Twenty's Mission Log

Ms Goody climbed off me and stood to one side as Millie ran down the steps to us. She put her sword aside and then helped me up. The fall had been hard but the armour had taken the brunt of it. I would be sore tomorrow, if there was a tomorrow.

Millie started to speak, but Ms Goody held up her hand to stop her.

“Alpha One” she said, “Bravo Three is at the stairwell. I can’t see any signs of reinforcements. All clear”

“Copy that, Bravo Three” we could just hear a voice reply to her inside the helmet. “We are nearly done here. Come back and rejoin Bravo team”

“Copy that” she acknowledged. She then lifted her own visor and whispered to us “What the hell are you two doing here?”

“This mission is a set-up” said Millie urgently. “This whole facility is actually run by Jericho-Three. Those other freelancers are going to pin this incursion on you, Chang and Daniel-san”

“It’s true, Ms Goody” I said to her. “We need to try and stop them. We can help”

She looked at our earnest faces for only a moment.

“OK, I believe you” she said. “Danny thought this run was suspect but the pay was too good to turn down. The man should have trusted his instincts”.

Ms Goody looked at the closed door beside us that led to the underground level.

“We have the three of us, working as Bravo team. We are the rear guards. The crew from outside are Alpha team and there are four of them down here. There were also two sentries covering the gates – I am assuming you have taken them out already?”

“We hit them with a motorbike” said Millie proudly. I nodded confirmation. Ms Goody smiled a little.

“You two are chaos incarnate” she said. “Right, we have five of us to their four. The only problem is I can’t alert Danny or Chang using our comms. They supplied the comm units so I doubt anything said on the private channels won’t be overheard”

“My rifle is out too” I added. My parry had stopped me being cut but the weapon was now useless. I drew my second pistol instead. I was a good shot with a single weapon, but firing two at once would only be good for suppressive fire.

“Where are the bad guys?” asked Millie, holding her pistol ready too.

“Outside this door is the junction of three corridors. The left leads to the main implant lab. To the right is the elevator and past that a secondary lab. Both of those should be empty now.

Directly ahead leads to the AI core that runs this place. There are two men setting charges and two are running a data strip on the memory core. Danny and Chang should be covering their backs”

“So they won’t be alarmed to see you come walking in. Can you take any of them down?” I said. She pondered a moment.

“Danny trusts me” she replied “If I move on the Alpha guys, he will respond quickly and support me. With surprise we might be able to do it. Chang I am not so sure about. It has been a long time since we worked together. He may attack without any warning”

“You just need to keep them busy until Twenty and I can get into the fight” said Millie, “And hope Chang does not shoot us before he realises who we are”. I nodded in agreement.

“We are out of time” stated Ms Goody. “Let’s go.” With that she opened the door to the junction, checked for a moment then moved straight ahead. Millie and I stopped for a pause and then followed behind her.

The corridors were all antiseptic white and utterly clean. There were particle scrubbers set at regular intervals to keep dust out of the air. Even the air itself was filtered before being pumped in. Our footfalls sounded softly on the grey tiled floor.

Ahead was another armoured door, the heavy metal panels standing open. A scanner pad to the side was dormant. The whole security to the inner core was reliant on the AI itself. Once our rogue AI had overrun it, all the security systems were worthless.

Ms Goody had already gone ahead of us through the doorway. We crept up alongside the nearer door panel and peeked inside.

The AI core was contained in a large circular column about three meters in diameter, rising from the centre of the floor to the ceiling around five meters high. It was of polished metal, inset with access ports and data screens.

The whole chamber was about twelve or thirteen meters in diameter. Around the curved outer wall were more screens and a couple of access bays with operator consoles. Two men were visible fixing demolition charges on the central column. I could also see Chang to one side, looking in the direction of Ms Goody as she entered.

“Hi honey, I’m home” she called out, now out of sight to us.

I heard Daniel-san give an indistinct response and then a clear male voice spoke.

“Welcome back, Bravo Three” the voice said, “Were there any complications?”

“It’s all clear out there for now” Ms Goody replied. “I thought I heard something in the secondary lab, but I was mistaken”

“I understand” he continued. “Luckily we should be alerted by Alpha Five and Six if anyone arrives up top”.

“Just hurry up, Alpha One, so we can get clear of this place” said Daniel-san clearly.

“Of course. Our data extraction is nearly finished” said Alpha One. “Alpha Three and Four, please take positions in the corridor to cover our exit”

Millie and I exchanged glances. At any moment two of the freelancers would be coming out here. There was nowhere to hide and no cover at all. If we made a break for the corridor junction behind us we would likely be spotted before reaching safety.

It did not matter anyway, because I guess that was when Ms Goody had been able to get close enough to her first target. There was a shout of surprise followed by a scream of pain as her Ninjato slashed out. All hell broke loose.

I charged into the chamber, leading with my right hand pistol. I am an equally good shot with either hand, but the default for all the Guard clones was to use the right hand. As I came in, I could see Daniel-san to my left and beside him an unknown man, staggering back from a strike from Ms Goody. Immediately to my front was Chang, looking up in alarm as I ran in. He lifted a 9mm machine pistol in my direction and opened fire.

I couldn’t risk an evasion as I knew Millie was right behind me. She was already screaming, but not to summon her Gunsinger. It sounded like “Chang, don’t shoot!”. Too late on that score I thought as the bullets slammed into my armour.

The solid Ceramite plates across my chest and abdomen absorbed the hammering blows, but the spraying arc of rounds planted one between my chest plate and the shoulder pauldron. With a sharp pang of agony I felt it pierce the ballistic weave and punch through my shoulder muscles.

My right arm felt numb instantly and I was off balance as I crashed into Chang, taking us both heavily to the floor. The pistol I had in my right hand skittered across the tiles and stopped against the curved wall.

To the left I could see another unknown man in armour, bringing his own weapon to bear. I twisted even as I slid with Chang on the ground and lined up my left hand pistol. Two shots in rapid succession, one in his chest armour and the second shattering the eye piece of his face mask. He grunted and fell bonelessly to the floor.

Booming gunfire erupted in the chamber, the noise bouncing and reinforcing itself into a crescendo. I could hear Daniel-san’s voice yelling at Goody to get clear, then more gunfire and a woman’s cry.

Daniel-san’s roar of anger was lost in more gunfire. I pushed myself clear of Chang, who scrabbled back and looked in confusion between me and Millie. At least he stopped shooting at me for the moment.

Another gunman swung around the AI core towards us, evading gunfire from Daniel-san. He barely registered us before Millie left loose a scream of anger and her Gunsinger ripped a hole clear through his chest armour. Blood sprayed the outer wall is it breached his rear armour and hurled him backwards like a rag doll. He did not move again.

I got to my feet and staggered around the central pillar, my left hand pistol held before me. My gaze fell upon the last gunman, bleeding out on the floor, Daniel-san standing over him with his assault rifle aimed at the man’s head. He fired once into the face shield, shattering the visor. Whomever he had been, he was ended now.

Daniel-san turned back towards Ms Goody. She had been shot multiple times at close range, the AP rounds from the gunman cutting through her armour weave. Blood was pooling on the grey floor, seeping from holes ripped in her flesh. Her bloodied sword lay next to her, covered in her blood as well as that of her enemies.

Millie joined me, looking in anguish at the fallen woman. Daniel-san knelt next to her, dropping his rifle. He reached out and tenderly undid her helmet and cradled her. Her long blond hair spilled out, trailing in the blood. I could not tell if she was alive or dead.

Her target, the man we only knew as Alpha One, coughed blood and blue liquid, then pushed himself back against the wall. The combat helmet they all wore had its visor open, revealing a face about the same age as Daniel-san. His chest lay wide open, revealing implanted cybernetics. He seemed more machine than flesh. It was incredible he was still moving.

“It seems the cavalry arrived a little too late” he said slowly, more liquid leaking from his mouth. “But at least you get to live, hey Danny”. He laughed hollowly.

Daniel-san turned his head towards Alpha One.

“You are a dead man, Henderson, and all the bastards who caused this will join you in hell” snarled Daniel-san.

“I have been dead for a long time, Danny” said Henderson / Alpha One. “It is about time they finally buried me.” He paused, and grimaced in pain. “I am sorry about Goody”

And then he just closed his eyes and fell still.

“Danny” whispered Ms Goody, “I don’t feel so good”. Daniel-san’s face locked back onto her. Her cyberware must have been keeping her alive, despite the tremendous damage to her body.

The next few minutes were a blur. Millie and Chang collected our gear and then helped me walk out of the core. Daniel-san lifted Ms Goody in his arms, refusing our help, and carried her out. It was so little a space of time, yet it seemed to take an eternity before we reached the outer doors to the bunker.

Daylight washed over us and we stood bleeding and uncertain in its glare.

“Twenty” came a contact over my helmet earpiece, “I am bringing the carrier in now”.

“We have a ride coming in” I warned my companions and seconds later Boner brought the carrier overhead. Even as he brought the VTOL down in the centre of the compound, the side and rear hatches were opening.

Millie and Chang helped me in the side hatch, while Daniel-san lifted Ms Goody into the rear. He settled her on a side bench between the armour racks as the hatches closed.

“Boner, we need a doctor now!” I half-shouted over the internal mike to him.

“Copy that” he replied and the carrier lifted smoothly into the air once more.

“We have a facility that can take care of all of you” Boner said as he piloted the craft. “It is run by some friends of mine. You’ll be safe there”.

I let everyone know what was happening, although I think the only one who actually heard me and understood was Chang. Millie was hanging onto me, shock and anguish all over her face. She could not take her eyes off Daniel-san as he grabbed the emergency med kit and tried to staunch Ms Goody’s wounds.

I sat back in my seat, feeling lost. So much for our heroic ride to the rescue. We had gotten our friends out alive so far, but the day was not done yet.

=====

I must have drifted in and out of consciousness during the flight. At some point I remember having my helmet and torso armour gently removed and a wound dressing applied to my shoulder.

Millie’s face kept appearing in front of me, saying things to me. I have one moment I recall clearly of trying to hug her and crying because my right arm would not move. Her dear little face was so close to mine, her tears spilling onto me. I was so glad I had been able to keep her safe in the fight.

The flight was short, barely ten minutes, and then we were landing on a small concrete pad somewhere. I could see low buildings surrounding us and beyond that trees and hills. Figures in coveralls swarmed over the carrier, putting Ms Goody and myself on gurneys and wheeling us into one of the buildings. I had glimpses of Millie and Chang beside mine, with masked medical orderlies trying to do their jobs. Mostly I saw interior ceiling lights flash by overhead as I was taken to a treatment room.

A nice looking older man removed my wound dressings, tut-tutted and gave me some shots. Another nice young lady fitted an oxygen mask to my face. As I fell down into darkness, I saw Millie’s face pressed up against the glass windows, looking in anxiously.