Interval 01: The Mall

Point Man

Day 2, 1140 hours

The trek to the strip mall was remarkably quiet. The man knew that it would be best to avoid traveling by the road itself in particular, and so it took him longer than it normally would have. He was careful in traversing the road when no other option was present. He always searched left, then right, and then left again before traversing. Oftentimes he encountered the random awestruck civilian, or perhaps he saw some anarchists raiding their hearts out. No matter who they were, he avoided them, and when they were not looking, he crossed over to the next alleyway like a flash of darkness. He proceeded for the better part of two hours in such a fashion. He was near the mall, of that much he was certain as he saw one of the landmarks he had seen previously on the map: the local pharmacy.

It was also there his progress came to a halt. He knelt down behind the dumpster in the alleyway he was in. He heard vehicles, fast on approach, and undoubtedly with diesel engines. His eyes narrowed as he peeked around the corner of the dumpster, and there he saw as three APCs bearing the mark of Armacham sped past him. Soon after those vehicles passed him by he heard footsteps. Multiple of them. A squad, perhaps, or multiple. Indeed, he watched as well-equipped men passed by the alley as they made their way towards their target; the exact same mall that he was heading to. Whilst a majority of them moved quickly, four men slowed down and one of them brought his hand to his masked ear.

"Command, we've arrived in the AO. The civilian populace is suppressed, and we've got a visual on our HVTs. Our prisoners are intact." A gruff sounding man spoke. The Point Man could not hear what was being said on the other end, but he could deduce it was nothing too great for Andy or the other prisoners.

"Roger that. We'll get them loaded up and out of the area. No sign of Origin, either. The explosion must have taken her out. What's the status on the Replicas? We haven't seen any since we entered Auburn."

"That's either a good thing, or a really bad thing." One of the other soldiers stated.

"The freaks are probably decommissioned for good. Explosion took out everyone that could lead them."

"You think those suits don't have a backup plan to make our lives more difficult?"

Point Man thought to himself about the events of the night prior. He had been through hell, and it was the type that refused to give up. He knew that they were speaking of Alma; he also knew that she was not dead, at least not to any conclusive extent. With a deep, yet quiet inhale, he prepared himself for a fight. He had to intercept these Armacham grunts and prevent them from taking Andy and the other prisoners.

"Alright. Let's continue." The man who was seemingly in charge of the other three ordered. Before they could move, however, the Point Man began to open fire upon them.

Before three of them could move they were torn down by his gunfire. The other, the one who showed a lack of faith in the higher-ups of Armacham, was hit and fell down around the corner.

"Fuck!" He cried out, "We are under fire! I repeat, we're under fire! Unknown target, alleyway across from the pharmacy!"

The Point Man slowly walked out from the alley, and placed the barrel of his gun to the wounded man's head. He slowly turned his head and looked up at the experiment. He reached for his sidearm with his non-dominant hand, and the Point Man ended him without question. He then turned and saw as one of the APCs was doubling back to his location. The turret atop the vehicle turned to him and began to fire upon him. He ran across the street, towards and into the pharmacy through one of the large glass windows.

The once-quiet street was turning into a skirmish. Armacham forces were surrounding the building's exterior whilst the Point Man looked for a solid place to hole up. He knew he'd have to improvise as he could not stay within the pharmacy for long, but for the time being he needed some protection from the onslaught of bullets that were flying into the building. Even for a man of his skills it would be suicide to try and leave the building with this amount of overwhelming force. He wished he had enough time to pick up the radio from one of the felled soldiers.

As he explored the back rooms of the pharmacy he found something of particular importance: a staircase. He ascended the steps until the very top of the building, and thankfully it was roof access. Once he made his way onto the roof he took a grenade from his belt and primed it as he took a kneel at the concrete ledge of the building. Then, he tossed the explosive.

"Grenade!" He heard several men shout out, but as soon as he heard the ball of death hit the ground it exploded. He knew without looking that he had taken a sizeable group of people out.

He peeked from cover and began firing at whomever he saw. His aim hopping from one soldier to the next. He fired with such accuracy and speed that his opponents were forced to hunker down lest they get hit. For a good few of them this was a near impossible task, and so some rushed the pharmacy, whilst others tried to run back to better cover, and others met a most unfortunate end.

The APC turret had finally gotten a lock on the Point Man, and soon the man was forced back away from the edge of the rooftop. This had all transpired in mere seconds. Whilst he was pinned down, and sitting on the paved roof, he inspected his surroundings. The stairwell door was closed, but it more than likely would not be long before those who made it inside would be flooding out of it. He did see a fire escape on the other side of the building. That would lead into the alleyway, and potentially get him out of this roadblock. He knew that the fighting would only get more intense the longer he remained, and with that APC guarding the street it would be nearly impossible to take on the force head-on.

As he went to stand he watched as the door opened. Without much thought he began to fire his rifle into the doorway. The first soldier was most definitely filled with holes, and perhaps the soldier behind him as well. Regardless, it caused enough of a distraction for the door to close shut again as the soldier fell back into his friends. The Point Man then took off in a sprint towards the fire escape. Without any thought he began traversing down the metal stairs until he was low enough to the ground he could jump safely.

He ran to the side of the pharmacy, and peeked around the corner. The APC was still firing upon his last position, and the soldiers were taking cover or focused on the building. So he took his chances and ran across the road into the next alley. It wasn't much longer after that that he heard the shouting of disgruntled and angry PMCs. He continued on his mission of getting to the mall.

The rest of his journey was very stop-and-go. He would move up a decent amount before enemy movement caused him to stop and wait. It was maybe twenty minutes since the firefight at the pharmacy when he finally was looking upon the strip in all of its post apocalyptic glory. Cars with blasted out windows, and some with their doors ripped off, dotted the parking lot like corpses. Actual bodies littered the ground as well. Men, women, and even the young were caught in the aftermath of the Origin Facility going up. It was either that, or their lives were taken in the anarchy that followed shortly after. From his current vantage point it was difficult to tell, and in all honesty, he did not care to find out.

His eyes focused on the main doors to the mall. There he watched as civilians were being escorted out of the building and into one of two APCs that were parked there. He would have to think of a way to get them out of their captivity, especially as he did not know if Andy was already thrown into the back of one of those vehicles. With a small scowl hidden by his mask, he got to work in getting closer to the mall. Approaching by the parking lot would be certain death, or capture, and so he moved around the alleys some more. This time he encountered some cowering civilians. They said nothing, and made not much of a fuss as he moved past them. They were not his concern, and in all honesty, he was not theirs. Some were wounded with a variety of different wounds, and others were just not meant for the current situation in the city.

It was not long before he was in the back area of the mall where all of the trucks used to make their deliveries. As he navigated the maze of empty semi trailers, and dumpsters, he started to hear commotion ahead. Once more he took a lowered stance, and listened.

"No signs of the target back here, Colonel." He heard a soft voice state. A woman's. "Sun-Kwon is being prepared for transport to HQ. She'll be on the second transport. We'll be en route in five minutes. You six, start patrol. Three of you check the south end, the rest of you check the north and report back to me with anything you find. Rendezvous at the front within five minutes, or you'll get your asses left behind."

"Roger that, Lieutenant."

Then, footsteps as they began to move. The Point Man had approaching the complex from the south side of the building. It was the only way he could get in close enough without being seen. He prepared not his rifle, as that was already at the ready, but his knife. He was going to try and neutralize these threats silently. Jin was inside of the building, and he was not going to risk them doing any more to her than they already likely had.

"I don't get it. This guy is supposedly a super soldier, and yet he cannot take out more than half a squad in a firefight?"

"I wouldn't tempt fate. We all were briefed on the shit he pulled off at ATC HQ. He'd likely mop the floor with us if we were to encounter him."

"You a fan, rookie?"

"No, but I am also not the type to talk shit about a man literally bred to kill."

He watched as they walked right passed him. He second guessed taking them out. It would be better if they had no clue of any enemy activity, and a patrol not reporting in would make everyone suspicious. So he allowed them to pass without harm, and simply snuck around the corner once they were a good few feet away. He was silent, and quick.

Without mistake he made his way into the mall from the back door of the loading docks. More specifically he was in the back office area. There he could hear as the woman he had briefly heard outside spoke to someone.

"Gather the woman and that Andel guy in the main hall. Prepare her for extraction, and dispose of the civilian. No witnesses need to be getting out of here alive."

"Roger that, ma'am." A man's voice replied over the radio.

Point Man heard the woman sigh as she audibly began to fidget with what seemed to be a stack of papers. He moved from around the corner, and there he saw her at a desk. She was overlooking some things, and occasionally referring to a hardcase laptop. It was that very laptop that gave him away to the woman, as she had happened to look up at just the right moment.

"You kill me, and you're making a mistake." She said softly, "I know why you are here."

His eyes narrowed as he stood up and kept his rifle fixated upon her. He said nothing, and so she continued. "You are here to save your comrade. Probably the only one that remains alive in this hell-hole. I would love to reunite you two together, but I am afraid that you will have to surrender." She declared softly, closing the laptop and turning to face him. Her green eyes meeting his. "Should you try to kill me, I would like to warn you; my vital signs ceasing will result in your friend's death."

He made it look as though he was surrendering. He lowered the rifle and dropped it to the ground. It was a gamble. One that paid off as she turned her head to press a button upon her desk. He had other plans for her, and before the woman knew it she was dropped onto the ground. She was not dead. He could not risk that, but she was unconscious. As he looked over her body for anything that might prove useful he found a keycard and took it. With no time to waste he pressed onwards, and left the woman behind in a locked room.

The halls of the mall were rather deserted. He ran into no one until he reached the entrance atrium. That was where he heard a lot of commotion. He peeked around the corner, and saw two chairs in the center of the atrium. Seated in both of these chairs were his targets. Jin Sun-Kwon, and what he presumed to be Andy. He narrowed his eyes as he paid close attention to what was happening. There was a whole host of mercenaries walking around, and four surrounding the two in the center.

"APCs are just outside. Let's get them moving." A man stated as he approached the four in the center. Two of them moved to Jin, whilst the man drew a pistol and aimed it at the head of the man sitting beside her.

"We did everything you asked, and this is how you are repaying us?!" The man shouted as he looked at him. "We sent -"

The sound of the man's voice was cut off abruptly following the boom of a gun. Point Man watched this man get executed. That was when he shifted into action. If they were willing to do that to a civilian they would be willing to do the same to Jin. He rushed in with his gun at the ready, and immediately he began firing upon the mercenaries whilst he ran. He was heading towards a nearby pillar that was supporting the upper level of the mall. The cover would be necessary as surprise would not be on his side for much longer. His bullets were true, and he managed to take out three of the mercenaries. One of them had grabbed Jin and was making a break for the entrance to the mall. Other mercenaries poured into the building, some even rappelling down from the upper balcony.

Point Man reloaded before moving from his cover and charging into the enemy once more. He knew his actions were getting reckless, but he was desperate to save his friend. He was pushing himself to his absolute limits. Because of this the enemy did not stand a chance even though some of their bullets did connect with him. Thankfully, his armor blocked most of the damage that could have been done to him. The fight itself lasted for roughly a minute before the last mercenary had been dealt with.

Point Man stood in the center of the atrium now, his breathing heavy as he looked around at the corpses of the men. Then his eyes focused on the entrance. He could no longer see where Jin, or the man escorting her was, and so he started to run again. He rapidly approached the doors, and without another thought he burst through the front doors to the mall. He did not care how many were outside. As far as he was concerned he could kill them all.

It was a trap. One that he did not see coming. He felt as his foot ripped the string off of some form of boobytrap that had been placed right at the front door. Immediately thereafter he felt the pressure as an explosion went off right behind him. It sent him flying forward a couple feet and onto his hands and knees. It was as he started to push himself up that he felt something sharp enter his neck. He gasped out loud as he looked forward at Jin who was being forced into a van. He then looked back and saw the woman he thought he had dealt with before.

"You made the right choice." She said softly as his vision dimmed, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Command, the target's been sedated and will be loaded up shortly."

"Understood. Exfiltrate to the airport immediately. Things are picking up out there."

"Roger that. We'll be there in thirty minutes."

"What about the girl?"

"She's expendable."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading this chapter. Yes, progress is relatively slow, but I figure that's alright with all the other projects I've got going on. I sometimes struggle with publishing completed chapters (I'm on Interval 05 right now) but that's because I'm silly. See you in the next one!