A/N: There's nothing I hate worse than to get really into a story only to find that the author quit writing halfway through the plot. So, with that in mind, here is another chapter of my story (albeit long over due). My apologies. I hope there is still someone out there reading this. If not I'm going to feel really stupid, but I'll still be finishing the story anyway (even if my hubby and I are the only people that ever read it.
Enjoy!
The Reds (part 1)
Three weeks later Max and Alec were called into Director Renfro's office.
"494, 452, I have a mission for your unit. As you know our DNA lab was destroyed when 452 and her siblings tried to take down this facility last year." Max wanted to make a smart ass comment, but she restrained herself and stared straight ahead like a good little soldier. Renfro continued, "The majority of our embryos were destroyed and we've had to resort to...'alternative methods of procreation'." She smiled sadistically at this while both Max and Alec clenched their fists in anger. "Fortunately, Manticore was wise enough not to put all their eggs in one basket so we did have a few of our embryos stored in another location. That location was compromised yesterday and the remaining embryos were stolen A South American military operation known as the Reds are our prime suspects."
The mention of the Reds got Max's attention and she shuddered. "I understand you've had a run in with them before, 452. Is that correct?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" Max replied trying not to show her fear.
"Good, then you understand why this theft has us so concerned." Max nodded and the director turned back to 494 for a moment. "I'm sending your unit to take out the Reds and retrieve the embryos. 452 will brief you on what to expect. Any questions?"
"Yes, Ma'am. How many targets are we expecting? Alec asked.
"Our Intel is sketchy but we know there are at least 5 Red soldiers."
"Only 5, Ma'am?" Alec scoffed. "Do we really need an entire unit? Surely 452 and myself could handles this w/ less exposure." Alec glanced over at Max and was confused to see the fear in her eyes.
"Never underestimate the enemy, 494. The Red soldiers are based in an old warehouse on the outskirts of Seattle, but we believe they will attempt ot take the embryos back to their facility in South Africa within the next 48 hours. Those embryos cannot be allowed ot leave the country. Are we clear?" The director glared at 494.
"Ma'am, yes Ma'am" he replied.
"Good, this folder contains all the necessary Intel. 452 will expain everything else. You have two hours to get your team outfitted then you move out. Dismissed!" Renfro waved them out then turned her attention back to her desk.
The two soldiers saluted and turned to go. Once they were out of earshot Alec turned to his 2IC. "You're trembling, Max. Why? What's so scary about these guys?"
Max shook her head, "We don't have much time to prepare. Let's gather the team, then I'll explain everything."
Two hours later Max, Alec and the rest of Unit 7 found themselves on a military transport bound for Seattle. Alec briefed the team on what they knew so far. "Based on our Intel we have at least five targets holed up in an old warehouse just outside of the blue light district in Seattle. They don't appear to be heavily armed or to have fortified their position much beyond the basics. There are two guards posted outside at all times, one in front and one in back. The embryos seem to be contained in an old walk-in freezer on the east interior of the building. One soldier stands guard inside the freezer. We are assuming the rest of their team will be somewhere inside the the facility. Our mission is to locate the facility, take out the guards and return the embryos to Manticore. With our training this should be an easy in and out assignment. With luck we'll be home by noon tomorrow."
"It won't be as easy as you think" Max had kept quiet during most of the debriefing but now she spoke up.
"Why is that, Max?" Alec turned to his 2IC. He'd been waiting for her to explain things ever since they left Renfro's office.
Max took a deep breath and then began to speak softly. "The Reds aren't normal soldiers. They are convicts recruited off death row."
Biggs interrupted. "Excuse me, Ma'am, but wouldn't that make things even easier for us?
"Yeah! Maybe you're just nervous, Max. After all this is your first big mission since reindoctrination and it's pretty close to home, right?" Dren was trying to be supportive but she couldn't understand Max's reluctance concerning the mission. A few of the others nodded in agreement.
Max looked around at her team with a sober expression on her face. "Dren is right, I am nervous and you should be too. The Reds may not be real soldiers and they may not be genetically enhanced but they are strong, very strong. They have two things going for them that give them a definite advantage over us. Number One: They feel no pain. The Reds each have an implant in their neck just at the base of their skulls. It's wired into their neural pathways allowing them to run faster, hit harder and continue fighting regardless of how serious their injuries may be. Number Two: They're death row recruits; that means they've got absolutely nothing to lose."
Alec stared at Max with his mouth hanging open. He was beginning to understand why she was acting so afraid earlier. These Red soldiers sounded worse than the nomalies in the basements of Manticore. The rest of the team also sat in stunned silence.
After a few moments, Paige asked the question they'd all been wondering about. "So...if they are stonger, faster, and feel no pain, how did you defeat them?"
Max grinned somewhat maniacally. "I stole one of the implants from a dead soldiers and inserted it into my head. I gave me the boost I needed to fight, but it nearly killed me in the process. It took a charge of over a thousands volts of electricity directly into my skull to deactivate the damn thing."
"Are we going to be using these implants?" Cale asked worriedly.
"Absolutely not!" Max and Alec answered simultaneously.
"Then how do we take them out and retrieve the embryos?" Jes inquired.
"We'll need some sort of distraction to catch them off guard, so we can slip in and disable them individually without given them a chance to warn the others." Brin interjected.
"There is no disabling." Max said adamantly. "When they go down, they better not come back up."
"You mean kill them?" Meeks gasped. For someone who'd been trained as a super-soldier all her life Meeks was extremely hesitant to use any form of violence. That's why Alec had assigned her to be the team medic; it kept her on the sidelines of the fighting, most of the time. There was one mission a long time ago that went awry and Meeks had been forced to kill an enemy soldier when he attempted to finish off some of Manticore's wounded soldiers. It took weeks for her to bounce back from that experience and Alec sometimes wondered if she'd ever really forgiven herself.
"Yes, Meeks. I mean kill them." Max was firm on that point.
"What do you suggest?" Alec deferred to her superior knowledge of the situation. He might be the unit's CO but he knew that for this mission to be a success he would have to step aside and let his 2IC take command.
"I've only found two ways to kill them. A bullet though the forehead and breaking their neck. The first way is too noisy so that means we'll have to use the latter option on the ones outside and save the bullet for the guy in the freezer."
"We're gonna need a damn good distraction if we're gonna get that clost to them." Dren commented.
"Yes we are, and we don't have much time so let's get planning." Alec ordered.
By nightfall Unit 7 found themselves on the roof of a building overlooking the warehouse. From this point they could observe the outside guards without being seen themselves.
Cale was setting up infrared equipment that would allow him to pinpoint the exact location of the Red soldiers inside as well as keeping track of where all the team members were. Meeks was off to one side settin up her medical supplies. If anything went wron with the plan there dcould be several injured transgenics to treat. The rest of the team was going over last minute details.
"Um, Alec? I've got something you might want to see." Cale called his CO over to the computer monitors he'd set up. Max and the others joined him.
"What is it, Cale?" Alec asked.
"I think Manticore was a little off on their Intel, Sir. We don't have 5 soldiers to deal with, we have 15." He pointed out the numerous red dots moving around the screen.
"They must have called in reinforcements" Max said worriedly. "Maybe we should abort the mission."
"We can't do that." Alec said. "And we don't really have time to come up with a new battle plan so we'll just have to execute it on a slightly larger scale and do the best we can. Understood?" The team nodded. "Good. Now let's go get ready. We attack in one hour." The team turned to go.
"Wait. There is one thing I want to add." Max said. "When each group has accomplished their objective they are to return to base immediately. If anything goes wrong to the mission as a whole everyone is to split up and head back to Manticore. That is an order."
Max turned and walked over to the edge of the roof. She stood there for several minutes staring off at the space needle. Alec walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "Homesick?" he asked.
Max nodded. "I used to go up there when I needed to think about things. I could look down at the people below and pretend I was just a normal girl like them."
"You'll never be normal, Max."
"I know that now, but I still miss it. My strange little life." Max turned in Alec's arms and buried her head in his neck. "I don't like this mission, Alec. Something about it is very, very wrong. It scares me."
"I know, baby, me too." Alec kissed the top of her head and they stayed in each others arms till time to leave.