(Six)
Reese, the feral teleporter, was used to bring them in for the next target –the barracks where most of the Dognan soldiers were housed. The Clansmen were grouped in a much larger party for this outing but acted quickly, only moments had passed since the first target was taken out and the Clan wanted to keep the rush going to keep the Dognan running around chasing their tails. Reese surprised Logan by accepting a sword this time and holding it ready. It was clear that in spite of his feral and animal nature, he was capable of holding his own.
Like Jacob, Reese teleported them in not far from the barracks complex. This part of the Dognan facility was located opposite the fuel and munitions dump and wasn't far from the bombed out city. The yellow glowing fence of the pens could be seen in the distance.
There were a lot of Dognan men running around, confused and panicked because of the munitions explosion that had occurred only minutes before. The invaders were sheltered behind a storage shed and hoped the cloaks would keep them from being seen. Again they formed their pairs and split off, leaving Reese behind to wait for their return. He was much too valuable to sacrifice out in the field and the sword he had been given was for his own protection.
The Clansmen scattered quickly, each team going to a prearranged location to set their charges. Logan went with Valentin, Gambit with Bruce again. Logan and Valentin were closest to their designated planting spot and set their charges in place early. They were startled when they heard a loud gun fight not far from where they had left Reese to wait for them. There was a shrill whine as Dognan warships came in from above and shouts from patrols could be heard all around. There were far more men here than the Clan had been led to believe from Bruce's reports.
"Damn you, Bruce!" Valentin cursed and he and Logan raced back to Reese. There they found a small Dognan squad standing around over his shattered body by the shed. Reese had put up quite a fight in his own defense, but there had been too many for him to hold off. Their transportation was now gone.
The Dognan soldiers turned when they heard Valentin and Logan approach and Valentin realized they could now be seen in spite of the cloaking devices. Somehow during the attack the Dognan had discovered the frequency of the cloaks they had been using and had disabled them. That was always the risk when you used someone's technology against them. The Clansmen were now in danger.
Valentin and Logan didn't hesitate, they jumped as one and laid waste to their enemies. The squad hadn't been prepared for the ferocity of their attackers and were taken down easily in spite of being the larger party. The two human warriors were speedy and skillful, they finished their grim work quickly. When they were finished, Valentin stood back and leaned on his huge bloody sword, panting from the effort. He raised an eyebrow at Logan and gave an ironic laugh. "Never a dull moment, eh?"
Logan grinned with real humor. It was hard for him not to like this man who risked so much, so selflessly. Like a modern Alexander the Great, Valentin had learned that men follow real courage and his effect on Wolverine was no less.
Gambit and Bruce came up behind them, out of breath from running. They had managed to plant their charges easily enough but had to fight as well. Both were scratched and bruised from the effort, but still intact. Justin and his partner were right behind them, their own eyes bright from the fighting.
Valentin turned on Bruce as soon as he saw him, viciously back handing him across the face with enough force to spin him around. Bruce reeled in a daze and staggered to his knees with a startled grunt. He hadn't been prepared for Valentin's punishment and had no clue what was going on.
"You idiot!" Valentin howled at him, his earlier humor gone. "You said there would be no patrols! They can see us!"
"It's not his fault! How would he know they would get past the cloaks so quickly?" Justin protested, defending Bruce. His lover could hardly speak, blood was streaming from his nose and he was doing his best to stop the flow as it dripped down his chin. "The Dognan must have figured out the frequency on the cloaks from the last run! They set us up!"
"I'm not interested in his pitiful excuses!" He glared at Bruce who cowered on the ground and pointed at him. "Whoever dies today is on your head!" He clicked on his headset to communicate with the rest of the team. "Fall back to the first marker, people! Reese is gone! We have to run for a pick up!" He reached down and hauled Bruce to his feet, shoving him towards the street. "Move it!"
They ran towards the ruined city, their only choice for survival was to get lost in the ruins and pray someone would come along and pick them up. Bruce was screaming into his headset as they moved, begging Henry to call in some air support to cover their escape. There had been some Clan pilots and ships on standby just for this reason and he was hoping for a little help.
The other team members joined them gradually as they went, a pair at a time. They, too had been met by foot patrols and not all of them had made it back. Only half of Valentin's original party now remained. The Clansmen were durable and sturdy, the wounded kept pace and didn't slow them down.
The group ducked down as the Dognan barracks they had attacked finally exploded behind them, right on time. The Dognan patrols had interrupted their surprise attack, but they hadn't been able to prevent all of the charges from going off. At least this disaster was a partial success.
The Clansmen could hear the whine of Dognan ships barreling down on them as they hit the city. Buildings exploded all around them as the ships fired on them and missed. They had to keep ducking down behind wrecked vehicles and buildings to avoid all the flying shrapnel and debris but they gave a silent cheer when they saw the Clan fighters finally flying in to cover them. The men were now caught in the crossfire of a bitter aerial assault but at least they were no longer the sole target.
One Dognan ship swooped a little low and close to them and Gambit jumped up, ready. He held three of Fallen's ball bearings in his hand, charged them, and gave them a mighty toss. The red glowing missiles hit home and exploded right in front of the ship's cockpit, blinding the driver. The ship jerked wildly and crashed into a building, exploding in a huge blue ball of flame.
"Score one for de Cajun!" Gambit cheered, proud of his handiwork. Taking down a ship in self defense was more than okay on his list in spite of the casualties. He was exhilarated by the explosion and clapped his hands. "An de crowd goes wild!"
They didn't stop to watch the battle continue, but kept on running. They seemed to be making good progress and traveled quickly. They ran out into the streets where it was clear and they could make better time. Too late, Logan realized the danger. He barely had the words out, "Watch out fer mines!" when the ground suddenly exploded out from under him. ]
He jumped wildly to avoid the worst of it, snarling as he felt the shrapnel come up between his feet and rip into his legs and his abdomen. His speed had kept him from taking the worst of it but the pain was horrible. He crashed to the ground and writhed in agony, feeling his blood pool around him with its sickening warmth. He was down, but not out. He just needed a minute to recover.
The others did not fare so well. One of Valentin's men next to him hit another mine and was shredded instantly, blood and gore flew in all directions. Valentin was close to the man and gave a twisted scream as a large sliver of shredded metal impaled his thigh and lodged in his flesh. Men were bellowing and flailing all around, most of them wounded in some way.
"Damnit!" Logan cursed from his heap on the ground. He had tried to train these men about the mines but they simply hadn't had enough time. There was a big difference between a class and actual field experience, and this accident was a glaring example of that. He began pulling the shreds of metal out from his belly and legs. He had to work quickly, it was such a pain in the ass when the flesh healed up around the shrapnel and made it harder to get out.
Valentin grumbled and clutched at his own wounded leg, assessing the damage. The injury wasn't that serious, just painful. He stood up awkwardly and tugged on the metal trapped in his thigh, but it was stuck fast. Unlike Logan, he would have to wait to get it out. A career soldier, he removed his belt from his waist and tied off the injury without further complaint.
"My, Lord!" one of his men cried out in loyalty laced fear and tried to help him.
Valentin shoved him away with aristocratic impatience. "Forget me, let's get out of here!"
Gambit and Bruce helped Wolverine to his feet. He could stand but he wouldn't be able to run for a while. Remy was shaking from the stress, his earlier elation now gone. It was one thing to fire at a ship that crashed and exploded from a distance, it was quite another to see men screaming with their guts ripped out. One man had been cut in half, his entrails spread out between the two halves that were now twitching as he died. Remy felt his gorge rise and couldn't stop himself from puking. He had never been good with blood, he had way too many bad memories with it. His only consolation came that he wasn't the only one, Bruce was hurling right there next to him.
"Let's get this train wreck moving!" Valentin snarled, still well in control of himself and all business. They were out in the open and horribly exposed. The Dognan would be on them any minute.
Logan could sense Remy's fear now that the thief had actually seen the wounded up close. There was no mistaking this caper for the actual war it was and Remy was not in his usual secure environment. It hadn't surprised him that Remy was sick, it wasn't an easy thing to see a man ripped apart like that and the kid was no killer, no matter what he'd been accused of. He gave Gambit's arm a reassuring squeeze and felt him relax a little.
They moved away from the street and back to the buildings where they were better protected. They were going much more slowly and carefully because so many of them had been injured. Still they were getting picked off and one by one their numbers were now drastically reduced.
Wolverine, even injured as he was, watched his steps, making sure he always placed himself in between Gambit and danger. He wouldn't see his teammate harmed, not if he could help it. When they paused here and there, Logan would yank more debris out of himself, grunting softly with impatience. It was already getting hard to get the stuff out, he had to rip and tear a little, only adding to his pain.
Valentin watched him with jealous amusement. "Would that I had your ability, my friend."
"All it means is ya get hurt more," Logan joked wryly and tossed a piece of metal aside.
They reached the outer marker finally. Valentin looked around at the buildings, he saw one he liked and pointed. "There! We'll climb to the roof."