In the dead of night, two motorcycles speed through the grassy plains of the Drylands. A fog has rolled in causing visibility to drop, putting a somber tone on an already dreadful night. Rain was driving the lead bike while Marcus sat behind her, focused on following the tracks made by their attackers turned kidnappers. Scorch, and Tech were on the second bike keeping an eye on the surrounding area.

Marcus winces as pain shoots up through his spine from a bump in the trail. His spine has been giving him trouble the entire ride, making it hard to focus on the tracks ahead of them. Splitting his attention further is the constant threat of an ambush, which has kept him on edge this whole time. Whether it might be local wildlife laying in wait for prey, or a detachment of goons in ambush for any pursuers, neither scenario would be ideal.

As the scenery around them slowly changed to a more mountainous region, Marcus groans knowing his task became that much more difficult. Instead of following the crushed grass and dirt tracks of the kidnappers, he has to follow the shifted dirt and gravel of the predominantly stone ground.

'Why does my first mission have to be such a pain in the ass.' Marcus thinks.

'Escort a small caravan' Captain says. 'Double the standard rate' he says. Now here I am at 3 in the morning tracking a band of mercs, possibly lead by a squad of augmentors, through the wasteland! All this trouble because Abby's sister runs away to avoid marrying a cruel, and malicious gangster turned dictator!'

Marcus shakes his head and talks to Rain over the comms.

"I still think we should've taken the time to fix up the truck. Not having Rook for support is gonna make this more difficult."

"Most of the vehicles were shot to hell during the attack, and would take too much time to fix. Only the bikes that were off to the side were left intact, and Rook's too big to have a second person ride with him. We'll just have to take a more subtle approach."

"Hmm... I suppose so. Still, having to commandeer one of their vehicles to esc- Hold on, I hear something."

Stopping at the base of a hill, the four of them climbed up to peek over the top.

On the other side, nestled away in a valley, was an old pre-war outpost re-outfitted into a base. An old concrete wall patched with chain-link lined the compound with four lookout towers on the corners.

There were two decrepit buildings on the west end of the compound that looked like there being used as barracks. A makeshift supply depot was made on the east side that had various crates, and supplies haphazardly scattered about. The parking area with various trucks, and buggies were between the supply depot, and the main gate.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

Finally, a two story concrete building reinforced with barbed wire rested in the center of the compound. All in all, the condition of the outpost is in surprisingly good condition compared to other pre-war buildings Marcus has seen. Probably due to being nestled in this valley far from civilisation.

Marcus spots 36 people moving around in the compound. Four in each tower, three working on the trucks and buggies, two guarding the main gate, two at the door to the central building, and twelve moving in and out of the barracks. Taking into account the number of people inside the buildings a rough estimate would be 40-60 enemies.

Tech notices a number of cameras throughout the compound. If he can get close enough, he will be able to take control of them. Scorch planned out their entry, path through the compound, and possible escape routes. Rain spotted a camouflaged sniper on top of the central building overlooking the entire compound. The sniper was so well hidden that Marcus failed to notice them, even with his enhanced senses.

The four of them gather at the bottom of the hill.

"So what's the game plan, boss?" Scorch says.

Rain draws out a map of the compound on the ground with a stick, and points at the walls with a stick.

"We'll enter through a weak point in the eastern facing wall, here. While it looks like they put some effort into reinforcing it, they also made a natural blind spot by piling up old crates in that corner, giving us a better chance of getting in undetected. Next we'll move through there supply depot, then the parking area, then infiltrate the central building through the roof.

In each area Scorch will place explosives amongst their supplies, vehicles, and key structural points. Doing so will give us a better chance of escaping by throwing the compound into confusion, and crippling their ability to pursue us. Scorch will also be responsible for picking out the best vehicle, and hot-wiring it to use in our escape with Miss Craven.

Tech will focus on taking over their security systems. Hacking their cameras, and shutting off alarms will be vital if were going to get to Miss Craven before they spot us."

Rain looks up from the map drawn on the ground and looks at Marcus with a serious expression on her face.

"Viper, you're task may be the most important, and that's providing overwatch for us. It will be your responsibility to keep an eye out for anyone about to spot us. When things get loud, it will also be your job to take out the people in the towers, and anyone else blocking the escape route.

What do you say, up to the task rookie?"

With a grim determination, Marcus gives a short salute

"You can count on me Rain."

"Good. Now any questions before we get started?"

Marcus nods.

"Just one, what's your role in this operation?"

Rain chuckles, and gives him a sly smirk.

"I'll be taking the lead, and quietly eliminating any threat that gets in our way."

With a fed up expression, Scorch steps forward and points his fist into the middle of the group.

"Alright, planning's done! Bring it in everyone!"

Tech, and Rain both touch fists with Scorch then look at Marcus expectantly. With a shrug he bumps fists with the rest of them. Scorch grinns wildly.

"Jobs simple ain't it? Get in, get the girl, and get out. Oh, and don't die of course!"

The huddle breaks, and everyone checks their gear one last time before splitting up. Marcus watches the three of them head east into the darkness when a sense of unease hits him. 'Make one mistake, one bad callout, miss one patrol, and the mission will fail. Cass could be killed. My squad could die.'

Slapping his cheeks, he shakes the negative thoughts from his head. Marcus picks up his rifle, and starts walking up the hill. Making his way to a spot overlooking the entire compound, Marcus settles into position, and waits.