Out Think, Out Smart, Out Gas Part 5

by Resurgent-class

Season 1 Story 8.1 Takes place in Season 1, between episodes #8 The Day Smart Turned Chicken and #9 Satan Place. In the conclusion to this unexpected pentalogy, Max, the Chief and 99 realizes they alone, are all that stands between SS-19 and the completion of KAOS' endgame. Max thinks a Gibson will help. He's wrong.

4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

The men all stopped yelling upon SS-19's exclamation, though their arms remained frozen in the air for several seconds.

"Lorenc! Take Yakovlevich, Marold und Rilski! Get up to zer command centre, get the hangar doors opened und kill Shmart und Ninety-Nine if you find zhem but take zer Chief alive if you can!—"

The men were already moving, Marold, Yakovlevich and Rilski leaping out the rear of their Land Rovers, submachine guns in gloved hands while someone tossed Lorenc his F1 submachine gun.

"C'MOOOOON! MOVE it you worthless SACK of SHITS!" Lorenc roared through his mask, waving his right arm as he ran back towards the W900s with Marold, Yakovlevich and Rilski on his heels, overshoe boots screeching on the hangar floors. "YOU ALL NEED ANOTHER HUG FROM YOUR MAMAS BEFORE YOU CAN BE REAL MEN?! YOU ARE ALL THE MOST USE-less, PIECES OF SPINELESS MAMA BOYS I HAVE EVER SEEEN! MOVE IIIIIIIIIITTTTT!"

"—Lacza! Get Dospevski, Meisinger und Baidukov! Find zer Chief und bring eem down here! Zer vest of you, protect zer antidotes und X-Tens! Move zer Lund Rovers out zer moment zer doors are up!—"

As Lorenc, Marold, Yakovlevich and Rilski dashed past SS-19 and continued running down the space between the 2 W900s, Lacza, Meisinger, Dospevski and Baidukov were already down from the Land Rovers and sprinting towards the W900s with their submachine guns. Meanwhile, Quittner with his Walther MPL crouched between the black and pale gray Land Rover and aimed up at the southern wall's catwalk.

"Barton! Watch the North catwalk and the side door! I've got the tunnel!" Drapikowski yelled through his gas mask as he got down on one knee between the second and third Land Rover, his F1 submachine gun's wooden stock pressed to his shoulder while Barton cocked his Beretta M12 and crouched between the dark green and matt brown vehicles, aiming at the North wall's catwalk.

"—Drivers! Stay inside zer trucks und get ready to go vhen I say! Leoni! Yuri! Go with Lacza!" SS-19 yelled and the W900 crews quickly rolled up their windows before Leoni and Yuri jumped out with their Walther MPLs.

Max twisted again shoving his left shoulder against Gerd's right and ran forward dragging the KAOS agent away from the right wall's console. As Gerd stumbled along, the P1 went off, slide clacking repeatedly and the tungsten-carbide rounds drilled clean through the centre windowpane.

Lorenc, Marold, Yakovlevich and Rilski sprinted down the hangar between the 2 W900s with Lorenc in the lead followed by Yakovlevich a few steps behind him while Marold and Rilski followed up the rear, side by side. Looking up as the JUPITER ELECTRONICS CORP and PINE & CEDAR's HOME FURNISHINGS banners on the box trailers flashed by on either side of them in a blur of green, brown, cartoon furniture, white, red and black, they saw the bullet holes appearing in the central windowpane of the command centre at the east wall.

"What's that beer-SUCKING FRATBOY DOING?!" Lorenc roared behind his gas mask over his burly shoulder. "MOOOOVE IIIITTT YOU WORTHLESS REJECTS AND RETARDS! YOU ALL STILL WAITING DA SUCKLE OFF YOUR MAMAS ONE LAST TIME BEFORE YOU CAN DO ANY…"

"Oooooh SHAD UP you glupyy Amerikanskiy!" Yakovlevich hollered through his GP-5 behind Lorenc. "We NOT your beskharakternyy, cow-wad re-CRUITS!"

"You WATCH your mouth BOY!" Lorenc roared over his shoulder, his gas mask not hindering the menace of his tone. "That's MASTER Sergeant to YOU! I've trained soldiers since before your mama was old enough da work your DIAPER! I put more soldiers into wars…."

"BIIIIIIIIG—DEAL!" Yakovlevich roared in return as they approached the tractor units. "I Kapitan in Red ARMY! I keel THIRTY natsist ah day during Battle of Stalingrad alone!"

"Only reason my BOOTS not UP your ass boy, is because you're BACK THERE!"

"Only reason you not singing Mary Little Lamb in GERMAN ist becauze Soviet Union SAVE your over grown yagoditsa!"

"When this is over you're gonna drop ten THOUSAND for me BOY!"

"Oh look!" Yakovlevich responded in mock surprise as he examined his Walther MPL's receiver with exaggerated attention "My masheen gun selektar switch off safe, on full-auto and I be-HIND you! I-think-I-going-to-pull-trigger-accident!"

"You watch that mouth BOY! Or I'll shove my boot right…" Lorenc roared as they dashed clear of the tractor units and ran towards the forklifts left haphazardly between them and the revetments.

"Ooooh e-NOUGH vith your STUPID BOOTS! Are you KAOS agent or COBBLER?!.."

As Lorenc and Yakovlevich ran around or jumped through the forklifts in their way, Marold and Rilski running slightly behind them looked at each other through their gas mask's small glass eye pieces. Rilski took a gloved hand off his Walther MPL's stock to gesture questioningly as he asked while running over the forks of a forklift.

"How DESE two win WAR?!"

Marold tossed his head back causing the heavy cylindrical filter on his gas mask's snout to flop slightly as his eyes rolled behind his GP-5's glass eye pieces as they kept running.

As Lacza, Baidukov, Dospevski, Meisinger, Yuri and Leoni also emerged from between the tractor units, Lorenc reached the final 3 or 4 forklifts directly aligned across the space between the two sets of revetments at each wall. The boulder shouldered KAOS agent leaped right into one of the forklifts to get out the other side while Yakovlevich charged towards another vehicle to the right with Marold flanking another to the left leaving Rilski a few feet behind Lorenc.

Marold and Yakovlevich cleared their vehicles first and began running down past the first revetments on either side with Lorenc crouched on the seat of his forklift. Just as Lorenc reached out with one overshoe boot to jump off, the passage way between the two sets of revetments thundered with the continuous roar of full automatic weapons fire.

"Kakvo po dyavolite?!" came Rilski's muffled exclamation as the big Lorenc shook and convulsed where he perched on the seat of the forklift just 6 to 7 steps before him, his white anti-chemical suit turning red and black as holes burst out over his chest. Rilski just barely had time to drop sideways to the floor as star shaped fountains of blood exploded out Lorenc's back splattering the former's right arm as he hit the floor.

The impact threw Lorenc backwards off the forklift and Rilski gave a muffled yell as he barely rolled clear before the big KAOS agent's body struck the floor in a bloody heap where he had laid just a split second ago.

The sight caused the rest of Lacza's party to stop in their tracks, overshoe boot outsoles squealing on the green fog covered floor.

"Take cover! Take cover!" SS-19 yelled as she ran in a black blur down between the 2 W900s, her black veil pressed to her face with her speed, Luger P08 with the integral suppressor in gloved hand.

On the other side of the forklifts, dashing down the passage way between the revetments from the internal building at a full run, M16 butt stock pressed to his shoulder and duckbill flash suppressor blazing continuously, was the Chief. He has discarded his tweed sports jacket and wore the flak jacket he had taken from the Air Police over his shirt and tie with the Beretta M12 slung behind him slapping his back as he ran due to the sling adjusted for the larger Specchi.

"Etot den' polon der'ma!" Was Yakovlevich's muffled curse through his gas-mask as he and Marold barely had time to level their Walther MPL and Beretta M12 before the latter's chest and back exploded in crimson showers.

As Marold flew off his overshoe boots to crash down to floor, Yakovlevich's Walther MPL blazed to life. The MPL blasted a line of concrete spewing bullet holes over the floor heading directly for the Chief but they never ceasing song of the M16 sent 5.56mm shells drilling clean through Yakovlevich's abdomen and chest, exploding out his back as he was knocked off his overshoe boots as well. This caused his blazing Walther MPL to go awry and the line of bullet holes exploding out on the floor veered past the running Chief to his right, spraying him with concrete dust.

Lacza, Baidukov, Meisinger, Leoni, Dospevski and Yuri reached the nearest forklifts and crouched down behind them before their submachine guns blazed in retaliation along with Rilski who had taken cover behind the forklift Lorenc had tried to jump through. The space between the revetments and the W900s sizzled with their barrage and the greenish haze traced the countless heated paths of the bullets with white lines that arrowed back and forth, fading almost instantly only to be replaced by another each time. The endless streams of full-automatic fire hurtled into the walls of the first revetments on both the North and South walls, chipping and blasting off bits of concrete, metal and generating sparks, all of which showered the floor.

The Chief ducked his head as he continued running, the bolt of his M16 locked back. Rilski unfortunately at the forklift where Lorenc had been hit had the best view of the passage way between the two sets of revetments and as such had him in sight. The KAOS agent's Beretta M12 droned endlessly past the rear bumper of the vehicle whose forks were pointed towards the north wall, strafing a line of bullet holes and kicking up concrete dust right across the Chief's path.

This forced the Chief to alter his direction, dashing off to his left, index finger mashing the button in the M16's receiver behind the magazine housing and the empty clip dropped away. The bullet holes in the floor chased the Chief as he ran and locked in a new magazine on the go, slapping the bolt release to chamber the round and fire a burst at the KAOS agent. This caused Rilski to duck back behind the rear of his forklift as the 5.56mm rounds struck it sending a fountain of sparks flying. This lull in Rilski's fire gave the Chief time to jump over a few unconscious Air Force technicians without harming them, to reach and drop down in a crouch behind the blast wall of the second revetment from the hangar end at the south wall. He then sat down on the floor with his legs folded in towards him off to the side and aimed past the edge of the wall. Submachine gun fire from the rest of the KAOS agents continued to clang, pummel and hammer the revetment walls sending sparks and bits of reinforced concrete exploding out in multiple small plumes. Lifting the sights of his M16 the Chief saw the W900s beyond all the forklifts in his way and squeezed the trigger.

The M16 kicked against his shoulder repeatedly as the muzzle flashed and empty cartridges streamed out from the bolt housing.

"Der'mo!" Mikhail cursed behind the wheel of his W900 as sparks exploded on the outside of his windshield and off the radiator grill, causing him to flatten himself back into his seat's back rest.

"Waste your caps all ya want yank! You cain't get da mey!" Ireson cackled maniacally putting his face piece right up against his windshield as sparks burst off the glass on the outside harmlessly.

SS-19 dropped down onto a crouch behind one of the forklifts closest to the W900s as bullets continued clanging off the cab of the W900s. She checked to find Leoni next to her, his F1 submachine gun blazing in the direction of the revetments while the rest of the men were spread out to their right and left behind other forklifts in non-uniformed positions across the space.

"Can you see who eet ees?!" SS-19 asked

"Non!" Leoni declared as he sat with his back to the engine compartment of the forklift to reload. "But he eez soooting les camions!"

SS-19 watched as sparks exploded off Ireson's windshield for a few seconds before stopping and starting up on Mikhail's windshield, the white trails in the gas laden air marking the trajectory of the bullets, before declaring.

"Eets only vun veapon! Keep firing but aim high! I'm going closer!"

Leoni nodded before turning to aim past the rear of the forklift and gave a gloved hand signal to the men arrayed to his right while SS-19 did the same to the others off to her side. As their submachine guns thundered in unison, the emerald haze in the air between them and the revetments were filled by a matrix of white lines marking the heated passage of the bullets before they struck their targets. SS-19 dashed out, jumping over the forks of the vehicle and ran forward to the next nearest forklift.

The Chief paused, ducking back behind the blast wall, the 20 round magazine dropping out of the housing for him to slap in another clip from the ammo pouches on the flak jacket and released the bolt. Then turning to aim past the edge of the wall he sent a continuous stream of bullets at the red W900, hammering the windshield but the driver behind it remained unharmed as the glass held against the 5.56mm barrage.

SS-19 behind her forklift edged her head up, now closer to the revetments and looked past 2 or 3 more forklifts in her way to see Rilski forward from the rest of the KAOS agents, crouched down behind a forklift with Lorenc's bloodied corpse next to him on the floor. This machine was one of 4 arrayed haphazardly across the mouth of the passage way or space between the 2 sets of revetments. Rilski was firing past the rear bumper of the forklift decisively.

And SS-19 could also now see, the blazing of an M16 muzzle and the tell-tail white lines in the gaseous air, originating from the second southern revetment. She moved in a shadowy blur from her forklift and within a second, dropped down in a low crouch next to Rilski, with her back to the engine compartment of the forklift.

"Rilski! Koĭ e?!" she asked.

Rilski paused in his fire and ducked back with his Beretta M12's stock at his shoulder and slender barrel pointed to the floor.

"Eeet CONTROL Chief!"

SS-19 nodded and Rilski turned to level his M12 past the forklift's rear bumper to resume his weapon's rancorous droning.

Looking to her right, in the direction of the W900s, SS-19 saw Meisinger blasting with his MP 40 from inside a forklift, crouching on the seat while behind the engine compartment of the same forklift was Baidukov with his thundering Walther MPL.

SS-19 waved her gloved hand and managed to get their attention, she pointed a knifehand towards the North revetment before pointing to them and pointing to the south. Both men nodded their cowl shrouded heads. SS-19 then waved to Lacza and the other men, getting their attention.

The bolt of the Chief's M16 slammed back after the last empty cartridge was ejected. His finger depressed the magazine release while his left hand pulled another box magazine from the ammo pouch of the flak jacket he wore. As he locked it in and thumbed the bolt release, the thundering of all the submachine guns shifted and bits of concrete and steel from the revetment blast walls started falling onto him in greater volume.

Since the continuous barrage focused only on the first and second revetment walls at the south side where he was, the Chief realised what this meant just as two KAOS agents appeared at a forklift closest to the first revetment at the north wall diagonally from where he was. One crouched behind the engine compartment with an MP 40 while the other behind the carriage with a Walther MPL and both weapons blazed to life in concert, creating white lines through the gas with their scorched passage. The Chief barely managed to duck back as the edge of the blast wall his blast wall was now pummelled by the endless waves of submachine gun from 3 weapons, producing a continuous shower of sparks and countless fountains of concrete.

Leoni, Yuri, Dospevski and Lacza remained at their forklifts parked at odd angles about 30 over feet away from the revetments maintaining their fire. They could not see their target but kept hitting the first 2 revetment's blast walls on the South side, keeping him pinned down.

SS-19 looked up at the North and South catwalks but there was no movement she could see nor could she see any activity through the dark angled windows of the command centre at the internal building. She switched her view to Meisinger and Baidukov's position at the forklift just 5 or 6 feet from the first revetment at the North wall.

With Meisinger, Rilski and Baidukov in position, SS-19 turned amidst the continuous deafening thunder of automatic weapons fire in the hangar and signalled to the other men who were at the forklifts nearer to the W900s, catching the attention of Leoni and gave him several quick hand signals.

The Chief held the trigger of his M16 keeping a continuous stream of fire at the forklift closest to the first revetment at the north wall where it had it's forks pointed towards the south wall. The KAOS agents ducked for cover as impact sparks burst out continuously, raining outwards from the carriage, mast and frame as the M16's 5.56mm rounds pummelled the vehicle. The Chief swept the blazing M16 as it kicked at his shoulder and the front left tire exploded. He swept his fire back and holes appeared in the engine compartment cover until finally, it exploded outwards in a shower of metal fragments, black smoke and bursts of flames as the engine block detonated. Continuing his M16's devastative sweep to his left, a row of bullet holes burst out over the engine compartment of the one Rilski was hiding in and the rear right wheel exploded also causing Rilski to duck back.

The Chief saw the bolt locked back on his M16 and a feel of the flak jacket's ammo pouches revealed no magazines left. Tossing the empty weapon out into the passageway between the 2 sets of revetments, the Chief reached back and swung the Specchi's Beretta M12 to the front, placing the extended metal folding stock to his shoulder.

Even as Meisinger, Baidukov and Rilski emerged from behind their battered, smoking forklifts to resume firing and their barrage chipped and blasted concrete and metal from the revetment wall just 2 feet above the Chief's head, the senior CONTROL agent jammed his finger on the M12's trigger causing Baidukov to duck back as his full auto fire clanged and sparked off the carriage of the forklift before swinging the droning M12 to the other forklift, blasting out it's other right side tire behind it's carriage and Rilski also had to duck back again.

While the Chief was being pinned by cover fire, out of his line of sight, Lacza, Leoni, Dospevski and Yuri moved stealthily, backs and knees bent, from forklift to forklift, firing in bursts at the first revetment's blast wall at the south wall all the while moving closer to it.

Max's grip was knuckle white on Gerd's right wrist and forearm while Gerd had a hold on the CONTROL agent's right wrist. As both pushed and struggled facing each other, just a few feet from Appleby's semi-circular console, where they could just make out Wilson's body on the floor at the apex of the curve, Gerd's light blue eyes blazed again with a merciless cold light as he pushed at Max's right wrist, forcing it back towards his opponent, bringing the suppressor towards his big head.

Max gritted his teeth and twisted out of the way enabling him to shove Gerd's weapon arm down before swinging up his right foot to kick the KAOS agent's weapon hand. The blow popped open Gerd's gun hand and the Walther P1 was sent flying in an arc over Appleby's console in the direction of the window before dropping to disappear into the green vapours over the floor. Unfortunately, disarming Gerd also gave him to freedom to move without concern of the P1 being turned on himself. The KAOS agent's eyes glittered with frosted blue light as he whipped his and Max's arms down viciously in a counter clockwise direction between them. As Max found himself wrenched about to face the door of the command centre again, he was forced to release Gerd's hand and yank his right hand free to avoid having his shoulder dislocated while side stepping to his right closer to the semi-circular console.

Gerd sidestepped in the direction of the door and turned to face Max just as the CONTROL agent brought his right arm back in a low uppercut. But Max's whipping fist was slapped aside by Gerd's left palm, an inch from it's target. Max's left arm whistled through the air in a left hook which Gerd ducked under and the CONTROL agent right launched in a powerful right cross as Gerd's head came up. But the KAOS agent's left wrist slam into it, pushing it off target past his right ear while his right fist returned with an uppercut that slammed into Max's solar plexus, bending him forward slightly, eyes popping as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

As Max staggered with his right arm still out stretched, Gerd's left hand slammed down on it, rotating it clockwise out of the way for his palm heel to slam into the CONTROL agent's ribs. Max staggered again in pain before Gerd's right palm heel slammed into the side of his jaw, turning his head to the right. As Max's head starting ringing louder than his shoe phone ever did, Gerd's left leg whipped up low and slammed into the side of Max's right knee, knocking his leg out from under him.

Max fell backwards and his lower back landed across one of Wilson's long legs on the floor sending agony shooting up his spine and his eyes to pop and cheeks to bulge. But he still managed to roll clear to his right as Gerd stomped at him, the KAOS agent's shoe slamming onto the floor where his head was a split second ago. Gerd charged at Max as he got up with his back towards the left side wall of the command centre. Max ducked a palm heel to the head and hurled a right cross at Gerd's body only to have it swept aside by the KAOS agent's downwards sweeping right forearm. Max lunged forward grabbing Gerd's service jacket lapels and shoving him back a few steps in the direction the right side wall of the command centre before Gerd managed to lock his muscles and stop his retreat and bring his arms up, breaking Max's grip on him.

Gerd's right hook smashed across Max's jaw twisting his head to the right but Max returned with a right upper cut to the ribs which slammed into Gerd's left knife hand block. Max quickly grabbed Gerd's left wrist with his left hand and swung a right cross which smashed into Gerd's distinctive jaw, whipping the KAOS agent's head to the right before following up with a left hook that staggered Gerd a few steps more closer to the right wall. Max's right knifehand whipped down at Gerd's neck but the KAOS agent stopped it with his left wrist giving Max time to tilt to his right on his right foot and swung his left leg up in a low roundhouse kick.

Gerd turned towards the kick blocking with his forearms and grabbing Max's calf and ankle to push it upwards and twisted it counter clockwise causing the CONTROL agent to be thrown forward off his feet. Max managed to dive into the throw past Gerd and shoulder roll to his feet, coming up just 10 feet from the right side wall. He whipped around just as Gerd charged with a right legged front kick. Max blocked it and Gerd kicked with his other foot which the CONTROL agent blocked as well before throwing a chest level right cross. Gerd's right wrist swept in a clockwise arc sweeping the shooting fist aside, 2 inches from his chest and Max's left fist shot in with a high left cross. Gerd jerked his blond Ivy League cut head to the right, letting the fist whistle past his left ear but the Max simply followed with a slashing right hook.

Max's arm landed right against Gerd's left forearm block and the KAOS agent's left hand clamped on his forearm. Before Max could break free, Gerd stepped in hooking his right arm around Max's ribs and pivoted, pulling on Max's right arm while hauling with his right arm around the CONTROL agent's ribs to toss Max over his hip.

Max slammed down onto the floor on his back sending the green vapours surging away from him in a receding oval. Gerd's fist came flashing towards his face but Max managed to block it and pulled his knees to his chest, planting both his shoes against the KAOS agent's chest and kicked out.

Gerd was thrown off Max and fell backwards. However, as he struck the floor he continued rolling backwards over his shoulders back onto his feet in a crouch. But before he could even straighten, Max was charging into him, grabbing him by his service jacket and hauling him up and off balance. As Gerd shoved his elbow against Max's chest to put some space between them, Max's left knee came up hitting him in the ribs twice. Gerd grunted, crystal blue eyes flashing in rage rather than pain as he retreated a step while Max's right knee swung up but the KAOS agent brought his left knee up so the blow was absorbed along his thigh. Max shove at Gerd backing him another step before bring up his left knee again, only to have Gerd block with his right leg. But it got him close and Max threw his head forward, slamming his forehead into Gerd's face.

Gerd's head snapped back with the impact only to come right back and Max head-butted him again in the chin snapping his head back and dropping his elbow from Max's chest. Max's right cross struck Gerd in the jaw sending the KAOS agent reeling backwards towards the right side wall. Max pressed his advantage charging in, bending slightly and slammed his shoulder into Gerd's ribs bending the KAOS agent forward over his back and using the momentum picked him up and continued running. The charge ended as Max slammed Gerd's back against the control panels on the right wall sending lights blinking and alarms blaring.

Gerd, partially sitting on a portion of the console while his back mashed against the toggle switches, buttons and other control devices on the wall panel, brought his right elbow down onto Max's left shoulder blade again and again until the CONTROL agent was forced a few inches off him. Gerd then crossed his wrists, grabbed Max by his lapels and shoved, pulling at the same time. Max's chin was forced back as Gerd's crossed fists squeezed into his throat, cutting off his air.

Gerd applied more pressure and straightened his arms, pushing Max back and at the same time, his own back raked the control panel right and his right shoulder shoved up against the T-shape lever in it's downward position and pushed the lever all the way up again.

"Uggghhh….oooooh!" Max gasped, his eyes popping from lack of air and the realisation that this was something possibly not good.

Gerd pulled a leg up and kicked out at Max's chest. Max reeled backwards, arms flailing but caught his balance quickly and charged back at Gerd who was grabbing at the upward pointing T-shaped lever. The KAOS agent turned as Max lunged in grabbing his shoulders and the hand on the T-shaped lever. As both struggled against each other, Gerd slid himself off the console and Max reached his left hand out trying to grab the T-shaped lever.

Gerd grabbed Max's outstretched hand pushing it back and ran against him so that both men stumbled and backpedalled away from the wall console.

Drapikowski, Quittner and Barton whirled at the massive boom that momentarily drowned out the continuous gunfire in the hangar, to see the giant hangar doors moving upwards again. As the giant tooth like protrusions slid free from their receptacles in the threshold, green clouds formed as the battle resumed again between nature and technology. The cold green cloud flooded forward drowning out the 3 KAOS agents and continued surging like a fog bank for nearly 30 feet before dissipating.

"S-S-Nineteen to Drapikowski! Maintain cover and MOVE the Land Rovers out!" came the icy calm but urgent alto toned command over the walkie-talkie at Drapikowski's utility belt.

Drapikowski snatched the device from his belt and mashed the PTT giving a muffled shout for a reply.

"Roger that!—Quittner! Take the first one out now while we cover you!"

"Értettem!" came Quittner's equally muffled shout and he yanked open the front passenger door of the black Land Rover and jumped in while Drapikowski switched his aim to the south catwalk.

At the east end of the hangar, Lacza, Yuri, Dospevski and Leoni reached the first revetment at the south wall. They stood with their backs to it, ejecting their empty clips and reloading rapidly. Once all their bolts were cycled and rounds chambered, Lacza moved round the edge of the blast wall Walther MPL's butt stock unfolded and pressed to his shoulder and he moved down the front of the revetment in the direction of the internal building, looking down his gun sights while Yuri, Leoni and Dospevski followed behind him, Beretta M12 and F1 submachine gun stocks pressed to their shoulder but pointed down. As they crept forward, Meisinger, Rilski and Baidukov maintained their fire from their forklift near the first north wall revetment. The different thundering tones of their Walther MPLs, Beretta M12s and MP 40 merged into a continual thunderous cacophony while the passage of bullets from their submachine guns created nearly continuously visible white lines in the gaseous air, diagonally towards the Chief's hiding place at the second revetment at the south side.

Despite this, Lacza saw the Chief's Beretta M12 barrel edged out from the second revetment wall and blazed in defiance creating lines in the green gas. Meisinger had to duck back down behind their bullet ridden forklift as the seat exploded into bits of leather and stuffing. Lacza put up a fist to signal to Dospevski, Yuri and Leoni behind him and they followed as he ducked inside the shelter of the first revetment. The nose of the Harrier jet parked inside towered over them as they ran now towards the wall the Chief was hiding behind.

Quittner behind the wheel of the black Land Rover turned the ignition key again as the engine had died and it started up again. He looked out the windshield to see the rapidly rising leading edge of the hangar door, waiting eagerly for it to clear the roof of the Land Rover.

When the box like protrusions were a foot off the floor, that was when 99 realised she would not make it to the hangar doors on time as fast as she had been moving while keeping hidden.

Despite where he was aiming his Beretta M12 with the stock pressed to his shoulder and waiting, Barton was taken by surprise when the feminine figure in an open flak jacket over a skirt suit of navy blue wool sprang up on the north wall's catwalk about 200 feet from the west wall where the hangar door was, with M16 butt stock pressed to her shoulder. Before he could shout to his fellow KAOS agent covering the south wall, the M16 blazed to full-auto life.

The tail lights of the matt brown Land Rover exploded, showering he hangar floor before it with sparks and glass shards causing Barton to duck back for cover.

SS-19 whipped around where she was taking cover to see the movement at the north wall's catwalk.

"Natürlich ist es sie!" she swore under her veil.

"Shiiiiiiiit!" Drapikowski roared behind his gas mask as he whipped away from his aim at the south wall's cat walk and his F1 thundered to life at shoulder level at the north wall's cat walk.

But 99 was not standing still but running at full speed along the catwalk, her flat heeled leather boots clanging resonantly on the metal floor of the access way, M16 pressed to her shoulder and gloved index finger jammed on the trigger. The flak jacket she had on flapped against her upper body with the weight of the spare magazines in it and Hayler's MP 40 slung across her back clacked and slapped against her spine as she ran. The blazing from her M16's duckbill flash suppressor was a 4 pointed star when viewed from the front as the weapon sang it's staccato song of devastation.

Barton in a crouch aimed and squeezed the trigger. The M12 joined in it's deadly chorus with the F1 and the bullets smashed and clanged into the catwalks full cover waist high railing and impact sparks exploded outwards to rain down to the hangar floor. 99 kept running and holding the trigger as sparks burst from the railing on her left and some shots struck the wall on her right kicking out horizontal plumes of concrete that just missed her as she ran. As Barton kept firing, the matt brown Land Rover's rear bumper shattered just before both rear wheels exploded.

Barton swore behind his mask backing towards the front bumper of the Land Rover while maintaining his fire. Drapikowski stood up to get a better aim as his F1 kept thundering against his small shoulder.

The F1's bullets raked up over a section of the railing just as 99 swept past and the line of bullets travelled up the wall. 99 kept running and swept her blazing M16 towards Drapikowski. The KAOS agent yelled out ducking as the dark green Land Rover's rear windshield exploded, showering the interior of the vehicle with glass. Barton seeing where the M16's fire was, stood up and his M12 droned away at the moving CONTROL agent. 99 again swept past just as bullets hammered the section of the railing she had just ran by, sweeping her thundering M16 back to the matt brown Land Rover and Barton's flashing M12 swung up, sending streams of bullets towards the ceiling as 5.56mm rounds drilled his chest and cones of blood exploded out the back of his HAZMAT suit, knocking him off his feet.

Drapikowski sprang back up and resumed firing as the bolt on 99's M16 locked back with the last round ejected. Continuing to run and keeping the butt stock at her shoulder, 99's gloved index finger depressed the button behind the magazine housing, dropping the empty clip to clatter on the catwalk floor while her left gloved hand came up with a new magazine and locking it in place before slapping the bolt release and holding the trigger down.

Drapikowski dropped down to the floor as sparks and holes blasted into existence on the dark green Land Rover's roof followed by the same result on the pale gray Land Rover as 99 kept running and firing. The hangar door reached a height of 6 feet and Quittner laughed victoriously flooring the clutch and gas pedal. The wheels of the Land Rover squealed against the hangar floor sending smoke to join the green haze around them before the black vehicle launched forward to take the 10 feet of space between it and the increasingly large door way.

99's M16 continued thundering from her shoulder as she ran and bullets smashed the left side front door of the Land Rover before the window shattered inwards. Quittner jerked and shook spasmodically as bullets drilled him from the side, exploding out the left side of his ribs and neck turning the dashboard and inside of the door and driver's side window red. The rear right wheel of the black Land Rover exploded from a hail of 5.56mm rounds, just before the vehicle shot out the door.

The black vehicle roared out of the hangar, sending snow spraying on either side of it. But it got no further than a few feet before it swung out of control with it's driver dead and one of it's wheels out of commission. The vehicle swerved counter clockwise before it's left side tires raised off the snow and it flipped over to crash down in an explosion of snow on it's roof.

"Mikhail! Ireson!" SS-19 yelled into her walkie-talkie over the thundering of gun fire. "Go NOW! The doors are opening!"

The drivers inside the W900s responded immediately, slamming their gear shifts into reverse and stomping on the clutch and gas pedal. The twin tractor units and box trailers began moving backwards.

99 was now about 50 feet from the west wall and her blazing M16 swept back in the direction of the north wall. Drapikowski lying on the floor with his head towards the east end of the hangar, looked up just in time to see the rear wheels of the pale gray Land Rover on his right exploding followed by the same ones on the dark green one on his left.

"Ooooh that is juuuuuust fabulous!" he groaned through his gas mask where he laid before slumping his face piece down into the floor with it's nose and filter flopping to one side.

Max facing the direction of the right side wall about 10 feet away with Gerd in his way, both pulling at each other's jacket fronts, released the KAOS agent and brought both his forearms down, knocking away his opponent's arms before flinging a right cross. Gerd dodged to the left, the fist whistling past his right ear and ducked under the following left hook. Max's right arm hooked into an upper cut to the gut that slammed painfully into Gerd's knifehand block before the KAOS agent's right elbow slammed into the side of his jaw, twisting his head. As the agony disorientated Max, Gerd's left palm heel slammed into his right cheek bone wrenching his head painfully to the left before the KAOS agent's right leg whipped up to slam it's shin into his ribs. Max just managed not to double over completely and found the momentum to lunge forward with both hands grabbing at the KAOS agent's service jacket but Gerd's intersecting right arm knocked them both aside. As Max's wrists veered off course to the left, Gerd's right knifehand whistled down towards his neck.

Max managed to twist and grab the descending forearm before bringing a knee up into Gerd's rock hard wall of abdominal muscles staggering him back a step before following up with a right hook to the jaw. The KAOS agent's light blond head twisted around with the blow before Max's left cross hit him, staggering him back another step. As Max continued his charge, Gerd put both forearms up over his face defensively enabling the CONTROL to deliver a left and right hook combination to his ribs which staggered but did not drop him. This however allowed Gerd's head to clear and as Max left hooked again, Gerd dropped his forearms to block it on his crossed wrists. Max immediately unleashed a right hook which the back of Gerd's clockwise sweeping right wrist parried. Max quickly bent his right arm, pointing his elbow upwards and pulled his fist back, pointed downwards to slam his forearm at Gerd's chest. Unfortunately, Gerd's left forearm whipped up across his own chest, blocking Max's forearm strike before grabbing Max's right wrist and hand with his right hand before twisting and rotating it inwards.

Max found his right arm pulled out to his side and rotated clockwise with Gerd gripping his wrenched hand and his shoulder. Gerd standing off to Max's side held him in that position and whipped up his right leg in a roundhouse kick that struck Max across the ribs. Max's eye popped in agony as the wind gushed out his lungs before another kick doubled him over and his legs began buckling. Gerd kept hold of Max's arm and swung his right leg up over Max's bent upper body and brought it down with the back of his heel landing between the CONTROL agent's shoulder blades.

Max's shoes and legs was forced out behind him as he landed on his chest and belly. But before Gerd could stomp down on the back of his right shoulder while holding his wrist, Max gritted his teeth to roll himself slightly onto his left hip and pulled his right leg in and kicked out. He could not aim but the outsole of his shoe struck Gerd's left ankle knocking his foot from under him and dropping him onto his left knee, losing his grip on Max. Before Gerd could get up, Max kicked out with both feet, hitting him in the chest to topple him back to the floor, the impact surging the green fog away in all directions.

Max was up on his feet, agony tightening it's grip every second over his ribs and head as he sprinted towards the controls at the right side wall. He could hear Gerd's pursuing footsteps just as he reached the console and grabbed the T-shaped lever, yanking it down just before Gerd's right arm clamped into a v-shaped vice around his neck from behind and dragged him away from the console.

"Bloody ELL!" Ireson cursed behind his mask as he heard and saw the hangar door in the side mirror of his tractor unit, having gone almost half way up, started descending again.

Both of them jammed on their brakes, the rear bumper of their box trailers having travelled less than 50 feet as Mikhail roared.

"Look like we wear off-RACK zese yar for annual darnce!"

"Verdammt!" SS-19 cursed at the descending hangar doors before refocusing back on the thundering gun battle at the revetments.

Even as 99's heart lifted with relief at the hangar doors coming back down, her M16's bolt locked back again with the last round ejected. With her primary targets disabled to some extent, 99 stopped where she was and dropped down to sit on the catwalk, weapon pointed up as she ejected the clip and grabbed for another magazine from the flak jacket's ammo pouches. Unfortunately, that was when Drapikowski sprang to his feet again, F1 shouldered and thundering, empty cartridges streaming from the downward facing ejection port to spread over the floor at his overshoe boots.

99's M16's barrel was sticking upwards above the level of the railing and the F1's shots hammered that section of the railing sending sparks fountaining out before Drapikowski shifted his fire up and an explosion erupted over her head. 99 screamed for a second as hot metal showered her hair and stung her neck making her yank the M16 back down.

As the F1 continued to roar and hit the railing's plating behind which she laid on her side, 99's blue eyes widened as she inspected her M16 and saw the barrel, front sights and about 3 or 4 inches of the handguard after that, gone, leaving a ragged smoking stump. Tossing the wrecked weapon aside with a clang on the catwalk, 99 pulled the heavy MP 40 around and pulling her stockinged legs beneath her, crept forward further away from the section of railing under assault by the F1.

"Even if I'm not executed, NO Christmas bonus this year!" Drapikowski swore behind his gas mask as his F1 blazed at the reinforced full-cover railing without effect till the bolt of the submachine gun also locked back.

He popped out the top feeding magazine and pulled out another from his utility belt. As he locked it home and yanked the bolt, 99 sprang up again this time not standing fully but placing the MP 40's barrel on the top of the railing, steadying it with it's under-barrel bakelite resting bar/support and blazing away from there.

The dark green Land Rover's tail lights detonated and Drapikowski returned fire even as he ducked. Bullets raced in a line across the wall behind 99 and she kept her finger on the trigger pummelling the rear bumper of the dark green jeep. This made Drapikowski dropped down into a crouch against the door of the dark green Land Rover as it shook and vibrated under the continuous impact and it only stopped when 99 swept her fire over to the pale gray vehicle to his right and repeated the assault, causing the Land Rover to jerk as it's rear bumper shattered and small explosions of glass and metal erupted backwards.

That was when Drapikoswki saw it. His eyes narrowed behind his GP-5's circular glass eye pieces at the dark liquid drenching the floor of the hangar, spreading from the rear of the dark green Land Rover and he turned his head to see the same fluidic result from the pale gray vehicle.

99 inched up tilting her fire and Drapikowksi leaped up, springing up onto the hood of the pale gray Land Rover and leaped off it, legs running in the air as he sailed in a low arc from the vehicle just as it's rear blossomed into a fireball, the roar drowning out every other noise in the hangar. The blast wave but luckily not the flames, caught Drapikowski in mid-air flinging him into a higher arc. He flew through the air, legs kicking and arms flailing, F1 flying out of his gloved hands as he seemed to swim in slow motion without water while the explosion also lifted the rear of the flaming pale gray Land Rover's wreckage and as it flipped over in mid-air, the dark green land rover met the same fiery explosive fate and began it's own flip just as it's formerly pale gray companion finished and landed on it's roof with a thunderous smash

"GREAT! No vieeeeeeeeew!" Drapikowski wailed as he swam through the air just as the hangar door closed completely with a resonating boom.

The diminutive KAOS agent finally stuck the floor and bounced off it once before hitting and bouncing off it again. On the second impact, he rolled for a long while towards the southern wall and stopped short of the parking lots where he laid on his stomach, face piece buried in the floor, snout and filter twisted to one side, groaning and grumbling just before he passed out.

"SIX weeks convalescent leave…AINT gonna cover THIS!...aaarrrggh….!"

Meisinger, Baidukov and Rilski paused in their firing to turn and watch the twin conflagration that shot up in the air, merging into one infernal monster. With this pause in their fire, the Chief ejected the half spent clip of his Beretta M12. But as he locked in a new one, on the other side of the wall he was at, in the first revetment, Leoni, Yuri, Dospevski and Lacza were crouched on the floor against the wall. Lacza nodded to his group and Leoni and Dospevski pulled out what looked like 5 inch black metal tubes with a small cylindrical cap at one end as well as levers and a dangling pin. Gripping the lever, they pulled the pin out just as the Chief resumed firing on the other side of the wall.

Bullets pummelled Rilski's forklift before the Chief swivelled his blazing M12 over to the other one near the first north revetment making Meisinger and Baidukov duck. That was when Lacza nodded to Dospevski and Leoni who both stood up and tossed their grenades up into the air, the levers popping free as they released them

It was fortuitous for at that moment, the Chief's M12 jammed and he ducked back, yanking on the cocking handle. As the jammed cartridges flew free of the ejection port, the Chief heard a sharp crack behind him. He turned to see the black cylinder rolling on the floor just an arms-length from him right before a lounder metallic clang made him look up to see a similar device bouncing off the wing of the AV-Seven-Z Harrier inside the revetment before landing sailing to the floor.

Without thinking, the Chief lunged to his feet, his knees clicking painfully from sitting in the same position for so long as he dived out of the revetment just as both grenades detonated in a searing white flash and accompanied by a massive bang.

The Chief luckily was facing away from the detonation and had his eyes closed as he sailed over the floor shielding him from temporary blindness but the audio effect still caught him. He struck the floor with his ears ringing and rolling away down the passage way, in the direction of the internal building. When he came to a stop, he was in line with the third revetments with his head in the direction of the north wall. His ears still ringing and his balance off, the Chief opened his eyes to see the floor tilting and the KAOS agents at the forklifts dashing out from their cover. The Chief managed to roll over on his right hip and swung his M12 in one hand in their direction and held the trigger, sweeping his fire, not even hoping to aim and at the same time, he noticed 4 more KAOS agents running towards him through the smoke of the stun grenades from the first revetment at the south side where they had been hiding right next to him.

Baidukov running just ahead of Meisinger, convulsed violently as the stream of bullets from the Chief's M12 raked across his chest. Meisinger just had enough time to dive to the floor as the 9mm Parabellum rounds erupted out Baidukov's back to sail over him. Rilski, also diving to the floor could feel the heated whipping of bullets just over his cowl shrouded cranium and he heard the loud clanging of the projectiles against the forklift behind him.

Lacza's group charged towards the Chief with their weapons at eye level and stocks pressed to their shoulders. Leoni's F1 blazed to life and a line of concrete spitting bullet holes erupted across the floor towards the Chief's outstretched hand with the flashing M12. A second later, the receiver of the M12 before the magazine detonated in a shower of metal and sparks as the fore grip, barrel and front sight snapped off flying away from the remainder of the weapon. The Chief rolled onto his back as pain engulfed his right hand and he released the damaged weapon while his left hand reached to his belt behind his back. Thrusting is right hand into his pants pocket, his left hand whipped out with Archer's M1911A1 pistol. The floor stopped tilting just in time for him to squeeze the trigger at the charging KAOS agents. Leoni jerked as a full-metal-jacketed .45 ACP round slammed into his left pectoral staggering him followed by another 2 to his chest and solar plexus knocking him off his feet as they ripped out his back shattering his spine as they did.

The Chief's finger tightened on the trigger again but before he could fire another shot, an overshoe boot flew in the front hitting the inside of his wrist. His hand popped open and the M1911A1 went flying through the air in the direction of the east wall. Before the Chief could do anything else, powerful gloved hands grabbed him by the arms and yanked him up to his unsteady feet. Still he managed to struggle, both his hands, his right one covered in streams of blood from the shrapnel of the exploding M12, clenched tight into fists of defiance.

Rilski who had kicked the M1911A1 out of the Chief's hand stood before him Walther MPL aimed low as Meisinger joined him. Yuri and Dospevski held onto the Chief in iron grips while Lacza stood behind him.

Shaking his head, the Chief focused on the scene before him and beyond the 2 KAOS agents before him, emerging from the forklift that Rilski had hidden behind, more than 50 feet away from where they stood in the passageway between the revetments, was a figure in a jumpsuit—not skin tight but conforming enough to reveal the soft feminine curves of the person at chest and hips. A pistol which looked like a Luger with it's distinctive twin circular jointed arm on it's receiver, was held in the figure's right gloved hand though the barrel appeared thicker and the Chief realised it was an integral suppressor of sorts. Some form of black cloth was wrapped around the figure's head from which hung a black veil, completely hiding the face and head.