# Task Force - Two if by Air

Author: SrA havenofimage
Tags: Bear, Falcon, Fox, HAHO, Military, Snow Leopard, Spec Ops, Story Series, Suicide, marten

#14 of Task Force

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&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;I sat in my seat, being bounced around by the turbulence.&nbsp; I had just finished triple checking my teams gear for the jump.&nbsp; There was absolutely no room for error tonight.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Alright.&nbsp; Let's review the plan one more time.&nbsp; We can't afford any mishaps.&nbsp; Trestan, you're the most suited for this.&nbsp; Take the lead and we'll fall in behind you.&nbsp; We'll use thermal until we break cloud cover and then switch to night vision.&nbsp; Trestan, get us lined up and below the clouds and then break off at 10,000. &nbsp;We need you in position early."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The copilot turned to us from the cockpit and gave the two minute signal.&nbsp; I began my final preparation.&nbsp; Taking one last draw from my mask, I removed it, placed it back under my seat and switched to my personal O2 tank.&nbsp; I checked the gauge to ensure oxygen was traveling to the mask.&nbsp; I tugged my harness to verify proper fit and checked all the connections on my armor making sure there were no leaks in the air tight system.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Is every one go?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I received four okay gestures in return.&nbsp; We had mikes built into the oxygen masks, but hand signals had been drilled into us from day one.&nbsp; Teague, Jessica, and Tank all had identical setups as mine.&nbsp; Trestan, lucky bastard, was built for this and didn't need the air tight protection against freezing, parachute, or even supplemental O2.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An orange light clicked on and I heard the sound of hydraulics as the rear door descended.&nbsp; The noise of rushing air filled the cabin.&nbsp; I motioned for the team to prepare to jump.&nbsp; They lined up and clipped onto the static bar.&nbsp; The light turned green.&nbsp; Trestan was the first out. &nbsp;He dove from the plane.&nbsp; I counted off the seconds then motioned to Tank.&nbsp; He followed and the static line pulled his drogue chute which quickly detached.&nbsp; This process repeated for the other two.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After Teague had disappeared into the darkness I walked to the edge.&nbsp; I turned and signaled to the pilot who waved back.&nbsp; I jumped.&nbsp; The wind grabbed me an pulled me away from the aircraft.&nbsp; I could feel the slight resistance of my drogue using it to get my bearings and proper body position.&nbsp; Five seconds after leaving the fuselage the tinny parachute detached allowing me to free fall.&nbsp; I counted off another ten seconds before pulling the ripcord.&nbsp; My canopy pulled from the pack and I was jerked backwards from the drag.&nbsp; I was about to switch to my thermal when I noticed that I could see everything clearly without it.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Trestan, Tank, and Jessica were already stacked and Teague was pulling up behind them.&nbsp; I quickly grabbed the airfoil's handles and maneuvered into position.&nbsp; The cold air tore at my clothing but I couldn't feel it beneath the airtight layers.&nbsp; Without them, I would have frozen in minutes.&nbsp; The oxygen prevented us suffering from hypoxia.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I keyed a tab on my HUD and a GPS overlay of our flight path appeared.&nbsp; I watched as Trestan approached the first turn and bank right.&nbsp; I pulled my right handle and the corner of the parachute dipped, pulling me in that direction.&nbsp; I checked my air speed and altimeter.&nbsp; We were right on course.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After another correction we sailed into a cloud.&nbsp; Now I did switch to thermal because not even my enhanced eyes could cut through the dense water vapor.&nbsp; This is when things would get tricky.&nbsp; If any of us got split up, they could end up miles off course and be out of commission for the entire operation.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Soon however we were out of the clouds.&nbsp; We were at 18,000ft above ground level and coming in a little fast.&nbsp; Trestan would have to correct that at the next turn.&nbsp; A series of maneuvers and we were on the final line that would take us to the LZ.&nbsp; Trestan broke off, his powerful wings driving him away, leaving Tank in front of the line.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The dim lights of the compound came into view.&nbsp; There were no spotlights watching the sky.&nbsp; These people were too trusting of radar.&nbsp; With our limited amount of metal and minimal profile, they'd be lucky if one of us showed up as an error.&nbsp; That left only visual detection.&nbsp; Our suits, packs, and canopies were all colored to match the dark black sky perfectly.&nbsp; Unless a guard was looking in the exact right position at the exact right time, we would be no more visible than the air we were moving through.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After what seemed like an eternity of hanging in the air, we silently sailed over the outer perimeter.&nbsp; I magnified my view.&nbsp; The space on either side of the fence was brightly lit.&nbsp; I saw guards posted, watching the trees and surrounding fields diligently.&nbsp; An anti air turret sat motionless behind a tower.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The ground was coming up fast now.&nbsp; I checked my airspeed and saw that I was coming in too fast.&nbsp; I pulled both handles and the chute faired.&nbsp; The stack stretched out as each of us slowed for touchdown.&nbsp; I braced mentally and physically for the impact.&nbsp; My jump boots hit dirt.&nbsp; I rapidly recovered and unhooked from the harness.&nbsp; The others were doing the same.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I stowed the mass of fabric into my combat pack and retrieved my ASMAR squad marksman variant assault rifle.&nbsp; Quickly scanning my surroundings, I determined that there were no immediate threats.&nbsp; The other three soon arrived at my position.&nbsp; I gave a series of hand signals and we formed ourselves into a loose diamond formation.&nbsp; We began moving through the sparse trees towards the compound, our boots making no sound over the frozen ground.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Teague who, as always, was a point held up his hand.&nbsp; He motioned for me to join him.&nbsp; I moved forward to where he stood.&nbsp; We had reached the interior fence.&nbsp; I scanned the length that I could see and the spotted what I wanted.&nbsp; There was a spot which looked recently washed out.&nbsp; It had only been blocked with a pair of hay bales.&nbsp; I gestured towards it.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We moved to the entry point.&nbsp; Tank stepped forward and pushed the obstacle out of our way.&nbsp; I slid underneath, remembering the first time I had done this back at the Academy.&nbsp; When the others were through, Tank pulled the two bales back into place.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I checked our surroundings.&nbsp; If my map was correct, the structure in front of us was a maintenance building.&nbsp; Just then Trestan's voice filtered in through my enclosed com system.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Heads up.&nbsp; Two bogies moving in from the east."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I acknowledged by clicking my com once.&nbsp; We slid into the shadow of one of the building's large overhead doors.&nbsp; I watched the northeast corner.&nbsp; Seconds later, a bull and a raccoon walked into view.&nbsp; They scanned the area as they walked closer.&nbsp; I stayed crouched, nearly invisible in the dark.&nbsp; They passed in front of our position.&nbsp; As one, Jessica and I sprung forward.&nbsp; I bashed the bull in the back of the head with the butt of my rifle.&nbsp; He collapsed from the blow.&nbsp; I caught the body and lowered it slowly to the ground.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I pulled a dart pistol from my holster, similar to the ones we had used in training.&nbsp; The difference was that, rather than sedating the victim, these darts were loaded with a lethal injection.&nbsp; I had a quick flashback of standing over an upperclassman coyote and shooting him without second thought as he lay at my feet.&nbsp; With the same cold indifference, I shot the killer at my feet, the gas powered weapon making no sound.&nbsp; I turned to see Jessica already dragging the body of the raccoon into cover.&nbsp; I did the same and deposited my victim next to hers.&nbsp; We regrouped and moved on towards the west.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Teague halted us.&nbsp; He pulled a small device from a pack and placed it on the side of the building before moving on.&nbsp; We had all taken packs of explosives which he had built for this mission.&nbsp; As we moved through the compound, we would place them at strategic positions.&nbsp; In this way we soon had rigged the maintenance shop, barracks, armory, primary training center, utility building, and power plant.&nbsp; When we left, there would be on hell of a fireworks show down here.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We moved along the building which housed General Davis's quarters.&nbsp; Teague raised his hand again.&nbsp; I crept forward and looked.&nbsp; There was a secure door along the adjacent wall.&nbsp; One guard was standing outside, rifle in hand.&nbsp; There was also a camera panning above the door.&nbsp; The camera moved in our direction slowly, reached its range of motion, and began turning away.&nbsp; I aimed through my rifle's scope and pulled the trigger.&nbsp; The silenced weapon coughed once and the guard fell.&nbsp; We dashed to the door and were in before the camera finished it's turn, Tank dragging the body in behind us.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jessica forged a card key access on her data pad.&nbsp; I switched to thermal and scanned the room beyond.&nbsp; There were four guards in it.&nbsp; I stood to the right of the door and Tank moved to the left.&nbsp; Jessica and Teague crouched below us.&nbsp; The sliding doors opened and each of us shot one of the guards.&nbsp; I moved into the room.&nbsp; There was a security desk with a bank of monitors, showing camera views.&nbsp; A dead zebra sat behind it bleeding from a hole straight through his heart.&nbsp; I recognized Jessica's handy work who always preferred to go for the center of mass and vitals.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I checked the views.&nbsp; I found the one I was looking for, a third floor hallway.&nbsp; An arctic fox and a grey wolf stood in front of an unmarked black door.&nbsp; That was our target.&nbsp; I signaled to the team and we headed for the stairwell.&nbsp; Four landings later we were on the top floor.&nbsp; I slid a fiber optic probe beneath the door to scan the corridor beyond.&nbsp; There they were, 25m to my left. &nbsp;I gave Jessica the kill gesture and She hit a command on her data pad and the power went out to the building.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Teague opened the door.&nbsp; I saw the two guards looking around wildly.&nbsp; Their confusion was soon ended as Tank and Teague quickly and quietly snapped their necks and lowered them to the ground.&nbsp; I stood in front of the door while Jess overrode the security system.&nbsp; There was a silent click, which would have been inaudible to any normal soldier.&nbsp; The door swung in slowly.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I moved forward, sweeping the room for any bodyguards or booby traps.&nbsp; Finally I entered the bedroom.&nbsp; General Davis was sitting up in his bed, staring at the entrance, a calm expression on his face.&nbsp; I had to admire him for not showing fear, knowing there was no way he would live.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Ah, you came.&nbsp; I had hoped you would."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "How do you know who we are?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I do not.&nbsp; But perfection has it's signs just as flaws do.&nbsp; Three separate jobs, each pulled off by a small team, never leaving any trace of their presence.&nbsp; I suspected it was the same group each time.&nbsp; The Phoenix seemed to think your military had built an elite army.&nbsp; He would think that.&nbsp; He has no taste for subtlety.&nbsp; I on the other hand quite admire your work.&nbsp; Very impressive.&nbsp; We could use some soldiers like you in our organization."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "We would never support what you're doing."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Think of it though, complete world cooperation, like in the time after The Great War."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "You can't force piece on society."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Perhaps not.&nbsp; So what now, you kill me and leave?&nbsp; I do not think so.&nbsp; You see, I was just the bate."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Before I could react, Davis pulled the trigger of a hidden gun and the top of his head exploded, splattering the wall behind him with blood and gore.&nbsp; Seconds later, alarms began sounding throughout the complex.&nbsp; They must have had bio monitors on him.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Shit!"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Teague, blow the barracks and armory!"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He pulled out a small pad and tapped two glowing keys.&nbsp; A series of explosions was heard from outside.&nbsp; The overpressure shook the building we were in.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "What's the plan Harper?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Air pad.&nbsp; There's no way we're getting out of here on foot."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I thought of our exit options.&nbsp; There were sure to be guards flooding upstairs this second with the sole purpose of filling us with lead.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Teague, get a charge on the door.&nbsp; Some smoke wouldn't hurt either."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He began rigging a booby trap on the entrance to the General's room.&nbsp; I walked to the far side and wrenched open a window.&nbsp; I attached a length of cable to the sill.&nbsp; Teague rejoined us and I ushered the team out.&nbsp; Finally I clipped on and repelled out the window just as the door opened.&nbsp; The soldier's who were unfortunate to be standing near it were engulfed in a fireball.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I hit the ground and straitened myself.&nbsp; The compound was in chaos.&nbsp; The space between buildings was lit&nbsp; by flashing signals and there was a fierce orange light of fire in the background.&nbsp; She sound of gunfire filled the air from the far side of the facility. &nbsp;These soldiers were very poorly disciplined. I checked my map for the location of the air pad.&nbsp; I found it and flashed a waypoint to my team.&nbsp; We began running towards it.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We turned a corner and were met by group of enemies.&nbsp; Jessica was the first to react and opened fire.&nbsp; They quickly fell beneath the twin onslaught.&nbsp; I saw a goat taking aim at us from an ally.&nbsp; I swung and fired a burst, catching him in the gut an bringing him to the ground.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Let's keep moving."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Another explosion racked the compound as fire engulfed the ammunition in the armory.&nbsp; I could hear yells in the distance.&nbsp; We began moving in the direction of my marker which led parallel to the mayhem luckily and not into it.&nbsp; Teague had done an exceptional job of planting those explosives.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Finally I could see the air pad.&nbsp; There were two helicopters sitting on the ground.&nbsp; One was a large cargo carrier.&nbsp; The other was the genera's personal transport.&nbsp; Since he was dead, I figured he probably didn't need it any more.&nbsp; We scanned the area.&nbsp; Tank lobed a grenade across the space.&nbsp; There was a blast, a yell, and I watched as a body flew out from cover, it's fur still smoldering.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Alright, keep me covered.&nbsp; The less I get shot at, the sooner we get out of her."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Roger that.&nbsp; The sooner we get out of here, the happier I'll be," responded Jessica.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I sprinted to the chopper and opened the pilot side door.&nbsp; I climbed into the seat, strapped in, and studied the controls.&nbsp; We had gone through flight training back at Center 17.&nbsp; Now it was finally paying off.&nbsp; I powered the craft on and heard the buzz of the starter.&nbsp; The turbo shaft engine came to life and I could feel the slow rotation of the rotors beginning to spin.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Alright, we have power," I said silently to myself.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Small arms fire pinged off my windshield.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Keep them off of me!"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Teague shot a series of bursts and the shooting stopped.&nbsp; I looked over the gauges.&nbsp; Fuel, good.&nbsp; Hydraulic pressure, good.&nbsp; I ran through a mental checklist, ensuring that the aircraft was flight worthy.&nbsp; Luckily it was.&nbsp; If it had needed anything, we would have been screwed.&nbsp; By now the rotors had reached the RPMs I was looking for.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Alright, get in.&nbsp; This is the last call for passengers."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jessica climbed in next to me.&nbsp; The other two pulled themselves into the back.&nbsp; I watched as a pair of rockets streaked down from the sky.&nbsp; Two anti air cannons detonated.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Get that thing off the ground Harper!" Trestan called over my earpiece.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Sorry, this 'thing' isn't quite as agile as you are."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I slowly raised the collective feeling for the familiar sign that the skids were becoming light on the ground.&nbsp; I pushed the left petal, compensating for the rotation with the tail rotor.&nbsp; We yawed slightly and I reduced pressure.&nbsp; I adjusted the cyclic to keep us level.&nbsp; Starting to get a feel for the controls and raised the collective more.&nbsp; The angle of the blades now created enough lift and we rose of the ground.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Okay, let's go."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I increased power and pushed the stick over. The rotors angled downward and we swiftly left the ground behind and sped forward.&nbsp; Rifle fire peppered the hull but I was soon out of range.&nbsp; We circled the compound, steadily climbing.&nbsp; When I felt that we were at a safe height, I put the craft into a hover.&nbsp; I could just spot Trestan out of right window, reloading his launcher.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Hit it Teague."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He scrolled his finger over the pad.&nbsp; I watched as one by one, the last four big buildings of the NWO training facility were leveled by explosions.&nbsp; Well, we had killed Bantano, and destroyed the compound.&nbsp; Unfortunately, we hadn't had time to secure any files or information.&nbsp; At least the enemy would be short a general and over three hundred recruits.&nbsp; As I began to move off scene, I let out a sigh.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Well two out of three isn't bad I guess."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "What are you talking about Harper?" Jessica asked.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "We never secured any data like we were supposed to."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "What the hell do you think I was doing while you were jack jawing with the general?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I turned, not believing my ears, "What?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I hacked the network on my pad.&nbsp; I've got all sorts of goodies on these guys."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "You know Curry, you truly are amazing."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I know."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Teague called from the back, "Quit flirting up there and let's get back to base."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I went slightly read as the others laughed.&nbsp; Well, mission accomplished.&nbsp; I pushed the nose over, and we sped across the frozen landscape.&nbsp; For miles, the tundra was lit by flickering red orange light, reflected from a billowing smoke cloud.

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/Xek9xLzn
Part of the series Task Force
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