Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters obviously do not belong to me. I am writing this purely for non-profit entertainment. Yada, yada! No infringement intended, so don't sue me!
EnIgMa (anon) – Thanks for reviewing. Hope this is soon enough an update for you! -:winks:-
Angelofdarkness78 – This whole chapter, as you will soon find out, is a mission. Lol! Brain dead after writing the mission, hence it's not very long. Thanks for your review.
Gamegirl452 – Hehe! Sorry to disappoint, but 494 was shot in the last mission, so I thought he would be a liability ;p. I promise, his name IS coming up, either in Chapter 15/16. I just need to fit the scene in somewhere realistic! Thanks for reviewing and your encouraging words. I appreciate it!
Angel Of Darkness231 – Thanks for your review. Yeah, I thought it was time 494 and Max stopped squabbling. I am running out of insults for them to throw at each other.
Mel11 – I think I am sinking into depression due to lack of cliffhangers -:slumps:- Glad you find cliffhangers interesting, I think I am bringing it back after this one, lol! Read on to find out if Fye and Val made it out. Thanks for reviewing.
NoAngell – Lydecker? -:grins:- Okay… I'll update the spreadsheet. Come to think of it, I might do another poll soon, now that there are more characters. Thanks for reviewing.
Sarah (anon) – Yes, I know! Gab and Matt are my favorites, apart from Alec, of course. -:grins:- And yes, they are slowly becoming more tolerant of each other! Lol! Thanks for your review.
Kungfuchick – Thanks for reviewing. I miss the cliffhangers too! The X3s Max meant was Hulk, the big muscular giant. Funny you should mention Kelpy; he's coming in the next chapter. -:grins:-
Random Rose – Yeah, I need to do a poll to see what people want. Cliffhangers or not! Thanks for reviewing.
Iridescent Twilight – Thanks for your review. I think Lydecker managed to sneak up on them because they were too full of testosterone fuelled anger to see straight! Actually, I quite enjoyed your threats –:grins:- I kinda missed them like the way you miss my cliffhangers, lol!
Jynx-7 (anon) – Thanks for your review. Glad you liked the story. I think Max did not appear to be worried because she's not exactly unhappy in Manticore anymore and she also could not really do anything else to help them. Does this make sense?
Kelzaa – Thanks for reviewing -:Sighs:- What have you got against my lovely cliffhangers, lol! I suppose if it makes you happy…
Calistra – Thanks for reviewing. Longer chapters? I could try to do longer chapters but it would mean less often updates. -:grins:- I tried to strike a balance between the two and ended up with 3000words, lol!
Toniboo – Hey, why no cliffhangers! -:grumbles:- Hehe! Thanks for reviewing.
Lotamoxie – Thanks for your review. Yup, I think Deck is getting the idea and this will play a larger role in the plot later. As for Zack, he's hurt and surrounded so for the moment there's nothing much he could do. And he's not giving up -:grins:-. I have PLANS for him -:wicked laughter:-
L80bug – Thanks for reviewing. Read on and tell me what you think of this chapter.
Alana84 – I like the SUV moment too. There will be more MA stuff in the next few chapters after all these missions! You'll find out about the truce only in the next chapter, I am afraid - sorry. Thanks for your review.
Gabbie760 – Thanks for reviewing. Don't worry about the commenting -:grins:- Anyway, I am tempted to do something for those two you mentioned, but I can't decide! We'll see!
Okay, let's move on to the last detailed mission (for now) then…
RETRIEVED - Chapter 14 - Follow the Leader
(by elle6778)
All of them agreed that they should not wait any longer. Less than 24 hours after Max and Gab returned to Manticore, unit 4 plus their reinforcements left Manticore again in several SUVs. Two teams were deployed at the same time but in opposite directions.
It was decided that Matt would lead the attack on the first base. Their objective would be to gather as much information as they could and to destroy the facility. Sandy, Zip, Treve, seven X6s and three X3s made up Matt's team.
The second base, where Fye and Val were currently being held according to their tracers, was Max's responsibility. Max will be heading up the rescue mission. Her team comprised of four X5s, seven X6s and three X3s.
After setting up their Base Control, Max's team started to move out towards the perimeter of the enemy base. Cass, the baby of unit 4 and another X6 were left behind to man the Base, keeping track of the mobile transgenics' movements.
"Gamma team, establish a perimeter around the west," Max said while signalling with her hands, sending an X3 called Bear, Hulk, Gab and the three X6s disappearing off silently into the night. She waited for them to leave her sight before turning back the other transgenics.
"Delta team, on me," she signalled as she inched forward towards the enemy facility bringing with her half of her strike team. Which consisted of another X3 called Truck, Speed, 401, and three X6s.
As Delta team snuck forward, Max could see the almost imperceptible movement of the Gamma team as they spread out to circle the facility from the west. She nodded in satisfaction, so far so good. She headed towards the east. The plan was for the Delta team to go in and retrieve the two transgenics while Gamma team, led by Gab, create a diversion.
She signalled her team to wait. The transgenics observed as the guards at the door, not noticing anything suspicious, continued to pace up and down listlessly. "Gamma team, proceed with diversion. Now!" Max said softly, knowing that Gab was expecting the command and would react instantly.
Delta team only had to wait moments before the sound of a single shot rang out in the air. And then all hell broke loose as the alarms started blaring. The guards near the door abandoned their posts, running towards the sound of the now continuous gunshots. Max grinned as she saw the guards scatter. Idiots! Defence rule number 43 - Never abandon your post! She thought. Turning to her team she signalled "Go!"
Three taller and seven smaller figures blurred towards the unguarded entrance. Once in, they headed towards the basement, the deduced location of Fye and Val. Their journey to the basement was uninterruptedNo sign of any guards. Probably have their hands full, thanks to Gamma Team. Gab loves explosives and firepower, Max smiled fondly. She could hear the background noise from her comms implant. Gab and the X3s in Gamma team were making teasing remarks and challenges to each other as rounds after rounds were shot. Shaking her head, she hissed, "Guys, cut it out. It's not playtime yet!" All she got for an answer were the sounds of muffled laughter.
Looking down, Max studied the blinking spot on the flat black panel in her hand. This way, she motioned silently using hand signals, turning round a corner. They have only taken a few steps when two guards appeared at the end of the corridor in front of them.
"Hey, you there! Freeze!" one of them shouted, lifting his gun. The transgenics froze. Max signalled behind her back to the X6s.
Then in a blink of an eye, three of the X6s blurred forward in unison. The guards hesitated, staring in stupefaction at the sight of the ten year olds darting at them. In seconds, they landed on the floor, unconscious. Max grinned and gave the X6s an approving nod. They nodded back, keeping their face expressionless, but Max could see the excitement in their eyes. It was their first away mission and they were eager to please. Max wished she was that enthusiastic about the mission.
"Not too long now, Fye, Val… Hang on, we are coming to get you," Max muttered under her breath. She and the three X6s flattened themselves against the wall, creeping forward. The rest of the Delta team were further behind, on the opposite side of the wall
The basement smelt musty and damp. Max could hear a leaky pipe dripping somewhere, it's drips echoing through the corridor. She looked down at the flat black panel in her hand. They were approaching the twin blinking spot on the screen. Approaching what looked like a lab, Max noticed with dread. Labs were never a good sign. More often than not, it signified testing and torture.
Nudging the door open a crack, she peered in. What she saw made her feel ill.
Two men in lab coats were standing over the still form of a dark haired girl, who was strapped down to an operating table. One has a scalpel in his hand, another was checking a tube which was running from the girl's arm. Blood was flowing from the tube into some beakers. Probes were protruding from her scalp. Max could see the numerous open cuts on her naked form. Tissue samples, she thought numbly.
Another girl was lying on a gurney, her arms and legs also strapped down. She was unconscious, but there were no noticeable wounds. She was clothed in a hospital gown which reminded Max of their younger days in Manticore before she escaped.
Max barely refrained from yelling out in outrage at their treatment of her friends. The transgenics were not animals to be tortured and tested, she protested silently. Her eyes hardened as she clamped down on her emotions. In soldier mode again, she signalled to her team.
Two X6s stayed at the door as the rest of them burst in, surprising the lab techs. Without pause, Truck disabled the lab techs, simply by grabbing them and smashing their heads together. The remaining X6 headed towards the computer consoles downloading data into portable discs. Fishing out blocks of C4 from his pack, 401 went around the lab, setting the charges expertly. Max and Speed headed towards the gurneys to release Fye and Val from their bindings.
As Speed unbound Val, she stirred, opening her eyes, "564?" she croaked, blinking her eyes against the glare of the lamps over her.
"Shh! Don't talk; you need to conserve your energy. We're getting you out of here. Can you stand?" Speed asked, arms around Val helping her up. She nodded, and stood unsteadily.
"Guys, you found them?" Gab's concerned voice filtered through each of their comms.
"Affirmative, 547. We have 735 and 422. In the process of releasing them now," Max answered, "Delta to Base, we need medics and birds, over,"
"Base to Delta, we'll see what we can do. We need to call back to Manticore," Cass answered crisply.
"Base, do what you need to do, but make sure it happens. And soon. 735 and 422 are in no state to run out of here," Then she turned to Fye.
Max could feel her tears stinging her eyes as she ripped away the straps, tubes and probes from Fye. The bastards! She thought in fury, noticing the state her friend and CO was in. "Fye? 735?" she whispered. No response. Max did not expect any response. It was a miracle she was still breathing even. Max bent over one of the unconscious lab tech and started to remove his clothes. Seeing her actions, Truck and the X6 came over to help. They held Fye up as Max dressed her quickly in the clothes.
Max and the rest of the transgenics jumped as a terse voice suddenly came through their comms, "452, we have a problem. It seems that a new squad has decided to join the party. They are headed your way," Gab's voice came through the comms.
"How many?" Max asked calmly, although she was nervous inside at the thought of having to fight off more enemies with Fye and Val in tow.
"Ten. Looks military," he answered.
"Shit! Gamma team, converge on the facility. Wait until they enter then pin them in. Base! Any luck with the birds?" Max snapped into her comms. She handed Fye over to 401 and signalled for them to move out.
"Affirmative, Delta. Command sending out two choppers with field medics. Get to the roof. They'll pick you up over there," Cass answered from the Base. Reaching the door, Max signalled Truck and the two X6s who were guarding the door to stay at her side as she led the team out. Speed had an arm around Val, propping her as she tried to walk unsuccessfully. Finally giving up, she allowed Speed to hoist her into his arm. 401 cradled Fye in his arms.
"Good work, Base. How…" Max was cut short as five burly soldiers appeared in front of them, blocking their exit. This must be our gatecrashers, she thought.
Signalling over her shoulders to instruct those behind her to take cover, Max, Truck and the two X6s leapt forward at the soldiers. They landed near them, relieving them of their weapons before they could fire a single shot. The soldiers struck back with force.
Max landed a kick on one's chest, sending him flying across the corridor. He smacked into the wall, fracturing the plaster and then promptly got up, advancing on her again, snarling. What on earth! Max stared in shock. That would have normally disabled them for awhile. She realised that this must be the same ones as those they encountered in the last mission. The ones which she would not make the same mistake of underestimating again.
Max crouched. As he neared her, hands outstretched to grab her, she blurred past to one side of him. Pulling her arm in a wide arc to gain more force, she swung it back crashing into the back of the soldier's neck, bringing him down. Without further hesitation, she grabbed his neck with both hands, twisting it at an unnatural angle. She heard a satisfying crack as his neck snapped. She felt no remorse at her actions after what she'd seen them do to her friends. She hated to kill but they deserved it.
Truck was busy with two of the enemy soldiers. Towering over the two enemy soldiers, he presented an imposing picture. He wrapped his beefy arms around one of them squeezing the air out of the struggling soldier's lungs. Max could almost hear his ribcage fracture as Truck tightened his arms. As the soldier slumped to the ground he charged at the other one, ramming him into the wall. Following Max's example, he snapped the soldier's neck.
Max was stunned at how easily Truck managed to disable them. He made it seem to effortless. Manticore truly did not know what they missed when the relegated this particular type of X3s to the basement. When Truck turned to face her, she gave him a grin and a thumbs-up.
Her attention shifted to a sound a few feet away. Max noticed that the two X6s had joined the fight. One of them extracted a knife; their standard issue Merc tactical knife which was specifically designed for CQB (Close Quarters Battle). He reached up and jumped on the back of the soldier who had another X6 in a choke hold. Without blinking an eye, he yanking the soldier's head back and slashed the knife across his throat. Blood spurted out in an arc from his severed artery as the X6 released his hold. The sticky red liquid splattered onto the X6s.
Max shook her head at the bloodied X6s. Someone ought to teach them to be a bit less messy, she thought with a grimace, noticing the splashes and puddles of blood around them. She looked around to survey the condition of her team. Fye was still in 401's arms and Speed was carrying a semi-conscious Val. Three X6s brought up the rear. Signalling them to follow her while keeping the same formation, she rushed them up the escape stairs. She hoped that the chopper would be nearby.
"Gamma team, we are heading up the north escape stairs. Explosives in position?" Max queried, wanting to make sure everything was going as planned.
"Delta, the place is ready to blow. Current status; we are tailing the gate-crashers," Gab answered.
"Good, Gamma. Base? Prepare to pull out. Leave once the birds complete their pick-up" Max instructed. She did not want to risk any of them getting caught especially after seeing what they did to Fye. She thought that Manticore was bad, but this lot of people were worse.
"Command got us some wheels. We are transmitting from the van now," Cass's voice came through the comms.
"Okay, sounds like everything is in order. Good job, guys," Max said with relief. Then she caught herself short. Not so soon, we still need to get out of here!
As they reached the top of the stairs, Max could hear footsteps somewhere behind them. Great! More of them! Looking around as she stepped out into the roof, she scowled as she did not see what she expected to see. Where the hell are the birds? She thought in irritation.
"547! Get your team up here NOW!" Max snapped, "We have hostiles heading up the escape stairs. We need you to block the other end,"
"Gotcha, 452," Gab answered glibly, but Max could hear the underlying tension in his voice. She only knew Gab for a little more than three years, but it always astounded her how well they could read each other. She shook her thoughts away; she needed to keep her mind on the mission.
Backing away from the escape door, she motioned the rest of them to find cover, and for Truck and the three X6s to stay with her. Thinking of the mess which the X6s just left behind in the corridor, Max signalled to them, 'Shoot to disable, not to kill'. They nodded in understanding. All five of them stood in a row, pointing their XM-26s at the door.
As the door burst open to display five more of those bulky soldiers, the transgenics fired simultaneously into their legs. When the bullets tore into their thighs, they staggered. However the soldiers amazingly regained their balance in seconds. And the continued to advance towards the transgenics, fury in their eyes. Max shuddered inwardly, What are these things? Pointing her gun at their other leg, she shot again, the three X6s following suit. Again, they staggered, then advanced. They obviously were not affected by the shots.
Making up her mind, she quickly signalled to her team again. This time, they were shooting to kill. Countless shots later, the enemy soldiers were lying lifeless on the ground. Max was confused at the behaviour of the soldiers. They were definitely not any ordinary soldiers. Interesting, she thought. Manticore would definitely like to know them better.
Max heard the approach of the chopper. She turned towards the sky to see a sleek black form. Finally! She thought with some relief. "Gamma, state your position!" she shouted as the chopper came closer.
"We're at the bottom of the stairs coming up. More enemy soldiers headed up your way," Gab said.
Frowning, Max asked, "How many?" Don't they ever run out of soldiers?
"Three more," Hulk answered this time.
Max had an idea. Quickly, she said, "Alright. Let them come up. Do not engage, I repeat, do not engage,"
"What the hell? 452? Are you nuts?" Gab's incredulous voice came through the comms. Why not engage, he thought with a frown. Those guys need to be taught a lesson.
"You'll see," Max answered cryptically. Turning to the waiting transgenics from her team, she signalled her plan. The transgenics moved into position.
As the three soldiers stepped onto the roof, the X6s shot them in the legs, breaking their stride. Truck, Max and 401 jumped them from the sides, holding them down, while another two X6s tied them up with a rope. Then the transgenics got up and surveyed their work with smiles on their faces.
Gamma team arrived a moment later, intact. They stood at the roof looking at the soldiers who were securely bound and gagged. Gab glanced a Max, raising an eyebrow in question.
Shrugging, Max said with a grin, "Present for Lydecker,"
The transgenics laughed. The chopper finally landed and the transgenic started to board. The field medics helped Speed to lift Fye up into the stretcher, securing her. Once everyone was safe on the chopper, the medics immediately started working on Fye's battered body.
When the choppers finally lifted up with its passengers, Gab and 401 extracted a box from their pocket. When they were satisfied that they were at a safe distance, Gab and 401 grinned at each other and pressed the red button hidden under a safety lid.
The remote triggered the large number of C4 explosives which they scattered all over the facility. The explosion blasted up high in the air, its waves rocking the chopper. Max looked out and observed as the blasts flattened the facility into a pile of rubble. She smiled.
Mission accomplished.
t.b.c. (-:sigh:- No cliffhangers)
A/N: Sorry, guys. This chapter is a bit shorter. Promise I will upload the next one as soon as I finish it. Anyway, this is the end of the missions for a while. Next chapter will be focussed more on relationships etc. For those of you who are reading Deception, I am in the middle of untangling that mess I created, so I am a bit snowed-under. -:grins:- As usual, I would love to hear your views on this chapter and while you are at it, tell me of any relationships, apart from the obvious -:grins:- which you want more details on!
A/N: Important poll (for me!)! Please vote for – Cliffhangers or No Cliffhangers -:grins:-