Without warning the double doors opened and something heavy landed on the floor ten feet away.
Christ—
Mercy turned away and embraced Rose, shielding her friend. A pop and a harsh hiss followed. Smoke billowed into the room.
Thank Christ, it’s only a smoke grenade—
Movement. Shoes crunching on broken glass. Thick smoke. Flashing red lights.
They’re breaking out—
Automatic weapons fire filled the room. Three muzzle flashes were visible through the swirling smoke.
Yessss—
Mercy and Rose opened up on the muzzle flashes, their M16s on full automatic.
Eat this—
Mercy’s rifle clicked on empty. She reached for her HK45. A cough followed by strangled gurgling came from a few feet away. Glass crunched. Mercy crouched low, the smoke making her eyes water. A cough rose in her throat. Without warning a hand gripped her ankle.
Mercy pointed her pistol at the figure on the floor and shot five times. The hand on her ankle fell away. She covered her mouth and coughed, her breathing laboured. Rose appeared beside her, holding a lit torch. Rose muttered something and pointed to the shape on the floor. Mercy frowned, not understanding what Rose had said.
Rose grabbed Mercy’s shoulder and pulled her down to the body. Rose grabbed the man by the hair and shoved the torch in his face. He looked unkempt, his hair long and ragged, his face gaunt and covered in sores. A long beard reached almost to his chest. But still he was recognisable.
President Mitchell. It’s him. We got him. Shit, he looks… like a crack addict—
Rose’s voice boomed beside Mercy, her words coming into focus, “It’s him, it’s Mitchell. We’ve nailed the bastard—”
Mercy slumped to the floor, overwhelmed.
It’s over. How come it feels like … nothing?
The gunfire at the entrance stopped. Silence gripped the room. Rose’s hold on Mercy’s shoulder tightened.
A strangled scream came from the foyer.
Barnes—
Chapter 12
Gone
Choking sounds.
“It’s coming from behind the drinks counter,” Rose whispered to Mercy. “Barnes is either wounded or someone’s got him—”
“It’s difficult to see through all this smoke,” Mercy responded. “We’re gonna have to rush them, they’ll have him at gunpoint—”
“This is turning into a bad day,” Rose muttered through gritted teeth.
“Ready to do this? I’ll go over the counter, you go in under the hatch,” Mercy said.
“Yeah, you’re the diversion. I’m the assassin,” Rose gripped her pistol.
“On three. One, two… three—” Mercy whispered.
Mercy vaulted over the counter, her gun extended. Rose was a blur, a few feet away. Broken glass crunched under Mercy’s boots as she landed on the other side. The smoke swirled around her.
A grunt of pain then a scuffle a few feet away.
Mercy stepped forwards, her HK45 at the ready. A figure threw itself at her from under the counter. She shot twice without thinking. The alpha dropped to the ground its skull blasted apart by two .45 ACP rounds. More scuffling ahead. A groan and a scream. Mercy flinched and brought her pistol up.
Why aren’t they shooting at me?
Movement. A figure lurched out of the smoke. Mercy’s eyes widened as the smoke parted. Barnes stood in front of her, an alpha’s arm around his neck. Barnes’s eyes were bulging, his face bloodied. Mercy pointed her pistol at the alpha behind him. Her finger twitched on the trigger.
I’ll hit Barnes, dammit—
Mercy hesitated.
Barnes gasped, “Take the shot—”
Do it—
More figures. Movement in the smoke beside the alpha. The smoke shifted. Mercy’s eyes widened. Her breath faltered.
Rose—
The alpha queen’s eyes met Mercy’s for a fleeting moment as it dragged Rose’s inert body over the counter.
Mercy hesitated. A heartbeat passed.
Choose dammit—
Another alpha burst across the counter blocking Mercy’s line of sight. Mercy fired two shots. The alpha collapsed onto the counter. The queen was gone.
Barnes jerked, struggling against his captor. Mercy swung her gun towards his head. She fired a single shot, screaming in anguish as smoke covered up the scene.
Movement. Scrabbling sounds. Crunching glass. Silence in between the wailing electronic alarm and the flashing of the emergency lights. The stench of death in the air.
Mercy jumped over the counter and moved through the foyer, stepping on spent bullet casings. She peered into the corridor outside. At least twenty NSA bodies littered the floor; some with bullet wounds, others with their throats slashed and, a few with their faces missing.
Shit, Barnes got some of them but that alpha bitch and her pack got the others. They must’ve escaped from that lab. She wanted Rose all along. Why the hell does she want Rose?
Mercy’s legs buckled, she sank to the floor, shaking.
What the fuck just happened? Rose is gone. Shit, what about Barnes?
Mercy coughed and waved her arms at the smoke. Visibility improved as the smoke dissipated into the outside corridor. Mercy crawled back to the bar area. Three inert figures lay on the floor. She ignored the two dead alphas and crawled over to the third, unmoving body.
Barnes—
Mercy lifted Barnes’s head, cradling him in her lap.
“Barnes. I’m so sorry, I fucked up. I’m sorry—” a strange sensation welled up inside her. Her eyes stung, making her blink. Something broke and she screamed, her whole body convulsing. “You bitch, you fucking bitch. I’ll find you. I’ll track you down however long it takes—”
Barnes’s hand twitched. Mucous dribbled from his mouth. Blood trickled from his nose onto his beard. He coughed then started choking.
Mercy blinked. “Barnes? Hey Barnes, stay with me, breathe, breathe—”
Mercy rolled Barnes onto his side, supported his head and lifted his chin, opening up his airway. Barnes coughed again, bringing up more bloody mucous. He jerked twice then he blinked. His breathing came in gasps.
Barnes sat up and pressed his back against the wall. He stared at Mercy, “Am I bit?”
Mercy shook her head, “Not that I can see. You took a beating though—”
“You took the shot. I felt it,” Barnes said, his hand going to his head. He felt his skull, then his neck. He glanced at the dead alpha on the floor. “I guess you got the bastard… and you let me keep my good looks. I owe
