Silent Death
"Look alive, Vektan; we're here."
My partner slid out of the vehicle, exchanged her assault rifle for a silenced StA-14, and motioned me to follow. "Stay on me and don't go running off; I won't think twice about putting a bullet in your spine."
Reassured by her words, I shadowed her as we scaled a small crag cluttered by those leafless Helghan trees. I followed her lead and hit the dirt as she scanned the group of buildings at the bottom of the hill.
"I count at least two dozen guards… but no sign of the drop ship; it must be on the other side of the hotel." She motioned over to a five story structure. "See if you can spot a way in."
I tried zooming in with the NODs and located a maintenance ladder leading up to a door on the third floor.
"I got one: third floor."
"Right. There's bound to be surveillance all over town. See if you can spot where."
"How am I supposed to know what it looks like?"
She glared at me. "Look for the bloody antennae sticking out on top." Taking her advice, I located said antennae half a block east from the hotel. I pointed it out to her. "Good. Think you can get there and disable the surveillance system without being seen?"
"And you?"
She motioned to her StA. "I'll provide cover for you, what else?"
I scoffed. "Shows how tough you are."
"Dear, if you were any tougher than me you'd have been in town by now."
"Fine then, but you better cover me. And don't even think about turning that barrel on me."
She shrugged. "You won't even feel a thing." Still lacking anything resembling a smile, she motioned me forward. "Signal me when the deed's been done; I'll be in shortly. Oh, and you'll need this." She tossed me what at first glance looked like an old Tropov pistol but with a bowl-shaped depression instead of a barrel. "This sends out an EMP wave disabling any nearby electronics for a short time. Don't break it; those things cost a fortune to manufacture."
"Just looks like a jerry-rigged pistol to me."
"If you don't move out, you'll wish it were."
I dropped onto an outcropping snaking above a patrol of two guards, keeping low to the ground. My grip on the M66 was tight and moist through the gloves. One of the Hig's coughs paralyzed me. Even with the element of surprise, I waited until they passed. My partner didn't and the last I heard of the patrol were bodies plopping silently on the floor.
"Keep going; you're clear from here to the parking garage."
Sliding down a small embankment brought me next to a concrete structure. I stayed away from the glow of the lamp inches away.
"Hold."
I didn't hesitate the second I heard footsteps just around the corner. I held my breath and waited for instructions.
"Don't even think about moving a muscle; there are four tangoes on the other side of the garage."
Hadn't planned on moving. An eternity passed before the steps faded and the radio hissed to life.
"Okay; you're clear. Stick to the alleys and don't go out into the street until I tell you."
"Where exactly are you leading me?"
Silence. "Just do as I say, Vektan, or you'll make good target practice." Bitch.
I slipped into the ghastly (no pun intended) smelling alleyway, snaking between solid and tumbledown structures. Part of me wanted to hold back and study the unique Helghan graffiti scrawled on the walls but a certain nasty little bird told me to keep moving. The stench of vomit and carcasses assaulted my senses. When something soft crunched under my boot, it took everything for me not to blow chunks. Only the flash of Helghan torches peering into the alleys kept me close to the dumpster. I held back gags as the footsteps of a curious Helghast crept closer. To no one's surprise, and certainly not mine, he unzipped his pants. Why the Helghast always had to piss when I was hiding in the same alley escaped me. Unlike the time in Pyrrhus, though, the voice in my ear instructed me to eliminate the pisser.
"And do it quietly."
No shit, Sherlock. Tempted to drop him with the M66, I opted for my Toothpick instead. Through the NODS the Hig was a glowing mass of yellows and reds; even his pee registered as yellow. He kept on his moaning and shivering as an arm wrapped tight around his mask and shoved a knife into his back. After a few twists got him quiet, the weight of the fresh corpse became a burden I was quick to rid myself of. I wrenched the torch from his rifle and kept it. Even after the super-classy act of robbing the dead, I had doubts that what my partner ordered me to do was entirely necessary:
"Leave the body where it is; we'll have use of it later."
That and how to proceed through the next few alleys were all I got from her. I reached the end of the line: an open avenue where the rumble of a motor greeted me. Sticking to the shadows, I watched as one of the Hig jeeps rolled down the street. The main gun was unmanned but the vehicle wasn't something to be ignored…especially if I needed to get the hell out of Dodge. I was so mesmerized by the vehicle I missed half the message relayed to me.
"Say again?"
"Go. Now. Move!" Without a second thought I scurried across the street, certain I'd attracted attention. Luck proved to be on my side; I peeked around the corner and found a chalk of Higs at a barbed-wire roadblock shooting the breeze as if nothing had happened. Barbed wire and roadblocks? This city was anything but a resort.
"Pay attention next time or I'll reveal your position and leave you behind," the Helghan shouted in my ear. "Now: there should be a ladder in that alley; take it to the top and find cover behind one of the air conditioning units. Don't move a muscle until I give the word."
"Got it." Per her orders, I climbed the said ladder as a PA system echoed through the sparsely occupied streets.
"Attention, attention. All units be advised: contact has been lost with Gamma Four and Sigma Three. If located, please inform your commanding officer of their whereabouts immediately. That is all."
I reached the top of the three story structure and concealed myself behind the air conditioning units.
"At position," I informed my partner.
"There is a rifleman directly on the other side of that unit. It is important that you DO NOT kill him; only disable him." This was an interesting development. I obeyed and holstered the M66, more than a little disappointed I hadn't been able to pop at least one top with it. The rifleman was sitting up against the unit with his rifle against his shoulder. Judging by the angle of his head he was counting sheep. Disabling him was child's play. I propped him up against the unit and radioed my lookout.
"Now take his weapon and keep an eye out for a communications dish on a rooftop to the east." I located said dish a couple blocks away. "Shoot it. Three shots max; enough to get their attention below. Don't worry about the other riflemen on the rooftops; I'll take care of them."
"Why not just use the-"
"Do as I say!"
With the familiar weight of the rifle a shocking change from the M66, I aimed for the dish and fired. One round was enough to send the saucer spinning but orders were orders and two shots followed. Before the third shot left the barrel there was shouting from the street below.
"Good; you've attracted their attention. Now quickly: lay the rifle next to the rifleman and get out of there!"
I laid the rifle across his lap, placed his hands on the grip and handle of the rifle and took a running leap to the next rooftop, concealing myself behind a ventilation unit. A troop reached the roof and, after making sure there was no enemy atop, cracked the rifleman with a few dozen rifle butts. After a brief manhandling, the rest of the troop carried him off the roof. A minute or two of silence passed before the PA system crackled to life.
"Attention, attention. All units be advised: all riflemen are to report to their commanding officers immediately for reassignment. Again: all riflemen are to report to their commanding officers for reassignment. That is all."
"They're recalling the riflemen from the rooftops to check for traitors," my partner buzzed me. "That'll buy us some time; stick to the rooftops for now."
"Copy that. Nice plan, by the way."
"You Vektans are so easy to impress," was her snide remark. I followed the trail of roofs and overhead catwalks leading to the antenna. The glow of the neon signs in the streets below nearly gave me away more than once; lucky for me the Higs were apparently deaf as well as mutated. The one thing they weren't, however, was stupid; the familiar whirring of mechanical arms splitting away from a small metallic body alerted me to the clear and present danger of Sentry Bots.
"They've deployed Sentry Bots."
"Why else do you think I gave you the EMP jammer?" Then and there I was beginning to realize the value of my partner. Bitch or not, she had her shit wired tight. I clutched the jammer in one hand and the M66 in the other as I made my way out into the open. Sure enough a small pack of Bots patrolled the streets. With the antenna three rooftops away, I made a running leap for the next one and made it, tumbling over and attracting the attention of one of the Bots. The wasp-like machine droned over to me, its guns ready to shred me. I aimed the jammer and squeezed the trigger. A visible hoop of electromagnetic energy shot toward the tiny mechanical monster. The Bot hovered in midair, stunned, as I made for the second rooftop. Another Bot swung by with backup. I managed to disable one with the EMP jammer but the situation called for me to pop the M66's cherry and fire the entire clip into the other machine. The Bot became a flaming whirly bird that slammed into its stunned partner. Not waiting around to be captured, I reached the final rooftop to the sound of dogs barking in the street below.
"What in blazes was that, Vektan?"
"A little technical difficulty. Been taken care of."
"There better not be any repercussions or so help me I'll-"
There could not have been a worse time for the PA system to come on. "Attention, attention. Engineers: report to Lambda squadron. Omega and Gamma canine units: sweep has been enacted."
"-kill you. Do you realize what you've done?"
"Not hard to guess." Something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. "Wait! I see the drop ship."
"Any movement?"
The squadron of Helghast continued their patrol around the landing pad. Closer inspection with the NODs revealed two Helghast with electricity guns chatting near one of the Overlord's bay doors.
"Negative; they're not budging. Probably think everything's under control."
"Good. Let's hope for your sake they keep thinking that. Now secure the surveillance station and try to stay hidden."
Half-disappointed the order didn't come with another idle threat I peered over the edge of the building to the street below. A cool breeze swiped the hood clean off my head. Afraid my hair would give me away I pulled away from the edge and yanked my hair into a ponytail. Hair under control, I gazed at the street below and counted three Assault infantry, one Advanced Shock, one MMG trooper, and a smarmy goggle-eyed hound. One grenade would eliminate them all and seriously screw me over at the same time.
It would be nature, in fact, that would end up favoring the frag over stealth. The same gust continued to tug at my hair, carrying its oily unwashed stench into the nostrils of the waiting dog below. The critter's tail shot up with its ears. The low rumble of its growl attracted the attention of its handler. The machine-pistol armed guard scanned the rooftops above for any sign of activity.
"What's that damned hound going on about now?"
"I think he seen something up there on the roofs."
"Maybe a rifleman?"
"They shouldn't be; C.O. would blow their brains out," the shock trooper spoke up.
"This ain't Orlock's army, remember? You work for a higher power, you twit."
"Don't twit me, you soppy motherfucker."
"What'd you say scum?"
"You wanna make one with me now?"
"Let's go you little streak-a piss!" The two men threw down under the neon glow of the sign.
Wait a minute. The neon sign. I looked up and realized the surveillance building was nothing more than a hijacked radio station. Between their fighting, the sign, and the alert dog the gears in my head started turning. Reloading the M66 and aiming for the neon sign, I prayed my reflexes were as good on the ground as they were in the air. After a final breath, I sent a rapid burst into the neon sign. The ensuing flash and sparks erupted over the Higs, triggering a slow motion filter on the rest of the world. Perfectly relaxed, I swiveled the barrel of the M66 to an overhead electrical pole and fired. The Higs in darkness, I locked onto the dog and aimed where the neck met the spine. I emptied the rest of my clip into the animal. The bullets ripped through its body armor and severed the hound's spine with a sharp yelp smothered by the confusion of the Helghast.
Without reloading, I made a running leap for the radio tower rooftop. The Helghast below shouted for the lights while one of them radioed their non-com to inform them of the situation. As he did, the Sentry Bot I had disabled but not destroyed earlier locked onto my position and was about to let loose its guns when a trigger happy Hig beneath fired at the machine. The droid detonated in a blaze of electricity and flame.
"Blasted thing must have seen a bird or something. I told Faraj having these things here was a bad idea."
"The dog's down!"
"Good riddance; I hated that mutt."
"Omega Nine, this is Omega Two; our hound is down. Repeat: hound is down…Sentry Bot, sir. Shot at some bird or something, blew the sign and the lights out in our sector…power's out in your sector too? Right, sir. Will do." To the rest of the soldiers: "Engineering will be here to fix the power. Everyone switch to NODs."
"What about the dog?"
"Clean-up will be here when the power's back on."
The radio in my ear hissed. "I don't know how you did it, Vektan, but you've knocked out the power to half the city. The hotel's on a generator so our target should be in the dark as to our presence."
With my own NODs still activated, I located the emergency stairwell and slipped into the building. As if on cue, my partner gave me wonderful news:
"Once you get inside the building, you are clear to eliminate any and all targets within. Search for the main switchboard and destroy it with whatever is at hand. I'll be in shortly. Until then: happy hunting, Vektan."
Happy to finally have a chance to play the Shadow Marshal, I descended the staircase and through another door opening into a long corridor. A white cone of light made its way from around the corner. Hugging the wall, I waited for the Hig to approach. He passed at a distance so close I found myself thanking God I didn't let one rip right then and there. One slice to the throat had him down for the count.
I made my way down the hall, opening every door as silently in the search for the switchboard. Some were empty offices, others break rooms with half-filled cups of coffee. Helghan coffee…yum. Leaving the room with the caffeine-laced sewage, I opened a door and found six Higs sound asleep on spartan bunks. Happy hunting. Dispatching them was a piece of cake, I almost felt bad for doing it. Remembering how they slaughtered the L.T. erased the regret. Making my way through more empty rooms forced me to take the stairs down. Here I was greeted with two roving guardsmen and a Shock Trooper. An automated turret sat aimed at the doorway, tilting its barrel in a new direction every few seconds. Here we go: fun times.
Waiting for the guards to separate, I picked the one closest and slithered down the stairs to his position. Waiting until he slipped into an empty room to take a seat, I followed him in and popped his top with the M66. Stacking his corpse neatly in a corner of the room, I slipped out and followed the other guardsman. I managed to catch him with his pants down in a stall and put a bullet in his head. I drew in a breath after escaping the restroom and went for the Shock Trooper. This guy was no slouch; NODs on, he caught sight of me. Ducking behind the corner without having fired a shot, I decided to put the torches to good use. I waited for him to turn the corner before I flashed them at his eyes. Blinded by their light, the Trooper had a rougher time than both of his comrades. A few knife thrusts later, all was still in the station. Only the automated turret remained, and the nerd in me squealed with joy.
Doing some minor acrobatics to get to the turret was fun enough. Safely at the turret's blind spot, I opened the hatch and messed around with the wiring. In a minute I had the turret down for the count. To delay the engineers further, I popped a few bullets into the wiring and escaped the electric claws of static. With the threat on the first floor eliminated, I searched every room and found the switchboard tucked away in a nice little corner and guarded by three engineers and one Assault Trooper who apparently hadn't heard the commotion with his Shock Trooper buddy. I let loose one bullet into the Assault's head and sprayed the engineers next. Some frags and a couple Teslite grenades were my prizes. With one of the Teslite grenades I fried the switchboard and riddled the other components with good old fashioned lead.
Fresh clip in and the Helghan surveillance system disabled, I radioed the Helghan but received static as a reply. Damn Teslite; must be causing interference. I started out of the room when floodlights fried my eyeballs through NODs. Temporarily blinded, there was no chance for me to fight off the cute little doggy with titanium mandibles until it knocked me to the floor and tried to snap my throat. A few bullets through the back of its head ended things real quick but didn't stop the Higs from shoving their assault rifles in my face.
"A saboteur…a Vektan saboteur!" One thing was certain: the voice wasn't friendly. A rifle butt slammed across the side of my head and made a small part of my life come flashing back.