Continued From Part 7

Balinski stood as best he could in the somewhat cramped interior of the APC and moved to the back doors. Hitting the control switch the doors presently swung open with only a slight delay and he hopped to the ground. He flexed his joints quickly as he stood and then moved out of the way.

He watched in minor fascination as Daryon exited the armoured vehicle after him, the six meters of her long armoured body skittering out the rear on her multitude of short segmented legs. Her forward two meters reared up into a slight S-curve as she ‘stood’ up, her five pairs of arms all doing separate gear checks simultaneously. Her tactical gear looked incredibly heavy and held a multitude of weapons, tools, kits and other assorted tactical items. Although it must have weighed dozens of kilograms, she held the weight like it was nothing to her and moved to stand a little ways away so as not to block the rear of the vehicle as the others disembarked.

Jerg was the next to hop out, his bare feet hitting the duracrete of the street with a faint slap. His toes were long and clawed with webbed membranes for swimming and his clawed hands were similarly shaped. He gripped his maser rifle with the professionalism of one who knew their way around such weapons and nodded to the others still in the transport.

The rest of the crew unloaded quickly and efficiently, their gear checked and rechecked before Siyel had even managed to exit the cab and walk around the back to them.

She nodded appreciatively as she saw them readying themselves. “We are parked about two blocks down from Slake’s complex under an overpass. We don't know if they have surveillance on the streets surrounding the building so you will be approaching on foot. Once the roof and front are cleared then Squad three-one-four will move in to assist with external coverage. They wont move in till the all clear is given though.” She gave them all a hard look that left no doubts as to the seriousness of the mission. “Alright. You know your attack plans and pairings. Move out, I will be monitoring comms from the transport. Stay alert.” She said finally.

Balinski double checked his assistant, he was paired with Daryon and their mission was a frontal assault. Take out the guards at the front as fast and quietly as possible before proceeding deeper into the complex.

Daryon was wearing riot armour over her carapace, the thick black plates were heavy but she moved with a speed and agility that was wholly alien. He gave her a small nod before he took off at a run for the buildings across the street.

Balinski was fast, for a Human. His cybernetic replacements gave him the ability to run far faster for longer periods than any but a professional athlete. But Daryon whipped past him like he was standing still, the Vinarfel able to reach speeds well over thirty five kilometers per hour at a dead sprint when they wanted to. He met her at the other side of the street and raised an eyebrow as she gave a small hissing laugh.

“You have an advantage, you have like fifty more legs than I do.” He said to her as they started to move along the dark alley between two buildings.

She glanced over towards him, her lower body moving in a slight side to side motion as her many legs carried her along. “It’ss a poor ssport who criess disssadvantage. If you wanted to I’m sssure you could come up with a way to overcome your limitationss. Ssslow poke.” She said teasingly.

Balinski scowled a bit as Caesar trotted up to his side, apparently unconcerned by their little foot race. She gave Daryon a distinct head toss before prancing ahead of them contentedly.

“What doess that mean?” Daryon asked as they made their way around a large trash bin overflowing with rotting refuse.

Balinski frowned as something squished under his boot but decided to ignore it. Instead he answered her “It could mean anything. But judging by the way she pranced off like that, I think she likes you.”

He chuckled as Daryon’s antennae perked up, she wrung a single pair of hands together and said “Oh. Oh that'ss good right?” She seemed to watch after Caesar’s form as she walked in front.

Caesar had her head low and swinging side to side as if tracking something, suddenly she froze and hunched low. Before he could say anything she bolted back to them and skidded to a stop in front of him, growling.

Balinski motioned for Daryon to halt and the three of them moved into the cover of a large metal crate riddled with holes. Looking through one of the holes he watched as a pair of figures moved slowly into view. The alley was dark and the figures were hard to distinguish so he switched on his cybernetic eye’s night vision function with a thought.

The figures jumped into focus, their dark forms resolving into the gruff features of armed thugs. They wore dark clothing and carried automatic firearms, they would need to be subdued fast. If they so much as fired a single shot off they might alert the entire complex to the threat.

Balinski glanced at Daryon and held up two fingers and then pulled out the police issued At’Trac M-rifle he had grabbed from the APC. It was familiar in his hands, not quite as heavy as his GR74F gauss rifle, but comfortable enough. Making sure the weapon was charged and ready to fire he looked at Daryon and noticed she was holding three weapons ready to go. A pair of microwave pistols and then what looked like a beefed up version of the gun he was holding. He decided he would ask her about it in a moment however as there was the present threat of the two hired guns to deal with.

Balinski held up a hand with two fingers and nodded to Daryon. “Stay Caesar.” He hissed as he hefted his gun and tensed.

Daryon’s antennae perked up and she gave him a nod before they whipped out of cover. The large man on the left flinched in surprise and then crumpled as Daryon shot him point blank with two microwave pistols. The other man let out a surprised yell before coughing and falling face first to the ground, blood leaking from every orifice in his head.

Balinski lowered his gun, a little surprised as he turned to look at Daryon. Drawing her attention to his At’Trac M-rifle he asked “I thought these were supposed to be non lethal. What the hell is that?” He pointed to the pool that the man he had shot was spreading across the alleyway.

She walked up to the man and then turned to glance at him saying “Well, technically they are categorissed asss lesss lethal weaponss. At closse range they can be sssomewhat harmful. Sso watch your fire.” She added.

He scoffed and looked around, the alley seemed clear. Motioning for Caesar to come to him he told her “Scout ahead, don't get seen. Remember to watch out for cameras okay?” She gave a snort and zipped off towards the end of the alley.

He shook his head as he saw her disappear off into the rain, the alley coming out from the overpass that was blocking the worst of the storm. Lightning flashed somewhere overhead and the alley was briefly lit with a dim light that managed to filter to it.

Daryon seemed briefly hesitant but moved to follow as he stalked ahead. He stepped over a pile of rubble that had fallen from one of the dilapidated buildings to their flanks. This was part of the old city, the dull ruddy brown brickwork dozens if not hundreds of years old in some areas. Cheenha had been founded in the year four hundred and sixty five post-union, almost three hundred and fifteen years ago. While the old city had not all been built at the same time, the vast majority of it was more than a quarter millenia in age.

The age was made most apparent in the duracrete of the roadways as even the super durable material was starting to show the effects of extreme age. The ground underfoot was cracked and pitted like the surface of some airless moon, the small green shoots of hardy plants and mosses finding purchase along the edges.

Balinski and Daryon reached the end of the alley without any further incident and he grumbled. “We need to move fast. It doesn't matter how quiet we are now, as soon as those two miss their check-in we are in the shit. I just hope that Aien and Slurth can disable the main alarms before it becomes an issue.”

Daryon hissed in agreement as they darted across the empty street into the shadows of the next alley. The rain became a factor as they exited the cover of the overpass, the cold water splattering off his wide brimmed hat and running off his broad shoulders.

Daryon looked entirely unconcerned about the deluge, the water running from her polished carapace in thick rivulets. She noticed him looking and seemed to puff up slightly. “I put sssome hydro-defender wax on when I ssaw it wass going to be raining. What do you think?” She asked with a little shimmy as if to show off the brightly patterened segmented armoured carapace that covered her back.

He looked from her body to her insect-like features and then just said “Oh, it’s cool. Yeah.” Before turning back to his front. If he didn't know any better he would think the large Vinarfelien woman was flirting with him. But he was surely not her type, he hoped at least.

Putting thoughts of amorous six meter insectoid females out of his mind, he checked his assistant. They were only a single block from Slake’s compound now. Just one more alley and then along the dark storefronts and they would be on target. They needed to keep as low a profile as possible. He slowed as he heard a noise from up front, his gun snapping up into ready position on instinct.

Daryon’s long antennae waved in the wet air for a moment before she said “It’ss just Caessar, ssshe ssmellss different though. More pungent.” She seemed a little confused but he just sighed internally.

“That's just what wet dogs smell like.” He said with a headshake. Waving at Caesar, he waited for her to trot over before he said “Hey stinker, what's the deal? Are we clear to move up?” Caesar gave a distinct head bob and then tossed her head in the direction she had come from.

He smiled and gave her a pat on the head, in response she shook herself spraying him with liquid dog smell. “Euggh… C'mon what the hell?” He hissed at her and she just laughed, a distinct heavy panting sound.

Balinski was about to say something but stopped as he heard a strange hissing sound coming from behind him. Turning he saw Daryon partially doubled up and clutching her lower sides with two pairs of hands, her antennae waving and head shaking slightly. For a moment he was concerned until he realized she was laughing at him.

He frowned and crossed his arms, cybernetics whirring quietly as he did so. “Oh real funny huh? Let's go, we need to hurry.” He grumbled as she just seemed to laugh harder at his expense.

Caesar gave a small ‘Urf’ in response and wagged her tail, the normally fluffy appendage drenched and flicking water from the storm overhead. Daryon raised a hand to him and took a second to compose herself before she hissed out “Now you sssmell like Caessar too!” To which he just scowled again.

He wasn't really upset, but it wasn't the best time to be stopping for a laugh. He just shrugged his shoulders and moved out of the alley into the street. Hugging the buildings, the three of them weaved their way around old tables and garbage bins, over piles of bent rusted metal and discarded rubbish. These streets were ill maintained, the city sanitation units only sweeping through them a few times a year.

Caesar had once more taken point, she knew she had the best senses out of all of them and he trusted her to alert them of any trouble if she spotted it. He tilted his head causing the water collecting on the wide brim of his hat to spill across his shoulders, some of the icy water washing down his neck. He frowned again, the conditions were far from ideal, but they had a job to do.

The sidewalk ended at a crossroads, the signal lights blinking a steady yellow as traffic was virtually nonexistent down in the slums of old town. There were plenty of people in this part of the city, but none of them would be put in a deluge like this. He smiled at the thought, maybe it wasn't misfortune, but good luck instead. With the rain the streets were cleared. No chance of Slake’s goons being tipped off by some random passerby or paid off citizen, they had the streets to themselves.

Feeling a bit better he motioned for Caesar to check the other side of the street out. She snorted and then darted off to check it out, after a moment she walked back to the sidewalk on the other side of the street and gave a head shake. All clear it meant.

“Alright, she says it's clear. Move.” He said.

Daryon didn't argue as they dashed across the street, they were on Slake’s block now. They would be on the complex any second now. He tried to focus but he found his mind trying to slip into the negative possibilities of the mission. ‘No, it's all going according to plan.’ He said to himself quickly. Now was the worst time for self doubt to take hold. He needed to be confident, strong. Especially as he had official police backup and approval. He couldn't afford to let them see him as vulnerable or prone to mental instability, he needed this job.

He and Daryon moved down the sidewalk, hugging to the shadows. The rain was playing to their advantage as visibility was poor. He had his cybernetic eye on thermal mode and was scrutinizing every possible hiding place on the way for more hired guns, but he saw none. Either Slake’s security was seriously lacking, or the thugs had decided that getting soaking wet wasn't worth whatever Slake was paying them. The last option was likely the truth he guessed as they finally reached the point directly across from the structure.

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Turning to Daryon he said “Jammers on?” She nodded and gave a thumbs up, the gesture looking a little goofy and making him smile. “Alright, we go, no stopping till we are clear. We either take them all out immediately or the mission is a bust.” He said seriously.

Daryon smacked her armoured chest with an arm and said “Let me go firsst, I can sssmash thosse glasss doorsss without sslowing down.”

He hesitated and looked across the street. He tried to zoom in with his cybernetic eye but the heavy rain made the resolution too fuzzy to make out any detail. “I'm not sure that's a great Idea, they could be locked and made of Glazmite. You could knock yourself unconscious or worse. We need to find another way…” he said as he scratched his chin.

Daryon figited for a second before she suggested “We could usse a breaching charge?”

He shook his head. “No. Would likely do nothing and just wake the place up. What we need is a distraction.” He said as he looked around.

He heard a low growl as Caesar yawned hugely. Daryon looked at the cyberhuski and then to him, an idea started to form in his head and he put up a hand. “Wait, hold up. I think I have an idea?”

“Disstraction you ssay.” She said with an amused hiss.

He smiled and kneeled down motioning for Caesar to come over. She did so and promptly sat in front of him awaiting instruction. “I have a job for you girl, it's dangerous though. I need you to get the bad guys to open the front door, do what you do best and be cute okay? You will know when to strike, I’ll whistle.” He instructed her as clearly as he could. “Here wait, give me that first.” He said as he took her bullet proof vest off, she would be far too suspicious with it on.

Caesar cocked her head and whimpered while giving them puppy eyes but he just chucked “Not on us you big goof, c'mon we are in a hurry.” She just gave a woof and a head shake before turning and scampering across the street. She seemed to take a second to compose herself before walking slowly to the front doors of the complex.

He and Daryon watched from a distance as she pawed the door a bit and then flopped down onto her belly. After a moment a dark figure walked to the front door and stopped, she responded by rolling onto her back and waggling her feet in the air.

“Get into cover.” He hissed and hunkered behind a convenient bin. Daryon got down on her hands and hid behind a nearby bench, her long body completely hidden from view. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, he knew the Vinerfel were ambush predators, but if he hadn't known she was there he would never have suspected anything. From what he could see she just looked like a slightly lumpy pile of junk, her legs tucked close and her head hidden. Only her slightly twitching antennae gave away her location to him.

As he turned his attention back to the other side of the street he saw the door open and a Human male step out. The man was smiling widely and looking at Caesar, the man turned and shouted something to someone further in the building but he didn't make it out. After a moment another figure walked to the front door, this time a Slaaveth female, her scaled skin and head fin distinctive even though she was mostly backlit. The woman held the door while the man stepped further onto the sidewalk before kneeling and reaching a hand out to Caesar.

Before the man could touch her Balinski gave a low whistle and then charged the door. In an instant Caesar went from lost puppy to savage warhound as she flipped to her feet and arrowed for the unfortunate man’s neck. Cybernetically enhanced titansteel jaws easily tore the man's entire throat out, before she could go for the shocked woman in the doorway the Slaaveth female was hit by a black and yellow blur.

Daryon had crossed the street in moments and slammed her three hundred plus kilogram body into the security guard at a significant speed. The effects on the unfortunate woman were similar to being hit by a moving truck. She didn't even have time to scream as her chest was crushed under the force of the impact. Balinski rushed into the room hot on her tail. As he entered he found that the other person in the room was already down, Daryon standing over the dying Slaaveth and holding a maser pistol in her hand.

“Ah, welcome to the party Balinsski.” She said cheerfully.” He just shook his head and rolled his shoulders. It was nice to finally be out of the rain, he turned towards the doors just in time to see a bloody mouthed Caesar slip in before the doors closed with a slight ‘kachunk’. She dropped the vest she was carrying in her mouth and shook herself off once more, her fur a fluffy mess and her eyes shining with mirth.

Rolling his eyes he checked his jammer to make sure it was on and then said “Alright. That was pretty smooth. But someone might have heard something, let's move out. Slake’s office is on the top floor, east wing.”

Caesar walked over to them dragging her vest and he smiled and said “Good girl Caesar. Here you go.” As he strapped the garment back around her torso. It didn't cover her head but covered her chest and flanks, all the vital organs were protected at least.

Caesar darted across the room and started to sniff around the hall. He followed, Daryon scuttling right behind him, her many sharp legs making faint clicking sounds on the tile floor. The hall was narrow and Balinski hunched slightly, he didn't like being in such a narrow space with zero cover. If someone were to open up on them from the other end of the hall he would have no chance of dodging the attack.

An attack did not come however and they reached the end of the hall in one piece. At the hall crossing he looked both ways then straight ahead. “What do you think, Daryon? Left to the main stairwell or straight ahead to the secondary stairs?” He asked quietly.

She moved up beside him, her forward third reared up in a Cobra-like manner. She was only slightly shorter than him like that and he watched as she seemed to take in the entire hall all at once. She bobbed her head slightly and then turned her head toward him and said “I think we sstand the bessst chance of catching Sslake if we russh him headlong. No hessitation, jusst fassst and quiet.”

He gave a subtle nod and then motioned for her to take the lead. She had a better chance than he did of taking multiple opponents by surprise after all. Nothing wrong with admitting the facts.

They met no resistance on the way to the stairs but as Daryon started to climb them Caesar let out a low growl. Daryon seemed to hear or smell something as well. She darted around the corner of the stairwell and a short yell was heard followed by the sound of something falling down the stairs.

As he rounded the first landing he saw a Nerivith male in dark clothing crumpled to the ground. They had been carrying an MR-12 and it lay on the floor next to him, the safety still engaged.

“Damn that was quick, I guess he was going down.” He quipped, he quickly skirted around the body and followed the swiftly moving form of Daryon up the stairs. Stopping at the next floor he and Daryon scouted the hall briefly before continuing up. It wasn't their job to clear the building, they were specifically tasked with capturing Slake as fast as possible.

Moving on they cleared the next three floors in a similar manner. As they reached the sixth and final floor however they stopped as the sound of an opening door nearby reached them. Daryon moved to the side of the landing as he hunkered next to the door. While the doors had a small glass window in them at about head height, it was very unlikely that they would be seen from the angle of someone casually passing through. Now if security was alerted to their presence by now that could be a different matter entirely.

The door swung open inwards, blocking Daryon from his view. A tall Nerivith man in a dark suit stepped through and jerked as he saw the hulking form of Balinski crouched in the corner. Before he could so much as gasp, Balinski hit him with a left hook to the jaw that put the man down hard. The man had barely folded when another guard rushed through, gun drawn.

Without thinking, Balinski grabbed the gun and twisted it violently. The Slaaveth guard gurgled in surprised pain as several of his webbed fingers broke under the assault with sharp cracks. Not giving the scaled man a chance to recover, Balinski smashed him to the floor with a thunderous right handed punch that split the man's cheek causing a spray of bright purple blood to stain the open door behind him.

Balinski leapt through the doorway, gun raised and ready to fire, but there was nothing. Just an empty hall. Their little scuffle had not been heard it seemed. Giving a little sigh he turned, just in time to see Daryon poke her head curiously around the door. Her blue compound eyes took in everything with a glance and she stepped over the unconscious bodies of the downed thugs and into the wide hallway with him.

She spoke quietly “That wass impresssive. I am glad we are on the ssame ssside.” He gave her a nod and then motioned down the hall.

He shook his cybernetic hand as a brief tingle of phantom pain swept through his mind, as if he had struck the man with his missing flesh and blood fist. If the schematics that they had been given were correct, then Slake’s office would be located on the sixth floor, on the opposite side of the building.

He turned and briefly thought about hiding the bodies, but then thought better of it. It would likely prove to be nothing more than a waste of time, the mess they had left in the main lobby already damning evidence of their presence.

Motioning for Caesar to stay behind them, they made their way cautiously down the hall. With their short range jammers they were unlikely to be reported before they made contact with an enemy. The small bubble of silence was plenty large enough for the close confines of the structure.

Caesar growled quietly as they neared the next corner, her ears lying flat against her skull and her cybernetic jaws bared. He nodded to Daryon and told her in a hushed tone “She smells something, probably more guards. Get ready to lay down covering fire, I'm going to roll around the corner.”

She cocked her head, compound eyes gleaming, and asked “What? That's not a great idea.”

“We are in a time crunch. It's the best we got that's quick and effective. Just get ready to cover me.” He snapped, slightly irritated. This is why he liked Caesar so much, she never talked back or questioned his plans. Though, if he thought about it, that exact reason had gotten him into trouble a few times before. More calmly he added “I know it's not ideal. But what choice do we have?”

He couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking, her features wholly alien to him and impossible to read. But he got the impression that she was a bit upset, her dark pupils flicking around as she took in their current surroundings. After another moment she nodded, the gesture quick and jerking like the movements of a bird.

Drawing in a deep steadying breath, Balinski lept around the corner and executed a roll to the far wall. No sooner had he appeared then a flurry of shots had lashed out from the far length of the hall, but they met only empty air as his maneuver had obviously surprised the enemy.

In the microsecond it took them to reorient their aim, Daryon whipped around the corner and let loose a fusillade of shots. The sound of grunts and a low pained shriek came from the end of the hall before all was silence once more.

Standing quickly to his feet he coughed quietly and then moved quickly down the hall, gun drawn and ready to fire. All he found were still bodies however and he relaxed slightly. They weren't out of the woods yet and it was likely that someone might have heard their little firefight. No chemical kinetic weapons had been discharged but it still had been a noisy affair.

He turned to Daryon and said “Ok, we take this next corner and then it's a straight shot to Slake’s office. Are you ready?”

The large Vinarfel woman gave him a triple thumbs up as she holstered some of her guns in favor of holding a pair of maser rifles.

The three of them strode around the corner, no goons in sight and a feeling of determination propelling them towards their goal. He knew they only had a few steps to go and so he smiled. It felt good to be helping the wider community by taking down scum like Slake. His tide of harmful substances would be stemmed and the victims of his crimes taken care of. The measure of one's worth could be taken by the good they did, and Balinski knew that taking this man out would be very good indeed.

Caesar whined slightly and they slowed to a stop, taking cover in a pair of doorways nearby they waited to see if there were any more hired guns ahead, but it seemed strangely quiet for such a high security structure.

He waved Caesar and Daryon to hold position as he crept up to the final corner, looking around it he smiled. There was a short stretch of hall that led to a small antechamber. A waiting room if he guessed correctly. Sitting at a desk next to an ornate glass door was a Swanith female, the woman’s bright white plumage in stark contrast to the dark brown of the wood paneled walls.

He motioned for the others to move up and then whispered to Daryon “Hey, I'm going to pop a concussion grenade through that door directly into Slake’s office. Once it goes off we’ll move in.”

“Sseemss like a good plan to me.” Daryon hissed back as Caesar gave him a small headbutt in response.

Nodding mostly to himself he peeked around the corner once more. The Swanith woman was just putting down her desk phone, she must have been in communication with Slake, but if it was to warn him then it was already far too late.

Balinski wound back his cybernetic right arm and then let loose a grenade like a cannon shot, the small device smashing through the glass of the far door with no resistance. An instant later it went off, the concussion and flash throwing the small feathered aide from her desk to the floor. ‘She will live’ he thought to himself grimly as he moved up, his stun rifle hanging by a strap from his chest and the tremendous Thunder Eagle back in his hand.

The weight of the huge pistol was a great comfort to him as he and the others stalked down the hall towards the smoking office. After a few steps a figure stumbled out of the smashed door and he tensed, ready to fire if he needed. But he soon relaxed again as he realized the figure was Slake.

Slake seemed wholly focused on his downed companion as Balinski walked nearer. Suddenly the Slaaveth man jerked as if stung and reached for his side. Finding nothing he looked frantically around till he located a fallen gun near the jamb of the door he had exited moments earlier. Before the scaled man could make a dive for the weapon Balinski aimed and fired at it with his gun. The huge fifty caliber bullet smashing the desperate man’s last hope to splinters.

Slake stood frozen like a statue as he approached before turning to look fearfully up into his face. The man asked him in a slightly quavering voice “You are going to kill me?”

Balinski chuckled and replied “You got that wrong, dead wrong.” Turning slightly he motioned to Daryon who handed him a black hood to put on the prisoner. He took the sack and threw it over the man's head before tying it under his shoulders, it wouldn't do for him to know too much about what was going on.

Slapping the trembling man on the back he laughed and said “That wasn't too hard huh? Let's get him back to the truck. Look out for hostiles.”

They made their way back out of the structure with no encountered resistance, they did pass a few officers he didn't know on the way out however and he gave them respectful nods. He smiled as he received a few awed looks in return, apparently bagging crime bosses wasn't a common thing around here.

Daryon made a small exclamation as they stopped and Caesar butted her head into the insectoid woman’s side. Caesar gave her a small ‘Urf’ before trotting over to some of the nearby officers to try and get some attention.

Daryon looked at him, the pupils of her compound eyes flitting to his face like dark patches of ice in a pond. “I asssume that meanss sshe likesss me then?” She asked curiously.

Balinski halted, radio halfway to his mouth as he smiled. “Yeah, yeah it does.” They both chuckled as he spoke into the microphone. “This is Balinski to Siyel, good news. We got him.”

With the declaration made he smiled widely to himself. Siyel had made it clear that this operation was very important to her, and he was happy that they had pulled it off with no friendly casualties. He looked around, the rain had stopped and the storm was clearing, everything seemed to brighten as the watery sunlight broke through saturated skies. The light striking his face as he tilted his head back, the warmth infusing him with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. He knew that his journey was far from over, in fact, it had only just begun.

End of Episode 1

Continued in Episode 2 -Station Under Siege-