronina, the last surviving member of the Russian Assassin Brotherhood. He would have loved to talk more but now was not the time. They both stood up and Galina reached inside her jacket. She handed him a large handgun. He didn't recognize the handgun and looked at her, puzzled.
She understood his confusion and replied,
"Russian craftsmanship. We used them for training as children, they fire rubber bullets and paint pellets. The magazine is loaded with reinforced rubber bullets with a flat head. The gun can fire upto fifty caliber rounds and the impact of flat bullets will cause heavy bruising and a lot of pain. But the men will live. Now come on, there's still plenty of them left. Let's get out of here without having to use them."
Galina's plan didn't work as favorably. They came across a strike team of three, armed with powerful assault rifles. Galina signaled him and he crept up behind the man on the back. He used the butt of the gun to strike the man in the nape of his neck. The man crumpled instantly and he fired on the man in front of him. The third man fell instantly as Galina's bullet caught him in the back. They were all unconscious, no permanent damage done. He was impressed with the gun's performance.
It wasn't long before the compound had been left behind. Bill had already left. Galina led Kyle through the streets to an abandoned warehouse. William Miles was inside the warehouse, sifting through a bunch of papers.
"I was surprised you contacted me today. I thought you were staying low."
"It's a good thing I didn't. Who would have gotten you out today if it hadn't been for me?" Bill replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. Kyle knew he was kidding, but he still felt embarrassed.
"It was a dumb mistake. I considered the statistical and tactical aspects but not the most basic logical aspects. I should have thought about police intelligence before going in."
"You're new at this, these things happen. Don't beat yourself up."
Bill's words weren't much of a consolation. But he let it go.
"So how come you are here? Is it something big?" He asked Bill, already knowing the answer.
It was Galina who replied.
"The cartel is moving faster than we thought. Your stunt with the money laundering business was the catalyst. With its major competition reduced, they are bringing in fighters from Juarez. At least three dozen men with military training have already crossed the border according to the Department of Defense. Rebecca intercepted an order from one of the Cartel owned security companies. They placed a massive order of high caliber SMGs and assault rifles for their "security consultants". They are gearing up for war."
"They're going to start a gang war in American soil? That's a rather dumb move. The CIA has been itching for an excuse to deploy the military on Mexico after the border disputes. What are they playing at?" Kyle asked incredulously.
William chuckled and replied.
"The cartel is being backed by the Templars. Don't forget that. There are Templar drones inside CIA as well. If there is fallout from this war, the Templars will contain it as a local gang war, keep the cartel up and running."
Kyle knew he was right. More importantly, he knew he was absolutely fucked. He gathered his thoughts and asked,
"I still don't understand why you're here."
William passed the stack of papers to him and replied,
"To warn you actually. Abstergo is sending in one of their top operatives to oversee the extermination of the local gangs. They'll stay clear of the actual violence but you can be certain that they will call the shots. You will have to extra careful now and stay out of their radius at all costs. We are in their blind spot. We can't afford to let them know that we are operating here as well. You need to blend into the streets and make sure the cartel captures the underground quickly. With the gangs out of power they will turn to your boss for manpower and transport. Get thick with them and make them feel welcome. When you are in the heart of the operation, strike down the Templar supervisor and dismantle the underground network. I'll have my team create a paper trail that links Abstergo to the underground. Abstergo will come under investigation and will lose a major money source."
William's plan was brilliant. He had to admire the man's thought process.
"So who is this Templar supervisor? Someone we know?"
William took a long breath and replied,
"Berg. Juhani Otso Berg will be supervising this operation. Your mission is to infiltrate your way through Sigma team and assassinate Berg."
"Oh fuck."
William cracked a smile at him. He stood up as Galina announced that their transportation was ready.
"Good luck Kyle. This is a dangerous mission but I have enough faith in you to know that you will see it through."
Galina nodded at him and was about to leave when a massive explosion sounded. The glass windows shattered. And then all hell broke loose.
