Titus Emmanuel sat crouched behind an armored truck parked next to the entrance to one of the buildings in the compound. His seamless black armor casted no reflections and covered his entire body giving a wraith-like appearance. He looked over the two guards he had just dispatched and made sure they were out of view of any of the cameras scanning the area. As he checked the sight lines he paused. There was a sound coming from the entrance to the motor pool. Titus spun around and soundlessly slid under the armored truck to his right.

Connors walked into the motor pool with his handgun and pointed it at all the corners. The light attached to his weapon revealed only crates and spare parts. He maneuvered around the side of the armored truck. "Come out with your hands up whoever you are!"

Titus burst from behind the man. He grabbed the man's handgun and jerked it out of his hand just as he slammed his knife into his chest. Connors dropped to the ground, his eyes bulging and his mouth open in a soundless scream. Titus quickly reached for his comms. "I just finished off the last of the external security. Their desk sergeant is no longer monitoring the security system. Venna stay in your overwatch position. Readjust as needed. Benjamin you are clear to infiltrate. Notify once in position. I will drive the target to you."

Benjamin and Venna both replied with an affirmative. Titus moved from the entrance of the motor pool out into the swirling snow. He looked out across the compound so see the mansion. The target lived in the mansion and everything they had discovered about the man spoke to the his obsession with opulence and cruelty. Titus sprinted across the parade grounds and smoothly came to a crouching rest along the wall next to the door to the soldier barracks. Titus leaned forward while reaching into a pouch strapped to his back. Pulling out an explosive charge, he placed it just in front of the doorway to the barracks and carefully rigged a trip cord to the door. Titus then launched to his feet and ran toward the mansion. As he neared the opulent structure he came upon a chest high stone wall surrounding the building. He slowed and came to a stop behind the diminutive wall and rested his weapon along the top.

Titus remained crouched and motionless while waiting for word from Benjamin. The minutes elapsed and soon five minutes became thirty without any communication.

"Titus" Benjamin broke the silence. "I am in position. Spring the trap."

Titus vaulted over the wall and calmly walked up to the front entrance of the mansion. He raised his weapon and pulled the secondary trigger on his assault rifle. There was a sharp staccato slap and then a deafening explosion as the grenade launched into the front door and dismantled it in spectacular fashion. With flames licking at his armor Titus marched into the mansion.

…

With one shoe on and his shirt partially untucked, an overweight, and stubbly faced man stumbled around the corner. Breathless, he looked to the four soldiers running down the hall and shouted, "He is coming! He is coming!"

One of the soldiers questioned, "Sir! Who is coming? We heard gun fire and explosions."

"How the hell should I know! He just cut down my entire security detail. Get out of my way and go stop him."

Just then a tremor shook the building and a loud explosion sounded from across the compound.

At this the soldiers gripped their weapons. "Yes Mr. Salverton!" All the soldiers looked back and forth at each other and began moving back down the hall.

"Do not let anything or anyone through." The rotund man shouted breathlessly. He then turned and waddled through the door to his office and locked it. The bolt made a metallic click as it secured the door.

Just as the four men reached the turn in the hallway a black armored figure turned the corner right into them.

…

Andre Salverton collapsed against the locked door breathing in raspy breaths. His hand was still resting on the security panel on the door above his bowed head. The fat of his underarm wobbled with every breath. His eyes drooped closed with exhaustion then suddenly flashed open as a voice spoke from inside the room.

"Did you think you could escape us? There was no where you could hide in this entire solar system where we would not find you" Benjamin's voice rang out in the safe room.

Salverton frantically slapped his hand onto the security panel and reached for the door handle. There was a soft click of the locks disengaging. Benjamin sprung forward and grabbed Andre by the wrists and spun him around on his heels. Andre's eyes bulged in their sockets and he stuttered unintelligible words.

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In one smooth motion Benjamin drew his weapon and leveling it at the center of Andre's head. "Just need to confirm you are who you are before I ruin any chance of a facial recognition. " Benjamin's other hand slid out of a pouch with a small rectangular device. With his thumb he quickly typed a button and the gadget made a quiet chirp. "Scan checks out. You are Andre Salverton. Say goodbye." As Benjamin's finger tightened on the trigger Titus walked through the unlocked office door.

"No, Benjamin, wait. I have dealt with everyone out here I want to take him alive… we will see what he has to say."

"Thank you thank you thank you," groveled Salverton now sprawled on the floor on his knees. "I am more useful to you alive than dead. I have information! I'm willing to turn on my employer. You don’t have to kill me."

Tapping his fingers on his thigh, Benjamin remarked, "he would say anything to save his skin. I don’t believe him."

Titus ignored the comment and asked. "Salverton who was your employer."

"Well I don’t know exactly… but I can tell you in detail all of the things they wanted me to do. Just please protect me from them. In fact, I thought that you were them coming for me. They are powerful and will get me." He confessed.

There was a spark of annoyance in Titus' eyes. He stood there pondering the options. "He goes with us!" ordered Titus. Titus snatched the back of Andre's collar and hoisted him into a standing position. "You had better prove useful or you will wish I had let Benjamin put a bullet in your forehead."

Benjamin nodded and immediately began securing Salverton. They filed out of the room and past four bodies of the guards toward the stairwell leading upstairs to the blown out door. As they reached the gaping entryway Benjamin nodded to the decimated barracks that was still smoking and strewn with bodies of guards and soldiers. "Nice work! Told you the trip mine had the power to get the job done."

"Titus, there is a quick reaction force driving down the access road!" Venna broke in over the comms.

"Intel said nothing about a QRF." Benjamin ranted.

"How many?" Questioned Titus.

"About 40, but my guess is that this is just everyone they could scrape together before they get more and fly them in."

"Well I guess we had better make this fast." Stated Titus. "Venna call in our extraction and let them know that we will have the package and that the extraction will be hot."

Venna responded, "Roger".

…

Venna knew that the extraction would not make it to them before the QRF breached the compound. She also knew that forty men were too many for Titus and Benjamin to handle. After she called in extraction she calmly settled into her firing position. There were only a few things that she felt truly relaxed and comfortable doing, and one of these things was engaging a target and squeezing the trigger. As the three large vehicles pounded up the road, Venna's breathing became more relaxed and more regulated. In-nnnnn, out-ttttttt, in-nnnnnn, out-ttttt. There was an almost imperceptible WHAP sound as the weapon discharged. The effect of the shot though was anything but imperceptible. The lead vehicle's driver whipped diagonally in his seat as if possessed by some unseen force. The obvious clue to his condition was a red mist in the cab and a hole in his chest the size of an orange. As his lifeless body reeled at the wheel, the truck began to veer towards the cliff to its right. The vehicle mounted the short curb and blasted through the guard railing on its haphazard trip to its doom. The soldiers in the back, perceiving the danger they were in, attempted to extricate themselves from the vehicle, but were too late and followed the truck over the cliff.

"One down, two to go," breathed Venna.

Immediately one of the trucks stopped and the men quickly exited the vehicle. They quickly found whatever cover they could and began randomly firing in the direction they thought the shot had come from. Nice, now the boys will only have to deal with one truck full of soldiers as I slowly take out the rest. Venna smirked to herself.

…

Titus and Benjamin burst out of the compound with the sniveling Salverton in tow. Benjamin hung back behind cover as Titus sprinted ahead to deal with the approaching truck. The truck quickly stopped and all of the soldiers dismounted and began firing a hail of bullets. Titus dove forward behind cover, his armor deflecting some of the bullets. Taking two stun grenades in either hand he primed them and tossed them on either side of his cover. A blinding light was quickly followed by a piercing blast. Titus rose from his cover, his assault rifle jammed into his shoulder. Each time he pulled the trigger and his assault rifle coughed out a round, one of the disoriented soldiers dropped never to rise again. The entire time he fired he moved forward slowly. His feet and legs gliding over the pavement: his upper body completely still. By the time he reached the last of the soldiers they were beginning to gain their senses back and realized that their foe was right in front of them. In a flurry of practiced motion Titus slung his weapon drew his knife and quickly, but efficiently, dispatched the remaining soldiers. Checking to make sure he had eliminated the threat he motioned for Benjamin to move to his position.

As Benjamin trotted through the gate to the compound he spotted the third truck and all its soldiers laying lifeless on the ground.

Benjamin whistled and chuckling he commented, "I'd hate to be on Venna's bad side."

"Yes you would," quipped Venna.

Titus just raised his eyebrows and turned to observe the wreckage of the compound and saw Salverton lying dead on the path to the gate. Titus cocked his head and gestured with his hand for Benjamin to explain.

Benjamin coughed then looked back. "Idiot tried to make a break for it when the QRF guys showed up. Fool got hit by his own guys while they were shooting at you."

Titus retracted his helmet and visor. His hard eyes glanced beyond Benjamin and zeroed in on the portly figure of Slaverton sprawled out on the ground. Titus walked past Benjamin toward the body. The gravel crunched as Titus crouched over the lifeless form. Titus' cold voice broke over the crisp air. "Benjamin move to Venna's position and prepare for extraction."

"Boss, I'm sorry. I didn’t anticipate Salverton having the spine to run out in fire to try to escape."

Titus' hand shot up while he still knelt over the body silencing Benjamin. "Return to Venna's position and prepare for extraction." Titus' words seemed to chill the already frigid air. Within minutes Titus joined Benjamin and Venna in a clearing on the rise just beyond the perimeter of the compound. He tossed a small bloody object toward Venna. She reached out and snagged it from the air. Both Benjamin and Venna looked up at Titus with furrowed brows. "Salverton had a data drive imbedded in his upper back. I assume it contains all the information he could gather on his employer." Titus finished his explanation and flicked a clump of snow off of his weapon.

“Do either of you recognize the symbol etched on the outside of that data stick?" Titus asked. Benjamin and Venna gave each other sidelong glances and then peered down at the data stick. Both shook their heads and looked back up at Titus.

Titus looked off into the swirling vortex of snow and muttered quietly. “No… It can’t be them. No.” Benjamin’s eyes bored into the back of Titus head as he muttered. Venna cleaned off the drive and stuffed it into a pouch. Soon the air was filled with a deep hum as their dropship rocketed towards them. It leveled off and began the landing procedures.