by Ben Hale
Trask added his confirmation. "If he flees east or west, both snipers will have a relatively clear shot for up to half a mile."
"Is he alone?" Barker asked. He shifted the automatic shotgun so it didn't chafe against his shoulder.
"Thermal imaging confirms our target is home alone," Trask said, "but we know our instruments can be fooled. Pay attention to your sights."
Stepping to the screen he tapped a command and the view switched to that of the support drone that was on overwatch. The scene faded to gray except for a single blob of orange at the rear of the residence.
"He was spotted entering the residence an hour ago," Trask added, "and had just come from dinner with a female companion. We have determined her to be irrelevant, and believe she was a date he met online."
"How did the date go?" someone asked.
"He ended up with her drink in his face," Trask said, eliciting a round of disparaging remarks about Leaf.
"Make no mistake," Trask warned. "This man is a Harbinger, and if our sources are anything close to accurate, a powerful one. I'm sure I don't need to remind you that we have yet to secure one alive. After the attack on the president and the report from the SEALs, we need some hard intel. Let's get this done right, people. I want us ready in five, and in position in twenty."
The group dissolved into smaller parties as the various members of the Mage Task Force prepared for the coming engagement. Kate did the same. Dingy and filled with strewn trash, the warehouse they were based in was less than two miles from their target. Abandoned and out of the way, it gave them a perfect place to set up for the op.
Kate finished prepping her gear and moved to load up. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Jackson stride to Trask and speak in subdued tones. Curious, she shifted closer as she packed her things into a large duffel bag.
" . . . shouldn't have the front side," Jackson said. "That's where he's most likely to go to escape."
"I know," Trask replied. "She's taken down two targets in just six weeks, including the one that nearly killed your predecessor. You just joined the team, and frankly, I don't know what you're capable of. Now load up."
Jackson's expression darkened, but he didn't argue. Snatching his bag, he pointedly moved to the second of the four SUVs. Annoyed, Kate strode to the first and loaded her bag. Then she found a seat next to Sam.
"Looks like we have an arrogant one," he rumbled.
Kate stifled a laugh as the others climbed in. As they pulled out of the warehouse, she said, "I'm not going to let him take my slot."
He issued a gruff sound that could have passed for a laugh or a growl. "Honey, I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather you be watching my back than anyone."
She threw him look. A bear of a man, he boasted a gray goatee that represented the only hair on his head. Grizzled and experienced, he was the oldest member of their team, and the only one with grandchildren.
They had been together on nine attempts to capture suspected Harbingers. All had proven fatal for the target. Of the team’s original thirty-six members, only nineteen had survived without serious injury. Seven had been sent to the morgue. Jack had used the casualty rate numerous times to try and persuade her to leave the task force.
"Careful, Sam," she said, "or the team might think you have a soft side."
"Just sayin'," he rumbled, and then rechecked his gear.
The car was started and rolled into motion. Comfortable after months of training and several missions together, the other men bantered about Leaf's failed date. Five minutes later the vehicle came to a stop.
Trask spoke from the front seat. "Here's your stop, Oliver. Radio when you're in position."
Kate slipped from the SUV and jogged across the darkened football field. Hustling up the bleachers, she strode to the announcer's booth. Ascending to the roof, she began to lay out her gear.
From her duffel bag a sniper's blanket went down first. It would ward off the chill and give her a stable place to fire from. Next she pulled the pieces of her weapon. Assembling them with practiced fingers, she finished by clicking the bipod in place and aiming it toward the target residence. Last she loaded a five-round magazine and laid out spare ammunition in a neat row.
Her movements were methodical and practiced, honed from hundreds of drills. As she slipped into place it was like sliding on a comfortable glove. Settling into the prone position, she activated her scope. She'd brought both thermal and night vision, but the lights on the street and the bright moon caused her to decide against using them. She drew and then released a breath, and then laid her cheek on the rifle. As she peered through the scope, the target's house resolved into clarity. Then she thumbed the safety.
"Sniper one in position," she said.
"Stand by," Trask said. "Alpha team, what's your status?"
A smattering of whispered orders filled her ear, but she tuned them out and examined the house that contained their target. Plain compared to the ones down the road, its only distinguishing feature was the yard. At four times the size of the others, the area was filled with leafless trees. Like gnarled hands lifted from the earth, they swayed in the breeze.
The house itself was barely fifteen hundred square feet, and was probably thirty years old. Obviously the Harbinger had chosen it for other reasons. It's proximity to Washington DC being one of them, and the defensible terrain behind it. The only way to approach or leave was through the trees at the front. She just hoped they could take him before he could use his magic.
"Alpha team ready," Sam whispered.
"Bravo team ready," Barker matched his tone.
"Sniper two in position," Jackson said.
"All teams, stand by," Trask said, and a moment later gave the go ahead.
Accompanied by the sounds of running, Alpha team headed to the front door. Kate maintained her vision on them as they moved to entry positions. Sam counted down with his fingers as one of his team swung the heavy bar. Wood snapped as it impacted next to the handle, and the door flew inward.
"Entering now," Sam said. "No sign of movement."
"Movement spotted in the front yard," Kate murmured, and swung her scope to look at what she'd seen.
"It's just the wind, Oliver," Jackson said. "It's rustling the trees."
Kate ignored him, and slid her scope across the trees. Just as Jackson began to speak again Kate said, "Er . . . I have a tree pulling itself free of the ground, sir."
"Say again?" Trask asked.
Kate watched the branches move like arms, and the roots tear free of the frozen soil. And it wasn't the only one. "I have five—make that six trees rising from the ground."
She paused, and pulled her eye from the scope. Even with the distance she could see the trees swelling in size. Then she noticed that the rest of the orchard was shrinking. Wood was sucked into the ground and then added to the growing wooden giants. In the span of seconds the five treewalkers went from small fruit trees to towering behemoths.
"Sir, we have a problem," Kate said, and tried to describe what was happening. Then she added, "The orchard is gone, and the supertrees are turning to the house."
"Alpha team, do you have a visual?" Trask asked.
"Negative," Sam whispered. "How close are the sentries?"
Kate felt a rush of gratitude. Sam was smart, and had obviously surmised that the trees were some sort of defense.
"Thirty seconds until they surround you," Kate said. She began to take up slack on the trigger. "Ready to open fire."
"Hold ten," Trask said. "Alpha team, do you have a visual?"
There was no response, and the seconds ticked by. Kate counted as the trees methodically circled the home. When they reached for the roof, she said, "You're out of time, Sam."
There was a thud, followed by a short scuffle and shouting. Then Sam said, "We have the target. Attempting extraction through the back."
"Negative," Jackson said. His voice sounded shaky. "One of them has rolled a boulder in front of the rear door."
>
As one, the trees wrapped their branches under the roof and leaned back. She didn't need her earpiece to hear the house groan.
"Oliver," Sam said, "clear the way."
"Opening fire," Kate said, and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 22: Leaf
Kate's bullet struck one of the treewalkers at an apparent arm joint with 2,500 pounds of force. Wood splintered and shattered, sending kindling into the roof. The branch clattered off the roof and slammed into the ground. The treewalker released the roof and careened backwards as if in pain, stumbling to keep its footing. Just as it regained its balance she sent three rounds into its knee.
The first ripped a chunk the size of a baseball out of the side. The second shattered it, sending shards of wood blasting in all directions. As the giant tree began to fall the third struck the thickest part of the root above the jagged stump. Sinking deep, its impact took the teetering treewalker and spun it to the ground.
Smaller branches snapped or disintegrated, and then the trunk hit. Woven from the trunks of over a dozen trees, the heavy mass smashed into the ground with bone-rattling force. Part of the roof and one window were destroyed as the remaining arm tried to catch itself. She fired her last round into what she assumed was the heart of the trunk, hoping to put it down for good.
"Front door is clear," she said. "Recommend exit now. Reloading."
Sam's subsequent order was lost in the titanic groan of the roof being ripped off. Nails whined as they were pulled free, screws ripped through the wood or were broken in half. Sagging in the center, the roof popped free of the house. The remaining five treewalkers hefted it like it weighed no more than a blanket. Wooden arms bunched and coiled as they launched it up onto the slope behind the house. It landed on top of the rocks and crumpled. Someone shouted before the sound was abruptly cut off.
Kate winced, and wished Jackson had chosen a position farther upslope. Slamming the next mag home, she racked the slide and took aim again. Sixteen figures poured out of the front door with the first pair dragging the captive. The last eight spun and opened fire on the nearest treewalkers. Kate recognized Sam among them.
Bullets thudded into the wood and sank deep, but they did not have the force of her newly modified M2010. Undeterred, the treewalkers charged from both directions while the pair at the rear of the house followed. Kate sucked in her breath at their speed, and opened fire on the one closing from the right.
"Targeting right flank," she shouted.
Her rifle bucked into her shoulder as she pounded the second treewalker. Focused as she was on Alpha team’s shouted orders, she barely heard the report from the long weapon.
"Target incoming, left flank!" Sam shouted. "Willis, get a willie pete on the downed one."
Willis tossed the white phosphorous grenade at the one Kate had downed. Burning at 5,000 degrees, the searing smoke rose from the crippled tree. Flakes of the material sizzled into the wood and sparked small fires. The white smoke was joined by black as the dry wood began to burn. The great tree groaned, but managed to rise in spite of its catastrophic injuries.
Assault rifles thundered in the night as Sam and his team continued to fire. The furious fusillade tore into the left treewalker with their collective force. It stumbled and slowed, but continued to advance. The ground shook as the coiled roots closed the distance. When it reached twenty feet Sam ordered a retreat.
"Alpha team, retreat to rally point Tango," he yelled. "Bravo team, open fire. Echo, retrieve the package and get it to Trask—and get a medic to Jackson's position before he bleeds out—look out!"
Accelerating as the Alpha team members tried to escape, the treewalker extended a massive branch and swung it at them. Kate desperately turned from the right one and fired. Her bullet lodged halfway up the trunk, but was insufficient. Wood struck flesh like a wrecking ball, sending half of Alpha team tumbling away.
"Man down!" someone yelled.
"Bravo team, suppressive fire!"
"Alpha, get out of there!"
"Oliver, slow them down, I have an airstrike inbound!"
The last order came from Trask, and Kate pulled the trigger as fast as she could aim. The larger caliber bullets carried just enough force to penetrate the roots holding the treewalker upright. Thicker and larger than the first she'd attacked, it took two entire mags to eliminate its footing. By then the one on the right had advanced. She swung to engage it.
"Left target down!" she shouted. "Targeting right. Be advised, the last two tangos have passed the house and are approaching your position. Move it Sam!"
"I'm working on it, Oliver!" Sam yelled back.
His voice sounded strained, and out of the corner of her eye she saw him hefting a body on his shoulders. Hustling downhill, he yelled, "Alpha, hump the wounded out. Trask, don't wait for us to get clear, we can't let them reach the street! Echo, draw their attention!"
A black truck turned the corner and slid to a stop, its tires squealing. The four men in back trained their weapons on the treewalkers closest to Alpha team and opened fire. Wounded but still alive, the one on the right shifted direction and began to accelerate toward the truck.
Bullets chipped the thick wood, sending bark raining in its wake. It gathered its remaining limb and coiled it in front like a giant shield. Kate growled under her breath but was unable to help. The newest arrivals were headed straight for the slow moving Alpha team. Alternating her target, she focused her fire on keeping them from catching Sam's team.
A grenade exploded at the feet of the charging treewalker, and it stumbled. Smaller roots had crumbled away, but the larger ones kept it going. Another grenade bounced off a limb and detonated, causing it to veer to the side.
"Echo, get moving before it reaches your position!" Trask yelled.
Too late, the driver realized the treewalker was going to hit them. Tires squealed as he stomped on the pedal and began to pull away—too late. The massive tree slammed into the side with the force of a tank, and the truck snapped like a stalk of celery. Bed and cab flipped and rolled apart, sending men skidding across the road. The cab bounced and tumbled all the way to the field below Kate. She cringed, but could not afford to switch targets.
Trask's voice came over the radio. "All teams, brace for impact! Airstrike in three . . . two . . . one."
The field in front of the house was incinerated in an instant, massive fireball. All the windows on the tattered house shattered at the same time the ground rippled outward. Both of the treewalkers Kate had been targeting were engulfed in the inferno, their limbs torn from their bodies. The one struck by the white phosphorous also disappeared.
The blast wave struck the stadium and Kate covered her head. Superheated air whipped at her clothing and pummeled her with bits of wood, dirt, and other debris. The moment it faded she put her eye to the scope and scanned the battlefield.
Fire raged where the missile had struck, and through the smoke she could see the decimated house. The gaping hole was less than a hundred yards from Alpha team's position. Limping toward them, the last treewalker in the field continued to seek them out. On the street the carnage was worse. Half of Echo was down and not moving.
"Last tango is pursuing Leaf," one of them groaned. "I have men down in the street."
Kate swung her rifle and emptied the mag into the treewalker approaching Alpha. Reloading, she did it again, and left its roots tattered and broken. Sam's form rose up and threw another grenade at it. White smoke erupted again as the intense heat burned into the dry wood. Keening as it fell, the treewalker shuddered but did not rise again.
Kate winced as static erupted across her radio, and then Trask began to shout. "Leaf has blocked the road. Treewalker is approaching from behind. All available units open fire!"
Kate lifted herself up. From a sitting position she rotated to bring Trask's vehicle into her scope. One of the school trees had fallen into the road, blocking the way. Tires squealed as Trask's SUV tried to reverse, but the treewalker that had destroyed the t
ruck was right behind it. Closing the gap in three giant steps, it swung an arm and punched the window. Glass shattered as the branch extended through the SUV.
Built to stop bullets, the roof was no match for the mighty tree, and the branch opened the SUV like a tin can. Reaching in, it wrapped around Leaf and pulled him free. Then it discarded the vehicle like trash and turned away. Kate hadn't stopped firing.
Blocked by the downed tree, the houses on the west, and the remaining task force coming from behind, the last treewalker turned into a gap in the school buildings. Its massive legs pounded the ground as it accelerated directly toward the stadium. Even as it came straight at her, Kate continued to fire at the roots.
Bullets rained down on it, causing it to stumble. Apparently realizing it wouldn't make it, the tree caught the end of the bleachers and leapt over them like a teenager jumping a fence. Its massive wooden body sailed right over Kate's position. Then it landed and skidded into the football field, tearing the smooth grass apart. With the bleachers blocking fire from the rest of the team, only Kate had a clear line of fire.
She swiveled to bring the target in line and reloaded. It was too close to use the scope, so she aimed without it. Five high velocity rounds exploded from her barrel, tearing through five of the roots. The treewalker fell to a broken knee, groaning as if in pain. She dropped the empty magazine and slammed another home. Without hesitation she fired all five, decimating the other knee.
Shattered into broken stumps, the roots could not hold the great tree aloft. It fell like a demolished building, taking a field goal with it. Her last round gone, she left her gun and caught up her assault rifle. Dropping from her position, she raced down the stairs and into the carnage of broken limbs. At their center she found Leaf attempting to limp away.