Just as the sun fell behind the horizon we put our helmets on again. As we got up and headed over to join Chambers I grabbed Vasquez's shoulder
"Hey I saw the look in your eyes today" He looked at me "I want you to know that there will be time for that soon, very soon" A predator's grin crossed his face. We came up to the position that we had found Chambers and Cassidy but this time they were expecting us. Chambers stood up from a squat and he smudged out a diagram that he had drawn on the ground.
"Alright kiddos we're going is everyone ready?" We all flipped on our low light vision in began to circle in on the town when I saw movement on the roller-coaster, I got Thompson's attention and pointed. As we shot another look towards town I saw guards walking on the derelict roller-coaster. I looked toward Chambers and he nodded affirmative. Both Thompson I centered our rifle scopes on the sentries, in the darkness I could only tell he was a male maybe 5'11 or 6 flat. My crosshairs centered on him and as I let out a breath to make sure my rifle was absolutely still, I sent up a prayer as well. I gently stroked the trigger and the silencer let out a soft cough and the legionnaire fell two stories to impact the ground with a wet and final smack. The sound drew the attention of the other legionnaire but as soon as his torso began to turn it was pierced by the round from Thompson's rifle. He fell to embrace the ground and to join his brother. Not but two seconds later we had slid up against the stone wall that surrounded Primm. Chambers looked at us through his helmet and whispered
"Thompson, give me the grappling gun" she gave him the requested gun and stepped back. He hefted the enormous weapon. It had the stock of a rifle but the 'barrel' had a giant coil of rope on the bottom half that was attached to the grappling hook. Chambers hoisted the gun up and it looked substantially heavy because it took Chambers two tries to successfully level it with the roller-coaster. I rushed over to help him and we aimed it at the arc of the roller-coaster. Chambers breathed out.
"One...Two...THREE!" He depressed the trigger and the grappling hook exploded upwards towards the roller-coaster. We watched it's arc and it it latched onto the railing and stuck. It held there for a moment and then Chambers tugged on it. A smile crossed his face and he whispered.
"Okay kiddos it looks like we're good. Dawes I want you to go up first, if you see any legionnaires you can take out without alerting the town. Take 'em" I nodded
"Yes sir" I looked up at the rope. It had latched on at the highest point on the roller-coaster maybe thirty or forty feet high. I grabbed onto the rope and gave it a quick tug. It had some give but it seemed sturdy enough. I looked back at Chambers and whispered
"If I fall and break my back, just give me a bullet, I don't want to be like that." Chambers only responded with a curt nod. I tugged it on it once more and sighed. Get busy living or get busy dying. As I began to do an inchworm crawl up the rope I could feel my muscles begin to burn. It doesn't matter how big and burly you are or how much you can bench, pulling your whole body weight up a rope is hard and it hurts. When I was about five feet from the top I hear the railing creek and I stopped stock still, I hung there for a moment waiting to fall, after I gave it a moment I inched as fast as I could then lunged for the railing. When my fingers circled around it I heard it groan in more protest, I quickly swung under the railing. When I had finally pulled myself up I crouched took a second to catch my breath and brought up my rifle scope to survey the area around me. Just as Chambers had said there was a slave cage in the southeast half of the town. I could see some crucifixes highlighted by the torches placed around the pen. My crosshairs lingered on the legionnaires there for a long moment my finger even contemplated moving about two inches backward on the trigger, but I banished the thought from my mind. I continued to look around but I didn't find any legion lookouts that I could safely take out. But I quickly memorized the spots of the ones I could see in case we were spotted. I reached down and grabbed the rope giving it two quick tugs signaling for the next ranger to come up. I felt the rope begin to pull as weight as it took the weight of another ranger. I grabbed and wound the rope around my arm just in case the railing wasn't strong enough. I saw the black helmet come up the rope and I grabbed the offered arm to pull the ranger up, at this point all helmets were on and I didn't even have the benefit of a voice to help me guess that other soldiers identity. I threw up a two fingers in the shape of a V to represent a smile. Simple signals like this had developed among the black armored rangers over the years in lieu of smiles or words because of both the helmets and the needed silence. The ranger responded with a similar V and motioned for me to give them the rope. I did so and turned and crouched sweeping the surrounding area with my rifle. The lookouts that I could see still hadn't noticed us for which I was thankful. I held my crosshairs on them as I heard the other rangers make their way up. Once the other two had inched up the rope I felt two fingers tap my shoulder and I turned around
then Chambers' voice issued out of his helmet at a barely audible whisper
"Okay kids this is the hard part, you know what's next, Vasquez wind up the grappling gun and hand it to me" While Vasquez took care of his chore Chambers measured the distance towards the wall of the Buffalo Bill casino.
"Dawes" Chambers whispered "How far do you think it is to the wall there?" I squinted through the my helmet at the wall.
"Maybe one hundred fifty meters sir" He continued to stare at the wall and placed his hands on his hips
"The hook is exactly one hundred fifty meters long" He paused for a moment,"If that thing falls it'll make a shit ton of noise... Okay Dawes and Thompson cover and legion guards you can see take the shot if necessary, Vasquez help me with the grappling gun." We moved to take care of his orders both Thompson and I put both our rifles on the opposite railing and found legionaries on crosshairs on them. They were standing in the second story of a storefront maybe four hundred and fifty yards away, it looked as if they were two prime legionnaires. I motioned to Thompson that I would cover the one on the right and she responded with a curt nod. I held my crosshairs on the legionnaire and waited for some kind of sound from Vasquez and Chambers. After holding my breath for a moment I snuck in a glance at them. They had lifted the gun and Chamber's finger clinched on the trigger of the gun, a large thump sounded from the tube and the hook shot out. They had aimed it a little high and I watched it's arc fall as it got closer and closer to the building. It hit the building and latched on to the outside of a window frame and hung there momentarily. A collective breath was sucked in by the whole group. The hook hung on the building and stuck. A predatory grin crossed my face. I'd assume that similar expressions crossed the faces of my teammates but I had no way of telling. Chambers whispered
"Okay kids this is the important part of the plan we're gonna shimmy on over, Dawes and Thompson you're gonna be on overwatch while Vasquez and I cross." We responded with a curt nod and raised our rifles. I stared toward the left side of building and Thompson took the left. I crouched waiting for any crimson to enter my field of view but nothing happened. I heard a slight coughing sound and flipped around to see Thompson's rifle buck in recoil. I stood up bringing my rifle to match her's, in my scope I found two legionnaires looking at the suddenly dead body of a third. I caressed the trigger of the hunting rifle and its cough matched the fall of the second legionnaire, Thompson's rifle coughed and the third legionnaire fell toward the ground leaving three rapidly cooling bodies in the nevada dust. I looked over at Thompson and she flashed a V over her helmet's face plate symbolizing a smile. I couldn't match her enthusiasm so I just nodded. I looked down my scope once more to observe the legion dead by my hand. I sent up a quick prayer and turned back to observe the right side of the building. Thankfully no legion were rounding that corner. I tore my vision away from the scope to find Vasquez shimmying across the rope he and I had to muffle a laugh. He looked like a rat scurrying across the ropes of ships I had seen on the pacific ocean in my early years as a ranger. Thompson glanced at him and I could hear a faint laugh come across the coms. I then heard Chambers voice come across the coms
"Kids focus up" his voice sounded stern "As fun as this is, we don't have the leisure to screw around, Dawes what's the kill count on this mission already?" his tone made it clear that this would be the last discussion on this mission
"Five Sir, my apologies" He responded with the voice of a teacher talking to a foolish child
'Exactly, point made, radio silence" I nodded and turned my eyes back to my scope no legion appeared and soon it was my time to cross the rope. Chambers motioned at me to cross and I looked down. The space between the ground and the rope was... daunting to say the least. I was never good with heights and this mission was beginning to test my limits with that particular fear. I gulped and I began to inch across the chasm that the rope made. While I was making my way along it a cold sweat began to pool at the small of my back not at all being helped by the warmth of the black armor. I slowly made my way across the rope feeling it sway and jump because of both my own weight and because of the wind. Every time I felt the rope sway I held in my breath being tortured by visions my mind conjured of me falling to meet the ground and my death. I finally made it to the window and the grappling hook. An arm extended into my vision and I looked up to find Chambers leaning out the window. I grasped his hand and was pulled into the window. It was darker in the building with no moonlight to illuminate the corridors. I reached up to the side of the helmet and flicked on my night vision. I smirked and whispered
"I was blind yet now I see." I think I might have been heard because Vasquez glanced over at me but there was no legion around so we were momentarily safe. I crouched down pulled my silenced .45 from its holster and stared back out the window. I saw Thompson staring at the rope and down to the grappling gun perplexed, I suddenly understood.I looked over at Chambers and I whispered relying on the helmets natural speakers instead of the radio
"Sir, how is Thompson going to get over here and bring that grappling gun with her" Chambers stared out the window placing his hands on his hips. He hissed
"Well shit" he stared at it a moment longer and brought his hand to the side of his helmet and keyed his radio "Thompson how you doing over there?" I peered through the darkness and she seemed to be coming to the same conclusion I was coming to.
"Sir" I whispered, Chambers didn't turn to look at me seeming to be enraptured with the issue of the wire. I keyed my radio hoping to get his attention "Sir!" he whirled around to face me. His voice issued out of his helmet: an exasperated whisper
"What?" He stared down at my crouched figure in the darkness. I kept silent for a moment contemplating my next words.
"She's gonna have to swing across, cut the gun itself off then hope for the best" He stood for a moment quietly deliberating. He huffed his shoulders up and breathed out a scant curse, he keyed his radio and relayed the plan to Thompson. I saw her posture shift she peered over the railing and look to the ground below. She shook her head then glanced back at us, she strung her rifle on her back, then took the rope in hand. I've been a ranger for a long while and I've seen a lot of impressive things, men practically run down sheer cliff faces while repelling and confirmed kill shots from half a mile or more, but what Thompson did next made my breath catch in my throat. She whipped out a knife hidden somewhere on her person and sawed through the wire connecting the gun to the building. When she was finished she was left holding a loose rope attached to the grappling hook. She stepped back trying to get as much of a running start as the narrow roller-coaster would allow her, she then coiled the rope in her hands,making it taught, she ran and leapt forward. Both Chambers and I were transfixed watching her insane and astounding flight while Vasquez was watching the hall. The grappling hook however was left unattended. Thompson's body embraced the empty air. My eyes alighted on the grappling hook and shot wide in fear. As I watched Thompson fall I quickly realized that the rotted window sill could never support the weight about to fall on it. I shot forward, my hand searching for the hook, I made contact and grabbed it pulling it close. No later had I grabbed it than Thompson's weight hit the hook in force. I was yanked toward the sill and my arms were pulled taught. Even though my hands were on it gravity had the upper hand my boot heels dragged through the moldy carpet until they struck the dry wall. My forearms screamed as I tried to keep my friend from falling to her death. I felt the impact of her body on the wall of the casino travel up the rope as Chambers grabbed the rope along side me. We stood there straining for a moment before he coughed out
"Pull on three" I grunted my ascent and we began to haul Thompson up. She made it easier climbing as we pulled and eventually we had the whole contingent in the legion casino. I pulled the rope into the building and tied it off around my torso. I crouched and peered into the darkness of the hallway. I looked up to Chambers who motioned us down the hallway. We had little tactical information on the layout of the casino just a general and vague understanding of the floor plan. We crept through the lightless halls anticipating the first true contact. I kept my silenced .45 up waiting for anything to come into my sights. We crept around the upper floors for fifteen minutes not encountering a single soul I was begging to become apprehensive until we came to the stairs. There seemed to be some sort of ramshackle barricade, but what alerted me first was the smell of spilt blood. The air was rank with it. There were no more bodies but from the positioning of the blood, the shell casings and the broken barricade I guessed that someone had tried to make a stand at the top floor of the building. Strangely enough there was dynamite littering the floor and among the trash and the wreckage I could see a few lighters. I looked at Vasquez who squatted down to place a hand on the dynamite he was about to pick one stick up when we heard a voice echo up the stairway I couldn't quite make out the words but they sounded like 'Ave true to Caesar, true to Lanius.' All four of us immediately tightened our grip on then guns and pointed them down the stairwell. We stood for a moment ready to tear holes in anyone who came into our view, when the momentary tension had passed Chambers ushered us away from the stairs back down the hall to speak. He spoke softly
"Dawes, you take Vasquez down that stairway and pear around and tell me what you see I'm gonna try to think of a plan, I think Aurelius of Phoenix is in this building somewhere, its where I would set up." I quickly nodded and then motioned to Vasquez and we proceeded down the hallway. Thankfully the ancient carpet muffled our footsteps to some degree and we were able to creep down the stairwell. Once we had went down a floor I was able to see some light seep from the hallway the stairs emptied into. I slid up to the side of the stairs and pulled a small mirror out of my pocket, Vasquez's head cocked questioningly and I held up on finger. I edged the pocket mirror out into the hallway searching for any crimson. I didn't find any and I poked my head out to look the other way and I saw the edge of a crimson cloak and I jerked my head back. I slid up to the opposite wall and used the mirror trick one more time. This time I was able to get my eyes on two praetorian guards standing at a door. The door had a bull painted in red on it. I easied the mirror back and tucked it into my pocket. Since we had just heard the guards sound off, adding Lanius to their usual mindless salute I was guessing a ranking officer had just passed them. I turned to Vasquez and motioned for us to return up the stairs. We crept back up trying to remain silent until we reached Chambers. He looked at me expectantly and I informed him of what I had just seen. He nodded seeming to digest the information pondering how to kill our target and stay inside the mission parameters chief of which was time. He shrugged his shoulders and looked down at us
"Okay kids we're gonna have to go out on a bang here, its gonna be daytime soon and we need to get moving, praetorians are tough bastards and we can't afford to get into a slugging fest with them. We need to think of a way to get the praetorians and Aurelius" I briefly thought for a moment and voiced my concerns
"Sir, do we even know if it is in fact Aurelius here and if so is he even in this building" Chambers nodded briefly contemplating the questions and nhe evenly answered
"First no, but we know a commander is here waiting for us to come back through Mojave outpost and I'm fairly certain that they have a set up like this in nipton, but that's above my pay grade, and even if it's not Aurelius we can take out a high level target here, if its not him in that room he'll show up and we can kill our way through the town until we find him." I nodded understanding it would be a long day if it came down to that, I hoped Aurelius was there. I thought for a moment more and followed with one more question.
"Okay, there's two praetorians outside and I'm assuming two more inside or at least the target who will be tuff on his own count so that makes a large butchers bill, what's the plan?" Chambers made a sound that I could only assume was his teeth grinding on one another
"Thats what Im trying to figure out, but we don't have many options" We all stood there for a moment thinking wondering how it would be easiest to take out these slimy bastards that were only a floor below us. When I started thinking about this and how Chambers had said we needed to go out with a bang. My eyes alighted on Vasquez and an idea made it's way into my mind. I looked at Chambers and started to speak, a wolf's grin on my face the whole time
"Sir I think I have an idea."