Viper yelled down the hallway. “Got our arsenal ready for load-up!”
I pointed down the hallway. “Everyone! Stop what you’re doing and go saddle yourself up with some weapons! We need to know exactly what we still need to haul over there later on!”
Men poured out of every orifice along the hallway and made their way into the darkness of the back rooms. We kept our closeted arsenals under lock and key, away from the main hallways and out of sight. I followed behind my men, watching as they grabbed pistols and magazines. Grenades, and flashbangs. Viper shoved a few smoke and stink bombs into his pockets before eyeing a massive minigun we had been saving for an emergent moment.
“Hey, boss,” Viper said.
I chuckled. “Hey, if you can wield it, you can take it.”
“Oh, hell yeah!” he exclaimed as he reached for the gigantic gun.
The damned thing practically looked like a doll’s toy in his hands, and I found myself getting excited. I wasn’t sure what the fuck that meant for my moral code, especially since I had promised in my pledged oath to abandon all thoughts of meaningless death in an effort to push a greater good onto our community. But as the guys cleared a pathway between myself and the closet, my legs tugged me toward it.
Before my hands settled on the one gun I always trusted.
“Old Bestey, then?” Angel asked.
I picked up my shotgun and ran my finger over the metallic engraving. It was a picture of an angel, her back hunched and her wings spread wide as she held the whole of the Earth on her back.
I checked the barrel before I cocked the shotgun, and I pointed it at the wall over Bender’s head.
Before I discharged two shots right into the dust-colored plaster.
“Oh, yeah,” I said as I popped the shells out of the barrels, “she’ll do just fine.”
I shoved my pockets full of ammunition before reaching for a few other things. I wanted a couple of grenades on my person as well as some smoke bombs in case I needed a quick diversion for a getaway. I hooked a pistol to my right hip before sliding some throwing knives onto my left hip, and I even managed to tuck an ankle gun against the inside of my right ankle.
By the time I was done arranging my own personal arsenal, I was loaded down with about ten different weapons at my disposal.
And when I turned around, Reaper held out his hand with an earpiece sitting right against his palm.
“Ready to rock and roll?” he asked.
I plucked the earpiece out of his grasp and threaded it into my left ear. “I’m more than ready.”
The guys whooped and hollered as they shoved their guns into the air. They chanted all sorts of things while dancing around and jumping up and down like they were at some sort of concert. I couldn’t help but grin, though. As they all danced around me, showering me with good faith and confidence, I drew in a deep breath and held my head high.
Despite the rejoicing however, I held up my hand after a few minutes.
“There are still a lot of things to get into place before tonight!” I yelled over their chanting.
They quickly settled down before Bender took the reins. “What all do we still need to get into place?”
Reaper raised his hand. “We just gotta load my tech into the van on my end.”
Viper nodded. “Yeah, now that we’ve got our personal guns, we can start loading up everything else into the cages so it’s all sorted when we get there.”
Angel peered over Goose’s shoulder. “Goose and I gathered as much med-gear as possible and we’ve got it in a duffel bag slid beneath the passenger’s seat.”
I licked my lips. “How are we looking on medical supplies?”
Goose shrugged. “We’re okay. We’re not the best, but if someone needs stitching or a quick fix, we can do it while we’re there.”
I drew in a deep breath. “Who’s in charge of clearing the route?”
Angel raised his hand. “That’s me, but it’s not quite time for that just yet. Got about another hour before I can go scout things out and run our different routes.”
“How many routes do we have mapped out?”
