Ripper: Thank you kindly, glad you're enjoying it. It seems there are still a few of us F.E.A.R. fans left out there, despite it being an inexplicably dead franchise. Probably for the best, in today's gaming industry, but maybe it'll come back one day and be done right. A prequel about the founding of F.E.A.R. could be great, plus remakes of all three games. Especially of F.E.A.R. 3.
"Passalaqua, assemble your squad by the life flight elevator on your level. On the double."
"Copy that, sir. What's the urgency? We got a mission?"
"Den Mother just picked up the remnants of the Dark Signal squad on the comlink. We're moving out to retrieve them as soon as the nurse up here is back with the keys."
"Keys?"
"That's right. We're driving an ambulance over, save some time. Have Master Sergeant Winters prepare to open the gate for us. ATC Security Forces are attempting to apprehend or assassinate Dark Signal. They have vital intelligence on everything that's been hitting the fan since we were out of the picture. ATC is trying to silence them. That sure as shit ain't happening on my watch. You got me?"
"Sir, yes sir. We're moving now, we'll be here on standby. Passalaqua, over and out."
Sergeant Major Holiday turned off the channel, switching over to another instead. His eyes rose to where the Point Man and Jin stood close by, in front of the nurses station, waiting for the red haired young woman nurse to return. In the meantime, Holiday did his duty, setting things in motion. As much as he didn't like to leave the hospital as soon as he got here, wanted to keep overseeing things, necessity called. Dark Signal, any other Delta Force teams that could be saved, could not be permitted to die, if it could be helped. ATC was not going to get their hands on Sergeant Morales or Lieutenant Stokes. Their answers would not die with them... their sacrifices in vain. This was a matter that required his and the Point Man's direct and personal intervention. Tilting his head back, he finished up the last of his Diet Squish while the Point Man took his time with his Fizzy Kola, aiming the empty green can at a nearby garbage basin and throwing it. Missing, it hit the floor with a clatter, earning a disapproving look from Jin and a shrug from the Sergeant Major. Ah well. Switching the comlink frequency, he reached out to Sergeant First Class Taylor, speaking up again as he watched the nurse's station impatiently.
The nurse was taking her sweet ass time. If she didn't hurry up he'd go back there himself and find it for her. Every minute counted, and even if the clocks weren't working, they were sure as hell on it by now.
"Taylor? Something important just came up, I'm taking a team out to recover the Dark Signal squad. They're being intercepted a few blocks away by ATC forces. Keep performing your duties. You and Speirs are in charge of Auburn Memorial until I make it back. Carry out your standing orders and proceed as you see fit. Jin is staying behind to help out the hospital staff, help organize things. Winters will continue handling the parking garage and McNeil the rooftop. Understood?"
"Perfectly sir. We'll get everything underway. Good luck and good hunting. We need all the guys we can get. Taylor, over and out."
The Sergeant Major deactivated the comlink channel, just as the nurse finally came back around the corner of the receptionist office. Carrying a welcome, familiar glinting object. About damn time. She strode over towards the desk again, speaking as she moved, holding up the key.
"Here you go. Sorry about that. The ambulance number is on the key, it'll match up with the right vehicle down there."
On that note, looking to them at the counter, the nurse smiled to and flicked the key towards the Point Man. Before he could do his superhuman reflexes thing and snatch it, Holiday moved in fast, already ahead of him, and caught the key out of mid air. Looking between it and back at the Point Man and Jin, who had her eyebrow risen, while Holiday's bruised features merely smirked, already turning to depart, speaking as he did so.
"I'm driving. Much as I'd like to see you commandeer a vehicle, you'll be too busy covering my ass. Making sure we get there in one piece."
Without hesitation, the Sergeant Major gestured for them to follow him, and he left the receptionist desk and waiting area of the first floor behind. Striding down the corridor, out of the area and back down towards the awaiting life flight elevator. Along the way, Jin's amused, wary voice spoke up again from behind him.
"If you're driving, Doug, it'll be a wonder if any of you make it back alive.", She smirked a bit as they drew closer to the elevator. She kept pace with the Point Man as they followed after Holiday, just behind him. "Just watch the road and try not to crash into anything. I don't want to have to be the next one sent out for a recovery mission. Have you for a patient."
"Such a vote of confidence. We'll be back before you even know we're gone."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
Reaching the life flight elevator, Holiday tapped the button and waited for it to respond. Evidently someone had used it when they'd left it last. He stood with his arms folded, gloved hand tightening around the key, boot tapping on the floor impatiently. The Point Man finally finished up the last of his Fizzy Kola as well, and was beginning to roll his balaclava back down. The taut leather material pressed down over his pale, chiseled, dark stubble lined jawline, hiding it away again from view. When it was back down into place, he tucked it beneath the collar of his D-12 Heavy Armor and fastened the strap on his ballistic helmet again, crushing the empty red can and tossing it towards a nearby trash can without looking, sinking it right into the opening, to Holiday's chagrin and Jin's quiet amusement. By the time he finished adjusting his mask and helmet, the elevator had arrived, metal doors parting before them with a beep. Holiday was the first inside, turning back around and standing over by the door control as the Point Man followed suit, Jin stepping into the doorway for a moment, pressing her gloved hand against it to keep it from closing.
The F.E.A.R. Technical Officer looked past Holiday and to the Point Man for a moment... and Holiday's eyes swiveled between them. She spoke softly, addressing the mute combat operative as if the Sergeant Major had vanished suddenly.
"Hey... you be careful out there. Lost too many good guys as it is. We need you, here. Looking out for us. I need you."
The Point Man's red goggles met her gaze, tilting his head a little. Something in his normally uptight stance... his presence, changed... relaxed a bit. Holiday couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he could probably guess. The way she was looking at him effected him... he'd seen that much more than once already. Regretting intruding upon it, Holiday, arms folded over his body armor, cleared his throat, redirecting their attention and shaking them out of the shared moment.
"Ahem, hate to break things up, love birds, but clock's ticking. Figuratively. Lives are at stake.", Holiday interjected upon the quiet scene with a faintly teasing grin. As much as he hated having to do so, necessity called. "Plenty of rooms in this hospital. You two can pick one to make out in later. Give him a full medical examine or something."
Jin shot him a mock annoyed look in turn, shaking her head slowly. Nevertheless, he saw the touch of amusement in her bruised visage. As ever, her smile did wonders to the bleak atmosphere around them. Finally she looked back up between the two of them, nodding, her eyes lingering on the Point Man fondly.
"Good luck, boys. I've got patients. See you when I see you. I'll be standing by to help when you get back, if the Lieutenant makes it. See that she does, won't you? There's been enough death, lately."
"Got that right, doc. We'll have bring your next patient ASAP. Do what we do best, so you can do what you do best."
The Point Man nodded slowly with understanding to her, and Jin stepped back from the door, still peering back at the F.E.A.R. Combat Operative. At last the metal doors closed, cutting off the view of her and the corridor beyond, where the red haired nurse likewise watched them from her station. The spacious life flight elevator began its descent once more, rumbling through them. The instant it did, Holiday uttered a low, impressed whistle, drawing the Point Man's attention back his way again swiftly. The Sergeant Major smirked a bit, nudged his shoulder and offered him a knowing wink.
"See what I meant, man? Gonna take something or someone more than a creepy little ghost girl who can rewrite reality and melt people to scare Jin away from ya. Right here, brother."
Holiday extended an arm and gloved fist out his direction, and the Point Man bumped it almost at once. This time he did so a lot more casually... smoothly, than the robotic movements of before. Maybe between himself and Jin, they'd be able to put the super soldier at ease yet. Remind him he was a human being under there, super powers and strange connection to Alma or not. The elevator reached the parking garage just below the first floor quickly, and the doors parted, Holiday passing through them as the Point Man followed up behind. Sure enough, Passalaqua and his two remaining men, fully armed and ready, stood waiting near the door, snapping to attention when he arrived. Without a word, not wanting to waste time, he gestured for the men to follow him and the Point Man hurriedly, and they all jogged down towards the parking sections of the underground area, boots echoing around them. Off in the distance he looked over to Winters and his squad standing guard near the gate, watching them. Holiday looked down at the key again, taking note of the exact parking section it was in, among the other ambulances.
The directions up on the ceiling of the parking garage helped out, thankfully. When they came upon it, he looked to the ambulance in question with a satisfied nod, pausing before it. Looking back to the Point Man, Passalaqua, Carmine and Perez, the Sergeant Major gestured a thumb back over his shoulder.
"This is our ride, people. You boys climb in the back and hold on to something. The Terminator is up front with me."
The men responded to his command at once, running around to the back of the ambulance and opening up the doors, scrambling in, while Holiday moved around the front to the drivers seat. Opening the door and stepping up inside, slamming it behind him promptly. At the same time, the door of the passengers side opened up, but the armored figure did not step inside all the way at once. He dug into his backpack, producing a familiar disc shaped object, and slamming it down firmly somewhere on top of the ambulance roof. Holiday grinned as the realization of what the F.E.A.R. Combat Operative was doing quickly settled in. He heard it up there, the familiar automated whirring as the miniature sentry turret activated, shifting back and forth, looking around for hostile targets. Programmed not to target Delta Force or F.E.A.R. personnel. The Point Man climbed inside, took his seat and slammed the door, rolling down the window and taking up his G2A2 Assault Rifle again, not buckling up his seat belt. Looking over and meeting Holiday's incredulous eyes instead.
"You on a one man mission to keep showing the rest of us up, Macgyver? Good thinking. Cut them to ribbons when we roll up."
The Point Man merely shrugged, and Holiday laughed, turning the key and starting the ambulance up. There was no need for either of them to get buckled up... they needed to keep as on the go as possible. He reached into his pouch and produced his datapad, pulling up the map on his datanet with the Dark Signal team's signal emanating from blocks away to the south, to the apartment complex in question. He put the datapad on his lap for the moment, the engine fired to life, headlights flashing on ahead, and he spoke up again to the Point Man.
"You see anything unfriendly out that window, you open up on 'em. We're gonna have to blitzkrieg them most likely. Rolling thunder. Take them off guard. More of them than there are of us... but we Deltas are not rent-a-cops, last time I checked. And everyone but you ain't a one man goddamn army. We'll take them from behind and cripple their ranks before they even know what hit them."
The Point Man nodded firmly... mute or not, it was good enough assurance for Holiday. Who better to be around than the man of action? He activated the comlink, looking ahead across the parking lot to the main gate. Where Winters and his men were waiting for them.
"Hit the gate, Winters, we're good to go here."
"Way ahead of you, Sarge. You headed out with F.E.A.R. again already? Jesus, you thinking of joining them or what?"
"Be careful! I just might be! Wouldn't mind my own personal Particle Thrower."
Winters laughed at that, signaled to one of his men over by the control panel, and he activated it. The security gate began to raise up at once, steadily retracting all the way. When it had, Holiday threw the ambulance in drive and began to race them forward, tires squealing on the dry concrete. Winters squad separated from the gateway, giving them the needed room as Holiday drove them on, flashing a thumbs up through the window as he passed Winters and the other guards and through the open gate.
"Appreciated, Winters, you guys keep on holding down the fort. A lot of people are counting on you up there."
"Go kick some Armacham ass and take names, gentlemen. Get our guys back here safe. Godspeed. Winters out."
The Sergeant Major drove them through the security gates and on to the winding road back up towards ground level. When they finally passed through the overhead, the rain instantly began to wash back down over the windows. He'd almost forgotten about the storm in the midst of their exit from Auburn Memorial. He found and activated the windshield wipers, and they began to move over the windows rapidly, taking off some of the pressure. Clearing up his view. Reaching the end of the winding path up, he turned when they were on the main street and continued down it, turning and cutting down the road in front of the hospital, heading due south. He could hear Passalaqua and his men grunting and complaining in the back about his driving, being thrown around... evidently there weren't enough seats, if any. Grinning at that, he glanced to the Point Man now and again as well... the Ghostbuster looked quite steady and immobile, not bouncing around with each turn, as Holiday avoided the few abandoned vehicles out on the road. His rain soaked assault rifle hung partially out the window in a sturdy grip... concentrating and ready for anything that awaited.
Perhaps it was for the best this had happened. Not only the chance to recover the Dark Signal survivors and vital data, but to take the fight to ATC directly, instead of just the Replica they created. Ever since they'd gunned down Aldus Bishop in front of him on the Black Hawk, after fighting his way to the rooftops of Armacham Headquarters, he'd been itching to take the fight to them instead of just the Replica. Had regretted having to take off with the mortally wounded Bishop and leave the Point Man the fun of slaughtering the corporate security assassins on his own. While the Replica had been the greater threat, led by a talented lunatic like Fettel, they were one devoid of human motivation or personality, beyond that of their commander. Inhuman. Machines made of meat. The corporate rent-a-cops knew damn well what they were doing... committing open treason against the United States. How much were they getting paid anyways? How much could ATC pay for them to operate in the devastated, temporal and supernatural affected Fairport as it was now willingly? To assassinate military personnel, no less?
Whatever it was, he knew he wasn't getting paid enough for this shit. Being the good guys never did. It would be welcome to force the bastards to fully earn their paycheck, for a change. Or to collect their last ones. Especially with the super soldier he now had in tow. He looked forward to seeing how the thugs fared against a professional. The ATC matter was likely even more personal to the Point Man than it was to the Sergeant Major. Holiday wondered what he thought of all this. Dark Signal was a Delta Force unit, but the information they had was F.E.A.R. related. Armacham. Origin. Alma... the ghost girl. The girl who had hindered them before yet helped them, down in the tunnels. A girl he had watched holding the Point Man's hand. No... not a girl, however much she looked like one. Not anymore. Even if he had not witnessed what she had done to the Replica, to his own men, knew what she was capable of... the blackness in her eyes had given it away. Her nature. He had considered ordering a retreat at the time... but had been frozen, like the others. Confronted as he had been by undeniable proof of supernatural phenomena.
He knew there had been spooky shit out there, for F.E.A.R. to exist... but he had underestimated how spooky. But she hadn't killed them... and the way she had looked to the Point Man. Him to her. His memory flashed again... back to the helicopter after the Vault's explosion and picking up the Point Man... firing as it had crashed. Something had bumped against the side... and it had gone into a tailspin soon after, amid Bremmer's shouts to hold on. No... that wasn't entirely true. He had been firing his RPL at someone... at something, climbing through the open door. A monster... deathly pale, naked, emaciated and with soaked black hair and a damp form. Bony, claw-like fingers reaching out for Jin as the Point Man moved between them protectively. Then, they had crashed, and everything went dark.. until he had awoken later that day. Whatever it had been, it was connected to the Point Man, as the little girl had been. Fettel. The Replica. Perseus. Project Origin. It all came back to that. Part of Holiday knew he had the answer behind it all already... somewhere tucked away in the back of his mind. The truth. It itched, and he didn't want to look at it right now, in spite of his morbid curiosity.
It didn't change anything, regardless of what lie there. The truth about him. He trusted the Point Man... even if he heard his own men's assorted, foolish whispering. Jenkins' misgivings had not been an isolated case. He was here for a reason... and had saved their lives more than once. It was good enough for Holiday. Not every little detail needed to be dug up and answered... and if it was answered, it would be a question he vowed he would not be the one to pose. All he knew was that the F.E.A.R. operative was a good man... and an even better soldier.
It was good enough for the Sergeant Major.
Over the rain and thunder, the distant gunfire and explosions coming from downtown between Armacham and the Replica, through the open passenger window as he drove, passing by the numerous buildings, Holiday could still hear the whirring of the sentry turret. Damn useful things. The way it had unloaded on the Replica back at Orange Line Station had been something else. An automated work horse. It was simple and ingenious the way they could weaponize vehicles without arms. Improvising was always a talent that had impressed Holiday. Taking the worst situation, or limited resources and getting results with them. When they got back to the hospital he'd have to check out the armories and their rosters from Taylor. If they had any on them, he was damn sure going to get his hands on at least one. Put them all to use. And he intended to put in a request after it was all over for Delta Force to order more.
He was reminded then of the F.E.A.R. Commissioner. He figured now was as good a time as any to give the man an update. Den Mother probably had his hands full of operators right now as it were. Activating his comlink as he drove through the mostly desolate streets, he reached out to the Commissioner, to his C-130, wherever it was.
"Baby Bear to Tomcat. We're moving out in the ambulance now, leavin' Auburn Memorial. You got a camera feed up there on the apartment complex?"
"That's right. And another tracking your moving position. The apartment complex is swarming with security forces... at least a platoon set up outside, not sure how many inside yet. There's been some gunfire, explosions... but I don't know if they're still advancing up top. They've secured the parking garage from the looks of it. According to Den Mother that's where Dark Signal's APC is parked."
"Betsy is still in one piece? She definitely made it?", Holiday replied incredulously, finding himself more than pleased at the prospect. If they could get the Dark Signal APC back to the hospital, the firepower and armor would pay off and then some. "Should have figured. Motherfucker's built tough. Forget this ambulance, love to get my hands on those wheels."
"Don't count your chickens, Holiday. That's Sergeant Morales pride and joy, from what Den Mother has told me. Could be something wrong with it if he got out of it. You just focus on getting where you need to be. I have to go for a bit, shit is hitting the fan with my Second F.E.A.R. Team. Always something, with Raynes. Let me know when you've reached the apartment complex."
"Copy that, Tomcat. ETA a few minutes out. Wish Raynes' team luck. Holiday out."
Holiday considered the man's words as he reached the next street, passing around it smoothly. He was pretty good with the ambulance... much more naturally than handling the train had been, at least, with its many switches, buttons and knobs. Maybe in another life he'd have taken up a job driving one. As it were, he quite preferred driving an improvised Humvee, loaded with troops en route to kick some corporate ass. Regardless of how tiring the job could be, its low wages, there was never a dull moment in his line of work. He grinned a bit as he avoided an empty bus, sitting out in the street and tearing down the next road.
Then, the Sergeant Major heard the familiar beep from another comlink channel... CENTCOM, Den Mother probably, and nodded to himself, switching over comlink channels to the CENTCOM frequency. It was something to multitask as much as he was while driving, but necessity was the best motivator for picking up new talents. Adaptation. God knew how it all would have turned out if they'd not been able to make contact with the outside world. Dark Signal would probably be overrun by now. He spoke up again into the other line as he concentrated on the road, peering through the soaked windows as the wipers shifted back and forth.
"Holiday speaking, that you, Den Mother? Talk to me."
"Sarge? That really you? Den Mother patched me through."
The accented voice on the other line was familiar... and it only took him a moment or two to place it. It felt like he hadn't heard it in years, when it had only been less than a couple. A smile touched his bruised face as he rounded another bend, avoiding an abandoned fire truck out on the road.
"Manny? Damn good to hear your voice, man. What have you got over there?"
"ATC Riot Security up the ass, sir. Heavily armed, heavily armored and heavily pissed. I was able to drive them back for a bit, discourage them. Not sure how much time I've bought, but they're going to try again pretty fucking quick. How far out are you guys?"
"Driving now, getting closer. Couple blocks tops. I got your position marked on my datapad. Moving as fast as we can."
"Thank Christ. Wasn't sure how much longer I could hold out. The LT is in bad shape, I need to get her out of here."
"And we will. Here comes the cavalry, Manny. Hold on tight and keep them back. We'll hit them hard while they're preoccupied with you. Hammer and anvil style. Holiday out."
Turning off the comlink channel, he focused again. Or he tried to. They drove on for minutes that seemed far longer... and even in the storm, it struck him again... that unnerving feeling. How empty Fairport was... how few civilians had been found and recovered at Auburn Memorial. There was nothing right about it. That many people couldn't just disappear into thin air. At least... not in the world he had known only a day or two ago. What had she done with all of them? He'd heard stories of what she had done to the people at ground zero of the blast... twisting them... even now he wasn't sure what he believed about that. How much he wanted to believe. What was the truth? They were able to reach the outside now, as they hadn't before... but tens... likely hundreds of thousands were missing. Jin was right about the temporal distortion... a certain someone affecting the city. So... what? Did they exist in a pocket dimension or something now? Or did they have a foot in both worlds, hers, and theirs? Or were they simply all dead, taken to the other side? He could already feel a headache coming on. Last thing he wanted was to get into all the temporal and metaphysical shit. He was a soldier, he had a job to do. A mission to focus on.
And still the questions kept coming, in spite of that fact. Nothing about this was normal. Nothing in his world would ever be again.
More than ever, he realized how important F.E.A.R. was, and needed to exist. If this could happen here, in Fairport... it or something like it could and probably would happen somewhere else, one day. Not for the first time, something about the enigmatic organization beckoned to him... beyond the badass armor his silent passenger wore. Now certainly wasn't the time to be reconsidering his area of work... he was already in it. Delta Force was now little different than the F.E.A.R. Ghostbusters, their fates tied together here at ground level. It was good to know at least there was a second team out there, carrying out another mission, whichever one Betters was overseeing. They could get twice as much done this way. The team had gotten them back online in the first place... the military owed the organization a debt. Better funding and recognition, if all this worked out. Not most of the armed forces laughing and scoffing at them.
At last, they reached block the apartment complex was situated on... racing on down the road through the rain. He could hear the distant gunfire coming from the building... Manny still giving them hell. He saw them, in the distance... and marked on his datapad... the enemy, clad in familiar blue and black uniforms. Platoon strength outside, alright... they had the towering apartment complex surrounded, with dark armored troop trucks like the ones the Replica had driven and ATC Security Cruisers. They had barricades set up, guards milling about and manning them. Well armed and armored Riot Security, as Manny had warned, faces hidden behind faceplates. He could see them turning around, confused, as the ambulance drove on towards them with no hint of slowing. And it was about that time that the sentry turret picked up their hostile signatures and began to target them and open fire. The loud roar of microcompressed armor piercing minigun rounds echoed above the ambulance, and the tracers flew through the rain and darkness towards them. The rounds struck and tore apart a few of them... blood and hot lead flying alike as he drove into their midst, towards the front of the building, running over a couple more, and their bodies scattered through the air like bugs.
"Everybody hold on to something! We're goin' in hot!"
The Sergeant Major heard the screams and shouts of pain and surprise as they were taken off guard, the head of the turret swiveling back and forth between targets, covering the ambulance from more than one side. Beside him, the Point Man took aim and opened up with his G2A2, joining in with the turret, the drumbeat echoing through the ambulance, cutting down those scrambling out of the way of the vehicle, that he could reach. He aimed and fired rapidly, missing nobody he fired at in short, controlled bursts, focused like a man possessed. Passalaqua and his men opened up as well in the back, firing through and breaking apart the pair of windows on the rear door, aiming at everyone they passed. Holiday slammed through a couple more riot officers, crushing them and one of their half formed barricades as they reached the apartment's parking garage. He tore through another barricade, pushing past an ATC Security Cruiser amid a shower of sparks and flying down into the parking lot, out of the rain. The echo of the chaingun and assault rifle was louder down here, echoing through the area... and the ambulance started taking gunfire, the surprise gradually wearing off.
Scattered Armacham Riot Security Guards ran around the parking garage, looking for positions of cover from the shots of the Point Man, sentry and Passalaqua's squad. Ducking down behind nearby vehicles especially.
"Tomcat, we've reached the apartment complex. We are engaging Armacham."
"Copy that, Sergeant Major. Give the bastards hell."
"With interest."
Holiday avoided numerous cars and armored trucks haphazardly parked, ATC and civilian alike... and he spotted the area ahead. The main door up the stairwell to the apartment complex, the closed metal doors of the elevator, both with smoke pouring out of them. He looked off in the far left corner of the parking lot... and sure enough, there it sat parked and taking up a few spots by itself. A sight for sore eyes... the familiar gunmetal grey toned heavily armored Dark Signal APC, Betsy, all locked up, with its automatic grenade launcher turret sitting comfortably at the top. A few of the security men had been inspecting it before their arrival, but scrambling for cover, they were promptly cut down by the miniature turret above. Then it swiveled behind the ambulance, still covering them as Holiday swerved to a stop somewhere not too far from the APC, stairwell and elevator doors. As sparks flew off the sides of the ambulance from the rounds it attracted, Holiday tucked away his datapad and took up his assault rifle. The Sergeant Major looked to the Point Man and back towards Passalaqua, Carmine and Perez, shouting at them.
"This is our stop, people! Everyone out! Take cover and return fire! Go! Go! Go!
The Point Man was the first out his side of the vehicle, while the men in the back threw open the doors and poured out. Holiday's door was in the field of view of the gunfire, and he wasn't stupid enough to unnecessarily expose himself even further. He mantled across the seats and dove out the passenger door after the Point Man, ducking low and slamming the door behind them the moment his boots hit the concrete. The steady bursts of fire from the turret covered the men as they formed up behind cover along their side of the ambulance. The Point Man knelt down at the front end of the ambulance and was returning fire in unison, while Passalaqua and his men peeked around the corner of the back, returning fire from there. The roar of an RPL, staccato of HV Penetrator flechettes, ASP bursts and the drumbeat of two G2A2 Assault Rifles joined in with the sentry turret, only granting Holiday further confidence. In the moment, in the gunfire, was right where all of them belonged and worked best. Everything came naturally to them. To him.
Holiday rose up a bit and helped fire over the hood, standing between the sentry and the Point Man. Taking aim he shot down a Riot Security Guard peeking out of cover, putting him down for good measure. There were armored bodies scattered and blood soaked around the dry concrete of the apartment's parking lot. The steady clanging of spent brass rained on the floor around them, as well as beyond where ATC was firing. By now most of the security officers had gotten dug into cover, being pinned down behind cars, armored trucks and pillars as the rotating sentry kept switching targets. Or literally pinned, as Passalaqua's flechette rounds impaled a few of them, slamming them bloodily back into nearby walls, positions of cover, or into the concrete beneath them, suspended, twitching and writhing, only to be finished off by bullets. The sentry gun on the ambulance took a hit in turn, sparking and smoking, but continued to defiantly fire back.
"Sarge?! Where the hell are those reinforcements?!", Manny shouted in his ear through the comlink and over the near deafening, echoing gunfire around them. "I'm being overrun up here! There's gotta be dozens of them on me!"
"He's on his way up now, Manny. Stay frosty."
"He?! You're sending in one man?!"
"I'd really prefer not to get in his way in close quarters. If you know what's good for you, you won't either. Hold tight and dig in. Told you the cavalry's coming."
"Well tell him the elevator's outta service, he's gonna have to hoof it all the way up through a fucking platoon! You sure he can handle that?"
"He ain't the dissapointin' type. Holiday out."
The Sergeant Major smirked grimly as he returned to the fight, returning fire again as another pair of men tried to advance on their position. Holiday and the Point Man gunned them down in quick succession, aiming back down to the entrance of the garage as fresh reinforcements returned fire as well. Holiday ducked low just behind the Point Man, reloading his rifle rapidly and looking over the F.E.A.R. operative's way.
"You heard him, Point Man! That's your cue! We'll cover you!", Holiday barked over the roar of gunfire, slapping the Point Man on the shoulder. The masked man ceased fire and looked backwards to Holiday... who saw two images of his own bruised expression reflected in each lens of the red goggles. "Get in there and get moving! Manny and the Lieutenant need you! Go do what you do best! Kick ass and save the day!"
The Point Man nodded in understanding, reloading his own assault rifle in an instant, before hitting the safety and slinging it back over his shoulder. Both gloved hands came up again, each bearing an AT-14, withdrawn in a moment from the two holsters he affected. For what would be close quarters fighting, the F.E.A.R. operative knew what he was doing. Then he looked back up ahead behind their position to the smoking open door of the apartment complex's stairwell, and the smoke emanating out of the elevator doors behind them. Almost in the time it took Holiday to blink, the Point Man had run out of cover and was half way towards the door, moving faster than Holiday had ever seen a man who wasn't him move. Especially with as much weaponry, gear and armor as he was bearing. He didn't end up needing much in the way of covering fire, he was three quarters to the door by the time the ATC Riot Security even realized where he was going, tracers flying down his way, pausing Holiday and leaving him taken aback for a moment.
"Well I'll be damned..."
The rounds struck concrete around him, dust and pieces flying everywhere, bullets glancing off metal of cars nearby, the ambulance and the doors of the elevator. Not one round struck the Point Man, and he reached the door, flitting through it like a ghost himself and vanishing out of sight. Holiday laughed to himself... he almost pitied anyone the F.E.A.R. Combat Operative was about to run into. Almost. Raising back up, he rejoined the gunfire of the automated sentry and Passalaqua's squad again, firing across the hood of the ambulance, down towards a Riot Security Guard firing from behind an ATC Security Cruiser. Holiday dropped him with a burst, before shifting targets, pitching in where he could. The damaged sentry gun continued to spark and smoke, but defiantly hung on as well, its bursts spraying up concrete and smoke down the parking lot towards the main entrance way leading to the streets. They still had a hell of a fight on their hands ahead... but he already had the feeling, between their own talents, covered positions, the Point Man and the APC... that things just might turn out fine after all. They had a mission, they had the manpower... and they had somewhere to go.
More than that... they had a chance. He damn well intended to capitalize it. Hadn't come all this way for nothing. Whatever it took, they would accomplish their objective and get everyone out of the mess.
Leaning around the side of the ambulance, the Sergeant Major commenced firing again with his fellow operators, the screams of the enemy and roars of their weapons heartening.