The City III
#3 of The City
The howl of the wind only served to remind him that he was very, very far from stable ground or home.
He was spinning down in a freefall, tumbling, far out of control. He forced himself to calm his breathing, the oxygen mask just barely staying on him. He closed his eyes and exhaled. First, stop the tumble.
His paws mashed at his left hip, flicking on the air-powered jump thrusters on his exo-suit. He countered his tumbling, careful to not put too much pressure. It'll use up most of my damn fuel, but that won't matter if I don't get down alive.
He finally stopped the uncontrolled fall, chest facing the ground as his limbs spread out. The wind was much nicer now that he could see where he was going. He flicked on his night vision goggles and scanned the ground beneath him, noting he was going to land in a village of some sort. Tin roofing, probably plaster and wood houses. Not a wealthy area. Bit off-target, too.
He checked his altitude meter, noting it ticking down fairly quickly. Parachutes better work... He pulled the cord on one and felt his body get jerked back as the chute opened, guiding him down to a roof. He smiled to himself, pleased that everything was going in a salvageable direction.
The chute snapped off 50 meters above the ground, sending him falling right into a house, crashing through the roof as his world went black.
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"Yo, Khopesh, wake up!"
The fox felt his shoulder being shaken by Jak. He had fallen asleep in his living room, sitting in a chair facing the fireplace, He opened his eyes and yawned slightly, turning to face the golden jackal. "Didn't oversleep, did I? Still got our timeline set?
Jak was already fully kitted up to go, in black shirt and pants, a salvaged piece of riot armor covering her chest as she winked at Khopesh, handing him his own set. "Ready to go, sir?"
Khopesh slid on the armor, clipping it in and sliding on his fingerless gloves, slipping off to his room and sliding on his faded red ballcap. He slid his tiger knife into his pocket, checking his bed and sliding his pistol, a Glock 17, in its holster. He grabbed his rifle, a semi-automatic wildcat AR-15 derivative, perfect for sniping. He checked the rounds and walked out, wiping his face a bit as Jak handed him a pair of binoculars, saying, "This'll either end well or with us all dead."
Khopesh hung the binoculars from his neck, leading the way to the control center. As he walked in, he noted Copp and Sill handing out tactical goggles that had basic night vision and ammo tracking capabilities. He smiled and turned his head towards Tek and Lyle, sitting and talking in whispered tones. As he approached, he noted their conversation cutting. He leaned down over the table and quietly muttered, :"You aren't planning on betraying us, are you?" He smirked and looked both in the eyes. "I know you wouldn't. Everything all set?"
Tek nodded, running her fingers through her hair. "Y-yeah, everything is ready. Everyone is prepped for a quick exfiltration, all the families and support staff. We also had an idea..."
Copp quickly strode over, handing Khopesh a pair of goggles. "MY idea. Sill and I are joining you in-field. We think there's a possibility to increase the... It's... I can't explain it, it's about maps and you probably wouldn't get it."
Khopesh chuckled. "You want to be in-field in order to add real-time raster data to the shared GIS on the HUDs so we can be better tactically. I like that idea. Alright, gear up, carry a pistol at least."
As he turned to leave, he met Vir and Haka near the entrance, mumbling to themselves. Vir stopped Khopesh before he could leave. "No electronic system here at the base? Bit of a risk."
Khopesh sighed and nodded. "Reward is that we can strike them better by being slightly ahead of the curve. It's a good reward." He pointed to the door. "Let's go. We're gonna rock and roll."
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Their group hopped out of the trucks, walking to the edge of the cliff and looking over. A sheer 50 meter drop between them and the road. Khopesh checked his scope again and set up, glancing at his watch as Jak laid next to him to act as spotter. They were expected to roll up at 0100 exactly. Time passed... and passed... and passed. Khopesh checked his watch and muttered, "Dammit."
Jak looked over at him. "Something off?"
Khopesh relaxed from the scope. "0200 hours. Not here yet. Something is wrong. Very wrong."
Jak's radio crackled as the blood in her veins ran icy. A crying Palla was on the other end. "They used the other approach... Jak, run. Eagle Rock. Go..." Gunfire cracked from the other end of the radio as Jak dropped the set, shaking uncontrollably in a mix of anger and fear. The road beneath them suddenly sprung to life as a flatbed truck with a covered cage drove into it and parked. Down below, a goat jumped out and looked at the cliff, grabbing a megaphone and yelling, "Which one of you terrorists is in control up there?"
Khopesh motioned for everyone to stay down before standing. "Killing me does you no good."
The goat snorted and turned to the cage, tearing off the tarp and turning on a flashlight, illuminating the figure inside.
It was Amber, silver fur stained in blood, her arms tied firmly to the top of the cage. She wasn't moving.
The goat grabbed the megaphone and spoke again. "We will kill her and every other person at your tiny base if you try to kill me or go back and 'liberate' them."
The goat climbed back into the truck as it turned and sped back up the hill, towards their home. Everyone stood up as Vir, Copp, Haka, and Sill walked over, trying to get a feel for their plan. Khopesh looked around and slowly sat, facing out. "We don't know where Eagle Rock is. We don't have a map or coordinates..." He took of his cap, turning it over in his hands before his eyes focused on the logo on it. He stood up and nodded. "How about my old university? It's gated, it has supplies and can be self-sufficient... Easy to sleep in..." He looked at Copp, then Sill. "Technology up the butt." He turned to Vir. "Books, more books than you can read." He looked at Haka. "Places to swim."
"But no Palla and no Tanz."
Jak stood up and stomped off towards the cars, muttering, "I was telling you since we first heard, fucking Eagle Rock, and then this..."
Khopesh looked at Vir and nodded, watching Vir head off to comfort her as he explained the plan to the other soldiers there. They set out, winding towards that university.