John O'Brien - Reckoning

“Lynn, Horace has the ops center under control. How are you doing?” Jack asks over the radio.

“I heard. We have the security forces bottled up for the moment, but who knows how long that will last. The room clearing was unsuccessful and they just tried rushing under a volley of grenades. We beat them back with the help of the Strykers,” Lynn briefs.

“The what?” Jack asks.

“We have three Strykers operational and are using the .50 cals. That’s the only way we were able to force them back into their quarters,” Lynn states.

“Good thinking. That never occurred to me.”

“Jack, they have the ability to communicate with each other. I don’t know if that’s by phone or radio, but they are coordinating their actions. From what I see, they have twenty six down and almost double that wounded. We have five wounded, two immobile and three ambulatory. Black Team is out of action, but we need to do something, and soon,” Lynn replies.

“I’m working on it, Can you hold?” Jack asks.

“For the moment, yes,” Lynn responds.

“You have Watkins if you need.”

“Jack, we’re going to need more ammo before this is all said and done,” Lynn states.

“Horace, can you find out where their armory is?” Jack calls on the radio.

“Standby,” Horace answers, moments later returning. “They say it’s in rooms off the barrack’s hallways.”

“Well, we aren’t getting to that,” Lynn says.

“Horace, if things are under control, and if you can, send part of your team to give Lynn some of your team’s mags,” Jack radios.

While waiting for Horace’s teammates to show up, Lynn directs Mullins to send the drivers with him to scout the other vehicles for ammo. Her teammates return from patching up their compatriots. Black Team is back to having four members available.

“Hold out as best as you can, Lynn. I’m on my way in,” Jack says.

Crouched by the entrance with Gonzalez behind and Henderson and Denton on the other side, I hear the alarm begin blaring. Looking behind, I watch as Horace enters the control room. A short time later, across the equipment bay and out of sight, explosions rock the interior as Lynn triggers the claymores. I don’t hear an ensuing firefight with the exception of the M-240s firing and the heavy staccato of heavy machine guns. I can’t see in that direction and hope that those aren’t being used against us. If so, then this will be a very short sojourn into the bunker. I contemplate calling Lynn to find out, but I know that she more than likely has her hands full at the moment, and doesn’t need any distractions from my end. If she needs help, she’ll ask for it.

Hearing Horace confirm that she has control of the operations center and conversing with Lynn, I know that it’s our turn. I’ve waited because it would be a lot easier if those responding came to us rather than us entering and running into them, especially seeing there are only four of us.

We have waited long enough, though. The time has come for us to head inside. We have the upper hand at the moment but, like Lynn said, that may not last long. We need to keep the push going to capture the facility, and to do that, we have to capture the leadership. With them in hand or down, the rest should fall as they won’t have anything or anyone to fight for. However, it’s getting to them and then convincing those still fighting that it’s not worth it.

With a nod to Henderson, we unlock the security door and sweep inside. We enter into a brilliantly lit, wide corridor. The highly polished floors and painted walls, with pictures along the length, are so starkly different than the equipment bay that I’m momentarily startled. Walking from the concrete interior, filled with military vehicles and an ongoing firefight, into this feels like I’ve entered into some time-dimensional warp and stepped into a posh office building. Along one side of the wide hall are windowed offices, their interiors unlit.

Gonzalez and I spread to the side with Henderson and Denton behind. The hallway is the only place that’s lit…which makes me nervous. We’re in the light, whereas, anyone waiting for us will be hidden in the shadows. Luckily, there is a switch panel by the door. I’d hate to shoot out the lights as that would give notice to our location. If anyone is in this part of the complex, they know we’re already inside but not our exact location. With only four available at the moment, I would rather not get into a firefight, especially being in the open like we are. There aren’t any cameras here, so we at least have that going for us.

“Denton, hit the lights. We’re going in on NVGs,” I whisper.

The lights go out, plunging the hall into darkness. I see differing shades of gray and I hear subtle clicks as the others lower their NVGs into place.

Our boots squeak softly on the polished surface as we begin making our way down the hall. Checking the rooms as we pass, alert for anyone hiding within, I note that most don’t appear that they are being used, with some completely devoid of furnishings. The desktops that do appear are clear, only waiting for paperwork to be strewn across their surfaces.

Ahead, an intersecting hallway opens to the right as we proceed down the main hall. Conference rooms begin to appear between the offices as we slowly make our way past. In the distance, as I near the intersection, the main hall ends and turns to the right.

If I remember the diagram in the security room correctly, this area is filled with office space and what may be individual quarters farther in. At least the room sizes and adjoining bathrooms indicated this could be the case. Those are the rooms we’re trying to get to. If they’re occupied, then they will more than likely hold those in charge. I would have thought they would be in the operations center, but perhaps they didn’t make it before the alarm went off. If that’s the case, they could be anywhere.

However, the hall we’re approaching wasn’t indicated on the diagram, so all bets are off. At least, I don’t remember it being there, and it wasn’t on the original plan we studied at our compound.

Near the corner of the branching hall, I radio, “Lynn, Jack here. Can you spare three from Alpha? This place is a little bigger than expected.”

I’m worried about having our backsides covered if we proceed farther. No matter if we continue straight ahead or take the right, it would be easy for anyone to come up behind us and trap us.

“That’s fine, Jack, but it takes our reserves down. We’re still good for now, but we can’t keep this up forever,” Lynn answers, the sound of the heavy weapons chattering in the background.

“If you need those three, pull them back and we’ll deal with it,” I state.

“Copy that.”

The branching corridor is lit, casting a wide ribbon of light into the main one. I creep to the corner while we wait for the three from Watkins’ team to show up. Placing my mirror around the edge, I see that the corridor extends for a distance with some unlit windows facing the hall. Closed doors are placed at intervals along its length. Reaching up to a bank of switches, I flick them into their closed position, causing the hall to go dark… with one exception. Light issues from a window about half-way down.

Gav sits in a conference room, waiting. She observes the lights go out and recognizes that the end has arrived. She’s been on the giving end enough times to know when it’s here. She looks to the handgun in her lap. She will greet her guests peacefully enough but wants it ready. If whoever is approaching comes in shooting, and she is to die, she won’t go down without a semblance of a fight.

It’s how she always pictured it, but perhaps not in this manner. She always knew, with her chosen profession, that her life would end early. There were very few who went on missions that made it to retirement; well…to an old age that is. They were always retired in some fashion or another. She knew she had been pressing her luck, was on borrowed time each time she went out. She had thought, however, that her end would come in some firefight after having been discovered. When she accepted this position, if she really ever had a choice, she counted herself fortunate that she had made it. Until now, that is.