章 103: Infiltration
(Yeah, I was gone for a while. Depression sucks. Gonna be inconsistent as I get back into it.)
An endless torrent of droplets beat against the ground. The pitter patter of concrete and metal being sprayed created a unique ambiance with the humming and grumbling signature of a military facility.
Generators filled the gaps in the static like noise of the rain with vibrations that shook the ground. These machines kept the lights on. These lights were exactly what we needed to turn off.
A flash of light streaked across the sky, piercing through the clouds and scorching the ground off in the distance. In that brief flash, I was able to see the silhouettes of my comrades. Dressed in all black, the small group I was with was standing on the roof of a small building.
The lightning was quickly followed up by the crack of all that voltage crashing through the air. It was near deafening due to the storm being directly overhead.
Soon after the clap of thunder, Tomas spoke through the comms channel. "Alpha team, I need SITREP on the AO."
(SITREP = Situational Report, AO = Area of Operations)
I tightly gripped the blaster carbine strapped to my tac-vest as I awaited the reports. Only perfection would mean success for this operation.
"Alpha 3, North is clear."
"Alpha 7, East is clear."
"Alpha 4, South is clear."
"Alpha 6, West is clear."
"Alpha 2, airspace is clear."
Another flash and clap pierced through the wet air filling the dark night. I quietly observed Tomas as he stood several feet to my right.
I was barely able to make out his silhouette nod. "Alpha 8, you may proceed."
Every member of ANVSF (ANV Special Forces) Alpha Team received a designation. There was Tomas (Alpha 1), Paula (Alpha 2), Dante (Alpha 3), Reeves (Alpha 4), Katarina (Alpha 5), Olivier (Alpha 6), Serena (Alpha 7), Sirius (Alpha 8), Olga (Alpha 9), Mahmud (Alpha 10), Lloyd (Alpha 11), and my designation was Alpha 12. Sirius and myself were only temporary team members. We would be replaced after this mission.
Through the darkness of the night, I watched as my padawan stepped forwards and dropped off the roof. There was no sound as he landed and disappeared amidst the shadows.
He quickly emerged from the darkness just a few feet from the generator before us. There was a light over this area so I could see him clearly now.
Sirius then pulled a hemispherical device from his tac-vest and placed it on the breaker box next to the generator. Just as quickly as he appeared, he once again disappeared.
Tomas, upon seeing the placement of the device, proceeded with the last-minute checks. "Alpha 2, how we doing on patrols?"
Paula replied after a few seconds. "Hard to tell. They're mostly hiding from the rain."
I felt a slight wave of relief wash over Tomas. "That makes this easier. Alpha team, we will maintain radio silence from here on out. Alphas 8 and 12, you know your mission. As soon as the lights go out, we move. Anything more before we begin?"
There was nothing but silence from the team members. Everyone was ready. "Very well. NVGs ready… Lights out in 3… 2… 1…"
A sudden electrical crack came from the breaker box as the generator let out a puff of smoke before shutting down. The lights immediately flickered off as this section of the facility was swallowed by darkness.
I pressed on the side of my helmet and pulled my goggles down as I started walking forwards. The darkness flashed into shades of white, green, and black. Upon reaching the edge, I stepped forwards without hesitation.
Plunging towards the ground, I slightly bent my knees. Once I hit the ground, I crouched to cushion my landing. A light splash was the only sign that I had fallen.
I felt a slight presence behind me, knowing exactly who it was. I sighed, rolling my shoulders back to loosen up a bit. I then whispered. "Let's do this."
Once again, I began walking forth into the belly of the beast. I reset my grip on my blaster carbine, letting my finger rest on the trigger guard. These custom blasters were so much better than the standard issue gear.
There was a slight pattering as Sirius rushed up to a nearby building and scaled it, disappearing into the darkness once again.
I continued forth, weaving through the maze of prefab buildings that our enemy had hastily constructed. Based on the intelligence, there were three layers to this facility, each of them separated by a wall. We were currently in the middle layer. It was quite easy for us to get to this point without alerting anyone.
The challenge was getting into the central layer. This was where our targets were located. The primary generators, munitions depot, communications center which most likely held the jamming equipment, and the command center were all located here. Our only target outside of the central layer was the airfield which was in the outer layer on the opposite side from which we came.
The objective assigned to my padawan and I was to infiltrate the command center and find out who these aggressors were. We had to make them compensate us for our losses with interest.
Through the heavy rain, I was barely able to make out some voices up ahead. "Ughhh, who the fuck turned the lights out."
Another voice replied. "Just shut up. They'll give us ord-"
Their conversation was cut off by the sound of two dull thuds that barely snuck through the pouring rain. Sirius had neutralized them.
The glint of a figure flashed in the corner of my eye as Sirius glided across the ground. He was both speedy and silent.
Suddenly, I felt the force tug at my mind with great urgency. There was danger. Without thinking, I pulled my knife from my vest and threw it to my right.
"Oof."
I spun to my right and started running as the man collapsed to the ground. Reaching out with my right hand, I pulled the knife out of the man's throat, returning it to my palm with the force.
With a leap, I flashed through the air and arrived right in front of the remaining enemy. Before he could react, I covered his mouth with my left hand and then plunged my dagger into his throat. Life faded from his eyes as a slight gargle marked the end of his journey.
I gently laid the body on the ground before retrieving my knife. With a quick wipe on his clothes, I put it back in its holster and continued moving.
I shook my head, sighing. That was too close for comfort. I'd much rather have been in bed, sleeping off the exhaustion. What's worse was the irritation. I felt like there was a mere string holding together my sanity.
Not a thought went through my head as I navigated through the base, killing over a dozen enemy troopers. Killing was second nature to me by then. What have I turned into? Am I really just a mindless killing machine?
Before I could truly process those thoughts, we reached our destination. This building was much larger than the rest. It appeared to be more structurally sound than the other buildings and even had a small sensor array on the top. This was the command building. It was time to identify our attackers.
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