Omega Squad

by Kurtis Eckstein

  I shouldn’t have been so surprised. Our team was made up of a narcissistic psychopath, Zayden, and a bunch of sociopaths, the rest of us, so why not add that to the mix? Shoot, even I was beginning to suspect I had something wrong with me. After all, I certainly wasn’t too torn up about killing most people anymore, hence the need to include myself in the sociopath group.

  However, earlier, when I saw in her eyes that anchor take hold, I had thought it was a healthy grounding to reality – not an unhealthy obsession with someone potentially threatening, who had promised to protect her. I realized that I had done everything based on my instincts. I had allowed my body to tell me what to do to prevent her mind from snapping.

  So then, did it lead me astray? Or was this really the only way to prevent her inevitable psychological collapse?

  Foundationally, I realized I was probably more of an animal than human now, so then did my body want this? Want her to anchor to me in an obsessive manner? I honestly couldn’t say with certainty either way.

  I slipped my hand in Trinity’s to reassure her that I wasn’t picking Liz over her. I just didn’t think having Trinity on my lap right now was a good idea, as much as I wanted it. And sure, the girl was cute, and sure, they both had questionable mental health problems verging on the edge of psychosis, but I wasn’t ready to deal with the level of crazy that might rear its ugly head from this blonde-haired sprite if she got jealous.

  I was suddenly thankful that Liz didn’t have a lethal ability, because I realized that if her growing obsession escalated much more, then things could get very very ugly, especially if I flat out rejected her. Which meant I needed to do what I could to try to walk the fine line between rejection and acceptance, so she didn’t topple over another cliff.

  Maybe if she had some time with the rest of the team, and got into our physical daily routine, she would slowly recover on her own from her newfound obsession…maybe…

  Sighing, I tried to process everything we had just talked about in the last fifteen minutes. Everyone was quiet still, no one knowing exactly what to say. Or what to talk about. After a while, I spoke up. “Hey guys?” I said abruptly. I looked over at Zane and Zayden, although I was speaking to everyone. Of course, I had everyone’s attention. “I think we need to be extra cautious on this mission.” I then specifically looked at Zayden. “Meaning, no running blinding into enemy fire.”

  “Why do you say that?” Trinity asked, causing me to turn back around to look at her.

  “Because the General probably did lie to us about Liz’s ability. So then, the question is, why did he lie? If he wants us to adequately protect her, then why mislead us? Is he setting us up for failure?”

  Ava chimed in. “It might actually be because of you Jake. Maybe he didn’t want to reveal the true nature of your ability, since obviously they knew about that too. He may have said ‘biological’ because if he had said mental or psychic then you would have asked questions. Really, we all would have asked questions.”

  Trinity agreed. “That might be true. It might also be that it’s a test of our ability to gather information…although, I think you’re right Jake. We should be more careful than usual on this one. It would be unwise to assume that the General’s intentions are completely harmless.” Trinity then looked over at everyone else. “Obviously, I’m in command on the field. However, I think we need to trust Jake’s instincts. They’ve already saved my life several times now, as much as I hate to admit that I almost died three times yesterday. So, unless I contradict him, listen to what he says.”

  “Is that an order?” Zayden asked unexpectedly.

  Trinity’s eyes narrowed. “Does it need to be?”

  Zayden looked at me briefly and then slumped in his seat with his arms crossed. “No.” He finally admitted.

  Trinity left Zayden with one last comment. “You can’t have fun killing people anymore if you’re dead Zay. And you would be foolish to think you’re completely indestructible. We all can die, even Jake.”

  I looked at her then, considering that, and then realized it was true. My body wasn’t bulletproof, which meant it wasn’t bomb proof either. If enough of me was destroyed at once, I might not be able to regenerate. And if the explosion was large enough, there might not be anything left to regenerate. Which meant that even though I couldn’t feel pain, and even though I could heal quickly, I shouldn’t become careless. Granted, I had my sixth sense to keep me on my toes. It gave me a healthy does of fear whenever I sensed something that was genuinely threatening to me.

  Being around Trinity certainly helped, because even though the military’s super computer had said I would win ninety-three percent of the time, my instincts still told me she could be a threat to my life if she wanted to be. Apparently, that meant a seven percent win rate was enough for my instincts to warn me to tread with caution. Granted, that didn’t necessarily mean I had to listen.

  Chapter 11: Panic

  When our plane landed at another small airport, we were escorted in the back of a military truck to the onsite location. Their operations were set up in an abandoned building about four miles away from where they believed our target was being held. The entire place was a ghost town.

  On the way there, we had two soldiers ride with us in the back of the massive transportation truck that could easily fit twenty soldiers. One of them mentioned why the town had been abandoned. It was uninhabitable because of a mistake made years ago where a coal mine had accidentally been lit on fire. It was still burning underground to this day and would continue to burn for hundreds of years.

  The air was hazardous from the toxic gases seeping out of the ground. It wouldn’t kill you, but it could certainly impair your health. At the very least, a person might pass out from a lack of oxygen if they stepped in the right spot. They had gas masks for us all, the type that only covered our nose and mouth. The gas wasn’t any danger to our eyes, only our lungs.

  When we arrived, we found out more details about the situation, which was that they had very little information. At the very least, they knew where their guy was, but they didn’t know who the enemy was or what their intentions were. Turns out, the reason why they needed Liz was, in fact, because they suspected a bomb was involved.

  The man was a Lieutenant General, a step up from the Major General Armstrong we were under. He was highly valuable to the military, so it was important that we get him out alive at all costs. They had no idea how many people we would encounter, but it was clear this situation might be a trap. Therefore, to mitigate potential losses, and to accomplish the mission as fast as possible, Omega squad was divided into three.

  As expected, Zane and I would escort Liz to the top floor of an abandoned hospital where they believed the hostage was being held. The hospital had five floors. Gamma Squad would come with us to help clear each floor as we moved our way up the central portion. Our primary goal then was to protect Liz, and eventually the Lieutenant General. Beta Squad, along with Ava and Zayden, would be clearing a building adjacent to the hospital.

  They were sending Trinity into an underground parking garage next to the hospital by herself – primarily because in many ways she was like a one-man army, but also because it could be cleared quickly if she was alone. No one except me could match her speed. Plus, the fact that there were few places to hide meant it wasn’t a very strategic location for the enemy to occupy. Once she was done, she was to regroup with Ava and Zayden to finish clearing the adjacent building.

  I quickly discovered another reason why they had separated our team in this way. If a bomb was involved, then Zane, Trinity, and Ava all had extensive training on disarming them. Not surprisingly, Zayden was apparently too impatient and hotheaded to maintain the composure necessary – not to mention that the narcissistic psychopath didn’t see the need, since he could control fire and by extension explosions. Bombs weren’t generally a threat to him. I was surprised the military tolerated the attitude, but Ava and Zane had said earlier they had tolerated a lot worse,
both in diet and attitude.

  I supposed there was only so much they could expect from a group of mentally unstable killers with inhuman abilities.

  Each group took a separate route to the hospital, which left our small group of three, along with six soldiers of Gamma Squad, to travel down the empty streets by ourselves. Much to my better judgment, I held Liz’s hand as we walked the four miles to the hospital. I argued with myself that it was an easy way to keep her close to me at all times. And it was technically. We couldn’t afford for her to get separated, and she felt more comfortable holding my hand than Zane’s.

  However, the reason I considered revaluating my decision is because she seemed so happy about it. As if I was pleasing her in the most desirable way possible. While her smile was covered up with a mask, it could still be seen in her eyes that she was practically grinning ear to ear. Her bright blue eyes sparkled with glee.

  We could talk with the mask on, but not quietly. Thus, at one point, when the soldiers escorting us were spread out enough, I briefly took off my gas mask to whisper quietly in her ear that she needed to hide her feelings when we were around the others. She seemed to understand what I meant, doing a much better job at controlling her facial expressions.

  We had three men behind us most of the time, and three in front, with us at the epicenter. Zane was on Liz’s other side with a machine gun of his own for once. He still had a pistol strapped to his hip though. They had given Trinity a rifle too, in case she wasn’t able to sneak up on an enemy. Part of me wished I could have seen her use it, but I had to focus on my own job.

  After I had spoken to Liz about hiding her feelings, I looked up at Zane to try to evaluate his expression behind the half-gasmask covering his face. Unsurprisingly, he just seemed focused on our surroundings, not concerning himself with the intricacies of my situation with the Shield Maiden.

  The street was heavily cracked, and toxic gas actively spewed through those fractures up into the air like hundreds of geysers of smoke. It significantly reduced our visibility, which left me focusing heavily on my sixth sense for danger. However, I didn’t sense anything at all. It felt eerie, being in this ghost town with smoke everywhere and knowing there was danger but not sensing it. I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with my sense. I had no idea if it would detect the threat of a bomb. The explosion that had happened the previous night had been caused by a metahuman, so I hadn’t a clue if I could detect the same hazard posed by an inanimate object.

  We moved at a quick, yet somewhat leisurely pace, as we made our way from one street to the next. I suspected the other teams were more cautious than us, but knowing you had an invisible barrier surrounding you that could stop bullets apparently caused the soldiers to be less concerned about enemy fire.

  However, once we got closer to the hospital, we began to be more stealthy when crossing open spaces, staying much closer to the buildings on the sides of the street. We had made our way towards the side of the hospital, and ended up regrouping with Trinity briefly before she headed for the underground parking garage. She didn’t look at me or Liz when we came across her, but I was beginning to realize that’s how it was going to be in the field. The mission came first, which meant she wasn’t going to linger staring at a subordinate who she had no orders for, even if she had feelings for that particular subordinate. It made me feel better knowing she was officially my girlfriend.

  When we entered the hospital, I finally sensed a presence on the top floor, although it was decisively not a threat. I assumed it must be the hostage. But it bothered me that it seemed we were the only ones in the building. It definitely felt like a trap, and the hostage was bait.

  I informed everyone what I sensed, but they all agreed we should still be cautious. The soldiers quickly split up and began checking the rooms and offices along the way. It was while we were in the stairwell, heading up to the second floor, that we all froze in our tracks as screaming filled our earpieces.

  Trinity’s screaming.

  Blood curdling, horrified screaming.

  Shrieking, like a tortured animal.

  My heart stopped for a full second, panic erupting in my chest, as I forced myself to not bolt immediately to her aid. Zane’s hand shot to my shoulder, but I could see in his expression that he might have done it to keep himself stationary just as much as for my sake. The look in his eyes said it all.

  I instantly reached out with my mind to try to understand what was happening. The last, and only, time I had ever heard her scream was when Weaver had been ripping her blood out of her body. And yet this screaming was far worse – louder, more shrill.

  I rapidly found her in my mind, and quickly discovered the culprit. There was someone with her, hurting her, but not killing her. No, I could sense that wasn’t possible. Whoever this person was, they didn’t have the ability to kill, only harm. And I could only think of one reason why they would – they were immobilizing her with their ability, taking her out of the fight. Which meant there was a danger here, just one we didn’t understand, one that I couldn’t sense.

  The leader of Gamma Squad had changed communication channels and was requesting orders. The rest of us were still listening to the screaming, waiting for it to stop, for Trinity to end the fight, to snuff out the enemy’s life. But it didn’t stop.

  The leader looked back at us with a grim expression. “Let’s move. The hostage takes priority.” His voice was muffled by the gas mask. This was the first time I had worked with this guy, since all the soldiers were interchangeable depending on the day of the week, but I recalled that his last name was Fleming.

  I felt Zane’s hand tighten on my shoulder, and I again glanced at him to see that he was staring into space. He wasn’t grabbing me to make me obey, he was trying to prevent himself from going to her aid. The tattoos on his arms and upper back were proof that he cared about his teammates, a sign of respect for his fallen comrades, and it was clear that he wasn’t thrilled about getting inked again anytime soon.

  I finally looked back at the leader and nodded. “Right. Let’s hurry.”

  Zane looked at me then and seemed to search my eyes, evaluating my expression. Hard, reserved, but not panicked. We stared at each other for a long second, and then he nodded, finally taking a step forward to continue up the stairwell.

  I took a step too, only to realize Liz wasn’t moving. I looked down at her to see her blue eyes wide, panicked, and unfocused. I quickly reached out and pulled the earpiece from her ear. Her eyes immediately locked onto mine. “Don’t listen. Let’s hurry.”

  She hesitated, looking like she was about to pass out. “But Trinity…” I heard her whisper breathlessly behind her mask. I quickly shook my head. “If we want to help her, we have to accomplish our mission first. The mission has to come first Liz. Trust me.”

  She continued to stare at me, beginning to tremble. I was afraid she was going to be unwilling to continue, which would certainly put a strain on the situation if I had to drag her along. Finally, she whispered again. “Carry me?”

  I paused, not having expected that. “Piggyback alright?” I wondered.

  She nodded, her eyes still showing a hint of panic. I quickly bent down and hoisted her onto my back like she weighed nothing. Really, she did weigh almost nothing to me. She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my shoulder. I realized I might have been right about her almost passing out. I held her butt in my hands, her knees secured on my hips, but I also wrapped a stand of blood around her torso to prevent her from falling back in case she did lose consciousness and let go. Technically, I could strap her on my back with my blood, and have free use of my arms, but I knew she needed the touch right now. Not to mention, I didn’t require my arms for fighting anyway.

  Everyone had paused to wait for us. Once I was ready, I nodded again and we continued up the stairs. Trinity was still screaming.

  I wanted to rip the earpiece out of my ear too, but I decided if she had to suffer then I c
ould at least put up with the trauma her screaming was causing me. I felt like I would be fully abandoning her by turning a blind eye, or in this case, by unplugging my ears to not have to listen to it.

  We quickly cleared the remaining floors and found ourselves on the last one within fifteen minutes. Trinity was still screaming non-stop, barely gasping in between. Her screaming did stop once, when we were on the third floor, for about twenty seconds. We all stopped again, fearing the worst, but I could still sense her. She was still alive. If I had to guess, I’d say she passed out. I noticeably watched all the soldiers flinch when she started screaming again. The leader, Fleming, had stayed on the other channel, but most of them had not switched, since no one had ordered them too. They were still listening, and none of them looked very happy. I suspected they all felt the same way I did, that changing the channel would be equivalent to deserting her.

  On the top floor, I led the way straight to the hostage, abandoning all caution. I was confident I didn’t sense anyone else, and my sensitivity to Trinity’s shrieks wasn’t getting better, it was getting worse – far worse. It weighed more and more on my mind. If it weren’t for the fact that I knew Liz needed me too right now, I may not have been able to stick to the mission. I may have jumped right out the window, five stories down, to come to her aid.

  With a swift kick, I split a thick wooden door in two that led to one of the patient rooms. Liz held onto my back tightly. It didn’t have a lock, but I was feeling more aggressive as each second ticked by. I had to take it out on something. It was dark in the room, but I could still see. We had found our man, strapped with a bomb to his chest. The timer displayed exactly two minutes when I came in, ticking down one second at a time.