A.N.: I actually tried to start this story in Alex's POV before switching to entirely Wolf's POV because it was kind of hard to include a lot of details in Alex's POV.
Smithers sat before his desk, glancing at the screen before him. The orange signal was still flashing on the screen. That means that the mint was still transmitting. Then it flashed green once. It had sensed Alex's fingerprint. He led out a small relieved sigh. That means Alex was still alive.
He hated leaving Alex on missions without proper gadgets. The mint was the only thing that Mrs. Jones felt was appropriate enough to give to Alex before his mission without getting attentions. There were so many other gadgets that he would have given to Alex on that particular mission. Now Alex was no doubt defenseless in the compound, having no way to fight back and was probably waiting for the rescue team. He just hoped that Alex hadn't given up on them yet.
Smithers glanced back at the screen when the dot flashed red. It sensed someone else's fingerprint. This had happened once before and he had scanned it to be Agent Belworth's. But this time, as the window popped out with the scan research, Smithers laced his fingers together. It was someone else's. But before Smithers could look closely, the dot disappeared.
Smithers sat back. The signal was gone. The mint must have been destroyed. He had designed the signal wave to be unable to interrupt, they couldn't have blocked the signal unless there were some flaws that he didn't know exist in the design. Someone must have destroyed the mint.
He pulled out the small device in the nearest drawer and connected it to the one Agent Daniels had. The two units sent out along with Agent Daniels relied on the signal to locate Alex.
"Mrs. Jones?" Agent Daniels voice issued over the device.
"Smithers," He corrected the agent.
"Ah, Smithers," Agent Daniels replied, "What is it?"
"The signal is lost," Smithers said as he glanced at the screen. The signal did not return, "I'm afraid that the locator has been destroyed."
A period of silence, "What about Alex?"
"His fingerprint was sensed a moment before the signal was destroyed," Smithers said. He didn't know if Alex was still alive or not.
"I see…" Agent Daniels answer was short but spoke volume of his emotions.
"I can't help you with anything anymore," Smithers continued, "The rest will be up to you."
"We are nearing the compound," Agent Daniels reassured him, "Alex is probably still in there because we haven't seen anyone coming out yet."
"That's good," Smithers said, nodding slightly.
"The sun is about to set," Agent Daniels informed, "We are aiming to get him out before sundown"
Before the darkness falls and then there would be a high chance of them not noticing people coming out of the compound. Smithers hoped that they would get to Alex in time.
"You sure it's here?" Wolf asked, turning toward Bear.
They ducked behind the next intersecting hallway just as a group of three guards rushed past, their guns in their hand. They didn't spare the two soldiers behind the pillar a glance. The alarm was blaring all around the compound. The guards had no doubt thought that they were heading toward the exit instead of burying themselves deeper into the compound. They nearly jumped when a metal door behind them swung open. Simultaneously, they turned their gun toward the sound, safety off and locked. A man came out from the room that they were just talking about. He wore a long coat and had a gun in his hand, hurrying away in the opposite direction. The door swung shut, locked automatically by the sound of it, but not before Wolf catching a glance at a splotch of red. Wolf and Bear remained silent. No point alarming others by shooting a man that meant them no harm.
"This room?" Wolf turned toward Bear and asked when the man was out of sight.
"Yeah," Bear nodded as he replied, "The last time the guard threw us in, they didn't properly blindfold us."
"That's too big of a mistake," Wolf muttered as he glanced at the metal door next to them, "Are you sure?"
Bear sent him a glance, "We don't have much time."
Wolf stood up, taking a glance both ways to make sure that no guards were in sight. The hallways were empty. He pressed his ears against the metal door first. There was no sound from inside, or it was blocked out by the door. The metal door was installed closely into the wall, leaving no spaces between them for him to look into. He knocked on the door lightly just to make sure. If someone was in there, they would answer it and then he would knock them out. Quick and easy. No one answered the door.
Giving a nod to Bear, he stepped back and launched forward, ramming against the door, his shoulder impacting against the metal but the door did not budge. Wolf drew back and tried away. The frame shook on his third try, a small dent in the middle where Wolf had rammed his shoulder against. He would have used his gun, if not for the possibility that Coyote might be in there. It buckled against him after a few tries. The door gave away with a loud wrenching groan and fell sideways inwardly. Wolf immediately positioned his gun out in front of him, sweeping the room in 360 degrees at the entrance. It was a medium-sized room with metal walls stationed on all four sides. Even though there was no visible cooler, The room was cold and he could smell blood through the air. He turned sharply as he heard breathing.
A figure was propped against the corner wall, his head bowed. There was a small splatter of blood on the wall directly behind the man.
"Coyote…" Wolf unconsciously inhaled sharply as he recognized the figure.
Bear came in after he checked the hallway. The man stopped behind him and he felt the man stiffened. Coyote, in simple terms, looked horrible. There was a long graze across his jaw, trailing down his neck, a fresh bullet wound that lodged itself in his shoulder, and his shirt was so tattered that it was barely in existence. Wolf immediately felt for a pause, pushing down the rising apprehensions that were threatened to twist his gut. The pulse was weak, but it was there.
Wolf placed a hand on Coyote's shoulder and, unexpected, jerked back just in time when Coyote's hand shot forward, narrowing missing his throat, "Coyote!"
The man's eyes flickered open and narrowed as if adjusting to the room. His gaze flickered toward them but there was no visible recognition in them. Wolf leapt back cautiously. What happened to Coyote? Coyote shakily climbed to his feet, steadying himself against the wall. He looked like he was going to collapse anytime. Wolf was unprepared when Coyote launched forward, his leg swinging forward with a strong kick that was the complete opposite of his appearance. Wolf blocked it barely in time with his arms crossed in front of his face. The impact jarred his arms and he hissed.
"Coyote, it's me! Wolf!" He shouted, trying to get some sense into the man as Coyote threw a punch that Wolf narrowly avoid.
Coyote paused, his gaze flickering toward him instantly, "Wolf?"
"Christ," Wolf muttered as he dropped his hands, massaging it slightly, "You forgot what I look like after barely a month without seeing me?"
"Sorry, you are just so ugly that I wanted nothing to do with you," Coyote replied without missing a beat.
"You bastard," Wolf growled but without the usual heat when Coyote turned suddenly toward Bear.
"Bear?"
The soldier grunted in reply and looked away. There was a tensed silence before Coyote let out a small curse.
"What?" Wolf felt offended, seeing that Coyote was looking at him.
"The bomb," Coyote said, "There's a bomb."
"A bomb?" Wolf narrowed his eyes as he took the information in. Then he exploded, "You didn't think of telling us that there's a bomb beforehand?"
"Never got the chance," Coyote said.
"Where is it?" Wolf asked as he pushed them out the door. Coyote glared sharply when Wolf accidently pushed his wound but the man didn't bite back, "Let's talk on the way. Show us the route."
"The problem is, I don't know where it is," Coyote said as they left the room.
Maybe it was the way Coyote said it, his voice perfectly calm and betraying no concern, that Wolf felt irritated. He narrowed his eyes, "How long before it blow?"
"Did you see a man rushing out a while ago?" Coyote suddenly asked.
"Yes, but what-"
"How long ago?"
"Right before we, uh, entered," Wolf said, hesitating a little at the word 'enter'.
"Then I will say in eight minutes."
"The bomb is set to blow in eight minutes?" Wolf nearly yelled.
"Yes."
"Shit," He muttered, "Let's get out of here."
"Agent Belworth?" Coyote asked before Wolf could usher them toward the exit, his voice betraying his concern.
"Fox and the others already got them out," Wolf replied, "M-Unit is outside and keeping a lookout. As soon as we get you and the information out of here, we're done."
Wolf saw Coyote's face suddenly paling slightly, "What is-?"
"Which way did the man headed?" Coyote snapped, interrupting his question.
"Who?"
"The man who came out of the room."
"That way," Wolf pointed down the hallway, "Why?"
Coyote didn't respond, instead, he took off immediately in the direction without taking a second glance at them. Wolf grabbed him by his arm quickly before Coyote could get too far.
"Where are you going?" Wolf asked as he hardened his grip when Coyote threatened to escape.
"The information," Coyote said in a hurry, "That man has it."
"Shit."
"We have to get it," Coyote said, his voice urgent.
"We don't have time, besides we don't even know where he is right now."
"This building isn't that big," Coyote objected.
"This isn't a building, it's an underground compound," Wolf snapped, "It's huge."
"He will be trying to escape to the ground level-"
"We have M-Unit on standby on the ground," Wolf said as he dragged Coyote toward the exit, "They'll deal with it until we get out."
"Do you think Pine is that stupid?" Coyote hissed, "He's going by helicopter. If he was shot down, the information will be lost. We, I, have to get the information before he leaves."
Wolf made a quick decision, "We're coming with you."
"No, we're not," Bear interrupted them, "The building is going to blow in five minutes, we don't have time catching the man and getting out in time."
"The information is crucial," Coyote shot back, "We're wasting time here."
"Crucial enough to throw away lives?" Bear snarled, "Crucial enough to throw away lives like theirs?" Bear's tone was full of anger and frustration.
Coyote flinched back as if slapped, his face full of pain for a moment before it disappeared as he turned away, jerking his arm out of Wolf's grip, "We're wasting time."
Something must have happened between them, it didn't take an expert to realize, but Wolf didn't exactly know what, "Bear, Coyote you get out. I'll go find the man. Tell them about that man and to not shoot if you see him on sight."
"You won't make it out in time," Bear said, turning toward Wolf.
"The information is part of the mission," Wolf said, feeling a little irritated at the time wasted.
Bear fell silent.
"Just get out and inform M-Unit," Wolf snapped at the continued silence.
"I'm coming," Coyote did not agree.
"You have a fucking bleeding bullet wound on your shoulder," Wolf said, turning toward Coyote, frustrated, "You will just slow things down."
"You don't know who you are looking for."
Damn Coyote. He was right. He had absolutely no idea as to who 'the man' was.
"You're going to bleed to death if you don't get yourself checked out," Wolf shot back.
"I won't."
Wolf gave up. Coyote was stubborn.
"Bear, you get out. I'll go with Coyote."
Bear nodded, but not before throwing Coyote another glare, and turned, heading toward the exit.
"Let's go," Wolf said as he broke into a run with Coyote at his heel, "Do you know where he could be?"
"Just keep going straight," Coyote instructed but Wolf could hear the uncertainty in his voice, "Tell me when you reach an intersection."
"Can't you see for yourself?"
"My sight is a little fuzzy," Coyote admitted.
That explained a little as to why Coyote didn't recognize him on first sight, "Fuzzy?"
"Yes, fuzzy," Coyote stated, refusing to elaborate anymore.
"Great," Wolf muttered, "How the hell are we supposed to find the man without seeing?"
"You're going to tell me what you're looking at and I will decide," Coyote snapped back.
Wolf glared back but complied. Now was not the time to argue, he told himself, "Intersection ahead. I see a black hallway on the left and light on the right."
"Left," Coyote said immediately.
"It could be a dead end," Wolf objected, "We have a higher chance of finding him if we turn right."
"Left," Coyote repeated, "And keep an eye above you, look for any irregular squares."
Wolf grunted and made the turn with Coyote following closely behind. He stopped as he nearly ran into the dead-end.
"It's a dead-end," Wolf was irritated. Coyote should have just listened to him when he said to turn right. They still had time to turn right but they had just wasted precious time.
Then he heard it, the sound of footsteps on stairs. It was coming from above them. Wolf stopped and glanced up.
Coyote slowed down beside him as well, "Do you see anything?"
"There are sounds above," Wolf said as he narrowed his eyes at the ceiling.
"Do you see anything?" Coyote said, a little exasperated, "See, not hear."
Wolf growled, a little irritated at being treated like a child, "No, nothing."
"Can you locate where the sound is?" Coyote asked.
"Right above us."
Coyote was silent for a moment and Wolf glanced back, frowning, "We have five minutes left before it blows. You better hurry up."
"Wolf?"
"What?"
"Run straight against the dead-end," Coyote instructed.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Wolf immediately snapped.
"Or try to look for a handle," Coyote sighed.
"You think there might be a door?"
Coyote's silence was enough to answer his question. Wolf reached forward and fumbled blindly in the dark for a handle, or something equivalent to a handle. The wall was carpeted and his hands made no sound as he searched.
"There's no handle," Wolf said after a while.
"Keep looking," Coyote instructed.
"I had searched the whole entire fucking carpeted wall and I-" Wolf snapped but stopped when his hand came in contact with something metallic and cool to the touch. He pushed it down and forward. The wall creaked slightly and opened inward.
"You were saying?" Coyote called out.
"Who the fuck built this compound?" Wolf muttered, ignoring the rhetorical question.
"Definitely not something as stupid as you," Coyote replied as he brushed past him.
Wolf was very tempted to thump the man on the head but chose to catch up to the man and pulled him back before he ran into the stairs, "I don't know how fuzzy your sight is, but is it really that bad for you to actually run into the fucking stairs?" He asked as he drew the man back before he could trip over the railing of the stairs.
"Yeah."
Wolf growled almost exasperatedly, "Keep going, I think I can hear sounds from above."
"I might not be able to see clearly, but I can hear," Coyote said and Wolf saw him rolling his eyes.
That's right. Coyote was always the sarcastically irritating man. Wolf felt a hint of amusement bubbling up, but that was just who Coyote was. That was who Lynx was. Once they had gotten to know the quiet Lynx, they began to realize just how much fun he really was. He wasn't someone who was loud and obnoxious, yet he was sarcasm sometimes could annoy just anyone. But, just like Lynx, Coyote was always polite around people he had never met or were unfamiliar with.
"Stop daydreaming," Coyote's voice jerked him back, "Lead."
"What am I?" Wolf growled, "Your dog?"
"No, you're a wolf."
Wolf rudely brushed past Coyote and forged ahead, knowing that Coyote would catch up effortlessly. The sound of the footsteps above them was getting and closer and Wolf swore that he saw the swirl of a coat as he bent the corner. With a burst of speed, he ran up the stairs faster. He saw the man turning back to look at him before putting up speed as well.
"Stop!" He shouted.
The man, of course, didn't stop. Not that Wolf expected him to. The chase was an unfair one, Wolf thought. The man wasn't a soldier, and Wolf caught him easily before he could put distance between them.
"Let go," The man hissed, lashing out.
Wolf caught the man's arms and twisted them behind his back before he could reach for his gun that was in his coat pocket. He recognized the man to be the one rushing out of the room that Coyote was held in earlier. He narrowed his eyes. This must be the one they were looking for.
"You found him?" He heard Coyote called out as he came up the stairs.
"If you think that this man i-"
"I see that someone led you out of your metal pen," The man said, interrupting him. It was directed toward Coyote.
Wolf turned. He saw Coyote froze on the stairs, his hands on the railing, "Pine."
"I don't have the disk on me," Pine smiled, "So I will be sorry to say that you've wasted your time trying to catch me."
"Where is the disk?" Coyote asked, his voice firm but brittle all of the sudden.
"Why should I tell you?" Pine sounded faintly amused, "But if you let me go, I might consider telling you."
"Wolf, don't."
"I don't need you to tell me that," Wolf snorted.
Coyote walked closer toward them, "two minutes until everything goes up."
"I guess we'll be dying together."
"You'll be the only one dying," Wolf snarled.
"Are you so sure about that?" Pine asked, "Coyote won't leave unless he gets the information. You won't leave unless Coyote is with you. I can't leave unless you release me. I guess we really will be dying together."
"Coyote, the information doesn't really mat-" Wolf turned toward the soldier.
"Wolf, knock him out," Wolf didn't expect that from Coyote and nor did he comply.
"Then the-"
"Do it."
Wolf did.
The man crumpled to the floor as Wolf chopped down on his neck. Wolf turned toward Coyote, puzzled. How was Coyote going to get the information out of the man if he was unconscious? Coyote came up the stairs toward the landing and kneeled down beside the man, turning out his pockets. Wolf helped. There was a gun, a piece of paper that had a license plate number on it, and a pen. Coyote took the coat off the man and fumbled around the inside pocket. Tissues, a single round bullet, and a folded piece of white paper.
"Dammit," Coyote muttered under his breath as he searched frantically for the disk, "It's not here…"
"We have to get out of here," Wolf said urgently, "One minute until it blows."
"I can't leave without the disk," Pine was right. Coyote wasn't going to leave without the disk and he wasn't going to leave without Coyote.
Wolf clenched his fist. Then he would just have to forcefully make Coyote leave. He stood up and went to Coyote. Coyote didn't seem to notice. Wolf stiffened. The mission had two priority. Coyote and the information. If he completed only one of them, would there be a penalty?
"No, Wolf. You can't knock me out," Coyote responded without even looking at him as he continued his frantic search for the disk.
Wolf paused, his hand halfway raised, before he put his hand back down, resigned. He couldn't do it after all, "Then do you want to die here?"
"No," Coyote's tone was literally telling him what a fucked-up question it was.
"Then—"
"Found it," Coyote said as he grabbed the gun, his finger tapping against the barrel and then inside, hitting something hard with his fingernails.
Wolf leaned down. Something metal was lodged in the barrel, "Is that the disk you were looking for?"
"Feels like it," Coyote nodded.
"Okay, we've got it. Now, do we leave?"
"We do," Coyote nodded as he got up, dragging Pine up as well.
"Just leave him," Wolf snapped as he mentally counted down. Forty seconds had passed. twenty more to go, "We don't have time."
"There should be a helicopter above," Coyote jerked his head as he pulled Pine up the stairs, "We can get out."
"He will weigh us down."
"…He is a human."
And that ended all conversation. The response answered the question while not answering it at all. Wolf reluctantly took Pine's weight from Coyote, and together, they ran up the stairs. Third floor… Two more floors to go.
Ten…
They rounded the fourth floor and plunged upward. Pine was heavily weighing them down but a glare from Coyote made Wolf shut up. Now was not the time. For whatever reason, Coyote was not willing to leave without Pine. No doubt because of some 'he is a human' reason that Wolf had no idea what he meant.
Nine…
The fifth floor was in sight. They reached the landing and Wolf pushed open the adjacent door to the large landing pad on the roof. A helicopter was already whirring on the pad. Wolf shielded his eyes as the wind blew sand toward them. It was a small model. There were no pilots, which was only reasonable.
Because there was only one seat.
Eight…
Wolf glanced sharply at Coyote then at the man he had lugged upstairs. Of course, he wasn't going to take Pine. But one seat… They could probably manage two people. He grabbed Coyote's arm and ran toward the helicopter.
Seven…
"What about…?" Coyote yelled over the noise as he glanced back at Pine.
"I'm not going to choose an enemy over ally!" Wolf snapped.
Six…
"It can only have one passenger," Coyote snapped back, "It will fall if we both go on."
"It will manage." It had to manage.
Five…
"What if…" Coyote hesitated.
"There's no what-ifs!" Wolf snapped and Coyote finally nodded.
Wolf went in first before jerking his hand at the small space behind the pilot seat, "Hang on to the seat!"
He did not expect it when Coyote threw the gun at him. Instinctively, he grabbed it, "Coyote?"
Four…
Coyote reached onto the control panel and jerked the sticks sideways before leaping away just in time as the helicopter's blade whirred past his head and it slowly rose from the ground and into the air.
Three…
"What are you doing?" Wolf yelled as he tried to lower the helicopter down.
"Go!" Coyote shook his head, "I'll find another way out!"
"There isn't another way out!" Wolf yelled, his fist clenching tightly around the sticks, steering the helicopter a little lower, "Get in!"
But the helicopter was still too high.
Coyote shook his head.
Two…
"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Wolf swore as he fumbled around the control, "Get lower! Get the fuck lower!"
The helicopter didn't listen. He was still slowly ascending. When he finally realized that Coyote had pulled on the autopilot, he slammed his hand against the controls. The helicopter shifted in the air with his sudden outburst.
One…
Wolf shut his eyes as he jerked the helicopter away, waiting for the explosion. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Zero…
Silence.
It never came.
Wolf opened his eyes and glanced down. He could still see Coyote, backing up to the door with Pine supported by his arms.
Wolf blinked.
The building hadn't exploded. The fact finally registered in his mind.
He was so going to kill Coyote. Wolf snarled as he pulled the sticks back and got out of the autopilot mode. Coyote was such a fucked-up soldier. He was going to strangle Coyote for putting him in the uncomfortable situation. He was so dead for-
Then the building exploded.
haha...haha...Okay, not funny...
