“But you know the gaps I coverage, right?” Carter asked.
“I’m a secretary for Benard DeVos, the city engineer responsible for maintaining the surveillance systems.” Dagmar explained. “He is a drunken pig who sleeps soundly after sex. He also thinks that I am stupid,” she added, holding up a palm-sized data pad. “I took his data-pad from his briefcase before he woke up. It has all of the surveillance positions and patrol routes marked. ”
“Also, be aware that there are cameras and microphones even before we get to Waterloo; not as many, but some. Most are attached to street lights; so say as far away from them as you can.”
“What about civilians in the city?” Sains asked. “We passed some gated housing areas on the way in. Is there anyone living along our path to the target?”
“Some of the unskilled workers live in the buildings along the way,” Dagmar said. “Most should be asleep. Even if they are not, it’s the law that they be indoors with their windows covered during the curfew.”
“That would make it easier to take people away in the dead of night,” McNamara observed.
“Yes,” Dagmar said, coldly. “It does.”
“Right,” Carter said. “Brains, I want you up front with Dagmar. Help her with spotting any patrols. Keep your forty-fives ready, but don’t engage unless the enemy unless you’re sure that we’ve been spotted.”
Dagmar began to move.”Let us go,” she said. “We have God’s work to do.”
They moved through the city and the concentration of buildings increased. They evaded two roving patrols before crossing Waterloo Boulevard into the City’s center; which was almost entirely composed of government buildings. The buildings were uniformly gray in color and shared the same basic design. Drab conformity had replaced the Nuevo art architecture that had once given Brussels its distinctive character.
Further towards the center the buildings grew larger and more monolithic. They still shared the dull, gray motif, but were intended to intimidate by their sheer size. Carter decided that they were intended to make people seem small, even tiny. The indistinctive, flat and uninspired architectural style deliberately avoided distinctiveness. It reminded everyone that individualism was not tolerated by the buildings’ owners. They stood as grim examples that conformity would be rewarded and dissention would be punished.
Progress through the streets was made in increments. The team would pause to allow a camera to rotate its lens away from them, and then run to another blind spot that Dagmar would guide them to. They would pause again to allow one of the numerous patrols or sensor drones to pass, and then move again. This process was repeated for nearly four hours as the team measured their advance in terms feet and yards, not miles.
Finally, Dagmar led them into an apartment building that was less than a mile away from the Central Command’s officer’s quarters. “There are People’s Guard officers assigned to the building,” Dagmar said. “They will have to be killed.”
“We’ve planned for that,” Carter said. “Brains, can you give me a location on the guards.”
Sains concentrated for moment. “One at the main doors and the other is moving on the third floor near the north east corner.”
“He would be doing his rounds,” Dagmar said.
“We need to hit them in a surveillance blind spot,” McNamara observed.
“I can show you,” Dagmar replied.
Minutes later Dagmar stepped through the doors and approached the first guard as he sat behind a console of video monitors, trying to remove a stain of some sort from his earthy-brown uniform shirt. “Hello, there young man,” she said with a well practiced, sweet smile.
Having seen her arrive at the building with DeVos many times he was not alarmed. “You shouldn’t be out after curfew.” the guard said.
“That’s alright,” Dagmar assured the young man. “Mister DeVos gave me a pass. I have a surprise for him. I wanted to take it up to the apartment, but it’s too heavy for me. Could you help me?”
“I can’t leave my post,” the guard said.
Dagmar’s smile got wider and her voice became lower. “I promise that I’ll tell Mister DeVos how helpful you were. He’s a powerful man; doing me a favor is like doing him a favor.”
“I suppose it won’t hurt,” the guard said, after a moment’s consideration.
“Thank you very much,” Dagmar purred. “It’s just around the corner.”
After using his radio to inform his partner that he would be away from the desk, the guard followed Dagmar around the corner of the building. Just as he rounded the corner into the alley he was struck across the throat by the edge of Nagura’s hand and sent stumbling into McNamara’s arms. McNamara seized the choking guard by the neck and broke it with an effortless twist. Dagmar helped herself to sidearm and spare ammunition. Burgett dragged the body into the shadows and sprayed it with nanite vanishing cream.
Dagmar led the team around the camera coverage in the lobby and into a stairwell. “There are no cameras on the stairs themselves, only in the hallways by the doors to each floor.” She explained.
They waited for the second guard to enter the stairwell on his way to the second floor. Williams sprang as the young guard opened the stairwell door. He clasped a hand over the man’s mouth, pinched his nose shut, and the stabbed him through the kidney with and upward thrust. The eight inch blade ran through the kidney and continued through the man’s body until its tip pierced the right lung. Williams then slit the man’s throat. The man tried to scream before twitching violently and falling into a pool of his own blood.
Again carefully avoiding an array of cameras, Dagmar took them to a suite of rooms on the building’s top floor. The suite was spacious and luxurious and decorated in a modernized Victorian motif. Well maintained leather furniture dominated the main room and thick, soft carpet cover the floor. Potted plants of all types were placed at intervals around the walls. The scent of coffee filled the air.
“All of the surveillance equipment in this room had been turned off,” Dagmar said, removing he jacket. “You can speak freely,”
Carter and his team set about checking the rooms carefully to assure themselves that they were alone and not being electronically monitored. Carter then moved aside the living room curtains to look out over the city. From a height of ten stories he could see the officer’s quarters and, beyond it, the towering structure of the Central Command compound.
The Central Command’s main building was a twenty story trapezoid made entirely of gray synthetic granite. Its roof was nearly covered with antennas and satellite dishes. The headquarters buildings for the WCAs army, navy and air force were spaced at equal distances from one another and the main building. Each headquarters was also built of synthetic granite and topped with communications arrays. The three concentric rings of massive, heavily defended granite walls surrounded the well lit compound. Through a set of binoculars that had been provided by Renner, Carter could see vehicles, troops and civilian employees going about their usual routines. Carter smiled slightly; a predator eyeing its prey.
He turned to Dagmar. “What, exactly, is this place,” he asked. “Why isn’t there surveillance here?”
“DeVos brings his,” she struggled for a word, “lovers, I suppose you would call them, here,” Dagmar explained. “He does not want what he does here to be recorded. His appetites are varied and unusual.” She actually seemed to shrink as spoke. It was clear that she had been used to satisfy Devos’ unusual appetites.
Carter needed no further explanation. “Where is DeVos now,” he inquired.
“Home with his wife and children,” Dagmar said. “I’m told he’s had a very nice home life.”
“Hey, guys,” McNamara’s voice said from the suite’s kitchen. “This guy has real milk; a whole liter!”
“Help your selves,” Dagmar said; “Take anything you’d like.”
“Won’t DeVos miss it?” Carter asked.
Dagmar’s face hardened. “It doesn’t ma
tter,” She said. “I’m going to kill him the next time I see him.”
“Save the milk for later,” Carter said. “Everyone get into your IBOS and break out our regular weapons.”
A few minutes later the team was in full battle dress; complete with hood, helmet and goggles. The exposed skin on their faces covered with black camouflage paint. Carter was reassured by the distinctive metal on metal sound of the bolts of their normally carried weapons slamming closed as the team made them ready for combat.
“Everyone take a turn at the window and update their navigation system.” Carter ordered “It might be easy to get lost in the streets once the shooting starts. Make sure you get good fixes on all three possible extraction zones.”
One by one the Alpha operators parted the curtain slightly and used the small cameras they wore on the sides of their head to scan the city around the Central Command. The IBOS computers then compared the city as seen from the window to the city maps already stored in their memory drives and created an updated map of the area.
“Alright,” Carter said as the team enjoyed the luxurious combination of fresh milk and Okesa’s chocolate ration bars. “This is it folks. No more waiting. I want you all to know how honored I am to have known, and served with you all of you. If we don’t see each other again we part as friends and comrades in arms. We may get killed; be we won’t be stopped.”
Carter paused a moment.”Our time table has moved up fifteen minutes, so the other teams may not know that we’ve hit the officer’s quarters early. With Mancuso here, there will be at least double the security that we expected; and we don’t know what abilities those two paranormal bodyguards have. So stay alert and be prepared to adapt to a change in the situation quickly.”
That said, Carter raised his own glass of milk. “To the brave,” he said.
“Good fortune,” the team replied together.
“Did we just make a before battle toast with milk?” Burgett asked, almost laughing.
“What can I say, kid,” McNamara said. “DeVos has plenty of booze; but booze is easier to come by than real, honest-to-God milk.”
“Alright’ let’s move, out,” Carter said. “Stay alive everyone.”
[][][]
Dagmar led the team down alleyways in the same stop and go manner that had brought through the city. After a time they came to a building that was under construction that had a direct line if sight the officer’s quarters from one hundred and fifty meters. Only the steel skeleton of the new building had been completed, but it raised fifteen stories high. The team concealed themselves behind a stack of cinder blocks on the twelfth floor and surveyed their officer’s barracks with the long range optic of their IBOS goggles.
“This building will be new offices for the WCA,” Dagmar said. “They demolished the older buildings that were here to build it. The bureaucracy grows and more people die or disappear.”
The barracks, like all WCA government buildings, was essentially a gray box with doors and windows. Twelve stories high and surrounded by and three concentrically arranged twenty-foot high, razor-wire topped fences; it was also protected by two-hundred guards and four sentry towers.
“This is as close as I can get you,” Dagmar said. “Good luck to all of you.”
“Thank you,” Carter said. “Good luck to you as well.”
The extra security that accompanied Secretary Mancuso’s presence was clearly evident. From their advantage point; twenty-five meters away, Carter could see their signature forest-green and brown uniforms of First Earth Guard members standing at intervals around the perimeter, as well as several roving patrols of the gray and black uniforms of regular WCA troops moving both inside and outside the fences. At least two of the patrols had dogs with them and four sharpshooters patrolled the rooftop. Two, tank-like armored personnel carriers flanked the main gate; which was the only entrance into the perimeter.
“Alright,” Carter said. “There’s no way to do this by stealth like we had planned; so we use plan B and go in fast and loud. The other teams should be nearly in position by now. They’ll hear the fireworks and know we had to move earlier than planned. We have to count on them to adapt the change in plans.”
He paused for questions and then continued. “Gambler, the towers are yours; can you take them from here?”
Roth lay herself prone on the wooden planks that made up the incomplete building’s temporary floor and sighted each the tower guards with her SPM-21 sniper’s rifle. “I can; but it will take about ten seconds to get them all,” she said.
“Good enough,” Carter said. “Brains, you cover Gambler. Grumble, Gadget, the APCs are yours. Bandaid and I have the gate guards. Harvard, you and Dancer jump the fence and go after the shooters on the roof.”
“Once everything starts popping, the rest of the perimeter guards will swarm us. Grumble, Bandaid, Gadget and I will deploy sensor-grenades in their likely paths of attack and set up crossfire. Gambler and Brains back us up and cover the building’s main entrance after the towers have been taken out. Harvard, Dancer once you’ve dealt with the threat on the roof, effect entry into the building and fight your way down. The rest of us will assault the main building as soon as we’ve thinned out the perimeter guards.”
“So much for gassing a bunch of sleeping officers,” McNamara said, shaking his head.
“That’s why we have contingency plans, Grumble.” Carter said, clapping the Canadian on the shoulder. “Besides, Mancuso’s being here might work for us. The guards at the tunnel’s entrance might figure we’re here to kill Mancuso, and not to hit the Central Command. They’ll be less likely to hit the panic button and go into lockdown so Mancuso can be evacuated thought the tunnel.”
“I feel much better now, Boss,” McNamara said, with a forced chuckle.
“We assault on Gambler’s first shot,” Carter said. “Remember, folks, speed, aggression, and ruthless action. Roll over the bastards.”
Carter and the teams left the constructions sight and positioned themselves in an alley way just within sight of the barracks’ front gate. Using hand signals, each operator signaled that they were ready to attack.
“Take your shot when you’re ready, gambler,” Roth sighted the sentry in the first tower, took a deep breath, and squeezed her trigger as she exhaled. The nighttime silence was shattered by the crack of the rifle shot as it smashed through the tower’s bullet resistant windows and hit the first guard in his heart. The rest of Team Alpha was upon their enemies before the echo died.
McNamara and Burgett each fired at an armored vehicle as they charged. Burgett’s PM-61 heavy assault rifle penetrated the two-inch thick frontal armor killing the crew within. Next, Burgett circled to the rear of the vehicle and fired a burst of armor piercing-incendiary rounds directly into the fuel tank. The APC quickly became bonfire of burning fuel, exploding ammunition and searing flesh.
The second tower guard died by Roth’s rifle.
McNamara fired controlled bursts from his heavy sub-machine gun; precisely targeting the driver’s viewing slits. The big, heavy projectiles shattered the Plexiglas covers over the slits and struck the driver in the nose and eyes blowing out the back of his skull and killing him instantly. Another burst destroyed the periscope that the vehicle commander used to aim his turret-mounted machine gun. Vaulting atop the APC, he briefly slung his sub-machine gun over his shoulder in order to use both hands in ripping the entry hatch from the vehicle. He tossed the hatch aside, dropped an armed grenade into the opening, shot a frantic crewman as he tried in vain to find the grenade, and the leapt to safety. The grenade detonated with a muffled roar; fire and smoke billowed from the open hatchway.
Roth shot the third tower guard.
Carter and DeFontain charged the gate. Micro-explosive bullets from their weapons tore the four guards apart as tiny warheads detonated after penetrating inches into their bodies. As the gate guards fell, Carter and DeFontain each set two grenades for proximity detonation and threw them into the path that
other responding perimeter guards would likely take. Carter and Defontain each seized one side of the main gate and ripped it away from the rest of the fence.
Another shot from Roth killed the last tower sentry.
Simultaneously, Nagura and Williams vaulted over the perimeter fences and fought their way to the fire escapes at the sides of the Barracks. Leaping the twenty feet onto the fire escape’s first landing, Williams and Nagura rushed up the metal stairs; passing the twelve floors and reaching the roof in seconds. The first two enemy sharpshooters turned just in time to see blades flashing toward them. William’s sword sliced the one shooter from collarbone to groin, while Nagura stabbed another through the chest with a palm-dagger and cut a twelve inch gash downward through his abdomen. The other two rooftop shooters attempted to turn their weapons on the Alpha operators.
Nagura threw here self prone on the rooftop as automatic gunfire passed inches overhead. She returned fire with a burst from her machine pistol, her three shot burst striking her attacker three times in the face, blasting away the back of his head and creating jet of blood and pulverized flesh.
Firing on the run, Williams sent a burst through the chest into the last of the rooftop’s defenders. The micro-explosive rounds all but disintegrating his torso. William then used his word to slice the lock that secured the rooftop door and tossed grenade through the threshold. Both operators then darted through the door and began to fight their way downward.
The rest of the perimeter guards were converging on the Carter and his assaulters. The first wave was stopped by the line of proximity detonated grenades that Carter and DeFontain had hastily deployed after securing the main gate. Their charge broken, remainder found themselves caught in torrent of overlapping gunfire laid down by Carter and DeFontain on one side and McNamara and Burgett on the other. Precision shots from Roth combined with suppressive automatic gunfire from Sains drove enemy troops away from the front widows and kept them from firing downward on the Alpha members.
The Fate Of Nations: F.I.R.E. Team Alpha: Book One Page 23