Parallel: United Front

Chapter 8:

10 Minutes Earlier,

While Dayle was considering the pros and cons of jumping down the 'rabbit hole,' Raines and Eli were sliding down one of their own.

They both managed to land relatively well on their feet. Raines noted the way Eli tensed immediately his feet touched the ground. The way he glanced both ways, right hand on a pistol strapped to his lap. Seemingly satisfied, he drew his pistol and held it expertly, nozzle pointed at the ground. He motioned for her to follow, which she did.

Pistol also drawn, Raines pressed on behind him. This kid was trained. Very well too. Could he be from another agency? His accent had sounded Virginian. No, she shook her head. She could not make that kind of assumption yet. He could easily be an enemy agent who had learned multiple languages and accents. She should know. She had that very kind of monster on her own team.

"Raines?"

Raines flinched, startled by his voice in her ear. She had forgotten he was now part of their group channel. Though right now he was using a private one between the two of them. "Sorry," she apologized. "My mind wandered off for a bit."

Eli nodded. "No problem. This stuff does take some getting used to." He paused when something flashed on his gauntlet. "Our objective is still further north, but I want to take a short detour. You mind?"

Raines frowned. She did not very much like the idea of going off course. But all things considered, she did not really have much of a choice. She was blind in enemy territory with Eli as her only eyes and ears. She could not send him off alone. "Only if you don't tell me what we're really doing down here."

Eli stood still. The tiny neon-blue slits that served as eyes for his 'Predator 54' helmet pulsed as if in thought. Raines hated not being able to see his facial expressions. It made it nearly impossible to read him. "Fine," Eli relented. "I guess it's only right I tell you." He resumed his advance. "But I'll talk while we walk if that's all right with you."

"Much preferred," agreed Raines.

"I've been investigating some claims recently posted on the online forums," Eli said.

"Claims?"

"Yeah." Eli hurried to a corner, feet barely making a sound. He took out a small, handheld mirror and spied the corner with his left hand. Satisfied, he replaced the mirror, then turned to Raines. "How good a shot are you with a pistol?"

"Second in my team," Raines revealed. "Why?"

Eli took out a pistol from his inventory. A rather normal looking 9mm Glock with a silencer attached. "Level 1," he said as he handed it over. "Keep it in case the fancy stuff runs out of bullets."

Raines holstered her pistol then accepted his. A quick mag check revealed it was fully loaded. "You didn't answer my question."

"Yeah, once second," Eli promised. "It'll be easier to show." He took out an object from his inventory. A long metallic cylinder with several holes along it. "Flashbang," he explained. "There are four guys around the corner. Two on the left, and two on the right. I've got the left, you take care the right."

Before Raines could question what the hell people were doing in a place like this, Robocop had tossed the grenade into the hallway.

The 'bogeys' didn't even get a chance to acknowledge the grenade, as it exploded on impact with the ground. The targets pressed against the wall in an attempt to get as far away from the blast as possible, but the corridors were far too narrow. A second later all four fell to the earth, dark red oozing out of puncture holes in their heads and chest.