The Dark Edge Chronicles - Clan War

Chapter 20: Extraction

"Viper Two, Strike One. We are on site!" Fordricht tightly announced over comms as his squad tactically advanced through the entrance. The rest of the shifters died in a quick series of single shots from smart-enabled Shiva's. Then, with Kali's held ready and in their hardened full tactical gear, they moved onto the stairs.

"Beginning our descent. Time to target with no interference: ten minutes."

Fordricht looked over his shoulder.

"Recon One, status."

"Shadowing, Strike One," Galloway reported, her squad smoothly following his down the stairs.

"Strike Two, status." That one over comms.

"Entering the enclave and beginning our descent, One," Jensen reported.

It had been his team the hapless shifter guard spotted dropping out of Nighthawk Two a few seconds ago. After dropping off Tanner and her marines near the market's sea entrance, it had swung back around in time to drop the second strike team only seconds after the Recon team hit the ground and Two pulled out to overwatch.

Nodding in satisfaction, Fordricht activated his tac helmet's Heads Up Display. It immediately filled with battlefield data being fed to it by a small computer in the helmet's rear. That computer quickly pulled and compiled data from a dozen sensors scattered throughout his tactical gear, including sensors that picked up his bio-status.

A tap on the computer's wrist-mounted interface and a marked map of the enclave appeared in his HUD, including the path the infil team took to the black market.

"Coming up on the second checkpoint, boss," Kazza, in position behind him, noted in a voice just loud enough to hear.

"Copy that," Fordricht said, his Kali already on his cheek. A tight gesture split the squad up to present less of a target. Then smart rounds were zipping past him to slam into the shifters and cromags manning the second checkpoint.

Naryan found herself looking back towards the entrance as the sound of distant gunfire reached her ears. Then Ballan was waving everybody back behind the corner.

Just in time: with footfalls heavy enough to be felt as they ran by, a full squad of cromags, armed with fifty caliber machine guns that looked too small in their hands, made their way past their position as they hurried down the twisting road.

"I'd say we got their attention," Truk muttered as the cromags were quickly followed by a couple squads of shifters, also heavily armed. "The question is: did they empty their garrison in an attempt to stop us at the stairs?"

"I say we go find out!" Narcist said fiercely, pulling both her sidearm and Stinger free with quick surges. Then she was going around the corner, forcing the other four to follow or get left behind.

Thankfully the herd of cromags going through their midst had pushed the crowd out in front of the black market to the very edges, many cowering in fear as they thought the worst: the Brotherhood had indeed invaded the enclave and was now slaughtering its way towards them! Ignoring them, the Vipers did a tactical run across the space and into the open door of the building.

"Hey! You can't ...uhhh!" The shifter flew back, a Stinger round in his chest, flung aside so hard he cracked the material making up the wall he slammed into.

"There should be a staircase straight ahead," Absinthe said, the tattooed Ventru vampiress right on Narcist's heels. Then Stingers were flaring once again and three more shifters that had tried charging in from the sides were sent flying through the air to either slam into something and drop, or just drop after a brief flight, knocked unconscious by the impact.