cappsy: Hey there and thanks again for your review, hope you could wait. I agree that in some kind of way Zack is still more Manticore than he would like to admit, and yes, he and the other '09ers will reappear again, although not in this chapter. Casualties? Hm, now that you mention it…sorry, you will have to read to find out (yes, I know I'm evil). And Kara and the X7s? Of course something will not go according to plan, you know me. Max will appear in this chapter, of course, and I plan to give her quite a lot of space in a future chapter but this one will be mainly focused on the battle, I hope you're gonna like it anyway. Well, read and enjoy.
452max: Thanks to you too. Of course not everything is gonna be fine, you should know me well enough by now *gg*
Yeldi: Of course I'm a sadist, haven't you noticed? *gg* no, I'm not that bad. I didn't compare Wolf and Max concerning their overprotectiveness, but you are right, they really are quite the same, thanks for mentioning that. Zane, Logan and Victoria will of course reappear again and your questions will be answered, but you will have to wait a little for that, sorry. And about the names of the '09ers: I am thinking about how to explain it, I think this could be actually quite interesting. In my first story Max explained how she got her name and I think I'm gonna do something the like about Zack and the others thanks for giving me this idea. Thanks a lot to you, too and I hope you're still out there.
Jasper's Imaginary Friend: Thank you for your review as well. Well, I've finally managed to update and I hope you're gonna like this one as well.
Again thanks a lot to all of you and I hope you're gonna like this. It's a little bit dark at times but hey, it's rated T for a reason. Don't worry, it's not that bad. Read and enjoy!!
Agent Sandoval was a rather paranoid man; no, scratch that, he was a very paranoid man. After many years working for several secret government organizations with their even more shadowy superiors he had learned being always on your toes could save your life and he hadn't let go of that attitude just because he was working in a desk job now. Every evening before he went to bed he checked the door twice and made sure his weapon was locked and loaded on the night table; maybe he was a pencil pusher now but that didn't mean he had forgotten how quickly a cozy night's sleep could turn into a fight for survival.
Nevertheless, when he woke up in the middle of the night all his instincts told him something was wrong and he reached for his gun it was – gone. His heart skipped a beat and then started racing and his eyes searched the room for an intruder.
"Relax, Agent Sandoval" a calm voice spoke out of the darkness. "If we were here to kill you would already be dead."
"451?" he gasped. For a brief moment utter silence filled the room before he heard a whisper of clothing and a dark figure appeared out of the shadows right in front of his bed.
"You have a good memory" Wolf spoke quietly.
"What are you doing here?"
"Finishing what we started. Get up, sir, we must hurry." The transgenic reached out and turned on the lights. The older man groaned and pressed his eyes shut at the sudden brightness. When he opened them again he was in for his second shock in less than a minute; there wasn't just 451. Next to the door was 301, eyeing him coldly and another man was standing in the far corner of the room. How did they manage to sneak up on him like this? They were wearing full combat gear and assault rifles and the looks in their eyes told him they were deadly serious about what they were doing here. Wolf gave him another impatient look and even though Sandoval wasn't fully awake yet and couldn't read their facial expressions as well as usually because of the camouflage color covering their faces he sensed they were not in their best mood. "Hurry up!"
The adrenalin finally kicked in and Sandoval jumped up and reached for his pants.
"What's your plan?" he asked as he put on his shirt. "You're not alone, are you?"
He noticed how 301 rolled her eyes at this; alright, it was a stupid question.
"And he is?" he nodded in Ares' direction.
"The gray eminence" the Delta replied coldly. Okay, an SRTU transgenic judging from his manners, Sandoval thought humorlessly.
"Where's Renfro?" Wolf wanted to know. "She's not in her quarters."
"Then she's most likely in her office" Sandoval replied and he could have sworn there was a hint of a smile on the transgenic's face when he said that. "What do you want me to do?"
"Meet us at the entrance of the main building. We'll wait for you there."
"Can I have my gun back?" At his the three soldiers smirked and Wolf shook his head.
"No."
"You don't trust me."
"No. Hurry up." With this the transgenics left and Sandoval shook his head with a sigh. What mess had he gotten himself into this time? At least the old bastard – Lydecker – could have given him a small warning, but no. Apparently he was not the only one being paranoid. He quickly finished dressing and went after them but when he stepped out onto the barely illuminated hallway they were already gone. Creepy.
Quickly but without too much hurry he left his quarters and made his way to the main building where the offices of the command staff were located. When he approached the entrance the guard – one of the new guys Renfro had brought with her – frowned.
"What's keeping you up this late, sir?" he asked curiously.
"I need to talk to the director. Is she still in her office?"
"I think so, she hasn't left yet."
"Very well, I…" Sandoval continued when all of a sudden something jumped at the guard out of nowhere; there was a flash of steel and before either one the two men could react the combat knife found its target. The guard made a gurgling sound when his throat was slit and tried to fight back but the shock and blood loss rendered him unconscious in a matter of second. The black clad figure yanked the knife out of the dead man and turned around to face Sandoval; it was X5-194, the Asian girl. Sandoval couldn't stop staring at her with wide eyes. He had seen X5s in action but only during exercises or on video footage. To actually see how lethal they were in reality was a little bit more than just disturbing. Silently the other transgenics arrived and he could see there was somebody else with the three X5s who had wakened him and his eyes grew even bigger; what was the X7 doing here?
"Don't talk" Wolf silenced his unspoken question. "We'll have time for that later. Open the door! Blade, get the body inside!"
Like in trance Sandoval entered the code and the door was unlocked. One after the other the transgenics slipped inside and Kyla shoved the older man after them as well.
"We need to get to Renfro's office" Wolf whispered quietly.
"Are you going to kill her?"
"Unfortunately no. Let's move!" Quickly and silently their made their way through the seemingly abandoned hallways until they arrived at their destination, Lydecker's old office, now occupied by Elizabeth Renfro. The transgenics took position left and right to the door and finally Wolf nodded briskly at Sandoval. The older man took a deep breath and then knocked twice.
"What is it?" an unnerved voice answered and Wolf's scowl became even darker: It was her.
"Agent Sandoval, ma'am. There's something you need to see."
"Enter!"
He reached for the door handle but Kyla beat him to it. She opened the door and stormed into the room with her weapon ready to fire; they couldn't risk giving that witch the chance to sound an alarm no matter how valuable her information might become in the future. Fortunately Renfro was alone and although she jumped up as soon as she saw that it wasn't Sandoval paying her a late night visit Wolf was much too fast for her; he grabbed her by her collar and slammed her against the wall, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to gasp in unexpected pain.
"Hello, Director" he snarled, eyes flashing in anger and barely controlled hatred. It took her a second to recognize him but then her eyes widened first in disbelief and then in a rapidly growing mixture of fear, disgust and anger. She opened her mouth but he silenced her with a dark growl. It would be so easy. He could break her neck with a simple twist of his hands or crush her windpipe and watch her slowly succumb to death. Or even better he could use his knife; the thought of spilling her blood after all she had done to him was very appealing. But he had his orders. "One word and I will rip your throat out!"
Lucky for her she remained silent and he briefly looked at Kyla.
"All clear. Blade, close the door." The shorthaired woman said, then she looked at her mate and she could sense his emotional turmoil better than anybody else. She gave Renfro a glance and suddenly had the urge to spit out in disgust. "Wolf, let go of her. She isn't worth it.
He didn't move but kept staring at the blond woman and his grip tightened, causing her to twist in pain, when flashes of his reindoctrination started to appear in his mind: her taunting voice, her evilly grinning face hovering above him when he had been strapped to that cursed table and most of all her sadistic laughter. He growled again and bared his teeth at her; he had every right to kill her!
"See?" she gasped and even managed a mean grin. If it was out of sudden courage or just stubbornness born out of her fear he didn't know. "I told you: You're an animal, 451, nothing more."
He suddenly grew very calm again – at least on the outside – tilted his head a little bit to one side and seemed to ponder her words for a few moments before he slightly relaxed and smiled dangerously.
"And I'm proud of it!" he replied. He gave her a second to understand his words and when he saw her confusion he smashed his elbow in her face, breaking her nose and jaw at once, rendering her unconscious. Carelessly he let her limp body fall to the floor, not caring if she sustained even more serious injuries. "Tie her up, Blade."
"Are you alright?" Kara asked her older brother almost a little bit timidly. She knew how dangerous he could be but actually seeing him in such a rage was a different thing.
"I am now" answered briskly but much less angry. "Agent Sandoval, this is where you come in."
"What do you want me to do?" Wolf explained the plan and the older man suddenly had a small smile on his face. He opened a base-wide channel from Renfro's personal communications station and broadcasted to every active radio within range: "All units, this is Agent Sandoval. On order of the director all X-series are to report back to their quarters and await further instructions. The remaining personnel remain on their posts. Message ends."
After this the room was filled with an uncomfortable silence as they waited and hoped their fellow transgenics would obey their orders. Suddenly Kyla approached Sandoval and handed him his weapon which he took with a quizzical look on his face to which she replied with a small smirk: "Now we trust you."
"How did you know I wouldn't try and warn the guards on my way here?"
"We didn't" Ares replied with a nasty grin. "That's why I had you in my sights all the time."
Brigadier General James Thomas Tisnewsky – or JT for short – was sitting in his office in the Pentagon and going over the latest report he had received. The face of the J3 of the Special Operation Division was grim and from time to time he frowned and sighed, feeling more and more frustrated. Things weren't looking good for his country. A little bit over a year ago he had actually allowed himself the slight hope that they were finally starting to get over the last remainders of the chaos that damned Pulse had left them to deal with; the economy had showed signs of slow recuperation and their military strength – while nothing compared to what they had had before the Pulse – was still a force to be reckoned with. Most of all their special forces community still had very sharp teeth and those X5 transgenics were dealing blow after blow to their enemies; and in a few years the X6 series would become fully operational and could be used for combat missions as well. Yes, things had definitely looked good back then.
But of course somebody had to ruin the game; after Lydecker had deserted together with some of the most experienced X5s the higher ups had almost frozen all Manticore operations out of fear there would be the same problems with the rest of the X-series and after a few months the lack of transgenic soldiers on the hidden battlefields all around the world had started to show: Their enemies grew bolder again and he just didn't have enough forces to make up for the loss of those extraordinary soldiers who were not just faster and stronger than any other operator he had at his disposal but had also been trained for over two decades to do nothing else than defend the United States. Lydecker! He had known that man and Elizabeth Renfro never went along very well but accusing her of being a part of a hidden shadow organization was just ludicrous. Of course they had conducted an investigation – General Kovacs had led it himself – but there had been absolutely nothing. Maybe Lydecker had finally lost it. A pity, really. McNulty knew the man, had seen him in action and he had welcomed the committee's decision to reinstate him as Colonel and make him the head of the Manticore program. Apparently that had been a mistake. His phone ringed and he picked it up with an impatient grunt. It was almost two o'clock in the morning so this better had to be important.
"Tisnewsky, J3 SOD" he growled.
"Sir, I have Alexandria on the line for you" his aide – Sergeant-Major Pierce informed him. Her voice was calm and professional – she had witnessed such situations before, after all she had been working for him for almost three decades now –but his heart started pounding faster nevertheless. Alexandria was the code for an operator who was lost behind enemy lines and had to use public means of communication and needed immediate extraction.
"Alexandria?"
"Yes, sir, he says he's gonna talk to you only."
"Put him through!"
"Yes, sir. Standby." She terminated the connection and a few seconds later McNulty could hear the even breathing of another person on the line.
"Who is this?"
"I'm hurt, sir" a man's voice answered. "I would have expected a more civilized greeting from you."
The old General's mouth went dry and he actually stopped breathing for a few seconds. Speak of the devil. Finally he regained his composure. "What on earth did you drink to come up with the idea of calling me? Are finally out of your damned mind? How did you get this number anyway?"
"I'm glad you remember me." If it was possible Lydecker's smirk could even be heard over the line. "And let's not say out my name loud, alright? I've got some very influential people looking for me."
"Yeah, one of them is me. Where are you? What do you want?"
"I need you to do something for me, General. First you have to get a team ready for extraction and escort and I need you to gather the joint chiefs. I have information they have to see."
"And why should I do that? You're a deserter, a traitor, remember?"
"I'm neither the one nor the other!" Lydecker snarled and the sudden and honest anger in his voice made Tisnewsky silently doubt the official version of this whole story – and not for the first time. "And I can prove it. But I need to deliver my intel to the joint chiefs immediately and there are some people who will do everything they can to stop me from doing that."
"Listen, if I want to have a chance to get them to listen to you I need to have something to sell them", Tisnewsky said. "What kind of intel are we talking about?"
"Let's just say if they don't you're gonna have some very serious problems in about two weeks."
"Define 'very serious', Colonel!"
"Remember Waco?" Lydecker's voice was calm and calculating. "Combine it with the Pulse and multiply the result several times, then you will have a slight imagination of what I'm talking about, sir."
"Are you serious?" All of a sudden JT Tisnewsky wasn't sure anymore if he should pick up the red phone on his desk and call for an emergency meeting or definitely accept the fact that his fellow ex-Delta had gone crazy. And of course he had to mention Waco!
"Sir, I definitely am, sir. For old time's sake, are you in?"
"I am going to regret this" the General sighed. "Alright, where are you?"
A few minutes later he left his office and ordered Pierce to get him a security team together.
"You are not really gonna do this, right?" she asked him incredulously. "Sir, with all due respect, Lydecker is a deserter. Let the MP handle this."
"So you've been eavesdropping again, hm?" he asked her but wasn't really surprised; he knew her much too well for that. "You see, I remembered something my predecessor told me when I was a young Major and had just started working here."
"And that was?"
"It's much easier to kick somebody's ass if you're standing right behind him. And now get me that team together!"
Manticore headquarters – Gilette, Wyoming
"How are you holding up?" Wolf asked the youngest soldier in the room and for once Kara didn't reply with a witty or snide remark.
"I'm alright" she answered a little bit briskly, her face a mask of concentration. "Don't worry, they can't sense me, but it is difficult to shield my mind like this."
Luckily they hadn't needed Kara to detect or even engage any X7s. After Sandoval's order all X-soldiers had returned to their quarters and by now the only transgenics out of the locked down barracks were those of unit two and the Deltas. And Kara, of course; she had kept up with her older siblings without any problems and deep inside Wolf was proud of her but ever since all the X7s had returned from their patrols and as a consequence had gotten much closer to his younger twin it became more and more difficult for her to hide her presence from their collective hive awareness.
"For how long can you keep it up?"
This got him a short smile. "For however long you need me to."
He briefly returned her smile and nodded reassuringly; that girl was definitely a Manticore transgenic, brave, loyal and determined! When they heard somebody approaching the transgenics in the room turned towards the door and raised their weapons.
"Don't shoot!" they could hear Sergeant O'Neill from outside. "It's us."
They relaxed and Blade opened the door.
"How did it go?" Wolf asked O'Neill as soon as the Sergeant entered Renfro's office with Corporal Hayden and Jondy in tow.
"Walk in the park" the former Manticore black ops grinned. "We have filled the barracks with so much anesthesia gas they won't wake up for at least ten hours. The rest of unit two is waiting right outside the main entrance."
Once the X-series had followed Sandoval's order and were locked inside their quarters the SRTU platoons had pressed forward and took out the remaining Alliance commandos patrolling the perimeter while O'Neill and Hayden had taken care of their fellow Manticore black ops. Right now the Deltas and the ordinaries of the AAD 10 were waiting for the order to advance; once that order was given they would secure the facility – most of all the armory and the barracks with the locked up transgenics – while the Deltas and unit two were going to take care of the rest of the Alliance cyborgs.
"Perfect!" Wolf glanced at his watch and was pleased to see they were ahead of their timetable. "Alright, Jondy, Kara and Corporal Hayden: You stay here. Keep an eye on Renfro. And Jondy; keep us posted if anything happens in the barracks!"
"Got it!" Jondy had already started to take a look at Renfro's personal computer station and she was pleased to see that she could get access to every surveillance camera within the base; the old witch was even more paranoid than Lydecker or maybe she just liked to watch the X-soldiers suffer. In addition she would also be able to monitor any incoming transmissions in case the Colonel would have to speed up their plans a little bit.
"Good. The rest of you on me, we're moving out. Blade, you take point!"
They left quickly and made their way outside where they were joined by the rest of their unit. As they advanced towards the barracks of the Alliance troops they could see movements in the shadows from time to time – the Deltas of platoon one and two. O'Neill left them after a while to make contact with platoons three and four who would secure the armory and the quarters of the Manticore transgenics. When the Alliance barracks came into view they found their positions and then remained silent and unmoving, waiting for the attack order with the patience of the born predators they were.
After while every Delta unit had checked in with Ares who acted as a sort of coordinator for the time being and his teeth flashed unnaturally white in the darkness when he grinned and nodded.
"Foxhole, this is Delta-26" he whispered into his radio and transmitted the code that everything was ready: "The dogs are asleep and the children locked up, over."
"26, this is Foxhole" came Major Linder's even voice. "Copy on your last. Hold your position and wait for the order. Good hunting, Ares, over."
"Wilco, 26 out." The young transgenic terminated the connection. "Get ready!"
"Been born ready!" Alec muttered under his breath.
Fortress Delta – Switzerland – one minute later
"Message from Foxhole" Captain Sehler announced in the command center. "Message reads: Stage one completed, awaiting attack order. Message ends!"
"Send the word to our allies: Operation Winter contingency is hot!" Colonel Meyer nodded. He had his hands behind his back and was overlooking the working command staff.
"So it finally begins" Major Coleman sighed heavily. He was the only American soldier who had stayed in the fortress and he absolutely hated it; he knew it was necessary that he remained here so not all would be lost if something went bad but sending out the soldiers he had trained and not being allowed to go with them was hard, harder than usual. Sure, he wasn't as close to them as Lydecker but he had been their trainer and TAC leader ever since they had started training.
"Relax, Major" Meyer tried to reassure him. "They are the best at what they are doing. It will be alright."
"I hope so, sir, I really hope so."
"Colonel, a message from General Shepperd." Sehler interrupted them again from his communications station. The commanding officer of the British SRTU was the acting commanding officer of the whole operation as she outranked not only the other three SRTU commanders but Lydecker as well. "To all SRTU, I confirm Operation Winter contingency is hot. All units are in position. Green light for the DC team, all other units begin your attack in four minutes! Message ends."
"Funny how so simple words can have such an impact on people and history." Coleman almost whispered. As an operator he had often heard such messages himself but then he had been in the field where he could actually make a difference, react to problems and threats immediately. Of course he had sent his soldiers into battle without going with them before but this was different; their enemy was different and the whole operation bigger than anything he had ever participated in before. Meyer looked at him with understanding and compassion in his eyes.
"Letting go and sending them out there on their own is never easy" he voiced what the Major was feeling. "This is a hard lesson, so better learn it the first time. Welcome to the big leagues."
The Pentagon – Washington D.C.
"I really hope you know what you're doing" Tisnewsky said not for the first time and looked at his old comrade. They were marching through the noisy halls of the Pentagon, escorted by a quite large group of security personnel and the General asked himself what had driven Lydecker to come back, right into the lion's den. They had lost his track and until the Colonel had called him he had had absolutely no clue where he had been hiding and now he was here, right in the heart of the military power of the United States.
"I know, sir, don't worry" the former Manticore CO assured him and exchanged a brief glance with the young woman who had been with him when Tisnewsky and his men had found them at the airport, waiting calmly and with almost unnerving patience. She was very young – twenty, maybe a few years older – and hadn't said a word so far but she had that grim and silent confidence about her that told him she was not new to this kind of environment or situation. She was wearing a combat uniform Tisnewsky had never seen before and there were no rank insignias name on it but her self-assured and even stride told him she was used to wearing this sort of clothing and although she wasn't armed and looked almost petite amongst the bulky security men around her the old General couldn't help but consider her a possible threat. When they had met at the airport and he had asked who she was, the Colonel had called her his assistant but Tisnewsky had very well noticed the brief and annoyed glance she had shot him for that comment; definitely a soldier of some sort. Lydecker had insisted that she had to come with them and that she went wherever he had to go or their deal – as he had said – would not take place. Perhaps she was some sort of bodyguard but she was definitely not an X5; that had been the first thing he had checked and she was not in their database. At least he didn't have to worry about her being a transgenic assassin.
They approached the briefing room where the joint chiefs were already waiting for them. It had been quite a fight to get them to come and listen to what a traitor had to say but after all his years in the building Tisnewsky's word carried some weight. He just hoped whatever Deck had to tell them was worth all the trouble or he would make sure he got tossed into the darkest hole of Leavenworth.
"We're here" he muttered and approached the door. Lydecker nodded and turned towards the strange woman.
"Zira, whatever happens, don't talk" he reminded the Delta soldier. In the end Meyer had convinced him to take her with him. Sure, she was not a combat model and no match for somebody like Wolf or Ares, but she could take care of herself just fine. And as counter-intelligence specialist she was able to read the officers they were going to meet much better than Lydecker would ever have been; if they tried to stab them in the back she would notice. The Colonel lowered his voice so only she could hear him: "Whatever is going to happen in there, stick to the plan!"
She nodded and after that they entered the room. Inside they were greeted by the sight of the assembled joint chiefs and their staff. Lydecker stole a glance at his watch and grinned inwardly in satisfaction; they were right on time. At Tisnewsky's sign he went to the small podium while Zira took position behind him. She was careful to keep her face as much in the shadows as possible, like this it would be harder to guess who she was looking at. The security closed the door and then continued to watch them carefully.
"Welcome back, Colonel" one of the man greeted them. It was the highest ranking of the them, General Kramer, a former Marine. He observed Lydecker for a few seconds before he continued. "General Tisnewsky has informed us that you have something important to share. Be quick about it!"
"Yes, sir!" Lydecker nodded. "As you possibly all know, a little bit over a year ago I had to leave the Manticore headquarters in Wyoming and fled together with an X5 unit and a few members of my staff. We…"
"As far as I know, Colonel" another man in the uniform of an Air Force General interrupted him with an undertone of slight disdain, "you didn't just leave. You disobeyed a direct order and deserted and those X5s attacked guard personnel and Director Elizabeth Renfro in the process."
Zira narrowed her eyes at the speaker but after a few seconds she came to the conclusion that he wasn't a threat; he didn't seem to like the idea of listening to what Lydecker had to say but his eyes were attentive and his features rather open.
"I can assure you that is not correct, sir" Lydecker replied calmly. "Just before Director Renfro arrived that day with those new orders we came into possession of new intel about her and about her involvement with a criminal organization. Because of this I tried to contact the committee but she ordered her men to arrest me. After that the X5s were merely defending me and their fellow soldiers from a superior we then knew to be a renegade."
"We have heard those accusations before, Colonel." This time it was Tisnewsky himself. "There has been an investigation and there was absolutely nothing."
"If I may ask, sir, who was leading the investigation?"
"General Kovacs."
"Well, General Kovacs didn't have what I have" Lydecker replied but allowed himself a barely noticeable smirk. Of course there had been nothing if the head of the Alliance himself had been in charge. "Over the last year we have discovered a large and powerful criminal organization which calls himself the Alliance. They have succeeded in infiltrating not only our military but also large parts of our intelligence and private sectors as well."
"Do you have any proof?" Kramer looked at him skeptically but seemed to be more interested all of a sudden. What this Colonel was telling them sounded like pure insanity but there was nothing insane about the man. He was speaking in a serious and honest tone, didn't appear to be nervous and didn't hesitate. Kramer couldn't really believe that any of this was true but he could see Lydecker believed it.
"Sir, yes I do, sir." Some of the eyes in the room grew slightly bigger when he said this and turned around to Zira. At his unspoken order she reached very slowly into her pocket and took out the hard drive with copies of the most important files they had discovered. The guards followed her every movement with their eyes and she was sure they would not hesitate to use their weapons if she tried anything stupid. Well, that made the situation a lot more interesting. Lydecker nodded and turned back to the waiting Generals. "Sirs, on this hard drive you will find every proof you need and I can tell you it is quite a lot. This is why I must ask you to remain here and not to take any premature action before I have finished my explanations
"An unusual request, Colonel, and I can't guarantee it completely. Our actions will most likely depend on what you are going to tell us."
"Yes, sir." Lydecker nodded – such an answer had to be expected. He handed the hard drive to a technician who linked it with his laptop. A few seconds later files started to appear on every screen in the room. "With your permission I will first give you a brief summary on what has happened during the last year, sir. Please open file Alpha Zero One."
Secret location near Washington D.C. – Supposed headquarters of the Alliance
"C'est parti, les gars" Sarah announced to her teammates when she got the order from Aubagne. They were currently just about a hundred meters from their target, a quite large industrial complex which was surrounded by a tall wall with barbed wire on top of it. If she had needed any more proof they were in the right place she would only have to look around the corner to see the three men with submachine guns who were guarding the perimeter, patrolling from one corner of this side of the wall to the other; this was definitely the Alliance headquarters and they had done a good job in hiding this fact. But not good enough. The wall, the guards and most of all the cameras on top of the wall which were first class equipment from the looks of it made it clear that somebody inside wanted to keep out any intruder. That was about to change. "On y va!" (That's it guys, let's go.)
She briefly checked that everybody was ready before they rounded the corner and as a group of two women and three men they started walking towards the huge and dark buildings but stumbled from time to time and kept talking rather loudly in French. One of her companions even started singing an old and rather rude drinking song and after a moment they all joined him, laughing and joking and taking occasional swigs from the bottles in their hands. The guards noticed them of course and eyed them suspiciously but didn't look too alerted; they were wearing civilian clothing and long coats to hide their tactical vests and they had left their rifles with their comrades, only taking handguns with them. To any outsider they would have looked like a group of drunk young people, maybe students because they were talking in a foreign language, and not like the strike team of deadly transgenics they were. When they came closer one of the men reached for his radio and made contact with his superiors.
"This is patrol two, we have a group of five approaching, over."
"Roger that, we have them on our monitors. Your call, over."
"Roger, they appear to be drunk, no danger. We'll send them away, over and out." He terminated the connection and took a step forward. "Alright, this is far enough. There are some people here who won't like you making such a ruckus at this time. Go find a party elsewhere, alright?"
"Quoi?" Sarah said apparently surprised, then she started giggling and turned towards one of the male transgenics. "Qu'est-ce qu'il dit?" (What? What is he saying?)
"Il veut que nous partons" her teammate replied with a heavily slurred voice. The guards hesitated for a moment before the patrol leader spoke up again. (He wants us to leave.)
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"I do!" the one who had answered Sarah's question replied with a big smile and a heavy accent. "But we were told we could find some party somewhere around here."
"Well, sorry buddy" the Alliance commando replied with a small smile "but there's no party here."
"Hé, regardez!" the second female transgenic suddenly exclaimed and threw her bottle at the nearest camera, missing by a long shot but laughed loudly nevertheless. One of the men picked up a stone and aimed a little bit more carefully and shouted in triumph when he hit the target, smashing the camera to pieces. (Hey, look!)
"Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing?" the Alliance soldier yelled and pushed him back, angrily glaring at all of them.
"Laisse-les tranquille, salaud!" Sara shouted and grabbed him but he shook her off and pushed her back as well. She made up a quite impressing show of stumbling for a moment before she fell to the ground with a surprised yelp. Her comrades glared at the three men and two of them menacingly took a step forwards. (Leave them alone, bastard!)
"That's enough!" yelled the patrol leader and the three of them brought up their weapons, but not really pointing them at the five obviously completely drunk and now angry young men and women yet. They stopped and for a few seconds nobody moved before the Alliance commando spoke up again, looking at the one who obviously understood English. "This is private property and you're about to get yourself into a big load of trouble. Get the hell out of here and stay away in the future!"
Staggering Sarah got back on her feet and with an angry noise moved to attack the three soldiers but her teammate held her back. "Arrête, ça ne vaut pas la peine! Laissons ces cons." (Stop, it's not worth it. Let's leave those idiots to themselves.)
She glared at him in mock anger and shook him off, but made no further attempt to get back at the soldier. Time was running short and they had to get back to where the rest of their team was waiting but there was still a second camera they had to take care of. She angrily spat on the ground and turned away, walking a few steps before she suddenly stopped and looked back as if she had just remembered something. Looking up at the second camera she swung her own bottle and threw it without really aiming and the rest of her small team followed suit. The third bottle hit – it would have been much too suspicious if she had hit it with the first throw – and just like the first one the camera was destroyed. They all smirked at the three commandos and Sara gave them the finger and hissed: "Va the faire foutre!" (Bite me!) before they turned around and walked back to where they came from
"You little brats!" one of the soldiers growled but his leader held him back.
"Let them, they're just kids."
"Yeah, and apparently they need to be taught some manners!" the other one muttered angrily but calmed down a little bit.
"That's not our job. The way they acted they're gonna regret this night anyway when they wake up in the morning." That made the three men grin in unison at the mention of what would most likely be a major hangover in a few hours and the leader sighed. Of course he was annoyed as well but there was no real harm done. Their superiors had more than enough money to replace two broken surveillance cameras and they had all been young once. He chuckled. "Kids!"
"Patrol two, what is going on out there?" he heard his superior's voice in his earpiece. "We've lost both cameras in your sector. Is there a problem, over?"
"This is two, negative. Those kids smashed the cameras but they're gone now. We're all clear. Over and out."
Sarah grinned when she heard that just before the rounded the corner again and found themselves face-to-face with the rest of their team who had been waiting in the shadows for their return. She glanced at her watch and smiled; right on time. Now that the cameras were down and no alarm raised yet they would be able to get inside the compound without somebody noticing – at least that was the plan. Quickly they took of their coats and grabbed their rifles before the team moved into position. They had to be ready and begin their attack in unison with everybody else. There would be no order anymore, they all knew at what time the operation had to be executed and then all around the globe hell would be unleashed upon the Alliance.
"À tous de Sarah" she whispered into her mike. "Encore deux minutes. Snipers, essayez de neutraliser les gardes sans les tuer!" (Everybody, this is Sarah. Two minutes to go. Snipers, try to neutralize the guards without killing them!»)
«Compris.» came the snipers answer. "Question: Pourquoi tu en veux pas qu'on les tue? Répondez." (Roger. Interrogative: Why do you want us not to kill them? Over.")
«Parce que ce n'est pas nécessaire. Terminé!» (Because it isn't necessary. Over and out!)
As a matter of fact it would have been much safer if the snipers just killed the three Alliance commandos who had resumed their patrol duty by now but somehow she had a feeling that wouldn't be right. Those three seemed to be your usual soldiers, not some crazy fanatics. Sure, they were mercenaries and right now her enemies but they had reacted rather nicely to the bunch of drunk people; as a matter of fact she wasn't sure if she would have reacted so calmly herself. They seemed – in their own way – to be alright and perhaps she just wanted to reward them for not having tried to hit her when she had provoked it. Whatever! She shook her head and glanced at her watch again. Only a few more seconds to wait.
Manticore Headquarters – Gilette, Wyoming
"How are you holding up?" Jondy asked and shot a brief glance at Kara. The X7 was leaning against the wall with a very concentrated look on her face. At her question she looked up and gave the X5 a small and reassuring smile.
"I'm good, don't worry. It was a little bit hard at the beginning but I've got it under control now." Kara knew she had to stay focused or the other X7s would notice her presence and although they were all locked up in their quarters for the moment she knew they were strong enough to break out if they really wanted to.
"How much longer?" Sandoval asked.
"Not much" Jondy replied, not wanting to give him any precise information. Of course, it appeared he really was on their side but she wasn't about to trust him too much. Corporal Hayden grinned and briefly shook his head in amusement. However, those two ordinaries were alright – even Sandoval – compared to the third one in the room. Elizabeth Renfro had been tied up and gagged and was sitting with her back against the wall in the far corner of the room. Since she had regained consciousness she didn't stop glaring at all of them with intense hatred but she had been calm; until now. Suddenly she started screaming as loud as the gag and her broken jaw allowed it, a continuous muffled but nevertheless high-pitched sound. A little bit surprised Jondy looked up and frowned. What was that woman thinking? She couldn't get free of her of her bonds on her own and that screaming had to hurt after Wolf had "rearranged" her face a little bit. Nevertheless the blond Director didn't stop and not only the two transgenics with their enhanced hearing but also the two men grew very annoyed.
"Can't you just shut her up?" she asked Hayden and cringed at yet another scream. The former Manticore black ops nodded and quickly approached the mad woman. She saw him coming but didn't stop; they were about to find out why. Suddenly the door flew open and two Alliance commandos stormed into the room with their guns at the ready. At first everybody was frozen in place and transgenics, ordinaries and cybernetically enhanced soldiers stared at each other for the blink of an eye before then all hell broke loose.
Jondy dove for cover behind the desk just when the two enemies opened fire on her, Hayden – who was too close to the door – reached for his own weapon but was met with a horrible punch to the face and was thrown against the wall and sank to the floor barely conscious and definitely out of the fight. Out of nowhere Kara suddenly lunged at the commando closer to her and made him stumble. She tried to hit him as fast and as often as possible and she was actually doing a good job but like their older siblings had predicted it she was no match for a fully trained and enhanced Alliance soldier yet. He got through her defenses and punched her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and before she could blink a kick sent her to the floor.
Meanwhile Jondy had gotten back up and but their second opponent had been waiting for this and opened fire immediately. She was hit and gasped in pain but retaliated just as quickly, firing several shots of which one luckily found its way right between the man's eyes. He dropped without a sound.
Kara got up again immediately – it seemed like she didn't even feel the pain – and attacked the last remaining mercenary without hesitation and a feral growl. He fired some shots at her but thanks to her incredible speed he didn't seem to hit anything and she managed to kick the gun out of his hand before the two of them were engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand battle once again. Jondy tried to get a clear shot at him but Kara was right in her line of fire and before she could warn the younger transgenic the Alliance soldier got lucky again scored a hit to Kara's head which made her stumble back in confusion and dizziness but this time he didn't let her go. Instead he grabbed her and threw her in Jondy's direction to avoid being shot by the X5. Lucky for the young girl Jondy caught her and thus slowed down her fall which would most certainly have resulted in severe injuries but this gave the commando the time to pick up his gun and like in slow motion Jondy could do nothing but watch with wide eyes how he took aim at her while she wasn't able to move fast enough, still holding Kara in her arms.
The sound of the shot fired made her flinch violently. The man was thrown around and the side of his head seemed to explode before he followed his already dead comrade and dropped to the floor. Breathing heavily Jondy looked at Sandoval who still had his smoking gun trained on the unmoving body of the attacker. The whole fight had only taken seconds and after he had dove for cover behind a filing cabinet it had taken him a few precious moments to get back up and draw his weapon. Luckily he had just made it in time to see how the last of the black clad soldiers was about to kill the transgenics.
"All units, this is Jondy" the brown-haired woman spoke into her throat-micro. "We've been attacked but the situation is under control. Over and out."
Nothing was under control, she knew that. The two commandos had discovered them three minutes before the attack and the rest of their comrades had certainly heard the shots as well. She could only hope her siblings outside would be able to take them out before they were completely battle-ready.
"Blade was right" Jondy whispered and glanced at Sandoval. "Now I trust you."
He just nodded.
"What the hell…Looks like I've missed the fun" Hayden groaned and got back up in a sitting position and looked around. Suddenly he gasped and jumped up. "Jondy, you're hit!"
"It's just the shoulder" she replied with her lips pressed together. "I'm alright."
It really was just her shoulder but damned, it hurt! Being as stubborn as ever she tried not to show it but Hayden knew her well enough.
"Right!" he snorted. "Sit down and let me take care of this!"
"But…"
"Now, soldier! Agent Sandoval, cover the door, please. I don't want to have any more surprises like this one." Sandoval nodded in agreement and closed the door while Jondy sat down in Renfro's chair again and let Hayden take off her jacket. She briefly looked at the wound and had to admit than it was perhaps really a little bit worse than she had thought at the beginning; it was bleeding heavily and most of all the exit wound on her back looked quite nasty but she knew Hayden would take care of it. From outside they could hear the sound of automatic weapons and explosions, apparently their attack teams were starting to take out the rest of the Alliance troops.
"Agent Sandoval, I think now would be a good time" she said pointedly looking at the man in question.
"I agree" he muttered darkly. He went around Renfro's desk without letting the door out of his eyes for a second and opened a base-wide channel again. "This is agent Sandoval. This base is under attack but the situation is under control. All personnel and transgenic units remain in their quarters until further notice, I say again, all personnel and all transgenic units remain in their quarters. That's an order!"
He exchanged glances with Hayden and Jondy and sighed. "Let's hope they listen."
"They will. The Manticore black ops are unconscious and the transgenics will follow their orders and remain where they are." Jondy nodded confidently but flinched when Hayden's treatment caused yet another spike of pain. "Everybody else alright?"
"I'm good" Sandoval nodded retaking his guarding position in front of the door.
"Same here" Hayden grunted.
"Good. Kara?" When the girl young girl didn't answer she looked at her a little bit irritated. Alright, this was her first real battle but she had no time to hold her hand now. "Kara, are you alright?"
The young X7 was looking at her older sibling through half-closed eyes, her lips were slightly parted and her breathing much too quick. Jondy noticed the cold sweat on the girl's forehead and how her hands were pressed against her right side.
"I didn't feel it" the young transgenic whispered, sounding tired and surprised at the same time. "I didn't feel it."
All of a sudden her legs gave in and she fell onto the hard floor.
"Crap!" Hayden hissed and was at her side in the blink of an eye; Jondy followed suit. "Easy there, Kara, easy."
The medic forced the girl to lie on her back and pried her hands away. Her jacket was soaked in blood and her face twisted in pain under the dark camouflage color; it seemed like the adrenalin and the shock were starting to wear off. Hayden finally got her jacket and shirt out of the way and he hesitated for a brief moment upon seeing how bad the damage done to her body really was. Her whole right side was covered in unusually crimson blood and the bleeding didn't seem to stop. He took another bandage and tried his best to help the injured transgenic but he knew it was to no avail.
"Oh no" Jondy whispered. She knelt down at the X7s side – her own injury forgotten for the moment – and exchanged a brief glance with the ordinary soldier. The blood's color could only mean one thing; the bullet must have injured the liver. It was an extremely dangerous wound, even she with her basic knowledge about wounds and field medicine was well aware of that. Kara had twenty minutes, half an hour at a maximum.
"The others!" Kara exclaimed and started to hyperventilate. "They X7s…they know I'm here…I couldn't…couldn't control it…it just slipped…"
"Relax, Kara" Hayden tried to calm her. "Just take it easy!"
"It's gonna be okay. O'Neill has already secured the barracks" Jondy assured her but opened another comm channel nevertheless. Of course with all the fighting and then being shot the girl couldn't keep up her cover and remain hidden from the other X7s. "O'Neill, this is Jondy. Be advised, the X7 units have noticed Kara's presence. They might try to get out, over."
"Oh, really? Hell, I didn't notice!" the Sergeant's sarcastic voice answered. "They're already trying it. The X5s and X6s appear to be waiting for orders but the small ones are quite active but don't worry, we've got it covered. Platoons three and four are in position and we have enough stun rounds to put them to sleep six times if needed. Over and out."
"Jondy", it hurts!" the Kara suddenly moaned and tried to curl up in a fetal position. All of a sudden the dull pain became a burning agony. "Gods, it hurts!"
"Can't you do something?" Jondy asked the corpsman but he shook his head, his desperation growing.
"No, I can't. This is just too severe, she needs an operation. I can't even give her painkillers; her blood pressure is already too low."
Suddenly Kara screamed when a new wave of pain tore through her body. She gritted her teeth so hard it actually started to hurt, her eyes were pressed shut and she was shaking under Hayden's hands so violently he could barely hold her down. Out of instinct she grasped Jondy's arm, searching for any sort of help. "Jondy…I can't…Ah, dammit!"
"Get her to the infirmary!" Jondy decided. "Sandoval, you go with them to provide cover!"
"What? But this will leave you defenseless!" Sandoval protested.
"I can take care of myself!" she snapped.
"We don't know if any of the doctors are there!" Hayden protested. "What if we get there and there's nobody around to operate her?"
"Then you will have to do it!"
"Jondy, you can't…"
"I can and I will! If she stays here she will die and I'm not gonna let that happen. Get out!"
"Jondy…I…" Hayden began but trailed off. His hands were still pressed on Kara's blood-smeared stomach but his attention was now completely on the female X5. "You are wounded…I can't…"
"You can and you must!" she insisted.
"But you are wounded!" his voice suddenly had a desperate and terribly anxious edge. He briefly looked at Sandoval, silently asking the older man for help, before his eyes found Jondy's again. "What if…"
"Don't say it. I will be fine!" Jondy snapped but then briefly paused and when she spoke again her voice was much softer all of a sudden. She took one of his hands and squeezed it briefly, trying to reassure him. "Dan, you have to do this. Go. Save her!"
He stared at her for a few more seconds, his fears now fully visible on his face, before he nodded briskly. Quickly he picked up the small girl but although he was as gentle as possible she screamed again, tears of pain running down her cheeks. He held her carefully in his arms and gave Jondy a last glance before he turned towards the door and nodded at Sandoval. The older man had watched their dispute in silence. He knew Jondy was right; they had to get the girl to a doctor or she would become yet another casualty in this war, but Hayden a point as well. If another pair of Renfro's personal guard would make it here she would most likely be killed. Nevertheless he didn't hesitate at Hayden's signal and opened the door, weapon at the ready.
"Clear" he announced after a few seconds and Hayden stepped outside. Sandoval turned towards Jondy one last time and gave her a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Seal the door once we're gone. Good luck!"
"I will. Now get going!"
He left and Jondy was alone with Renfro who had a nasty smirk on her face.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" she warned the blond woman with a threatening glare. Her constant shouting only minutes ago seemed very logic now; she had known a couple of Alliance commandos would check on her from time to time and with all the noise she had made they had been warned and in addition neither Jondy nor Kara had been able to hear them approaching. "Lydecker wants us to keep you alive and able to talk, but you don't need both of your eyes to do that, understand me?"
Renfro frowned and after eyeing the angry X5 swallowed visibly.
Outside the battle seemed to become even fiercer.
When he heard the shots Wolf's head jerked around sharply and he stared in the direction of the main building for the blink of an eye before swore and turned towards Ares. They were too early, godsdammit! The two young men exchanged a grim glance and then Ares nodded.
"All units, this is Delta-26. Attack, attack, attack!"
Immediately unit two left their cover and started running towards the guards at the entrance to the Alliance barracks. All around them the shadows seemed to come to life as the Deltas from platoons one and two followed their examples. From inside the barracks sleepy voices could be heard and lights were switched on. The three guards noticed them of course and raised their weapons but dropped dead to the ground together with their dogs when sniper rifles cracked in the distance.
"Guards down" Artemis announced over wireless. "You are clear to engage!"
But the transgenics didn't need any further encouragement; just when the door of the middle barrack was opened and an Alliance commando only wearing a shirt and pants stepped outside to check what was going on Deltas and X5s alike made it inside the fence and opened fire on him immediately. He was thrown back inside the building hit by at least a dozen rounds and this was when the dark night erupted into chaos. From inside their quarters the first Alliance mercenaries started to shoot at everything that moved outside but thanks to the darkness and the inhuman speed of the transgenics there wasn't much harm done. Like they had planned the attackers split up, each of the three groups attacking one of the building. Together with others Max and Alec knelt down next to each other and send a hail of bullets through the windows, forcing the commandos to take cover for a moment, giving Wolf, Kyla, Ares and Blade the time they needed to make it to the open door.
"All units, this is Jondy."We've been attacked but the situation is under control. Over and out." Jondy's voice came out of their radios.
"Really!" Wolf snorted but didn't have the time to answer her call.
The voices inside were now shouting and screaming, some in panic, others angry and aggressive and after the first shock the Alliance soldiers started to defend themselves with the fierce rage of cornered animals, all of them at least subconsciously understanding that this wasn't just a small attack but that they were fighting for their lives. Bullets whizzed past their heads and Max let herself fall to the ground which most probably saved her life. Alec and Havoc weren't so happy. Nova's mate got himself a grazing shot to the side and Alec took a bullet in his leg. Both men grunted in pain but were back on their feet in the blink of an eye and returned fire.
"Alec!" Max shouted in panic when she saw him fall.
"Shoot, Max!" he screamed back. "I'm okay! Shoot!"
Out of nowhere a sniper rifle cracked and Jace went down with an agonized scream.
"Sniper! Soldier down!" Brin hollered while running towards her fallen sister. Three cracks answered her call.
"Sniper down!" Artemis announced grimly. "Watch your flanks!"
"That's the AAD's job!" Max screamed.
"Shut up and follow me!" Alec ordered her briefly and jumped up. They ran towards the door and out of the line of fire of the windows. Out of the corner of her eye she could make out Nova running towards Brin and Jace and not for the first time she admired the medic's courage. The blond X5 was right in the center of the Alliance's field of fire but it seemed as she didn't care and was only concerned about her fellow injured X5.
"Help me get her out of here!" Nova ordered briskly and together with Brin she dragged the groaning Jace away from the battle.
At the door Wolf and Ares were exchanging fire with their enemies inside. Blade was standing behind Ares, ready to charge into the room, the left sleeve of her jacket red with her own blood but the Asian didn't even seem to notice and Kyla readied a grenade just when the rest of unit two arrived.
"Fire in the hole!" the shorthaired woman warned her comrades before she threw the small but deadly device inside. Wolf and Ares took cover and a split second later the grenade detonated, shaking the ground beneath their feet and from the pained screams inside it must have been a good toss. Not waiting another second the four combat models charged into the room, killing everything in their path and the rest of their siblings followed them immediately.
The following twenty seconds were the longest of her entire life and Max knew she would never be able to forget what she was seeing, hearing, smelling.
And doing.
The room was partly filled with smoke and pieces of furniture were littered on the floor. Although they had been warned by the early shots from inside the main building the mercenaries hadn't had enough time to fully awake and ready themselves before they found themselves surrounded by X5s and Deltas. The stench of burned flesh and freshly spilled blood was hanging in the air and made it difficult for her to breathe but she didn't – couldn't – stop and followed her siblings. She knew if she didn't she would leave one of them exposed to an attack so she had to stay at Alec's side. The transgenics were wreaking havoc upon the barely prepared Alliance commandos; most of them were only in their underwear and fighting tooth and nail for their very lives. Most were trying to defend themselves with handguns and rifles but a few didn't even have firearms were using whatever they could their hands on, some wielding their battle knives and she even saw one throwing a bedside lamp at Wolf which he dodged with ease only to retaliate in smashing the butt of his assault rifle into the man's head, most likely killing him instantly. One by one the commandos were taken out until only a small group of seven of them remained in the far corner of the room.
In a final assault Blade, Ares, Wolf and Kyla threw themselves at them under the cover of their siblings' fire. One of the men lost it and jumped out of the window in the back of the building and started running towards the woods only to be greeted by the fire of the AAD units who were killing everyone who was trying to flee. The other six stayed behind their cover until the last moment and then jumped up to meet the four transgenics but it was a hopeless fight. Even from across the room Max could see their eyes held no hope anymore, only desperation, fear bordering to panic and yet the ultimate will to fight until the end.
The first one met his end at Blade's knife and the Asian severely wounded a second enemy in the same fluent move, causing him to fall to the ground, screaming in pain while holding his stomach. Kyla and Wolf got two more, both of them using their own blades as well. Ares, however, wasn't using any weapon; he crushed his first opponent's windpipe and broke his neck in the blink of an eye before blocking the attack of the last one and throwing him against the wall so violently Max could hear his ribs breaking. The Alliance commando got back to his feet with amazing speed, considering his condition, and tried to attack again. By now, however, Ares was holding his own knife in his hands and brought it down with an enraged scream, aiming for the man's neck. At the last moment the commando was able to block the attack and they got entangled in a fierce struggle. After a few seconds the cybernetically enhanced soldier began to lose strength due to his injuries and slowly but steadily the deadly blade was brought closer to his neck.
"Please! Mercy!" the man hissed. Suddenly Ares stopped, his eyes widening in recognition and his face became a grimace of rage.
"Didn't the Echos say that, too?" the Delta replied with a dark and feral growl. He didn't let go at all, wasn't even thinking about it and his eyes were filled with such an intense and burning hatred Max had never seen before. Everybody in the room was silently watching the two opponents but nobody dared to move. Without warning Ares broke free of his adversary's grip and buried his knife deep into his shoulder. The man howled in agony and sank down to his knees. Blade stepped forward; she didn't know what was going on with her partner but seeing him like this scared her and she wanted him to stop. One of the few other Deltas in the room, Jazi, signaled her to stay back. Ares bent down to his enemy until their faces barely touched. "Were they not begging you not to shoot their siblings, lying on the ground, injured and defenseless?"
Max glanced at the other Deltas and at the four X5 combat models; unlike the rest of them they didn't look at the bizarre scene with some sort of dread or discomfort but rather expectantly, waiting for the final blow which had to come. In their eyes she could read their approval of Ares' actions and their demand for blood. She remembered as well now; that man was one of those who had attacked the Echo base and most of all the Delta's wanted revenge. Suddenly she felt cold and shivered slightly.
"I have watched the footage from the surveillance cameras of that base you attacked again and again and again! Do you know what I saw?" Ares continued like everything and everybody else around him didn't matter anymore. He twisted the blade and the commando yelped weakly. "I saw you, you and your comrades."
More than she saw it Max felt it coming. She wanted to turn away, didn't want those pictures in her head for the rest of her life but somehow she couldn't. Unconsciously she gripped Alec's hand and he squeezed hers tightly, not able to look away either.
"I saw you, shooting innocent, wounded and defenseless children!" Ares voice was barely a whisper now and for a moment Max was sure to see tears in his eyes but whether it was because of all the smoke in the building or something else she couldn't say. "I saw and heard them asking you for mercy, not for themselves but for their siblings, but you killed them. YOU KILLED MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!"
The last words were roared at the top of his voice and before anybody would have been able to hold him back Ares yanked his knife out of his opponent's shoulder and in a brutal strike buried it again in his neck. The commando looked at him, unable to speak anymore but his eyes told everybody of the pain and horror he experienced during the last moments of his life. When it was finally done the young Delta let the lifeless body drop to the floor unceremoniously. Feeling all eyes on him he looked at his fellow transgenics. Some of them were looking at him with understanding and approval, most of all his fellow Deltas and the three X5 combat models – Wolf, Kyla and Blade – but some of the others were staring at him with slight shock and almost fear. He signaled Jazi to evacuate the building as nobody else was alive anymore and started to walk towards the entrance himself. When he approached Max he suddenly stopped and looked at her as if he had just remembered something. Finally his lips curled up in a humorless smile.
"Now you know why I'm called Ares" he said in an even and low voice which made Max shiver again.
"Ares, the Greek god of warfare and bloodlust; a very special name. How did you get it?"
"Long story. Perhaps I'll tell you another time."
She had asked him that question over a year ago and at the time she didn't think there was such a big deal about it. But yes, now she knew. Warfare and bloodlust; she understood at that very moment that Ares would do anything to keep his unit safe and his mission accomplished. As if on cue Wolf and Kyla appeared at his side and she eyed her twin brother and his mate and she didn't like what she saw in the three transgenics' faces at the moment. But that had to wait.
"Yes, now I know" she replied quietly, then pressed her lips together and nodded before she turned around and left the barrack together with her unit. They were not done yet, after all.
Pentagon – Washington DC
"Are you telling me the Swiss SRTU together with other units is going to attack Manticore?" General Kramer asked. After having seen the proof of Lydecker's words themselves the joint chiefs had become very attentive and their meeting was progressing quickly.
"Yes, sir, that is correct" the former head of Manticore nodded. "The SRTU commands take care of the other bases around the world at the same time."
Kramer exchanged a few glances with his comrades and Zira suddenly tensed; this was not good!
"If we still have two weeks there is still time" Kramer finally mused and looked at an officer of his staff. "Get me our FBI liaison and send word to Manticore: Put them on alert and tell them to search the surrounding area for spotters."
"Sir, I seriously advise you not to do that!" Lydecker interrupted him. This was what he had feared.
"And why is that? You said we still had two weeks?"
"No sir, with respect, I never said that." Lydecker could almost feel how Zira readied herself and decided he needed to play with fully open cards; this was the moment of truth. "I said you would have a serious problem in about two weeks. I estimated that after this time the media would be all over the topic at the latest."
"What are you talking about?" Tisnewsky asked him, slowly standing up, dreading the answer to his question.
"Sir, apparently there has been a misunderstanding. You are still thinking the assault on Manticore will be happening in about two weeks; that is not correct." Lydecker breathed deeply and readied himself for what was about to happen. "It is happening right now!"
For a second the room fell so silent it almost hurt Zira's sensitive hearing and then…
"You son of a…!" Kramer jumped up and stared the old Colonel with a mixture of disbelief and anger. The other generals exchanged unbelieving glances. "Alert Manticore immediately, tell them they are about to be ambushed and alert all nearby units as well and order them to deploy to Gilette immediately!"
"General, you should not do that!" Lydecker said seriously.
"You shut your mouth! I've had enough of your lies and half-truths. Guards, throw that traitorous bastard into a holding cell and call the MP!"
No sooner than Kramer had given that order Zira spun into action; she whirled around and slammed the first security squad member against the wall, disarmed a second one and got him into a choke-hold, pressing his own gun against his temple.
"Tell them, Colonel" she hissed and used the man's body as a shield against his comrades. "Tell them what's going to happen if they do this!"
For a moment everybody stared at the seemingly so small and almost petite woman who had just taken out two much taller and much stronger – or so it would have appeared – security guards. Only Tisnewsky wasn't really surprised but he kept this to himself for the moment. A transgenic, most likely an SRTU. How could he have been so stupid? "What is she talking about, Deck?"
Lydecker on the other hand looked completely at ease and was looking at Kramer with an almost unnatural calmness. "As I said, general: You should not do that! I guarantee you those forces have no intention to attack the United States of America but if you send the Army against them now they will defend themselves with everything they have. I'm asking you to hear me out. Give me three minutes and you will see there is no need for our forces to get actively involved."
"Tell all nearby units to deploy towards Manticore but make it clear they are not to maintain a distance of ten miles" Kramer finally ordered one of his men. The officer nodded and left the room. "Now, Colonel, start talking. You have exactly three minutes."
And while Lydecker was using the most precious three minutes of his life to convince the joint chiefs of the United States armed forces not to make the biggest mistake in their lives transgenic and ordinary units all around the world were executing their missions. In New York a group of the French GCP Paratroopers kidnapped two high-ranking members of the Alliance and killed a private financier while another unit destroyed two facilities in South America. Near Moscow another Alliance stronghold experienced a short and brutal firefight before their hideout was destroyed by rather large amount of explosives, set by the German forces and in Sydney an international arms dealer was killed in broad daylight by a British sniper team. Moscow, Berlin, Bangkok, Kinshasa, Lissabon and over three dozen more targets were attacked and destroyed. The Alliance headquarters proved to be a little bit more difficult but together with her fellow transgenics and with the help of the Paratroopers of the French Foreign Legion Sarah managed to execute her mission as well and the building was left in flames when the last French soldiers hurriedly left the scene. The only survivors were three Alliance commandos who were lying outside the perimeter wall; they were injured but they would live and Sarah was sure it had been the right choice.
And in Gilette the Swiss forces and unit two prepared themselves for the storm that was about to come. Briefly Max allowed herself to gaze at the dark sky and wondered with growing anxiety in her heart if anything would be the same again once this hellish nightmare was over.
Okay, first part of the battle is over. I know, I know, not all of your questions have been answered but I promise they will be in the near future. Also, like I said at the top, Max will be given more writing time in a future chapter.
Now, before you start yelling at me that I forgot about Kara: I didn't. You're gonna find out about her in the next chapter as well as about Jace and Lydecker.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and I will certainly enjoy reading your reviews (right, really subtle, Tolen!)