Chapter 47: A TIGHT SENSATION
(Insurgent Base, Spain, May 2134)
3 insurgents patrolled a section of road near the base. The sandstorm is already approaching the area, hence they are all masked up to protect their faces.
"Do you all think that it is really a good idea to work with those Vanguard nutcases?" whispered an inurgent. They had stopped among a cluster of rocks to take a water break
"Quiet!" snapped another insurgent, panicky. "What if they are using some space magic to eavesdrop on us?"
"Relax," said their leader. "We are 20m away from the base, no Sellardraxians are out on patrol in this area."
"Well," the leader said, "my opinion is that we leave the politics to the higher ups."
"Though if I were to be honest, those nutcases sooner or later are going to drag us down into the abyss with their f***ery. I would suggest that we end the partnership as soon as we can," she continued.
"And if they don't?" asked an insurgent.
The leader loaded her G36 rifle. "They can try."
"Are you sure we can beat them though?" asked the other insurgent worriedly. After all, each Vanguard terrorist's individual strengths far surpass a normal human.
"So what if they can use their space magic?" sneered the leader. "One shot to a vital area can kill them, just like humans."
The 3 laughed.
"Yes indeed," said a soldier. "Those Sellardraxians simply cannot be trusted, we should have expelled all of them to the Alpha Centauri system after WW3! After all, wasn't there this Sellardraxian cult that was among the Veo collaborators?"
"Now, that's just rude," said a voice next to him.
"Oh shut up, no one gives a f*** about your political correctness—AH!" the soldier immediately turned when he realised that there is a 4th person talking, but he is too late.
Sean sprang out of hiding from his disguise net among the rocks, holding a rope with a looped hitch on one end. The other end of the rope is looped around his belt.
He struck instantly, pushing the insurgent down, knocking his rifle out of his hands. Frederica had also jumped out with Sean, controlling the man's right arm, pinning him down. The leader is also pinned down by Nanami and Electra who had sprang out from hiding, while the third soldier is killed by a wind blade generated by Electra, the wind blade quietly taking his life.
Sean then swiftly pinned down the insurgent's left hand, looping the hitch around it, and rapidly tightening it. He screamed in pain, prompting Frederica to gag his mouth with handkerchief. Sean sat on his waist, his 120kg body ensuring that the insurgent cannot break free. He futilely tried to kick Sean off by kicking backwards. Sean then kneed onto his legs, rendering the kicking useless too.
"Don't move!" ordered Sean
"MMPH!" struggled the man in pain.
With Frederica helping to pin his hands down, Sean quickly coiled the rope one round around the insurgent's neck, then tying the rope to both of the insurgent's hands on his back. In this way, the insurgent will not dare to move his hands, as it will cause him to choke himself. They did not tie up his legs as they need to ensure that he has mobility in order to move the prisoners away quicker.
Nanami and Cameron did it to the leader too, restraining her. The leader is however much more ferocious in her struggle, prompting Nanami to summon her tentacles, wrapping the leader tightly, constricting her.
"What happened to jeering at us Sellardraxians, sweetheart?" teased Nanami.
The leader spat out her gag, roaring insults, only for Nanami to use her tentacles to stuff the gag back into her mouth.
"MMPH!!" protested the leader.
"Having extra limbs really does help," remarked Sean.
"What? You want the rope to be tighter? My, my, didn't know you have such preferences," teased Nanami. "No worries, mommy will make sure you have a tighter sensation," she smirked.
Soon the leader's face is red and then purple, violently flailing her body, gasping for air.
(10 minutes later)
"And here we go," said Nanami, projecting a holographic map map they made from the maps on their 2 prisoners, plus additional information they had interrogated out.
Santiago and Aya studied the map.
"Are you sure they won't lie to us?" asked Santiago.
Nanami laughed. "The moment they realized we are Sellardraxians they almost pissed themselves in fright, especially after we showed them some advanced arts."
"Besides, we have Angels who can use their affinity to probe their minds as a fail safe," she added, referring to Walter and Electra.
"Based on the information, the prison camp is located at the basement of this huge 3 storied building," said Nanami. "The 2 insurgents testified that they did see the 3 scientists in there, locked away from the other prisoners."
Aya looked at the annotated information on the map. "This building's electric consumption is exponentially higher than other buildings. And this building is neither a command post or an important defensive position, it's too odd."
Santiago concurred. Nanami went on to mention that the areas from the 2nd and 3rd floor are out of bounds to ordinary insurgents or Vanguard terrorists.
"Ok, that's not our concern," said Santiago, checking the areas of the map.
"300 hostiles in total, and with heavy weapons," he muttered, looking at the annotated heavy weapons, ranging from machine gun nests, robot sentries, AA missile platforms, technicals, armoured vehicles to 3 tanks.
"18 against 300, I don't like these odds," he gulped.
"We are not here to kill the 300 terrorists," said Aya. "We are here to rescue the 3 scientists."
"No," she paused. "We are here to rescue all 25 prisoners in the prison camp," she said.
Recounting the disaster that was the roadside ambush, she does not want to leave any civilians behind again. While her decision to leave the majority of the 20 journalists remain in the tour bus may had been the more logical course of action, it led to 14 of them being killed in gruesome explosion, and 3 wounded badly. Only 3 journalists survived the attack without permanent disabilities for the rest of their lives.
"Are you sure?" asked Santiago. "That's too big of a target."
"The scientists remain our main targets," said Aya.
She pointed to the map.
"Now, there is only one route from where we are to the building, and it requires us to travel through the central plaza, which is the main activity hotspot," Aya said. They do not have more time to find a better way in as sooner or later the insurgents will discover that they have 3 patrols missing.
"We will first take this building," she pointed to a small security building located near the front gate where they will infiltrate in from. "Vasily and Walter remain here, set up a communications area to ensure that our comms to the convoy will not be affected too much by the sandstorm. They are also to hack into the security system to provide over watch."
"The Spanish GOE will dress up as insurgents, which is easy, you all just have to change your patches."
"As for the remaining 11 of us, we will dress up as Vanguard terrorists," continued Aya. "Thanks to the sandstorm, everyone in the base will be masked up, that will help to conceal us."
"Santiago, one GOE operator, me, Ethan and Maia will head for the prisoner building, since our Spanish are the most fluent. We will pose as food suppliers" continued Aya.
Nanami then added in some inputs of her own.
"I suggest letting Frederica, Sean, Cameron and Meari find vantage spots to cover the entirety of the plaza. The rest of us will spread out among the plaza. The areas near the building are mostly staffed by the insurgents, they don't dare to be close to Sellardraxians," she said.
Aya nodded.
"Once my team secures the 3 scientists," she said. "I will ask Ethan and Maia to transport them to Vasily and Walter's position. Afterwards, the 3 will set off first towards the border."
Santiago managed to think in sync with the 2 leaders of Squad Artemis. "Then we all attack the building together, free the remaining 22 prisoners. Once Vasily, Walter and the snipers meet up with us, we blow off the route from the plaza to the building. We then blast our way out from the other end, and rendezvous with Maia's team southwards."
"Exactly," smiled Aya.
"Sound like a good plan to me," concurred Nanami.
The 3 grinned, taking out their pistols, screwing on suppressors and loading their magazines with subsonic bullets.
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