Disclaimer: I do now own the characters in the story. Wish I did, but I don't.
Author's Note: I hope no one minds; this part is told from Neil's point of view throughout. I couldn't think of a better way to handle it. Oh well. And I'm sorry this took so long to put up. Darned fanfiction.net! I had this all set to put up on the day it decided not to work... Oi. And I know this chapter isn't perfect; I'm far from perfect when it comes to describing action sequences. But this is better than the version where Jane took on all the soldiers in the base and got them all safely out. And look! It's another long chapter! It was gonna be longer, but I cut it down.
OUT OF THE ASHES
Chapter Fifteen
All Hell Breaks Loose
Neil's vision blurred and wavered, but he clenched his teeth and willed his body to ignore the pain, to move forward at the quick lope the others were setting. Every move of his left leg sent a flash of pain up his leg, but he refused to cry out. The bullet had lodged in his kneecap - he could feel it grinding against bone when he moved - but he wouldn't stop. He couldn't slow the others down, not now, when more soldiers could burst upon them at any moment.
None of the others seemed to notice Neil was lagging behind, for which Neil was grateful. If they knew, they'd stop, and Ryan would waste precious seconds trying to help him.
(And I suppose if you keeled over, that would save them some time?) The voice, definitely not his own, shocked him and he nearly stumbled.
Shut up, Neil thought angrily. Go back to where you were hiding before and stay there! You can't help me anymore! His Duo had chosen a hell of a time to wake up. Neil did not need someone in his mind right now, when he had to concentrate on placing one booted foot in front of the other, ignoring the fact that one boot was rapidly filling with blood…
Ryan had told him after their battle with the Phantoms that the healing had left him feeling weak. Only the adrenaline rush and Jane's protection had kept him alive. It had also been observed that those who had been healed stayed disoriented and groggy several minutes afterward.
That would leave two down, with just Jane up to fighting strength against an unknown number. At least now it was just him, and Jane was prepared to leave him behind if need be anyway.
(Do you really believe she'd do something that sensible?) The voice in his mind was back. Neil ignored it, pressing on, intent on making this whole argument a moot point. If they could just get to the Copperhead…
The hall the group was currently traversing seemed empty. Only the sound of their footfalls echoed around them. Halfway to the large door that opened into the base's main section, Ryan raised a hand and the group came to a halt.
"I don't like this," he said. "They're waiting for us beyond that door."
Neil gratefully slumped against one cool cement wall, lifting his left leg slightly. He wondered if he'd have the energy to move again.
"There's a lot of space for an ambush," Jane agreed. "We can't go that way; even with your guns and what I can do, we'd never make it."
"Dr. Sid, do you know what they had planned?" Ryan asked.
The old scientist, looking slightly winded, shook his head. "There was a lot of activity the other day, though," Dr. Sid said. "And Major Boyer came and destroyed my notes."
"So they knew ahead of time we were coming," Neil said flatly. "Great. We just walked into one big trap."
"And we'll get out of it," Aki spoke up. "But we can't take the fastest route. Is there another way out?"
Ryan and Jane turned to Neil expectantly. Neil recalled the blueprints they'd found for the base. "There should be... Maybe if we could find the passage to the garage and head out through there."
"Can we get there using that?" Ryan gestured to the only branching from their stretch of tunnel.
"Since there aren't any soldiers coming from that direction, I'm skeptical," Neil said. "But it's not like we have any choice."
"Hurry, before they realize something's wrong," Ryan said, waving them towards the tunnel.
Neil reluctantly pushed himself to both legs, groaning in pain. Jane's head, still encased in its helmet, turned toward him at the sound, then faced away
(He's relying a lot on your judgment,) the voice in his head observed. Neil followed the others, hoping none noticed the limp that had grown more pronounced. Damn, it hurts..."
"Door up ahead," Jane said from her position in the lead. Ryan, beside the scientists to give them cover when needed, hastened forward. Neil hung back beside Aki, waiting for Ryan and Jane to decide the next step.
"It's the only way out," Ryan said, gesturing towards the blank corridor they'd just traversed. "Except back the way we came."
Jane's fingers toggled her helmet's controls, and she was silent for a moment. The complex helmets were built to scan for Phantom spirits, even through solid walls. They could also detect human spirits, though not as strongly. Ryan imitated Jane's move, and Neil slowly did the same. Aki, unused to the equipment, had had hers disconnected. It was painful for one unskilled with it.
"I don't see anything," Ryan said, his voice full of disbelief and suspicion.
"Me neither, Sarge," Jane said.
Neil moved to the control pad, and frowned when he saw what was hooked to the door's panel. "No wonder they aren't worried," Neil said, tapping the device with his bare hand. "They sealed it. By the time I could remove this lock, the soldiers will have figured out where we are and have captured us."
"Is there another way around it?" Aki asked.
"Not these babies. If you do something wrong with them, they explode." Neil desperately wracked his brains for another way out. If you have any ideas, speak up now, Neil demanded of his Duo. But the other remained silent.
"That's military paranoia," Dr. Sid said wearily. "They can't even trust themselves, so they design something like this."
"Why even worry about it?" Jane said. "Let's just go through the door."
"Can you do it?" Ryan asked.
"Only one way to find out. Back up, everyone." Ignoring Dr. Sid's confused look, Aki ushered him out of the way as Jane flicked her hand towards the metal door. A crust of ice formed, spreading to encase the entire door. Metal creaked and groaned at the temperature shock. Then, with a roundhouse kick, Jane shattered the weakened door.
Dr. Sid's eyes were wide. "Impressive," he murmured. "I can't wait to hear everything I've missed."
Cautiously, they passed through the doorway, and Neil noticed with relief that the passage in front of them seemed free of security doors.
"The barracks," Ryan said, taking the lead, pistol in hand. The eyepieces of his helmet glowed blue ahs he ran another brief scan. When focusing on distant spirits, it became difficult to see the landscape around them. "Still clear," he said. "Is there a way out from here?"
"If not, we can make one. We can always go out a window if we can reach the base's outer wall." Neil swayed slightly, catching himself against the wall. "And we need to hurry," he added unnecessarily.
They moved at a good clip, though Dr. Sid seemed to be tiring. They stopped frequently to scan for soldiers, but their luck held.
Until they heard a heavy thumping from down the corridor behind them. "They're coming!" Neil called from his position in the rear.
"Can we lose them?" Ryan asked. They'd reached a split in the corridor. The hall to the left continued the line of quarters. To the right, the rooms were more widely spaced, suggesting they belonged to officers.
"Not much space to lose them in," Jane snapped. Neil recognized that tone: Her adrenaline was up and she was ready to fight.
(And you're leaving a blood trail,) the inner voice warned. In shock, Neil whirled to see small droplets of blood splattered along the corridor. The other must have seen them out of the corner of his eye. Eerie thought.
"Let's go to the right," Ryan said. "There are more likely to be windows in an officer's rooms."
Ryan's guess proved correct; in the third room they checked, they found a large shuttered window. Jane shattered it and nimbly sprang through the gap. "All clear," she reported. Ryan boosted Aki, then Dr. Sid over the frame, helping them avoid the jagged ends of glass still thrusting up from the frame.
"Want a boost?" Ryan asked. Neil, who had been wondering how he would get over with his bad knee, nodded. Placing his right knee in Ryan's hand, he hoisted himself through the window. He couldn't contain his cry when he landed.
"You're injured!" Ryan said accusingly as he climbed through. Blood flecked his armor.
"It's nothing-" Neil began, but was interrupted by a burst of gunfire that shattered the remaining glass. The others crouched, moving as rapidly as possible. Bullets ricocheted off armor, but they were quickly out of the line of fire by following the building's wall around a corner.
"What do you mean, Neil's injured?" Jane demanded. She whirled to face him. "Idiot! Let Ryan heal you!"
"There's no time!" Neil spotted a gate set in the distant concrete perimeter fence. "We're almost out of here!"
They ran towards the gate, awareness of the open area around them making their strides faster. They were so vulnerable… Neil expected at any moment to feel a bullet in the back of his neck to match the one in his knee.
There was no one at the gate, which Neil thought was good fortune until he noticed it, too, had been sealed with the same sort of electronic lock. "Shit," Jane hissed through clenched teeth. "So we're locked in the compound. Unless I can freeze these." The tall, imposing gates looked impenetrable, but Jane gave it a shot.
"Dammit! If these doors just had hinges or something…" Jane seethed.
"We have to find another way through," Ryan backed away, eyeing the smooth concrete and triple rows of barbed wire.
"Even if Neil wasn't hurt, we still couldn't climb it," Ryan said grimly. "The front gate wasn't locked; maybe we can get to that before the other soldiers do."
"Where is the main gate?" Jane asked. She'd turned her back to the others, her eyes on the soldiers that she could see coming out of the building. There weren't that many, yet.
"We could be on the totally opposite side of the base from it," Neil said weakly.
"Looks like we have to run, then," Aki said from where she was huddled with Dr. Sid. She looked weary, an expression Neil remembered from his own academy days and he'd been first adjusting to his armor's weight. Aki lurched to her feet, steadying herself against the wall.
"Keep to the fence, they can't ambush us from that side. And we do have an advantage: The area between the fence and base is open. We'll be able to see them as easily as they'll see us." Ryan took Dr. Sid's arm and pulled the scientist along. Jane dropped back next to Neil, her helmeted head constantly in motion as she watched the oncoming soldiers who were still out of firing range.
They managed to keep the enemy soldiers at a distance for a while, though they stopped once when they passed another gate. "Locked," Neil said, and they went on.
"Trouble ahead," Ryan said, gesturing to a squad of soldiers ahead of them. Around them, more and more soldiers had come out of the base and were making their way towards the Deep Eyes.
Neil drew his gun, and Jane swept past him, focusing on the immediate danger, the squad ahead of them. "There's only four," she called. "I can take them!" She sent a hail of ice pelting against them, expecting them to fall back.
The ice bounced off an invisible shield a foot away from each soldier.
"What the hell?" Jane cried.
"Your little blizzard thing didn't work," Neil said, alarmed. There were other soldiers with powers at the base! This wasn't a good development…
(Tell her to freeze the ground beneath them,) the inner voice suggested. Neil bristled. Stay out of this! Why should I listen to you?
(It wouldn't do me any good if you died, would it?) the voice snapped. (Just tell her to do it!)
"Jane! Freeze the ground under their feet!"
Jane's only response was to carry out Neil's suggestion. The soldiers, confident in their ability to deflect Jane's attack, didn't expect the ground beneath them to become slick with ice. The first soldier stumbled, falling backwards into the others and bringing them crashing down.
Something broke loose from one of the soldier's armor, and Aki picked it up as they passed t he dazed soldiers. "What is it?" Neil asked curiously.
"An ovo-pack," she murmured. "I think. But… it's green"
The object suddenly flared as bullets whined through the air around them, and seemed to encounter a barrier. "Are you doing that?" Jane called back.
Neil had tried, before they'd left Houston, to generate another protective barrier, but had failed completely. And he was pretty sure he wasn't doing it now, either. Are you? he demanded of the other. But the Duo seemed as confused as he was.
"It's the object," Aki said, stunned. "They've made items that carry these powers! But how?"
"Don't question it now," Jane said tightly "The main gate is straight ahead. Run!" Jane grabbed Neil, yanking him forward. His bad leg nearly gave out under him, but Jane was there for support. The main gate was indeed ahead, but it was heavily guarded. But with the object, we have a chance!
The armed soldiers guarding the gate seemed not to have prepared for a charge, nor for the fact that the bullets seemed to bounce harmlessly off the Deep Eyes. When Ryan and Neil opened fire, and Jane alternated between shooting and using her gift, the soldiers scattered.
"They're not carrying these!" Aki said, lifting the ovo-pack. "They must be rare."
"Lucky for us," Jane said. "Neil," she began, "can you – Neil!"
Neil had begun to slump forward. He was bleeding more heavily, and his vision was swimming. Distantly, he wondered how much blood he'd lost.
"Ryan, can you – " Jane started, but the sergeant was already leaning over Neil's knee, examining it. Jane backed away, keeping a wary eye on the soldiers, who were regrouping around them. There must have been more than fifty soldiers. And they seemed to be getting ready for something; they were taking up position just within range of fire, taking cover to make driving them away impossible.
Over them, the gate loomed. So close… But they couldn't open it without Neil. (Snap out of it,) the inner voice urged.
"I don't know… I don't see an exit hole for the bullet. I don't think it would be wise to heal him and leave it in there." Ryan reached up to steady the wobbling Neil.
"Can you do it halfway?" Aki asked. "Enough to let him keep going?" She examined the item she held in her hand. "This is getting dim… I think it's running out of power already."
"Oh, good," Neil said dully. "I was beginning to think this was too easy."
Ryan pressed a hand to Neil's knee, and strength seemed to flood through his body. "How's that?" the sergeant asked.
"Good enough," Neil said. He limped to the gate's main controls. "Locked, of course, but not sealed. I can do this." He used his knife to pry open the panel, getting to work. The others formed a barrier around him and the two scientists.
"They're waiting," Jane murmured from behind him. "They know we're protected, and that it's going to fail." The soldiers occasionally showed themselves to fire a shot, checking to see if the shield was still in place. They kept their distance from Jane, who used her power to keep them at bay to conserve the waning ammo supply.
"It's gone," Aki hissed suddenly. She was holding the ovo-pack out of sight of the enemy, but it wouldn't be long before they realized the Deep Eyes were vulnerable.
"Almost finished," Neil mumbled. Was it the red wire or the blue? "Just about got it." Maybe the yellow? A bullet passed a hairsbreadth from Neil's hand, the slug burying itself into the panel.
"They know," Aki said. Around her, the others went into a firing stance.
Neil stared at the bullet with horror. Yeah, I needed that… It had ripped through several wires; how was he supposed to do this now?
"Neil, any time would be good," Ryan said, firing into the soldiers with little success.
One wire had avoided the bullet; the green one. What would happen if he joined it with the black wire?
Around them, the attacking soldiers lifted their weapons, readying themselves for one unstoppable volley.
Neil severed the green wire, tongue sticking out between his lips as he concentrated.
The soldiers aimed as one unit. "It's an execution! We were never meant to escape with our lives!" Aki said.
Carefully, Neil began to twist the wires together.
The door didn't open. And the soldiers began to fire.
To Be Continued…