The thickness of the smoke was making her eyes water as she crashed blindly through it. She coughed, feeling it creep into her lungs, she threw an arm over her face and hoped she would just get through the smoke, the heat was incredible.
Suddenly the smoke cleared, and she was standing in a clear room.
Facing the raised barrel of a gun.
'No, not you.' Her heart seemed to stop.
There was nothing but coldness in him.
'Please,' she whispered. 'Please don't do this.'
The gun fired, and she was thrown backwards.
The pain was unimaginable.
*
The call had come through during the early hours of the morning. Ashleigh had been waiting for it for nearly twelve hours; she had begun to despair that it would ever happen. But it had, and she knew she had only a short amount of time to get to her destination.
It wasn't what she had expected. The building was an office block on the northern outskirts of the city, and in the early hour of the morning, seemingly deserted. Leaving the safety of her car, she slid along the walls of the building, still shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the harsh orange streetlights that lined the road. It was just after five am, and she shivered in the cold morning.
The first problem was how she was going to get inside. There was no way she could risk a main exit. Peering around a corner, she found herself facing a narrow alleyway, unguarded, and with a dead end. Half way along was a security camera. Slipping her hand inside her jacket, she found the small canister, and slid along the wall, hoping she was out of sight for the camera. It took only seconds to spray the lens of the camera with a thick black layer of paint. Perfect. Glancing up, she saw the line of narrow windows, just as she had been told. Jumping up, she scrabbled to get a purchase on the narrow sill, digging her toes in between the bricks of the building. The first window revealed a small storeroom, not enough space to get in easily. She also couldn't risk any one walking in looking for cleaning fluids just as she dropped in.
The second window was a much better bet, revealing what looked to be a boiler room. Much better. Shielding her face, she rammed her elbow into the glass. As she had hoped, it cracked; a second blow broke the glass. Picking the glass out of the frame, she clambered through and dropped to the floor below. Immediately she dove into a corner and pulled her gun, listening for any sound that may mean someone heading in her direction.
All was clear. She cracked open the door, noting how quiet it was. That wasn't a good thing. She had to get to the centre of the building, five floors up. Pulling open the door to the service staircase, she started to run up them.
The bullet hit the metal banister next to her. Ducking, she threw herself into the stairs, and waited for the second bullet. None came. Peering up, she only just saw the gunman two flights up before he fired again forcing her back.
She decided to call his bluff, and made a run for it. Reaching the top of the next flight of stairs, she turned and fired blindly, a muffled moan told her she'd hit her target. The gunman was slumped at the top, by the door to the fifth floor. Dropping down next to him, she checked him over for weapons, but he only carried the one gun, and a supply of ammo. She breathed a sigh of relief, and pulled out the small radio she was carrying.
'Delta 5 calling all Delta units,' she hissed into it.
There was a pause, and then a crackle of life. 'Delta 1 receiving you, Delta 5.'
'Delta 5 currently heading to rendezvous point, disabled one marksman.'
'Received. Continue as agreed.'
