The First Contact War

Chapter 15

Smash and Grab

"You win battles by know your enemies' timing, and using a timing your enemy does not expect." Miyamoto Musashi

2622 July 15th Earth Standard Calendar, Sargent Rebecca 'Hex' Darnell, Concordia, Firebase Santa Monica.

The Federation was all over the place as they tried to breach the beachfront at Firebase Santa Monica. The fire was heavy and unrelenting. Hex squinted through her sights as she looked for the more immediate threats to their lines and they were everywhere as she looked from her vantage point in the trenches. Maybe this was the result of that funny feeling that she had all day from the time that she woke up to the time she was directed out to her patrol by Command.

Ever since that morning there was something off about everything. Hex could never explain it, not even to her patrol mates how she knew something was going to happen. No one took her gut feelings lightly either. They had kept her alive the past ten years after the Federation took control of the Orbital Defence Initiative or ODIN satellites and targeted her home leaving her alone; at least she thought so, in the world. She had no word of her parents who resided in New Phoenix and resigned herself to avenging their deaths and making sure that no one else would have to go through that.

It was pretty much everyone's story or everyone had a story like that who joined up to fight against the Federation on Concordia. She joined and never looked back and ploughed ahead. She had nowhere else to go so she dedicated herself to the fight. Her 'gut instinct' made her legendary in some respects and earned ire from others. One of the major things was that it was considered she didn't play too well with authority. She didn't care. She was there to fight the Federation and she would be damned if they took this home from her as well.

"Fuck they're everywhere." It was accompanied by gunfire from next to her that it was almost deafening.

Hex spared a glance at her partner and friend Carol as she fired her weapon at the advancing enemy. She felt a sense of gladness at the presence of her partner that she was still alive in this fight. "And they're going to get nothing but lead from me."

Carol ducked and put a hand to her helmet as an RPG hit their embankment. She felt the dirt and debris that flew from the explosion hit her on the shoulders as she looked up to see her friend pop back up from her crouched position and continued to fire. "I'm so not cut out for this."

"You may be right. You are a medic," Hex countered without any malice behind it.

"And the only reason I'm out here is because it's all hands on deck," Carol countered as she scampered over to where a soldier had gone down and was grabbing his shoulder. She pulled out bandages to plug the wound.

Hex gave a slight smirk at that. Carol had been the medic for her team the past five years. The woman had been a doctor when she enlisted and the first thing that was obvious to Hex was that the woman didn't like shooting guns. Sure she had trained for it but the woman hated it and didn't like combat but she was damn good in the field in terms of patching up things. Hex made it her personal job to keep an eye on Carol and safe. It ended up cementing a bond of friendship to the point that the men thought the end of the world had come. Their sergeant was not known for making friends. She went in and did the job and expected others to do the same.

It was hard for those outside the team to comprehend but there was a modicum of respect. The men valued their leader's expertise and they worked together to make sure everyone was more or less intact when they came back from patrol sweeps of the Wall. They were considered the best next to Viking Six and Viking Five. Rumour had it that they took out a whole patrol with their dog.

Hex knew all this and didn't think much of it. She did make much of her men in terms of making sure that they were good to go and if someone was hurt she made sure they made it back. She could be a hard ass but she did care. She watched Carol take care of one of her guys but he ended up dying from bleeding out and she had to admire Carol's strength to return to the line. She said, "We may have to fall back."

"There's still Harris and Potts," Carol pointed out. She knew they had to hold the line even though it looked dire. She was willing to do it because someone had to look after her friend who would go on a suicide mission if it called for it.

Hex looked at the situation. It was getting dire. She could see that they were losing ground. "Tell them to pull back and regroup with Tango squad. You go too."

"And you?"

"Staying at my post. Rigging up a few explosions and giving them hell," Hex replied giving Carol a grin. She patted her friend's helmet to indicate that she was to get moving and that was an order.

"And my professional opinion is that you are insane as always," Carol replied as she turned to relay the order to the remaining men of the squad. She looked at her friend and saw that she was indeed preparing to give a very loud explosion and shook her head.

Hex looked over her embankment and noted the advancing enemy. She didn't have much time. She called in, "Command, this is Echo Three, hostiles advancing and we're losing ground."

"Roger that Echo, can you hold position?"

"Negative, Command. Fall backing to next position but leaving a nice surprise for the Feds." Hex ran through her empty line and laid down what she had finished.

"Roger Echo. Fall back to nearest position and continue fire."

"Roger that."

"We are losing ground. We need you to help reinforce the beachfront."

"On our way. Any word from Captain Winter's command post?"

Hex paused only for a moment to hear what was going on. She was familiar with Captain Winter since she was assigned to his command. He assigned her patrols accordingly and always treated her… she wasn't sure how to describe it. She was always business when it came to orders but his mannerism to her was different. In return she lightened up a bit and they had interesting conversations. If Carol was there, she would have said that she was fond of the Captain and in that respectful way.

"Negative. Defensive teams were holding that position…"

Hex looked around and it felt like her breath was taken away. If Captain Winter was KIA or seriously injured… She couldn't think the worst but it was a very real possibility. And her friend Carol was right. She was fond of the man and it was because he gave her a chance in terms of command. Up until five years ago she had been put down even as she advanced to the rank she deserved. She was not taken seriously until she had been called in by the Captain.

She was nervous then but she maintained that look of calm as she had been taught and what had been assumed to be the stereotype of her people. It was a bit of a put off for people who didn't understand but for those that got to know her, it was a mask to hide what she was truly feeling and it was something she excelled at ever since she was a child. It was this look of calm she had when she walked into the Captain's command.

The man was well known in military circles. He knew his stuff and was respected for it. Hex admired his courage during the early part of the war and now he was speaking to her. It had been a total surprise when he asked her where she was from and what her background was. She had been taken aback and wondered why he was asking and looked at him with a look of suspicion. It was bold but she only responded with name, rank and serial.

That seemed to please him since he nodded and beckoned to her stand at ease. The first part was the rundown of her career thus far and he pointed out a few noteworthy comments from her superiors that were total bullshit but nevertheless she wasn't able to argue. She owned up to it and even gave certain 'corrections' that had not been noted. Captain Winter merely nodded at her and looked at what he had on her. In the end he said that he needed someone to lead one of his squads and that he was appointing her to the job.

He had told her what he was doing with his back turned towards her. When he announced his decision he had turned to gauge her reaction. She responded with a calm air and stood at attention to accept. Since that day she was Echo Three and leader of Echo Squad. Also since then the captain had become more open and tried to encourage her to open up as well. Her gut said to but this time she was wary about it but the captain didn't seem to mind. It was like he knew what she was thinking and responded accordingly.

Now it looked like there might be a possibility… Hex shook her head and went about the business of setting the last of the charges. She couldn't think about that now even though she was struck with the slightest feelings of dread and possible sadness of that possibility. She was going to make life a living hell for the Feds. Once it was set she called, "Command, this is Echo Three. Pulling back and waiting to light up the ground."

"Roger. All units be advised danger close near sector zero seven eight niner. Echo Three has the green light."

Hex ran to a nearby hole. She was still in the trenches but it was the best cover and she had a good position. She watched and waited. She fired her weapon to draw them in closer and as many as possible. When she was sure, she let it rip. The explosion that followed really lit up the ground. Hex peeked over at the sight of her handiwork and gave an approving nod. That was a good kill.

"Echo Three good kill. You bought time for the SA10C-Thunderbolts."

"Roger that, Echo Three out."

It was business as usual but Hex was separated from her squad. Still she ran through the lines taking out the enemy and grabbing ammo along the way. She paused only a moment to note that the enemy was retreating. She frowned at that though. That didn't seem right. She watched as the enemy popped smoke to… "Command, hostiles marking our guys with smoke. Artillery inbound."

"Copy that. All unit's enemy artillery inbound."

Hex watched as the artillery bombarded the defensive positions. It made her a bit careless and a round grazed her arm. She ducked and looked up to see enemy VTOL transports inbound. This was going to be a shit hole for sure.

"You couldn't stay out of trouble long enough could you?"

Hex looked up to see Carol already at work looking at her arm. She didn't bother to question how the medic found her. "It's a scratch. Where's the squad?"

Carol become quiet for a moment, "They fell back to the defensive position. Artillery got them."

"Command we have enemy birds suppressing our position! What's the ETA on those Warthogs?"

"SA10C's en route. ETA thirty seconds".

"Like we have thirty seconds," Hex muttered while getting back to her feet. She would mourn her squad later. Right now she had Carol to worry about and they were stuck in the middle of heavy fire and it looked like relief was on the way but they were losing the beach. "We need to stay out of Fed sight and make our way to the defensive position. A10's are inbound."

"Don't have to tell me twice. Lead the way," Carol replied as she loaded a fresh mag.

Hex began to move out. She was right in that the Fed was storming the beach. They were losing ground and fast. She could only hope that the A10s would get there on time to save what was left. They would hold their ground though.

"A10s are on station and ready for tasking."

Hex pulled Carol into a trench to hide from the Thunderbolt fire. Whoever was piloting them was making it fast and accurate and that was a relief. "At least someone can shoot."

"Better them than me. You know me. I don't like guns," Carol joked. She adjusted her position and looked around the trench.

At that moment an explosion sounded. Both women looked to see one of the balconies of the defensive positions fall. They could see men failing as they fell to the ground. Some did manage to survive and were taking cover since they were in the trenches.

"Drone Control's defensive teams are reporting massive casualties and need assistance."

Hex looked at Carol. If Drone Control fell, then they were screwed. She looked at Carol and the woman nodded. She called, "Command this is Echo Three acknowledging sit rep. Heading to Drone Control now using the trenches."

"Roger Echo Three."

"We're moving through the trenches! Hang tight, we'll get there!"

"All defensive units be advised! Friendlies are moving through the trenches towards Drone Control. Watch your fire!"

"Just another day at the park, Carol."

"Fuck you, Hex."

They gave each other a fist bump and started moving through the trenches. The Federation was crawling all over the place but if they didn't get there and secure Control they were going to lose the beach. The drones were the only thing that were keeping the beaches from being completely overrun. Hex took point and began to clear the path. It was like doing drills when she was trying to better Carol's shoot ratio. It sucked horribly but it did develop a sense of teamwork and cemented a firm friendship.

Carol's rifle was going off and picking off hostiles that were trying to flank them or came out of the woodwork. It was a well-developed strategy that served them both a couple of times on patrol. The squad had picked up on it and they had adapted it to squad size and it worked. Now it was back down to two and they were against huge odds.

They ran past sandbag mounds that really didn't do shit for cover but it was better than nothing even when you had durasteel Armour. Hex felt the sand from the beach sticking to her armour's skin from the sweat pouring down her face and neck. She could hear shouts of people calling that men were down and where targets were. It was loud and unrelenting but they had to push forward. Somewhere along the way a couple of their guys from other teams joined to help clear a path.

"We're surrounded on all sides! What's your ETA?"

"We're almost there. Hold on!"

"Copy that. Echo Three almost there."

They pushed forward and Hex thought she heard Caracian so she pressed against the wall and put a hand back to press Carol to the wall. It was gone and she heard voices. It sounded like their guys so she risked it after indicating that Carol should stay back and be ready. She wasn't going to take chances. If she got hit, then Carol would be fine and she would take down as many as she could.

With Carol pressed against the wall with her gun ready, Hex took a deep breath before coming around the corner. She was prepared to fire with her rifle up and she aimed. The result ended up with her coming face to face with another soldier who was pointing his rifle at her. First thoughts were that he was fearless and a good soldier for standing his ground. Then she noticed the black mask with a skull bones on it, where the actual bones would be on his face, that covered his face except for the area where the eyes were.

"Name and rank," he said.

"Echo Three," she replied, well aware that it wasn't what he was asking. He wasn't lowering his weapon so she wasn't either. "You?"

"CDR. Luke Sparrow… Sergeant."

It was a standoff as Hex studied him and went with her gut. She kept her weapon up and diverted her gaze and her gun and fired. The dead Fed fell into the trench and she lowered her weapon and stared silently at the Commander. As far as she knew, she was in trouble for her attitude towards a superior officer but now wasn't the time. She said, "Trenches are crawling with them."

Commander Luke Sparrow POV

CDR. Luke Sparrow looked at the sergeant that in most cases would have been considered undermining the chain of command. His first impression was that she was a bitch because of her attitude but also impressive. He had heard of Sergeant 'Hex' and he was certain she was the one that set off the fireworks below to buy some time to hold the beach. Her team was well known during the sweeps of the Wall and couple of missions they had been sent on. Their motto was 'Into the Breach' or something like that. Some of the stuff was stories that were embellished by the men as what had happened.

At this point it looked like they were going to need some help and since he had heard that Echo Three was responding to aid for Drone Control, he wasn't going to turn down help. He replied, "Only too true sergeant."

Hex lowered her weapon and looked around while Carol came out to reveal that she wasn't alone. "We're making for Drone Control."

"Same here. You're welcome to join. We could use the extra hands."

"Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you," Hex replied. She knew that she was being disrespectful but something compelled her to be; like that was the only way to gain acceptance. It was strange and probably stupid but it was that gut thing again and she went with it. "My medic, Echo Five," she introduced Carol who nodded.

"Sparrow. My Squad mate Riley," Luke replied. While it was probably not the best of times to be making introductions, it had reduced the tensions long enough to agree to work together and then later go back to deciding who had the bigger bite. "Let's move out."

Hex followed behind Luke and was in turn followed by Riley and Carol. They continued on towards control and ended up running into a large hovercraft that was flying over the trenches. It wasn't one of theirs so that meant that it was one of the Feds. She paused to study the thing as it flew overhead and her eyes scanned it out of habit. If she had the weaponry she would try to take it out. She returned to business and signalled Carol to fall into formation.

"Drone control! Enemy forces are swarming at your door! We need air support on your position. It's the only way we'll be able to get through," Luke called through the comms. He fired at the hostiles that were in the trenches and trying to slow them down. He was surprised though to see that Hex had passed him up and was pushing forward and behind her was her medic covering her flank like a two-man tank.

"Roger that! Repositioning drones now! The tower will be in your kill zone! Watch your fire!"

Luke looked at the two-woman team as they took cover. They were anticipating the air strike. He called to his comrade, "Call em in! Make sure to direct your fire away from the tower!"

Hex took cover and fired at the hostiles from her position while occasionally checking to see if Carol was still there. She teased, "Still with me Doc?"

"Bite me," Carol replied with a slight grin as she fired her weapon. She noticed the drones firing as they took out enemy armour. "Looks like our partners are good shots… not that you'd ever notice." She smirked when she saw the look her friend was giving her.

Hex gave a look and covered the one called Riley while he directed the drones to draw fire from the tower. He was good she could admit but that didn't mean that she was impressed. Being beaten down by her successes sort of put the whole thing about showboating out of her and she did the same to her guys. She continued to so her job until the second drone was hit by enemy fire and it struck the tower. She heard Luke calling the tower and getting nothing. "Tower's down," she said with harsh realization.

"Shit! Come on let's move!" Luke hadn't wanted to admit it but it looked like the beach was going to be overrun. Still they had to make sure. He signalled for them to move out.

Hex followed behind Luke as they headed towards the damaged tower. There were still hostiles all around so she narrowed her eyes and covered the leader while trusting in Carol and Riley to do the same. They cleared out the entrance and Luke called, "That's the last of 'em. Let's move."

Hex moved lightly on her feet to take point. She passed Luke and Riley and ended up at the door to look around. Dirt clung to her face, darkening her skin, forcing it into shadow. From the view of her companions she looked like a being that wasn't quite human. She radioed, "Command, drone control is down. Moving in to evac the injured, over."

"All units this is Command. SA10C Drone Support is now offline. Fall back to secondary defensive positions. I repeat all units retreat from the beach."

"Let's go!"

Hex pulled on Carol's vest and started following Luke through the buildings along with Riley. Air artillery was being dropped at the same time and it was not helping as troopers were falling back to the secondary positions. "Keep up Doc!"

At that moment Riley slipped and Hex forced herself to stop and help him up. Artillery exploded around them, sending debris up. She yanked on his arm since he had slipped while trying to get up. When she turned though… One second Carol was there, the next second and explosion hit in front and Carol was no longer there. It was not her voice when she screamed out, "Carol!"

There was nothing there and the artillery was getting fiercer and she had someone who needed her help now. She used her other hand to pull Riley to his feet. He had been hit in the head with a chunk of debris and was sporting a cut that looked worse than what it was. She pushed him to follow Luke and gave a backwards glance to whisper good bye.

"Delta HQ is down the next street! Hurry!"

Hex snapped her attention towards Luke and Riley. She covered the flank as she followed them, taking down enemies from the street. She had no idea where she was going or why she was even sticking with Luke and Riley but she stayed and covered.

"Enemies behind us! We gotta get inside!"

Hex was prepared to remain behind but she was grabbed by the shoulder of her vest and urged inside by Luke. She really didn't have the heart to scowl at that since she realized that they were at the captain's command. She started following Riley and tailed by Luke being the last one looking for Captain Winter. Their way was blocked and only Riley was able to get through. Luke told him to go upstairs and they would find another way through. They did find another way through and Luke shouted, "Riley!"

"Up here! There's no sign of the captain." Hex and Luke hurried up to the room where Riley was through an alternate route from the fire escape. Hex looked up as she heard a Warbird VTOL approaching. The Warbird stopped right above them and lowered three cables down to them. She saw Luke and Riley attaching the cables to their belts.

"You coming or what?"

2622 July 15th Earth Standard Calendar, CDR Elias Winter, in Orbit around Concordia, aboard the stealth ship OAG Winter Solace

Elias could be considered a man of few regrets. As he said, once he made a decision, there was no going back. It was his way of saying that he was confident in it. Looking down at his boys, he watched as Hex walked back towards them to join them but not be a part of their group. She had squatted nearby within conversation distance and seemed more inclined to 'talk' to Riley though she answered to Luke's questions. Luke was silent and seemed less talkative as he usually did around people he didn't have to talk to.

He wasn't wrong when he made the decision to make her an operator and the same went for his men. His men he knew they were capable of the job ahead and he was certain she was too. It was different because he hadn't had the opportunity to watch her grow up and learn what she learned. It took the war to show him that she was skilled as a tracker and had the ability to sneak up on people. She was innovative and she was patient and resourceful as a leader.

He was well aware of how she had been treated the first five days of the war. He didn't believe much the reports but she didn't deny things when he pressed when she reported to him five years ago. Since then she did what was asked and once or twice barely toed the line or more like leaned over it. She got the job done and didn't finish until it was completed; another quality in a Delta Operator.

He could understand her apprehension though. She was never one to seek fame and what she had done as an artist was more for awareness. She didn't care about the money. She didn't even know what Delta were until she met them… and it was quite memorable. He could see Reece watching her as she 'sat' very still and the only movement was when she spoke to Riley and occasionally Luke. His nose looked a little swollen and Merrick… the man was scowling.

Sighing Elias knew it was time to get to business and he walked forward. His men stood up quickly but Hex was slower and graceful. It was regal and Elias wondered if she had inherited that from her mother. Merrick was on his feet and asking, "So what are we going to do about the Feds on Concordia?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing!" yelled Hex.

"The OAG does not currently have the Forces to go on the offensive against the Feds, even with 50% of the home fleet en route. we can however get them off world, but we don't have the available units to attack the Federation Planets directly, so instead we are going to infiltrate the capital Caracas and snatch the man in charge, Albert Valentine. This…" Elias said pressing a button, showing a hologram of the Presidential Skyscraper. "Is the Presidential Skyscraper, Valentine's office is located on the 73rd floor. We will enter via the roof using a special stealth Warbird and enter on one of the higher floors and make our way down inside. We will neutralize any opposition and hit Valentine's office. Once we have secured the VIP we will exfill to this carpark two blocks away, where the Stealthbird will pick you up and rendezvous with the Winter Solace. This ship will then immediately jump to Earth were we will hand Valentine over. Also there will be no use of your Exoskeletons due to the high risk of the mission, command doesn't want anything to fall into enemy hands if this goes sideways."

"How do we know Valentine will be in his office?"

"We are going in on Federation Day. Valentine will have just have finished a speech and will be finishing work off in his office before going home."

"Well then… I've always wanted to visit Caracas; we'll even get to bring back a souvenir" Luke commented.

"And what about you?" Luke was well aware that it sounded like a childish retort but he had to say something. "Considering you grew up on them yourself like a bear teaching your people how to hunt."

Hex was actually amused by Luke's choice of words. She was also still feeling that unfamiliar feeling that she wasn't sure what to do about. "I don't know about that. I was merely telling Riley how I got my name. At least it has meaning. What the hell kind of a name is 'polymath' anyway?"

Riley was certain that Hex was goading Luke on purpose but Luke wasn't helping his cause either since he had sneered at her. All he could do was jump in the middle in order for them not to hit each other. He was certain they wouldn't try to hit him in their pursuit of trying to kill each other or from the looks of it… He was not going to go there just yet.

Luke merely glared at Hex and asked, "And what the hell kind of name is 'Hex'? Sounds clichéd. At least 'polymath' is original, it means having learned much in Greek, referring to my ability of a Jack of all Trades. "

"Nice speech I bet you tell yourself that to make you feel important," Hex shot back automatically. " 'Hex' or rather 'Hexe' is German for witch. Hex can also refer to the word's meaning as a curse, alluding to my standing antagonistic relationship with my superiors and the Feds."

The bump to the shoulder was hard and Luke felt it as Hex brushed past him to head in the direction for briefing. He watched her leave and heard Riley hiss, "Bad move there bro."

"She got on my bad side," Luke countered as he turned in the direction she was heading.

"No, I think you got on her bad side and you dug a trench," Riley corrected. "You just had to say it."

"I didn't say anything."

"Yeah that was what started it."

"Shut up."

"You know this is a mission, not a damn costume party."

Hex looked at Merrick as she finished putting the last of her paint on. She moved her head like an inquisitive puppy would and replied, "I know." Her response was calm and in normal cases it was to diffuse a situation. Here it seemed to make Merrick more annoyed with her. "This is a war face," she added as she pointed to her face.

Luke had been listening to the entire conversation and watched her work. She hadn't said a word to him beyond what was necessary but she was animated with Riley; a good show to the point that he was on her bad side. It had been that way the entire time it took to get down to Caracas and plan the assault. The tension was felt and thick enough to be cut with a knife. He took a look at the work she did on her face and was surprised to find that he didn't have a problem with it.

The top half of her face was painted black like a mask including her forehead. Above her brows were thin strips of white like feathers and on her cheek twin dark red lines on each one like the Fed's blood that hit her on the face when they first met. The whole picture made her look intimidating and scary and was better than any Ghost mask. Her dark brown hair had been swept back into a single braid that was coiled into a knot on the back of her head. It was a badass look.

Riley was watching the whole thing as well and he caught his brother looking and nudged him, "Say something, bro."

"Why me?"

"You want to stay on her bad side? I know you're pissed about it."

Pissed wasn't exactly the word Luke would use to describe the conditions of the past few days. Functional may be the correct word since they did work together but it was hardly pleasant at least between him and her. With Riley she was nicer and even gave him tips. Merrick groused and grumbled and she was polite. Reece, it was a quiet acceptance and of course Elias conversed with her like he did him and Riley. It was just different with them.

It wasn't like she made it easy to get on her good side in the first place. It was like she was determined to keep him down no matter what he did. It was like she found fault with everything and while it wasn't hatred, it was more… he had no idea. He went with the best thing and was polite with her but didn't expect anything beyond politeness in return. Maybe the right word was clinical? Either way he was stubborn enough to take it but… he really didn't like it.

"Luke," Riley said and motioned towards where Merrick and Hex were having a standoff.

Luke sighed, "Like it's gonna do anything."

"You'd be surprised."

Luke shot his friend a look akin to the idea that it would be a cold day in hell before that would happen. Then again he probably was in hell. He made a noise and walked over before a potential fistfight started and he was willing to bet that Hex would win. She certainly looked fierce enough. He cleared his throat and said, "It's not that bad."

If looks could kill, Merrick's would. Luke stood his ground and reaffirmed his opinion, "It's not bad. It looks like a… ghost."

Riley heard what Luke said and almost wanted to laugh out loud. His friend looked uncomfortable saying it and he had one person glaring at him and the other was looking at him like he had gone off the deep end. He looked down but managed to catch a glimpse at Reece who was also trying hard not to laugh.

"That was the effect I was going for," Hex soft tones broke the silence. "Inspiration by the Ghost Dancers of the Sioux and we are warriors too." She slowly gave an almost sly smile in the direction of Merrick. "You would look good in this though I think the bottom half in red better reflects your temper."

"Fine." Merrick walked away muttering about her being a pain in the ass.

"Do you like pressing people's buttons?"

Hex had been watching Merrick storm off when she heard Luke's question. She turned to see his face covered in camo paint and it made his brown eyes stand out more. They were actually a nice colour and he wasn't bad per se. She had observed him with Riley when he wasn't looking and when he spoke to his friend. It was just… "Only because I know it pisses him off and I hardly made a good impression when I gave him a black eye. Why?"

"I want to say that pleasing everyone in life is impossible, but pissing them off is easy and fun as hell but, you can be nice. You are nice when you are."

It was lame and awkward and Luke knew it. He could hear Riley laughing at him in silent laughter. It was a surprise though when she replied, he had it well but he always found it awkward talking to people when not giving orders or reports. "You are too."

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome."

It was rather abrupt when she pivoted on her heel and went back to checking her gear. Luke stared for a moment trying to figure out what had just happened. He looked over at Riley who merely shrugged his shoulders and went back to what he was doing. Luke didn't bother looking at anyone else. He shuffled on his feet and said, "I bet you'll scare them good… Hex."

Hex paused just a moment when she heard her name. It sounded nice coming from him when it was devoid of any contempt. Actually he had always been polite after their initial conversation but it just sounded different this time and she liked it. Her lip twitched in a slight smile and she continued finishing her prep. She had her gear on and was ready to go except for one last thing.

It was one weapon that sort of increased the rumours of how scary she was to people. It certainly lent credence to romanticized versions of the Old West. It wasn't a traditional weapon but she had learned how to use it from her father and had this one made specifically for her. She ran her fingers along the grain of the wood of the handle up to the bladed part. Her thumb traced the sharpened edge with practice long honed since she first held one.

"That's not standard issue."

Hex turned to see Reece standing close. She figured he was checking to make sure that she was ready to go since she was causing a slight delay. She held it up and moved it like she was playing with it. "This? Not really but it comes in handy."

Reece studied her. He had been since he set her feet on the VTOL. He didn't even mind that she had bopped him a good one on the nose. He liked the fact that she hadn't taken their rescue at face value. He thought she had good instincts about her just for doing that and the fact that she didn't flinch at Merrick's temper… She would do all right as an operator. He pointed at her weapon, "Do you know how to use it?"

Hex looked at Reece and saw the dare in his eyes. She twitched her lips into a grin. "Care for a demonstration?"

Reece gestured that she was to have a go. He pointed at her target. "Be my guest."

"This isn't kid's play," she countered as she moved to get into position. "I'm already in trouble with Merrick."

"He just doesn't like it that you got the drop on him," Reece replied with a slight shake of his head. "It's been a long time since anyone has been able to do that. And especially from someone who doesn't hold Delta in awe."

"I didn't know you guys," Hex replied as she stood in a loose but firm stance. She was ready to throw but she wasn't going to if she didn't have the green light here. Out in the field it was anything goes. "Ask the boys about how I was ready to shoot them when we came face to face."

"Would you shoot a member of your own side?"

Hex felt her lip twitch involuntarily. She held her weapon by the head between her first and middle fingers. Her throat convulsed as she looked at nothing in particular. In a low voice that matched the appearance of her face, "If they were not who they said they were, then I would. I did it before."

Reece looked at her. "You did?"

"Ask the Commander," Hex replied. She flipped her weapon in her hand and put it on its slot on her belt. "He was the one that sent me on the mission that I discovered it." She looked at the door and the clock. "We should get moving."

Reece watched as she started heading towards the door. It made him all the more curious about her. Turning he motioned for Luke and Riley to come along as he followed Hex to their ride into Caracas. He watched as Riley immediately approached her followed by Luke. He was going to join them when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned to see that it was Elias and he turned to wait for last minute instructions.

Elias looked at Reece and said, "It's true. I sent Echo Team on a mission and they uncovered a traitor."

"So she killed him?"

"Yes and it was after nearly losing the recon team because of the traitor."

Reece realized what Elias was saying. "So she was the one that…"

"She did what she had to do Reece. You can trust that she will watch your back to the end."

"Do we tell her about Locus?"

"No."

2622 July 16th Earth Standard Calendar, CDR Luke 'Polymath' Sparrow, Presidential Building, Caracas City, Chorus. 0000 hours.

The fireworks exploded over the night sky filling it with bright colours of red, yellow, green… it was a celebration after all. The city of Caracas was lit up below and the buildings had their lights on for the evening. It was like how the cities in No Man's Land looked like at night before ODIN destroyed them. Down below people were celebrating because it was Federation Day and the successful attack on the OAG. Yes, there was a lot to celebrate.

Luke was kneeling from his position on the roof and scanning the landscape in front of him. She was mostly staring at the building across from them; it was the target building where they were going to catch Albert Valentine, the man who he knew, could end this war. he had been that way for the past thirty minutes and waiting. That was the patience tester.

Hex had been keeping watch from her post but also been watching Luke. Once she had taken position, she hadn't moved. She looked like a still statue staring into the night. Even Reece had moved a little but she hadn't. She was just kneeling with perfect balance with one arm resting on her knee and the other was dangling that it almost touched the ground she was kneeling on. Every single muscle was taut and still. He couldn't help but admire it and…

A slight elbow from Riley had Luke looking at his friend. He glared at Riley and his brother-in-arms smirked as he turned to look at the building they were going to hit once they confirmed Valentine was there. Luke scowled and turned back to his lookout but he couldn't help but look at Hex. She still hadn't moved and it looked like she could sit there for hours.

"He's right on time," Reece said as he looked overhead at the aircraft inbound to their target building. He jumped down from his position to get a better look. "Time to earn the mask," he said as he pulled his on over his face. He turned to look overhead and follow the inbound VTOLs towards the building.

"Maybe some don't need one," Luke murmured as he got himself ready as he glanced in her direction.

"VTOL's landing, confirm visual ID," Reece said as he nudged Riley. "Scarecrow, this is Six-Two. Prepare to receive optical feed."

Riley put on his optic scanner and zoomed in to look and ID their target. They had to make sure he was there or this trip was going to be a bust. He focused on a door into the building to make sure his settings were good.

"Copy Actual. Receiving transmission. Cleaning up the signal. Wait until he is facing you."

"Our target's on the roof dead ahead. We need to ID him," Reece said.

Hex was looking straight ahead and she narrowed her eyes. Her focus was on the chopper that had landed and spotting their man. She said, "Focus on the chopper Ghost." She was looking in that direction and then said, "Grey suit, glasses. Focus on him."

Luke looked at her and she was still on her position looking at the rooftop. How the hell did she know that? Could she even see from that distance? He didn't think so and figured that it was all for show.

"Target confirmed. Mission is a go."

"I guess you do have the eyes of a hawk, Hawk," Riley said as he lowered his optic scanner and put it away. He looked over at Hex who was looking at him and they shared a grin. He then looked at his brother who was looking like he did earlier before they shipped out.

Hex grinned at Riley and finally she moved from her position and leapt down to down the group. She replied, "I guess my name is good for something." She gave a friendly pat before turning to notice Luke staring at her. "It's just being able to observe."

Reece wanted to laugh but didn't. He shook his head though to indicate he had noticed. He found it a little creepy that she was able to be still for so long. He almost mistook her for a statue at one point. It had him wonder exactly what she did on her missions with her old team. He replied, "Hard copy, Scarecrow. Six-Two out." Toward the group he said, "Set up your launchers and check your chutes for exfil."

Hex went to the launcher she had set up and cracked the case. To her left was Luke setting up his line and to her right was Riley. It made for an interesting thought that was gone the moment it caught fire. She brushed it off as she made sure her chute was good along with the emergency chute. The plan seemed a little more exciting than what she had been on but she was willing to tough it out.

"Your strap," Luke's voice came in on her left.

Hex turned and caught Luke adjusting one of her straps that had twisted. She hadn't noticed it and probably wouldn't have. Maybe she would have felt the chaffing later but it still wasn't a big deal. Still she let him fix it and said, "Wouldn't have been a bother."

"Maybe not now but later," Luke replied as he finished. He looked at her full on not really expecting anything from her.

"Thanks, Polymath," she replied and she turned back to make sure the launcher was set.

"You're welcome Hex," Luke replied to her back and went to set up his own launcher. She wasn't ignoring him or being rude but just accepting it. It was different from her 'bad side' as Riley put it but he couldn't help but feel that she was treating him differently from the others. The obvious was his brother.

"Fire your lines kids," Reece was saying to get them going.

It was funny to think how noisy the equipment could be when they fired their lines. The upside was that no one was going to be looking up and if they did, no one would notice. The other upside was the fact that the fireworks in the sky plus the noise below would cover up any noise the equipment made. It was just a funny thought as Luke hooked up to his line, took a breath and ran to the edge of the building and leapt off to rappel down.

It was quite a thrill to feel the wind in his face as he continued his course towards the target building. He could feel the shorter locks of his dark hair tickling her ears as he moved forward. he glanced over to see Hex looking like she was trying to gain momentum and Riley looked like a kid going surfing at one of Santa Monica's beach resorts. Reece was the only one that looked like this was routine for him. For him it would never get old.

"Three. Two. One. Detach," Reece gave the go.

Luke reached for his rig and followed through. This was even better than running and jumping off a building. It certainly was a fantasy of something like Tarzan swinging through the trees as his weight and momentum carried him forward. He crouched his body into a ball and readied his feet. The thump against the wall as the balls of his feet touched had him want to giggle like a girl as he let the balls of his feet absorb the impact and he bounced a little.

There was a slight crunch and he looked to see Riley bouncing to get to the wall. he could make out a crack in the glass. When he looked up he had a sheepish grin on his face. It caused him to give a grin in return and a slight shake of his head. he adjusted her feet and still was on the balls of his feet and ready to move on Reece's orders. Time to get down to business. he flipped her rifle to a ready position.

"Line secure. Let's move down."

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Luke rappelled down to the next floor and got to appreciatively watch as Riley took out tangos in the rooms in his range. He adjusted and didn't make a sound as she looked on the level they were at.

"Targets down. We're clear. Move to the next floor."

Luke moved down almost on tip toe. It was not the conventional way of rappelling down but He found that it was quiet to Him and he could move like he would on the ground. He peered through the glass and said, "More enemies below."

"Hold your fire."

Luke looked up to see that Hex was not too far from him and she was peering to get a good look. She had a couple in her sights and she readied her rifle and waited for the green light. He heard Reece say that he had three at the poker table. He angled his body and was able to see them clearly. Interesting angle but he could make the shot.

"Left side. One in the kitchen. One on the way."

He looked at Hex's direction. Well that made the odds interesting. He looked up to find that Hex was staring at him again. She didn't know why except the possibility that she was trying to throw him off his game. Fat chance of that happening.

"Shift left. Polymath, Hex, hit the kitchen first. Wait until he's in the kitchen then take them both out."

Hex felt her lip twitch as she brought up her rifle and followed Luke as they shifted. She got into position and asked, "Do you want to catch him with his pants down?" She meant if he wanted the one that was looking for chow.

Luke felt his lip twitch in a near smile. "Only if you take out the latecomer."

"Roger that," she replied as she readied her gun. She spotted her target walking into the kitchen.

"On you," Luke said.

Luke wrapped her finger around the trigger. He aimed right for the head and steadied his breathing until it was like he wasn't breathing at all. He squeezed and felt the gun kick. All that was in front was a hole in the glass and the hostile was down. He glanced over to see Hex bogey down. "Nice," she commented.

"Got movement in the center."

Hex shifted and followed Riley and Reece back over. Movement with the poker players. She studied their body language and it looked like someone wasn't playing fair. She had her sights on the far right.

"Alright you three, smoke these guys."

"I got far right," Hex let Riley and Luke know as she shifted on the balls of her feet to steady herself. She took the initiative and fired first and it was followed by Luke and Riley and their shots. They never saw it coming.

"Clear," Luke called.

"Keep it moving."

Luke was tempted to reply with a salute. He didn't though and proceeded to move with the others down to the control centre floor. The lights were on but the funny thing is that they wouldn't be noticed. No one would have expected them to rappel down the side of a building to infiltrate. That was one of the perks in special ops.

"Control centre is on this floor."

That was the cue to ready to enter. Grabbing the torch from his belt he cut the glass creating a yellow circle big enough to fly through. It was quick and fast and he was flying into the building, the glass landing in huge chunks on the ground. He had his line detached and rifle up and ready covering Hex while Riley covered Reece.

"Power system in the back. Let's go."

It was a silent jaunt as Riley followed Reece and Hex followed Luke. Luke didn't have much to complain about since she was covering his six. It just unnerved him that she could move that quietly even with all her equipment on. He did hear her say, "Relax. If you were an enemy, you'd be dead before now."

"So this is a step up."

"No. Distinction."

Luke shook his head as he went to do what he had to do. This was going to be a long mission and Riley hadn't even killed the lights yet. He could almost hear Riley laughing at him and was tempted to just tell him to shut up.

Hex wrinkled her nose as she yanked her knife out of the downed tango as well as Riley's and handed it off to him. She looked at hers and shook the blood off and put it back on her belt. She flipped her rifle into position making it seem like a flamboyant trick but it was more a means of putting the rifle into position just in case it was needed for something other than shooting. She looked around even though they were on the balcony and rallied on Reece and Luke.

"Remember we gotta shut down the elevators, seal off his chance to bolt."

Luke glanced at Hex and then Riley before saying, "Hex and me will take the main bank in the west wing."

Reece nodded, "We'll rendezvous in the junction to cut the secondary's. On me."

Hex gave a glance at Riley and a nod of reassurance and watched him and Reece take off. Taking a breath, she held her rifle up and followed Luke. Maybe she shouldn't have teased him about if he were an enemy. Now he was probably paranoid. Oh well, she would do her job and cover his six. She turned to check the flank as they advanced before turning around.

Luke thought he might have been nuts for saying that he would take her on his side. It was an impulse that he decided to take Hex with him. He could have easily taken his friend and they already could work together as a team; they could even communicate silently and no one knew what they were going to do. She was a wild card and he wasn't sure how he felt about it but it did feel right that she was there.

"Tango, twelve o'clock.'

Luke looked ahead and saw what she was seeing. "I got em." He aimed and fired the suppressed round.

"Nicely done." Hex didn't spare a glanced as she moved forward to take point. She passed him slinking by a little more closely than she would have done and her uniform brushed his. She did it on purpose and didn't care since she already was on a role teasing him about her being sneaky. She was curious to see what he would do. She did notice that when she brushed by him, there was a jolt of electricity that hit. It wasn't the bad kind that sometimes occurred when her gut said that the person in front of her was a target. It was different and sent a strange charge through her system.

Luke felt the brush. It took a lot of willpower to not react to that. He just let her pass and covered the rear as they moved forward. He continued to feel the tingle and almost tripped over her if he hadn't seen her kneeling and peering in the darkness. "What is it?"

Hex had stopped when she sensed it. It was automatic to drop to a crouching position and take survey of the situation. She stared straight ahead and then glanced all around. It was quiet and it looked like there was no one there but that was what worried her. She felt Luke's boot hit hers and held her hand up to stop him. When he spoke she turned and gestured that he was to stay put before she took off into the darkness.

Luke had no problem taking orders. It was just irksome to have someone who had a sort of disregard for rank tell him what to do. Yet he found himself obeying her signal to stay put and took a defensive position where he was. He held his rifle ready for any sign of enemies. He only moved to rotate in his spot. Then he heard footsteps followed by something in Caracas. He held up his rifle and saw the lone enemy heading his way. He wasn't going to wait for Hex to finish whatever the hell she was doing. He took aim and fired.

What Luke didn't see was that by firing it put him in sights for a sniper. He didn't know until the round hit the ground near his foot. He wheeled around to find his attacker in a stranglehold and Hex drawing her knife across the throat. It took him a moment to realize that she had saved his ass but he didn't appreciate the fact that she didn't say what was going on. He had a scowl on his face by the time she made her way back and said, "You could've just said something."

"I could but then they would have known and repositioned or worse fired on us." Hex looked at him in the eye as if to figure out what he was so upset about. Finally, she said, "And you wouldn't have seen him until it was too late."

Luke couldn't say anything about that since he had come to the same conclusion. "Fine, we still have to shut down the mains."

"Lead the way."

They made their way towards the main elevators. Hex covered Luke while he made sure that the mains were offline. They didn't have too much trouble and it produced that awkward feeling. Hex wasn't sure but she got the sense that this mission was going too good to plan. Maybe it was paranoia honed from the years in the field and running ops or just because but she got the feeling that something was going to happen and that each moment towards Valentine was going to make that happen. She didn't voice it to Luke since there was no sense in worrying him and they were both well aware that this mission could go to shits fast.

"Done," Luke's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Polymath, check in."

Luke looked at Hex who turned to keep an eye out while he replied to Reece, "Main elevators offline, secondary's still active."

"Copy. See you in five."

"Come on. Control room," Luke beckoned.

Hex nodded as she made to follow Luke. They silently made their way through their end until Hex moved forward to switch. She only blinked as she took point to clear the path. It wasn't that she didn't think he could do it. It was more along the lines of automatic habit when in the company of someone ranked higher. She had always been told to take point and it carried out to her command in that sometimes she took over. Plus, it was how she had been able to protect Carol.

There was a pair of enemies up ahead. She signalled it silently to Luke who said, "Take out the one on the left. I got the right."

It was almost perfectly synchronized as they aimed down and shot. It was a beauty of a shot to admire but they had to get moving. Roving through the dark halls, Hex fell back to let Luke take the lead since he was more familiar with where to go.

"Polymath, we're entering from the northeast corner."

"Roger that. We're almost to the control room."

Crossing the balcony, they could see the exploding fireworks in the sky. Had it been a normal night, it would have been nice to watch. The coloured lights lit up the sky in a beautiful spray of sparks. Hex found herself frowning at the thought of how nice it was walking there and shook her head. The view was making her think crazy thoughts. She moved to cover while Luke went to work on the keypad to open the doors.

It was like getting a treat when she spotted Reece and Riley coming from their end. The distance was great but she had been able to see the pair in the darkness much like when she initially identified Valentine. She grinned and nodded at Riley when he came over just as Luke managed to get the doors opened and walked in like he belonged there. "Okay. Hex, kill the power to the elevators."

She walked up to the controls for the elevators and looked up on the monitors. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she said, "Looks like we've got company."

"Got no choice. Do it," Luke replied.

Hex popped open the panel and pulled out a pair of pliers. She glanced at the monitors with a practiced eye and gave a quick glance at Luke and Riley. She then turned and cut the wiring to shut everything down. "Here we go."

"Here they come. Time to upgrade," Luke said as he tapped her shoulder to indicate she was to move.

"They've found us! Get back here!"

"And I thought they were the welcome wagon," Hex muttered as she made sure her rifle was in good order. She jogged behind Luke in a light fashion on the balls of her feet. It was a strange way to run but she discovered that it was better to look strange and be able to move faster than to be a sitting duck when you ran what other people called normal.

It was starling when Luke pulled on the back of her vest and pulled them against the wall. It was when he did that a couple of rounds hit where she would have been if she kept moving. She could feel his warm breath against her. She said nothing when Luke released her and said, "We're even."

"You've got a long way to go before that applies," she said as she levelled her rifle and prepared to follow. Enemies were on their floor and with the odd and new designer look of the floor, they could be hidden above or below and they wouldn't even know until they were fired upon. There was some adequate cover but they were going to need to push if they were to get Valentine.

"We're losing time. We need to move!"

Finding cover behind some crates that probably held weapons or ammo, Hex looked for locations of the targets. They had the advantage with blind locations they could hide in. She glanced over to find that Riley was by the wall and taking cover. He would be fine there and he could look for targets at the odd angles. She could see in front and on the balcony in front. It would have to do and she looked for the targets to fire.

"Targets down," Reece called when the last of them went down and headed for the ropes.

The group rallied and Luke beckoned towards his brother, "Give me your extra charges. I'll cover our exit."

Riley handed over his charges and walked over to where their lines were set up. Luke went over to set the charge and looked up to see that Hex hadn't moved. "You better hook up now."

"Only when I'm sure, sir." Hex looked around the area. They didn't have much time and it certainly was cut short when she heard Spanish words being uttered rapidly.

"Hook up now Hex!"

Hex had gone to the railing and hooked up but she raised her rifle to cover fire. "You better make it quick Polymath."

"Just go, Hex," Luke shouted almost angrily as he finished what he was doing.

Hex fired at the enemy that started to come through the door. She managed to hook up the end to Luke's rope and had it ready to hand off. She said nothing but continued to cover him and when he was finished handed off his rope to hook on. She was firing when Luke yanked on her from behind and they were over the railing just as the explosions went off.

It was awkward but Luke held onto Hex's vest even though she was hooked up until they stopped from their drop. He looked at her and asked, "Do you always have to disobey orders?"

"Do you always ask pointless questions?" She gave a look back before she noticed something, "Above us."

Both she and Luke raised their rifles and fired at the enemy shooting down at them. They cleared from above but it looked like they had more company on the floor below as Reece pointed out. They rappelled down and fired at the enemy they spotted through the glass. They were joined by Riley and the three of them cleared the floor that was shooting at them and continued to move on down to the next.

"We need to get inside," Luke said.

There was no torch or pre-cut hole to bust through on the next level. Luke and Riley used their weight to crash through the glass and landed on the floor of an area that looked like one of those indoor garden or atrium places. There were planters with real life trees in there along with pathways. It was like an indoor park so there were plenty of places to take cover. Unfortunately, they were fired upon the moment they crashed in.

"We have to get to the HVT!"

Luke looked around and asked, "Where's Hex?"

Riley looked around. All he saw was Reece as he moved to take cover and he was with his brother. There was no sign of their fourth. "No idea."

"Shit," Luke murmured. It was bad enough that they had to catch their HVT before he could bolt in the middle of a firefight. They also had a missing team member who had been with them on the ropes not too long ago. "Just keep going Ghost."

That was all they could do. Luke and Riley pushed them back. One enemy almost got Riley until a shot rang out. They were joined by Hex who said more to Riley, "Sorry. Traffic."

Luke made a rude sound before saying, "Come on."

They pushed forward until they got stuck near chairs. Reece was urging them to keep moving but it seemed like the enemy got smart and decided to concentrate fire. One launched a grenade from a launcher and it hit pretty much right in front of Luke's helmet and he fell back. He had been hit in the face though with the debris and Riley was on the other side to try and thin the numbers.

"Keep moving. We can't let Valentine get away."

Hex looked around her corner and quickly scanned the area. She looked around and rolled her eyes. This was really going to push her luck but what choice did they have? They needed Valentine and right now the path was blocked. So the logical thing to do was to clear it and judging by the way they were moving… It could work. She lowered her rifle so it would hang and her right went to her belt and she adjusted her crouch on the balls of her feet. She called through the comm, "Ghost, you feel like helping me out with something?"

"You got something planned?" Riley looked over to see his brother rubbing his face and firing his weapon. He saw Hex balancing on the balls of her feet like she was preparing to… "What are you going to do?"

"Concentrate your fire on the balconies. I'll cover the ground."

"With what?"

Hex didn't answer since she pivoted on her feet to move past Luke to the other side of the planter and out of Riley's sight. Luke had managed to clear the sting from his face but it was a good hit and he felt blood dripping down. He saw Hex turn to go behind him and wondered what the hell she was up to and looked at Riley who looked just as confused until he started firing at the targets on the balconies. He lifted his rifle and started hitting what was in front of him.

"Push through once you take out the threat on the balconies."

Luke and Riley did that and when they started moving forward, they discovered bodies from the ground level littering the floor with their blood. They continued forward until Riley was hit in the shoulder going down stairs. He ended up slipping and sliding down to the ground where he was vulnerable.

Luke moved in to cover to allow Riley time to get up and he ended up taking a hit to the shoulder. He kept firing though and tried to lug Riley up to his feet who was still firing himself. It looked like they were going to get mowed down when a shape startled them as it swooped down on the enemy targets. Luke blinked at the blur.

Hex had taken advantage of the fact that she had been largely ignored by the enemy. Why she wasn't sure but she was going to use it. She managed to clear the path for Luke, Riley and Reece to move up while she pushed forward using the planters and shadows to her advantage. She had doubled back when Riley had gotten hit and then Luke while trying to help his friend. She had the element of surprise and took it.

With a leap she startled the enemy and swung her weapon drawing blood. It was not standard issue the tomahawk but she had kept it with her ever since she had been given it by her father. Even when she did her artist thing she always had it and practiced with it. Joining the military, it ended up defining her and added to that scary image most of the men conjured up and in this case it seemed to fit. She did look scary swinging it around in a well-practiced manner, twirling it to give it momentum in her strikes and not afraid to hit major arteries.

The first one got a nasty slice to arm and she ended up giving him a hole in the chest. The other behind him got a strike into the shoulder and she pulled out her DE-9 pistol and fired a couple of shots into the chest. She then whirled to fire at another that had been hidden while holding up her tomahawk and was prepared to use it. The floor was clear and they had a clear path to Valentine.

Looking at Luke and Riley she asked, "You okay?"

"Never better," Riley said as he got to his feet.

"Come on. We can't let Valentine get away," Reece said as they started moving.

Hex held her tomahawk out ready to use it and covered with her pistol as she followed Luke to their position. She heard, "Any other surprises?"

"Yeah I'm good with a knife," she added.

"In position."

"Likewise," Luke replied as he took his place by the door. He looked to see Hex ready to go. He wasn't going to argue since he knew she knew how to use that thing and she could easily use it on him.

"Alright let's do this."

That was the signal and Luke opened his door to find himself face to face with a rather terrified Valentine. He grabbed him and was followed by Hex who looked very intimidating in her position. He got a quick glance and saw how intimidating her… war paint looked on her face.

"Polymath?"

"I got him," and Luke slammed Valentine through the door effectively boxing him in the office that Valentine used. Luke grabbed the flailing body on the floor and slung him into the chair next to the large desk and pulled out his pistol.

"He knew you would come," Valentine said as he held his arms up to surrender.

"Where's Locus? Where is he?' Reece looked at the man as he demanded his information. Whose Locus Hex wondered.

"Locus?" Hex muttered confused, the others ignored her.

"I don't know. No one knows," Valentine said.

Luke wasn't convinced by that answer. As soon as Luke grabbed Valentine and flung him on the desk he moved in. There was still blood dripping from her tomahawk and it looked grisly even after she pulled it out of the man's free arm. She twirled the tomahawk in her hand. Luke signalled her to give him the knife. She handed it over hesitantly. She watched him drive down the tomahawk down with a hard thud.

The screaming Valentine did would have made people think he was being gutted. Hex looked at the man with a bland expression as she leaned forward. She said, "That was for starters." She then yanked out the tomahawk from where Luke had buried it deep in the wood between his fingers. "She could drive it a little closer to home," Luke added as she held it close so Valentine could see the blood still on it.

Valentine said, "He's not here."

Hex gave an expression that said 'oh well' towards Reece. "Pity," she said as she brought up her tomahawk to strike again, this time aiming at the other hand.

"Wait! His location is in there. In an encrypted file," Valentine screeched as he pointed at the computer on the desk. "Just keep her away from me!"

Hex made a face like she wasn't appreciated and stepped away. She ended up giving the guy another scare by throwing the tomahawk into the desk but well away from Valentines hand. He screamed anyway and her lip twitched as she watched Reece head towards the computer. Merrick began to strap valentine into his gravchute harness.

"Well, well, well if it ain't the walking dead." The screen behind Valentine came to life with the image of a man in Locus pattern armour on it.

"Locus," Reece said without a hint of malice. To Hex, she thought she detected sadness.

"I knew you'd follow the bread crumbs."

"You tried to kill my father you piece of shit!"

The outburst from Riley was a bit unexpected from Hex's view. He looked angry and she realized that he had a temper when it came to the people that mattered the most to him. Still it would do no good to lose their heads over this. She was too far away to give him a kick in the chin so she hissed at Riley in a gruff voice, "Don't."

"The Boys of Delta Force. Boys sent to do man's work, a soldier's work" Locus taunted. He studied them before turning his gaze to the desk and he saw the tomahawk. "And that looks very familiar. Only one person I know…" It was then he caught sight of Hex. She was standing at an angle so he couldn't see her hair and her body was covered in gear. "Is that Charlie? No… too short. I wonder who you are."

Reece tried to divert the conversation and asked, "Where are you Locus?

"Where I am doesn't matter. What matters is a decade ago you left me to die in this city. And from this night forward Elias lives with the knowledge he sent his own men to their deaths."

The bad feeling that Hex had as they approached reared its head as the screen went blank and the ground started to shake. It didn't help that she felt creeped out by Locus's observation of her and while he had never seen her before… It didn't sit well as she looked around.

"It's a set up! We gotta get out of here!" Reece shouted at the three of them to get moving.

Luke realized that Hex hadn't moved as he took Valentine by the arm and said, "Hex!"

That snapped Hex out of her thoughts and she grabbed her tomahawk and the module with the encrypted file. She put her weapon back on her belt and clutched the module towards her as she followed Luke and the others out of the office while the building started to collapse form the explosion Locus had rigged. Valentine was attached to Merrick's harness. They had managed to make it out of the building by going with the momentum of the fall and crashed through the windows. It was gentle relief when the chutes deployed and they were suspended from the air.

"Scarecrow we're airborne! En route to rally point echo. Good work you three. Now let's get the hell out of here."

Codex Update

The OAG Stealthbird

The Stealthbirds have featured stealth technologies. These features are said to include specialized materials, and the use of harsh angles and flat surfaces across the exterior fuselage, techniques previously employed upon other stealth aircraft. They are also said to feature presence-reduction measures or "stealth". The use of advanced composite materials on the airframe has commonly resulted in reductions in an aircraft's radar cross-section (RCS). In the case of the Stealthbird, measures were taken to produce minimal visual, radar, infra-red and acoustic signatures to improve battlefield survivability. Stealthbird is reported to feature a digital camouflage system.