I had gotten into position more quickly than the others. A solo person was usually faster than any team, no matter how well they worked and trained together. Anse checked in, and I tapped my comms three times to Jolene, informing her and the others I was going silent.
Cupcake and her team were covering the fuel depot, her quad across the street and backed into heavy scrub. She could swivel her pretty toy left to the tanks, or right up toward the church. It wasn’t a precision instrument, not a sniper’s choice at all. It was a Meatchopper. Her five team members were positioned on the low bridge where the bridge wall had broken away and never been repaired, under the bridge behind abutments on both sides of the road, and further down toward the church. Sharpshooters all.
Mateo’s small crew had entered the neighborhood of twisted streets behind the fuel depot and the church. One of his shooters was in a tree with a clear line of sight through the windows of the church. The other was on top of a house,with a clean shot at the back door of the truck repair section of the depot. Both snipers were under top-of-the-line ghillie cloth cloaks, with chameleon skin properties rendering them nigh invisible. Mateo said into comms, “ARVAC aloft.”
“Copy that,” Jolene said.
Amos and his five people had pulled into the parking lot of a burned-out modular housing construction business, the vehicle and Amos’s bike behind sooty walls. They were covering the enemy’s retreat from that direction, and if the enemy tried to take off with Eloise, Amos would drop caltrops all over the street, shoot up the vehicles, the riders, and take out the kidnappers. If things went so far south that they needed to be employed, the rest of us would be dead or near enough, and Eloise would likely not survive.
Bengal was hidden in the scrub between the church and Anse’s position. He was everybody’s backup. Bengal could do anything, and the man loved to fight. He’d finish any part of the plan that began to fall apart.
Jagger’s team were hidden around the church. Once the negotiations began, his team would cover Mina and Jacopo who would silently take out the enemy guards around the church.
All my people were under full stealth, their armor’s chameleon skin activated. They would be invisible to low-light, night-vision, near IR, and radar. Not so much the humans, which is why they were positioned behind buildings and walls. Human shapes would be excellent targets and give away that we were here.
“Ten minutes to go,” Joleen said.
“We have activity at the depot.” Mateo said. “Unknown number of riders and one box truck preparing to move out of the parking area. Rerouting ARVAC.”
I waited. Waiting was the hardest part of battle. Except for seeing people you loved die or your own body parts lying sixmeters away. Or waiting to die yourself and not knowing if your death would make a damn bit of difference. That sucked worse.
“Truck and six motorcycles pulling into the dirt and heading for the street,” Cupcake said. She gave a fast run-through of their armory. Mostly body armor and handguns. Military blasters with auto targeting. Small show of force. Nothing dramatic. Enough bikes for one of the box trucks. So why two? And why activate only one?
Jagger said, “Why so few here tonight when they brought twelve bikes?”
I tapped my comms. “Jolene. Alert the sergeants back at the crossroads. Possible ambush.”
“Copy that,” Jolene said.
“Two occupants in the truck cab,” Mateo said as the ARVAC vid appeared on my morphon. I stretched it out with two fingers.
“Can you see if it’s Eloise?” Anse asked.
“Negative on that,” Jolene said, again sounding like CAIT. It was easier giving bad news if there was professional space between the speaker and the listener. CAIT was professional. Jolene was a feeling, thinking being.
“Copy,” Anse said, his voice heavy. “Negative.”
“Passing my quad,” Cupcake said. “Got a glimpse in reflected light. Female shaped form in passenger seat.”
“Jesus,” Anse whispered. It sounded like a prayer and I remembered the peace I’d felt in the small sanctuary. I was about to blow the place all to hell to save a young girl. I hoped God approved.
I adjusted the weapon at my side. One of Jolene’s blasters. I had a newer version, a military blaster, but carried the one I had taken from Anse. One sweep would incapacitate them all. Then I could drop down, save the girl, drag the good guysout, leaving Anse’s people to kill the bad guys, and ride away the winner.
Something pricked the back of my brain.Or I could touch them, making them mine. Add to my nest.
“No,” Iwhispered into the peaceful silence, talking to the nanobots in my blood. “Just bloody sodding, no.”
The outer doors of the church opened. I heard footfalls. Fake Anse. Sawyer. Whatever. I tapped my armor, activating the Chameleon skin. It wasn’t exactly an invisibility cloak, but it did make me blend into the colors and shadows. I glanced at Spy. She was staring at the sanctuary doors.
They opened. Fake Anse walked in and looked for me. Frowned. I touched my comms and heard Joleen say, “She’s in position. Hidden.”
Sawyer shook his head like a cat shedding water and took up a position in the corner of the room closest to the entry doors. Best firing position. Away from the windows and the possibility of friendly fire.
Something in my heart eased. He was being smart. He had military experience.
Okay. Rock and roll,I thought.
The bad guys came from the direction of the fuel depot. Unmuted crotch rockets sang like cats fighting, rather than rumbling. I was prejudiced and knew it. Squealers had their place, but I’d never ridden one, even fancy ones like the Suzuki Mina was utilizing on this Op. They were all electronics these days, and there was no way to repair them if the electronics went out.Fast was great until it failed. For a life-long bike, nothing was better than a Harley. HDs were user friendly. For the most part they could be repaired on the side of a street, in a field, in a small town auto shop.
