Warnings : Mentions of violence, mentions of injuries, mentions of murder
"He… Hear… e ?"
"1/5. Who is it ?" Questioned Reyes, guarded.
"Al…" More crackling, "Aha ! Is this better ?" A modified voice asked.
"Mockingbird ? Could this wait, I'm busy." Gabriel said, shooting over the cover, taking two men down.
"I know, that's why I'm calling, honey." Replied 'Mockingbird'.
"Explain."
"Well, I have a map of where you are, and I could all guide you to safety."
"We are surrounded."
"Where are y'all ?" This time, Cole was the first to talk.
"Big room, farthest from the entrance. Looks like a garage to me." The voice hummed.
"Okay, I see your room. The one with a platform on the Northside ?" Cassidy took a tiny peek over the cover, before ducking.
"Yep. We're in front of it, opposite wall. Middle of it."
"Okay, perfect, I see where you are. Look to your left, is the path clear to the door ?" Genji glanced at the door, seeing some pretty heavy guarded men just next to it.
"That'll be an incredibly risky move." He announced.
"I see…" There's a pause as if Mockingbird was checking something. "Oh wait, maybe I got something safer. At your right, between the corner and you, there used to be a trap and an underground way leading to the outside. Apparently, they did a poor job on covering both sides, so it's possible to force your way into it."
"How big was the trap ?" Questioned Moira.
"A square of 2 meters."
"Gotta be precise…" Genji mumbled.
"Where exactly is it ?" Asked Gabe.
"If you're in the true middle of the room the beginning is 4 meters away, honey."
"What do we do ?" Questioned Cole, unsure.
"Are you sure the trap would be an option, Mockingbird ?"
"90%. As I'm reading the logs they didn't have the time to call someone to fix it yet. Plus, when I was in that room the boss said to be careful since it couldn't hold much weight without cracking."
"Then we'll take that path. Genji, Cassidy, cover me. Moira, make sure I don't take too much damage."
They all grunted in response, going into position in record time, already starting to shoot while the commander got up, ran, and slid to the right, shooting at the floor at the supposed place. It opened enough for Gabriel to slip into it, and once inside, he opened it up more. He took some damage in the process but Moira's healing was good enough for now.
"I'm in. Go one by one, Moira, you're going last." Announced the Commander.
The Shimada and Cassidy looked at each other, and the ninja nodded, letting the cowboy go first. After another nod, Cole was the first to go in, rolling to the damaged floor. He took some damage in the process, which made him grunt in pain but met Gabriel with some no serious injuries, from what Genji could see.
After killing one last enemy, he dashed to the makeshift exit. He could see their opponent going in, trying to prevent them from escaping. He reflected a bullet that would've probably killed him but didn't expect to be shot in the back when he thought he was safe. He fell into the hole, a cry of pain escaping his lips.
"What's the situation ?" Mockingbird asked, their voice sounding worried.
"Genji and Cassidy are with me, but they're hurt. Moira, move it." Replied Reyes, annoyed, but through his pain, the cyborg could tell he was preoccupied. Shortly after, the scientist joined the rest of the group. "Mockingbird ?" He asked simply, while Cole helped Genji stand, Moira assisting Reyes.
"I'd suggest you guys start to run. If you can, anyways. They're coming to get y'all, honey. Thankfully, it's slightly maze-like. I'll guide you~"
The group started to walk in the maze at a fast pace, under the guidance of Mockingbird. They could hear the enemy shout and try to follow them, so Blackwatch did all they could to be as silent as possible.
"You're almost out. Keep going, sweethearts." They cheered, too lighthearted in Genji's opinion. "Next intersection, take a right and then right after a left, and keep going straight. At the end of it, there's gonna be a door. That's your way out~" The group did as told, the voice of their enemy still close behind. Moira tried to open the door.
It didn't budge.
Cold sweats ran down Genji's neck. They all looked at each other nervously. Moira tried again, only to have the same result. They all cursed under their breath. The voices grew closer.
"King ?" Gabriel asked, softly.
"Yes, honey ?"
"The door won't open."
"Huh. What type of door is it ?"
"Heavy, but I can see a dial."
"Lemme see what I can do."
They waited anxiously to hear back from their ally. They all could hear their opponent getting closer and closer, and they prepared for another fight. All of them were not sure if they could take one more.
"Pumpkin ?" Whispered Cassidy.
No answer. They could hear the heavy steps of their enemy.
"Mockingbird, do you copy ?" Questioned the commander, the tension rising tenfold when all they had was white noise in return. They could see the shadows creeping on the walls.
They all pulled out their weapons with trouble and were ready to face the offensive.
'Third time's a charm, thought Genji, and tried one last time to call out for their only way out.
"Mockingbird ?" He had to admit, he hated how anxious he sounded.
"Yes, hi. Sorry I got cut off, I-"
"The code." Gabriel was having none of it. Frankly, none of them was.
"71563B." They simply said.
Moira all but jumped to the dial, hastily writing it up, mumbling the correct order of numbers. The door made a "whoosh" sound, and it was their cue to get the hell out of here. Helping each other to walk, Genji saw Reyes staying behind out of the corner of his eyes, making sure that the enemy wouldn't follow after them. Once the group was all out, they closed the door and went as far as they could from the damned place.
Once the commander decided they were far enough, he announced the break, and they all sighed in relief. Moira took time to inspect each and every wound and heal what she could.
"From what I'm hearing, you sweethearts are out. Congrats~"
"We still need to go to the base." Groaned Gabriel.
"What are your coordinates, hun ? I'll send a heads up to the team."
The Hispanic gave the info needed to King, who announced that he'll be right back. While waiting, Genji looked apprehensively where they came from, anxious about the fact that their enemies may come at any point.
"I think we're far enough for them to have some trouble finding us." Announced Cole, noticing the nervosity the cyborg was feeling. His only answer was a side glance, before continuing his observation. The cowboy sighed but didn't push harder. Everyone was on edge, and starting an argument wasn't exactly bright.
After some minutes of waiting in complete silence, King's encrypted voice was the one to break it.
"Okay, they're informed. The pilot says that he'll be there in ten, at this location." A notification popped up, and they checked the coordinates. It was one kilometre away. "Is it doable for you ?" Moira looked at everyone, judging their state.
"Yes, I think so. However, it'll be great if he could speed up."
"I'll relay that to him." A moment of silence, before Mockingbird piped up again. "Okay, he'll do his best, but it'll still be around 10 minutes."
"Let's get a move on." Said Gabriel, getting up with a groan. The other members mirrored his actions, and Genji hissed, his back pain getting over his pain tolerance.
They did the same pair as they did during the "maze". They began to walk as fast as they could without worsening their injuries. The Shimada could see everyone wanting to go at a slower pace, but as their chief said, they had to move on.
Their walk there was uneventful, if not for the chatter of King, as to help them distract them from the pain. Genji had to admit, it worked for him. It may be idle chatter, and one nobody had to answer to, but it was enough for him to concentrate on that.
The group arrived at a clearing, pretty wide, and no sign of the pilot nor the vehicle.
"Where's the way out ?" Questioned Cole, frowning.
"I- You know what ? I'm going to link your coms, I'm not a phone." Slight static, and King continued ; "Okay love, you're on their coms, too."
"Hello ?" A male voice asked. "Can you all hear me ?" He continued, hesitant.
"5/5. What's the situation ?" Gabriel questioned, sounding very annoyed. He had to admit, he was too.
"Sir, the 10 minutes have not yet passed." He replied nervously. "I'm almost here, though."
"How much ?" The leader pressed.
"1 minute." And he was right, he could hear the faint engines of an aircraft. He relaxed a bit.
When the aircraft arrived, they all rushed inside, not wanting to stay here any longer. This mission was a hazard and a half already. Genji was glad it was over.
The trip back to base was silent in the aircraft, but the comms were lively. This Mockingbird couldn't stop talking. He could've turned off the earring, but the voice kept him distracted enough, as weird-sounding as it was.
Once he got healed up by Angela and her assistants, he crashed into his bed, the thought of the upcoming debriefing barely even existing in the back of his mind.