Viddur nudged her in the ribs at last, indicating he was ready to dispatch the guard in the booth. He moved out of the bush away from her, crouching to search for a rock amongst the grass.
The rock slammed against the side of the booth, striking harder than intended, sending Elysia’s heart racing. The noise from the blow threatened to reveal their position.
Elysia managed to maintain her composure, keeping one eye on the guards in front of her while watching Viddur with the other. A slip up at this point would not end in their deaths, but rather a potential mission failure. They could double back and try again, with a significantly reduced likelihood of success.
The guard remained in the booth, oblivious as Viddur dug around for another rock.
This rock hit the booth at an even higher velocity, threatening to reveal them once again.
Elysia tensed, her heart rate increasing still more, feeling as though it could burst. If the guard didn’t move soon, the whole facility would know of their presence.
Elysia let out a silent sigh when the door to the booth finally swung open. The guard stepped outside, his form concealed behind the open door, thrash metal riffs following him. Viddur quickly positioned himself, crawling underneath the boom barrier to reach the other side of the door, careful to step lightly.
“Hey!” one of the guards on the other side of the booth yelled. “Do something about that noise!”
“Just give me a moment!” the first guard yelled back, stepping back inside the booth to turn off the music. Suspicions remained high, and the man stepped outside the door once again, swinging it shut as he investigated the source of the thrown rocks.
Viddur lashed out like a viper, slapping a cupped hand over the guard’s mouth, silencing him before he could lay eyes on his attacker. The cold steel of a dagger glistened in the moonlight as Viddur jabbed the point of the blade into the side of the man’s neck, slicing through his artery, the blood spurting onto the asphalt.
The man struggled for only a few seconds before the light faded from his eyes. Viddur held him in his arms as he bled out, pulling the man’s slackened body back to the booth. He carefully removed his blade, thick blood flowing through his fingers as he did so.
Elysia had difficulty keeping an eye on her sector of the fence from the bushes, the violent scene before her a distraction.
Viddur slowly re-opened the door while holding onto the guard. He dragged the man into the booth and placed him back in his seat to ensure the other guards remained unaware of their presence. The super-soldier slunk back out the doorway, careful to close the door without a sound, sliding back underneath the boom barrier. Viddur concealed himself against the other side of the booth outside the fence perimeter, his back pressed against the chain links.
Elysia’s gaze returned to the guards on her side of the fence. Viddur looked back at her, awaiting her signal to proceed.
Elysia’s gloved hand shot up from the bush when all three of the guards turned away from them.
Viddur moved back to peer around the booth, gazing through the fence before disappearing into the night. Elysia remained in the bush, still ever watchful of the guard’s movements, waiting for Viddur’s signal to move over the fence.
A screech owl cried out after what seemed like an eternity to Elysia. The sound came from a device engineered by CyberGen, the sound imitator capable of creating a variety of animal calls.
Elysia’s legs had grown sore as time passed. The stress and anticipation felt as though they could kill her. She waited for the guards to turn toward the source of the call, surprised when none of them noticed. Elysia rolled her eyes. The organization apparently did not possess observant human employees.
As though on cue, all the guards in front of her finally turned their backs to her.
Elysia burst from the bush, treading lightly through the grass before reaching the fence. She leaped onto the metal railing, a creature of deadly silence and grace intent on her unsuspecting prey. Elysia pivoted on the bar and then glanced off to her right as she assessed Viddur’s handiwork.
Her fellow soldier had successfully eliminated all three guards. He had piled the bodies up near the middle of the fence just beyond the vision of the others. The asphalt lay covered in blood, both in pools and smeared across the surface in trails.
Content that Viddur’s side was clear, Elysia turned her attention back to her side of the fence. She carefully descended to the ground before the guards had a chance to spot her. Elysia sprang from the fence, rushing her listless, sauntering target before he could turn to see her. She quickly closed in on the guard, savagely slapping her hand over the man’s mouth to suppress his screams.
The man flailed and thrashed about as he tried to twist away from her.
Elysia put an end to the man’s struggle, thrusting her knife into the side of his neck, just as Viddur did to the guard from earlier. The man’s body went limp as Elysia caught him in her arms. She gently laid him down on the ground in a pool of blood, darkening the asphalt.
Elysia repeated the procedure with the second man, abruptly dropping the body as the third man turned around. She ran for him, barely concealing the noise of her steps, the need to reach him outweighing all. Elysia dropped to the ground, sliding behind him just as he changed direction, somehow remaining unseen.
The super-soldier was back on her feet in a heartbeat, barreling towards the guard from behind, cupping her hand to his mouth as she leveled him to the ground. She jammed her dagger into the man’s neck, his body convulsing as he died, the blood splattering the fence.
Elysia tucked her arms under the dead man’s shoulders as she pulled him back around. She dragged him back in the direction she had come, concealing his body under the shadow of the plant. Content the body would remain unseen, the super-soldier jumped back onto the fence railing and descended to the grass below.
Elysia sighed, suddenly worn by the now nearly completed task, so preoccupied she hadn’t even bothered to glance over at Viddur’s progress. It was just as well, as she preferred not to watch his antics, never having taken to killing the way he had. This was far from the first operation that called for the elimination of a target, but Elysia still found killing unsavory. She had grown immune to it over time, realizing it was a necessary task done only for the greater good. Viddur’s attitude towards it was different. He saw it as an art form, always looking for new and different ways to dispense it. Her brother found a small pleasure from killing with a variety of weapons and combative techniques.
Elysia continued to move along the outside of the fence, ducking down among the foliage to remain unseen by the last few guards. She took her final position behind a massive rose bush near the corner, setting her pack down to remove her sound-mimicking device.
The massive hangar lay at Elysia’s side now, illuminated in the moonlight. It loomed over the various small planes, a flock of misshapen pterosaurs nestled near a barn-shaped volcano. They were to leave it untouched, something for the Legion to take care of later.
Elysia toggled her device, pressing down until she saw the word ‘bullfrog’ appear on the display screen.
The croaking call went out into the night.
Elysia checked the position of the guards on the other side of the fence, waiting for the answer. She heard the screech owl nearly a minute later, her anxiety slowly rising to the point of panic. She was sure Viddur had purposefully made her wait, not wanting the guards to catch onto their calls. Ready for their task to be over, Elysia shoved her sound device back into her pack, zipping it up and putting it back on.
The super-soldier wheeled around the rose bush on her way to the fence, nearly clearing it entirely as she bounded toward the next guard. Elysia was unworried about the noise now, knowing she needed to quickly catch the first guard, forcing the second to turn toward her and not Viddur. She grabbed the man with a cupped hand, sliding her dagger across his throat, blood spraying from both arteries.
Elysia looked up from her dying targe
t to see the second guard’s assault rifle pointed directly at her head. Her muscles stiffened as she glared down at the ground, frustrated that her death should come so quickly. She waited, ready for the barrage of gunfire, confused when all remained silent.
Elysia gazed back up just as the guard fell, face to the ground with blood flowing from his back.
The moon shone upon Viddur’s dagger, the steel shimmering in the night, the blade seeming to wink at her.
Elysia saw Viddur standing some distance in front of her, holding his thumb up to the sky, an idiotic grin wiped across his face. She shook her head, frustrated by his actions, yet relieved that he picked the right moment to employ them.
Wasting no time, Elysia removed her pack, carrying it toward the plant. She set it upright upon the ground some twenty yards away from the edge of the wall. The charges weren’t lethal, but they were loud, placed there to help scare the vampiric butchers from their posts, hopefully right out the front doors.
Elysia glanced toward the adjacent corner of the plant, giving Viddur a thumb’s up once he set his own pack down, which was the signal to return to the truck. Phase one complete, Elysia sprinted back toward her side of the fence, Viddur following close behind.
The serene chirping of insects made the night appear calm and uneventful despite what had just occurred. It was how they wanted it, silent due to the lack of life, a fortress ready for the taking.
* * *
The heavily armored, black-clad battalion marched down the wide, concrete corridor en route to the base garage. One thousand human terminators hell-bent on destruction were out on orders given by high command.
They would eliminate another human slaughter facility, reportedly the largest in their sector. Successful execution of the operation would result in a crippling blow to vampire society, a major hub of food distribution and transport destroyed. Crucial though it was, destruction of the facility was only secondary to the primary objective: the evaluation of yet another new weapon.
Asher gripped his shotgun tightly with both hands, trying to retain a hold on his anxiety.
Though the orders were clear, he considered the operations briefing to be more than dubious. The plan presented to them was utterly irrational, so much so even a child could see through it. It simply put far too many of them at risk. Asher realized how important it was to have as many weapons as possible to bring down the vampire menace, but he felt there were better ways to do so.
The black-armored battalion abruptly ceased its marching as the soldiers prepared to exit the door to the garage. Asher nearly crashed into those in front of him, so preoccupied with orders that he hadn’t realized he was looking down the whole time.
Marching resumed as soon as Captain Kilgore opened the large, upward sliding door at the end of the hall, allowing the battalion to filter through the exit-way.
Asher continued to have difficulty keeping pace with the group. He looked at Milo and Driscoll and then to his right at Aaron, expecting any one of them to protest the high commander’s orders.
“Captain!” yelled Asher as he crossed through the door, breaking rank and sprinting toward Kilgore.
Aaron shook his head as Asher moved away from him, extending a hand to catch him by the shoulder. He recoiled at the last moment, deciding to avoid a potential reprimand by the captain. He briefly turned to Milo and Driscoll, both of whom shrugged in response, expressions masked by the visors of their helmets.
“What is it, Private?” asked Kilgore. He jerked around to meet Asher, his angry facial expressions concealed by his helmet. “Whatever it is, it better be a good one. I could write you up for stalling an operation as important as this one!”
The rest of the battalion passed through the door behind them, the soldiers marching toward their designated transport vehicles.
“We’re not actually going through with this, are we, sir?” Asher asked, his look of concern and frustration concealed by his helmet. He could hold it in no longer.
“We are indeed, Blackthorn,” Kilgore replied, his rage giving way to simple irritation. “Why do you think we’ve spent so much time going over the attack plan? I hope you’re not insinuating that the commander willfully wastes time explaining things just to hear the sound of his own voice.”
“Sir, that is not my intention,” Asher retorted. “I just think the plan is a little… Well, it’s kind of…” He had difficulty finding the exact and least offensive words.
“Blackthorn, just spit it out.” Kilgore’s answer came as an order.
“Sir, the plan is questionable at best,” Aaron said abruptly, appearing behind Asher. Milo and Driscoll stood right behind him, though offered no additional words of aid.
“Pritchett, I assure you everything will make sense as soon as we get going. As long as you do what you’ve been ordered to do, there is nothing to worry about.”
“Sorry, sir, I just think it is a terrible plan,” Asher interrupted. “Most of it’s kind of insane when I think about it.”
“Enlighten me, Private,” said Kilgore, arms crossed. “What is so insane about it?”
“Well, nearly all of it, sir. It goes against all standard procedure.”
“How so?”
“I believe the situation demands that we remain as hands-off as possible,” Asher explained. “I know you said it earlier, but aren’t we attacking what is really just a vampire feeding grounds? One where the enemy’s number cannot be precisely ascertained?”
“That is correct, Private,” the captain nodded.
“Why can’t we just blow the whole place to heck like we normally do?” Asher grew frustrated. “It’s the most rational way to go about it and would take a significantly smaller force.”
“I believe you are missing the point, Blackthorn.” Kilgore’s frown was apparent even through his helmet. “The whole purpose of the operation is to test a new weapon, one so important it overrides any potential losses.”
“Why couldn’t this weapon be tested in a lab somewhere? Why are we even involved at all?”
“I suppose it could.” Kilgore placed a cupped hand thoughtfully below his helmet’s mouth vent, lowering it from his face a second later. “I don’t know why we’re involved. It’s just how the high commander wants it done. Anyway, it doesn’t matter what you think. You will follow the orders you have been given.”
“Sir, I agree with Blackthorn and Pritchett,” said Ito, the sergeant appearing out of absolutely nowhere.
Asher was dumbfounded, this being the first time he had ever observed the sergeant question anyone’s authority. Ito practically worshiped the ground her superiors walked on and obeyed orders to the letter.
The whole battalion congregated around them now, all eyes on the potential spectacle occurring just in front of the garage door.
“Sir,” Ito continued in a softer but still assertive tone, “I think they’re right, though I don’t believe I agree with some of the phrasing. It might be the worst plan ever drawn up. Essentially all we are doing is charging in there, guns blazing, all the while hoping that the enemy will come for us. We’ll be unnecessarily exposing ourselves to attack. On top of that, we’re engaging a large group at night. It all sounds like you plan on using us, your own soldiers, as blood bait.”
Asher was sure the sergeant was nervous, though she maintained her usual temperament without faltering in the least. He stood there, waiting for what the captain would say next.
Before Kilgore could answer, the doors of the garage swung open. A fully armored Commander Greaves stepped in among the crowd.
“What’s the problem, Captain?” Greaves asked. “Why aren’t the troops loaded up and ready to go?” He turned to Kilgore, his confusion and brewing rage revealed by his stiff posture.
“We are just having a slight disagreement over the orders, sir,” Kilgore explained.
“Oh, that all?” The commander maintained his composure surprisingly well, a broad grin appearing on his face. Maybe he would hear them out.
>
“Everyone!” Greaves roared, losing control. “Get in your designated transport now! One more mention of the plan, and I’ll send you all down to the range to be my personal practice target! Shoot, the next one of you who utters even a single word before we roll out will be used for target practice right here!”
The commander took aim with his weapon.
The battalion scattered, fleeing from him like a group of ants from a booted foot, finding shelter within the confines of the various armored vehicles parked in the garage.
Asher ran after the rest of his squad and sought shelter from Greaves in the back of their armored truck. He took his seat last behind the others, slamming the door shut. He anxiously peered through the back window, hoping the commander hadn’t singled him out as the one responsible for the delay.
Chapter XXIII
The Predator, Now the Prey
The Legion convoy of a dozen armored personnel carriers and a multitude of trucks made its way down the gravel road as the crescent moon disappeared behind a growing wall of clouds. The vehicles revealed the Legion’s intentions, their refurbished Strykers armed with M-2 Browning machine guns. They were unapologetic intruders into the landscape. They invaded as a stream of metal-plated insects, creeping through the shadowed woodlands as they descended upon their unsuspecting victim. The convoy raced over the rough gravel, bounding through the heavily foliaged forest and over uneven terrain.
Asher peered through the transport truck’s rear window, careful to hold onto the front of his seat as he gazed up at the gathering thunderhead above. It seemed strange to him to arrive anywhere so far past the twilight hour, at a time when their quarry tended to be much more active. Asher found the presence of clouds unsettling, certain whatever rain they might produce would only complicate things. A feeling of eerie foreboding washed over him, and the hair on his forearms stood on end.
Fall Prey: The Hunt Page 33