-sobs as she chisels away at the caked on dust- I'm so sorry.. so sorry…-falls over- I tried! Honestly, but this story has escaped me! T.T So even though I wrote another chapter (FINALLY)…. IT STILL SUCKS! DX
I… I have nothing else to say.
XxX
Kate slipped into the room, Sam seconds behind her, making sure the hallway to their back was kept clear.
Greg looked up as the door closed sharply behind Sam. Nodding to the younger man he watched as his rookie sagged heavily against the wall. "Sam."
The blonde glanced up out of breath before nodding back to him. "Boss."
"Well, now that we're all back together again," Ed started, "How about we get out of here."
"No can do." Rob stated immediately from his place beside the control panel.
"Still lots of work to be done." Kate added as she glanced from one of the digital monitors over her shoulder to the bald man. "Isn't that right Sammy?"
The blonde who had had let his eyes slid shut, opened them to look at his friends. "Yeah."
The brunette army woman cocked her head to the side a bit more at his lame answer but instead of calling him on it, turned back to her screen as Sietl drew her attention away.
Jules slid up to Sam's side laying a hand on his lower arm. "You alright?"
He gave her a lopsided grin, "Yeah, just getting tired." She obviously didn't believe him if her glare was anything to go by but Sam just waved it off. "Got work to do."
"There."
The group of officers turned at Kate's exclamation. She had her only hand raised to one of the various screens above her head. "Got the security feeds back up and running," She chuckled. "And look at what I found."
Spike looked at the blurry image where her finger was pointing. "You can make that out?"
"Think you could do any better? These are old machines." Kate muttered setting her hand on her hip.
With a small smirk the Italian motioned her out of the way, taking her place at the computer.
Kate exchanged looks with Rob who was watching the techie with growing interest before turning to Sam who was on her other side. "You know I may have to commandeer your team, they're pretty useful."
Sam didn't even look at her. "Do it and die." Had he been paying close enough attention he would have seen the look Wordy sent to the Sergeant at his side and the smile Greg sent back. "There. Five guards in the Southeast hall, several more scattered throughout the North wing,"
"And one lone Hamir Cattan shredding evidence in his office," Rob smirked as Spike made Kate's earlier picture come in crystal clear. "Totally unprotected."
Kate nodded. "They must be out looking for our bait then."
The blonde sniper to her side felt a wave of dread wash over him. "Bait?"
"Yup, your sergeant and the others came in through the front while we snuck in the back" The brunette army woman smiled but before Sam could berate her Leah spoke up.
"I thought it was only your Cattan guy in the building?" The ex-firefighter questioned motioning to the last screen to her left. On it, the room was dark, except beside a large workbench where sparks were flying and smoke curled into the air under a small work light. The frame of a lean man blocking out much of the light.
"It should be empty other then Cattan's security." Rob muttered leaning back to glance over Leah's shoulder then to Sam and Kate. "Either of you recognize him?"
Both of them shook their heads.
"Great, another thing to make our day more difficult." Ed sighed.
The white haired man straightened up looking over the group of officers in the room. "We won't worry about him, we deal with Cattan, anything else can wait, if we break off into groups we can get this done quicker."
"This building was large from the outside, something tells me the inside is going to be a lot worse." Wordy muttered shifting the gun in his hands.
"I agree, I don't think splitting up is a good idea any more." Kate agreed.
Sam shook his head in protest. "If we don't we risk losing our target," he shot back at his friend. "And honestly I'd rather not have to go back to the desert to kill him."
Out of the corner of his eye Greg saw Jules flinch unconsciously at Sams harsh tone, her brown eyes were trained on the back of the blonde.
"I can see a cat-walk, how about a Sierra shot?" Ed offered up as he glanced out the window beside him. Rob came up and gave a quick look over the other mans shoulder a plan quickly forming in his mind.
"Hell, maybe we won't have to wait for Cattan to move to take him out." he sighed. "You a good log distance marksman?" Grey eyes flickered to Ed's face but it was Sam who answered him.
"He's the best." The blonde stated causing Greg to grin to himself.
Rob nodded. "Good," Slapping the bald man on the shoulder he motioned at Ed. "You, you're coming with me." He and Ed were just about to take off when Sam spoke up again catching onto the white haired mans plan.
"Rob wait, take somebody else with you… just in case."
Grey eyes turned on blue, a retort on his lips that he was enough back up by himself but it died on his lips when he saw Sam's glare. Rob growled under his breath but glanced to his left where Greg was standing. "Will he do?"
Sam looked at Greg who nodded, moving to follow after his friend.
"Be careful." Kate called to their backs.
Ed smirked looking at the lead negotiator as they headed for the door, their pace quick. "Missing the truck yet Boss?"
"Every minute." Greg laughed and the three men slid silently into the hallway heading back for the exit.
Silence sat in the room for a moment, most eyes stuck on the door before Sietl spoke up. "What the hell just happened?" He had been unable to keep up with the army officers line of thinking and garbled mess they called a plan.
"I second that question." Spike muttered raising his hand.
Brown eyes glanced down at the techie who was looking back and forth between the army officers and the door. "We just sent the three of them to a safe place while the rest of us get to barge straight down this hallway into the arms of the enemy." Kate smiled. "And those two will likely kick up more of a fuss if we started killing people in front of them then you guys will when things start flying."
Bryce grinned. "Sounds like fun." Everyone in the room turned to look at him like he had two heads, minus Kate who just grinned. "I'm just saying, now we'll finally be able to see what all the fuss is about, with this Hamir Cattan guy."
Sam just rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to ignore the dull throbbing starting in the back of his head, a pain that was only matched by the burning sensation in his arm. "Two groups," The blonde stated suddenly, ready to get this show over with. Holding a hand to up to silence Kate's protest he added. "It's faster and there's less of a chance we end up shooting one of our own. I'll take Leah, Spike and Wordy and head d-"
"Wait a minute! I'm going with you." Jules cut him off grabbing Sams arm to stop him.
The male sniper shook his head. "Its way to dangerous-"
"I don't care, Wordy can go with Kate and Bryce." She snapped. "I'm going with you."
Recognizing the stubborn look in her eye Sam felt his resolve failing. "Jules…"
"Good god, just take her!" Kate snapped. "And in more ways then one;" she blatantly ignored the others disgusted looks. "Just get it over with already and get going."
Sam rolled his eyes ignoring the crude comment from the other brunette. Pushing against Jules arm he turned her around and headed for the door. "Let's just go. We get Cattan taken down and we can all go home."
"Fine, you guys take the North wing;" Kate instructed reaching up to fix her ear piece as she ran to meet up with Sam at the door, "Our group will head South and double round to meet you on the east side of the building near his office."
The blonde just nodded taking the gun from his belt but paused staring at the metal weapon for a moment. Suddenly he replaced it in the back of his pants, his belt keeping it secure. Reaching over he slipped the police issued knife from Spikes belt. "Stealth is good."
"Now you're talking." The brunette army woman grinned evilly sliding her own favourite knife from her sleeve. Glancing at Sietl and Wordy she motioned for them to head out into the hallway. "Gentlemen first."
As the two groups departed Sam, Jules, Leah and Spike to the right, and Kate, Sietl and Wordy to the left, none of them noticed on the screen Leah had pointed to earlier, the lean man stand up from his workbench. The sparks stopped and the smoke dissipated just as the man disappeared from the camera's view.
XxX
Ali panted as he flung himself up the sets of stairs towards the room where Hamir had been staying. He burst through the door to see shredded paper littering the floor and several small fires going in waste baskets around the room. "Monsieur Cattan."
Old eyes shot to him and a pleased look crossed Hamir's face. "You are done?"
The younger man nodded coming closer holding out his hand. "Yes sir, it is done as you asked." Ali stated his hands shaking as Hamir took the small black object from him. "I do not know if it will work thou-"
"It will work." The certainty in the older mans voice was unnerving. "It's the way he made it. He had to be able to access it himself, otherwise it would have been pointless." Hamir smiled at Ali before dashing over to his desk, pulling out a handgun from his top drawer. "You have done a remarkable job, now."
Ali felt the breath leave him. "A g-gun Monsieur?" Oh heaven, please don't kill me.
Hamir nodded and as if sensing the other mans apprehension laughed. "I am not going to take you out boy; she'd kill me if I did." He tossed the loaded weapon to Ali. "Take it, get out of this building, you'll find guards at the end of the hall, get them to take you to the safety of Giselle's Palace. The people there will keep you safe until you can be recovered."
The brown eyed man nodded and turned on his heel dashing out of the room as fast as he could. Watching him go Hamir let a frown cross his features. There was no way the boy was getting out of the building alive. 'Sorry Lady Chiwa, guess your fondness of the boy will be for nothing, there's no way the soldiers will let him leave alive.' His thoughts echoed in his head.
Glancing down at his hand the robed man inspected the handiwork of the soon to be late-Ali. Holding up the now uncovered item to the light, Hamir smirked at the black flash drive he now possessed. "The world at your fingertips, so easy to bring it to knees."
Papers, that a moment ago he had been hurrying to dispose of, were left scattered around the room. Nothing else was of any importance any more, least of all any secrets that may be on the pages at his feet. No. None of that matter. He had what he came for, what he had brought over inside his body in its incomplete form.
A loud beeping brought his attention back to the world at large, the proximity alarm going haywire on his desk told him not to delay any longer. Slipping the flash drive into his robes Hamir whipped around and headed for the roof.
XxX
Jules watched the blonde in front of her anxiously her brown eyes roving over the hallway before returning to the back of Sams head. She hadn't noticed it earlier, when she picked him up from the airport but his face seemed harder then before. It was a look eerily reminiscent of the way he was when they had first met. Cold, calculating…dangerous.
Her heart thudded in her chest, gloved hands tightened around the handle of her gun as she crept slowly behind Sam. Jules eyed the knife clutched in his hand with apprehension, her own weapon plastered to her hip in case of emergency because no matter what happened, she doubted she'd be able to so quickly kill with her bare hands like Kate seemed able, almost eager, to do.
Sam held up a hand suddenly as they came to a spilt hallway, the other three behind him stopping dead in their tracks. "Footsteps." His voice was barely a whisper. Motioning for them to stay where they were the sniper snuck out into the adjoining hallway towards where the sounds were coming from.
Crouching down Leah trained her own rifle covering Sam's back as he moved. From her spot she caught the blonde tapping the blade of his knife against his dirty jeans three times. Before she could even think Sam threw himself against the wall trying to be as small as possible in the low lighting.
Suddenly from a door to Sams left, three darkly dressed men burst out into the hallway, each of them armed to the teeth. The snipers reaction was instantaneous. As one man leapt at him Sam reached out grabbing the attackers wrist and darted forward, driving his blade home into the side of the mans ribcage and into the soft tissue of his organs. Pulling his blade free the military brat whipped around on his heel a high kick connecting with one of the other men's cheeks, sending him sprawling.
The third attacker was much luckier. Brass knuckles collided solidly with the right side of Sam's back causing the blonde to fall forward onto the floor. Catching himself quickly Sam rolled onto his good shoulder and landed on his knee. Taking the moment of surprise the third attacker was having, the sniper threw the blade he had lifted from Spike directly into Mr. Brass Knuckles palm embedding it into the wall behind him. Not even a second later Sam had his arm pushing against the guards larynx and was slowly crushing it beneath his weight.
Movement seen out of the corner of his eye had Sam suddenly reversing places with the man stuck to the wall just in time to have a throwing knife stick into his back. Looking over the mans now limp form the blonde saw the guard he had kicked had managed to get back up and was looking shocked at having taken out his own guy. Yanking Spikes blade out of the hand still attached to the wall Sam drove it into the last remaining mans neck.
Panting heavily Sam stepped back letting the body hit the floor along with his comrades. Warm blood covered his hands and dripped off the knife in his hands. Blue eyes glanced over to the three staring at him in horror. "We have to keep moving," he muttered and without waiting to see if they followed headed through the door where the three guards had come from.
Jules felt sick. Her stomach twisted around itself as she took in the sight of the dead men at their feet. Men Sam had killed. It was just so wrong 'So wrong.' She thought trying not to throw up. It was one thing to kill from a distance, to not be close to someone as the final breath leaves their body… but to be the cause of it while you're right in front of them?
Brown eyes blinked. Sam really had changed she realized. He wasn't like someone who saves people anymore. No, he had hardened. He reminded her of a killer.
XxX
-faceplam- a whole new chapter and still nothing happens. Its all talking between Kate and Sam. –shakes head- D: Thanks for viewing... I'mma go find a train to step in front of…
