A/N: So bros and gals, I'm back with another chapter! Thank you, my amazing mind for thinking hard, letting me finish this chapter in a few days! And also thanks to the fellow authors in the site for helping me provide info of the setting for this chapter. So, let's cut to the chase. This chapter will be the second or third last chapter until the fanfic ends. I hope you enjoy it! Malaysianpro out!
Disclaimer
I don't own anything but the plot, OCs and anything original I came up within this fanfic.
Chapter 18
Saving Geronimo
Thea's Perspective
August 26, 2013
0300 hours
It was 3 am, the only ones awake then were me, Danny, Hussein and Paulina. We've been up all night, in front of the central computer screen, watching the live feeds from the cars' cameras. With Paulina's help, she help Danny hijacked one of the US military imaging satellites without them noticing. We've been searching Las Vegas for the past few hours ever since Geronimo's kidnapping. Danny's split the cars into 4 squads so we could cover more ground faster. The Bugatti Siblings went to search at the north of Vegas, the Ageras down south, the CCX gang in the west and the Veteran CC gang to the east.
"Sitrep, guys! I want to know what's going on," Danny demanded.
The Bugattis were the first one to report. "Eighty percent of our sector is covered. Still more to places to search for, but still no sign of Agent Stilton."
"Agera Squad, what's happening with you guys?"
"Every inch of our sector has been covered, sir. Unfortunate of us, he's nowhere to be found here," Phantom responded.
"Return to base, you guys are done for the night. CCX Gang, have you found anything?"
Ghoul, the Koenigsegg Trevita, and leader of the west Vegas search party which consisted of 5 cars, replied. "No dice, sir. We've separated to cut through more ground. Yet, there a some places needed to explore. We're trying the best we can."
"Veterans, have you any luck in the east?"
Spook, the Koenigsegg CCGT and the leader of the Veteran Search Squad answered. "No traces of him or the black van whatsoever. We've scanned and searched the whole of our assigned sector. He's not here, I'm afraid."
"In that case, return to base. You've done your best. Remaining search parties, do not stop until you've covered your whole assigned sector! Is that clear?"
They all replied at the same time. "YES SIR!"
I can see the exhausted look in his face when he turned and went to the kitchen, the place I was hanging out with Hussein and Paulina while drinking a mug of joe.
"No hints of him, huh?" I asked calmly and collectively, although knowing the fact that my brother was kidnapped.
He took a seat on the the high stool opposite of me. "You heard 'em…but there's still two more sectors that they still haven't covered."
I felt pity towards him wearing out of fatigue. I only gave him a concerned look and advised him to sleep. "Danny, you should get some sleep."
I predicted his answer, and I was right. "I can't…" Boy, was he stubborn!
"You're a kid, Danny. Kids need sleep." He didn't reply. "Danny, look at yourself. You're tired and worn out! You've been up and running this operation for seven hours straight. The longer you keep this up, your body's gonna go kaput!"
"Look, I know that Geronimo's your friend, but I'm his sister. I want him back safe and sound as bad as you do."
He looked up at me. "You're gonna take over?"
I wore a faint smile. "Yeah. Go get some shut eye. Leave the earpiece here."
He smiled back, and got off the stool and made his way to the boys' bedrooms.
Hussein drank his last sip of coffee from his mug. "Whelp, I'm turning in early. My eyes feel like they're bloodshot. Are they?" He turned and faced Paulina, who sat bedside her. In return, she got spooked as a reaction and repelled with a shriek.
She cooled down and returned her arms on the countertop. "I'm sorry, Agent Hussein. I have to say otherwise."
"Whelp, that's that." He got up from his chair. "See you gals in the break of day, and wake me up if you have anything," he bid with a yawn. Then he slouched his way to bed.
"I'll make sure I try my best not to," I squeaked. He chuckled.
Just when Hussein entered the door, Danny came out after him. He brought out a sleeping bag, a pillow, and a blanket out to the central computer, and set up his 'bed' in front of the control panel, beside the swivel chair.
"Danny? What are you doing out here? I thought you went to bed," I started.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he replied, dropping all of his bedding and raised his arms to emphasize. "Look, I'm not gonna leave you out here alone. Paulina's about to collapse in about an hour."
"He's right," Paulina replied, shrugging.
"I might as well camp out here with you. If you need help, don't hesitate to wake me up."
"I'll do my best not to."
"Heheh… Goodnight…" He lied down on his sleeping bag, rested head on his pillow, and tucked himself under the blanket he brought out. It looked cozy, to be honest.
I finished my last gulp of coffee and rested the mug on the countertop. "Well, Polly…let's get back to searching," I began. She nodded in return, and we both got up and headed for the chairs at the central computer, not forgetting to pick up and wear the earpiece Danny left behind.
It's been half an hour since we resumed operation. The 'cave' ceiling lights were turned off, with only the lights from the open spaces in the 'cave' and the screen lighting up the place, Paulina fell asleep on her chair faster than Danny predicted, the cars from covered sectors arrived at base, and the remaining cars have completed the search in their sectors, but not even a single trace of Geronimo.
"This is Phantom reporting in to Base. Come in Base," Phantom began.
"This is Base. Go ahead Phantom," I replied professionally.
"A hundred percent of our sector has been canvassed. I'm sorry, Agent Stilton. Your brother is nowhere to be found." I felt a single teardrop running down my cheek. I hoped Pierre had to report something opposite.
Unfortunately, it was never meant to be. "I have the same to report, Agent Stilton," Pierre intervened. "All of our sector is swept clean. I apologize, Agent Stilton. We did the best we could."
At that point, I lost hope. I broke into silent tears, sobbing. "Return to base…over and out…" I quickly took out the earpiece out of my ear and crossed my arms, crying.
I looked at Danny, peacefully having a dream on the floor. I decided to let go of the tension and did the same.
His blanket wasn't covering all of him and he was shivering in the cold. So I crouched and pulled the blanket up until it covered his neck.
I got up and walked to the girls' bedroom with tears and grabbed a pillow and blanket, then worked back out to camp outside with Danny and Paulina.
I laid down next to Danny, staring up at the ceiling blankly with my paws behind my head and interlocking my fingers. I couldn't help but to think how was he doing? Is he hurt or injured? Where was he? All sorts of questions popped in my psyche that I couldn't answer. The worst thought of all: was he alive?
I decided to skip that thought and closed my eyes, only hoping that Geronimo was alright.
9.20 a.m.
We woke up at sunrise to get ready for the day. It felt like normal days in my life, either in an assignment or not. But the only difference was…
Geronimo wasn't here.
I sat in the kitchen, pondering while I propped my head up with my arm by the chin, tapping my nails in a repetitive rhythm on the marble countertop while gazing into it like it was a bottomless trench.
Danny marched in front of me at the other side of the counter, heading for the fridge of a glass of milk. Strangely, he had a glass in each hand. I wondered whom was it for.
Surprisingly, the other one was for me. He slid the glass from across the counter and grabbed a seat opposite of me. "You look horrible, bud. I've never seen you look so down before."
"More than down, Dan. I'm devastated."
"I'm feeling the same thing. But don't worry too much. We'll catch the damn b-tards who did this to us!" He paused to chug some milk down his throat. "We'll teach 'em if they mess with one of us, they mess with all of us!" He held up his glass in front of me. "We do this for Geronimo!"
"For Geronimo…" we had a toast and clanged our glasses together and gulped down the milk.
Paulina scampered to us from the living room with an iPad in her arms. "Guys! We've gotta act fast if we want to save Geronimo!"
"What's going on, Polly?" Danny asked.
"Take a look at this! I was going through CNN's website, watching their live stream. This is what I found. This was uploaded an hour ago." She played a video on the website. No thumbnail, just a dark video window. She played and with the power of my chip, I connected her iPad to the central computer that had Apple TV equipped via Bluetooth and it displayed what was on her iPad. Everyone gathered around and payed attention.
A man whose half his face was covered with a skull-patterned mask filled the center of the display. He left his blue eyes, wide forehead and blond hair exposed. Other than that, he was in full combat gear. A black tactical flack vest with a magazine carrier on his chest. It seems that he was the one holding the camera judging by the distance of his face and the lens. Also, the setting was dark but just a single light shining from above, and as big as a warehouse I would describe it. I couldn't help but recall his face from somewhere, but where? Then I finally remembered…
It was Brazier Williams, from the Weapons Expo.
"Attention to 13-year-old Malaysian, Danial Arif," the man started in his distinctly recognizable British accent. "I want back what's rightfully mine. I've taken hostage of everyone in McCarran International Airport and unless you surrender yourself and the microchip implanted inside your head, we will start executing innocent people every hour past the deadline." He paused to pull his mask down. "You have until sundown before we do so or we will start the execution with your friend here…" He gestured to a second person out of the view. He pointed the camera lens towards a person kneeling down with a bag on his face. The second person Williams gestured to came to the kneeling person out of the darkness and took the bag of his head. We all gasped in disbelief.
It was Geronimo. He was bound and gagged with a strip of silver duct tape over his mouth. Besides that, he was badly beaten up. There were cuts on his cheek probably due to punching at that spot repeatedly.
"GERONIMO!" I called out loud, slowly started to tear up.
Danny frowned. "Oh, you damn little son of a tomcat!"
"Yes, your dear and newfound friend, Agent Geronimo Stilton!" Williams turned the camera lens to Geronimo's face. "You see, I tried asking him nicely about your location but he refused. So I'll try this again." He crouched and positioned the camera with his left arm so they both were in the shot. Williams ripped the tape off Geronimo's mouth, and took out a .50 caliber silver Desert Eagle out of his drop-leg holster. "I'll do this once more. WHERE THE F*** IS HE HIDING AT?"
"GO TO HE-D'AARRRGGHHH!" Geronimo was hit on the left of his forehead with the heavy pistol, making it bleed.
"NOOO!" Thea shouted with her eyes starting to water.
The camera was pointed at Williams' revolting face again. "He's in really deep s*** right now, so don't keep me waiting." That was the last thing we all saw before the video ended.
Murmurs arose and intensified.
Danny and I ran up to in front of the crowd. "Alright, you've seen the video! What we're gonna do now is we suit up, and go rescue Geronimo."
"Do we even have a plan?" Benjamin asked.
"Agent Hussein, Paulina, Thea, and I will come up with one while you guys gear up. J-Son! Lead them to the armory please."
"Yes sir!" He projected some arrows on the floor leading to the armory. "Stick to the arrows, please." They all walked the direction the arrows pointed to. Nothing complicated, the place was just beside the theater.
"We'll join you guys in a bit!" He turned back to us. "Alright, guys. Huddle up." We took the steps and came close to him. "We've no idea which part of the airport he's in. But, I studied the area, calculated the volume of the space, and discovered that the place is big enough for a hangar."
A holographic 3D projection of McCarran International appeared from the floor. I took the chance to state a fact. "But there's over eighteen different hangars along the stretch of this runway. It's over a mile long! How are we supposed to check them all out before sunset?"
"Ah, that's why I have an photo enhancing software." We all turned to the giant screen. He opened a window of the software and inserted the footage to be enhanced. It was the part where Geronimo and Williams gazed each other face to face. He zoomed into the dark background.
"I saw something in this part of the footage. Now, if I just increase the contrast in the background, and…" There was a poster. A picture of a helicopter and a type face reading: 'Sundance Helicopters'. "…there ya go. He's in one of Sundance Helicopters' hangars."
"It's located somewhere here," Paulina emphasized, pointing out where the hangar was in the projection.
"Great, we've got his location. So what's our plan of attack?" said Hussein.
Danny was there to answer that. "Okay, here's how we're gonna do it. First, we infiltrate by driving straight through the gates of here, shooting any Technologists guards in place on the move. Then…"
My Perspective
Briefing of Operation: On Your Six
0940 hours
As we finished planning for the rescue mission, the others had suited up in black standard issue combat gear and gathered back here in the 'cave'. They came out with all sorts of weapons. Rifles, shotguns, LMGs, even a marksman rifle.
"Whoa! Look at you guys!" I praised.
"I think olive green doesn't suit me well," Colette whined, holding her AA12 shotgun.
"What do you mean? It looks great on you!" Thea interjected.
"Really?"
"Yeah, the black contrasts your light fur."
"Thanks!"
The Thea Sisters and the mouselings impressed me the most; most of them carried heavy ordnance. Nicky and Pamela wielded an M249 and an M60 LMG respectively, Colette as mentioned carried a fully-automatic shotgun, Violet had her paws on a SCAR-H, which goes the same to Trap, Pandora, and Benjamin.
"Okay, now that you guys are done, sit tight while we suit up," I informed.
We just came out of the armory after suiting up, walking in the corridors. Here's what we had equipped:
Me
Clothing: Olive green long-sleeved shirt and cargo pants, earpiece, tactical bulletproof flack vest with magazine holders, combat knife holder on left chest, shoulder and joint pads, gloves with knuckle pads, tactical belt with sidearm ammunition holsters, drop-leg sidearm holster, drop-leg primary ammunition holster, combat boots.
Armament: HK416 Carbine with foregrip, infrared laser module, EoTech 552 holo sight, adjustable crane stock, suppressor and extended 60-round quad-stack magazine. Glock 18 machine pistol with suppressor and extended 60-round mags. 6 extra primary magazines, 6 extra sidearm magazines. Double-bladed lightsaber as melee.
Thea
Clothing: All of the above. In other words, same as mine. Difference, sidearm drop-leg holsters on each leg.
Armament: Desert tan FN SCAR-L with same options. Two suppressed Glock 18s (for dual-wielding) with 60-round quad-stack mags, same primary ammunition count, double sidearm ammunition count.
Hussein
Clothing: All the same with difference in tac vest, pouches for shotgun shells and shell holder on chest.
Armament: Remington M870 12 gauge shotgun with adjustable crane stock, Glock 18 machine pistol with 60-round quad-stack mag, 94 extra slug shells, 6 extra sidearm mags.
Paulina (Sniper, she impressed me the most)
Clothing: Same as above with extra large magazine carriers on tac vest.
Armament: Barrett M107 anti-materiel rifle with standard options and suppressor. Suppressed Glock 18 as sidearm. 4 extra .50 cal mags, 6 extra sidearm mags.
We stepped back into the 'cave'. "Alright, men and mice! Listen up!" The four of us climbed the steps to the central computer. "If we want to save Geronimo, we better do it right!"
"So, what's our plan?" Pandora asked.
"Good question." I paused to display the map of the airport and the enhanced background of the footage on the central computer's screen. "We managed to locate him by this poster we saw in this shot. So Sundance Helicopters' hangars is our objective. But, the problem is that we used the imaging satellite we hijacked and there are Technologists guards everywhere! So, here's what we need to do. We ride pickup trucks I had stored and we'll use 'em to infiltrate the airfield from the gates of Mavericks Helicopters' hangars from South Las Vegas Boulevard because that's the only place that's lightly guarded that we could find. I repeat, Mavericks Helicopters is our point of infiltration. To do that without any detection, we'll have to circle the airport and begin our approach from south of the road. After all that, we drive our way to the north of the airfield to the hangars between Sundance and Mavericks. And if they contact backup, Nicky and Pamela will blast some 7.62 and 5.56 rounds into their faces on the move. Got that you two?" They nodded.
"Now, comes Phase Two. We get off our vehicles at these hangars right here," I pointed them the location at the map, "...because the engine noise could attract attention. We'll split, Wolf Pack will fly over the high fence with some compact jet packs I'm going to give you later, and make your way on foot to the gates of the target hangar and provide a diversion. Meanwhile, the rest of us will run from the inside the airfield to the hangar and begin extraction with Pierre driving over here when everything's all done. Is everything clear at this point?" They all nodded with acknowledgement. "Good. Now, the Wolf Pack. If things get outta hand during the diversion, I want you to call in code FUBAR to me and I will command Phantom and Banshee to provide an airstrike with their roofjets. Do you understand?"
"UNDERSTOOD!" they answered with full of discipline, yelling.
"Any questions?"
Nicky raised her paw. "Yes, Nic?" I attended.
"Um…FUBAR, Danny?" Clearly she or any of the Thea Sisters have never heard of the term before.
Hussein was the one to answer instead. "It's an acronym that stands for eff-ed up beyond all recognition." He smiled for some reason.
"Oh, got it…" She blushed with bright red cheeks.
I turned to Paulina. "Okay, here's your roll Paulina. During extraction, I need you to cover for us from the roof of the hangars. Snipe oncoming enemies if they ever call for backup. I'll give you a jetpack so you can fly up there. Copy?"
"Mmm-hmm…" she acknowledged.
I switched my attention to the crowd. "Okay, remember that we have public hostages being held at the terminals. After we extract Geronimo out, we go to the terminals with the pickup trucks transporting us. Then, we take out all Technologists militants inside and extract all hostages and bring them to safety. We do the same to all terminals. That's Phase Three. And if you see that scumbag Brazier Williams, arrest him. A bonus if he's killed. A double-bonus if he's headshot." We cheered spiritedly, raising our guns in the air. "Alright everyone, here a little bit of optical gear for you all." With the Force, I used it to pick up a box from the armory to here. "These are thermal vision, night vision, and infrared vision combat specs. They have a target-spotting system that helps you spot enemies by displaying a crosshair on the target. Everybody grab one." They have black frames and one-piece turquoise lenses.
I grabbed one myself and put them on. "I just want to say something before we go. He's taken away too much from me. He took my family, he took my friend, and I won't let him take another one of mine and one of yours. So we do this, FOR GERONIMO!"
Then we all shouted with our fists in the air. "FOR GERONIMO!"
"Follow me to your vehicles, troops!"
We proceeded to the back of the 'cave' and a hidden garage door opened up under the window of the parking space. Inside them were pickup trucks.
"Meet the Roughers, guys!"
Rougher #1, Solidad. Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Super Crew.
Rougher #2, Charger. 4-door Dodge Ram SRT-10.
Rougher #3, Bull. Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Super Cab.
I began to introduce them. "This is Solidad, Charger, and Bull. Each engine tuned to emit the power of a thousand horses, each has a top speed of 220 miles an hour, and each can achieve 0 to 60 in four seconds flat. Thea Sisters to Solidad with Pam and Nic on the truck bed with your guns on the roof. Wolf Pack, you guys take Bull and Charger. Pandora, you take the backseat with Colette and Violet. Benjamin and Trap, you guys take the truck bed. Hussein, note that your jetpacks are in the truck beds of Bull and Charger."
I finally made the announcement. "OPERATION ON YOUR SIX IS A GREEN LIGHT!"
Hussein ordered his team to get going. "KASSIM, KHALID, OSMAN, AND AMIR! I WANT THE FOUR OF YOU TO BE MOUNTED GUNNERS ON THE TRUCK BED OF EACH OF OUR VEHICLES! LET'S MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" In his squad, he had two snipers, two scouts, two riflemen and four gunners.
His squad obeyed his orders and climbed on. As soon as everyone was onboard their respective vehicles, we drove off to the exit tunnel after taking the ramp leading to it.
Nye County, Nevada
1110 hours, 5 hours until sundown
We've been driving in the desert for an hour since we left the base. The two Ageras and a Bugatti drove behind us as we lead them with the pickups. Whether wasn't really hot like last time, it was cloudy with the chance of a thunderstorm later. I drove while listening to The Chemical Brothers' 'Galvanize' at the moment.
"Obi-Wan, this is Big Smoke," Benjamin radioed from the truck bed. Big Smoke was his codename and Obi-Wan was mine. He chose Big Smoke because he's a big fan of the Grand Theft Auto series.
I kept my eyes on the road as he contacted. "Go ahead, Big Smoke."
"How much longer till we reach the first objective?"
Thea answered instead. "I'd say at 180 miles an hour in another hundred miles, I'd say we'll be there in forty minutes."
"Copy that, Onslaught." Onslaught was Thea's codename.
"Edam, what's your condition?" I was referring to Trap.
"Still burping...erp..." He burped. He ate to much beans before the mission, so he had gas in his stomach.
"It'll go away, hang in there. Outback, Sahara, Hawkeye, what's up with you gals?" I called Nicky, Pamela, and Paulina respectively.
"I'm scoping to see what's up front. Looks like nothing ahead for fifteen hundred meters."
"Copy, Hawkeye." I heard three stomachs growling from the back. "Eiffel, Roach, Dragon, you hungry?" Eiffel was Colette, Roach was Pandora, and Dragon was Violet. "I've got emergency jelly donuts in the middle console, check 'em out." They lunged forward and opened the cover of the console and grabbed a donut each. Even I reached for one myself. "Specters One through Ten, do you read?" The Specters were the Wolf Pack's codename.
"This is Specter One, loud and clear." Specter One was Hussein.
"I don't see you or the other Specters in my mirrors anywhere. What's your twenty?" Thea who sat beside me started to giggle.
"That's because we're in front of you, Obi-Wan..."
I was joking with him. "Oh yeah, that's right. I used to be in front and check my mirrors all the time," I punned. Thea burst into laughter. "Permission to overtake."
"Granted. Go ahead Obi-Wan."
I pulled ahead and took the lead. It stayed that way until we reached McCarren.
McCarran International Airport, Mavericks Helicopters' Hangars
1205 hours, 4 hours till sundown
We had arrived at the airport. I had Pierre, Banshee, and Phantom to stay until we need them.
"This is it, Crew! We crash in through those gates and begin Phase One!" I drove straight into the gates. But, four Technologists hostiles were in the way. "Outback! Sahara! Shoot them!" They set their bipods on the roof, took aim and pulled the triggers. As shells dropped and 7.62s and 5.56s left the barrels, the militants panicked, so they didn't return fire. Instead, they went down and bit the dust.
"Great shot! Now hold on!" I floored the throttle and Solidad's supercharged 6 liter V8 went redlining as loud as the engine of a monster truck. We jolted as Solidad accelerated into the gates, battering through them like an angry charging ram. As the pickup hit those steel with wire mesh gates with a clang and much force, the gates came off their hinges and thrown a few feet away.
We took a left towards northeast and to the hangars at the start of Phase Two slowly for minimal engine noise.
Yet, some still spotted us bust in and sent about six troops from the terminals to stop us. "Outback, Sahara, you think you can hit those bogies?"
"Negative, Obi-Wan. They're over a klick away. Our guns don't have that kinda range," stated Pamela.
"You girls can't, but I can," volunteered Paulina.
"Knock 'em dead, Hawkeye."
"Roger that."
Paulina quickly primed her M107, crouched and took aim through the scope. A series of semi-suppressed shots were heard as I looked to my right. She was shooting fast, not taking any time with switching targets. It seemed that she had reflexes like mine. They all went down on the Tarmac in a bloody fate.
"Targets down, Obi-Wan," she confirmed.
"Copy that. Good job, Hawkeye," I praised.
We weren't done yet, a human blockade consisting of Technologists militants were ahead, firing at us. "We're not done yet. More hostiles a quarter klick away. I want Outback and Sahara along with Specters Five through Eight to do a run-and-gun. Drivers of Bull and Charger, drive side-by-side with me so your gunners could get a clear line of fire."
They lined up, ready to take on the blockade. "FIRE!"
All six machine guns fired and shot down the blockade with armor piercing rounds. We drove around their bodies when they died. Why didn't we drive over them you wondered? Hey, we're not as heartless as they are! They're humans too!
"Anymore bogies?" I asked.
"I'm assuming none left. I'm looking around and the specs aren't targeting anything," said Pamela.
"Ammunition?"
"Ammo counter says a hundred seventy rounds left."
"A hundred and seventy two," stated Nicky.
"Specters?" I asked.
"Ten rounds wasted out of two hundred," Specter Five reported.
"Same," said Specter Six.
"Nine rounds gone," Specter Seven checked.
"Five rounds shot," informed Specter Eight.
"Great. Reserve as much as you can. Approaching Drop Zone, ETA five seconds."
We kept driving on the empty tarmac. Nothing but parked planes on our left and baggage trailers scattered around.
We were at the Drop Zone. We parked near the high fence, behind a row of helicopter hangars. We all got off our pickups and ready to approach the main objective on foot. "Okay Specters, we follow the plan. Take a jetpack each from the truck beds, strap into the harnesses and I will teach you how to fly." They took one each out of of the truck beds and wore the jetpacks on themselves. Even Paulina, as we weren't to board the trucks again until Phase Three.
"You got the jammers, Specter One?" I asked.
"I've three on my belt, jamming enemy comlinks...now." He pushed a button on his belt, emitting a 'beep'.
"Okay, the jetpacks have neuro-connectors that connects to your spinal cord and accept commands directly from your mind that I've programed into its commands' database. To activate the thrusters, I just want you to think of 'thrust'."
Hussein obviously had a hard time processing the instructions. "Let me get this straight, so I just say 'thrust' in my head and that'll make me fly?" Hussein questioned.
"Exactly. Do it!"
"Here goes nothing..." He breathed in and let it out. Then, his feet were lifted up a few inches above the tarmac.
"Whoa! It worked! Try it out, Specters!" One by one, everybody did what Specter One did.
"It seems kinda fun," said Specter Two.
"We'll see you guys at the objective," Hussein said.
"Roger that. You guys stay alive, ya hear?"
"We will. Specters! LET'S FLY!" They flew over the fence, landed and proceeded to the objective.
"Okay Crew, let's move," I said to my squad.
We ran the length to the end of the hangars, but our heavy loadout never slowed us down. Scouts Dragon and Eiffel checked to see if our path around the corner was empty and safe to go through. They confirmed as said, and signaled us to move forward.
We stopped when Hussein contacted. "This is Specter One to Obi-Wan, reporting in."
"Go ahead, Specter One."
"What's your twenty?"
"At the side of the row of hangars. Why?"
"Better stop right there. Two hostiles in between the two rows of hangars. They turn their heads back and forth in five second intervals."
"Copy that. Eiffel, go check it out."
She went to peek at the corner but quickly took cover. "Oui! He's right! They just turned their heads here!"
"In that case, stay put, Crew. I'll go handle 'em." I got my hand on my lightsaber hilt.
Thea stopped me by the shoulder. "I'll assist you."
"That won't be necessary, Onslaught. I can Force Speed and do a surprise attack on 'em."
"Be careful."
"I will."
I waited while hiding at the corner until they looked the other way. My Force Speed has a range about fifty meters. Enough to engage and encounter them. They looked away, and that was my chance.
I split my lightsaber first. Then I Force Sped behind them.
I started with a little showing-off. "Hello, boys," I said. They turned around and I activated both sabers, going though their hearts. They thudded at the ground as I deactivated my lightsabers.
"The coast is clear, Crew! Move forward!" I ordered. We proceeded running to the side of the second row of hangars.
We continued sprinting for cover across the empty tarmac. We came across a few randomly parked planes, taking temporary cover as we ran. Pandora kept outrunning us every time we came out of cover, that's why I codenamed her Roach. She can scramble fast like one. We also saw the Specters running from the other side of the fence, giving us a friendly salute that said 'good luck'. I smiled and saluted back.
We were already at a large hangar for a private jet and hid behind its wall for cover. We only had two more hangar-length distances before we reached the objective. "Specter One, I need your twenty."
"You saw me just a second ago, Obi-Wan. I think you already know."
"I know, just needed if you and your team are ready for to start the diversion."
"We're still running...and...oh shoot!" Sounds of dirt being kicked was heard as he paused, most likely he was retreating. "Okay, we were almost spotted. Just give me the call and we'll begin."
"Hold on..." I turned to Violet. "Dragon, do yo thang." She nodded and went to the corner and took out her binoculars. She looked around for one second, and came back. "What do you see?" I asked.
"I spotted five men, full combat gear, armed with British L86A2s, with 60-round STANAG mags equipped."
"Specter One, how many hostiles are at your twenty?"
"Let me take a look," he paused, them he resumed. "Oh damn..."
"So?"
"Fifteen, I repeat, FIF...TEEN randomly stationed hostiles, everywhere! On the hangar roof, the parking lot, the gates... We are definitely outnumbered and looking at a heavily guarded fortress!"
"Okay, just in case, don't be trippin' when I say this. There are five more guys back here. Figured that they'd go to the diversion when you start."
"We are so dead... I'm talking big time."
"Don't say that, it makes it sound like you're giving up hope before you even started. Besides, you've done this kinda thing before, right?"
"As a matter of fact, we haven't. The Wolf Pack only does pursuits, offensive, and defensive driving. This is the first time we're being the Specters."
"Don't back out right now! C'mon, do this for Geronimo...and for Pam." Pam blushed in embarrassment. "And remember when things get hairy, call in code FUBAR. Got it?"
"FUBAR, copy that."
"Alright, diversion is a go."
"Order received. And Pam, if you're hearing this and in case I don't make it out alive...I love you." Pam left a wide grin, and the Thea Sisters got jealous.
"Good luck, Specters."
"Alright, LOCK AND LOAD, BOYS! WE LEAVE AS MEN OR WE DONT LEAVE AT ALL!"
"SIR, YES, SIR!" They replied.
"MOVE OUT!"
Hussein's Perspective
We marched calmly down the parking lot, ready to face the hostiles. "Hey! Stay where you are, all of you!" warned one of them in a thick British accent. He came to us face-to-face, pointing his L86 assault rifle to my face.
I basically acted cool and signaled a closing fist to my team, telling them to stop. "Look, we don't want any trouble here. Just let us through so we rescue the hostage."
"Nice try! Now drop your weapons!"
"Welp, we tried asking nicely." I sweep kicked him to the ground, got back up, and took one shot to his head.
His fellow hostiles just watched in horror as I killed him in cold blood. They froze but quickly prepared to fire. Meanwhile, we took cover behind cars that were parked and prepped our guns. "Smoke 'em, boys," I ordered. We opened fire, and the diversion had begun.
"Obi-Wan, you're clear to go. Diversion has begun," I informed.
"Roger, Specter One. Crew, proceed to objective!"
I just thought of something and I wanted to share it with my teammates through our comlinks. "Specters, remember that this is a diversion. Only use suppressive fire."
My Perspective
"Hold on a minute, Obi-Wan," said Violet, still looking through her binoculars at the corner.
"What's up?"
"They're not leaving..."
"What?"
She came back from the corner. "They're not leaving for the diversion. Take a look." She pawed me her binoculars.
I took a long look. "Hmm...looks like we have to attack as well," I announced. Then I turned to look at the long chain of connected baggage trailers at the end of the first hangar. Plus, there were some more trailers at the side that we could pull to the side to form a bunker if more hostiles came from the side. "We can use those baggage carriers for cover if we engage with them. Agreed?" I looked back and they all nodded. "Hawkeye, fly up to the roof. Help us snipe 'em."
As Paulina flew up to the roof, we continued stealthily to the baggage trailers and crouched to hide there. One of the armed men were just in front of our cover, looking at the opposite direction. Nicky signaled to us that meant that she wanted to stealth-kill the man by strangling him. Or at least it that was what looked like by the way she was pointing to him, then clashed her fist with her other paw, and grabbed her throat. I gave her the green.
She went out of cover silently and approached the armed hostile. She went as close to him as she can. Then, she grabbed the man in a chokehold by the neck and mouth, dragging him back into cover. She kept doing it until he stopped squirming and his body went limp. His body finally gave up and Nicky stopped as well. At the same time, the sounds of fast and suppressed gunfire came from the roof of the hangars. Most probably from Paulina's Glock 18, killing the hostiles up there.
I peeped out of cover, boy, was that a mistake I'll never do again.
One of them were looking towards us, and I thought he almost saw me. "I think that bloke almost spotted me," I said with my Australian accent. Then I confirmed that he did. He shouted for backup and three rounds were shot and hit the metal panels of the trailer. "I stand corrected, he DID spot me."
"Orders, Obi-Wan?" said Thea, readying the weapon in her paws.
"We return fire, Onslaught. Edam, Big Smoke, Roach, pull those trailers here to form a bunker. You guys cover the right. They sounded their alarm, their backup may arrive any minute."
"Wilco, Obi-wan," Trap replied.
Good thing the trailers were empty, otherwise they'd have to struggle to move them. They went back in cover, and ducked down as we had a standoff with The Technologists. "Push 'em! We need to move forward!" I shouted, shooting my HK416 in semi-auto mode.
"Easier said than done, they're suppressing us down!" Pamela squeaked.
"I'll move the trailers with the Force! Shoot while taking cover!" I lifted the chain of trailers and walked forward. They retreated, going back to smaller cover. "It's working!" Just when we advanced, a bullet ricocheted at the side of the trailers. "Abort! Fall back! More hostiles coming from the right!"
The Crew ran back to where Trap, Benjamin, and Pandora were, seeking protection from enemy fire while I moved the trailer back. "Sahara, assist Edam and the mouselings! I'll take care of these guys up front." I radioed Paulina as I aimed. "Hawkeye! What's happening up there?"
"My paws are tied, Obi-Wan!" She paused for some reason. "This guy just won't give up!"
"Are you fighting a sniper?" I shot three rounds. "In hand to hand?"
"Yeah! He can block but he can't hit!"
"There's only one place to hit if you want to drop a man." I fired four more rounds. "If you're desperate, I can tell you!"
"You don't mean..."
"Yes, I do! Now do it 'cause we're being hammered down here!"
"Okay, here goes..." I heard a kick being hit to the...ehem...and her victim squealed in pain as he fell with a thud. "I'm done, what do I need to do?"
"I need you to cover fire for us. See those hostiles coming from the terminals?" I let go three rounds of suppressive fire.
"Yeah."
"My orders are simple. SNIPE 'EM!"
"Roger that..."
Paulina's Perspective
I walked and stood at the edge of the roof, looking over the tarmac and scanning for targets. Fifteen more hostiles approaching The Crew. I got ahold of my Barrett that slung on my shoulder by a strap, grabbed the front end of the magazine with my left paw to use as a foregrip, placed the stock on my shoulder, looked through the scope, and placed my right index finger on the trigger.
Knowing that I got used to sniping while lying down with the bipod stabilizing the gun from the front, I thought I'd try something new.
Shooting off-hand.
Shooting off-hand meant shooting while standing up, almost impossible to do with a high-recoil rifle like the Barrett. But, a video on YouTube I saw proved it can be done. So I thought I'd take example of the shooter in the video and combined his skills with my style.
My trigger finger itched, just waiting for my rangefinder crosshairs to align with the head of my target. It helped when I held my breath so the gun was steady. Then, when I finally have a clear shot, that's when the itching stopped. Which is, when I pulled the trigger.
The head of the hostile popped like a balloon, splattering blood all over the tarmac. The recoil pushed the gun and my shoulder backwards really hard, the amount of gunpowder in that .50 BMG cartridge was really large. But that didn't stop me from quick-scoping more victims, a gaming move that was impossible to execute in the real world.
I pulled off three more quick-scopes to three more heads of Technologists in one second. I reloaded fast as I wasted all ten rounds in that mag, and pulled the charging handle. I then reset my stance, and prepared to shoot, but stopped when a 'stray' bullet flew past my ear.
"Bad news, Obi-Wan. They're shooting at me!" I reported.
"Use the jetpack as your advantage! A moving target is harder to hit!" he advised as ricochets sounded from the earpiece. I knew what he meant: he told me to go airborne.
"I'll try..."
"There's no try! You either do or don't!"
I took his words and it sunk into me. I stayed still, closing my eyes, thinking of thrust. Then, the thrusters activated and hovered me a few inches above the roof. I began tilting my body to move me from side to side, and began scoping.
I pulled the trigger a few times. Some of the shots hit, some of them didn't. "Pull yourself together Polly...you got this..." I said to myself.
I took a deep breath and sighed it out. I scoped another target on the head, aiming the crosshairs to his head. When another head popped off after another trigger pull, I put on a wide smile. Just when I was about to celebrate, a spray of bullets flew by me at Mach 1.5, just missing me by inches. That's when I decided to take it up a notch. It was time to go acrobatic and airborne.
I started with a thrust from the jetpack to do front flip to my right, and quick-scoped another target down after landing on my paws. Another quick thrust made me do a side flip to my left and quick-scoped two more. I took a long thrust in the air to the right so I could make three airborne kills. I then landed to reload a fresh mag, meanwhile Pamela, Trap, Benjamin, and Pandora shot about four more hostiles.
As a finishing move to the final hostile, I jetted back to the left as the world plunged into slow motion, rotated my body in 360 degrees, and fired my M107 from hip level. Another gaming move impossible to do in real life, known as the 360 no-scope. Astonishingly, the full metal jacket made a confirmed and successful kill. To the head.
My Perspective
We were running low on ammo, and we still had three guys to take down. I spent the last few rounds to my second magazine, then reloaded with my third one. "Anybody low on ammo?" I asked, preparing to give some to my squadmates.
"I'm on my last few rounds," Thea replied, shooting three rounds blindly to the enemy. "That's it, my gun's dry!"
"Here!" I threw her one of my spare magazines. She quickly reloaded and resumed shooting.
Much to my dismay, Pandora ran out of primary ammunition as well. "I'm out of primary ammo! Switching to secondary!"
"Argh! We can't hold it much longer!" I exclaimed.
I saw Nicky's M249 at my right being shot at the barrel. She quickly ducked for cover. "He just shot my barrel!"
"Have you got a spare?" I asked.
"Fortunately, thank you instincts!" The twin-tailed mouse grabbed a spare barrel from her belt and replaced the broken one, and continued fighting.
Everyone was low on ammunition, one by one we let our primaries sling on our shoulders and taking our Glocks out. Thea even dual-wielded her Glocks in full auto. I was the only one with one mag in reserve, replacing my empty mag with it.
Finally at the right moment, Paulina reported in. "Your right flank is covered. Shall I assist you on eliminating the hostiles up front?"
Without any hesitations, quickly answered before she could even finish. "Yes, PLEASE!"
As the day turned dark with the black clouds blanketing over Las Vegas, she took three shots to the enemies to end the standoff.
"Good shot, Hawkeye!" I said, looking at her on top of the hangars.
"Don't mention it," she replied.
"I don't mean to rain on your parade, but we're still not done over here!" Hussein butt in harshly as a long sound of gunfire was heard.
"Sitrep, Hussein," I demanded.
"We're low on ammo," he stopped to shoot a spray bullets, "...there's five more guys and most of us are down to our secondaries! We're getting FU..." There was static interference, "...out here!"
"Specter One, I need you to repeat that."
"I'M CALLING IN CODE FUBAR!"
"Code received and accepted. Ageras, launch the airstrike."
"Affirmative. Deploying roofjets," they said with the roofjets emitting sonic booms in the distance.
"Pierre, Roughers, get over here and prepare for extraction."
"ETA 15 seconds," said Pierre.
"ETA 10 seconds," said Solidad.
We saw the jets flew by us as they fired their air-to-ground pod rockets to the parking lot. I even heard a man scream through the earpiece as I was about to contact Hussein. "That screaming I heard better not be from one of us," I said.
"No, we're absolutely fine," he reported in a reassuring tone.
"Okay, Crew. We advance to the objective!"
We ran a distance of seventy meters to the hangar where Geronimo was kept. The Specters joined in time as we sprinted past the gates. Most were carrying their Glocks because they were low on ammo, including Hussein himself. "Good to see you again, Pam," said Hussein to his crush as they ran side by side. Pam did nothing but blush.
"I want all weapons set to semi-auto. Metal walls won't stop stray rounds. And I want night vision active by the time we breach," I ordered as I ran.
The Roughers and Pierre overtook and beat us to the hangar, stopping with screeching tires. We reached the door afterwards, with the Specter One, a fellow rifleman, a sniper, and two scouts running for the door at the far end of the hangar while The Crew and myself went for the first door beside the gates. Both teams stacked up on both sides of the doorway, preparing for breach. Specters Two, Three and two fellow gunners and a sniper remained outside to cover for us, pulling a nearby chain of trailers to the hangar to use as a bunker.
"Obi-Wan, this is Specter One, my team is stacked up and ready for breach," Hussein reported.
"This is Obi-Wan, ready to breach," I continued, conveying the same message.
"Obi-Wan, Specter Six, area secure, no hostiles in sight," he reported as his team of gunners armed with chain-fed machine guns prepped their weapons.
"All teams prepared for breach. Night vision, on. Bring up the C4s," I cued. With the touch of a finger to the frames of our specs, the world turned green for us.
On my team, Thea and I stacked on either side of the door, lining up behind me were Paulina with her sidearm, Trap, Pandora, and Benjamin. Behind Thea were the rest of her students.
Violet who came with the explosive in paw placed it on the door and went back to her place in line.
"C4 planted," reported Violet.
"C4 planted, ready to detonate," Specter Three's voice followed Violet's.
"On my mark, three...two...one..."
BOOM! The door was blasted away in a loud bang and a thin cloud of smoke, hurtling and slamming into the poor guard on the other side, knocking him out cold.
Thea and I stormed in first, firing a fast succession of suppressed shots at the nearby guards. On the hangar's far side, I saw the Specters do the same on their entry point, with the door still hanging weekly on its bottom hinge.
It took us merely ten to forty seconds to subdue and neutralize the ten guards inside. We moved through some tool carts and one of Sundance's Airbus EC-130 parked at the side of the hangar to the single light focused at the center of the hangar. Turned out, Geronimo wasn't there. All that WAS there was a tiny pool of blood which I assumed was from the cut he suffered from being hit by Williams' gun.
"Search the place... Pandora, find the light switch, scavenge as much ammo as we can while we're at it," I said, panting.
She quickly located the switch can flicked on the lights as we started moving loose items in the hangar, hoping for a sight of Geronimo. Specters Four the scout and Five the rifleman went scavenging, while their leader went further into the hangar. We scanned every inch of the hangars explorable space, until we found a small room at the hangar's corner, probably a small management office. I twisted the knob of the door, it seemed unlocked but it won't open. The tumblers were jammed. So I called Thea for assistance from across the hangar. She tried slamming the door with her forearm but it still won't open. I had an idea, and told her to stand back. Then I brought out my lightsaber, activated a single blade and cut out the knob from the whole door. I kicked it and it flew open, but disappointed by the presence of just a desk and a few chairs.
I called everyone to regroup to the center of the hangar. "He's been moved. He's definitely been here before by the looks of the blood," I declared. "How much ammo have you got, Specter Four and Five?"
"Ten bodies, nine of them carried three mags of five point five-six calibers each," Specter Five announced, carrying the drop-leg magazine holsters of the men we shot down in his arm with his teammate. They both dropped them on the floor. "Hey Hussein, look what I found..." He walked to a body of a Technologist guard and lifted a shotgun off it. He walked back and showed and handed it to his superior.
"Whoa, a KSG shotgun! I always wanted to wield one of these. Any shells on him?"
"Lots. Check the pouches on him." He walked away to the body to get more shells.
"Everyone reload and rearm, we don't want our guns to be dry when we begin Phase Three," everyone including me picked up three mags and equipped them in my magazine holders while I struggled to think of where Geronimo might be.
That was when Pandora and Benjamin interrupted when they made a discovery. "Obi-Wan, take a look at this," Benjamin called.
I looked up and turned my head towards him. "What is it, Big Smoke?"
"We found some blood trails leading towards outside the hangar," Pandora continued.
I came close to them, inspecting the tiny drops of blood leading to outside that hangar via the main door. I pulled a cotton swab in a test tube and swiped a sample of the substance. Getting even more intrigued, I pulled the big sliding doors alone from the far end of the hangar to the right. With the momentum going on as it was barely open, Thea came to help and pulled along with me. Made the job very much easier to do.
My eyes followed the trail leading further to the terminals as the Specters outside peered over their shoulders. "New plan!" I proposed, looking back at the Crew behind me. "Get on your vehicles! I'll explain it to you on the move!" We began running to our vehicles. "Onslaught, you're with me in Pierre. Specters, take Bull and Charger. The rest, get on Solidad with Sahara driving. Specter One, hand a jammer to Specter Six and Dragon, each!" My last orders before we hopped onto our vehicles.
We took of in a trail of smoke and tire screeches on the tarmac as we sped to the terminals.
"Pierre, I need you to test this blood sample," I said. He popped out a tray from the middle console with a designated mold so I could put the swab in it. He took it back in and results came in in half a second.
"Blood signature belongs to Special Agent Geronimo Stilton," he announced.
"Scan the signature in the airport area." Results was like a just now, only half a second.
"Ninety-two signatures on the tarmac. They lead to Concourse D. All hostages inside were moved to Terminals One and Two."
"So what now, Obi-Wan?" Hussein said.
"Follow Phase Three. Specter One, you're taking over this Phase. Specters One through Five, you are Echo-One. Go handle Terminal Two and free the hostages. Crew, you guys are Echo-Two. Free hostages in Terminal One. Specters Six through Ten, you're Echo-Three. Go handle Terminal Three. Don't forget to jam their comlinks. Onslaught and I'll go settle the D Gates. Split up!"
They went to their objectives while Thea and I followed the blood trail to the D Gates.
Concourse D
1430 hours, One and a half hours until sundown
Just like what Pierre said, the trail led to the D Gates, possibly where Williams kept Geronimo hostage. I parked Pierre in front of the entrance and told him to stay there.
"This is it, Thea. It's do or die time," I said to her, slamming the door shut.
She nodded as a response. "Geronimo, we're coming for you..."
We advanced through the glass doors, navigating around the building. The place was dark and quiet as I could tell, newspapers flying around, property in the building was misplaced and even the shops inside were a mess as a result of the people panicking when The Technologists raided. Seemed to me that it was like a post-apocalyptic ghost town, overran by zombies and we were the only survivors.
The day turned darker as the thick rain clouds covered most of Las Vegas, accompanied by lightning flashes to make the suspense grow bigger. We've covered all of the first floor in fifteen minutes, and decided to circle back to the main entrance to take the escalator near it to second floor, and continue our search there.
As we approached the stationary escalator, we overheard the mumbling of a person from upstairs. I closed my fist to signal a halt to Thea. We listened to what the voice appeared to say: "Well Geronimo, we have two more hours until you meet your fate."
I turned to my partner. She knew what I was about to ask, and responded immediately. "I heard."
We ran up the non-moving escalators towards the voice. We investigated the area, pointing our guns at random places as the sound echoed off random walls as the voice continued: "Looks like your friends and family, your own flesh and blood has abandoned you..." We continued to walk the opposite direction of the escalator, following the confirmed direction of the voice.
Another voice followed the first, and it sounded like Geronimo: "It's because they did it for the sake of the innocent!"
The voices grew louder and louder as we crept silently through the worse wreckage of the second floor. "Oh, did they? Then why haven't they come to save the hostages? Aren't they innocent too? Do you know what I think? I think that Danial isn't actually your real friend. He only left you for the sake his own safety."
"NO!"
"Yes..."
"He wouldn't!"
"How do you know for sure, then?" the first voice said in a higher tone that left a scar in my heart. "How do you know that he's your real friend?"
"Because he acted like one! He tried to stop me when I wanted to go into your trap!" Those words healed the scar, it felt so heartwarming.
"That doesn't prove it! In fact, it doesn't prove anything! You wanted to replace your old friend that I killed with that child so he could fill in that empty spot in your heart!"
"Would you stop saying anymore words? It makes me want to kill you."
"Oh, you could..IF YOU WEREN'T TIED UP!"
We tracked the sound down that sourced from The Centurion Lounge, entering the destruction The Technologists caused from shooting randomly to scare the patrons. Not to mention that the furniture was totally out place.
We moved further inside as we discovered that the voices came from the Premuim Bar.
The first man then said: "It looks like your cavalry won't be coming any soon. Seeing what you've been through, I think I'll do you a favor by putting you out of your misery...forever." I knew what it meant, like any other criminal would say. "Any last words?" I heard a click, like a gun's hammer being thumbed backwards. By then, we stood at the entrance of the bar.
"I know that in his heart somewhere, our friendship will still carry on..." I was shocked when he continued his sentence: "...even of I'm gone."
"Fine, if that's what you believe in..." My heart was pumping fast as my friend's death was upon him. "GOODBYE, GERONIMO STILTON!"
That's when Thea and I chose to storm in and stop him before he could pull the trigger.
"WILLIAMS!" I shouted. He was there, aiming the the Desert Eagle single-handedly to Geronimo's head as he kneeled down, facing his demise with dignity.
Will this be the end of Geronimo? Find out in a few days in the next chapter!