Mike soared high above the cliffs, heading back towards the entrance to Witch Mountain. He knew he had to get back to the alien siblings fast, before the truck driver raised the alarm. He banked right and the folds of polyester attached to his arms hummed joyfully. In the distance, he could see a tall column of smoke rising from about the location of the main gate.
Funny. Maybe it's a bonfire.
As he flew closer, Mike saw that the smoke was coming from the checkpoint building, which was ablaze.
I wonder what could have caused that.
Mike began his descent by moving both arms out in front of him, decreasing his wing surface. He then kicked his legs up, angling the delta tail towards the ground. He felt like Superman.
A bright spec appeared in front of him. It was getting larger by the second.
What the…
Mike spun himself to one side, dodging the oncoming fireball with centimeters to spare, so close he felt the raw heat brush against his exposed face and hands. Spreading his arms again, Mike recovered from the spin and scoured the ground below.
There! It's that Siphon thingy again…
Sure enough, there it was. The heavily armoured creature was making its purposeful way towards the entrance, engaging a large swarm of government soldiers. Their bullets were just bouncing off the alien creature, whereas its fire weapon was wreaking havoc among the guards.
I'd love to stay and watch fellas, but I've got some kids to save.
Banking hard, he spiraled down into the hole in the side of Witch Mountain. He brought himself a few feet of the ground and released the cord in his left hand. The wingsuit deflated immediately and he hit the ground running. The area appeared to be completely deserted.
Probably gone Siphon fighting. Mike reasoned. Good luck with that.
Spotting a sign declaring a room to be the duty-guard's office, Mike headed for the door. It was unlocked, and the room empty. Quickly searching a filing cabinet, he found the keys to the holding cell, Seth's tracking devices and, most importantly, his Glock.
Did you miss me baby? 'Cos I missed you.
Slipping the weapon into his pocket, he stepped out the door and jogged to the cell, quickly unlocking it and throwing the door open. It was empty, except for two piles of clothes, stacked neatly in the corner.
Damn, I'm too late! Now where the hell are they…
Mike stepped back from the cell and cast a glance up the corridor. The sign bore the word Laboratories, followed by an arrow.
Must be that-a-way.
Once again he broke into a jog, pulling out his handgun and flicking the safety to Live. After about twenty seconds he reached what appeared to be a huge cavern, carved out of the mountain. The whole area was full of white coated technicians, all engaged in scientific activities of some kind. In the far corner of the cave there was a white building directly beside a glass operating theatre. And inside that clear box, securely manacled to tables and heavily sedated, were Seth and Sara.
How the heck am I gonna make it across without getting seen?!
Somehow, Mike doubted the wingsuit was going to help very much - for the second time in as many days, he needed a distraction. And it was the loudspeaker system that answered his prayers.
"RED ALERT. SECURITY BREACH. RED ALERT. SECURITY BREACH."
Mike realised the Siphon must've finished with the guards at the main gate and was probably somewhere in the mountain. Hearing the alarm, the occupants of the huge chamber quickly filed out, leaving only the scientists working on Seth and Sara.
This is my chance.
He was preparing to make a dash for the glass box when he noticed two shadowy figures on the other side of the cave, hiding behind a baggage cart. Creeping closer, Mike saw it was Jack and Alex.
They came back! He thought incredulously. Then: Let's get this party started.
The baggage cart began to move, and Jack moved beside it, as stealthily as his large frame would allow, closely followed by Alex. Mike picked his moment, and sprinted across the cave floor to join them.
"Mike! You're ok!" Jack whispered, mightily relieved.
"Good to see you too." Mike smiled. "We have to get to Sara and Seth before this alert's over."
"You leave this to me." Muttered the cabbie grimly. The trio parted company with the cart as soon as it reached the wall and crawled towards the white building adjacent to the glass room.
"Wait here and cover us." Jack instructed Mike. "And no running off this time!"
"Ha frickin' ha." Replied Mike, crouching down behind some boxes and facing the entrance tunnel.
Jack and Alex rapidly searched a bank of lockers and found what they were looking for. White suits, identical to those worn by the scientists in the glass chamber. They donned them and made their way through the airlock, into the operating theatre. A festival of violence ensued, with Alex karate kicking a scientist and Jack smashing a table over another one's head.
Several broken bones later, all resistance had been subdued and Alex got to work switching off the sedation while Jack paced about, anxiously. Eventually the doctor found the switch and turned it off, causing the teens to stir immediately. This time it was Seth who woke up first. He slipped through his manacles like they weren't even there.
That taxi cab back seat trick again.
Alex put her arm round the alien and said something – Mike couldn't hear what, for the glass was soundproof. Then Sara awoke, her manacles popping open seemingly of their own accord.
That mind of hers is scary.
Jack went over to Sara and helped her up from the metal operating table. Again, Mike could see the cabby's mouth move but he couldn't distinguish what was being said.
A sharp noise caused Mike to turn his attention back to the tunnel. Jogging down it was a squad of soldiers, lead by Henry Burke. Mike jumped up, and banged on the wall of the chamber.
"Hey! We got company!" He shouted.
The party inside the glass room looked at him blankly.
Goddammit, they can't hear me.
He frantically indicated the direction of the main tunnel and mimed a person walking. At least they got the message and Sara, Seth, Jack and Alex exited a chamber, the latter two throwing off their suits as they ran.
"Go go go!" Said Mike, ushering them out of the airlock. He handed Seth the tracking devices.
"Here ya go. Now, which way is your ship?" He asked.
Seth studied his device for a second, pocketing the other one. Mike noticed he and Sara were dressed in a loose white medical overalls.
"This way." The alien replied and set off for one of the many small exit tunnels, closely followed by the others. At that moment, the squad of soldiers entered the hall.
Mike heard a bellow of rage from Burke. "Open fire!" He cried, and the soldiers began taking pot shots at the retreating quintet. Mike, who was last, felt the bullets whiz past his head, impacting with the wall on his left.
With Seth leading the way, they pelted down the empty corridors. There was no sign of pursuit, but that was probably due to the mazy layout of the place.
It was so mazy in fact, that Mike didn't see the guard until it was too late. The soldier fired twice, the shots crashing into Mike's chest and sending him flying backwards into a metal pipe. The guard smirked, lowered his gun and strolled towards his fallen foe. Through a red haze, Mike saw him coming and his right hand scrabbled for the Glock. He couldn't find it.
Mike knew his time had come and closed his eyes, feeling the cold barrel of his enemy's weapon press against his forehead.
I make it through all that, and a random oaf with a machine gun finishes me off. Now that's just careless.
"OOF!"
A startled grunt issued from the guard's throat and Mike could no longer feel the weapon between his eyes. He cautiously opened them. In front of him was the unconscious soldier and there, crouching beside the body, was Jack.
The cabby unzipped Mike's jacket top, and the others anxiously crowded around. There was a large swollen purple mark on his chest, but no bullet holes.
Mike breathed painfully, his words coming in short bursts. "Jacket… Seventy percent… Kevlar. You don't think… I wear it… As a fashion statement do you…"
This raised a smile from Jack and Alex. Even after being shot he still retained his sense of humour.
"We need to go." It was Seth who spoke. "It's not safe here."
"You're right." Muttered Jack, moving to pick up Mike.
"No… I'll slow you down… I can hold them off here for a bit… Buy you some time…"
Jack ignored him, and helped Mike stand.
"You're coming with us. Never leave a man behind, and plus we're gonna need a seventy percent Kevlar meatshield." Said Jack dryly. "Let's move, people!"