(Recommended listening: Breach by Hans Zimmer, from COD MW2 OST)
Jet Force Gemini eased silently through the underbrush of Goldwood's forest. Following closely behind were Amos, Fala, and Nae, the three Tribals who'd saved them from the Drones earlier. As a group, they approached the Goldwood mine under the cover of darkness.
The Drone ship would be here soon. Vela, Juno, and Nae crept forward to the edge of the clearing. In the distance, the entrance to the mine was guarded by three drones: two on the ground, and one sniper, keeping a lookout from the trees.
"He's mine," Nae whispered, drawing her bow. She centered the sight on the sniper, and was about to release the arrow when Juno placed his hand on her bow.
"No," Juno said while looking at his watch. "They haven't checked in yet. If we attack now, this goes from a one hour operation to a two minute operation, and we're not that good. Plus, if you shoot him normally, he'll fall right off that branch and onto the ground in front of the guards. Not good."
"So what do we do?" Nae asked, intrigued.
"We… let Vela shoot."
Vela knocked an arrow, and drew back, sight aiming slightly above the sniper. She waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, the sniper pulled out his radio, making a report to the main Drone camp. As soon as he pulled the radio away from his mouth, Vela let the arrow fly.
The arrow pierced straight through the Drone's head, killing him instantly. The force of the arrow carried him backwards, pinning him to the tree he was hiding in. The guards below hadn't noticed a thing.
"Whoa," Nae was stunned.
"Your turn." Vela whispered to Nae, before putting down her bow.
"What are you talking about?" Nae muttered. "There are two them left, I need you to shoot, too."
"No, you don't," Vela moved behind her and talked into her ear. "I saw you pull that bow… you know what you're doing. Take aim, mind the wind, and pick your moment."
Nae breathed deep, drawing back on her bow and aiming for the pacing guards. Back, forth… back, forth… and then… Nae breathed out, letting the arrow fly. The shaft whistled through the air, and found it's mark in the closest Drone. The arrow slipped straight through the head of the first, piercing the throat of the second. The first Drone dropped like a rock, while the second clutched at his throat for a few seconds before sinking to his knees, then the ground. Bringing her bow down, Nae stared in amazement.
"Good shooting, eh?" Juno commented. "Hope you learned something. Let's move."
In groups of two, the team crossed the clearing, sprinting and covering each other's backs. Vela and Nae, Amos and Lupus, then Juno and Fala. Within a minute, they were safely at the entrance to the mine. Nae retrieved her arrow from the fallen Drone, while Amos and Juno hid the bodies. Vela on the other hand, stared at her own arrow, powerless to retrieve it.
"Oh, well… let's get this started. Ten minutes to pullout."
The team assembled on both sides of the entrance, three on each side. Juno and Amos took point, sweeping left and right. The area was clear, and they advanced further into the mine. The light from the stars outside faded quickly, giving way to torchlight. Several silhouettes appeared in the tunnel ahead, and Juno motioned for the others to stay put while he and Amos ducked through an adjacent tunnel. Amos counted the Drones in the tunnel as they headed towards the entrance. Five. He relayed the information to Juno, who in turn receded further down the second tunnel.
At the junction of the two tunnels, deeper inside, two more Drones hung back, watching the others down the first tunnel. Amos made to take them out, but Juno stopped him. Instead, he picked up a small rock on the ground and threw it at a wall just behind the sentries. The noise made them turn around, and a third guard appeared from further in.
Remember… there's always another Drone. Juno gave a knowing glance to Amos, and was acknowledged by a quick nod.
Three in one, five in the other, eight Drones altogether… Juno waited, knowing that once the guards found nothing, they would resume their posts. After a quick conversation with the first two Drones, the third turned to retreat down the tunnel.
Juno motioned to Amos, and they silently snuck up behind the Drones, drawing their swords. Amos' sword, a normal Tribal sword this time, went for the neck, beheading the Drone all at once, preventing it from making a noise. Juno's sword pierced through the back of the neck, cutting vocal chords and ending the Drone silently. For the third, still returning to his post, Juno offered to Amos, who crept up behind him and stabbed his throat, much like Juno had done.
Better… quick, no blood spray, and no rolling heads to worry about. Amos looked back to Juno and nodded. He preferred it this way. Good. Now for the others.
Juno let out a high whistle, grabbing the attention of all five of the Drones in the first tunnel. All five turned at once. It would be the last thing they ever did. Two arrows zipped into the backs of the two Drones furthest from the boys. The next two, closer together, were taken down by Lupus and his claws. The last was ended by Fala, who jumped on the Drone's back and drove two short knives into it's skull.
Everyone took a moment, sharing a collective deep breath. No one was hurt, and all targets were down. Silent and stealthy, but fast and precise. Vela, bringing up the rear, nodded to Nae, who passed the nod up the line to Juno.
All right… each group knows their assignments. Get it done, Juno signaled the others by hand. Juno, Nae, Lupus, and Amos proceeded deeper into the mine, to find the Tribals and supplies for their guns. Vela and Fala returned to the entrance, to take out the jammer at the Drone encampment.
The local mine wasn't that large. The materials group only had to follow the main tunnel for another fifty feet or so before they ran into a group of Tribals mining an ore deposit. Two members lined each side of the tunnel as they crept closer, looking for any sign of danger near the Tribals.
Nae was the first to notice a Drone Sniper, positioned on a ledge twenty feet above the ground. Below the Sniper were two Drones that she could see clearly. She motioned for the others to stay back as she knocked an arrow and drew her bow. Amos quickly moved forward and lowered her bow, pointing to a rocky outline they couldn't see past.
There's always another Drone, Juno mused to himself. These young ones are learning fast. He rested on his haunches and gazed back down where they came from. Ahhh… we could really use a distraction right now, but… this is our problem now.
At the main entrance, Vela and Fala were stuck. A small patrol of two Drones had passed by the front entrance to the mine, and noticed the normal guards weren't there. They'd started investigating, but hadn't made a call as of yet. It was only a matter of time before they found the blood on the ground.
It was a dilemma… if Vela shot one with an arrow, the other would sound the alarm before she could draw another arrow, and Fala was only useful as long as she couldn't be seen.
My bow is useless here… wait. My bow? Vela had an idea. "Fala, I need you to get their attention. Draw them towards the entrance."
"What? But they'll sound the alarm!" she argued.
"Only if they see me," Vela explained. "To them, you're just another Tribal, no different than the ones working here in the mine. Trust me."
After few seconds wait, Fala agreed. "Don't get me killed," she tossed back as she approached the Drones. She played the lost and confuse role, stumbling around and looking left and right as she neared the patrol. Within a minute, the two guards noticed her and called out in their crude accent.
"Hey! You! What are you doing there?"
Fala put on a frightful look, then turned and bolted straight back to the entrance of the mine. Vela timed he moment carefully as the Drones approached. Thirty feet… twenty… ten…
Vela activated the trigger on the side of her bow, detonating the arrow still pinning the Sniper Drone to his tree. The blast shattered the base of the thick branch the Sniper had used as footing, sending it down to land directly on the heads of the two Drones. Fala quickly one-eightied and finished the job with her knives.
Perfect… now let's see about that Jammer.
The explosion from Vela's arrow head reverberated into the mine, alerting the Drones in front of Juno's group. He quickly motioned for Nae to hide, and guided Amos and Lupus a few feet back to a crevice in the wall. Seconds later, footsteps could be heard running through the tunnel.
As soon as they passed the crevice, Juno and the others crept out and ambushed the group of Drones from the back; three Drones, one for each. As soon as they were down, Nae pulled out from behind an outcropping, taking down the Sniper with one well placed arrow.
The four companions continued into the final room, just past the Sniper's ledge, where the group of Tribals they'd seen earlier were busy mining. The ceiling was low, and the circular room was large, with more sparse groups of miners here and there. There were no Drones in sight.
"Hey!" Juno called out to the Tribals. "Over here!" The Tribals nearly jumped in surprise, but their demeanor gradually changed from petrified to overjoyed as they recognized their rescuers. As the Tribals scrambled towards them, Juno took charge.
"I need one volunteer to help me collect materials to make guns," Juno announced. No one raised their hands immediately, so he continued. "If we can get guns, we can make sure the Drones never hurt you again. Everyone else will be escorted to the rest of the colony. Please, I need one volunteer."
An older Tribal stepped forward, hefting his pickaxe over his shoulder. "Name's Ralph. I'll get you what you need."
"Good, 'cause we've got a list," Juno responded. "Everyone else, follow Amos and Nae!"