Marcus, Mace, and Shale returned from the reconnaissance mission along with Krüger three days later with a thick file on the mine that had been chosen for ground zero of the infection. They were filthy and tired and had a number of scratches and bruises.
They all went more or less straight to bed after a shower and slept for twelve hours straight. Alex wondered just how long it had been since they had last slept properly and decided he probably didn't want to ask.
Alex was summoned to Yassen's home around noon the following day. Christmas had arrived, ominous and inevitable, and Alex had no idea if he was about to be told that the plan had gone wrong or if everything was finally, horribly ready to kick off.
The truth was somewhere in the middle. Alex had a pretty good idea that not everything had gone to plan based on Yassen's expression alone. It was confirmed the moment the man spoke.
"ASIS made their move. Chase escaped. I obviously overestimated their ability to handle a simple assassination." Yassen's voice was tight and there was something dark and ugly in his eyes.
Displeased. Very, very displeased. Yassen Gregorovich wasn't one to show his emotions much and Alex had learned to be careful the few times when he did. It was bad news more often than not. In this case, Yassen's gamble had probably cost him most of the information he'd had on Chase. Most of it – maybe even all of it – would be useless now. No wonder the man was annoyed.
Alex was almost tempted to point out that assassinations probably weren't ASIS' main area of expertise but knew better than to open his mouth and say it out loud. Yassen had been certain Chase would have died one way or the other, but Alex wondered just how certain that had been in retrospect. MI6 had caught Julia Rothman alive. Why wouldn't ASIS try the same with Brendan Chase, lingering resentment or not?
Alex didn't ask where Nile was. Hopefully still in Lagos. Chase seemed to prefer to have his second in command elsewhere, handling what he didn't have time for himself. Nile wasn't a good person, but Alex wasn't really much of a good person anymore, either, these days. A part of him genuinely liked Nile.
"The client's estate?" Yassen continued, and Alex knew that there was only one answer the man wanted to hear. Thankfully, Alex could give it truthfully.
"We're as ready as we can be." They had been since Marcus and the others returned. They were almost out of time and they all knew it. Maybe Sagitta didn't have the same soft spot for civilians as Alex did but they had no lost love for biological weapons, vaccine or not.
Yassen nodded. For a moment, Alex expected to hear the order given – strike tonight – and it would have been a tight job with that short of a notice but they could have done it.
"Tomorrow night," Yassen decided, and Alex was grateful both for the reprieve and the slight bit more time to prepare. "We'll coordinate times and transportation."
They would need to disappear immediately after. Lingering was a risk. Thankfully the team was small enough to only need one helicopter. Alex would have to assume that Yassen's pilot was trustworthy. They had managed to keep Danube out of it, but whatever pilot got sent to Rensburg's estate after the attack would be able to piece the puzzle together if they really wanted to. It would just be a little too convenient that Alex and his team needed to be extracted right after such an attack, and all the more so because nobody would be shooting at them.
"Yes, sir," Alex agreed, already mentally going over what would need to be done.
Another slight nod, and then cool, blue eyes focused on him.
"No survivors. Account for everyone. Make it look convincing."
Alex knew those orders already, and Yassen knew it, too. It still didn't hurt to repeat it, Alex supposed. It wasn't a lack of trust, just a very high-stakes gamble. If they messed up, if even one survivor could pinpoint the attackers as SCORPIA's own …
"Yes, sir," he repeated.
Yassen's expression softened slightly. "Good. Dismissed, Alex."
Alex. Not Orion. And something in him felt a little better for that.
Theodoros van Rensburg's estate was built for luxury first and security second and certainly hadn't ever been designed for needing to defend against a skilled military force. It wasn't a death trap, and part of it had very nice security, but there were still a number of weaknesses in the design that would be useful to someone who knew the place.
The main house was situated centrally on the grounds. There were smaller buildings off to the side; the largest two of which housed the staff. The smaller ones were storage. The only people that actually lived in the main house were Rensburg himself and his bodyguards.
That sort of set-up made Alex and Sagitta's job much easier.
There was security, of course, but that didn't mean much when they lived in those exact buildings themselves. Access was no problem, and Adams' time spent picking surveillance apart meant that they would have no problem with that, either.
The main problem was timing. Most of the rooms were meant for one or two people. Rank came with privilege and people like Alex and Marcus each had their own, decent-sized ones while the rest of Sagitta shared three. Krüger's was closer to a small apartment, based on what they had managed to get from surveillance.
It left a lot of rooms to handle and no matter what they did, someone would be alerted by the noise. The locks were decent but not impressive; probably chosen to match the same sort of almost colonial safari style as the rest of the place. They could pick the locks but that would take time they didn't have. Small, well-placed bits of explosive would handle them but would wake up everyone in the vicinity, too.
Then again, Alex acknowledged, so would the fragmentation grenades that would follow.
They would need to consider the most dangerous targets and take those out first. The soldiers in charge. Krüger and his immediate subordinates. They would be able to focus on the rest afterwards. They had a good idea of the people in the various rooms and the surveillance cameras cleared up any doubt. Outside of shift changes or the odd night-time operation, there was no traffic in the hallways at night, and with two people on the team trained in demolition, it wouldn't take long to wire up every door there.
Get clear, blow them open, and move fast. Fragmentation grenades in the initial target rooms, followed by a quick check to make sure everyone in the room was dead. Go on to the next rooms and repeat the procedure. They would have the element of surprise on their side for the first round of rooms. If they moved fast enough, they would keep it. Cut the lights and use night vision instead, and they would have the heavy and almost impenetrable darkness on their side as well. Between that and the chaos of being woken up by explosive charges, there would be little organised resistance.
Ramos' home in Miami had been a flat-out attack and active combat. This would closer to a massacre and Alex knew it. And he would be right in the middle of it. Not on the outskirts, guarding their target, but right in the killing itself.
Marcus had thought up the plan and hadn't even hesitated. All Alex could do was agree and get Yassen's go-ahead, too. SCORPIA didn't pay their combat teams to have qualms or morals. They paid them to get the job done. Just like their operatives. Alex had seen Sagitta's mission records. SCORPIA didn't use their combat teams for security outside of operations. They used them to make a point, when something absolutely, positively had to die and collateral damage didn't matter.
"You'll be fine," Marcus told him as they prepared the last few things. He would be in charge, Alex following his orders for the attack. "Training will take over. Just take them out fast and focus on not getting shot. I'm not explaining to Mr Gregorovich why his second in command got killed being stupid."
That was Marcus-speak for 'Watch your back and be careful'. Alex only barely kept from answering with an instinctive 'Yes, sir'.
It did nothing for his anxiety, though. The nerves lingered and Alex spent the day switching between restless energy and overwhelming dread. He did his job but he had a hard time focusing on it.
It was the day before Christmas, but no one in the compound celebrated it. The food was a bit nicer but that was all. There was still work to do, still preparations to handle. Staring at the rainforest beyond the grounds, Alex thought he understood. Rensburg had lost his wife and son. Alex wouldn't imagine that sort of pain ever went away, much less when the reminder of the loss was at its strongest. Birthdays. Anniversaries. … Christmas.
Alex still thought the man was a complete psychopath, but this one thing he did understand.
Alex knew he should catch some rest while he could but knew just as well he wouldn't be able to sleep even if he tried. He checked his weapons, checked them again, and when he finally 'retired' for the night well after dinner, he locked the door behind him and brought out his combat uniform.
It made him look older. Harsher. It wasn't the uniform of a unit working security but of a team of soldiers used to combat.
It made him look like Orion.
It was well after midnight when they made their move. The estate was silent, most windows dark. The night shift had been on duty for several hours already, and most others were asleep.
'Twas the night before Christmas -
The thought appeared unbidden and unwanted, Jack's favourite Christmas poem, and Alex showed the thought aside. He didn't manage the same with the sudden, sharp reminder of her; of Christmas trees and warmth and family -
- And he took a shuddering breath and focused on the present. His job. People that depended on him getting it right. On him being Orion for the time and not Alex Rider.
He let instincts take over and followed along in the darkness, away from the buildings.
Sagitta knew the guard schedules. They knew the patrol routes, they knew where the guards lingered, knew the best places to strike. It would be a combination of guns and more up close and personal weapons. Gun where they couldn't avoid it and knives when possible. They knew when security relaxed. They knew where the guards got a little lazier than they should be. They would handle the ones that could be taken out silently first and finish with the ones that would get a little noisier. With some luck, the muted sound from the suppressors would be far enough away from the main estate that it would be drowned out by any sounds inside the buildings.
No one spoke. They all knew their job and moved silently in patterns they had planned days in advance.
They vanished into the tall grass and the rainforest, away from the lights of the buildings.
Alex followed the curve of the main gravel road until he got within sight of the gate by the entrance and the two guards there. He easily climbed the low, dark garage that had been hidden away mostly out of sight of the road and settled down where the roof was reasonably flat.
Set up his rifle, took a slow breath, and tried to let the tension in his body ease with each exhale. He could see both guards from that location, had chosen the spot specifically for that, and he kept an eye on them through the scope.
Alex knew them, both of them. Knew their names, knew that one had a family, a sister and nieces and nephews that he helped support, knew the other was former career military and a nice, friendly sort, and he forced himself to ignore it. He had a job to do. People who relied on him. And if he screwed up, it might not only cost him Sagitta but likely also Yassen as well as any chance of stopping Rensburg.
Eventually Marcus' voice in his headset cut through the silence.
"Everyone in position?"
Alex listened as each of the team checked in, the order familiar, and finally added his own confirmation at the end of it.
"Orion, in position."
The wait was over, the last few seconds ticking down as they all waited for Marcus to speak again.
"Ten seconds."
Steady, even breaths, calm heartbeat, watch the two guards through the scope, ignore the dread and anxiety and guilt -
"-hree, two, one -"
Alex pulled the trigger and the first guard collapsed. He shifted his focus immediately, spotted the other, fired -
- And the second figure collapsed as well, even as the same scene repeated itself several other places on the vast grounds. They had to leave no time for warnings. No time to realise what was going on.
"Status?"
A second, two -
"Mace, target down."
More voices followed, and each confirmation made something in Alex ease even as he knew it meant that someone – multiple someones, in some cases – had been killed.
"Orion," he finally said when Ivey had added his brief report, "targets down."
Something in the words settled dark and heavy in his chest. Two more victims to his count so far. There would be plenty more by the end of the night if everything went according to plan.
Alex made his way to the edge of the roof and jumped down again, rifle slung across his back. He knew his instructions – back to the buildings, keep an eye on everything – and moved quietly across the grounds. Not as silent or graceful as Yassen but still good enough to be effectively invisible in the darkness.
He met up with the others just outside of the circle of warm light that was Rensburg's estate. Everyone looked fine, but he had expected that. Someone would have mentioned something otherwise.
"Staff quarters," Marcus said. "You all know the plan. Orion, the client."
The team split into two without any further instructions needed and headed in opposite directions. For a moment, Alex was alone. Then he took a steadying breath and approach the main building. He trusted Adams still had surveillance under control and would warn them of any danger. Trusted that they had taken as much as they could into account.
Sheltered by a broad tree, Alex waited. It was mere minutes but it felt like an eternity longer. Get in, wire up the doors. Detonate.
"North building ready." Mace, Alex recognised.
The seconds stretched on. The world was still around him, like it was holding its breath as well. It was expected; the second building was slightly bigger and had more rooms, but the wait stretched on forever. Finally the silence was broken again, this time by Jarek.
"South building ready."
Alex could see nothing near the buildings but he hadn't expected to. They knew to stay out of sight.
"Detonation in twenty seconds, on my mark." Marcus again. "Three, two, one, mark."
Somewhere in the buildings the countdown had started. The team would be clear. Now it was just waiting. Alex followed the countdown in his head, doing his best to keep it even. He was still a little fast and hit zero a second before the timers did.
A number of things happened simultaneously. Sharp explosions cut through the night. The lights on the entire estate went out. The primary backup generator should have started automatically in case of power failure but this wasn't really one, just some careful sabotage of several systems hours before. Security still worked. The antennas still worked. Surveillance was still online, though useless in the dark with only the outside cameras set up for infrared vision. The hyenas were still leashed. Even if the generator had kicked in, it would have done nothing to fix the problem.
For long seconds nothing moved, the estate completely still. Then the first flash of light followed and windows shattered under the force of a fragmentation grenade, several others mere seconds behind in rooms further down the hallways.
Alex heard the roar from the explosive, any suppressed gunshots lost in the noise, but didn't stay to watch the rest. He had his own job now.
At least he wouldn't see the effects of those grenades up close and personal as they cleared the rooms. Not yet, anyway. That made his own task marginally easier, too. The knowledge of what he could have been doing instead. He let instincts take over, let months of Yassen and Malagosto's training sweep away the nerves and dread and hesitation, and allowed himself to sink into Orion's cold, sharp mindset.
Alex Rider had tried to stop Graff's drug on Santa Catarina, and Alex Rider had failed. He had the chance to stop Rensburg's plan now and he wasn't going to make the same mistakes again. Against the lives of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands – millions, maybe – the deaths of a few dozen people didn't matter. Against that, Alex had no excuse not to grasp the chance he had been given, and if that meant getting his hands dirty, then he had done that often enough before.
The hallways in the main building were the eerie green of his night vision goggles. There were no movements. The hallways sounded silent, too, but that could as easily be because any sound was lost in the muted noise of battle outside.
It would be useless to keep surveillance looped now but it had served its purpose and let them keep the element of surprise. Except for the outside cameras, they were on their own now.
Rensburg always had a bodyguard on duty, even at night, though Alex was sure the other two would be awake now as well. Rensburg himself was usually in his office this time of night, surveillance cameras revealing either chronic insomnia or the same need for very little sleep that Yassen possessed as well. He could leave and Alex would get no warning now, but he hoped the pattern would hold.
The bodyguards would be on high alert and Alex moved fast but carefully, keeping an eye on everything around him. There should be no other staff around but it didn't hurt to be sure. He had made no attempt to look like his usual self, to pretend he was on their side. He doubted they would fall for it, anyway. Instead he was dressed like the rest of Sagitta, in all-black combat gear and body armour, uncomfortable warm and heavy, and heavily armed. As it had been the case outside, in the darkness, against someone without night vision, he was close to invisible.
A flicker of movement in the darkness was all the warning he got. The bodyguard – Alex recognised the man as the usual night shift – didn't have night vision goggles but he seemed to have adjusted just slightly to the cloying darkness and decided that it was the better option compared to a torch.
The man moved but Alex had fired before he could do more than raise his weapon. The figure collapsed, a bleeding hole in its forehead.
One.
Alex shallowed hard but ignored it and pressed on. Rensburg's men weren't fighting outsiders. They were fighting what should have been some of their own; people who had access to the full estate and spent weeks mapping every system, every weakness, every blind spot. At best it was a brutally one-sided battle. At worst, it was cold-blooded execution.
He passed the two neighbouring doors where the other bodyguards lived. Both were closed. Alex was sure both men were awake, though he had no idea if they were inside or not. He didn't test the locks, though, just attached a small amount of explosive to each with quick, silent movements. The noises from outside helped drown out any sound he might make. He stayed on high alert, aware that one or both of them could appear at any moment, and finished up with the explosive as fast as he could.
Alex wasn't sure what alerted him – instincts, paranoia, adrenaline – but he pressed up against the wall the moment before the sharp beam of a torch cut through the darkness at the end of the hallway. Alex fired three times in quick succession before he even knew who the target was; his best estimate based on the angle of the light and the brief movement. It wasn't one of SCORPIA's people, which was all that mattered now. A scream told him he had hit something and the torch fell useless to the ground, illuminating nothing but the wall.
Alex crossed the short distance and checked for any other attackers but came up empty. His night vision goggles adjusted to the new light and let him recognise the second bodyguard. The bullets had hit well enough. Two had hit his chest but been stopped by body armour. The last had been the lucky shot. The man's shoulder was a broken mess and based on the rapidly expanding pool of blood, something – bullet or bone fragments – had hit an artery. Dead without immediate medical attention, then.
Alex could feel a tremor in his hand. Ignored it and let endless lessons take over.
A fourth shot and the man was still. Alex knelt down and switched off the torch. The hallway plunged back into the darker green level of night vision.
Two.
With one of the two off-duty bodyguards already up and moving, odds were the last surviving one would be as well. Alex briefly considered trying the rooms since the doors were already set to blow but decided against it. Most likely the man would be with Rensburg like he got paid to.
Alex replaced the magazine. He still had rounds left but he didn't want to run the risk. Not with two targets still out there.
He headed straight for Rensburg's office. How long had passed since the main attack had started? Two minutes? Four? He had no idea. The headset remained silent. For now, the lack of anything was still good news. There were a number of rooms to handle.
Alex didn't meet anyone on the way. It was in the middle of the night and any surviving guards would be outside, dealing with the attack. Alex and Sagitta knew the standing orders and used that against Rensburg's people now.
Rensburg's office was locked and that door boasted a lot better security than the staff quarters had. It still didn't stand much of a chance against explosive charges and an opponent who didn't need the occupants of the room alive or unharmed.
Alex moved fast, targeting both the hinges and the lock itself. He wasn't an expert but he knew enough. Yassen had created a sound foundation and Gordon Ross had continued to build on that.
Explosive in place, double-check the positions, detonators, cover -
The hallway exploded in a roar of noise and light and debris. Alex had closed his eyes tightly to keep from getting spots in his vision from the sudden brightness, but even then he could see the world around him light up briefly and felt the force of the blast.
The explosion had been enough to knock the door to the floor and training took over again. Move quickly before the occupants could move, fragmentation grenade and throw it hard, away from the angle of the door -
Alex took cover down the hallway. If the bodyguard was inside – and he hadn't had time to check – there was the risk that the man would theoretically have time to throw the grenade back out. With some luck, the hard throw would make it bounce around too much to make it possible.
The world exploded again, different but just as strong, and far more lethal. The walls kept Alex shielded from the fragments but he still felt the force of the explosion.
Training and instructions had taken over, instincts helping when those two failed, and Alex knew what he would probably find beyond the door but forced the thought deep into the dark, unwanted corners of his mind.
The hallway reeked; a sharp, harsh combination of explosive and dust and smouldering plastic that burned all the way down Alex's throat with every breath. It had nowhere to go, no ventilation to remove it anymore, and the world around him was a greenish haze through his goggles.
Gun ready, Alex found the third bodyguard in the middle of the room.
Three.
The man had been well within the fatality radius – on accident or an attempt to get rid of the grenade, Alex didn't know, and forced himself not to think about it – but Rensburg hadn't. He had been close enough to be injured, though, and had been thrown against the solid, wooden desk by the explosion.
The blood was clear against his lighter clothes in several places but despite it all, the injuries and the raw force of the blast, he still shifted against the desk and pulled his legs under himself to attempt to get up.
He looked up and met Alex's eyes in the darkness, on accident more than anything but still horribly, terribly human -
- The virus, millions dead, adults, elderly, children -
- And Alex pulled the trigger twice – heart and head – before he could change his mind.
Rensburg collapsed against the desk, two dark blooms of blood mingling with the injuries from the grenade. Alex was shaking.
Four.
He took a deep breath and ignored the stench and the burn, ignored the sting in his eyes, and glanced over the destroyed room quickly for anyone he might have missed. He found nothing. Just destruction. That check over, he brought out a small device from one pocket, set the timer with quick, practised motions, and placed it under the curtains. Five minutes, and the place would catch fire. It wouldn't do to risk anything. Then he finally turned to leave, to meet the rest of the team outside.
Alex felt something shift on his wrist, under his sleeve. He pulled it up. A second later, his bracelet fell off.
The world froze for a moment as his mind made the connections – deactivated, the only way to unlock them without a key – and then the memory of Dr Cabrera in Argentina.
Mr van Rensburg's key, made to his specifications -
Alex had thought that meant the shape of it, a ring rather than a bracelet, but if there was a dead man's switch in it, if it was made to deactivate everything in case of Rensburg's death, in case SCORPIA or his men failed to keep him safe, or worse, turned on him -
He touched his headset before he even had to think about it. "Sagitta, this is Orion. Check your bracelets. Mine deactivated right after Rensburg died."
A second of silence, two -
"Fuck."
Alex recognised Marcus' voice easily. Not just him, then. They were all targets now. No longer part of the clan of sorts but intruders. The hyenas could be anywhere and were hopefully far away because of the explosions and gunfire, but they didn't know.
If the bracelets had deactivated, how much else was? The signals that kept them confined?
… The signal that kept them sterile? The thought popped up, entirely unwanted, but Alex couldn't shake it. He had paid no attention to it back then and it had no bearing on their immediate mission, but if that had been designed to fail as well -
- The clan would breed. Larger, stronger, more intelligent than normal hyenas, they would have every advantage. Their number would grow. They wouldn't just survive but thrive. The only good thing was that they hadn't been created to be more aggressive. More hostile.
Fuck.
Marcus' heartfelt curse felt strangely appropriate.
They had to get out now. A quick escape had been important before, but the urgency just kicked up a good bit. Alex hoped the clan was smart enough to stay away and just take the chance to run instead, but they didn't know and they had better be well away before they got the chance to find out first-hand.
Down the hallways, keep an eye out for anyone who might have escaped Sagitta's sweep outside, but right now Alex's goal was escape, and he only paused to leave several more of the incendiary devices. Enough to hopefully overwhelm the measures in the building meant to keep fire from spreading in the first place.
Alex clearly wasn't the only one in a sudden rush.
"Rendezvous immediate upon confirmation of targets. Transport is incoming. Status?" Marcus' voice, welcome and familiar.
Alex listened as Sagitta checked in, every last target slowly but steadily accounted for – and there had been strict instructions to count and identify every single body – and waited for Ivey to finish his report before he checked in as well.
Alex turned a corner, about to speak, and saw a familiar figure right in front of him in the unnatural green light of night vision. In the darkness and with no protection from her, Toka cut an intimidating figure, juvenile or not.
Alex froze. Toka stood still and watched him with glowing, green eyes. He didn't know what would happen if he aimed his gun at her and with her so close, he wasn't about to risk it. She could strike before he could shoot. Without the bracelet, he was a threat. An outsider.
"Orion?" Marcus' voice in his ear, Alex's silence clearly longer than he had expected or was happy with.
Alex took a breath, about to answer – would his voice set her off? Would she see that as a threat, too? - and then Toka moved.
She headbutted his hip and he instinctively scratched her neck the way he had done so often before. She made a low sound of satisfaction and Alex felt his breath catch. Then she turned and vanished down another hallway, and Alex felt the crash as the adrenaline left him.
"Orion?" Marcus again, more urgent this time.
"I met Toka," Alex answered. Took a steadying breath to get himself back under control. "She let me go. All four targets confirmed, building set to light up in two minutes."
He had the horrible feeling he was forgetting something, something important, but his hands were shaking and all he could think of was getting out of there. All he could focus on was the rendezvous spot in the courtyard.
The last, short half-walk, half-run through the hallways was nerve-racking, every second he spent setting up the last of the incendiary devices an eternity, with the memory of Toka's glowing eyes right in front of him and the thought that they might have missed one of Rensburg's people. He met no one else on the way but the worry remained.
The compound was lit by flames when Alex finally reappeared outside. The two staff buildings were being engulfed fast, bright bonfires against the darkness. Alex would bet good money those fires had been started in Sagitta and his own rooms. No evidence left for someone to find. Rensburg's office would catch fire at any moment, too, followed shortly after by the rest of the devices Alex had left. Maybe everything wouldn't burn down but most of it would.
Half of Sagitta was already there. A few more figures were on their way as dark silhouettes against the backdrop of flames.
Marcus glanced at him. "Got most of the bodies ID'ed. You okay?"
Something in his expression made Alex reach up to touch his face. His hand came away dark and sticky with the familiar feeling of drying blood. Something stung along his jawline, unnoticed until now.
"I guess?" Alex swallowed and wiped his hand on his trousers. "I didn't actually notice."
"Adrenaline. Looks superficial. Might have been bits of the door when you blew it up. If your cover from the grenade had been too thin, you would have noticed."
Mild understatement, that. Alex nodded. It didn't feel bad and it was obviously handling itself already. He would clean it later. Marcus and the others looked a bit worse for wear, too. No big injuries that Alex could tell on any of their exposed skin, but plenty of cuts and bruises and dark smears from blood and dirt and soot.
"Anyone hurt?" he asked, anyway, just to be sure.
Marcus shook his head. "We had speed and surprise on our side. Couple of nasty bruises, some scratches, that's all. Got spotted twice, but we took care of that before they could cause trouble."
It was a relief to hear it out loud. He glanced at Adams. "Surveillance?" The only bit of evidence left to handle.
"We got everything wiped. Nothing left. We'll keep the infrared cameras online until we're out of here, then they're going, too. Watching, not recording, though. I found two generators in the basement as expected. They're set to go up thirty seconds after we cut the last camera."
Another relief. Alex nodded. That should be the last of it. Anything else the fire would hopefully take care of. He hoped Toka would be well out of the building by the time that fire spread. She probably would be. She was smarter than to hang around. At least they weren't likely to start a massive forest fire from lighting up the buildings. The buildings were all surrounded by a border of neatly-trimmed lawn and both the lawn and the vegetation further out were lush, green, and heavy with water.
The last of the team reached them. Ivey reported without prompting.
"We cleared the last of it. A couple of the bodies took a little longer to figure out, but we've got everyone accounted for."
Accounted for. Alex kept down the hysterical laugher that threatened to escape. They had been going over dead bodies, some of them probably mutilated to near-unrecognisable, and they called it 'accounted for'.
He wanted out of there. Now.
"Transport?"
"Inbound, four minutes."
They should hear the sound of the helicopter soon, then. Something in Alex eased just a little though his hands were still trembling faintly. The helicopter would have to land a bit away, the courtyard too crowded for a safe landing, but there was plenty of space for that, at least. Lots of open grassland.
Next to them, Adams slung his rifle back over his shoulder and brought out what looked to Alex like a very small, very durable laptop. Images flickered across the screen under Adams' hands – the infrared cameras, Alex realised.
"The first open area past the staff housing still looks like the best bet," Adams said. "It's a lot closer than the actual helipad. Away from the smoke and far enough from the buildings that the fire won't be a problem, either."
Marcus nodded sharply. Turned to pass on the orders – hopefully to move out – and then Adams stilled.
"We've got company. Hyenas in the grass, straight ahead."
Marcus stilled as well. The grass was tall. More than tall enough to hide a number of lethal predators. "How many?"
More images from the infrared cameras flickered past on Adams' small screen, pausing on a few of them. "Eight … nine," he corrected.
Three missing, then. Assuming all twelve were still alive. Assuming they weren't just out of sight.
"Toka was inside. Her mum might be with her," Alex said, the missing piece, the forgotten something falling into place. Toka never went anywhere without an adult, usually her mother, reasonably nearby. Toka had not been alone.
"And based on the sizes, I'd say the other cub is elsewhere, too," Adams added.
"Not much help."
Marcus looked unhappy. Alex understood. The quick mental calculation was brutally simple: There were more hyenas than guns. They were fast, strong, and vicious hunters. Even if everyone got in a lethal shot, there would still be survivors and no guarantee anyone could target them fast enough. And mostly hidden by tall grass … the odds of getting a lethal shot in the first attempt weren't exactly reassuring.
They could redirect the helicopter to the proper helipad … but that was a longer walk, and while there was a nice pathway, it was also surrounded by tall grass for the last bit. No protection and plenty of places for the hyenas to hide.
"Back of the house?" Ivey asked.
"Downwind from the smoke," Marcus said.
Heavy smoke, bad vision, burning lungs, god knew what sort of nasty stuff in the air … between that and the hyenas, Alex wasn't sure what was worse.
Marcus stared into the darkness towards where the hyenas were hiding, a sensible distance away from the fire. Maybe he ran through their mental arsenal. Alex already had and come up empty. He was out of incendiary devices, only had a few grenades left – for all the good they would do against something likely to run away and try from another direction – and he doubted the others were doing much better.
Finally Marcus glanced at Alex. "How smart are they?"
Alex hesitated. Thought back to Yassen's explanation. "Smart enough to adapt and work things out but not smart enough to be deliberately malicious."
Marcus nodded once. "We follow the north building. Stick as close to the fire as possible. Past that, stick to formation. They're smart hunters. They know guns are dangerous and they know we're dangerous, too. Don't give them a weak spot and they'll hopefully be smart enough not to attack."
Marcus had been watching the hyenas for weeks, Alex remembered, and he put that to use now. If the hyenas were capable of human maliciousness, of the willingness to endanger themselves in the name of revenge, that would demand a very different approach. This way … they would be smart enough not to attack. Alex hoped so, anyway.
Every instinct told him to stay away from the large, unstable, burning building. He still followed Sagitta across the courtyard and only stopped when they were so close the heat was almost unbearable. At least the smoke drifted away from them and left the air clear.
This close, the fire was all-consuming. The flames rose high above them, still gaining additional strength, the smell was already seeping into everything, and the noise was overwhelming. His night vision goggles had long since compensated for it, or Alex didn't doubt he would be seeing spots. The flames were already blinding as it was.
Marcus touched his headset and spoke. Alex heard nothing above the sound of the fire, but he assumed he was giving the pilot instructions and warning him about the hyenas.
Whatever the reply was, it seemed to be good news. Marcus gestured for them to follow along the building.
Glancing back, Alex saw the main building had finally caught fire as well. The reflections in the windows of the fires outside had become a hazy view of flames inside instead. There would be no shelter there, either.
The side of him that faced the fire felt like it was burning, the sharp sting of heat and small particles in the air. The part of the structure closest to the main building had been more intact but further up where the fire had been started, the entire thing was ablaze. Windows long since shattered, the wood black and red and brightly yellow and white, and every so often a bit of debris would crash to the ground and send a cloud of embers surging out towards them.
The hyenas were too smart to get close. Alex wished he could say the same thing about himself.
Something inside gave way with a deep groan of slowly snapping wood. Alex turned his face away, towards the shocking cold of clear air, just in time to avoid another surge of heat.
He forced himself not to focus on distance, just on Ivey in front of him, one step after the other -
- And then they were past; darkness in front of them and the inferno behind them.
Marcus stopped. Up ahead, Alex saw the lights of the helicopter coming closer fast. A second later, he could pick up the sound of it as well through the underlying roar of the fire, the sound growing steadily louder.
The pilot, whoever it was, pushed the helicopter as close to the building as possible, but with the fire and the tall trees further out, it was still an unnervingly exposed walk.
The machine settled lightly on the ground, able to take off again in an instant. The sheer force from the rotors were enough to push the grass down and leave a wide, open area around it. Absurdly, Alex was reminded of seeing Yassen's Colibri helicopter bearing down on him high above London, with Sayle dead at his feet. This helicopter was different, military and much larger, but something about the manoeuvre and the skill behind it was the same.
"Keep formation," Marcus said, using the headset to be heard above the combined roar of fire and the helicopter. "Keep pace, no blind spots. Don't shoot unless they attack, we don't want to set them off, but don't take your eye off of them, either. Adams?"
"Still nine," Adams reported a few seconds later. "Ahead and to the right. They're keeping clear of the helicopter. We're about to be out of range of surveillance. The cameras on the staff building are gone."
Don't take your eye off of them. That was easier said than done when they was almost impossible to see, even with night vision. Any movement in the grass could be blamed on the wind or the rotors and only the occasional glimpse of brightly glowing eyes reflecting the fire let Alex know they were out there at all. He kept his rifle aimed directly at the closest set of eyes, his finger a hair's breadth above the trigger, and trusted the people around him to watch the other directions, to spot if the hyenas tried to move around them.
They moved slow and steady, careful not to rush. Sometimes the eyes would move, vanish when they no longer caught the light, and reappear an entirely different place. Sometimes one pair, sometimes more. Sometimes Alex would catch a glimpse of a dark figure or two among the grass, gone a moment later.
Once he knew he spotted Molai, moving gracefully through the night, matching them step by step. She looked lethal and intimidating in daylight and with the safety of the bracelets. In darkness and without them, she could have slipped straight out of a nightmare.
Alex felt the need to move, to run, to get out of there to the safety of the helicopter but forced himself to keep the slow and steady pace. He knew without being told that just like the hyenas would attack if someone shot at them, they would attack if anyone ran. If anyone showed any fear at all. It was an uncomfortable stand-off, both sides watching each other warily. They just had to make sure the fragile stalemate held for long enough to get out of there.
A sharp whoop from Molai cut through the noise, answered by several others. Alex gripped his rifle tighter but the hyenas didn't attack, just watched them intently and followed their slow progress across the grounds.
Smart enough to be wary of their weapons. Smart enough to decide they were too many to risk an attack. Smart enough to go for easier prey.
The noise of the helicopter grew steadily louder until the roar of it drowned out the sound of the inferno. Only then did Alex allow himself to acknowledge the tension in his body and the tremor that still lingered, too focused on the hyenas before to be able to afford the distraction.
"Go!"
The best order Alex had heard all night. He was inside the helicopter within ten seconds; strapped down within twenty. Shale closed the door behind them. Through a window, Alex caught sight of the hyenas, circling the machine like sharks.
Marcus leaned over to say something to the pilot. The man turned around and Alex blinked.
The pilot was Yassen. They hadn't discussed that but maybe Alex should have seen it coming. The only pilot who could do the job safely. Well, could have done it safely until that safety had failed. Even the pilot that had transported Yassen the other times had been given strict instructions of where it was safe to land and to stay inside the helicopter. Unlike Yassen, the man had never been given a bracelet.
Yassen said something. Marcus sat down.
Then they were airborne again and the world fell away beneath them; the hyenas and the sea of grass and the rainforest further out and, closer, the twin infernos of the staff buildings, quickly gained on by the fire spreading in the main building.
Alex's hands were still trembling. He slung the rifle back over his shoulder and clenched his fists but it did little to help.
"You okay?" Aranda's voice in the headset, cutting through the engine noise.
Alex swallowed. Stared down at his hands and remembered Rensburg when he had pulled the trigger. The bodyguards, and the buildings that had been home to dozens of people just an hour ago, and the bodies they had left behind in their wake.
Six of them had been because of Alex. People he had known, humans with lives and dreams and families, and not just nameless killers like Ramos' guards.
"I -" he trailed off. Swallowed again. His mouth felt dry. "No," he admitted, almost inaudible even through the headset.
Aranda turned his attention to Shale on Alex's right side. A small nod had the man out of his seat to switch places with Aranda. Alex didn't move and didn't bother to look at his new neighbour.
"Your arm," Aranda said, and Alex obeyed mutely. He could almost feel the man's stare as he held Alex's hand in his own, tremors against his steady one.
Aranda let go again. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw Mace pass a box to Aranda. He felt more than saw the medic go through the contents of it, any sound lost in the noise of the helicopter.
Alex's sleeve on his arm closest to the medic was rolled up. It was followed by the cold of a disinfectant wipe. That finally made Alex glance over, just in time to see Aranda prepare a small syringe. Alex wanted to ask. He should. He just couldn't work up the words or energy somehow.
The man noticed his stare. "A mild tranquilliser," he said, answering the unvoiced question. "Not enough to knock you out but enough to make you calm down."
Alex didn't object. He barely even felt the needle pierce his skin. Calm sounded nice. Calm sounded good. He didn't want to be Orion anymore. He had done his job, had killed and never hesitated, and he would have nightmares for weeks to come.
Yassen would probably have words about that. But Yassen was busy with the helicopter and right there and then, Yassen's opinions could go screw themselves.
"Deep breaths," Aranda continued. "Nice and slow. You'll be fine."
Alex didn't argue but let the sounds and vibrations of the helicopter mingle with the darkness beyond the window and simply watched the world outside as the gentle numbness of the tranquilliser set in.
One slow, steady breath. Then another. He wondered how long it would take him to get used to that sort of job.
A part of him, the part that remained Alex, doubted he ever would. A much larger part of him just hoped it would happen fast.
A/N: I have a strange urge to apologise to those poor readers who hoped Alex would get a break for Christmas.
Next: Interlude three.
