“We’ll see,” Catie said as she kept moving forward down the tunnel. They were using the infrared camera on their helmets since there was no light in the tunnel.
“Sir, MacGregor here,” Catie messaged on her Comm when they reached the end of the tunnel.
“Baker here.”
“Tunnel is clear; we’ve reached a hatch in the ceiling; no ladder is visible. I would suggest some backup before we head up.”
“Wilco!” Baker said. He posted four cadets to guard the tunnel entrance, then led the other eight into the tunnel.
“Where do you think it goes?” Baker asked when he and the rest of the squad reached Catie and Howard.
“I counted two hundred fifty meters,” Catie said. “I think that would put us under the bunkhouse.”
“Cadet Delacroix front and center,” Baker ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Julie said as she rushed over.
“Howard, MacGregor and I are going to lift her onto your shoulders. Delacroix, squat down before he stands up, so you don’t hit your head on the ceiling, then after he stands up go ahead and stand and see if you can lift the trapdoor.”
“Yes, sir.”
Howard knelt down on one knee so that Catie and Baker could help Julie onto his shoulders.
“Are your lasers armed?” Catie texted Julie.
Julie nodded as she turned on her lasers via her HUD.
“Delacroix, we’ll hold your legs to keep you steady,” Baker said. “Stand up, Howard.”
Julie was essentially sitting on Howard’s helmet as he stood up.
“Okay, Delacroix, stand up and see if you can open the trapdoor,” Baker ordered.
Julie stood up; her helmet almost touched the ceiling once she was standing. “It won’t move.”
“Julie, use your legs,” Catie said.
“Okay.” Julie squatted back down, extending her arms above her head, locking her elbows. “Ready!” she hissed as she tried to stand up. “It moved.”
“Can you open it?” Baker asked.
“It’s too heavy.”
“Howard, squat down, Delacroix lock your legs. . . . Now, Howard, stand up!” Baker ordered.
“Wait!” Julie hissed.
“Okay, what’s up?”
“There’s something on top of the door,” Julie said. “It’s starting to slide off, but we might tip it over or something. That’s likely to be noisy.”
“Okay, one second. MacGregor, you and I will help by pushing up on Delacroix’s butt when Howard tries to stand. I’ll trigger one of our remote explosives to cover any noise. On three. One . . . Two . . . Three, push.”
The sound of the explosion could be heard. It muffled the sound of something falling above them as Julie pushed the trapdoor open.
“It’s open! . . . the room is clear. Looks like a closet,” Julie reported.
“Okay, do you need help getting up?”
“No,” Julie said as she put her hands on both sides of the opening and lifted herself up and onto the floor above. “It’s a utility closet; there were some boxes stacked on the hatch.” She stood up and moved to the door. “It’s quiet outside.”
“Okay, let’s get some backup up there with you, here’s your rifle,” Baker said as he handed Julie her rifle. “MacGregor, McCoy, you’re next. Give me your rifles.”
“You okay being a step ladder?” Catie asked Howard.
“I’m good.”
Joannie and Catie quickly joined Julie in the utility closet. Once their rifles were handed up to them, they took a position on each side of the door.
“Ready?” Catie asked.
Julie nodded her head, and Catie opened the door a crack.
“Clear so far,” Julie said. Catie opened the door enough that Julie could get her head out into the hallway. “Clear.”
The three women moved into the hallway and cleared the two rooms, the kitchen, and an office. “Okay, next is the main bunkroom,” Catie said.
They edged down the hallway until they could make out the room. It was quiet, and they quickly assessed that it was empty.
“Joanie, go guard the back door; Julie, go get the rest of the team up here,” Catie ordered.
When Julie got back to the utility closet, she turned on the light. It didn’t take her long to find the ladder that was in an inset in the wall. She pulled it out and lowered it down the hatch. “You guys ready to come up?”
“On our way. Go ahead and help cover us,” Baker said.
“I’ll make us some snacks, be back in a minute,” the Delta team cadet said as he opened the door to the bunkhouse.
Catie stepped behind the door to hide; she waited until he closed the door, then she placed her armored hand against the seam where his helmet met the body armor. She grabbed the same seam with her other hand, and yanked the cadet to the floor. Straddling him, she put her fist at his throat. “One move and you die!”
The Delta team cadet recovered from his shock. He stared at Catie for a minute, then tried to knock her off. Catie fired her laser into the seam. His suit immediately registered that he was dead and locked up.
“Easy to be a hero when it’s not real,” Catie said as she stood up.
“Won’t his Comm announce that he’s dead?” Julie asked.
“No, I disabled it with an EMP when I took him to the floor,” Catie said. “It will miss the next roll call, but that’s not going to be that unusual for the next few minutes. We need to dump his body back into the tunnel.”
“I’ve got him,” Howard announced as he grabbed the guy under his armpits and started dragging him back toward the tunnel.
“How much time do we have?” Baker asked.
“A few minutes,” Catie said.
“Then we need to figure out if there’s a tunnel to the main house, or if we have to assault from here.”
“On it!” Catie remembered the Marine saying that the second entrance was in the kitchen pantry, so she headed there first. It only took a minute to find the hatch to the tunnel under some boxes of soup. She and Julie moved the boxes, turned the light out, lifted the hatch, and checked the tunnel. It was dark and unoccupied, but this one had a nice set of stairs
