This Thing Called Life
Chapter 6 - Destroyed
Alpha team made their way silently toward Farrell Street , creeping along in the shadows. 452 signalled 'all clear' to Mole and he motioned to Klip and Beau to lift the grate. Jason and Remi and Mole slipped down behind them. 452 replaced the grate carefully and dropped down into the tunnel.
They followed a straight line for about a hundred feet until they came to a fork in the passageway. According to the blueprints they'd studied, turning off to the right would lead them directly underneath an antechamber in the basement. The left would take them to a storage area that would provide ample cover. They decided to split up.
Mole, Jason and Remi took the right. They reached their position and halted. Mole spoke low into his radio.
"Beta Team, how does it look up there?"
"All clear. Alpha team is a go." Joshua replied.
There was a commotion in the background and Mole said "What's happening, man?"
A few moments passed before he answered. "Tell team to fall back. White's men advancing. Not safe for Little Fella. Must lay low!"
Mole cursed loudly. Changing the channel on his unit, he called to her. "Alpha 1, come in. 452, do you copy?"
"Mole. We were just about to go in. What do you want?" she replied tersely.
"Beta Team advises to fall back. Guards are all over your exit."
"Shit. Okay, we'll make our way towards you. Over."
Outside, Beta Team scaled the South wall. Making their way quietly across the roof, they reached an old elevator shaft. The service elevator was never completed and the parts therein had long since been removed by the masses.
Steve attached his clip to the cable and rappelled down, feet firmly planted against the walls of the shaft. After a few feet, he signalled to Jake and Kate. Taking his lead, they followed him into the dark space. When they reached the bottom, Kate spoke softly into her radio.
"Joshua, it's clear down here. Keep it steady and slow, you'll be fine."
Quinn and Joshua grasped the cable firmly. The two inched their way into the cavernous depths. As they neared the bottom, Quinn jumped the remaining few feet. As Joshua prepared to do the same, Kate called out "No! Joshua, wai-" but it was too late.
Joshua leapt to the ground and landed heavily on his feet. The sound of splintering filled the air and suddenly, he disappeared from in front of them. Looking down into the gaping hole in the floor, what they saw caused them all to hoot with laughter. Joshua was lying on a moving blanket of filthy brown squirming things. The staggering number rodents trapped under his huge form was funny enough, but his reaction to them was hilarious.
Joshua picked up his head to find himself staring into the face of the biggest, filthiest, nastiest looking rat he'd ever seen. The long whiskers, small beady eyes and razor-sharp teeth stunned him. Joshua's breath caught as he pointed at the horrible vermin in front of him. He began to scream.
"Rats. Rats! RATS! Joshua hate rats!" In his fright he threw his radio up to Quinn, who if not for his quick reflexes would have dropped it for sure. "You...Joshua...can't…RATS!" He scrambled to his feet and reached out frantically. "Help Joshua! Help NOW!" Jake stretched over the edge and pulled his trembling friend to safety. As the group struggled to hold their laugher, the radio crackled to life.
452, Beau and Klip retraced their steps and found themselves in a sticky situation. Before they could think of joining Alpha 2, they would have to deal with the 6 guards they'd come face to face with.
"I knew Ames was on to us. I just hoped we'd actually make it inside first." 452 said, making small talk as she and the others went back to back, facing the enemy. "Figures he'd send the idiot squad to fight for him. Whaddaya say guys, isn't it time to put the children to sleep?" Before the guards could move, the three transgenics attacked.
Ordinaries! White should know better…
The fight was over before it began. Six Ordinaries were no match for three transgenics. They quickly made their way down the tunnel to catch up with the others.
Jason gave his fellow transgenics a once-over. "Company?"
452 brushed herself off. "A slight nuisance. But we don't have to worry about them anymore." Turning to Mole she enquired, "What's our status. Is it safe to move in?"
"Beta Team gave the go-ahead a while back but lemme double-check." He spoke into his radio again. "Joshua? We still clear?"
"Alpha Team is a go." was the reply.
One by one, they hoisted themselves up through the small space overhead. Remi and Beau went to work on the metal plate separating them from the antechamber within. Successfully removing it they handed the plate down to Jason and helped ease the rest of the team through the opening.
"Beta Team, we're in. Awaiting instructions, over."
"Just outside of your current location is a small subway. This will lead you to a staircase at the far end. Take the stairs up to the next level. Make a right, carry on about fifty feet. The door at the end will bring you directly to us. Oh and by the way," the voice paused. "It's Quinn. Josh asked me to take over comms. He fell through some rotted flooring and had a run-in with some rodents. He's still reeling from the experience." Alpha team cracked up laughing but 452 quickly silenced them with a harsh "Do you want to give our position away? Let's move!"
Following Quinn's directions proved simple and straightforward. 452 couldn't shake the feeling that everything was going too smoothly for her liking. When they reached Beta Team, she motioned for silence.
Cocking her head to one side, she listened intently for any sounds. Detecting nothing, nothing at all, she frowned in worry. Speaking softly, she turned to the others. "Something's not right. It's too quiet. Let's spread out a bit and see what we come up with. Stay close. I've got the feeling we're going to meet up with White soon enough."
Splitting into pairs, they covered the entire level in a matter of minutes. There were no signs of life. No guards, no prisoners, nothing. It was disconcerting.
Mole shook his head in consternation. "I don't like it."
She heartily agreed. "It's a trap. They're probably waiting on the outside. And they know how we got in, so leaving the way we came in is out of the question."
She addressed both teams. "Beta Team. I want you to stay behind. They don't know how many of us are here and we don't want to lose the element of surprise. Alpha team take my lead. White's expecting me. When things heat up, you'll step in. Wait for my call. When I say 'Big mistake, Ames ' that's your cue. Are we clear?" They nodded assent.
It was dark as Alpha team crept out into the parking lot, pressing back against the walls. Mole signalled the group. 452 stepped forward. Suddenly, a strobe light caught her. If not for her enhanced eyesight, 452 would have been blinded by it. As it was, she barely managed to dodge the bullets that came her way.
In her peripheral vision she saw Beau. She smiled as she caught his intention. He was creating a diversion and taking out a target in one go. His shot fell square on the strobe and it shattered. The fallout was more than she'd hoped. The guards standing next to the large light were showered in glass fragments, the shards embedding themselves deep in the skin. They fell and howled in pain. Beau dove to the side and rolled into the shadows.
The unexpected hit set White's men back. They were down by a third, leaving two dozen men. White walked toward 452, his stride arrogant and purposeful. The remaining guards formed a tight circle around Alpha Team.
"You're outnumbered, 452. Give up now and I'll go easy on your fellow animals."
"Riiiight. No fucking way, asshole. You're gonna pay for what you did to me and mine. Now cut the crap. I know they're here. Where are you hiding them?"
Keep him talking. Give the others time to get into position.
"I'll make a deal with you, 452." White gestured towards a van in the middle of the lot. It stood alone and unguarded. "You come with me and I'll let them go."
452 noted the position of her fellow transgenics. Mole was off to her side. Klip and Jason had her left flank. Beau had rolled out of sight after killing the strobe light. He was somewhere outside the circle. Remi was still hiding, obscured from view. 452 was counting on her taking initiative to step in when necessary.
"I wanna see them first." White gestured to one of the men to do as she said. He slowly approached the vehicle and flung the back doors open. 452 saw the faces of her siblings. Brin, Jondy, Case, Syl and Krit were huddled together, tied tightly to one another. She could tell they were wounded but otherwise ok. At second glance she saw Zane and Ash. Zooming in on them 452 drew a deep breath. Their motionless forms lay prone on the floor of the van.
452 knew that no matter what happened, there was no way White would let her family go. If they were in there, the only option was to take control of the van and get them to safety. She nodded imperceptibly at Klip, she hoped the signal was clear. It was now or never.
452 took a step towards White. "Oh, Amesie. We both know you don't keep your word. You'd never let them go. Here's the thing. You picked the wrong transgenic to fuck with." She raised her voice as she said. "Big mistake, Ames ."
Quickly, she dropped and rolled out of the way. Mole, Klip and Jason blurred to either side, taking out the guards in their way. On cue, Beta Team came out, guns blazing. They tore through the guards, dropping them with ease.
Through the madness of the bloodbath around him, Beau made his way over to the van. He pressed his ear to the side and listened intently. He heard the sound of breathing, smelled the fear and anger emanating from within. It mixed with the scent of blood. But over that, barely, he made out a light clicking noise. It resembled the sound of the second hand on a clock. And then it registered.
Oh fuck! A bomb!
"Max!" he shouted on the top of his lungs, blurring away from the vehicle. "Teams fall back! IT'S GOING TO BL-"
The explosion ripped through the lot, sending auto parts and bodies flying in every direction. Through the mayhem and confusion that ensued, they picked their way through rubble, thick smoke and now still bodies. It was hard to tell who was who and what side they were on. Transgenics and humans were running without rhyme or reason, just desperate to escape the carnage.
Remi lunged at White, who was inching away from the slaughter he had perpetrated. "Don't fucking think about it!" She said as she whipped out her Glock and sent two rounds into his legs, crippling him. She wrenched his weapons from the holsters on his side and leg, and patted him down before calling out for assistance.
"Mole! Get your ass over here!" A huge grin spread on his face as he took in the cowering form of their now powerless nemesis.
"How the mighty have fallen!" Mole rubbed his hands in glee and reached into his jacket pocket to remove a cigar. Raising his hand to his mouth, he smiled at Remi. "This calls for a celebration."
Remi ripped the cigar from his lips and spat at him. "Are you blind? Can't you see what's going on around you? Max's entire unit just went up in flames! Was insensitivity spliced into your genes or are you just naturally stupid?" Mole had the decency to look embarrassed. Then his eyes flashed red as the seriousness of the situation set in. He trembled with rage.
Beau came up behind them with some chains in hand. "Did a little foraging in the building and came up with these. Thought they might come in handy." He said, pointedly staring at White.
Mole growled and grabbed the chains from him and quickly secured White. Mole stepped back to inspect his handiwork. Satisfied for the time being, he, Remi and Beau went to join the others.
452 stood staring blankly at the remains of her family. Joshua put his arms around her, holding her tight and Jason rested his hand on her arm. She noticed neither. She just looked unblinkingly, her face an emotionless mask. She pulled away from her friends and noticed a trussed White bleeding and broken.
The feral gleam that came into her eyes both frightened and reassured her team members. The spark showed she wasn't dead inside, yet the glint reminded them of the animal in her. They involuntarily stepped back.
"Quinn. Get some gasoline. It's bonfire night." He trotted off to get the supplies. The group fell silent; the only sound was the frantic breathing of her prey. Ames was sweating and shaking and the sight gave her a satisfaction so deep and gratifying that she sighed in pleasure.
When Quinn returned she motioned for him to hand her the container. She proceeded to douse the prisoner. As the liquid poured over his body the group shuddered in anticipation. "Okay, string him up!"
Joshua lifted the soaking man and strung his chained body from a lamppost. 452 giggled manically. She turned to her right-hand man and continued. "Mole, will you do the honors?"
He smiled widely at her. "With pleasure." Slowly he removed a lighter from his pants pocket. 452 grinned evilly at White.
"Five thousand years of breeding." she said as Mole's lighter flamed to life. "And what has it come to?"
Mole dropped his burning cigar into White's pocket. The 'whoosh' blended with the scream of terror that poured from his mouth, the sounds were music to her ears. 452 watched with insane pleasure as his body was consumed by a ball of fire.
TBC
Chapter 7
