John Sneeden - The Hades Conspiracy

Minutes later, the group arrived at the plaza and the pool containing Nephilim statues. The staircase was two blocks ahead. Before long, they would be back on the surface.

As they approached the pool, Zane looked at Stegmann. “Do you have any men up top?”

“We’re all here. I didn’t have enough—”

The loud crack of a gunshot cut him off.

“Everybody down!” Zane shouted.

As Carmen looked for a place to seek cover, she saw movement in her peripheral vision. Someone teetered then dropped to the ground. When she realized who it was, her heart rose in her throat.

Connor Reid lay on the ground beside her with a gaping hole in the center of his forehead.

A bad situation worsened in the seconds that followed. Another shot came on the heels of the first. A Swiss Guard spun and fell over, dead before he hit the ground.

Everyone scrambled for cover. Zane crab-walked to the wall encircling the pool. He shouted at the others to do the same. Some dove. Others crawled on all fours, but eventually, they all made it. Carmen came last, dragging Reid’s body along with her. It was a noble gesture. Zane was certain the operative was dead, but she probably held out hope he’d somehow survived. As gut-wrenching as it was, he’d have to grieve later.

Zane’s ears told him the shooter was high and to the right along the plateau at the top of the stairs. That meant they were pinned down for the moment. Any attempt to flee to the safety of nearby buildings would expose them to sniper fire. Under different circumstances, he might have taken the risk. In this case, the shooter had already proved himself lethal by taking down two targets in quick succession. After taking the first one down with a head shot, he’d shifted his aim slightly and done it again.

For now, the wall would provide some level of protection. But what if there were other shooters? The answer came a few seconds later when a barrage of semi-automatic gunfire came from the far end of the pool, strafing the stone wall above them.

The whole thing had been a trap. Rather than attack in the tunnels, Lawson’s men had set up in a place they knew their targets would have to cross. Their plan seemed simple: have the sniper take out two early, then when everyone scattered, the other gunmen would attack from the far end of the pool. The sniper’s one mistake had been in letting them get too close to the wall. He’d succeeded in taking out the two targets, but thankfully, the rest had found cover quickly.

Pratt poked Zane with the butt of his rifle. “I count at least a dozen tangos at ground level.”

“Let’s see if we can shake them up a bit.” Zane rose for a brief moment then ducked. It was hard to see through the maze of statues in the pool, but he’d managed to see a head peering over the wall on the far end. With the location imprinted in his mind, he rose up and fired at the spot. The head jerked and fell from sight.

One down .

The kill produced a wave of return fire. The enemy was angry. Zane shouted for everyone to stay low. Let them release their frustration and deplete their ammo. As he waited, an idea surfaced. He got Stegmann’s attention and mimed with his hands, indicating he wanted the thermal imaging monocular. Stegmann gave a nod of understanding and had the device passed down.

Monocular in hand, Zane scooted to his right, putting one of the statues in the pool behind him. He signaled for Pratt and Carmen to draw near. “I need you to lay down some covering fire. No need to target anything.”

Carmen looked at Pratt and counted with her fingers. At the appointed time, the two lifted their rifles over the wall and fired. Zane rose at the same time and aimed the monocular at the plateau at the top of the stairs. Seeing nothing, he moved it right. A red-and-yellow smudge appeared. Although the image wasn’t sharp, Zane noted the shooter was on one knee next to a boulder.

He marked the location of the sniper and dropped down.

Carmen and Pratt followed suit.

Zane knew he needed to act while the image was fresh in his mind. Setting the monocular aside, he retrieved his rifle. As was his routine, he took three deep breaths then squeezed all the air out of his lungs. Even the slightest movement of his chest could send the bullet off course.

Using the statue for cover, he placed his rifle on top of the ledge and focused his sights on the boulder. He visualized the sniper on one knee a little to the left. Zane squeezed the trigger. A loud crack echoed across the plaza. Two seconds later, a rifle tumbled down the stairs.

“Beautiful.” Pratt pumped his fist.

They had to take advantage of the opportunity he’d created. If they were going to launch a counter strike, now was the time. He formed a plan for dealing with the gunmen on the other end then motioned for the others to gather around, including the Swiss Guards. The group would divide into two teams. One would provide covering fire, while the other would sprint to the multi-tiered fountain in the center of the pool. Once there, they would climb to the top and fire down on the gunmen hidden at the other end. While they might not have a clear shot at the attackers, the angle would probably be good enough to at least flush them out.

Stegmann listened intently, then nodded. “I like it.”

Zane, Pratt, and two Swiss Guards would comprise the assault team that would run to the fountain. Stegmann, Carmen, and the remainder of the Swiss Guard would remain behind and provide cover.

There were no questions, so Zane told everyone to divide into their respective teams. Once they were in place, he gave the signal to commence. Stegmann and his team rose and directed a volley of fire toward the other end.

“Go!” Zane shouted as he led his team over the wall. While the distance to the fountain wasn’t great, it seemed to take an eternity. They scrambled up using the tiered basins. Zane and Pratt stopped on the one closest to the top, while the two guards set up just below.

The covering fire ended.

Zane looked toward the far end of the pool. He counted eight gunmen hunkered behind the wall. Either Pratt’s count had been wrong, or perhaps others were somewhere out of sight. As seconds passed, the gunmen stirred. A couple rose up and peered over the wall, completely unaware they were being watched. At some point, one of them would look up, so they needed to act now. Zane and Pratt would focus on the gunmen to the right, while their Swiss counterparts focused on the left.

Zane gave a low whistle. Four shots rang out, and four targets died instantly. Not wanting to give the others a chance to recover, they continued to squeeze off shots, aiming for exposed body parts. Those still alive realized the wall no longer afforded any protection, so they scattered, firing as they ran.

Zane brought down one on the left, and a Swiss Guard brought down another on the right. The last two gunmen escaped down a street. As they disappeared, Zane and his team climbed down. When they reached the bottom, the others met them.

“Shall we give chase?” Carmen asked.

Stegmann shook his head. “They’ll probably set up inside a building. That will give them an advantage. We need to head for the surface.”

“I second that,” Pratt said. “We need to be thankful we didn’t suffer any more losses. Let’s get everyone to safety then worry about who else might be down here.”

“There could be others waiting in the tunnel,” Carmen said.

“It’s always possible,” Stegmann said. “But I think most of their team was here. My bigger fear is they’ll seal off the entrance before we can get there.”

With the matter settled, Stegmann sent several men to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades. He sent two others to make sure none of the gunmen were trying to slip back and cause trouble. Once they returned with word all was clear, the group set out.