Chapter 31

The power was down but all that stood in the way were the secondaries. If those weren't taken out then the whole thing would be bust and they would get caught. It was a risky plan but Keegan had faith in Sequoia considering what she had been able to tell them about the place and the fact that she was willing to go back to the hell hole to get Logan back.

Her logic made sense really. Logan wouldn't have a clue of what was going on though the kid was smart enough to pick up on the situation. Keegan knew though it was something more and it had nothing to do with Sequoia's training and it being an op from Freefall or whatever. This was a personal mission for them all since it involved Rorke. He knew she would take it to the extreme.

Rorke is… like me Ohanzee. He is a hunter but not one per se. He's a predator; he won't stop until he has his prey.

And Elias told us that one, Keegan thought to himself as he and Kick moved into position. He had been thinking about what Sequoia told him before this happened. It was one of the few conversations they had on the Liberator before the last major engagement. It was something they knew previously but she had put a different twist on it.

There is one way to take down a predator for certain…

Keegan was ready in his position and relayed, "We're in position. Hesh?"

There was nothing and it had Keegan worried. In fact the whole thing had him worried especially with Hesh. The kid had been very good and anxious to get back to work and find their Hawk. And he responded when they found her and it proved to Keegan that there were feelings there that drove him. It had him wondering about Hesh's mental state. Carol said he was fine but…

"Secondaries are offline," Kick pointed out.

That was their signal to move. Keegan moved through the compound towards where the cargo was. They needed to stop the shipment from moving north and it would be put to use against America. From Hawk, they were able to determine that it was a virus of some sort that could devastate their forces, essentially cripple them. So this wasn't just a rescue, it was a campaign to stop the Federation; killing two birds with one stone.

The cargo area was not that hard to find and it had Keegan on edge. It felt too perfect of a set up and it occurred to him that it was possible that Rorke was waiting for them. It had happened before and they ended up crashing. He didn't want to be proven right as he and Kick went to check on the cargo loads and get what they needed.

Keegan was checking out a crate when he was interrupted by a Fed guard. He could easily have taken him out but he was outnumbered and he had a gun pointed close at his head. That was just perfect. He was pushed forward while being shouted at in Spanish and was joined with Kick. They shared a look that said that they should have seen that coming.

Neither of them were going to believe that Sequoia had betrayed them. They had been warned that they could be walking into a trap since this place was in control by Rorke. And the fact that she was willing to go back and be subject to what she had been through… It would be hard to believe that she switched sides and they knew better but Command might not see it that way. It was why they were doing this; proving that she didn't turn.

Now they were caught and it appeared that they were waiting for them. If that were the case, that meant that Hesh and Harris were compromised too. It would mean that they were either like them or dead. Keegan wanted to curse at the fact that they were pretty much dead in the water. Without anyone to start the next phase, they were stuck.

"Hawk didn't do this," Kick muttered.

"I know."

Keegan looked up at his captors. They were pointing their guns at them and they were ready to shoot to kill if necessary. They were in a spot and there seemed to be no way out. From the discussion it seemed like there was a debate on whether or not to kill them now or something like that. Keegan knew Spanish but it wasn't clear. It was like they were speaking in a dialect or a different language and it made it difficult to tell what was going on.

It was made clear though when the leader of the group barked an order and all of the Feds lifted their weapons and prepared to fire. "Seems like we're out of time," Kick muttered.

"We didn't have much of a chance," Keegan replied, "At least we tried and Command knows about the virus."

They waited for the trigger to be pulled but it didn't come. Instead it was followed by an explosion and it was very close. Rather it was a series of explosions. It was enough to distract the guards for a second and allow Kick and Keegan to gain the upper hand and take out their captors, killing them. Taking their guns they checked their surroundings to make sure no one else was coming.

"What was that?"

"Don't know." Keegan wasn't sure of what happened since he hadn't planted anything and Hesh's job was to cut the secondaries. He looked around and towards the main building. The only other option was that it was Sequoia and it had Keegan wondering what the hell she did when she got out.

I know things Ohanzee. It was what I was trained for.

They couldn't waste time so Keegan gave the signal to move out. They still had a job to do and that was to radio in and get Logan out of there. As far as everyone else went, they had their job and they were going to execute it. He looked at Kick and said, "Come on. We still have to call it in."

They proceeded to plant what they needed to and head towards the main building but they were stopped by gunfire. Federation were all over the place and they were aiming to kill. Kick and Keegan took cover to return fire and try to push forward but there was a lot of gunfire. Keegan thought that they were going to miss their timeline with this until there was a loud crash.

From the main gate there was shouting of Spanish and other dialects. Keegan turned to see a large truck had gone through the gate and a bunch of militia coming out. He recognized them as El Libertad and a bunch of other people from the encampment. "Right on time," he muttered. "Push forward."

"Hesh and Harris?"

"They have their job and we have ours. Let's go."

They pushed forward firing at the Federation. They had to get to the main command center since that was the sure place that Logan would be found.

The explosion set Hesh and Harris off their feet. Hesh hit the dirt hard and he was lucky that he didn't have his hands bound. He was able to cushion his fall when the first of the explosions went off. He looked around and noted the disorder and the moaning since it seemed that some of Federation had been injured. He gave a slight grin.

There are a lot of things that Rorke doesn't know, Shappa. You know me… I always like to plan for contingency.

Before they met up with Reed and his assholes, he and Sequoia had a talk. They were sitting on their tree and she was leaning against him and they were just talking. She managed to work up the nerve to tell him what she had done when she was let out of the hole and working for Rorke. At the time he was more upset at what he perceived she was being forced to do but deep down, she had to agree on some level and that was what was killing her.

He had told her that no matter what he still loved her and he did. After learning what he did about Freefall… he wasn't going to change how he felt and he saw how it affected her. She may be called the badass Echo Three but she was still a woman with feelings. It made him want to do worse things to the man that did that to her.

She told him that while she was considered Rorke's right hand, it gave her access to the facility, mostly parts that would be considered low access. It was counterproductive to what most ops would call for; you went for the critical systems but she went for the mundane. She saw the bigger picture and rigged it. She had rigged certain components to be contaminated and others to be explosives. All that was needed was to be armed and triggered at the right moment.

She told him what was what the night she left to return to Rorke. He listened and knew that she was putting things in his hands. She trusted him as he trusted her. So when he and Harris came onto the compound, he armed what she had set and he had marveled at how clever she had been. Some of it he was confused with but he figured it out. Still it would have been better if Logan was there.

Now they were reaping the result of that. Hesh got to his feet and tackled the bastard that hit him across the face. He gave a couple of punches and managed to get his hand on a sidearm. It was a good thing to since the Fed bastard that he had tackled was going to shoot him. He pointed the gun and pulled the trigger, taking out the Fed bastard.

It was automatic for him to cover his six and that of Harris and take out any other Fed bastard that came near them. He picked up one of the assault rifles and went to check on Harris. He gave a hard prod, "Harris, get your ass up."

Harris growled as he shoved off Hesh's hand off and got to his feet. He glared at Hesh and grabbed the rifle, "Come on… sir."

Hesh gave a hard look and picked up his rifle and started moving. "We don't have much time until phase two," he said calmly as he walked past Harris and moved towards the command building. "Riley, here boy," he motioned.

Riley gave a short bark and followed Hesh through the compound. Hesh rubbed the dog on the head and said, "Okay boy. Find them. Find Hawk and Logan."

Hesh followed Riley's lead as they pushed through. The explosions had summoned reinforcements. It seemed that they were out in force in the compound. Hesh and Harris were on the flank while Keegan and Kick were in the front and in between was the command center and a whole mess of Federation guards.

Hesh pressed his body against the wall as he took cover from gunfire. Phase two was going to begin soon. He looked around the corner and noted the positions. There was a lot of gunfire going on and plenty of positions that the enemy could hide from. Seeing it was a lot different from hearing about it on paper. He checked his watch and then looked up. "Alright then."

Phase two went off without a hitch with the second set of explosions by the river front. That stunned things for a moment and allowed Hesh and Harris to move forward and closer towards their destination. It was a mystery how it was all set up in the span that it was but Hesh wasn't going to question it. He got the feeling that Sequoia had been up to a lot while keeping with the illusion she was working for Rorke. It was a bit scary that she could be that convincing and managed to get that much done.

Gunfire was still going on and Hesh recognized the gunfire from the encampment. El Libertad was waiting and he had mixed reservations on that but the upside was that they didn't try to kill them and that they wanted to take out the Federation so… He was just going to have to trust that they would be there to do their part. He peered around the corner and checked their path. There was still gunfire going off but it was directed at the assault going on and clearing the path.

"You gonna wait all day?"

Hesh glanced at Harris and muttered, "Only if you want to get your ass shot at."

With a tap, Hesh signaled Riley to keep going. The way wasn't completely clear and they didn't expect it to be since this was a Federation base. So they met some resistance and took out the Fed soldiers as quickly as they could. Hesh was anxious to rescue his brother and to make sure that Sequoia was okay.

They made it to a side door as Sequoia has described it to the team. Hesh had Harris stack up and wait while Riley took a sniff. The low growl warned Hesh that something was there that was not a friendly. He looked around for a window and upon seeing one, he applied pressure to crack the glass enough. He gave Riley the command for Riley to go in and waited.

It was much like when he and Logan had been down in No Man's Land and Riley went in first. The panicked sounds of rapidly fired Spanish filled the air and Hesh signaled Harris to be ready. As soon as the door burst open, Hesh had his gun up and was firing on the Fed that were coming out and chasing the Fed that was trying to shake Riley free.

Riley hung onto his man with a fierce growl. His body was curled into a furry ball and his weight was pulling the Fed down. Hesh was shooting at everyone else that was coming out along with Harris. Riley had his man down and his powerful jaws had clamped on the neck and snapped it. Hesh checked the room followed by Harris who said, "Clear."

Hesh confirmed, "Clear. Good boy, Riley."

Riley panted a little and made a slight moaning sound as Hesh gave an ear a scratch. He put his nose to the ground and started sniffing out until he picked up her scent. He whined to indicate his find and started moving.

"They went this way," Hesh confirmed as he followed Riley.

They slowed as they neared a main room. There were a lot of Fed still in the building and Hesh knew that while they could probably give a good fight, he wasn't about to risk things to prove a point. He studied the area and radioed, "Skye, you copy?"

Standing by Hesh. What do you need?

"We're in the main building but the southeast room second floor is full of Fed."

Can't you do it by yourself?

Hesh knew she was teasing him. "No. Not even with Harris and Riley as backup. We could go around. There is the stairwell and we bypass the elevators…"

Got it covered. Sit tight. You said the southeast side, second floor?

"Affirmative. Don't do anything foolish Skye."

Who's the fucking pilot here? Besides it's what I'm here for. Get small. I'm coming in hot.

Harris looked at Hesh wondering what the heck was going on. Hesh looked at him and put a hand on Riley's vest to hold him in place. He muttered, "Easy Riley. Stay."

Sure enough the Fed in the room started speaking fast in Spanish about something going on outside. It then became more rapid and alarmed and then the unmistakable sound of miniguns being fired. Hesh pressed against the wall as he heard the glass shatter and Fed soldiers were screaming from pain and the death that followed. Hesh was not going to move until he heard those magic words.

Floor cleared.

"Thanks Skye," Hesh replied as he tapped Riley to move.

I'm here if you need me. Just give a call.

"Maybe Keegan needs a hand."

He's got it covered. Trust me.

Hesh made a slight hum and a slight smile. He led the way into the room and ignored the dead bodies littering on the ground. He only fired his weapon at the ones that were miraculously still moving but their injuries would eventually kill them. It sounded cruel but it made sense; there was no sense in prolonging the inevitable and leave them in agony.

They made their way to the inner stairs that was only accessible through the main road. That would lead them to the main observation platform where Hesh was certain that Sequoia and Logan would be. It provided the best view of all the operations and he was certain that Rorke would want to air his achievements to her and his brother. Besides Riley had the scent and was already on the move.

Riley had always liked Sequoia. Then again it wasn't too hard to win over the Special Forces trained dog. Besides Sequoia had taken care of him when he had been injured and that was enough. Thinking about it on occasion, Hesh figured that it was also the fact that she was a hunter and personality wise… Riley was a good judge of character and Hesh and Logan had relied on that with their lives. It was only right that the dog was just as anxious as he was.

They made it up to the door and what they heard had them pause. Hesh could hear shouting and crashes. Then there was the sound of gunfire. They had to get in there. He looked at Harris and said, "On three. Three, two, one. Go."

Sequoia tried to get the upper hand but Rorke was squeezing on her wrist and it was enough to make bruises but she didn't relinquish the weapon. Rather she and Rorke spun around and wrestled for control. It was like Newtonian principles about two forces of equal strength acting on one another. In this case it probably wouldn't apply since she was female and didn't necessarily mean that she was stronger.

She was smaller and she made up for her lack of strength by being faster and sneakier. She had agility and mobility that would allow her to get in close and into spaces that normal men wouldn't. However, now she was just merely holding on and trying not to relinquish her edge but then again what good was it if she couldn't use it?

They circled while Rorke tried to get a grip on the gun and said, "Oh I love this fire in ya Little Charlie. I knew you hadn't gone completely over."

"Oh I'm over. I just don't like working for you," Sequoia spat back.

At one point she released the gun but she managed to fling it away and pull herself out of Rorke's grip. She backed into a fighting stance and eyed the man with the challenge in her eye. She had to settle this now. It was hunter and predator in this. She maneuvered her feet to put her into a good position.

Rorke couldn't help but grin as he backed into a similar stance. Normally he would just leave and then fight another day but he had always harbored the idea of fighting with his Little Charlie. There was no doubt that she had trained under Charles Williams and she had the same fire as he did. He also suspected a couple of things. He taunted her by waggling his fingers at her. "Come on Little Charlie. Show me what you got."

Sequoia held her ground and circled slightly, like a hunter stalking their prey. She only made her move when she saw an opening and lashed out with her talons. She was blocked but she kept up her attack and blocked the strikes that came her way. She had learned how to fight when she joined and she carried over what she had learned as a child and ended up with her own style. It was what she had used when she sparred with Hesh so long ago.

True hunters never run. They stand and fight my little treasure. You are a hunter.

Sequoia growled low in her throat as she kept her palms open and slapped away the kicks that came at her. She knew that Rorke had powerful kicks since she had seen what had happened to Hesh and she recalled the last time they fought. She couldn't block all of them and one managed to get in. Luckily she had turned so the back of her shoulder caught it but it still hurt like a bitch. She countered by going for points that didn't look like they were important but the man would feel them.

In the meantime, Logan was fighting his own battles. His hands were still tied and the first step was to get himself untied. He still made an effective battering ram by using his shoulder. He had to be since he saw one of the Fed level his weapon and was ready to fire on his best friend. So he lowered his head and charged and made a tackle worthy of being a football player.

The blow hurt and the gun went off but no one was hit. Logan managed to see that it didn't bother the two fighting one bit. He turned his attention to the Fed that was looming over him and was going to knife him. With a swiping motion, Logan used his legs and knocked the Fed bastard over and he fell hard. It was enough to wind him and it allowed Logan to buy some time to grab something sharp and cut the ropes holding his wrists together.

It was awkward but Logan managed to get himself free just in time to charge the Feds that had come barging in. It was foolish since they had guns but he move quickly enough to either knock them over or kill them with the knife he had used to free himself. At one point he picked up one of their guns and fired it at the Federation soldiers that remained, killing them. That was before he got knocked down from behind.

Logan hit the ground hard and was slightly winded. His breath came out in an 'oomph' and yet he didn't lose control of the knife. It was reflex reaction in motion as he brought his arm back and managed to stab his attacker. With his grip still on the blade, he yanked it free and managed to scramble upright since the adrenaline was fueling his body into survival mode. When he turned, he found himself face to face with a really big guy. Logan felt his eyes widen slightly and he had just stabbed the guy in the calf with a standard combat knife.

The big guy was laughing at him and lunged towards him. Logan could only react and doge out of the way. He was still trying to figure out how the hell he was supposed to get out of this. So he did the best thing he could do and that was run away. He couldn't go anywhere except in circles so he had to result in dodging until he figured out what to do. It was tiring and noisy since he was clambering over stuff. At one point he dodged a chair swung at his head and it hit the console creating sparks. By then he found a gun and tried to get a good shot but not before he was grabbed.

The gun had gone off but no one was hit. Sequoia spared a glance along with Rorke and they saw Logan in his own fight. But then they were back at it. Rorke had pulled a knife and it left Sequoia weaponless. Still her focus was on the man and she watched his movements so she could dodge his strikes. She managed to catch his thrust and they ended up locking arms just as the door crashed open followed by Hesh and Harris coming in.

By that time Rorke threw her off and gave that grin. He pulled a gun and said, "It's about time."

He didn't get to fire his weapon though. It was flung upwards when Sequoia body tackled him with all her strength. Together they headed towards the window and there was nothing but the sound of glass shattering amidst the popping of gunfire.

A/N: The party is getting started and Hesh and Harris try to rescue Hawk and Logan but things go a little bit awry. This and more on The Hunt...