John raised his gun, taking aim at Reaper. "I'm afraid that's a deal I can't make, sir."
He stared intently at Reaper. His aim lethal, deadly, calm.
"Dawson," the general began.
"You promised me revenge, sir. And I'm going to extract that revenge. Now."
In a blur of speed Dawson spun, placed the end of his pistol to Rainier’s forehead and pulled the trigger.
Without hesitation, Dawson shifted to the left, squeezed the trigger and dove right. The bullet hit the first guard center forehead and he slumped to his knees. Before he had a chance to fall forward, Dawson took aim mid-air at the second guard and squeezed off another shot. The massive soldier reacted in a blur of speed, diving right and firing off his own Glock in response. Tat. Tat. Two bullets whizzed just past Dawson's ear.
Boom!
The pistol fire ceased. The thud of a 5.56 mm round slung the guard backwards, dead instantly. Dawson's shoulder hit the floor and he slid, stopping at Reaper’s feet.
There was a lingering trail smoke from his team leader’s rifle and a grin on his face as he extended down a hand to Dawson. "I don't know whether to promote you or punch you."
Dawson grinned in return, adrenaline punching through his veins like wildfire. “Does that mean you believe me now?”
Reaper clapped a heavy hand on Dawson's shoulder and gave him a squeeze. “Hell yeah, I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”
"You bastard!” A tall square shaped woman draped in a lab coat rushed from the room behind the two-way mirror, her pale face shot red with anger. “You killed him! You killed him!”
Dawson shot a sideways glance to Reaper. “Let me introduce you to the General’s new head researcher. She is the monster responsible for them.” Dawson indicated the two fallen soldiers on the floor.
“You can’t stop me! I’ll just make more. And more!” The woman shrieked, clearly skating on the edge of sanity.
King lifted his side arm, squeezed off three rounds and the mad scientist dropped dead to with her comrades. Dawson nodded his thanks to King. King acknowledged with a salute.
Juarez said, “Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Before Dawson could speak, Reaper answered for him. “Dawson was just proving a point. A point I should never have doubted.”
“Me either,” King followed up quietly.
A rush of warmth that had nothing to do with adrenaline flooded his chest. “Thanks,” he managed to squeeze past the huge lump in his throat.
Diggs grinned and held out a hand. “Welcome back brother.”
A loud alarm blasted through the room, the lights flashing blue. White. Blue. White. Reaper met Dawson’s gaze. “How many?”
“A small army,” Dawson said.
“Well,” Reaper chambered around in his FN MK16 rifle. “If we don’t make it out, it was nice knowing you boys.”
“Hey, TOP, I brought you a present too.” Dawson grabbed his duffel and tossed it at his team leaders feet.
Reaper knelt down and extracted the rectangular packet of C4 explosive. He shot Dawson a questioning glance.
“I figured we needed to finish this once and for all. There’s enough explosives in there to bury the entire underground bunker.”
Shouts and boots pounding on cement sounded from upstairs. King stepped forward. “How many exits?”
Dawson gave him a tight smile. “Just one.”
Hicks broke in, “What are we waiting for boys? Let’s blow this mother up.” He chambered around in his rifle.
Reaper started barking out orders. “Diggs, Juarez, Hicks set up at the top of the stairs. Keep the out as long as you can.” The three men saluted and ran out the lab, up the stairs to set up an arched defensive position outside the upper door. “King, Dawson. We’ll set the explosives. Are we on a remote or a timed trigger?”
“Timed. I kind of rushed out in a hurry,” Dawson said regretfully. If he could remote detonate, there wouldn’t be the issue of worrying about making it out of the bunker in time.
"Get to it.” Reaper grabbed a bundle and moved to the backside of the lab. King and Dawson followed suit, each of them planting their explosives at set intervals along the labs walls.
“Ten seconds!”” Diggs shouted down.
Reaper held up his hand, staring at his watch. “On my count set it for two minutes.”
Shit. Uninterrupted they could make it to the front door in thirty seconds, but they were about to be interrupted as fuck.
“Three. Two. Set.” The beeps of the C4 being armed were barely audible over the blaring alarm.
Dawson hoofed it to his duffel, slung it over his shoulder and popped a new magazine in his MK 16.
Gun shots popped off as the gained the landing, backing up the rest of the team. “Incoming!” Hicks shouted.
Dawson slammed his back to the wall just inside the door. Reaper lead, tapping Diggs, who stood in the center of the arc between Hicks and Juarez outside the door. “Moving.”
Diggs dropped and rolled forward, coming up to a knee with a shoulder plastered against the left side wall, his rifle ready. The enemy soldiers flooded around the corner at the far end of the hallway. A hail of bullets exploded through the long corridor. Hicks and Juarez laid down cover fire.
Reaper shouted, “Juarez, move!”
Juarez threw himself forward, rolled to the ride and came up on a knee, firing as the rest of the team lay down cover fire.
The soldiers at the far end fired off an answering barrage of rounds, running down the hallway, not even attempting to take cover. Dawson sited in the lead one, put a bullet in his head and moved to the next. Reaper and King and the rest of the team continued the pattern, not wasting a single round of ammo, they aimed and fired.
Enemy soldiers dropped with each kill shot, but more took their place.
Smoke-filled hallway, bodies lined the floor. Bullets chinked into the concrete walls all around them. Dawson ducked, barely missed being hit in the shoulder and fired off a rapid succession of three shots. This time he nailed the soldier in the chest. The bastard slowed but kept coming. “Shit.”
“Dawson, you’ve got to set those explosives now! We’ll cover you,” Reaper said between gunshots.
“On it.” Dawson slung his rifle over his shoulder, grabbed a bundle of C4 with one hand, lifted his Beretta with the other and dropped the nearest soldier with a shot to the head. Dawson leapt over his falling body, running into the middle of the fire fight. He slammed against the left wall, right behind Hicks, slapped the C4 against it. He glanced at his watch, set the timer to go off with the rest of the bombs and then tapped Hicks on the shoulder, shouting so Juarez could hear him too. “Moving right!”
Dawson dove and rolled across the hallway, his team laying down heavy cover fire for him as he slammed into the opposite wall, and planted and armed another bundle of C4.
Rounds skidded through the distance, the smoke growing thicker. Dawson went for his sidearm to return fire. A solid ton of bricks slammed into him as one of the soldiers tackled him to the ground. His pistol skidded away.
The soldier straddled him, his hands around Dawson’s throat.
“Let…Go…” Dawson breathed, struggling in the man’s grip. He wheezed, the soldier as the soldier seemed to crush his windpipe. He plucked hard at the soldier’s grip, but the guy didn’t budge. The Russian squeezed harder and Dawson’s vision faded. Shit. Air. He just needed an inch.
Dawson bucked his hips, attempting to throw him off, but no use. He was too strong and too big.
The soldier pulled out his gun, one hand pinning Dawson’s throat. Dawson struggled, reached for the guy’s face, but couldn’t quite get there. He brought the weapon around, took aim at Dawson’s head.
Dawson strained, going for the immovable arm.
A shot blasted right over head. Blood splattered on Dawson’s face and the soldier dropped, lifeless, on top of him. Dawson found his air again, just barely, and shoved the dead body off him.
/>
“Thanks,” he croaked out to Juarez after a second.
Juarez fired off two shots. “Anytime, bro.”
Dawson rolled to his knee and slung his rifle around and ready. Eight huge soldiers blocked their path, firing as they closed the gap. Time slowed. There was no way his team was a match for their strength or size or numbers. Dawson’s neck burned from the crushing grip of the dead man on the floor. They couldn’t set off any grenades to clear the path without risking setting off the C-4’s.
He was ahead of the whole team. He had the best chance to distract and draw fire to the rest of the team could escape. Dawson glanced over his shoulder. Reaper met his gaze. “No!”
Ignoring his team leader for the last time, Dawson exploded to his feet with a roar and emptied his magazine, running into enemy lines. He would do this for his team. He would do it for his daughter. For Melissa.
The soldiers rushed him, firing as they ran. A bullet plugged his shoulder but Dawson barely felt it. He dropped his clip, grabbed his spare from his belt, reloaded and let fired. He took down two of them.
Thunk. Thunk. He flew back, thrown by another shot to the shoulder and his side. King caught him mid-air. “Crazy bastard!”
Dawson shifted his rifle to his left hand and fired, taking down another one. King fired, the rest of the team coming up behind them. Through the smoke filled hallway, he watched as his team took out the remaining soldiers. He was barely aware that King still had him, carrying him through the fray. He tried to tell him to drop him, but all John could do was cough. Pain wracked his body. He dropped his rifle.
“Go! Go!” Reaper’s commanding shout barely registered through the fog creeping over him.
Dawson registered the moon over head and then he was weightless, flying through the air as King tossed him. A heavy body landed on top of his. He couldn’t breathe.
Boom! The lab exploded, shaking the ground beneath him. The body on top of his was thrown across the parking lot. Dawson’s head fell to the side to see King rolling away. They made it. His team was safe.
Coldness climbing through his body as his blood pooled on the ground around him. He’d done what was right. He could rest easy now. Dawson let his eyes drift shut. His family was safe now. They could start a new life without the shadow of Rainier hanging over them.
Without him.
Chapter 34
“They’re back!” Quantum leapt up from his chair in the war room.
“You hear the cars?” Melissa joined him in getting to her feet. The two of them had been sitting in the war room for hours, waiting for any word. Running over worst-case scenarios, trying to be positive and hopeful, but mostly sitting in silence. Quantum had done what he could to try and pick up satellite activity, but they were totally in the dark. Nothing to do but wait.
“Yep. Side entrance.”
Trigger perked up now, his ears standing straight. The men’s hearing was all so good that they could hear things even before the dog did.
Trigger followed them back toward the lab. Melissa took deep breaths, trying to prepare herself for the worst. If anything happened to any of the men, she wouldn't be able to handle it no matter how much she told herself it was a possibility, but especially not if anything happened to Dawson. She steadied her hands the best she could and opened the door.
King rushed toward the door, cradling an unconscious, blood soaked Dawson.
“What happened!” Melissa panicked, her heart threatening to escape her chest. No matter how many times she tried to prepare over the last few hours for something truly horrible, she’d never be able to. “Is he okay? How bad is he hurt?” Her breath came in rasps. “What happened?” she repeated again, her questions and panic rambling before anyone had a chance to get him on a table and answer her.
“He took three bullets. Two to his right shoulder, one to his left side.” Diggs moved around the table, pressing on Dawson’s shoulder and side, blood soaking the gauze. “I applied pressure all the way home to stem the blood loss, but he’s been unconscious since we exited the lab.”
Melissa sucked in a break and forced off her panic. “Quantum, get over here and assist. Grab the shears from that cabinet.” She pointed behind her. “Diggs, don’t let up the pressure.”
Quantum returned with the shears, his scarred face pale. She took them and began cutting away Dawson’s shirt, blood soaking her bare hands. “Q, roll that emergency cart over, the one with the AED. It’s got my supplies in the drawers.”
Once she had the shirt cut and tossed away, she grabbed moved Diggs hand from the side wound carefully peeled back the gauze. Dark red blood oozed from the open wound in a steady stream. “Thank god. The shot grazed his side.”
The spleen and stomach were both close to the injury, about two inches closer to his midline and he’d have been in serious trouble. Melissa passed a fresh gauze pad to Diggs. “Keep pressure on it.”
She went around Dawson’s head, the team, who’d crowded around him, moved back out of her way. She grabbed his wrist, checked his pulse and nearly collapsed when she felt the strong, steady heartbeat. Shoulder injuries could be really bad, especially if the bullet hit a major artery.
She moved Diggs other hand out of the way, steeling herself for the two wounds. Carefully, she peeled back both dressings. Thick red blood oozed out, immediately covering her already saturated hands. Dammit. He’d lost more blood than she’d liked. "Quantum, help me roll him over just a little bit."
Quantum reached across the table and gently lifted Dawson’s shoulder. "Like this?"
Melissa nodded. “Two exit wounds.” She grabbed two bunches of gauze, pressed them firmly against the back of his shoulder and instructed Quantum to lie him back flat on the table.
“There’s a lot of blood, but it seems to be slowing and it’s steady, not pulsing or gushing. I don’t think he hit any major arteries.”
“Thank God,” Reaper scrubbed a hand down his face, his expression weary.
“I need some space. Diggs, Quantum you stay and help. The rest of you need to leave.” There was a course of denials that were quickly cut off by Reaper. “You heard the lady, give her space.”
Melissa waited on the team to file out and quickly listed off instructions for her two helpers. After carefully cleaning and debriding the wounds, she stitched them closed. Dawson remained unconscious the entire time, a fact that worried her except for the fact that all of his vitals were strong and steady.
She bent over him, pressed her lips to his forehead and drew in a deep breath. “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”
And now that she felt secure that he was stable, she fully intended to find out exactly what had happened to John.
She checked his IV and instructed Quantum to stay with him. Then she made her way from Dawson’s room to hunt down the team. She got one step outside the door and was surrounded.
“Is he okay?” Hicks asked.
“What can we do?” Juarez said.
“Will he recover?” King asked.
A little bit of her anger eased at the giant wall of worried men. She held up her hands. “He’s okay. No major damage to anything vital.”
“Is he awake?” Reaper asked.
“No. Not yet. Now, my turn for questions.” She planted her hands on her hips. “What the hell happened out there?”
Had they done this to him? Had it been like Dawson suggested it would be? No, she dismissed the thought as soon as it rose its ugly head. She knew the men would never do anything like so terrible.
“He drew their fire so we could get out of there. There were too many of them. He laid himself out as bait to give us a chance.” Reaper dropped his head, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his black tactical pants.
Melissa pressed her fingers to her lips, her hand trembling. “Was that to prove to you he wasn’t betraying the team?” Her voice came out in hoarse whisper.
Reaper’s shoulders slumped. “Maybe. Or maybe he was just doing what any of us would have don
e to save a teammate.”
“You really believe that?”
“I do.” King stepped forward, his normally impassive expression tortured. “He had our backs and we had his. He’d already killed Rainier. We were ex-filling the site.”
“Rainier’s dead?”
She couldn’t process that the monster responsible for nearly destroying all their lives was actually gone.
“Thanks to Dawson he is. He killed him, we all rigged the lab with explosives. There’s nothing left. No Rainier, no serum, no paper trail for some other idiot to come along and copy. Project Mayhem is gone for good,” King said.
The full realization of his words hit her. They were free. They didn’t have to hide and be afraid that someone would kill them or kidnap them. And now that she finally figured out how to permanently treat them with the single dose of serum… “You can have a normal life.”
Reaper looked up, realization dawning on his face. “I guess so.”
“You can all have normal lives now.”
Her statement didn’t bring the happy response she expected. They all stood there either staring at her or over her shoulder, their expression solemn.
“We can’t have anything until we know Dawson will be okay, “King said.
Melissa nodded in understanding. “He’s going to be okay. You have my word.” Because if the thought of losing Dawson was painful for them, to her it was unimaginable. Without Dawson she wouldn’t have a life. Not one worth living.
Two days later…
John Dawson came awake slowly, fiery pain lighting up his entire torso. His head pounded, his mouth was desert dry. He managed to get one eye open and then the other, seeing a soft, low, light hung directly overhead.
What happened? Where was he?
“About time you woke up.”
Groaning, Dawson turned his head to see Quantum leaning back in a chair in the corner about a foot from him.
“Water,” Dawson croaked. That single word made his throat burn. He tried to reach up and touch his neck, only to have his arm yanked back, held down by clear tubes running from the back of his hand up to an IV bag.
Mayhem's Betrayal: Operation Mayhem Book 5 Page 17