Tried & True

by Charlie Cochet

  Sixty THIRDS Defense agents filled the armory, preparing for nothing short of a military strike, twenty in their Therian forms, including Hobbs and Ash. Taylor was attaching pieces of armor to his uniform as he gave his team a pep talk. Seb was checking on each member of Theta Destructive and Rafe on his team from Alpha Ambush. Alpha Pride and Beta Pride, two fierce teams with twelve total Therian Defense agents who were solely lion Therians, were all in their Therian forms and ready to tear shit up. All together they had fourteen lion Therians in Therian form, and six tiger Therians in Therian form.

  Dex’s gear weighed a fuckton with the armored plates, pads, and additional weapons, the special material of his uniform making it more difficult to be fatally wounded if the Makhai’s men were using armor-piercing rounds. Of course, no armor or uniform was completely impenetrable. There were only so many hits it would be able to take before it fractured and something made it through. If they hit him, he had to hit back harder.

  Sloane turned to everyone now gathered in Destructive Delta’s armory. Seb let out a loud whistle that got everyone’s attention. They all turned to Sloane.

  “I wish there was time for me to tell you all what this means to us, but for now, I hope a thank-you will be enough. Every Team Leader has their entry point. Destructive Delta will focus on finding and retrieving Sergeant Maddock. He’s our priority. We have direct orders from Sparks to retrieve the Sarge at all costs. We’re going in hot. Stay safe, and we’ll see you on the other side.” Sloane swallowed hard and smiled, his eyes glassy. “Being a part of this unit has been an honor.”

  Everyone cheered, whooped, or roared before rushing out toward the garage and the awaiting BearCats. Each team’s set of Recon agents were on standby and ready to move out should their teams need the backup.

  Dex climbed into the BearCat and strapped himself in next to Sloane on the bench. With Hobbs and Ash in their Therian forms, Rosa did the driving. The engine of the massive vehicle roared to life, rumbling and growling as they headed out for the turnpike. If luck was on their side, at this time of night, they could make it in half an hour. Sloane and Ash had come up with entry points for all the Team Leaders, and while they were busy distracting the Makhai, Destructive Delta would come up alongside the light rail line. Sparks had already put in calls to delay the train at Norfolk Street Station and Warren Street Station. Between their Therian sight and night-vision gear, they’d be able to see what they were walking into, though they had to be extra vigilant as they ventured into the pitch-black of the crumbling structure. The darkness could either work for them or against them, especially since the Makhai’s mercenaries were all Therians.

  Time went by in a blur, and before Dex even blinked, the BearCat came to a stop. Sloane gripped Dex’s gloved hand, giving it a squeeze, and Dex squeezed back. Everyone stood, and while his team picked up their shields, Dex turned to Cael and grabbed him by the vest, pulling him close. They put their helmets together, and Dex patted his brother’s chest.

  “Be safe, Chirpy. I want Dad back as much as you do, but we go home together, okay?”

  Cael nodded. “I know.”

  Letty opened the back doors. As their team jumped down, Dex turned to Sloane. Feeling kinda out of sorts, he was overcome by a sense of yearning to be close to Sloane, which was funny, considering Dex carried Sloane’s DNA inside him. How much closer could they get? He kissed his fingers and placed them to Sloane’s visor. With a soft smile, Sloane mouthed the words “I love you.” They jumped down from the back of the truck Rosa had backed up between two large rental trucks in a parking lot off Central Avenue.

  Dex’s earpiece crackled to life, and they heard Seb’s quiet voice.

  “Theta Destructive in position. We’ve got movement all around the property. From my location, thermal shows at least twenty outside and undisclosed number inside the three structures.”

  Seb was followed by Rafe, Taylor, and the other Team Leaders confirming their positions. Everyone was ready.

  “Standby, we’re moving into position,” Sloane replied. He motioned for everyone to follow, and they fell into formation, hurrying after him as they took the long way around the station to the Norfolk Street entrance in case there were spotters close by. The station had been cleared as Sparks had instructed, with a guard blocking each set of stairs, four in total. The huge tiger Therian stepped aside as Destructive Delta headed his way. They swiftly made their way down the steps to the platform, and jumped down onto the lines.

  “Watch your step,” Sloane ordered as they hurried down the tracks and through the tunnel beneath Newark Street to the other side. They stayed close to the building. Thanks to the dilapidation of the place, it was surrounded by a dense forest of overgrown trees and shrubs. The roofs were one bad storm away from blowing off, which meant no one would be up there.

  Their earpieces came to life again, this time it was Austen. “Okay, teams. We’re looking at twenty armed hostiles guarding the perimeter off Newark, Central, Lock, and New. Rutgers’s parking lot is a no-go. We got a couple of snipers on the roof of the health institute across the street, and one on the roof of the truck rental place across the prison. He’s facing Central at the moment.”

  “Copy that,” Sloane said quietly.

  Shit. That was right next to where they were. Sloane signaled for Calvin to keep an eye on the roof to their left. Sloane motioned to the ledge with his right, then signaled Hobbs and Ash over. The two leaped up onto the grass ledge with ease. Sloane placed his shield on the ground before turning to Dex and lacing his fingers together. Letty took Dex’s shield from him so Dex could grab hold of Sloane’s vest and hoist himself up onto the grassy ledge. He took his shield from Letty and silently leaned it against the brick wall surrounding the prison. The rest of the team followed suit, each helping the other getting up and moving equipment. Then it was just Sloane, and everyone put their backs into it, pulling up a two-hundred-fifty-pound Therian wearing almost sixty pounds of gear.

  Once Sloane was up, they fell back into formation. The brick wall became lower as they got nearer the student parking lot. One by one, just as they had before, they got up over the wall and landed on the other side in a thicket of trees. The area was pitch-black, but Dex had no need for night-vision goggles. He had his own built in. His eyes picked up what little light there was, helping him make out shapes and movement in the shadows. The closer he was, the clearer the image, but where he once would have seen nothing but black blobs, now he could see objects.

  “Destructive Delta in position. Begin extraction,” Sloane said into their earpieces. “Cael, you’re up.”

  Cael walked ahead of them. He removed his backpack and pulled out his thermal imaging binoculars. Once he’d secured his backpack, the team covered him as they moved silently forward, Cael scanning the structures. There were three buildings on the property, each one as derelict as the other. Mountains of illegally dumped trash littered the ground, along with whole sections of brick wall that had fallen off the buildings, windows that had collapsed outward, shattered glass panes, hills of drug paraphernalia, a sea of empty food and water containers. The smell of rusted metal, mold, rot, piss, and shit burned Dex’s nose, and for the first time he regretted his Therian sense of smell. Holy fuck.

  Any feral Therians or poor soul unfortunate to end up here had either been run off by the Makhai or were hiding. Dex would guess hiding. He could hear subtle rustling in the trees around them and had spotted several glowing eyes low to the ground, but nothing advanced toward them.

  “Shit.” At Cael’s curse, Dex stilled, along with everyone else on the team. “I think I found him.”

  “That’s good, isn’t it?” Rosa asked.

  “He’s in that center building there on the third floor. It’s a cellblock with four floors. There’s dozens of armed Therians on each floor, just inside the entrance and around the building.” Cael handed Dex the binoculars, and Dex looked at the building. He swallowed past the lump on his throat. There on the third floo
r, in the center inside what looked like a cell, was Tony, sitting in a chair, his head hung low. Six armed Therians were inside the cell with him. Suddenly there was a flurry of activity.

  “Shit, I think we’ve been made,” Dex said, handing the binoculars to Sloane, who took a quick look before his voice came in over their earpieces. How the hell did they know?

  “Alpha teams, go, go, go!”

  A symphony of machine gun fire and bursts of light filled the night as all six teams moved in. Fierce roars shook the leaves in the trees as THIRDS agents and Makhai operatives charged one another. Destructive Delta rushed the cellblock, and Dex fired at everyone who moved who wasn’t one of their own. The bullets came hard and fast against his shield as he moved. The Makhai’s mercs came out of the woodwork like roaches. One rushed Dex from his right, and Dex spun, slamming into the guy with his shield and sending him flying back. Anger and adrenaline roared through Dex. There was no way these fuckers were keeping him from that cell.

  Mercs turned in his direction from every angle, like sharks sensing fresh blood. They advanced and Dex’s senses went into overdrive. He released his MP5, letting it swing from its strap attached to his vest and drew out his claws. His fangs pierced his skin, and he let out a fierce roar as they rushed him. They had no idea who they were fucking with.

  Dex ducked under one fist and used his shield to slam into another Therian, spinning and bringing his claws with him, slashing across another Therian’s throat. Blood splattered across his shield and the corner of his visor. A hard body slammed into him, knocking him off his feet, and when he hit the ground, he realized it had been two hard bodies. His shield was kicked away, and one of the Therians made to lunge, but then he was tackled by a huge ass lion Therian in his Therian form. It was Ash, and he tore the guy’s throat out with one move.

  Scrambling to his feet, Dex faced the six Therians moving slowly toward him. In the distance, he could see Sloane fighting off another half a dozen or so Makhai with a ferocity Dex had never seen before. Sloane was pissed, and he was letting it all out on these assholes. Dex turned his focus back on the Therians in front of him.

  “You waiting for an invitation?” Dex growled. “Come and get some.”

  Dex didn’t bother with his shield. When the Therians advanced, he put his training to use. There was no holding back. It was him or them. They all rushed him at once, and Dex grabbed the guy closest to him, propelling him into the others to give him the advantage he needed. He ducked and dodged the fists coming at him, used his claws to slash at anyone stupid enough to get close enough. Snagging hold of one Therian’s tactical vest, he jumped and kicked out with both feet, getting another in the chest and knocking the guy onto his ass. Dex used a combination of swift moves to bring down the Therians, using his claws and swiping his Glock from his thigh rig and shooting. Any Makhai mercenary who went down would not be getting back up.

  Four down, two to go. He didn’t have time for this. With a roar, Dex ran and scissor kicked around one huge guy’s neck, bringing him down. As he fell with the guy, he used his legs to snap the guy’s neck while firing at the Therian lunging for him. The guy’s visor splintered, red splashing from the inside, and he fell facedown onto the ground.

  Dex jumped to his feet, returned his Glock to his holster, snatched up his shield, and ran into the cellblock. He took a sharp right turn and headed for the stairs. Three Makhai goons blocked his path, but before Dex could do anything, they crumbled, one of them rolling down the stairs. Dex’s head shot up in the direction the bullets had come from, and he grinned.

  Calvin was up on the top floor, looking through his scope. He held a thumbs-up, and Dex gave him a salute. Calvin was clearing a path for him, and as Dex hurried up the rusted and crumbling stairs, hopping over the bodies of fallen Makhai, he spotted Sloane and the rest of the team down in the middle in a tight circle, shields up as they fired on the Makhai and anyone who tried to get to Calvin or Dex.

  Several Therians in their forms scrambled into the cellblock building, but they were too busy fighting one another to pay attention to Destructive Delta. The battle was fierce, claws shredding, teeth tearing at flesh and fur. The roars of Felids filled the air. Dex made it to the third floor and slowed down. There were several cells, all open. There was no telling who or what would be lurking inside. Quickly, but cautiously, he checked every cell before walking past it. Just as he neared the cell Tony was supposed to be in, a jaguar Therian plowed into him, sending him crashing through the oxidized bars. The putrid bars gave way, and Dex landed on the walkway on the other side. He moved to get up when a loud crack had him going still. He looked down and realized the walkway was made of glass sections, each pane held up by rusted bars. The glass was so filthy, he’d mistaken it for concrete.

  The jaguar who’d launched himself at Dex roared from the safety of the other walkway. Dex hissed back. He released his rifle and motioned at the jaguar to advance.

  “Come on, asshole. Come get me.”

  The jaguar roared again and leaped. Dex rolled out of the way, grabbing the steel frame as the glass shattered under the jaguar’s weight. Dex hung from one arm, the jaguar’s claws latched on to his tactical vest. It released a pained roar as bullets pierced its bulky frame, and Dex unhooked the claws with his free hand, watching as it fell onto the walkway below, the glass shattering, and sending the jaguar falling to the first floor with a thud.

  This time it was Sloane who’d fired. While from above Calvin took care of anyone trying to get to Dex, Sloane covered Dex from below. Grabbing hold of the ledge to his right where he’d crashed through the bars, Dex climbed onto the more secure walkway. He pushed himself to his feet and ran up to the edge of the doorway one down from where his dad was supposed to be.

  “Cal, any visuals?”

  “Five armed hostiles. Three on the left, two on the right. Sarge is sitting in a chair in the middle.”

  “Copy that.” Okay. Dex inhaled deeply and closed his eyes briefly as he released the breath through his mouth. He put his shield on the floor behind him, pulled his Glock from his thigh rig, and the backup tucked into the holster at his hip. There was no room for hesitation. No room for error. He crouched low, and ran to the wall beside the open cell door. The second he stepped foot in front of that door, they were going to shoot him. Or he could shoot first.

  “Dad?” Dex called out. It wasn’t like the Makhai didn’t know he was out there.

  “Dex? Don’t come in here!”

  There was shuffling and noises, Tony grunted as someone hit him. Son of bitch was going to pay for that. Dex readied himself and reached for the flashbang clipped to his vest. “Remember the first time I watched the ending of Alien?”

  “I remember.” Tony’s reply told Dex he was as ready as he was going to be.

  Dex pulled the pin and tossed the flashbang into the room. He slipped into the smoke-filled room of stunned Therians, using his sharpened senses, pleasantly startled when he realized he could make out the Therians in the smoke with enough detail to take them down. The Therians fired wildly toward the door. They might have had experience with flashbangs, but so did Tony. He had been dealing with them since he was Cael’s age, and thanks to Dex’s warning, Tony had shut his eyes tight, covered his ears, and looked away just as Dex had the first time he’d watched the ending to Alien when he’d been eight years old.

  In rapid succession, Dex fired both guns, one shot for each Therian. They crumbled to the filthy floor around Tony. They hadn’t even restrained his dad, knowing there was no way he could get out of there with the number of armed Therians. Tony was skilled, but as a Human, he was at a disadvantage, especially unarmed and in the dark.

  Tony stood, wavering from his disorientation, but managed to throw his arms around Dex, hugging him tight. Dex allowed himself a couple of seconds to hug him back. He swallowed down his emotions and returned his guns to their holsters before he grabbed his dad’s arm and headed toward the door.

  “I’ve got the Sa
rge,” Dex declared. “I’m going to need cover to get him out of here. Walking out the front door.” It was their only option. It also meant anyone who was left was going to come gunning for them. Outside on the walkway, Dex grabbed his shield and headed for the stairs, but his path was blocked. He turned and found the other end blocked as well.

  “Fuck. Guys, I need an exit.” Dex ducked back inside with his dad. “Guys?”

  “We got company. I think they called for backup,” Sloane replied. “We’re taking heavy fire. You need to get out of there, Dex. Calvin’s got his hands full.”

  Shit. “Copy that. Cael?”

  “I’ve got this. Get Dad out,” Cael replied, Ash’s roar echoing in the background.

  Dex worried his bottom lip. They had to move. If they stayed in here, they were sitting ducks. An idea struck him, and he handed his Glock to his dad. “Be right back.” He didn’t wait for a reply. He ran out, using his shield to cover himself as he kicked at the rusted bar in front of him. It snapped off and rolled to the glass walkway. The top bar met the same fate. As the Makhai slowly approached from both sides, Dex ran in and handed his shield to his dad before turning around.

  “Climb on.”

  “What?”

  “Climb on, Dad. We don’t have time.”

  “Boy, are you out of your ever-loving mind?”

  “Just do it!”

  Tony jumped on Dex’s back, one arm wrapped around Dex’s shoulders and grabbing on to his vest, his legs around Dex’s waist, and his free hand gripping the shield tight. This was going to hurt like a motherfucker. There was no way he was letting his father fall onto all that shit down there. Exposing himself to the sea of oxidized steel, shards of glass, bloody needles, and fuck knew what else could be just as much of a death sentence.