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Disclaimer: See chapter one.
A/N: The fifth and last chapter that ends Hostile Territory.
Thanks to Infie for beta work, ideas and everything else. This is her work just as much as mine.
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Chapter 5
494 sprinted away from the building and jumped over the low concrete wall to take cover. Somewhere inside the building something exploded with a loud bang. Bricks and other debris fell down around the building.
"Damn idiots," 494 grumbled. "Storing explosives in Head Quarters."
Carefully he popped his head up over the wall and took a quick look around. The building was mostly destroyed. Anyone who'd been inside when the last explosion went off would be dead, or at least buried alive. Andrews and his captors had been pretty close to a window when the ceiling had caved in between them, and he estimated their chances of survival to be high. If they had moved when the building first started to collapse.
[Six to team, status report. Over.] 909's voice came over the radio.
[Two to Six, unharmed. Location, east side of the building.]
"Three to Six, unharmed and secure, north side. Four is down with a leg-wound. Probably captured," 494 reported to his Commanding Officer.
[Five to Six, still in position. Four hostiles are moving out south of the building. Four is with them and appears to be conscious but injured.]
[Six to Five, do you have a clear shot?]
[Five to Six, two targets confirmed, two targets negative.]
[Six to Five, Affirmative. Prepare to return to base and proceed to the extraction point.]
What the hell!? 494's eyes widened in shock as he heard his CO issue orders to abandon their fellow soldier. Worse than that, if they left Andrews here they would be just as good as dead when they returned home. Couldn't 909 understand that?
"Three to Six, we need to retrieve Lt. Andrews alive before we extract." And, they didn't have any time to waste. The harbor was only a block away and if the hostiles reached a boat they would get away.
[Six to Three, negative. Four is MIA and we're pulling out. Understood?]
494 growled low in his throat, perfectly aware that it would be loud enough for the other X5's to hear over the radio.
"If we leave without Andrews we're dead," he said in a flat voice. "Five, take the shots, I'm going after Four."
*****
241 swallowed and hesitated for a second. Her Commanding Officer had ordered her to move out, but something inside her screamed at her how wrong it was. When 494 ordered her to take the shot the situation became even more chaotic. If she followed the 494's orders, she would probably be court martialed when they got back, if they got back. But at the same time, she realized that 494 might be right. Andrews was there to evaluate them and if he didn't come back that hardly spoke in their favor, did it? Making a quick decision, she responded her fellow soldier.
[Five to Three, only one target still confirmed.]
[Three to Five, take the shot.] 494's voice was slightly breathless as the response came over the radio. 241 understood he must be in pursuit of the enemy.
Drawing a deep breath, she let out half the air and centered the crosshairs on the enemy soldier.
*****
Andrews' leg was burning up. The pain made it hard to think straight. The wound wasn't fatal, it had missed the artery, the larger veins and the bone. But the bullet had gone straight through he muscle in his upper thigh and the leg was useless. There was no chance for him to escape on his own. His head hurt something fierce from where it had struck the ground when they threw him out of the window. Still, it was a lot better than being left in the building. It had gone up in a ball of smoke and fire, and the debris had taken its toll on his captors. One of the enemy soldiers had been hit by a flying brick on his left shoulder and his arm hung limp at his side, his right hand holding the ever present AK-47.
Two others were dragging Andrews between them, bouncing his injured leg on the ground, sending shockwaves of pain through his body. The fourth soldier, uninjured and armed like the others, was bringing up the rear, moving partially turned around to cover their retreat. They had almost reached the end of the street and were turning around the corner of a building when the soldier's head exploded in a cloud of blood and brain matter. The body dropped to the ground with all the grace of a sack of potatoes. The part of Andrews' brain that was still working despite the pain knew that the shot had came from the girl with the rifle. A couple hundred meters distance, a moving target and she'd hit him right in the head. The soldier in him was impressed.
*****
[Five to Three, target down.]
"Affirmative," 494 responded as he leaped over the wreck of a burned out car.
[Move out now!] 909 ordered over the radio. [This is insubordination!]
494 ignored the voice as he sprinted around a pile of rubble.
[With all respect, Sir. If we leave without Lt. Andrews we're dead anyway.] 962 said softly over the radio.
[The colonel will hear about this.] 909 grumbled in response.
And he'll rip you a new one when he finds out, 494 almost responded. He was rapidly closing in on the escaping soldiers and passed the almost headless body of the one 241 took out.
He could hear distant shouts from several soldiers and occasional gunshots when the more nervous ones thought they saw something. More hostiles were closing in on their position and the longer the rescue took, the harder it would be to get away. "Six, return to base and prepare our extraction. We'll join as soon as we can." He had no authority to issue the order, and everyone knew it, yet no one protested. 241 and 962 knew they had to get Andrews back and 909 realized that protesting would only waste time they didn't have.
909 took of in a blur toward the building they had used as base. 962 was already on the move, following 494 in pursuit of Andrews.
*****
Andrews gritted his teeth, trying as hard as he could not to scream as his injured leg bounced off the stone steps of the stairs. They were climbing down toward a boat and he could see several people working frantically to get it ready. His eyes widened when he recognised Milosevich among them. He was standing in the stern of the boat, screaming at one of the soldiers as he threw something overboard. Their eyes locked briefly when the soldiers dragged him out on the pier, and a cold smile played in the corner of Milosevich's mouth.
*****
494 rounded the last corner and dropped to one knee, surveying the area before he moved on. Rushing out blindly and getting shot wouldn't help Andrews. The harbor was fairly large, and it looked a lot larger in its empty state. The war had made sure that most of the boats that once would have been anchored here were either someplace safe, or sunk. The only movement he could see came from the pier where the soldiers had dragged Andrews. He could see the top of a small boat and a figure in uniform was standing at the wheel, hammering at it with his fists in frustration. 494 smiled slightly as he took in the scene. One should always have the escape planned and checked out. An engine that keeps going wrong was not something you wanted to deal with when the shit hit the fan.
Suddenly the motor came to life. 494 took off at a dead run toward the boat. As he closed in on the boat he could see Andrews lying on the pier with two soldiers standing over him.
One of the soldiers on the boat spotted him and shouted a warning. 494 dodged to the left and threw himself to the ground as the green-clad figures opened fire. He squeezed off a few rounds in response, more to make them stay low than in actual hope of hitting someone. Three soldiers on the boat continued to fire in his direction as the two on the pier tried to drag Andrews onboard.
Suddenly one of the men on the boat fell with three holes in his chest. Almost before anyone could react, a second one took a hit in his shoulder. 494 glanced around and immediately spotted 962 about 50 meters behind him and slightly to his right. Damn nice shot from that distance, 494 thought as he rolled twice and got to his feet again.
Shouts could be heard from the boat, and the engines throttled up as the boat started to pull away from the pier. One of the soldiers on the pier took off at a run and jumped on board just before the boat got out of reach. The second one let out a string of curses when he saw his fellow soldiers abandon him and turned to Andrews.
494 watched the soldier raise his weapon with a dead look in his eyes and aim for Andrews. The man knew he couldn't escape, and the only thing on his mind was to take one more enemy with him before he died. 494 squeezed off a three-shot burst as he ran. He cursed his aim when only one of the bullets hit the target. The shot hit the man on the right side of his chest and spun him around slightly. The 7.62 mm bullets from his AK-47 riddled the ground only a few inches from Andrews head, spraying him with stone splinters. A second later a three-shot burst from 494's weapon hit the enemy soldier square in the chest.
Andrews' left hand instinctively went up to his face and wiped away the blood from the small splinter wounds. A sigh of relief escaped from his mouth as he saw 494 jump down on the pier and land beside him. Then he remembered who was on the boat.
"Milosevich," he got out between gritted teeth. "On the boat."
494's head snapped up and he raised his gun, thumbing the selector to automatic fire.
Andrews cursed silently as he watched the boy empty the rest of his clip at the boat without any visible result. He couldn't believe Milosevich would get away again. That man had more lives than a cat.
494 dropped his MP-10 and unhooked a grenade from his belt. He took off in a blur along the pier, running a lot faster than the rapidly receding boat. As he reached the end of the pier he pulled the pin and hurled the grenade at the boat. The small metallic item flew through the air, straight toward the open rear end of the distant boat. It hit the man at the wheel full force in the small of his back, causing him to slump down over the wheel. The boat turned sharply to the right as the driver lost control, and was heading straight toward a breakwater. Not that it would matter in the long run, as the grenade bounced off the man's back and down into the boat. A second later it exploded, instantly killing the driver and two more men. The shrapnel from the grenade penetrated the deck of the boat and continued through the walls of the fuel tank.
Andrews could only shake his head as the boat exploded in a ball of flames. He hadn't seen the body, but if Milosevich survived that he was going to eat his combat boots. At least one thing was for sure, he thought as he watched 494 jog along the pier in his direction. That kid was so going to pitch for the Orioles.
He let out a small laugh at the weird thought and immediately winced as pain shot through his head. Ouch, painkillers first, then laughing.
"We've got to move," 494 said as he reached Andrews. "This is probably going to hurt."
Andrews gritted his teeth as 494 lifted him off the ground and slung him over his shoulders.
"What the hell are you kids?" he managed to get out.
He didn't even need to see 494's face to know the boy was smirking. 962 joined them when they reached the stairs and quickly prepared an anaesthetic injection for him. Andrews sighed in relief as the nerves in his leg went numb and the pain faded away. He wouldn't be able to use the leg anyway so taking away the pain was the best option available.
"Three to Five, status report. Over," 494 said into his microphone.
[Five to Three, enemies approaching from the east. Suggest immediate retreat and extraction. Over.]
"Three to Five, cover fire. Make them slow down."
[Affirmative.]
494 adjusted his grip on Andrews, and with 962 to cover them they started to move toward the park and the hidden boat.
*****
909 reached their temporary base in record time, moving too fast for any enemies to spot him in the moonlight. He quickly uncovered the satellite radio in the corner and set it up on the table.
"Cyclone to base, over."
The response from the communications officer back at Manticore came immediately.
[Base to Cyclone, status report. Over.]
"Mission accomplished. Preparing to extract. Over."
[Affirmative, any complications?]
909 hesitated for a moment before he decided to spill the whole story as it happened.
"Lt. Andrews was injured and captured. As the Commanding Officer I ordered the team to retreat and extract once the mission was accomplished. 494 disobeyed my order and went after Lt. Andrews. 962 and 241 joined in the rescue attempt. Over."
There was a moment of silence before the voice responded and 909 knew that the Com officer was passing what he said on to his superiors. The voice that responded next wasn't the Com officer, but it was still familiar.
[Was the rescue attempt successful?] Sandoval wasn't one to waste words on small talk over the radio.
"Yes Sir," 909 responded. "They're on their way to the extraction point now."
[Understood. Proceed to the extraction point and vacate the area. No more contact. Base out.]
"Affirmative, Cyclone out."
*****
Back at Manticore Sandoval drew a deep breath and unconsciously wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. That had been way to close for his liking. Now he understood why Lydecker had been so set on sending 494 with the team, despite his past. If 494 hadn't been there to question the orders, Andrews would have been left behind and that would probably have sealed the fate of the Manticore program.
Leaving the communication center, he walked through the corridors to his own office. Half a minute later he was explaining the situation to Colonel Lydecker.
*****
494 grunted as he jumped out of the way of yet another bullet. Dodging bullets while carrying someone on your shoulders was a lot harder than he'd hoped. 962 was somewhere behind them, wreaking havoc among their followers. 494 could hear the angry shouts from their pursuers and the pained screams from those his fellow X5 only managed to injure. 241 had picked off a few with her rifle before she'd been forced to leave her position and head for the extraction point. It had slowed the enemy down a little but not enough to make sure they got away safely. Unfortunately it hadn't been the only group heading in their direction.
Another barrage of gunfire erupted behind them and 494 threw himself around the corner of a building to avoid getting hit. It was impossible to say who was the more surprised of the two. The green clad Serbian soldier who suddenly stood face to face, or rather chest to face, with a camouflage clad kid. Or 494, who had been too busy dodging bullets to pay full attention to his surroundings.
494 was the one who reacted first, unceremoniously dropping Andrews to the ground and moving in for the kill.
Andrews hit the ground hard, grunting in pain as he jarred his shoulder on something hard and sharp. He spun his head around just in time to see 494 jump straight into the air and plant a boot clad foot in the face of the enemy soldier. The hit was hard enough to practically mash the man's nose flat. The soldier staggered back, temporarily blinded and more than a little disoriented. 494 spun around on his supporting leg and hit the man with a spinning kick, full force, at the side of the head. Andrews winced as he heard bones break under the impact. That guy wouldn't be getting up quickly, if ever.
494 grabbed his MP-10 and placed a single bulled in the soldier's forehead, effectively making sure that the man would never get up.
As he grabbed Andrews again and continued toward the extraction point 494 clicked on his microphone.
"Three to team, status report. Over."
[Six to Three, at the boat.]
[Two to Three, covering your back. Move on.]
[Five to Three, crossing the minefield. Proceeding to extraction point.]
494 took a quick look around and set of in a light jog. It wouldn't be comfortable for Andrews but right now speed was what was important. 909 and 241 would have the boat ready when they got there and all they had to do was survive to get through the minefield.
*****
A few minutes later they reached the outskirts of the park and moved in between the trees. This time 494 knew how to cross the minefield and did so within a minute. He had, however, to assume that the enemy soldiers also knew the way through the field. They needed to delay their followers long enough for them to get clear from the shore. They would be vulnerable when they got into the boat and before they got out of reach from the shore.
494 carefully placed Andrews on the ground again and started removing items from his backpack. Working quickly he set up two Claymore mines with about 20 meters between them and connected both of them to a single remote detonator. 494 had just finished covering the explosives with a few dead leaves when 962 came running, full speed, through the minefield. With a jump and a roll he took cover behind a tree next to 494.
"They're right behind me. At least 20 soldiers and more on the way after them," 962 reported, slightly out of breath.
494 nodded. "Take Andrews to the boat, I'll delay them." He smiled evilly as he held up the remote control detonator.
962 nodded and hefted Andrews up on his shoulders. The two X5's moved together through the park a little bit before 494 stopped and took cover behind a large oak while 962 continued with Andrews.
It didn't take long before the first green clad soldiers appeared at the opening of the minefield. 494 allowed the first of them to get past the first claymore mine and a few of them even got past the second before he thumbed the detonator.
The result was devastating. The concave shapes of the claymore mines allowed them to direct most of the power of the explosion in a chosen direction. 494 had placed both the mines to make maximum damage to the advancing soldiers. The ones who were closest to the explosions were literally ripped to pieces. The unlucky ones who were a little further away all got hit by several shrapnel and, in most cases, suffered fatal injuries.
A few of the stragglers who hadn't reached the minefield yet reacted to the new threat and diverted their courses, temporally forgetting about the minefield. Within five seconds the first mine had been triggered and warned them about the dangers of their positions. Two more soldiers fell to mines before they could react.
The three soldiers who had passed both the minefield and the claymores before the explosions reacted like anyone without enough training would have done. They turned to face the explosions and the new threat. Three short, silenced bursts later they had joined their comrades among the ranks of the dead.
494 shook his head and blinked a few times to clear his eyes of the images. The ambush hadn't been pretty and it hadn't been fair. But the only ones who fought fair were the dead ones.
Leaving the slaughter behind he blurred through the park and reached the shore in no time.
*****
909 and 241 had dragged the boat to the shore and filled it with air from the remaining tube. They proceeded to pull out several soft packages with clothes and quickly changed. 962 arrived a short time later with Andrews on his shoulders. Leaving the injured soldier to his comrades, he quickly changed into his issued clothes. Together they placed Andrews in the boat. 241 checked his leg to make sure the wound wasn't bleeding too much while 909 and 962 stood guard, waiting for 494 to return.
They heard the explosions from the east and knew that 494 had sprung his ambush. A minute later their sensitive hearing picked up the rapid footsteps from a X5 in a full run.
494 emerged from the woods and flashed 962 a quick grin before he too changed into his other clothes. Smearing a little dirt on his face for effect he stuffed his combat equipment away and got into the boat.
*****
The five figures that left the shore in the rubber boat didn't look like five soldiers returning from a successful mission. The adult was clearly a soldier, but it was equally obvious that he was injured. The four 'kids' had put away any kinds of weaponry and other military equipment and were now clad in dirty, torn clothes that had seen their best days several years earlier.
A close examination wouldn't fool anyone, but a quick glance wouldn't be enough to reveal what they were. And that was all they needed.
Andrews sighed as he took the radio 909 had pulled out from his backpack. He turned to 494 who sat beside him and nudged his side. When he got 494's attention he raised his eyebrows questioningly. "So, wanna tell me what you are?"
494 smirked. "What's in it for me?" he asked, with a humorous glint in his eyes.
Andrews couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll tell you what," he started. "You tell me about you guys and I'll tell you all you need to know about sports."
494 grinned. "Deal."
Andrews grinned back and clicked on the radio. "Cyclone to Dallas. Cyclone to Dallas, over."
[Dallas to Cyclone, we read you five by five. Over.]
"Cyclone is extracting, need a pickup here guys, before I need to swim."
The voice on the other end of the radio laughed out loud. [Affirmative Cyclone. We'll have a cab standing by. Just follow the signal. Over.]
"Sounds great Dallas. Make that cab a van though, I have some hitchhikers with me."
[Cyclone, say again.]
"I have four kids with me. Refugees who got away with me. I saved their lives and they helped me complete the mission." Andrews winked at 494 who rolled is eyes in response.
[Roger that Cyclone, we'll prepare the guest rooms.] Dallas responded with a laugh.
"Good, our ETA is 20 minutes. Cyclone out."
*****
About 20 minutes later the small boat pulled up next to the partially submerged form of USS Dallas. The 688-class attack submarine had lain still in the same spot for the past three days, waiting for Cyclone to arrive. The crew was bored out of their mind and longing for some action.
"Remember to look scared and worn down, now," Andrews smirked to his young companions.
"No idea how to do that," 494 grinned and produced his best wide-eyed, impressed face.
Andrews burst out laughing. "I guess that'll do. Just remember, no talking."
The four X5's just nodded and 494 made a zipping motion over his mouth.
A hatch opened in and a ladder was thrown down to the boat. A submariner quickly climbed down and helped Andrews up the ladder. The X5's followed behind and 494 let the air out of the boat before he climbed up after the submariner. Without the air to support it the boat quickly disappeared beneath the surface and sunk to the bottom of the Adriatic Sea, never to be found again.
Inside the submarine, Andrews got his leg looked at by the ship's medic. After that, he and the 'refugees' were placed in the captains room with an armed guard outside the door. It didn't matter that Andrews was a soldier. He didn't have clearance to move around the submarine, and the kids weren't even Americans.
USS Dallas set course south to rendezvous with the USS Constellation, the oldest carrier still in use by the US Navy.
*****
Several hours later, Andrews and the X5's were escorted to one of the ladders and up to the hatch. The submarine was rolling slightly in the waves, but holding their balance wasn't a problem. At the horizon, the grey shape of the carrier could be seen. A helicopter was approaching fast from the south.
Getting on the chopper was mildly tricky for Andrews with his injured leg, but easy for the X5's. The flight to the carrier took only a few minutes, and when they landed they were immediately escorted to a few empty cabins.
Andrews was soon summoned. He left the X5's alone with a guard outside the door. 494 took the opportunity to relax and, for the first time in several days, got some sleep.
When he woke up, it was to see the door open and a sailor bringing in a food-cart. The meal was excellent, not only compared to the rations they'd eaten the past few days, but also compared to what they got at Manticore. The energy boost might not have been as high, but it tasted a lot better. 494 took his time to enjoy the meal and then went back to sleep.
His internal clock told him he'd been asleep for about 6 hours when he woke up the next time. This time it was Andrews at the door, returning with a smile on his face and crutches to support his injured leg.
"Hey kid," he grinned. "The Admiral wants to see you."
494 raised his eyebrows but Andrews refused to say anything more. Mildly confused, the young soldier followed the older one as he limped through the corridors of the gigantic ship. They reached the Admiral's cabin in a few minutes and Andrews knocked on the door.
"Come in," someone answered from the other side of the door. Andrews turned the doorknob and motioned 494 inside.
494 slowly stepped inside, taking in the room as he walked. He finally let his eyes settle on the man behind a desk in front of a porthole.
"Ahh, welcome 494," the man smiled.
494 stiffened slightly, immediately on his guard.
"I have someone here who would to have a word with you," the Admiral said.
494 spun around as the door to an adjacent room opened. He immediately snapped to attention when Colonel Lydecker walked in.
"Stand easy!" Lydecker said and took a seat behind the desk. He nodded to the Admiral, who left the cabin with a nod of his own.
"I'll be on the bridge if you need me."
"Thank you, Sir," Lydecker responded. He turned to 494, who met his gaze calmly.
"Welcome back, 494. I've heard Lt. Andrews' initial report and I must say I'm very pleased with the results." The tone was friendly but there was no smile on his face. 494 hadn't expected one. Lydecker had probably forgotten how to smile a long time ago.
"I'll be awaiting your full report once you're back at Manticore again," Lydecker continued. "As for now, we have more important matters to take care of." Lydecker picked up a briefcase from beside the desk and pulled out a blue folder.
"We have a new mission for you."
FIN
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Authors endnote: It didn't come out exactly the way I had planned but I hope you have enjoyed the story. This story is a part of the Manticore Mission files created by Infie and it's possible (but not certain) that there will be a sequel of sorts dealing with the next mission 494 is assigned. Look out for any story by Infie called Infiltrator.Thank you for reading and for the feedback I've received
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