“Holding, but we can’t risk these people getting out of the quarantine zone,” Liam responded almost immediately.
“It’s going to be a bloodfest if we don’t get some of these people out of the line of fire.”Jamie saw a pair of dark shapes running through the fading steam at the far end of the museum store and took aim.He waited just long enough to confirm they weren’t friendly before taking them out.“We figured Cillian for the bombs, maybe a couple of enforcers, not a damn contingent of paramilitary fighters.You want this museum still standing tomorrow, we need to change the game plan.”
Jamie ducked behind a marble pillar at the edge of the grand entrance and trained his gun in the direction they’d come, keeping an eye out for any further advancement of the enemy.
“Plan B it is.Eclipse will handle the shielding outside.Bones will need to deal with everyone inside.”
“Copy that.Nova has Viper’s six.On my way down,” Trevor said over comms.“I hope this museum has really,reallygood insurance.”
They held position, with Tariq facing the screaming crowd struggling to get out while Jamie covered Samaira’s retreat back to their position a minute later.
“Europa to all fighters.Be advised, the enemy has scattered,” she reported over comms.
“What about their pyrokinetic?”Jamie asked.
Samaira shook her head.“Went below.”
They staggered their positions, trying to cover all lines of sight, but there were too many angles for the enemy to come at them from.Behind them, the screams gave way to muffled shouts ofthank God!andrun!as the doors were finally forced open.
They wouldn’t get very far.Eclipse, a telekinetic on a different UMG field team than the Royal Legion, would have the museum locked down beneath a telekinetic shield.They couldn’t risk anyone getting out and into London, not with the threat of Splice everywhere within this crowd.
Moments later, a sound started up, making the hairs on the back of Jamie’s neck stand on end.Even through the museum walls, Jamie could hear the sirens.Loud, piercing, meant to dig down into a person’s bones and wake the dead, they were first heard centuries ago during World War II to warn of incoming enemy air raids.Now, they warned the citizens of London to shelter in place in the wake of a Splice chemical bomb attack.
The first of which went off in the middle of the crowd behind them trying to cram through the museum entrance for the uncertain safety of a London street.
14
SHORT OF EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE ENEMY
Alexei grabbed Sean by the arm, yanking the agent around to face him as Kyle’s voice faded in his mind.“Clear everyone in room.Now.”
Sean nodded sharply and didn’t argue.He only said, “I’ll lose comms.”
“We not separate.Not be problem.”
There was always that moment where people’s survival instincts had to choose between flight or fight.Alexei had long since scuttled the urge in the back of his mind that demanded he run, choosing instead to fight.While Sean ducked his head and proceeded toliterallyrun through the crowd beginning to sink into the first throes of panic, Alexei slapped nanotech strips onto his face and shoved his way through gala guests to the stairs.Annabelle joined him seconds later, taking position on the landing at the top of the stairwell opposite of him.
They were on the second floor; the guns going off below were loud and impossible to ignore.The enemy, whoever they were, had come up through the underground tunnel.There was a good possibility they would be overrun.They didn’t have time to find a UMG agent and grab weapons or tactical vests, which put them at a disadvantage.
“I take guns, you take bodies?”Annabelle asked as the clatter of people rushing up the stairs got louder.Alexei, who could move in full gear without making a sound, mentally scoffed at their shitty efforts.
“Da.”
The second the Reborn IRA fighters made it to the landing below them, Annabelle used her anti-gravity power to wrench their guns out of their hands, sending the rifles spinning out of reach.Alexei didn’t hesitate to use his pyrokinesis to set the group on fire, gritting his teeth against their agonized screams.The shouts below from people they couldn’t see were ones of warning as the way was blocked by burning bodies.
“I don’t think I’m gonna be eatin’ barbecue for a while,” Annabelle said.
She guided the assault rifles down within reach of them both, slinging one over her shoulder while taking the magazines out of two others.Alexei followed her example, feeling better already about their chances now that he had a gun in hand.
“We move,” Alexei said.
“I disabled five suicide bombers,” Sean said from behind him.
Alexei glanced back at him at the same exact time something arced through the air from the lower level.Annabelle swore and used her power to push the grenade higher, but she couldn’t block the blast.Alexei redirected the fire, even as they dove for cover around the corner.He had the surreal sensation of fallingthroughSean as they got clear of the shrapnel cutting into the wall and flooring of the stairwell.Looking up at Sean with the other man’s legs sticking out of his torso was just fuckingweird.
“We should go,” Sean said as he stepped out of Alexei’s body.
“You think?”Alexei snapped.
