“Bart and I clear the route, loudly. After all, we want notice.”
Alex said, “Do it. Formation, check loads, thumbs up, and go.”
Elke led the way down the gap. It wasn’t even an alley. If someone collapsed the building, they were all fucked and forgotten. She went at a sprint. Behind her, Bart scraped and banged the walls. He had only two functional guns now, one carbine, one rifle. The long range and grenade guns were dry.
“Dump that in the street,” she called over her shoulder.
“I plan to,” he huffed.
The view ahead wasn’t encouraging. She turned over her shoulder and shouted, “I’ll need to create a new door over there.”
Alex was behind Highland this time, against his better judgment, but the firepower was up front, the principal in the middle, and he needed to ensure she made it. The rest were expendable. Meat shields were useful, but they’d get in the way of the firepower.
He heard Elke’s statement and knew that meant explosives. Shit.
Elke reached the street. He knew because it got loud and smoky, then louder still. Bart fired a long burst, then unslung the Medusa.
That was a hint to hurry the fuck up.
He burst into light followed by Cady, and a scan showed the problem. They’d come out exactly between two factions, right in the middle. He’d thought Aramis meant that as a hypothetical, not to actually do it. Both sides tried to fire through the smoke.
Elke fired two rounds one way, turned and fired two the other, yanked something on her shotgun, and threw it. She slung two things on slings each way, and sprinted across the street.
Aramis and Shaman had Highland and rushed her behind. Lionel scooped a finally exhausted Jessie over his shoulder and followed.
Alex shouted, “Run you fuckers! Fire in the hole!” He made a quick head count by eye, and charged for cover.
Ahead, the world exploded. Again. This couldn’t be healthy.
He groggily cleared the street just as the Medusa went into self-destruct mode. It locked onto anything moving and fired until it ran dry. Ten seconds later it exploded. So did Elke’s shotgun. Enough explosive should dissuade anyone. It was certainly dissuading him.
The building he entered had been secured by barriers until Elke had cut her way in. The concrete still smoked from whatever she’d used to pierce it. He jumped over the rubble to find a door-shaped hole blown in the building’s extrusion, if doors were round and cut by platter charges.
Inside was barren, stripped of all but structure. He strode fast to catch up with the others, halfway across.
“I’m surprised they didn’t just demolish it,” Cady said.
Indeed. It was a shell of metal and plastic struts, decaying concrete, with occasional weeds growing through the debris.
Jason said, “Rules. Cultural and environmental protections. Even a mundane dump like this can’t be demolished, but it can be stripped.”
“What do we do outside?”
Cady said, “There should be military barricades and interdiction weapons. We can call and negotiate, or disarm and not present a threat.”
“Jason, Elke, can you jam them for a moment?”
Jason said, “Hah. No. Spoof, possibly. Throw up enough chaff, we can distract the automated systems. But someone has to go out unarmed.”
“I will,” Cady said. “I’ll take Jessie.”
Alex looked at Jessie. She nodded nervous agreement.
“I’ll call first. Stand by.”
He pulled out his other phone, punched in the number manually and connected. When the operator answered he cut the man off with, “This is Chief Marlow.”
“Yes, sir, please stand by.”
A moment later he heard, “This is Consul Beaumont. Your request is approved. Where would you like to meet the Special Service detachment?”
“We’re still working on that. Who should I contact?”
“Senior Agent Machac.” Alex memorized the number and recited it. Elke nodded acknowledgment that she had it, too.
He closed the connection, put out a hand for Elke’s spare phone, then used that to call.
“Agent Machac.”
“This is Marlow.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We need to meet with you to transfer Minister Highland to your protection. Is this agreeable?”
“Absolutely. We will accept responsibility on transfer.”
“Yes, did they tell you we’re under attack right now?”
“They did not, but I can follow the news. We can come to your location.”
“Thank you. Sir, I trust you implicitly once we connect. I do not trust our communications or other agencies. We will meet you. Stand by, please. I will be in touch.”
He closed again and looked around.
Elke said, “I have little left at this point. We’ll have one shot and it better work.”
Cady said, “Let us go first. Use it if we need to retreat.”
Alex said, “Go ahead.” To himself he said, if we need to retreat we’re pretty much dead. Highland’s fanclub are squawking chickens, the army won’t help or will be stuck in a bureaucratic loop, and the administration is trying to get her dead. No joy. He’d have words about this with Meyer when they got back. If.
“Jason, keep us secure, I need to watch this.”
“Roger.”
Cady pulled releases and dropped her gear. Two of her team took it. She and Jessie raised hands and carefully stepped through rubble, into the street.
The peacekeeping position was a small-scale fort, with concrete and fill walls two meters high and broad, wire, sensors, observation platforms. One of the buzzing drones circling around dipped low to look at them. Cady kept leading Jessie forward, toward what was officially an “Interaction Point,” where locals could meet for advice, to report incidents, or ask for help. They didn’t often, and Alex had the impression this was actually a first for the unit on shift.
The drone extended a mic for her to talk. Then someone came to the gate, into an entry alcove.
“How are we doing back here?” he asked.
Jason said, “I have a perimeter of Lionel and Bart. Aramis and I have Highland. Elke and Shaman are roving.”
“Threats?”
“I don’t think anyone saw us, or if so, they’re reluctant to enter the building. I’ve got that covered.”
“Good,” he acknowledged. Cady and Jessie had been waiting, and finally someone was coming out in person. Several someones. A squad.
“Troops inbound on foot. Squad strength. Current armor, camo and weapons. Officer accompanying.”
Alex asked, “Are you going out to meet them?”
“If they ask, otherwise I’m right here.”
The squad approached at a light trot. Cady and Jessie had hands on head. They were going to come in, he figured.
“Expect dynamic entry at this location, by friendly forces.”
“Understood. Arms down on my order,” Jason told the others.
He moved farther back, left his carbine slung low, and watched them approach.
They could probably see him by now, despite the brightness differential. The door was large and open for exactly that reason. The first two flanked the opening and poked carbines in. The next pair came in, weapons high,
