“Bart, you’ll punch. Elke, can you make a hole?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Jason takes gun position. Shaman and I follow.”
Elke turned to face the lieutenant. “I need real explosives. Now,” she said.
“That is beyond my authority to grant.” He turned to his phone, but hesitated when the driver slowed.
Jason said, “This is as far as we could trace. We have to dismount and sniff now.”
“You have a sniffer?”
Jason said, “One, yes.”
Eranio twisted his mouth for a moment and said, “We’ll use ours.”
Elke opened the door and slid out, Eranio followed. His troops pulled up right behind and hopped out in a reasonably professional fashion. He immediately gave orders.
“I want one troop with each contractor. Moheng, with this guy, Franklin with the big German, Trinidad with the female, Barnes with the doctor. I’ll stay with Marlow.”
Alex nodded and bounced out the door. They could talk as they moved. “Do you have troops who can follow in our vehicle in case we need a quick departure?
Eranio nodded, pointed at one troop and the Grumbly, and indicated the other driver was to remain aboard his vehicle.
Elke was alongside at once and said, “Lieutenant, I need explosives. I am certified all the way through nukes, and expect a dynamic entry. I will file all documents and our company will reimburse promptly.”
The captain approached, and had obviously overheard. “I can’t authorize that.”
“Then I will use what I have-homebrewed RDX, aluminized AN-nitro dynamite and some rather smoky flash bangs. Unless you want to waste resources restraining me, and breach the door yourself?”
“Goddam you.” He looked at Alex, not Elke, and said, “Allright, I’ll give her a couple of door poppers and they can each have a flash bang. Will that do it?”
She smiled thinly. “Crude and marginal, but I will make it work.”
“I’m only doing this because I don’t want the admin of a dead civilian. But you arrogant contractors need to abide by your own rules. We’re cleaning up your mess.”
Jason burned in rage, but calmly said, “We appreciate it, and will work out details later. Thank you for assisting in recovering our man.”
“Don’t thank me. You can take the risk and lead the way in. Remember the lawyers will have your balls for breakfast if you kill any civilians.”
They were talking instead of acting, but they’d been given something they wanted. Was it a favor, or an error? Either way, he’d take it. They were better at kicking in doors than most of the military, had motivation, and could let lawyers deal with the carnage. Meyer would back them as he had before.
“Then let’s proceed. What intel do we have?”
Eranio consulted with a sergeant holding a chemical sniffer. “Traces are inconsistent. He’s within two hundred meters or so.”
Alex looked around.
“There’s a lot of structure within two hundred meters. What can we rule out?”
The lieutenant was probably being helpful when he said, “You can rule out the law office and the UN aid office.”
Alex avoided snorting, and he heard Jason cough. It wasn’t really funny, but the surprise factor did it. Depending on what other evidence they found, those might be exactly where they’d start.
The Army’s technical specialist said, “Definitely north.”
“Concur,” Jason said. “Map shows several storefronts. Some are substantial, but all have storage areas.”
The sergeant, Tames, said, “That wind gust helped. Got the arc down to forty-three degrees.”
“Overlay,” Jason said. “I have forty-six, but the intersection is thirty-eight.”
“That tall building is interfering.”
“Yes, definitely beyond that.”
Elke said, “Your area is approximately seven five zero zero square meters. Sergeant Tames, if you can move thirty meters north to the corner, check your density there.”
The captain nodded, and the sergeant with two second classes moved that way, checking for threats.
Tames said, “Probably east of me here.”
Jason moved down an alley, Alex and Bart covering him along with their escorts.
A burst of fire made Jason flinch and duck.
He said, “Contact right front,” as someone else shouted, “Contact left!”
Whoever was shooting had bad aim and poor weapons. He recognized the muzzle cracks as Brasarms carbines. There were lots of them here, sold cheap for police use and stolen for factional fighting. They were cheap, and marginal, and cheap. However, they put bullets downrange, and he was downrange. He hunkered down against a building wall and crabbed around into an alley. He went across the alley. Bart backed into the opening, facing the street. Their troop escorts did stay close, and tensed with their weapons.
He spoke to his chaperone. “I want to suppress and advance.”
The sergeant looked around nervously, then nodded. “Agreed.”
“I’m moving.” He swung, fired a burst, sprinted across the narrow alley, which had suddenly devoided of people. He reached the far wall, fired a burst straight up parallel to it, and another high around the corner, as the soldier sprinted over.
Heavy fire from a Grumbly’s cannon echoed down the walls, booms turning tinny and hollow.
The troop said, “It’s apparently some random potshots. Three locations, not coordinated, seem to be dispersed.”
“What does the captain say?”
Right then, his earbuds spoke. “Argonaut, Playwright. Bars reports containment. Advise your movements.”
“One square red.” South. “I can advance.”
“He’s ready,” Alex said to Rowe as he came up. “Unless you want to sweep and secure first?”
“What’s your preference?”
“Hell with that, let’s get in and get Aramis, then we can operate as a mass unit.”
The captain nodded. “Yeah, since you fuckers are going to do that anyway. Lead, then.”
There were no overt signs of previous combat in this area, which was probably why it had been chosen. Ground of the enemy’s choosing was not ideal, but they should have the upper hand tactically.
“Do you have observation all around?”
“Cameras on three Grumblies, two Dragonfly drones at five hundred meters, and the evac bird three klicks north.” Rowe gestured with a hand.
“We have the south approach. Do you have anything for containment?”
“Same Grumblies and crews.”
“I would like to have them dismount and patrol, sir.”
“Very well, stand by.”
He’d give the captain this: the man took it seriously and was playing by the rules but with practicality.
“They’re dismounted and advancing slowly,” Rowe said.
Alex spoke on his voicemitter. “Team, we want to be dynamic and watch for collaterals. I’m quite sure they’ve got buddy berms. Approach orders from the captain. Sir?” he said as he turned.
Rowe said, “Thank you, by my orders, advance in leapfrog.”
Alex waited for the first movement, then he and the captain jogged forward. There was no fire, and people left the streets as soon as they saw troops with guns. Of course, that meant a good chance the enemy knew they were approaching.
Then it was time to advance again, past doorways, alleys and enclosures locked or barred or full of pedestrians. Vehicles traveling by accelerated to clear the area. Passing a woman and three kids huddled into an entryway, he gave a short, quick wave. Hopefully they’d grasp that they weren’t of military interest.
This was an actual military assault, and he sweated and shook. Aramis had experience doing this. On paper,
