'Roger that. Stand by.'
The truck's schematics had given no indication if the windshield and side windows were bulletproof, and Beasley couldn't take the chance of allowing Jenkins and Hume to make a firing attempt through the glass.
Time for plan B, as in use an enemy body to your advantage. Beasley and Brown kept low behind the dead driver, bringing him over to and propping him up near the truck. Hume, who was hunkered down near the driver's side rear door, moved up and knocked on the driver's window. The guy at the wheel turned.
Between the pouring rain and the darkness, the guy would fail to get a good look at his dead colleague — and that's what Beasley was counting on. The window lowered, and the second it did, Beasley and Brown let the body fall back, giving Jenkins, who was positioned near the truck's front tire, room enough to slide up and direct his pistol into the cabin. His Px4 Storm SD thumped twice. Blood began dripping down the side windows. Jenkins reached in and opened the truck's door.
'Outstanding,' grunted Beasley. 'Now start with the choppers while I take care of the bot.' He opened the truck's rear door and climbed inside, out of the rain. He called up the SUGV's main camera in his HUD and worked the wireless controller to pan that camera toward the main gate. Headlights grew brighter in the distance.
He steered the drone away from its cover spot and began launching all six smoke grenades, positioning them all over the station. The new lock and the threat of an electrical fire, as evidenced by the smoke, should delay that crew a little longer.
By the time he finished and returned the bot to its position, Hume signaled that all vehicles were inoperable and rigged with more C-4, should they choose to create yet another diversion.
Now it was time to move in toward the castle and take out as many guards as they could before falling back to cover Alpha Team's exit. Beasley updated the captain, then ordered Bravo Team to move out toward the building on the castle's west side.
Diaz's attention was divided between the sniper running along the opposite mountain to the north and the two guards below. She had to adjust her damned firing position three times before she finally had her bead on the first guy.
But the rain. All that damned rain. The best she could do was make her adjustments… and fire.
The first guard went down, tumbling beside one wall, out of sight. The second guard, standing just around the corner from him and shivering under the overhanging roofline, turned his head, as though he'd heard something.
He began speaking into his radio.
Diaz waited until he was finished. Then, without warning, a burst of wind came in hard — just as she took her next shot.
The round exploded into the wall just above the guard's left shoulder.
Her brothers began screaming in her head as she reloaded in one smooth motion and the guard dropped to his belly, seeking cover.
But she still had him in her sights. And as he crawled forward, her second shot caught him in the middle of his back. He did not move again.
'Captain, this is Diaz. You're clear!'
Mitchell and Smith jogged forward toward the main entrance of the central building, while Ramirez and Nolan broke right toward the long, curving wall of the east building and its rows of rectangular windows. Once they drew closer, they'd have two guards to pick off before they moved inside.
According to the CIA's inside guy, Colonel Xu was in the central building, while each of the others were staying in the south, east, and north buildings, respectively. Their locations had been assessed by the Ghosts' intelligence analysts and sent to Mitchell's HUD so that he and the others need only follow the intel indicators to find the men.
Admittedly, Mitchell had chosen to take out Xu because he knew Fang had been stationed on the roof of Xu's building. Fang had come down when the rain had picked up, and Mitchell assumed that the bastard was somewhere inside.
Ramirez crawled on his hands and knees through the muck as he neared the first guard, who was sniffling and huddling beside the door, his weapon pointed at the ground. Ramirez needed him to turn his head a bit more, so he issued a curt, 'Hey!'
The guard looked down, up, didn't see Ramirez. He frowned, blinked, and then… he finally spotted him and made that turn.
One silenced round to the head ended his surprise and discomfort.
Ramirez waved on Nolan, and they kept tight to the wall, racing around to the opposite side of the building, where the second guy was posted near the other door.
They got down as they approached, and Nolan drifted out a bit from the wall, lifted his pistol, just as the guard raised his head and looked at them.
The shot kicked him onto his back.
Ramirez rose and raced to him. Clean head shot. He glanced back at Nolan, raised a thumb. They tried the door: locked. Ramirez fished out his tool kit and got to work, while Nolan covered him.
They still had one more guard in their way. He was, of course, posted outside Admiral Cai Ming's door.
Nolan breathed a curse and suddenly fired. Ramirez turned his head to watch a guard posted outside the south building tumble to his death.
'He was just coming around,' Nolan explained. 'And can you hurry up? It's not like bad guys are trying to shoot us or anything.'
Ramirez jabbed one of his tools into the lock. 'I'm an artist, bro. Patience.'
Huang peered out his window and saw the dead guard lying beside the central building. It was happening now, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
They were in the west building, on the fifth floor. He glanced over at his wife, who slept soundly, the candle- light playing over her face.
A knock came at the door. Huang frowned and answered it.
There stood Pan, a flashlight in one hand, a pistol in the other. 'Step out here onto the balcony,' he said.
'Pan, what is this?'
'You know what this is.'
'No, I don't.'
'I went back to my quarters and began thinking, and I realized that your little deal with the police has given me the perfect opportunity.'
Huang shook his head. 'I don't believe you.'
Pan raised the pistol even higher. 'They will think you were accidentally shot by the police or by one of Fang's guards. Your family has no money for an autopsy. There will be no investigation.'
'Pan, listen to me. If you fire that gun, everything will be ruined. Is killing me worth that much to you? Think of your own sons. And remember, if you didn't have doubts, you wouldn't be talking to me.'
Pan stepped forward, the pistol poised over Huang's forehead. 'This is the only way I can save face with the council.'
'No, it's not. When this is over, I will leave, okay? There is no reason to shoot me.'
Pan's breathing grew labored, and Huang could almost hear the gears grinding in the man's head.
'Pan, go back to bed.'
Fang stood outside Xu's door, his flashlight beaming at the floor. The row of fifth-floor balconies was otherwise dark. He tried to get in touch with Sergeant Chung, who'd once more failed to respond. What was that fool doing now? Huddling inside to smoke a cigarette? Fang was a few seconds away from going down there to beat the man with his cane.
He checked his watch. The power should be back up soon, and that was good. The rain, thunder, and lightning strained his eyes and made his bones ache. Just across the balcony, the building's roof sagged as chutes
