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OMICRON REPORT
Seattle, WA. 0200 010518
Back at the Headquarters warehouse the team had set up they continued to work through the night with all the equipment they had brought out of the Zeus warehouse before Ian burned it to the ground. Doctor Payne was busy performing tests with Michelle on the three pods they kept (the other 297 were sent to the Zoo.)
Upon arriving back at base the team split up to take care of many necessary duties. Masque sat around the planning table and tried to make heads or tails of the economic data that Drake sent them. But making no progress on it he went shopping at Macy's and other large shopping centers until 4pm. When he got back he would organize his quarters and information library in them. Ian set up the rest of the surveillance on the base; the sewers under it; the roof, and integrated all of it into Dodgers security. Beggay meanwhile stole two full size Suburbans and began outfitting them with all manner of good and deadly wiz-bangs.
News broadcasts during this time reported many strange bits of news besides the regular old SOSDD.
- A.B.B. got a new defense contract with the USAF for airborne lasers.
- The Bank of Tokyo lost 500 Billion in devaluation of the Franc.
- The Seattle Slayer mailed the hearts of his fourth and fifth victims to the Governor.
- H.M.S. Victoria in port.
During the next couple days the team would split up and gather information on the City itself and their mission there. Masque spent a straight forty-eight hours at the table devouring the economic and financial data given to them by Drake and Doctor Payne's 'friend.' Beggay finished outfitting the Suburbans with Ian's help. Kham and Otter practiced martial skills and roamed to get a feel for Seattle. Petyr checked over Ian's work and then did reconnaissance of his own. These days passes more news reports about the Seattle Slayer mailing the Chief of Police his wife's head; the Space Stations first experiments; elderly killed in retirement home fires in Savannah, Georgia and warehouses burning in Los Angeles.
Doctor Payne had made many discoveries regarding the state of the bodies in the pods, while corresponding with Verner at the Zoo. All the bodies in the pods were human, female, and between the ages of 16 and 36. Only two with the good Doctor in Seattle would survive. The treatment they were on was some variation of retrovirus and chemotherapy from all outward appearances. But it was on the night of the third day that he made his biggest discovery. The material in some of the chemical containers from Zeus storage seemed to be chemicals, but they were really a solution of Gray DNA. It had seven bases and these pods were trying to graft it onto humans. Though that left many question unanswered, he was out of time for now.
Seattle, WA. 010521
The morning had been uneventful, but the day held great surprises ahead. Masque had prepared food for everyone since he was the only team member that cared what he ate. The Combat Ops would be fine eating rations, and the rest didn't care much more than that. Apart from a report that Team 218 was reporting a little bit of strangeness in the Boise area, nothing was up. (Team 218 was another of the teams assigned the Northwest US region.) Then Drake had called about Intel on Abbot Labs in Illinois and that the Grays supposedly controlled them. Everyone went about his or her business until the Omicron rang. The Omicron was the one in the back of their neck that let them all know that someone wanted to talk to them. It is the one universal way to get a hold of all the Ops on one team.
Masque glanced over at Dodger who was lying with his feet, resting in his recliner, with his Cyberdeck out on his lap. If not for the tapping of his fingers he could be mistaken for sleeping, eyes closed and all. He just waved one hand in admission to Masque that he was recording the call. With that out of the way, Masque answered. After ten seconds of the daily codes for verification and authentication the voice on the other end said, "Masque, this is Deacon. Wanted to stop by and even up on things since this is technically your turf." -- "What time?" -- "How does ten a.m. strike you?" -- Masque looked around the room; no objections, "Good." Both then conversed in a code specific to last years AAA maps that allowed for saying where to meet but not saying it. (Just in case someone was listening.)
"Well folks we'll have company about ten a.m. so lets all look sharp."
Team 203 warehouse, 1000
Precisely at the top of the hour Dodger reported movement on the scanners outside the warehouse, further down the street. In the rain and the early morning fog a Suzuki Samurai 2000 rolled through the puddles and the sunless morning. The largest of the Yamaha line and getting up to 60mph in roughly 2.4 seconds it looked like a child's tricycle compared to the man riding it. Slicked wet in a trench coat fastened to his legs and helmetless, rode a man who appeared humorless. The team watched him roll up to the gate and stop; Masque was inside using the windows but Otter and Ian were on the roof, the rest collected in the garage. He raised his hand and waved a seemingly innocuous wave that signaled 'Scout. Permission to enter.'
"Beggay. Raise the garage and let him in." Masque had to shout to be heard at the far end of the garage. Before he had even finished Solo was radioing Deacon from the motorcycle to approach. His cybernetic hearing had told him what Masque had said through the rain and the distance. As Beggay rolled up the garage, he coasted up and into the warehouse. As he got off the motorcycle, after going far enough into the garage so to be out of sight of the road, he removed his trench coat. What greeted the eyes of Kham, Doctor, Petyr, Beggay, and Dodger was a sight most inhuman. Solo wore a long john undershirt beneath a heavy wool sweater, but only by their trained eye could they see his augmentation. His muscles bulged with a hydraulic look; tendons seemed like wires; kevlar plating and ceramic braces collided at angles skin didn't; joints were oversize -- all in all he looked like a cybernetic experiment gone awry. He stood a full seven feet tall he carried his Siberian ancestry well. "Pleased to meetcha," he said by way of greeting to those assembled as he looked them over like a butcher eyeing up a cow. The team stood there in awe. This was Solo. The most deadly agent in the Company.
Within the minute a non-descript used UPS van rolled up with a Suburban right behind it. A medium height darkly tanned man with a bald head got out of the UPS van. After him an ordinary yet pleasant to look at redhead with a pale complexion got out of the driver seat. Both walked over as Otter and Ian were coming down from the roof. A tall thick man with a receding hairline and a buzz cut got out of the suburban, following him was a wiry guy with long straight raven hair. "Allow me to introduce everyone," said the man with the receding hairline. "I'm Deacon. That is Solo," motioning to the cyborg. "Beside him is Melissa," he said as he pointed to the red head and she nodded politely. "Next to me is Patterson," then he pointed to the guy with long black hair, "and that is Gypsy." Team 203 was truly in the presence of greatness today. This team was legendary.
A short history. In mid-1998 Omni-team 202 was formed. The original members were Deacon, Gypsy, Shadow, and an incredibly powerful Psi-op named sunset. During the coming two months they began to investigate all manner of paranormal occurrences. Towards the end of the two months a mission to Siberia had given them two new members, combat ops named Xerox and Patterson. The mission was the first where they discovered a second alien race on Earth. An anthropomorphic lizard man race. During the coming month their missions lead them around the world from Brazil to the Antarctic to Louisiana. They were the first team to recover a non-working and then a working Gray spacecraft. At the end of it, the team was suspicious of the origin of the Lizard men, which seemed to be derivative of human, lizard, and heavy tinkering by the Grays. Shadow with the assistance of Aramis made the break that disproved the Gray connection. Meanwhile Sunset had become increasingly suspicious of the Companies leading Psi-op, and founder of the Psi-cadre, Jacques. He never let down his mental shield and never left his laboratory at the Academy.
That was unusual because he was a tremendous field op, better than any of them. By the end of it, they discovered a circle of agents that had been co-opted by Jacques and were propagating the Lizard man hoax. By the end of it, Jacques attacked the Zoo with a horde of lizard men to kill Shadow and Sunset. He only succeeded in killing Sunset, who gave he life to save Shadow. That sent the Team on a killing rampage led by Patterson and Xerox, until they eventually cornered Jacques in a warehouse in western Canada to his secret lab. During the fight Shadow was killed, as was Jacques. The whole thing became know as the Mole hunt of 98, and they were its heroes.
During the Big Mole Hunt, two other names became associated with greatness by virtue of their association with Deacon and his team. First was Athos; he was the leader of team 204 until it recruited a new Sec Op named Dartagnan. He and Deacon worked closely together when Destroying Jacque's European operations. Second was Ghost Who Walks In Shadows; he and Deacon had become friends when hunting the paranormal in Asia. Hart, a psychotic Combat op, led ghost's team with an attitude. She also shared Deacon's passion for killing the paranormal. All in all, they were the cream of the crop.
"Glad you announced yourself," said Masque. He then took a moment to introduce his team, then asked, "What are you in town for, if I may ask?" -- "Demon hunt. Our normal stock in trade, but if you need backup don't hesitate."
"Espically if there is going to be a gunfight," said Patterson with a cold detachment.
Small amounts of friendly banter followed and Team 203 played the part of a gracious host. But not long after they had closed the garage the Omicron went off again. All action stopped. Dodger waved his hand. Masque spoke after the codes, "Speak."
"Ghost here, in town and needed to stop by. Was in L.A. with all the burning buildings. Wanted to inquire about any leads you've had." -- "No leads, we just got here, but feel free to drop by." -- "Ok, thanks. Have you seen Deacon? heard he was in town." -- Masque looked at Deacon, who nodded, "Yeah, he's right here. Why?" -- "Had to pick a bone with him." -- "Ok, he might be here, when can we expect you?" Masque asked. -- "About thirty minutes, say at the Lexington street mall in the food court." -- "Ok, we'll be there." Masque then hung up, "Looks like we got a date. Deacon, you wanna go to?"
Deacon pontificated for a minute, then looked over his team, then spoke. "No, we need some rest. It ok if we stay here?"
"Suure!" Ian said with a long u. "Just don't touch the mouse traps..."
Lexington Mall, 1100.
The mall parking lot was empty this time of the morning and the only people inside were joggers or other such health nuts. The team went to some pains of not seeming like a gang of eight people walking all in at the same time; using different exits, doing drop offs, and the like. By 1115, everyone was inside and headed for the food court and the meeting. Once they were in the food court the activity level went up drastically, evidently all these health nuts must also like to eat in the morning. A lady was ordering something from One-Potato-Two, while three walked towards the lady's room. Another in a slick jogging suit was arguing with the cashier about the price of pretzels. But who they were too meet was no secret. In the center of the court was a table seating three. The tall Asian lady seated across from the brute of a Native American told them they were in the right place. A diminutive Chinese male sat between them enjoying a frosty whip. Part of 203 had remained seated at another end of the court so not to draw undue attention. Ian was over trying to order a beer, but the Happy Burger guy was having none of it. Masque, Petyr, and the Doctor walked up to the threesome and sat. Petyr started out, "You are lookingk guud."
"And you too Petyr," said Ghost. "so tell me about your mission." -- "Heh heh he," chortled Petyr in a deep Cossak bass, "good try. You knew that wouldn't work." -- "Yeah, but I had to try. Make sure you're not a security risk." He said the last line to Petyr with his hand on his sidearm and a steely glare in his eye.
Just then Hart perked her head up from her cup of coffee and looked around, Ghost was the only one that noticed but when he spoke everyone seemed to catch on. "What's the matter? Something wrong."
"I don't know but I got the feeling just then we're gonna get Jacqued."
"Ok, then we leave." Ghost got up, surveying the court, but seeing only old ladies in walking pants and no threats he proceeded to lead his team out. Masque followed and Petyr lagged behind the large group. The good doctor though smelled blood, or had an insight that those of lesser intellect missed. Speaking to Kham and Otter subvocally, "Hang back, something's up." With that they broke off from the group and went into side shops. The group is a loose term, everyone was on the way out but not hanging together and being conspicuous. They alternated standing, window-shopping, and browsing through shops. So the departure of Kham and Otter was merely them taking on the roll of rear guard. Then it hit the fan. A young lady, perhaps 23, was trying to get her order served at a chocolate shop, when the proprietor deftly drew a double barreled shotgun from under the table and aimed it at her stomach. A short jerk on the trigger later, both rounds from the shotgun had blown the contents of her stomach nearly out her back and onto the floor. Her lifeless corpse wasn't far behind them as it hit the floor with a thud. Petyr reacted immediately as Otter flicked out his rapier. Leaping onto the counter and grabbing the shotgun away from the man as he frantically tried to reload. Otter leapt over the counter and began a search of the back while Kham took up a defensive stance behind a tree stand incase this girl had other friends. Petyr slashed out the clerk's throat with a lightning flash of his claws.
Doctor Payne meanwhile knelt by her to check for a pulse though he knew full well that she was toast. "Masque," he subvocalized, "gunfire in court. Under con-ghhhh.." A iron grip clamped down on his throat. Small female fingers crushed his windpipe and pulled his head down to her bloody chest. Kham looked on for a second before she drew her vibro knives (the mall was too exposed for forearm claws) and dashed at the girl. The disemboweled little lady flung Doctor Payne head over heals, the whole time grabbing his throat.
Everyone began to converge on the site, but not too fast. They could handle themselves and there was no need to cause a scene.
Sprawled out above her on the ground the Doctor was shaking off the impact of her throw as Kham lunged down at the girl with both knives. You were good girly. But as the knives drove all the way through and hit the stone below her, the girl rolled and pulled Kham over. Seated above Kham her back exploded as Otter fired full auto with his .45 EECS pistol, the Cudgel. The suppressor he'd been clamping on in a rush had slowed his return fire, but the impact of his bullets, which should have blown the engine on a Semi or a Caterpillar, had no effect on her. As Kham struggled beneath the girl, Petyr delivered a bell-ringing kick to her head and sent the girl sprawling out onto the floor. He then followed it up, as Otter was shooting around him to hit the girl, with a attack that would have dislocated both of girlie's shoulders, but she sidestepped. Overextended, it was trivial for her to push him into a counter, which she did. As Petyr's head bounced off the hard stone, he realized with just what amount of strength she pushed him with and the amount you needed to hold a lady down that bent steel bars for fun. This little girl was schooling them.
Watching a little vixen in a short skirt whoop his lackeys-to-be was no way for their self-esteem to get built up so he could manipulate them. So he set his massive cranium into genius mode. I must develop a fiendish plan quickly, for I am God. Then he had it. Girly was hit with a shoulder blow to the ribs that brought her down. Then the Doctor injected her with three doses of Hyper-coagulant. She kicked and bit his wrist, which was pinning her head to the wall (where the head goes the body follows.) So in injected her until he had no more Hyper-coagulant. A total of twenty-five doses later she was unconscious. "Petyr, bring me a cryo bag on the double." Masque and Dodger arrived first, with the rest close behind.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"This gal was attacked by the cashier and then after she'd been disemboweled she managed to kick the hell out of Otter, Kham, and Petyr." The Doctor conveniently left out the fact he'd gone flying on her friendly airlines.
"Take her beck to ze base and tell us vy she is zat way," said Petyr rubbing his head. "Otter and Kham check out the store for anything else. Be shure tue bring da cashiers budy."
203 Warehouse, 1300.
Ghost and Hart had ridden back to the warehouse in a beaten up old black Charger that purred like a big cat, whilst Neko followed in his little old rusty Ford Taurus. The garage at the warehouse was starting to look like "Beggay's Used Car Lot" but there was plenty of room inside to avoid the prying eyes. Ghost was in an animated conversation with Doctor Payne who was up to his elbows in blood. "So you say that she's not human, I know that. What NEW did you find?" Both were in medical greens behind plastic sheets that acted as splatter screens.
"Well if I must share, this young girl is not only not human but possesses incredible powers of regeneration," he continued to speak about her cell structure and abnormal levels of spontaneous growth. Ghost only heard about every fifth word, as the circular saw's whirring drowned the rest out. ZZZZZZZZZZZ it yelled as he pushed it into her flesh sending blood spattering everywhere. Two arms were on the floor, lifeless and now he was in the process of removing the bulk of her abdomen. "Like I was saying," he continued as he paused to untangle intestine from the blade, "I had to put her on an IV of hyper-coagulant because it seems to dampen the healing process. Now I'm trying just to hold her down."
"Aghhhh!!! I get the stainless steel clamps ya asked for doc!" Ian announced boisterously. "Scotts!! What a mess."
"Thankyou Ian, now leave," Doctor said as he snatched the clamps. ZZZZZZZZZZZ. WURRRRRR. GGGGRRRRRRRR. Three cuts later he was down to her spinal column and had placed the bracket over it. "Would you be so kind as to hand me the welder Ghost?"
"Sure. Are you sure she won't be able to move? And will I be able to question her?"
"Yes and yes." He then completed the last band that was holding her down. The others were over her neck and over her chest, and since both arms and legs had been removed she was incapable of movement. "I'm relatively sure she will not get away."
"I hope you're right. These bugs are tough." Ghost didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the gore, while everyone else stayed on the other side of the curtains. Over there Gypsy and Dodger were trying to work up a Kirlian camera to take a picture of its aura with.
1800.
"Ok, the cameras are ready and in position." Gypsy said it with little conviction with Patterson standing there glaring at him.
"Then turn it on." Doctor Payne didn't care for their little game, he just wanted to see this things aura. As Gypsy brushed some dark hair out of his face he reached over and flicked the power switch. The digital camera displayed the picture on a 40" TV that Beggay had confiscated, and it was abominable. Superimposed over the picture of a once pretty young girl with no arms or legs was the ghostly image of a horrifically transformed ant. The normally smooth exoskeleton had sharp points and jutting spikes all over. The head was wide and flat with sharp mandibles. Monstrous arms with pointed joints and sharp angles everywhere seemed to be her aura. Laying there lifeless on the table, the human body seemed benign, but the Aura of the Ant writhed tirelessly.
"Bring her 'to," said Ghost. All the agents unconsciously shifted stances to a aggressive stance and prepared for the worst this armless legless monster could do. With seventeen agents around the table, you'd think it was like a damn Omicron convention.
As Doctor Payne removed the Hyper-coag IV, and injected the antidote, slowly the girl's eyes blinked and came to life. Bang! With a terrible rattle her whole body spasmed and shook the stainless steel table and jerked at her bindings. AGHHH!!! Letting out a horrible scream, she fought with all her might to get out of the straps. "Let me out of here!!!!" Her voice was high pitched, pained, and raspy. "We will kill you all."
Ghost cut in, "Tell us who you are."
"We are."
"Why did he attack you?" he asked motioning to the body of the clerk.
"Wasps do that. We kill them."
"Let me tell you something," Doctor Payne said holding a vial of her blood in his hands, "I can hurt you, or we, or whatever." Then he withdrew a seringe from behind his back and touched the tip of it into what remained of her shoulder. Her body convulsed. She yelled profanities. Then she just screamed.
"Neat," said the evil Doctor. "That was ammonia gentle agents," he said holding his arms wide and speaking with a touch of flourish. All the assembled ops looked on with a touch of morbid curiosity.
"Also observe this." Doctor Payne then took out a large bladed scalpel, a rib snipper, and a rib spreader. With the scalpel he sliced through the throat of the screaming girl to severe the vocal cords. Then with the rib snipper he started the grisly work of opening her up, although she was still screaming. Then with a loud snap, a ripping of tendons, and a thunderous pop of her spinal cord he opened up her chest cavity. Using a wet-dry vac he removed the blood as he pried away organs and muscle. "Hold the camera here Michelle," he said to his assistant. Up to his elbows in blood and gore, he emotionlessly took a pair of forceps and pushed aside the non-beating heart. What he exposed surprised them all. A bright green pulsating slug the size of a yam sat behind the heart. "This folks and boys is the face of the beast. Some how it channels psychic energy from the Astral plane. I'm not exactly sure on all of it, but this .. this... thing, is what got inside this pretty young girl and turned her into the monster I just butchered. Are there any questions," he asked now looking up from his grisly work and finally making eye contact for the first time since starting the operation.
Heads shoot all around.
"Otter, Kham, Ian, and Beggay prepare bullets to carry ammonia payloads immediately." Masque spoke with conviction and they immediately got to work while Ian muttered, "Ahhh! Killin' thingz iz graaate."
0045
"My esteemed colleagues, please come hither!!" shouted Dodger from the back room behind the planning table and the super-genius table. Everyone looked at each other, Dodger never yelled. What could be the matter? "For Pete's sake, get thy lilly white arses back here forthwith!!" Everyone, Petyr, Doctor, Ian, Masque, all the support team-members, Ghost's team, and Deacon's team walked into Dodgers computer room.
"What the hell is it Dodger, we're in the middle of planning search and destroy operations against the bugs." Ghost was not happy and Hart was just fuming with rage; she did not like to be disturbed.
"Well then you may go back in the next room and let me tell everyone that the great one in your former presence has noticed something going on outdoors in yon hither streets that may perk an interest in you." Sitting on the recliner with his eyes closed and serenely typing on his Cyberdeck it would be easy to not listen to his words. But then you might mistake that he was not genuinely concerned for the safety of the group.
"Camera. Pan south." Masque ordered the computer in rapid fire short blurts. "Zoom in. Passive Intensification."
"There you see that!" Otter said, "It's a person, they're walking like a zombie."
"Otter, Ian, get to the roof now. Kham get to the main door. Beggay get your vehicles ready to move. Deacon, Ghost, we may need your help with this." Masque looked at each of the senior agents, not wanting to give an order but using every fast-talk trick he knew to get them to put their men (and women) into action.
"Sure," Ghost said. -- "Why not," Deacon added.
"Solo get over there with Kham. Patterson, take Melissa and get to the back lot. Gypsy work on a Karilian video camera."
"Hart, front garage. Neko, roof." Both agents spoke so quickly, Masque knew they were waiting to give those orders just as he asked.
Everyone hustled to get on armor, webbing, ammo, and the other items needed to properly fight whatever was out there. Inside at the main table Masque, Doctor, Dodger, Deacon and Ghost scanned the different TV monitors to try and find out what they would be up against. Then Doctor Payne spoke up. "There was something the ant lady said that has been bothering me. She spoke about herself in the plural sense. If she is part of an ant 'Hive' then there is a possibility of some hive mind, empathic connection, phenomenal communication, or psychic bond they could all share. Do you follow."
"That would be a perfect way for them to track their lost member." Masque spoke up with the sudden realization just as the Doctor had wanted him too. Masque then radioed to Kham and Otter, "How many of those ammonia rounds did you prepare for the carbines?" -- "About two hundred rounds." Otter spoke as if he were very ashamed with himself.
Deacon spoke up, "I think we should pass them out to people on the roof, and have someone with the Karilian camera and a laser designator direct fire."
"Good idea," Ghost said. Now it would get done no matter what.
"Ok," Masque said having been obtusely told what to do.
"Gypsy!!" Deacon shouted, "How is that camera doing?"
"Camera?!? What camera??" he yelled back.
"Patterson, refresh his memory." Deacon spoke into the microphone of his radio.
"Oh THAT! camera. The Karilian one. Sure, sure, I got it done. Just keep that Grunt away from me." Out back, Patterson was grumbling to himself about the geek as Melissa was trying to keep herself from shaking any more.
Beggay charged into the room and slapped a large black stereo receiver looking piece of equipment down on the table and proceeded to plug connection cables into various apparati of Dodger's. "My good sir, may I enquire just what in the name of fuck you think you're doing, you rapscallion??"
In his greasy coveralls and not weighing more than a buck fifty, Beggay looked at Dodger as if he were from Mars. Then he turned to Masque, "I just got the Spikes on line. This is a relay box to view their sensors from." He then turned around and switched the station on one of the monitors. An overhead view of a thermograph came up on the screen. Everyone could tell that it was two blocks south of the warehouse by comparing it to the maps they had memorized of the layout of the warehouse district they were located in.
"I think you'll find this interesting." Then Beggay leaned back on the counter and jacked into to his Rigging module. "Ok, I'm moving west now. See the three large masses of coolness." Everyone nodded. "I'm zooming in now. You'll begin to see more resolution now. I really need to upgrade the cameras on the Spikes." Nobody cared. "I've counted about five hundred entities. They are slow moving. I estimate ETA at 5.0 minutes." The normal western twang in his voice was unmistakable as he spoke with the measured and precise language of a research scientist. Nobody doubted him.
From up on the roof, where Ian and Otter were crouched behind the ledge with Gypsy and his new camera, came a call on the radio. "We've got trouble here. This mob is moving towards us and we're getting allot of Bug aura. They're keeping out of direct line of fire and using cover, alleyways, and movement through the building interiors to prevent effective fire." Not what the commanders wanted to hear.
"That limits our options," Masque said. "Doctor Payne get up to the roof and run that camera. Otter's guns need to be firing.
"Yes, my fearless leader." The sarcasm dripped like an gangrene infected stomach wound.
"We haven't much time," Deacon said. "Where do you want us?" with a thumb point at Ghost.
Masque almost started sweating. What was Deacon doing? He should go wherever he wanted to go. Was this a test? Did he was me to tell him that, or to make a decision? But Sec Ops don't play mind games. He looked at Petyr. The big Russian's expression was as flat as the steppes of the Urals. Shit. "Deacon and Petyr reinforce the front door. Ghost take Hart and Neko, go to the southwest corner of the building and use the steel ISO crates for cover." Whatever they thought of the plan they kept to themselves and just did what was asked. Why Masque wondered?
0100
The bugs were going slow and taking time in their approach. Ian had taken the time to climb down the wall with Otter and drop a few explosives in three rows deep, south of the building. As thunder rolled from the storm overhead, and a light rain began to pelt them all, Masque sat with Dodger and Beggay in the bowels of the base waiting. Waiting was the hardest part. He began to second guess himself and go over the placement of forces again.
The warehouse was laid out generally east-west long ways and one story tall. Otter, Ian, Gypsy, and Doctor Payne were on the roof. By the garage door on the east side, right by the north-south road; Deacon, Solo, Petyr, and Kham waited patiently. At the southwest corner; Ghost, Neko and Hart, likewise waited. The radios were silent. "Don't you see anything Beggay?" Masque asked. -- "No. Their movement just stopped, then they disappeared off the screen. They had massed in all the buildings to the south of us." Then it happened. Nobody was really surprised. They had known it would.
The walls to the building on their south just fell over. The screams of tearing and shearing steel filled the night like thunder. Glass broke, bricks shattered, and wood splintered. A wave of human zombies rushed at them with the force of a Tsunami. Everyone facing south opened fire. Gunfire filled the night. Solo and Ghost both used their enhanced strength to fire a gattling carbine in each arm. At 120 rounds per second they spent as much time firing as they did reloading. Hart and Neko added the fire from their own battle rifles to the fray.
On the roof, Ian was leaning over the edge with a Gattling shotgun throwing a wall of lead up in front of the inhuman wave. Doctor Payne directed the single shots from Otter's carbine rifle at the bugs. Otter was astonishingly accurate for a pistoleer. Every shot took apart a Bug, and splattered the innards of its human host across the sidewalk. Gypsy detonated each chain of explosives that Ian had set out, in turn, as the Bugs crossed it. As the rambling humans were gunned down, burned, shot, and exploded they burst apart like pillows. But instead of disgorging feathers they popped like bug pineatas. Their human skins held in a colony of bugs that gave them motion. But as the bugs inside them were strewn about the street the human skins were thrown about like used costumes.
At the southwest corner they were hit hard. The wave blasted into them despite their large and effective volume of fire. The bug zombies charged through all their losses. When they slammed into Ghost and Hart, parts flew in the air, and bodies were rent apart. Ghost fought with claws and Hart with a Naginata. Neko stayed behind them and used a shotgun on any that tried to flank of surround his team members. But they couldn't hold off the entire wave, it split and hit the wall of he building and wrapped around to the back. In the face of overwhelming odds at times it felt hopeless. No matter how many they killed, there were always more. Bugs got up to them, clawed at them, swung fists, bruised, cut, and bloodied them. Hart screamed and went down. Neko used the butt of the Shotgun to swat human zombies off her. Ghost used the gattling carbine like a scalpel to carve away a clean spot for them to stand up. Bleeding more after nearly being torn apart, Hart recommenced firing into the onslaught. Occasionally Otter would take down a real bug with a rifle shot. Now the three fought, yelling at the top of their lungs. The only psychological effect was to bolster their confidence, like Normans, Roman Legionaries, and Mongolian Horsemen ages before them.
On the other side of the building Solo, Kham and Petyr fought hand to hand with the bugs using their mono-blade claws, and back to back with each other. Deacon fought with a five hundred year old Katana, often slicing a human zombie right off of their back. Having spent all their ammo to hold them back for a while, there were being over-run by the bugs. Otter was having trouble keeping the bugs off them, and they were having trouble keeping the bug-bags off them. No matter how many they killed, or how close they stayed to their buddies, or how loud they screamed for help. The bugs seemed to get behind them, jump on your back, kick you in the back of the knee or somehow get you to the ground. All wearing armor and gear, there was lots to get a hold of. Empty ammo pouches in particular were good grab points. Gypsy, also on the roof, was hammering away with a Company GPMG. Listening to his friends below shout and yell, then scream and curse as they fought for their lives only encouraged him to reload faster and shoot til his barrel was red.
Inside Masque used an Auto-shotgun to pick off ones that came through the windows. But will one hundred and fifty feet of windows, and one shotgun it was easy to see who would win. He emptied his favorite machine pistol at the first one through and then decided to drop it for the more effective shotgun. "Dodger, Beggay!! Get to a van." he shouted. Each walked in a trance as they controlled remote systems at the base. Dodger was the first to jack-out and use the four Copperhead SMG's he had hung over his neck. Firing one in each hand with skill no computer geek on earth had, he kept the bugs at bay as Beggay climbed into his new armored Suburban. Around them Beggay's five robots hummed, and rolled, and fired. Four little garbage can size robots with .30-caliber machine guns in turrets for heads, dumped hundreds of rounds into the zombies. This star of robots ringed them and protected them. The fifth was a small tank. Literally; with treads, a turret, a rocket launcher, and a gattling gun main gun. It shot through the base walls and into the crowd of zombies behind it. All of them controlled by Beggay as he walked in a trance like state and climbed in the Suburban. With Beggay in the Driver seat, calm behind a quarter inch of armored glass and Dodger in the passenger seat blazing out the window with his SMG's, they just waited for Masque to get here and get in.
Masque stayed at the headquarters table. He had to make sure the charges were set, ignited, and all the important files (electronic and paper) destroyed. Between placing charged he would shoot one more zombie that was climbing through the window with his shotgun. Two landed on the command table. He only had time to shoot one, then he other kicked him in the head. He rolled with it, and stumbled backwards. Firing again, off balance, he fell to the floor and was showered with bugs as it popped open. He lobbed one thermite grenade at the table, within its blast radius were eight more. Nothing would be left behind he thought to himself as he grunted, got up and headed to the Suburban.
Behind the building Patterson and Melissa were in the fight of their lives. She used a Gattling carbine like it was going out of style, eight ammo boxes piled at her feet. The bug's bodies burst apart like cutting the finger off of a rubber glove filled with water. Popping like huge bug filled human zits. Patterson was standing on a hill of empty magazine and elephant gun brass. The .700N rounds went through about ten bug-bag zombies, so he waited for them to get in a group. His 9mm machine pistol with extended magazine fired single shots, each cleanly taking the head off of a bug. Melissa just took out hordes of them. But there is a limit to ammo, and the rate at which you can take them down, compared to the rate they advanced. In this case it was a loosing proposition for the Ops. But for two Agents, they held off longer than any other group before being over-run. With no one on the roof to help them, they both stole one last glimpse at each other. Patterson didn't even return Melissa's smile. He just reloaded and kept killing. Quickly cracking them with a forearm or pistol grip, he kept them at arms length just enough to shoot them. He placed shots with such skill he was killing three or four at a time with the blow through, but reloading was nearly impossible. If you were reloading you weren't fighting them. Soon he had no more fully loaded firearms to switch to. Then they got you with numbers, and just mobbed you. Melissa went down first. Cursing and flailing with her CQC knife she cut them apart as she was dragged to the ground.
In the rage of battle and the chaos of combat Patterson could barely hear her, much less anyone over the radio or even with their ears. The thunder, and the rain and the wind didn't help. Soaking wet in the rain, covered in blood, burnt from muzzle blasts, and crawling with bugs was no way to go Patterson thought. Woe to the infantryman.
At the garage, Kham and Petyr were back to back so close that if they could get any closer they would be rubbing fronts. Both with their ammo long gone, they just fought on with claws. When the suburban bust through the garage they were shocked. With Dodger hanging out the passenger window and Masque out the driver side rear with a Gattling carbine there were really surprised. The volume of fire they added and the bugs they drew away was a welcome relief. Maybe they did have a chance. When it turned north on the street outside the garage and drove away, the few bugs it did drive down were a small comfort. They better not be jacqueing us, both of them thought. The robots inside rolled out and doused the bugs with terribly effective fire and took much pressure off their flanks.
From on the roof, Gypsy managed to hear on last shout for help over the radio as Patterson went down, kicking bugs off of Melissa and fighting six at a time with blinding fast tantos. Over the hail of lead Ian was dishing out, and that Otter and Doctor Payne were pouring down, he dropped his own rifle and drew his newest gadget. With it in one hand and a pistol in hand (plus ten loaded ones elsewhere on his body) he ran to the far side of the roof. Once at the north ledge he looked over with horror. Hopefully the gadget would work.
A sea of dead bugs, shattered corpses, a writing mound of live bug-bags and somewhere down there were Patterson and Melissa. Five concussion grenades preceded him down and churned up geysers of bug guts. He jumped off the roof and hit the mad mosh pit. The monofilament wire swung out like a scythe. Severing bug bodies in half, and dumping their innards about the ground he swung again, and again and again. Soon dragging the single strand of molecules through so many bodies was taking its toll on him. The resistance was immense, and he was just a weak geek. Sooner or later he would have to find Patterson and Melissa. Or he had cut them to ribbons already, which wasn't a comforting thought. If that were the case, he hoped the bugs got him because he wouldn't want to face Deacon and Solo. Then in a crash of lighting he saw Patteson's web harness and he walked towards it as he swung again and cut more bugs into ribbons. Gypsy whirled like a typhoon to clear all 360 degrees around him of bug attackers. As he reached Patterson he kicked him just because he could and would later say he did it to rouse him. But Patterson stirred and rolled over in the foot deep bug bits. "Get the hell up you lazy f&*@)@! Grunt. You expect me to do all he killing!?!?!" Under the beaten up form of Patterson he could see what looked like Melissa. She was still on the ground and covered in blood. Hopefully not all of it was hers. No body had that much blood. Note: That was a neat thing about these bugs, they had no blood. Just tons and tons of little creepy crawlies.
"Ha ha!" was all Patterson said as he stood up and grabbed four pistols off of Gypsy like he was fast drawing them from his own holsters. Patterson only used his right arm. The left hung limp at his side, from multiple fractures and a possible dislocation. His face was busted up, blood splattered his hair, and parts of his web gear had been torn off as the bugs tired to tear him apart. None of which contributed to improve his otherwise bad mood. Yeah, he was mad. So he opened fire with a vengeance. Each shot took down more than before. As Gypsy continued to whip it out on the bugs, whose numbers could finally be seen to be diminishing, Patterson bent down and hoisted Melissa to her feet. Dragging her they made their way south towards where they hoped Ghost and Hart would be.
As they rounded the corner a Suburban went roaring by. Was that the computer geek Dodger hanging out the window like a sixth grader on a field trip using a Copperhead? The double take and the bugs piled up on the hood and stuck to the sides told them that it was. The Suburban was making passes down the street, leaving shattered bugs in their wake. In the time it took Beggay to make two more passes across the east-west street and up north past where Solo, Deacon, Petyr, and Kham were, the bugs were neutralized. Ian, Otter and the Doctor picked off stragglers, but they were broken.
In the rain and amongst the shattered bodies of their foes, the sixteen ops stood victorious. Bloody, scraped, torn, and haggard, but they stood, and they won.
As the Suburban came to a stop, Masque stepped out, charred and blood caked on his cheek, "Good Doctor, do you think you could assist in the treatment of wounds?" Looking up to the roof, he thought for a second he saw the Doctor smile.
0500. 010522
Petyr had ordered the requisition of heavy equipment to push all the bug bodies into the warehouse. Ian had placed enough flammables and incendiaries to reduce everything to carbon. No evidence was left. Bloodied, tired, and alive, Team 203 relocated to a new base at a bigger older warehouses on the north side of Seattle. Ian had walked in and said, "Ghetto!" and they knew they were home. Ghost's team left the next day, but promised to stay in contact. Deacon's team would be sharing the city of Seattle for a few weeks, but went to a location of their own, for security reasons.
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