作者 主题: 【R&G】故事:撤出敌区HOSTILE EXTRACTION,P反正是最后一篇  (阅读 6212 次)

副标题: 榴弹使用高级作战记录

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撤出敌区HOSTILE EXTRACTION



“——我告诉过你我们本该和他们一起去!”

我的怒吼被两声巨响所淹没;我那高爆手雷引爆所发出的尖锐的“砰!”,以及梅加扎德(Megazard)降下火力压制,庞大的克莱姆加农炮沉闷的“吭哧吭哧”声。

“阿兹莫斯(Azimuth),随我破门!”巨魔吼道。

“我还有其他选择?!”

这一切都发生在我们向从25米开外一幢白色不起眼的10层大楼中冲出来的一队安保人员发起冲锋期间。他们穿着与之匹配的全身甲与头盔,看起来就像一群愤怒的灰蚁。

我的秘法护甲在其中二人用阿瑞斯突击步枪开火而受到了几次冲击。更正:全副武装,极度激怒的蚂蚁。

尽管如此,我们依然全速前进。我一边疾行一边丢出空气动力榴弹,正好落在我想要的地方:在建筑前附近巨大塑料花园集装箱背后。里面有几棵雕刻精美的常青树,为三名雇佣保安提供掩护。

手榴弹从视野中消失,随之而来的是尖锐的爆炸声,松针、树枝和安保警卫的尸体到处都是。我们二人跳进了我们投掷的武器所产生的烟雾中,利用临时掩护重新装弹。我又从腰带上扯下两枚手榴弹,而梅加扎德则把另一枚圆形弹匣塞进他那口永远饥饿的突击大炮中。与此同时,我们一直朝着大楼马不停蹄。

你没搞错,伙计——我们要进去而不是出来。

这不是我最好的一次狂奔——就这一点而言也不是什么好兆头。 但是一个空信用棒和愈来愈近的房租,更不用说一个不断咆哮的肚子折磨着饥饿的矮人——原因方方面面。所以,当我自认为的朋友梅加扎德向我提出一个听起来像是很简单的掩护撤出任务时,我并没有仔细查阅细节。

我犯了大错。

小队首领是一对独自蛮干(run-and-gun)*的二愣子,在西雅图暗影界摸爬滚打整整六个月——甚至在初次见面时还趾高气昂。但他们给的报酬太多,而且实实在在,因为这本是一项简单的工作:在街道上监视维修人员交换位置,并在换班的时候潜入进去。在伪造火警后,他们会得到任何他们想要的东西,然后迅速离开。如果出了什么问题,就是我们入场的时候,枪炮齐鸣,势必要获取它们。
*校注:run-and-gun,跑轰 [篮球用语] (为多进球的)独自蛮干

然后理所当然,某些人翻车了,致使我们的盛大登场。目标是拉文纳一栋远离主干道的公司建筑,所以我携带的东西相当轻量化——只有20枚手榴弹,我平时会带36枚。但是根据我的消耗速度来判断,我开始觉得我带少了。从我们所面临的牢不可摧安保系统来判断,小队首领们严重低估了这次狂奔的影响。

“准备好了吗?”梅加扎德一边透过他的智能链加农炮瞄准一边问。我点了点头,随后他扣动了两下扳机。我没能透过烟雾看到爆炸,但爆风的噪音和由此产生的冲击波告诉了我,门已经被摧毁了。当我们进入入口时,弹片还在我们周围落下。

我爱投掷榴弹的一切。我爱它们在我手中冰冷而沉重的感觉。我爱在空中找到目标的完美弧线。当我的目标们看到即将要发生的事情时,脸上那表情,我爱极了。我感受空气中的法力曲线,协助我榴弹落在正确的位置——这是我所爱的方式。

我认识很多喜欢近距离工作的街头斗士,但那不是我的风格。就像我的老师说的:“当你可以从很远的地方把他们撕成碎片时,为什么还要开枪射击或利器刺死他们呢?”昨日之劝言,今日之忠告。

在过去的几年里,我一直断断续续地和梅加扎德合作。很多人第一眼见到我们时,都爱开巨魔矮人组合拳的玩笑。然后他们就见识到我们能做什么了,那些骚话就突然消失得无影无踪——有时还伴随着那些说骚话的人。我们外在可能不太尽人意,而且我们可能是你最不希望看到的人,但当某件事或某人需要绝对快速地销毁时,我们是你最需要的人。

当然,我们的模式有优也有劣。例如,密集而响亮的轰炸声通常会把现场所有警卫和无人机吸引到他们该去的地方。虽然它让团队的其他成员不受干扰地工作,但它吸引方圆十公里内的每一个游侠卒子都朝着烟花尖叫。因此,从我们大放异彩的第二秒起,时间变得至关重要。

梅加扎德紧贴在了入口左边的墙上,我贴在了右边。他把枪口架在拐角处往外偷看,却差一点就敌方火力击中。

“让我来。”我左手抓着一枚高爆,右手抓着一枚破片——我的金属风暴组合拳。我集中专注力,随后我感受世界在我眼前变得越来越慢——我那修士反应能力开始发挥作用了。“掩护!”

巨魔再次把他的克莱姆加农炮架在转角处,让子弹先飞两轮。在加农炮发射到爆炸的1.3秒内,我闲庭漫步进入到被毁的入口,来到宽敞的大厅位置,找到守卫的位置——以及一架履带安保无人机。

血肉之躯蜷缩在我左边,陶瓷塑钢履带在我右边。没关系。在我飞身而入调整身姿时,双手交错抛出,将破片送给那呆子,高爆塞给无人机。两枚炮弹一离开我双手,我便疾行离开火线,躲到梅加扎德身后,他张了张嘴,注视着前方,注视着门洞里即将燃起的大火。

这四枚炸弹几乎同时发出雷鸣般的爆炸声,震颤着整栋大楼。我们给了它几秒时间让一切恢复平静,然后偷偷往里面看。

经典公司入口大厅一般有一张大办公桌或柜台,旁边有一个安全扫描仪和警卫站,几把椅子,也许还有一些植物,诸如此类的东西。

现在这个房间里所有的东西都不见了。彻底。完全。一去不返。徒留瓦砾,血迹和浓烟。

“三分钟。”梅加扎德说道。我点点头,迈步走了进去,战靴在防弹但不防爆的玻璃,金属碎片和主板,以及其他玩意儿上嘎吱嘎吱地响,不太容易辨认的部分是曾经安保小组。

我们的通讯链蜂鸣了一声。“下面到底怎么回事?”是“骰子切切”(SliceNDice),这些所谓狂奔者的所谓领袖。在背景中,我可以听到他们在附近和远处的枪声。

“你通知我们撤出。”我回答道,同时我们已经靠近楼梯,“于是我们来了。”

“听着像是你把整栋楼都炸了!”

我和梅加扎德交换了一个疲惫的眼神。“是的,进来时造成了一些轻微的附带伤害,”我回答,“你们那群人还在你们说的地方吗?”

“是,在四楼,在电梯附近被一个小队压制住了。斯莱瑟(Slycer)中了弹。你们在哪儿?”

“正在前往。”我说道,试图努力记起哪个是斯莱瑟。想起来了:他是小队的碟客——另一位矮人。甚至比他们的头儿还自负。“记住,一旦我们到达位置,所有人都赶紧离开。”

“好……”

“那你赶紧告诉我们你们在哪里?”

“好好好,天杀的,快点!安保增援了!”

我扬起眉毛——显然,这些安保呆子比大多数人更守纪律——或者他们足够聪明,不会冒着被我们炸死的风险面对我们。“我们正以最快的速度前进。”

到了三楼,我们闯入楼门,走到空荡荡的走廊上,多亏了火警——到目前为止唯一正确的一件事。梅加扎德根据地图示意一马当先。当我们走到指定位置时,他抬头点了点头。头顶上可以听到冲锋枪的射击声——安保人员把我们的饭票压在地上打。

我已经抽出一对高爆榴弹,一手拿着这两枚炸弹,一手从皮带袋里取出一小瓶水沫粘合剂。“助我。”

眼睛盯着走廊的两个方向,巨魔跪下来抓住我的胳膊,把我放在他的肩膀上,让我能轻松地够到天花板。我将粘合剂喷在每个榴弹上,把它们贴在了头顶,然后按下运动传感器开关。一旦它们受到移动,它们就会引爆。你看,它们怎么不会被移动呢。

“准备好了,”我说。梅加扎德伸出他那只长长的,鼓胀的手臂,我顺着它跑到地板上。

“90秒。”他回答道,我们俩都跑向最近的角落。一到那里,我就缩成团,联系队伍的其他成员,同时确保我的秘法护甲牢固无缺。<开始撤出,五秒倒计时。蹲下身子,闭上眼睛,张开嘴巴,捂住耳朵。>我发送信息给所有人。

“什……”在他开始说时,梅加扎德已经在更换弹匣,然后瞄准我那埋在大厅下方的“爱心包裹”(care package)*
*校注:care package【美】(为远离家庭的人寄送的)食品包裹;护理套装

<现在就做!>我发送道,然后按自己的决议去做。

片刻之后,世界爆炸了。我感到一股短暂的热流向我袭来,它来得快去得也快。我暗数一二,然后睁开眼睛。

走廊中间的天花板现在变成了一个参差不齐的大洞。血迹、破碎的武器和身体部位散落在方圆5米的墙壁、天花板和地板上。

我重连通讯,跟着梅加扎德到达了临时出口。“撤离地点已开放。该走了,60秒倒计时。”

骰子切切的脑袋从坑坑洼洼的洞口探了出来。他指着自己的耳朵摇了摇头。我叹了口气。“难缠的修士。”我发送了撤离信息,但字还没打完,其他队员就爬上巨魔等着他们的胳膊。他们一共四个人——人类首领,剑依然插在剑鞘里,受伤的碟客,还有一对精灵兄妹。男的是第三个修士,名叫凯斯(Khase),女的是个叫辛德洁(Sindje)的战斗法师。她沉甸甸地靠在自己兄弟身上——定是消耗了大量的魔法。

等所有人到达位置,梅加扎德抬着受伤的碟客,我们玩楼梯撤离。“撤离计划还是绿色的?”我在两条裤子中间问道。

“是的……据我所知。”骰子切切答道。

我抑制住自己快从脑子里跳出来的反应,集中精力尽快爬出楼梯。每一步,时间就一秒一秒地过去。

在二楼快到地面时,我的战斗感知拉响了警报,我举起了我的拳头。我指着下面的楼层时,我们所有人都陷入了僵局。我们侧耳细听,然后都听到了:战靴的吱嘎声,有人(或好几个人)等着伏击我们发出浅浅的喘息声。

<可能至少有一个小队在下面。>巨魔发讯给我。

骰子切切脸上露出了古怪的表情——他仿佛在那里,但又不是在那里——几秒钟后又恢复了知觉,<4个在主楼层楼梯平台上,复盖楼梯间。>

我猜他还是有点用处的。我从腰间取下两枚破片,然后重新发了一条讯息给其他人,<闭上眼睛,张开嘴巴,捂住耳朵。等等楼下会有大响。>

拔出插销,我让手雷落在楼梯间狭窄的空间里。安保小队刚刚意识到死神从上面降临到他们身上,破片榴弹就把他们炸成了肉丝。随着回声远去,我拍了拍梅加扎德的腿,“我们走。”
梅加扎德用他的突击炮掩护着楼梯间,他的另一个肩膀上扛着矮人,一步三阶地走着。其他人争先恐后地跟上。

一楼的楼梯平台看起来就像被深红水炮喷洒了一地。我给从大厅进入楼梯间的人留了一个小惊喜,然后继续往前走。我们小心翼翼地不被地板上的污浊物滑倒,下到地下室,然后再往下,到了楼下的停车场。

在车库前面的小房间里,骰子切切再次垂下脑袋,然后猛地挺直身子。“没有游侠或任何安保人员的迹象。我们出门,上卡车,然后离开这个鬼地方。”

我手里揣着榴弹,对着梅加扎德点点头,“去看看。”不是我不相信其他修士的侦察,而是……好吧,我就是不相信其他修士的侦察。

巨魔小心翼翼地打开门,我偷偷地往外看,准备好摧毁任何移动的东西。喷浆混凝土地面非常安静,到处都是停放的汽车,没有其他东西。从我的战斗感知来察觉,一点动静也没有。

“安全。”我领头朝那辆毫无特色、破旧不堪的卡车走去时,我意识到一点——希望车子足够结实耐用,足够让我们安全撤离——尤其是上面还得加上五百公斤的巨魔和矮人。

其余的狂奔者跟在后面,梅加扎德在最后。我们刚到卡车那儿,骇客猛地痉挛了一下,哼了一声,抬起了头。

“我们在哪儿?”

“撤离中,就这,”骰子切切告诉他,“在你从IC上倒下时我们就开始忙活了。”

“妈的,我那是下线了,人没倒,”骇客抗议道,“还有,我几乎快搞到我们要的东西了。给我一分钟时间,最多两分钟。”他低头瞥了一眼他的巨魔坐骑,“介意把我放下来吗,大个子?”

“但是,斯莱瑟,我们得呆在原地等你下载完。”当骇客落地时,人类修士说道。

“没开玩笑,”矮人边说边爬上了卡车的后座,“我打赌我能在九十秒内完成,简单得很。”

“没有高价值目标,我们就拿不到薪水。”精灵伙计说道。

“是的。我不知道你们的情况,但我不想空手回去找约翰逊先生。”他妹妹皱着眉头说。


骰子切切看了他们一眼,又看了我们一眼。“那好,你们四个给斯莱瑟争取他需要的时间。我驾驶卡车和他呆在一起,你们每个人都尽可能呆在可以分散注意力的位置。一旦他拿到东西,我就去接你们,然后我们就离开这里。行动起来。”

梅加扎德和我分头去停车场右边。我躲在一辆锃亮的深蓝色宝马X89后面,它停在楼下的坡道附近。巨魔也找到了自己的藏身之处,他设法挤进两辆公司平板卡车之间。

我正准备在他的藏身之处给他一针时,我的战斗感知砰地一声,我听到了橡胶在塑胶板上的吱吱声。<有车来了。>

<你看到了?>

<是。>我看了一部经典的,涂装是公司安保色的GMC斗牛犬,带着重型防撞杆和低压安全胎,从坡道上下来。这就是问题的症结所在——我必须在不堵塞出口的情况下让那客货两用车失灵。我发讯给梅加扎德:<我要在你的拐角处干掉他们。我需要额外的助力。>

<收到。>

我取出两枚高爆球榴弹和引信,计算了到目标距离和行进时间。

在车辆到达安全距离前几米,我从两辆车之间走了出来,拔出两个插销,并把这对手雷投向装甲车的左后角。又一次,小圆球炸弹准确地到达了我想要它们去的地方,当他们经过时,我点选了一下梅加扎德。<爆炸倒计时3秒,3,2,1——就是现在!>

就在我的榴弹在牛头犬的左后轴下爆炸的那一刻,梅加扎德也走了出来,用他的克莱姆加农炮对着GMC车顶上的驾驶员一侧发射。然而,他并没有使用穿甲弹——这并没有达到我们预期的效果。

这两发爆炸在正确的时间引爆,击中了正确的位置,把货车掀翻在地,滑动的车身在金属和塑料重压呻吟下嘎然而止。

随着烟雾和噪音渐渐消失,我们接到了讯息,<数据包获取到了,准备上车。>与此同时,车库地板上传来了车轮的尖叫声。几秒钟后,平板卡车拐了个弯,几乎擦过翻倒的货车。当我看见后门开着,两个精灵都挥手让我们往前走时,我跑了起来。

梅加扎德就在我身边,大手一挥抓住我,向卡车的后门猛扑。悬架发出尖叫声表示抗议,但在我们爬上车子时却稳住了车身。我回头一看,只见两个茫然的安保人员正挣扎着从牛头犬里出来,然后掏出两枚烟雾弹复盖住了我们。

“斯莱瑟,把门打开!”

“正在做……好了!”

当我们绕过最后一个拐弯,加速向出口冲去,金属网安检门发出刺耳的声音。梅加扎德关上后门,靠着正不断呻吟的墙坐下来喘口气。

“嘿,慢一点,安德雷蒂(Andretti),”我对着方向盘后面的修士喊道,“维修人员没理由在离开这里的时候要加那么快的速。”

他摇了摇头,但还是照我说的做了。我们驶上斜坡,驶出维修出口,驶入残阳沐光中。向右转两圈后,我们离开了大楼的后方,一小群游侠组成的安保部队聚集仍然冒着烟的前方。两公里后,我们驶上了匝道,与I5上的其他车辆汇合——只是另一辆从工作岗位回来的维修车罢了。

当其他队员在庆祝他们的成功狂奔时,我松了口气,和梅加扎德交换了一个满意的眼神。这就是制造大爆炸的另一个优势——没人指望你能安静地出来。


剧透 -   :
“—I told you we shoulda gone with them!”
My indignant shout was drowned out by two very loud noises; the sharp BANG! of my high-ex grenade detonating, which temporarily muffled the dull KRUMPFS! from Megazard’s massive Krime Cannon as he laid down suppressive fire.
“Stay with me ’til we hit the door, Azimuth!” the enormous troll shouted.
“Like I got a choice?!”
All this happened as we charged straight at the latest cluster of sec men spilling out of a nondescript, white, ten-story building twenty-five meters away. In their matching corp body armor and helmets, they looked like angry, grey-clad ants.
My mystic armor took a few hits as two opened fire with their Ares assault rifles. Correction: heavily armed and seriously pissed-off ants.
Still, we barreled forward. I launched another aerodynamic grenade as I ran, dropping it exactly where I wanted: behind a huge plascrete garden container near the front of the building. It held several artfully sculpted evergreen trees providing cover for three rent-a-cops.
The grenade fell out of sight, and the sharp report that followed sprayed pine needles, branches, and sec guard bodies everywhere. We both clomped into the cloud of smoke laid down by our chosen weapons, taking advantage of the temporary cover as we reloaded. I plucked two more grenades off my belt while Megazard slapped another circular magazine into the ever-hungry maw of his assault cannon. And all the while, we kept running toward the building.
You got it, chummer—we were heading in, not out.
It was not one of my better runs—or days, for that matter. But an empty credstick and looming rent, not to mention a constantly growling stomach, makes for one hungry dwarf—in more ways than one. So, when my supposed friend Megazard pinged me about what sounded like a simple cover-and-carry mission, I didn’t look too closely at the particulars.
Big mistake.
The leaders of the team—a couple run-and-gun studs who’d been sleazing the Seattle shadows for all of six months—were cocky even at the initial meet. But their money was good—and real—for what was supposed to be an easy job: overwatch on the street while they swapped places with a maintenance crew and infiltrated during the end-of-day shift change. One false fire alarm later, and they would get whatever they’d come to get and scoot. If anything went bad, that’s where we came in, guns and grens booming, to extract them.
And of course, somebody tripped something, leading us to make our spectacular entrance. The target was some offthe-main-drag corp building in Ravenna, so I’d packed fairly light—only twenty grenades instead of my normal compliment of thirty-six. But judging how fast I was burning through ’em, I was starting to think I’d underpacked. And judging by the tenacity of the security we faced, the team leaders had seriously underestimated the static on this run.
“Ready?” Megazard asked as he sighted through his smartlinked cannon. I nodded, and he pulled the trigger twice. I didn’t see the explosion through the smoke, but the blast noise and resulting shockwave told me the doors were no more. The shrapnel was still falling around us when we took the entrance.
I love everything about throwing grenades. I love the cold, heavy feel of them in my hand. I love finding the perfect arc through the air to the target. I especially love the looks on the faces of my targets when they see what’s coming their way. And I love the way I feel the mana in the air bending to help the grenade land at its proper destination.
I know plenty of street brawlers who like to do their work in close, but that’s not my style. As my sensei said: “Why shoot or stab someone when you can reduce them to tiny pieces from far away?” Sound advice then, sound advice today.
I’ve been working on and off with Megazard for the past couple years. Lotsa people like to crack jokes about the trolldwarf combo when they first meet us. Then they see what we can do, and the wisecracks stop dead—sometimes along with the people making them. We may not be pretty, and we’re the last people you’d call for a sneak-and-peek, but when something or someone absolutely, positively needs to be destroyed ASAP, we’re the people you should call.
Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to our M.O.D. For example, that many loud, concentrated explosions typically draws every on-site guard and drone to where they’re going off. While it lets the rest of the team work undisturbed, it also brings every Knight Errant pawn within a ten-kilometer radius screaming toward the fireworks. So, from the second we hit the ground popping our very big caps, time is of the essence.
Megazard hit the wall on the left side of the entryway, and I hit the right. He stuck his weapon muzzle out for a peek and almost got it shot off.
“Allow me.” I clutched one high-ex in my left hand and one frag in my right; my metal storm combo. I focused for a moment, and then watched the world slow down around me as my adept reflexes kicked in. “Cover!”
The huge troll stuck his KC around the corner again and let two more rounds fly. In the one-point-three seconds between launch and detonation, I stepped into the ruined entrance and picked out where the guards—and one tracked security drone— were located in the cavernous main hall.
The flesh-and-blood was crouched on the left, the ceramic-and-plasteel was tracking me on the right. No matter. Adjusting on the fly, I cross-tossed, sending the frag toward the goons, and the HE arcing toward the drone. The second the grens left my hands, I stepped out of the line of fire and took cover behind Megazard, mouth open and looking away from the soon-to-be very large fire in the hole.
The thunderous blast of all four munitions practically went off at the same time, shaking the entire building. We gave it a few seconds for everything to stop falling, then peeked inside.
Typical corp entrance lobbies have a big main desk or counter of some kind next to a security scanner and guard station, a few chairs, maybe some plants, stuff like that.
Whatever had been in this room was gone. Completely. Totally. Gone. All that was left was rubble, smears of blood, and smoke.
“Three minutes,” Megazard said. I nodded as we hoofed it inside, combat boots crunching over broken bullet-but-not explosion-resistant glass, bits of metal and motherboard, and other, less identifiable bits of what was once the sec team.
Our comms chirped. “What the hell’s going on down there?” It was SliceNDice, the so-called leader of these so-called runners. In the background, I could hear gunfire both nearby and further from him.
“You called for an extraction,” I answered as we hit the stairway. “We’re extracting.”
“Sounds like you’re blowing the whole goddamn building up!”
I exchanged a tired look with Megazard. “Yeah, there was some slight collateral damage upon entry,” I replied. “You guys still where you said you were?”
“Yeah, fourth floor, pinned down by a squad near the elevator. Slycer’s hit. Where are you?”
“We’re comin’,” I said, trying to remember which one was Slycer. Then it came to me: he was the team’s decker—the other dwarf. Even cockier than their leader. “Remember, once we get there, everyone’s leaving.”
“Yeah—”
“And you’re exactly where you told us you were?”
“Yes, goddamnit, just hurry! More security’s coming!”
My eyebrows raised—apparently these security goons were more disciplined than most—or they were smart enough to not risk getting blown up by us. “We’re moving as fast as we can.”
When we reached the third floor, we hit the door and stepped out into the deserted hallway, thanks to the fire alarm—the one thing that had gone right so far. Megazard took the lead, following the building schematics. When we got to the right place, he looked up and nodded. Loud assault rifle fire could be heard overhead—the sec men pinning down our meal tickets.
I’d already pulled a double dose of high-ex. Holding both in one hand, I pulled a small bottle of quick-dry spray adhesive from a belt pouch. “Boost me.”
Keeping an eye on both directions, the troll knelt down, grabbed me under the arms, and placed me on his shoulders, allowing me to reach the ceiling with ease. I sprayed each grenade, stuck ’em right overhead, then hit the motion sensor switch. As soon as they were moved, they would go off. And boy, were they about to get moved.
“Ready,” I said. Megazard extended a long, bulging arm, and I ran down it to the floor.
“Ninety seconds,” he replied as we both ran for the nearest corner. Once there, I huddled in a ball and contacted the rest of the team while making sure my mystic armor was tight. <Extraction beginning in five-count. Hunker down, eyes shut, mouths open, ears covered.> I texted to the group.
“What—” he started to say as Megazard swapped magazines, then aimed at my homemade care package down the hall.
<Do it NOW!> I sent, then followed my own orders.
A moment later, the world exploded. I felt a brief wash of heat lick over me, which was gone as quickly as it arrived. I gave it a two count, then opened my eyes.
The ceiling halfway down the corridor was now a large, jagged hole. Blood, shattered weapons, and body parts littered the walls, ceiling, and floor in a five-meter radius in all directions.
I got back on the comm while following Megazard to our improvised exit. “Extraction site is open. Time to go, sixty seconds and counting.”
SliceNDice’s head peeked over the uneven lip of the hole. He pointed to his ears and shook his head. I sighed. “Stubborn adepts.” I texted the evac message, but hadn’t finished typing as the rest of the team scrambled down into the troll’s waiting arms. There were four of them—the human leader, swords still in their scabbards, the wounded decker, and a pair of elves, brother and sister. The guy was a third adept named Khase, the woman a combat mage called Sindje. She was leaning heavily on her sibling—musta burned a lot of mana to be that drained.
Once we had everyone, with Megazard carrying the injured decker, we beat feet back to the stairway. “Is the evac plan still green?” I asked between pants.
“Yeah…as far as I know,” SliceNDice replied.
Stifling the response that sprang to mind, I concentrated on hitting those stairs as fast as I could. With every step, the seconds ticked away.
On the second floor landing, my combat senses twitched an alarm, and I held up my fist. All of us froze in our tracks as I pointed at the floor below. We all listened, then heard it—the squeak of a combat boot, the shallow exhalation of breath as someone—or several someones—waited to ambush us.
<Probably at least a squad down there.> the troll texted me.
SliceNDice got that odd look on his face—there, but not there—and returned to consciousness a few seconds later. <Four on main floor landing, covering stairwell.>
Guess he was good for something after all. I pulled two frags from my belt while resending a command to the rest. <Eyes shut, mouths open, ears covered. This’ll be even louder than the floor.>
Pulling the pins, I let the grens drop into the narrow space between the stairs. The sec quartet had just enough time to realize death had dropped in on ’em from above before the frags reduced them to shredded red meat. I slapped Megazard’s leg as the echoes away. “Let’s roll.”
Covering the stairwell with his assault cannon, dwarf slung over his other shoulder, Megazard took the steps three at a time. The rest of us scrambled to catch up.
The first floor landing looked like it’d been sprayed with a crimson water cannon. I left a little surprise for anyone entering the stairwell from the main hall, and kept moving. Careful not to slip in the muck coating the floor, we descended to the basement, then even further, to the parking levels below that.
In the small room just before the garage, SliceNDice sagged again, then straightened up with a jerk. “No sign of KE or any security. We’re out the door, get the truck, and get the hell out of here.”
Grenades in hand, I nodded at Megazard. “Go.” Not that I didn’t trust the other adept’s recon, but … okay, I didn’t trust the other adept’s recon.
The troll cautiously opened the door, and I peeked out, ready to frag anything that moved. The plascrete floor was quiet, littered with parked cars and nothing else. Not even a peep from my combat senses.
“Clear.” I took point as we headed toward the nondescript, battered panel truck that had gotten them inside, and which I hoped was sturdy enough to get us all back out again—especially with an additional five hundred kilograms of troll and dwarf aboard.
The rest of the runners followed, Megazard bringing up the rear. We had just reached the truck when the hacker jerked and raised his head with a snort.
“Where the hell’re we?”
“Evac’ing, that’s where,” SliceNDice told him. “We booked when you went down from the IC.”
“Sheeit, I may have been down, but I wasn’t out,” the hacker protested. “Besides, I almost got what we came for. Just need another one, two minutes, tops.” He glanced down at his troll ride. “Mind putting me down, treetop?”
“But Slycer, we gotta stay onsite for you to complete the download,” the human adept said as the hacker was lowered to the ground.
“No shit,” the dwarf replied as he climbed into the back of the truck. “Bet I can do it in ninety seconds, easy.”
“No paydirt, no payday,” the guy elf said.
“Yeah. Don’t know about you, but I’d rather not go back to Mr. Johnson empty-handed,” his sister said with a frown.
SliceNDice glanced at them, then at us. “All right then, you four buy Slycer the time he needs. I’ll stay with him and the truck, each of you take a position where you can cause a distraction. Once he’s got the stuff, I’ll pick you all up, and we’re out of here. Move out.”
Megazard and I split up to cover the right side of the parking structure. I ducked behind behind a glossy, midnight blue BMW X89 parked near the down ramp from the upper level. The huge troll found his own hiding place, managing to squeeze between two company panel trucks.
I was about to needle him on his hiding spot when my combat senses pinged as I heard the squeak of rubber on plascrete. <Vehicle coming.>
<You got LOS?>
<Yup.> I watched a classic GMC Bulldog in corp security colors, with a heavy-duty ram bar and run-flat tires, come down the ramp. Here’s where it got a bit tricky—I had to disable the van without blocking our exit. I texted Megazard. <Gonna take them at your corner. Need an extra push when I do.>
<Got it.>
I popped two hi-ex ball grenades and calc’ed fuses, distance to target, and travel time. A few meters before the vehicle reached a safe distance, I stepped out from between the cars, popped both pins, and bowled the pair of grens toward the left rear corner of the armored van. Again, the little round bombs went exactly where I wanted them to, and I clued Megazard in as they went. <Boom in three, two, one—NOW.>
At the precise moment my grenades exploded under the Bulldog’s left rear axle, Megazard also stepped out and fired his Krime Cannon at the upper driver’s side of the GMC’s roof. He wasn’t using armor-piercing rounds, however—that wouldn’t have accomplished what we wanted.
The twin sets of high explosions, set off at the right time and impacting the right places, knocked the van over on its side, making it skid to a stop in a shriek of overstressed metal and plastic.
As the smoke and noise died away, we got the call. <Package acquired. Be ready for pick-up.> That was accompanied by the shriek of complaining wheels on the garage floor. Seconds later, the panel truck slewed around the corner, almost sideswiping the overturned van. It corrected, and I broke into a run when I saw the back door open, with both elves waving us forward.
Megazard was right beside me, and grabbed me in one huge hand as he lunged for the truck’s back door. The suspension shrieked in protest, but held as we scrambled aboard. I looked back to see two dazed sec men struggling out of the bulldog, and popped a pair of smoke grenades to cover us.
“Slycer, get that gate open!”
“Working on it … there!”
The mesh metal security gate squealed up as we rounded the last corner and sped toward the exit. Megazard pulled the back doors shut and sat against the groaning wall to catch his breath.
“Hey, slow down there, Andretti,” I called to the adept behind the wheel. “Maintenance has no reason to speed outta here.”
He shook his head but did as I said. We drove up the ramp, out the maintenance exit, and into the late afternoon sunshine. Two right turns later, we were leaving the rear of the building grounds as a small army of Knight Errant security converged on its still-smoking front. Two klicks later, we pulled onto an onramp and merged with the rest of the traffic on I5. Just another maintenance van on its way back from a job.
Blowing out a relaxed breath, I exchanged a satisfied glance with Megazard as the rest of the team celebrated their successful run. That’s the other advantage of making a big boom going in—no one ever expects you to be quiet coming back out.
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