by T. C. Edge
The choice, then, was clear - either help them get in, and evacuate as many of the innocent staff from the facility as possible, or stay here and suffer the combined might of the NDSA and WSA airforce.
She’d put it to Kurt and Rick in those very terms, and was surprised by how easily they’d agreed. Kurt, being the lead figure of the two, nodded fervently as she spoke. Rick just followed along, shrugging his agreement.
Martha had let out a sigh of relief at that. Without them and their strong-arm tactics, getting the technicians in the control room to raise the entrance floor would have been impossible, and even her silver tongue might have had troubling swaying their minds. The two Ravens were experts in coercion, and would see it done at the appropriate time.
That time was now approaching quickly, the sun beginning to rise outside. She looked again at Sarah, nose stuffed in her book, eyes scanning from page to page, and said a little prayer. She didn’t believe in any sort of deity - with the sort of things people could do now, how could you? - but it felt like the right thing to do.
Please, she whispered in her head, eyes shut. Please let Sarah get out of here safely.
She made no mention of herself. She didn’t want to sully her daughter’s name by adding her own.
A knock sounded at the door, knuckles tapping lightly.
Sarah looked up from her book, and Martha moved, striding over. She opened up the door and found the towering frame of Kurt standing before her, face covered in a thick black beard, bald head shining under the light fixing above. She gave him an abbreviated nod and he stepped into the room, Rick following in behind, eyes scanning up and down the corridor as he came.
It was still early up on these floors; most of the families living here would still be sleeping. Down below, some staff would be working around the clock, but not here.
The Ravens moved in, Martha shutting the door tight. When she spoke, her voice was a whisper.
“Are we ready?” she asked them.
The tall men nodded to her as Sarah sprung from the bed, infused with energy despite the early hour. She ran up to Kurt and Rick, hugging them and gazing up.
“My Ravens!” she said. “I missed you!”
Kurt smiled down at her, white teeth shining through the heavy black carpet on his face.
“Hey, tiger. You ready to go?” he said, voice rumbling from his thick chest.
Sarah’s eyes widened.
“Go?” she said, then turned to her mother. “Are we really leaving, mommy?”
Martha hadn’t told her what was happening, of course. The less Sarah knew of what was really going on, the better.
“We are, darling. Shortly.”
Sarah grinned and did a little twist, eyes bright, then rushed back off to her bed to start collecting her books. Martha looked back to the others.
“Did you check the floor?” she asked.
“Yes, Madam Mitchell,” said Kurt. “No one’s up yet. No one will see us if we go now.”
“OK, good. Give me a moment.”
Martha drew the comms link from her pocket and placed it to her ear. It connected immediately, followed by Ragan’s voice. In the background, an engine hummed softly.
“Martha, what’s the latest?” he said swiftly, his voice rising over the buzz around him.
“We’re about to go to the control room. Soon as we’ve knocked out comms for the facility, I’ll let you know.”
“Good. We’re waiting to move. I’ll expect to hear from you in a few minutes.”
The line clicked off and Martha drew a breath. This wasn’t something she was used to, operating with military precision. Soldiers like Ragan were conditioned to deal with that sort of stress, sticking to a close timetable during missions like this. For her, it was new, and the responsibility was daunting.
Thankfully, Kurt and Rick were used to it. She felt safe with them alongside her, comforted by their presence.
“OK, time to go,” she said. The two Raven nodded, dressed in their black suits, and moved for the door. Martha marched for the bed and grabbed Sarah by the hand, spilling a pile of books she’d mounted.
“Hey!”
“I’m sorry, honey. I’ll get you all the books in the world when we get home, OK?”
Sarah’s postured tightened, eyes cast angrily. She was fiercely protective of her books.
“OK,” Martha relented. “Pick one. Quickly.”
Sarah began perusing the fallen pile, not understanding the urgency of the situation. Martha glanced at the Ravens.
“We need to go, Madam Mitchell,” Kurt said, voice a low whisper. “We cannot delay.”
“Yes. You hear that, Sarah? We have to go, uncle Kurt says. Come on now, just pick one.”
Sarah considered a moment longer, before snatching up a tattered old adventure novel, and pressing it to her chest longingly. Rick managed a smile, and said, “Good choice.”
Martha didn’t imagine that men like him ever read such books.
She grabbed Sarah’s hand again, and pulled her towards the door, the girl looking back longingly at the discarded mess of books on the bed, as if leaving them behind was sacrilege.
“No talking now, darling,” Martha whispered to her. “Everyone’s asleep still. We don’t want to wake them, do we?”
Sarah shook her head.
“Good girl.”
With the Ravens out front, they began moving down the corridor on that southwestern wing, speeding through the facility towards a branch stretching south from the core, where the control room was set. The core itself was a large atrium, set with long corridors giving access to the various wings, and banks of elevators to the floors below. One elevator - the industrial lift that ascended to the entrance level - was set alone along one wall.
They sped through the core, eyes glancing around as they went. They heard the occasional voice filtering from inside a room. Some people were getting up now, ready to get to work. They rushed on, pressing south, hurrying right towards the control room.
They slowed upon reaching it, the place marked by a black door and a large sign to indicate its purpose. The Ravens hurried forward, nodding to Martha to step to one side. She did so, pulling Sarah close, placing her finger to her lips to tell her to stay silent.
Martha drew a breath and waited, her heart pounding. She looked to the Ravens, who drew pistols from their belts, Martha blocking Sarah’s view with her hand as they did. They looked at each other, nodded, and then in a sudden motion, pulled open the door and marched inside.
A flurry of voices followed, harsh whispers from the two Ravens ordering the technicians to place their hands on their workstations and stay quiet. Martha stayed outside, waiting for the coast to clear, before Rick poked his head out and nodded her in.
She moved inside, holding Sarah behind her, and Rick shut the door. Half a dozen technicians sat at their stations, hands on their desks, eyes wide. Martha steadied herself and smiled, preparing to address them. She had no mind for military strategy or tactics, but this sort of thing, she could do.
“I apologise for the sudden interruption, ladies and gentlemen,” she said. “You all know who I am. I am not here to cause you any harm at all. On the contrary, I am here to save your lives.”
The frightened technicians glanced around, confused by the statement. One, nearest to the door, slowly slipped a hand from his desk, drawing it away. The movement was barely spotted by Martha before Kurt pounced, surging forward and grabbing the man’s wrist, hauling him away from the desk and knocking him out cold with a sharp crack to the head with the butt of his gun.
Sarah gasped at that, though didn’t shy away from the brutality. On the contrary, she seemed quite intrigued by it.
“He was going for the alarm,” Kurt grunted. He looked around at the other remaining technicians, quivering in their seats. “He’ll live. The next one to try something might not be so lucky.”
Martha noted their hands stick tighter to their desks, taking root. They weren’t going an
ywhere.
“So, as I was saying,” she went on, portraying a calm exterior, though her insides were raging. “I’m here to help. You don’t need to do anything except sit back and, well, do nothing. Do you all understand?”
She looked pointedly from one to the next, awaiting their nods.
“Good,” she went on. “Kurt, Rick, you know what to do.”
The two Ravens went right back to work, Rick looming over the staff to make sure no one made a move, Kurt stepping towards one of the consoles to deactivate the facility’s external communications system.
Once he’d done so, he looked over and nodded to her. Still wearing the earpiece, she clicked to activate it.
The line connected, the sound of the humming engine once more filling her ear.
“It’s done,” she said. “You can make your approach.”
“Good work,” Ragan said. “We’ll arrive in twenty two and half minutes precisely. Make sure the entrance level is extended for when we get there, and disable air defences.”
He clicked off again, unwilling to waste a single second.
Martha blew out a long, slow, breath, and looked around the room. The difficult part, she knew, was out of the way. They’d taken the control room, and with no shift change scheduled for several hours, no one would notice anything had changed.
Deactivating the communications system had been essential. As soon as Ragan and his strike team began their approach, they would almost certainly be picked up by surveillance towers across the border and boundary of the lake. If those towers tried to update the facility, then no messages would now get through.
Now all they had to do was raise the entrance floor, a simple procedure that would take only a few minutes, and disable the defences. After that, it would be over to Ragan and the coalition of nano-augmented soldiers he’d accumulated.
She let out a long, weary sigh, and felt Sarah tug at her dress. She looked down into her daughter’s bright blue eyes.
“Er, what’s going on, mommy?” she asked, glancing into the room at the, admittedly, strange sight. “I thought we were going home?”
“Soon, darling,” Martha said, cupping her palm to her cheek. “Soon.”
116
Ragan watched from the cockpit of the Panthers’ jet, the one holding the Spectres flying right beside it.
Both were sleek, fast, and had similar cloaking functions to the falcon. Right now, such functions weren’t needed. They were descending quickly, making a direct beeline for the water. And in the distance, a tiny square structure waited, barely visible but quickly growing in clarity.
“That’s it,” Ragan said, pointing excitedly. He looked to his right, where Major Mitcham stood, peering forward, Captain Maddox and Cal - well, Mikel - alongside.
The Major nodded, then turned, marching back into the central body of the plane, where the two dozen Panthers were gathered. Ragan could hear him barking out orders, telling them to get ready for final approach.
The jet swept lower, only slowing as the entrance level bloomed into sight before them, water sloshing and splashing around its base. The sudden slowing motion had Ragan gripping tight to a hold on the wall, his stomach lurching. Annoyingly, Mikel just stood there with a grin, strong legs somehow pinning him to the ground.
The jet steadied off, then began to hover, moving right over the landing pad. Beside them, the Spectres’ jet lagged just behind. They’d have to wait their turn to land; the landing pad had space for just one jet at a time.
The plane fell quickly, the pilot skilled at these sorts of expedited landings, hitting the pad with a thud. Within a second, the door at the rear was opening, sending misty air pouring inside, joined by a blustery wind.
“Go go go!” roared Major Mitcham.
The Panthers filed right out, the jet emptying. Ragan rushed to the front, Mikel and Maddox alongside him, and sprinted immediately for the entrance hall. Within seconds only, the Panther jet had emptied, blue flame burning brighter as it lifted back off, veering to the right and taking up a hover formation.
The Spectres’ jet took its place, another two dozen soldiers hurrying out to join them. Beyond, coming down from the sky, several larger aircraft - these ones empty - moved in and began to hover over the landing pad like flies around dung. Their task was exfiltrating the personnel from down below.
By the time all the soldiers had accumulated in the hall, they found two guards already dead. It had been Mikel who’d rushed in there first and taken them out, speeding quickly in, taking them down before they could possibly call in a warning.
He might be useful here, Ragan thought, seeing him dispatch the guards so easily.
He moved to the large industrial lift, the leaders of the two squads bellowing orders, calling their men into formation. Maddox was there at the controls, summoning the elevator from the floor below. The doors opened, revealing a space big enough for at least two dozen men. The Panthers went first, piling in, the lift quickly descending into the main facility.
The air changed. That misty, natural scent of the lake disappeared, replaced by something artificial. The noise of the wind evaporated too, taken by an almost eerie calm as they stepped out into a large central space, half a dozen long corridors stretching off in various directions, uniformly spaced out.
The men moved into the large hall, taking position. The place was almost entirely grey, colourless and, right now, lifeless but for this influx of insurgents. Ragan knew the layout, and he knew the plan. This large atrium was the central core of the facility, branching off with its multiple wings. Up here, at this highest level, many of the staff and their families lived.
By the looks of things, they hadn’t yet stirred.
A sudden voice came rushing towards him, whispered from down a corridor. He turned, looking towards the southern wing of the facility, to find Martha Mitchell rushing onwards, dressed in a familiar blue coat. She had a little girl by her side, clutched to her hand. Behind them, Kurt and Rick, her two sizeable Raven bodyguards, marched, not needing to even run to keep pace.
“Ragan! You made it!” Martha said, breath heaving. “And…Mikel. Good to have you back.”
Ragan cringed as she said Mikel’s real name. Everyone else just knew him as Cal. He glanced around. Thankfully, no one appeared to have taken notice, the men still spreading out around the hall.
As they approached, Ragan noticed the little girl, Sarah, working her eyes around this strange assemblage of black-clad men in wonder. He was surprised to see no fear in the child. She had plenty of her mother in her, then.
The lift clicked again behind them, the door opening up. The Spectres filed out, dressed similarly to the Panthers, though the two groups were easily discernible from one another.
“Everyone still sleeping?” Ragan asked sharply, looking directly at Martha.
It was bizarre seeing her again after all that had happened. Any proper reunion - and discussion of what had gone on - would have to wait.
“Mostly,” she said. “We need to start waking them, getting them out.”
“The extraction aircraft are waiting above. My men have their orders.” He turned to them all, Panthers and Spectres alike. “OK, what are you waiting for! Let’s get to it!”
They moved off immediately, dispersing in their teams. Some were here to plant charges. Others would be used to help escort the people out. All were ready to fight should the need arise.
It felt good - no, great - to have his orders performed without question. It wasn’t an ego thing for Ragan. He didn’t care about being ‘accepted’ back by the Panthers, or having the respect of the Spectres. No, this was simply a case of everyone working together for the greater good.
National sentiments and personal allegiances had been put to one side. Petty infighting had gone on hiatus. They were special forces soldiers who’d been fighting against once another in Cincinnati. And yet here, all were willing to work together for this common cause.
Long may it last, Ragan thoug
ht, watching them all rush off.
The silence that had greeted them when they stepped into the hall didn’t last long. First, stamping feet. Then, the sound of dozens of knocking doors. Moments later, screams filled the air, an unfortunate and expected side-effect of the mission. Naturally, none of these people could have been warned of what was really going on. They saw soldiers storming in to their rooms and acted accordingly, shrieking as they were ushered out into the corridors and ordered to gather in the central atrium.
Martha shook her head, watching it play out.
“I’ll help calm them,” she said. “Ragan, please fulfil your promise.”
“My…promise,” Ragan said, mind trying to catch up. Then he caught sight of Sarah again, standing by her mother’s side, eyes still watching proceedings with interest. “Oh, of course. Yes, we’ll get her to safety immediately. And…what about you?”
Martha drew a breath, the clamour around them growing louder.
“I need to help here,” she said. She looked to her bodyguards. “Kurt, Rick, stay with her. Don’t let her out of your sight.”
“But…we can help,” boomed Kurt, dark eyes hidden beneath thick brows.
“You’ve done plenty. Please, stay with Sarah.”
The large man wilted under Martha’s gaze. He nodded, then looked down at Sarah.
“Ready to go, little miss?” he said.
Sarah looked at him, then at her mother.
“Why aren’t you coming?” she asked, voice small.
Martha bent down and gave her a hug.
“I’ll be back with you shortly, darling. You go with your Ravens, OK. No arguments now.”
She kissed her forehead firmly, then stood, looking upon her guards with eyes that commanded action. Before Sarah could object, she was gripped by Kurt, who picked her up, swinging her into a strong arm, and hauled her away. Sarah didn’t cry out or call for her mother. She just stared at her, confused, as she was taken to the elevator, disappearing as the doors closed shut.
“She’s beautiful,” Ragan said softly, watching on. “You never mentioned her back at the base.”