Deep Down

Upon wings of lead

          The sporadic clatter of gunfire rang out throughout the streets,mangling the otherwise peaceful and docile nature of the upper levels.The chaos was unprecedented,but the Surface Defense Force had trained for what seemed like an eternity for this exact moment.Commander Michael Daley was in a half crouch behind an overturned automobile,and from his vantage point he could see roughly a dozen enemy troops all converging on his position.Although he didnt exactly have the element of surprise on his side,he did have superior weaponry.With the stock of his rifle jammed against his shoulder he fired a slew of armor piercing rounds at his assailants,3 rounds smacked the first target dead in the chest leaving behind a gaping wound,the second mans skull was crushed thanks to the velocity  of the bullet and his brain was freed from its prison of bone and sprayed on to his partner behind him.The remaining ten enemy soldiers sought refuge behind a flipped box truck,gripped by fear but angered by the loss of their comrades.By this time Daley had bear crawled his way to an adjacent alley and frantically radioed for back up,but to no avail ,the airways were quiet.Fearing his teammates may have suffered a horrid fate Michael knew that he was on his own.ten to one odds,he couldnt outgun them all but he hoped he could outwit them;he reached down to his utility belt and grabbed his lone fragmentation grenade,and without pulling the pin he lobbed it at their location and watched as they all scattered for dear life.He put rounds in to them one by one as they attempted to flee,nine shots nine bodies.He stood with a feeling of pride and admired his handy work,but then it dawned on him werent there ten of them?And at that moment his ribcage erupted like a geyser as a shotgun shell passed through it bringing destruction its wake,shattering and tearing his body to bits and he did the only thing he could do,he died...

        The training sims were starting to get more intense,and the fact that he had failed for the first time sent a shudder though Michael.He had in a sense witnessed his own death and it was gruesome and terrifying.The beauty of being assigned to the Surface Defense Force was that it provided a glimpse into the lives of the upper echelon,a much more exquisite existence than those that dwelled below.Michaels head had been awash with thoughts of his brother lately. He had been meaning to pay him a visit for quite some time now,but couldn't bring himself to, atleast not after how they left things. It was many years ago and in all honesty he wished Ryan would just get over it already.So what he stole his sweetheart,it was in the past,and despite his apologies and pleas for forgiveness Ryan never forgave him. But despite it all he still wished the best for his brother. His thoughts were disturbed by the heavy metal door to his bunk slamming open.He sat up straight just in time to see his chief supervisor walk in;a stern looking man with a salt and pepper mop of hair;his name was John Talbot."Mr.Daley i need a word with you." said talbot. "Of course Sir." responded Daley. He got up and closed the door behind his superior officer.Talbot began to speak in an almost presidential voice"I've seen your training data,and quite frankly i'm impressed.A soldier of your calibur deserves to be in a position of leadership,your combat efficiency as well as your team coordination have made that very clear to me. How would you like to join the BLACKBIRDS." Michael almost let out a girlish squeal of excitement.The Blackbirds were an elite unit stationed below the surface to act as a sort of counter terrorism unit and part time police force if need be. The pay alone was over quadruple what he already made,plus he and his wife would be able to attend Surface galas and with enough saving they might even be able to afford a studio on the surface.But  Talbot wasn't finished yet,"After a few years you would be reassigned to the presidents guard,how does that sound to you?". "im honored sir" stammered Michael."Im humbled to be offered this oppurtunity." Talbot gave a slight grin which was completely beside his character."I'm glad to hear it Daley.We'll be in contact." and with that John Talbot made his exit. In all of his years as an officer for the SDF he had sent many a soldier to their untimely death,it was never intentional but it was a harsh reality of the job.Daley was a good kid,and he had heart maybe he wouldnt perish,but nothing was certain,and furthermore he didnt truly know what he was in for.None of the Blackbirds did;but there was civil unrest below the surface,a revolution was brewing and John hoped for the sake of his own career and his life that it soaredupon wings of lead.