Jacob nodded. “Aye.”
“What about civilians?” Chris asked.
“This is a red zone,” Grace said. “Civvies here are more likely to help the HLF or rat you out to them. Only the police can be trusted out here, honestly.”
“If they know what’s good for them, they’ll stay clear,” Tom said.
“Michei, provide Miles’s team with support and be ready to pull out and support us should a psionic come after us,” said Chloe as the transport came to its destination and hovered over the building rooftop, which held their invisible target. “All right, people, let’s do this!” Chloe roared with excitement as she and the rest of the team sat up from their chairs.
A loud “Yeah!” bellowed from everyone.
She was not impressed. “Are you marines or a bunch of fucking Girl Scouts? I’ve been both and can tell the difference with ease.” The exit doors swung open. She then faced the two teams again and shouted. “Let’s do this and kick some fucking ass!”
A furious and simultaneous “Ooh-Rah” hollered out from everyone aboard.
… … …
►► Vancouver, Earth
► Sol System
Veloshira carefully placed her invisible body next to the human-made rectangular air-conditioning unit. On the opposite end of the building hovered a transport ship unloading three humans wearing a type of combat armor she had never seen before. The three fanned out after the transport left and began to hover above the human building she was supposed to be targeting. Whoever these humans were, they knew what they were planning. What they didn’t know was the various cloaked mines Veloshira rigged throughout the entire rooftop. One human was just meters away from triggering her first set of traps, Veloshira’s plasma rifle unfolded into her cloaked hands. She held on to it hard, and waited for the right moment to step out from the shadows.
… … …
“Jazz, I have three human targets closing in on me,” Veloshira’s voice transmitted to Jazz’s communicator. “There’s a second group on top of your building.”
Jazz, Destiny, Vuyin, and Tetsuya had just stepped into the elevator when the bad news came in. “Shit, that was fast. Hang tight, we’re almost up,” he transmitted back. He then spoke in English to Destiny and her team. “The UNE is here.”
Destiny grunted and slammed the side of her fist against the elevator wall. “We just fucking got here!” There was a hint of anger in her voice.
“Someone probably tipped them off,” Jazz said, gazing at the floor numbers tick upward, floor five, floor six, floor seven, twenty more to go. “Veloshira is surrounded, and there’s another group on top of this condo.”
Destiny’s finger rose up, tapping her earpiece communicator. “Dollon!” she cried.
“I see them,” Dollon transmitted back. “I was just debating how to handle this.”
“Handle it quickly before we lose our sniper!” she ordered.
… … …
Chloe hoped that the intel given to them by the UNE and Deep Throat was legit in regard to the assassins. Last time she checked, the Hashmedai exclusively recruited psionics to be used as assassins making detecting them much harder. But here she was, using thermal-vision glasses to scan the rooftop battlefield, and nothing was turning up. Nevertheless, she proceeded forward with her aim extended forward.
A loud pop sound echoed to her left. It caused her to stop moving immediately and her head to jerk toward its source. Chris did something similar at the same time, and they both saw Sarah’s body covered in a shimmering blue field of energy.
“Shit!” Chloe said as she ran toward her sister to assist. Chris took three steps toward Sarah as well to help, when suddenly an invisible device below his feet became visible and enveloped his body in the same shimmering blue field that froze Sarah in time. On a quick and closer inspection, a large disk-shaped object flashed beneath Sarah’s feet and now Chris’s. The rooftops were booby-trapped, booby-trapped by invisible devices. Fucking assholes!
With Sarah and Chris out of the equation, Veloshira popped out from her concealed position and shot plasma fire toward Chloe with her rifle. Chloe naturally wanted to run and take cover behind the exhaust fans, an act that would have her end up like Chris and Sarah. Backtrack, it was all she could do for now, retrace her steps, since none of those triggered any traps. The darkened rooftops briefly lit up with thanks to Veloshira’s relentless plasma barrage and Chloe’s shields ripping and flashing as every bolt of superheated emerald energy splashed across it.
This isn’t going to work, Chloe thought, as she returned fire and continued to backpedal. Her shield strength was dropping fast: 74 percent, 69 percent. As tough as they were, Hashmedai plasma can take down any shield after several direct hits. Fuck it—52 percent. Her body rolled into cover behind a large exhaust fan. Chloe began to see if her arms and legs could still move. They could. There were no traps here.
One problem solved for now. Too bad another approached from the skies. A psionic, a male Hashmedai psionic. This must be Dollon, she though and opened a commutation link to Michei. “I got a present for ya, located at my signal.”
“Understood, stand by,” Michei replied over her radio.
… … …
Jacob, Tom, and Grace readied their eRifles as soon as they saw the spectacular light show illuminate the rooftops of the adjacent building. Veloshira was officially distracted, and now a bright-blue streak of light propelled Michei into the fight to deal with Dollon.
“OK, let’s git this done!” Jacob said to his team. “What’s directly below us?”
Tom’s face looked down toward the rocky rooftop floor as his visor started an X-ray scan. “Just the main hallway, sir,” Tom reported.
“Nice, Petropoulos, if you will,” Jacob said to Grace.
She nodded and then raised her exosuit-clad arm toward the ground. A cutting laser shot out from her wrist as she guided the beam to create a large red glowing circle on the floor. Jacob’s left foot rose up and then down across the middle of the circle, creating a hole that took the exact same shape as the circle. The three marines leaped into the hole while the jetpacks automatically activated to reduce the impact of their fall.
They were now in the hallways that led to the top-floor suites, five more floors to descend. Jacob ordered Tom and Grace to repeat the same process, all three of them hoping that the residents did the smart thing and stayed indoors.
… … …
Jazz exited his invisible state as his plasma katana radiated green. He along with Destiny’s team stood outside the entrance to the suite in question on the twenty-seventh floor. “Get back,” Jazz said.
Jazz guided his weapon toward the locked door and effortlessly sliced an oval-shaped hole into it. The glow from his blade stopped once the deed was done, and then, with press of a button on his wrist, Jazz’s body became translucent and stepped into the dark condo suite.
He saw nothing but furniture; the place was relativity neat and tidy. At one point, he questioned if this was even the right place, as this didn’t look like some hideout for spies. No high-tech gizmos, computers, laptops, nothing. He gave Destiny and her team the all clear to enter and perform their search of the unit. And her team did just that—rushed in with their rifles aimed forward, every drawer, cabinet, and room was ripped opened and searched. In a matter of seconds, the suite lost its neat and tidy look.
From the corner of Jazz’s eye, he saw several bursts of flashing light of a wide selection of colors coming from the living room window. Veloshira was under attack. He cursed as his invisible body helplessly watched the action unfold from the building across the road. Two psionics hurled fireballs and plasma at each other in the air, while three UNE soldiers exchanged rifle fire with Veloshira. Last time he checked, Veloshira had two of the marines locked away in a status net from her mines, though there was a limited amount of time one could hold someone within those nets before the power from the mines depleted.
“Hope ya’ll found w
hat you were lookin’ for,” Jazz said as his invisible hand reached for his plasma rifle. “’Cause I’m ’bout to blow our cover.”
Seconds later, a thud echoed from the hallway, followed by the sounds of two…no, three jetpacks softly hissing then coming to a stop. “Quickly, over here!” A voice from the hallway shouted.
“Sounds like we’re well past that stage,” Destiny said. “Light their asses up, Jazz.”
“I found something!” Tetsuya said with jubilation. Jazz quickly tilted his head toward him. Tetsuya stood in front of a towering computer stowed away in a small closet.
“I take it personal computers aren’t normally that big,” Jazz said.
“Nope,” Destiny replied. “Tetsuya, hurry.”
“I’m on it,” Tetsuya said as his hand gripped the side of the computer.
A small holographic window manifested in front of his face. In it a blue progress bar slowly moved from the left to right. Above it, Jazz saw the caption display “transferring data,” and various images of computer files flashed while the progress bar continued.
“Ah, you must be the IT guy I called a while back,” said a man from the darkened corner of the suite. He spoke with an Australian accent. “Now this is what I call aggressive custumer service, mate!” He stepped closer, the light show from outside revealed his looks…and that he pointed an ePistol directly toward Tetsuya’s head.
“Damn it,” a female voice said from the opposite end of the suite, and it wasn’t Destiny. “I was really hoping it was the pizza guy.”
Jazz saw a second person step out from the shadows. She too was armed with an ePistol and aimed it toward Destiny and Vuyin.
… … …
Chloe’s magnetic rifle let loose another torrent of high-velocity rounds toward Veloshira. Not one connected. Veloshira simply rolled behind another exhaust fan at some mind-blowing speeds. Chris and Sarah experienced the similar results, nothing but air. But that was OK. Chloe was glad to see the two of them recover from their earlier frozen state and assist her in keeping this Hashmedai bitch from doing her job.
Dollon suddenly departed from the battle. Chloe saw a slight glimmer of panic across his Hashmedaian face as he levitated toward the condo Jacob and his team entered. To be exact, Dollon traveled directly toward window of the twenty-seventh floor. Oh fuck.
Michei pursued Dollon. His cybernetic Rabuabin hands began to glow as his psionic gifts summoned a barrage of purple orbs of plasma to race toward Dollon. Dollon paid little attention to the superheated threat impacting his psionically powered shields. The Hashmedai psionic simply extended his hands forward and entered a trance. What the fuck is he planning?
“Major, I’ve located the EISS safe house,” Jacob’s voice transmitted to Chloe’s radio. “Breaching in forty-five secs.”
“Negative, do not engage. Dollon is up to something!” Chloe reported.
“The fuck is Michei is doin’?” Jacob asked.
As much as Chloe admired Michei’s perseverance in the matter, his attacks weren’t cutting it. “Dollon is too strong; he can’t even take down his shields.”
Chloe saw white flashes of light and streaks of shockwaves populate the suite EISS safe house via its living room window. “Shots fired. It’s now or neva, Major!” Jacob transmitted.
“Fuck! OK do it, and keep moving when you enter!”
Every glass window on the side of the condo shattered via Dollon’s psionic mind, as Jacob and his team joined the fray. Dollon tossed white fireballs into the suite. The explosions that followed made it difficult for Chloe to figure out what was going on in the aftermath. Adding to the confusion, Veloshira directed her plasma bolts toward the condo as well, trying to snipe Jacob and his team as they entered. At this point, getting the EISS agents to safety was their top priory. Should Jacob and his team get turned into well-done steaks, it’s over.
Chloe took a few seconds to analyze the situation. Michei, while weaker than Dollon, was still unloading everything he had on Dollon’s shields. Between Dollon using his mind to float, power his psionic shields, and launch a multitude of white fireballs, his mind had to be growing tired by now. He was no Archmage, that’s for damn sure. What could he possibly be doing that would allow his shields to hold after such a long pounding?
Chloe’s glasses switched off their thermal view, replacing her vision with a tactical scan. A superimposed image overlaid across Dollon’s backside, displayed the extent of his shield coverage; there was nothing in front of him. Of course, Michei’s attacks came mostly from behind. There was no need strain his mind to provide a full barrier, just a half one, protecting his backside. He was vulnerable from attacks in the front and clearly felt that the inferno he was creating before him was enough to discourage anyone inside from targeting him.
Big mistake, pal! “Sarah, long jump with me,” Chloe shouted to her sister. “Boyd, cover us!”
Chloe and Sarah ran toward the ledge of the building as Chris shot suppressive fire toward Veloshira, discouraging her from taking shots at Chloe and Sarah. Not that it mattered; Veloshira ignored them and continued to fire at the EISS safe house.
Chloe stared down to the streets below. Cars and hover bikes with blue-and-red flashing lights were visible. The police were here. She also caught a glimpse at a sea of people fleeing the condo. Thank god, she thought, as this was supposed to be a quick in-and-out job. Back to the matter at hand, Chloe faced Sarah to address her plan.
“Twenty-eighth, floor of the condo, let’s leap over and wall run across it,” she explained. “This asshole doesn’t have forward shields.”
Sarah nodded to confirm, and then the two sisters stepped back and then ran toward and off the building into the air. Jets from their protect suits propelled them forward, while the mass-reduction field activated, reducing the mass of their bodies. Using the momentum generated by the blast of their jets, the two soared through the air toward the condo like leaves in the wind.
They arrived at their destination, the windows and walls of the twenty-eighth floor. Their jets continued to release tiny blasts of thrusts, just enough to keep their mass-reduced bodies from falling, but not enough to launch them up into the sky. As they ran alongside the walls of the condo, their rifles erupted, sending projectiles toward Dollon.
Dollon was quick to respond to the new threat; purple ripples of light from Dollon’s psionic shield rippled and blocked both Sarah and Chloe’s attacks in addition to Michei’s barrage from behind. Whatever, Chloe thought, as Dollon now had three attackers to deal with, two of them from close range. He was now forced to have a full barrier; one that would be weaker overall compared the rear one he was relying on seconds ago.
The two wall-running sisters swung past Dollon while his psionic shields slowly began to crack away. The action was becoming too much for him to handle, and so he propelled his body to the skies. Michei launched his floating body upward to follow. Chloe and Sarah halted their run, promptly placed their backs against the wall, and they allowed gravity to take hold of them. Their mass-reduced bodies slowly slid down toward the ruined floor below them.
… … …
Veloshira’s eyebrows rose when witnessing the two human females leap off the building, toward the adjacent one, to perform the longest wall run ever, forcing Dollon to flee. Wall running and jumping weren’t anything new to her; some versions of Radiance armor enabled the user to perform such stunts, but only for a few seconds before gravity took hold. But leaping from one building to another? Impossible, especially on a planet with a gravitational pull like this.
Radiance did not have such tech, and neither did the Hashmedai. Humans were advancing at a rate that would one day surpass both the Radiance Union and the Hashmedai Empire. The human race, future conquers of the galaxy? It was an interesting, yet terrifying thought to her and one that distracted her from switching her aim and taking shots at the two wall runners.
No matter, she thought, for she was now left alone with the exception of the solo huma
n who continued to lay down suppressive fire. Veloshira kept her head low as she peeked around the corner of the exhaust fan she hid behind. The human did not move from his spot. What a shame; there were many more mines that lay across from him to step on.
Then it hit her. She examined the human once more as he aimed his rifle around, looking for her. His face, there was no denying it, it was Chris Boyd. Target number one of two for Jazz’s and her mission. A massive grin stretched on her face. It’s not every day your target comes to you. He needed to die and his head brought back to the empress as a gift. She holstered her plasma rifle, and began to stare at her twin plasma daggers.
Keeping her head lowered, Veloshira swiftly ran toward the edge of the building and leaped off, but she kept her small hands latched into the edge. She activated her cloaking device shortly afterward. She knew that Chris would pursue and that he was using some kind of thermal vision to track her in her stealth state. There was a window underneath her that led into the top floor of the build they were on—keyword was—her feet shattered the glass, and she launched her body inside the dark office room.
Just as she expected, Chris’s body latched on to the side of the building and began to wall run toward the section Veloshira was holding on to. It was, after all, the quickest way to get to her without going through the mines she had placed up top. She saw his feet walk across the windows; he was getting closer and closer. Eventually he would reach the corner, make a turn, see the smashed-in window, and come in after her. Her nimble fingers attached an explosive mine to one of the windows, a window Chris was moving his horizontal-wall-walking body toward.
She stared as he got closer to the window with the mine. All the while, she couldn’t help but be amazed at how his footsteps made no sound as they impacted against the glass, nor did glass crack despite his being such a massively strong man wearing such heavy equipment. Yet her feet effortlessly kicked in the window. He made it to the mine at last, and it exploded with thunderous fury, sending thousands of shards of glass outward and a blast of flames covering Chris body. His shields flicked violently as the jets from his suit pushed him into the room.
Uprising of the Exiled (Splintered Galaxy Book 2) Page 24