‘What the hell was that?’ Jay yelled, hurting Damien’s ears.
He buckled himself into the four-point harness, facing Jay. The Speedhawk lurched to one side. He couldn’t see much of the cockpit window from here, but he watched anyway, clutching his harness as the helicopter began to spin over the library, over the surge of protesters. Denton was swearing as he tried to slow the spin. Damien felt dizzy as the four lanes of First Avenue loomed closer, empty except for the police officers running to get clear.
‘Oh fuck,’ Jay said. ‘Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.’
Damien shut his mouth firmly so his teeth wouldn’t smash together on impact. The Speedhawk’s belly smacked the asphalt. His brain shuddered inside his skull.
The Speedhawk bounced, spinning wildly. There was a moment of inertia where he felt as though he were floating. Through the window next to Jay, he saw a molten steel ball of distorted blades fly past. What was left of the Speedhawk’s tail fan, torn free.
That can’t be good, he thought.
He locked gazes with Jay. Jay looked genuinely scared. Damien’s short fingernails dug into his palms.
The Speedhawk hit the ground again. Tipped over. Damien felt his body press into the harness. He was hanging from it. Jay shuddered in his troop seat as the Speedhawk skidded onto its side. The rotor blades chopped into the asphalt, wearing themselves down to a nub. The helicopter slammed into something, hard.
Spots of light danced in the corners of Damien’s vision. He shifted in his harness to see through the window on his side. The sky was concealed behind dust and debris. Bits of rotor blades fell to the ground like metal confetti.
Jay lay there, eyes closed. No visible injuries. Damien was worried about broken bones. How long would it take a bone to heal with both Chimera vectors activated? What if Jay had broken his neck and damaged the spinal cord? Would the Chimera vectors mend that? Was that even possible?
‘Jay!’ he said, trying not to speak too loudly through the headset.
He unstrapped his helmet, but accidentally dropped it. It landed on Jay’s stomach.
He grunted and opened his eyes. ‘What the fuck?’
Damien exhaled. At least he was alive. ‘Are you hurt?’
‘Yeah.’ Jay winced. ‘In the stomach.’
‘Look out.’
Damien unbuckled himself and hung from one of the straps. He swung and landed beside Jay.
Jay groaned. ‘I hate heights. And now I hate helicopters.’
There was a popping sound in the distance. Could’ve been rubber bullets or real ones, he wasn’t sure. Pulling Jay to his feet, he tested his own balance. Nothing serious, but he felt like he’d been slapped through a dozen military interrogations.
In the cockpit, he found Denton still secured in his seat, unconscious. The cockpit windows were intact.
‘What are you doing?’ Jay whispered from behind him.
‘I didn’t come all the way here to leave him strapped in a helicopter,’ Damien said.
‘Neither did I, but it works for me.’
‘We can’t just leave him here. And besides, we need him.’
Damien looked through the cockpit window. Three hundred meters ahead, police were firing tear-gas canisters at protesters. One of the protesters’ signs read,
2nd time I’ve fought for my country, 1st time I’ve known my enemy
.
Jay pushed past Damien, climbed over the co-pilot’s seat. He slapped Denton. ‘Wake up!’
Denton didn’t stir.
‘Wake up!’ Jay said. ‘Fuck you!’
Damien continued watching the battle on First Avenue. A few protesters were firing back with pistols, and they weren’t police issue. He could tell from the way these protesters moved that they were trained.
Denton coughed, then pushed Jay away. He unbuckled his harness and clambered down beside them. He was still wearing just his undershirt, black combat pants and boots, a USP Compact pistol and magazines holstered in his utility belt.
‘US Marines versus NYPD,’ he said. ‘Now there’s something you don’t see every day. Are you packing?’ He withdrew his USP, the suppressor still attached.
Damien checked his waistband, but his pistol wasn’t there. He looked around Jay’s troop seat but couldn’t find it.
‘We don’t have time,’ Denton said. He was back in the cockpit, trying to open the pilot’s door, now above them.
Jay didn’t have his pistol either. They were around here somewhere, but Denton was right. Protesters were rushing down First Avenue, straight for them. As soon as they were in range, all bets were off.
UN troops appeared around the cockpit to check for survivors.
Denton flashed a badge through the window. ‘UN officials!’ he shouted.
The UN troops immediately moved to the cockpit door above them. They opened it and helped Denton out.
Jay was next out.
Damien climbed over the co-pilot’s seat. Using the pilot’s harness, he hoisted himself up and onto the helicopter’s side. Behind him, protesters surged towards the Speedhawk and the UN troops. They were closing from both sides, plain-clothed marines leading the charge. The police officers scattered, withdrawing to their squad cars. But it was too late, the protesters were upon the officers. Disarming them, throwing them to the ground. Shouting, pointing to injuries on their own bodies and faces, screaming. They looked angry as all hell.
‘Move inside!’ one of the UN soldiers said, pointing inside the UN headquarters.
Damien looked over to see more UN troops stationed at the rear of the plaza, alongside a pair of white armored security vehicles and a pair of white Land Cruisers, a blue
UN
painted on their sides.
Denton and Jay were already moving along the Speedhawk’s body. It had ploughed right through a checkpoint, causing the wrought-iron gates to buckle inward and into the front of the Speedhawk, knocking it on its side. Denton jumped over the buckled gate, into international territory. Jay jumped after him. Damien followed suit. The UN troops followed them in, squeezing between the crashed Speedhawk and the crumpled gates.
‘Lieutenant General Denton, United States Marine Corps,’ Denton said as the UN troops approached. ‘Military Staff Committee. You need to call in reinforcements right now. These checkpoints won’t hold much longer.’
‘General, we already have.’ The UN sergeant checked his watch. ‘Their ETA is five minutes.’
‘Don’t count on it,’ Denton said.
He pocketed his wallet and strode past the ASVs and Land Cruisers.
Damien didn’t make eye contact with the blue-helmeted soldiers. He kept pace a few steps behind Denton, with Jay on his immediate right.
‘Out of curiosity,’ Jay said, ‘are you actually on the Military Staff Committee?’
‘Hell, no. But I do have UN ID,’ he said. ‘This way.’
‘So what the fuck hit our helicopter?’ Jay said. ‘Are the protesters packing missiles now?’
‘I think an RPG detonated near the tail fan,’ Denton said. ‘Either a protester, or one of our agent provocateurs inciting violence from the police. Although at this point I don’t think the protests need our incitement.’
‘No kidding,’ Jay said.
Denton led them into the lobby of the glass-walled Secretariat building. From the outside, it looked about forty stories high. Inside, half of it was fenced off for renovations. Denton took them past the elevators, swiped his ID on a reinforced steel door and let them through. Inside this chamber, the pastel-colored marble floor was as yet untouched by renovations. There was a smaller family of elevators. Denton took them to level five, only this level five was underground.
Jay slapped his hands together. ‘So what’s the plan?’
Denton stared at the elevator buttons. ‘I get you your answers. After that, it’s up to you. You can help me dismantle the Fifth Column. Or you can walk away.’
The elevator lurched to a stop. The doors opened. More marble floor. A glass wall at the end, and a manned desk. Soldiers in pale blue helmets stood on either side.
‘Are they meant to be there?’ Damien said under his breath.
‘Follow my lead,’ Denton said. He walked out of the elevator.
Damien exchanged a glance with Jay. They moved from the elevator’s far corners, giving themselves the widest views possible before stepping out. Together, they followed Denton, walking with confidence. From the edges of his vision, Damien confirmed a pair of UN soldiers on either side of him and Jay. He hoped they were posted there as nothing more than a precaution.
When Denton reached the desk, the UN soldiers shifted fractionally closer. Denton paid them no attention and showed another ID.
‘I’m scheduled to see the General,’ he said.
The man behind the desk checked his computer. ‘I’m sorry, Colonel, I don’t have anything here. Would you like me to contact his office?’
‘I can do that myself.’ Denton pulled his com out, but dropped it. ‘Shit.’
Damien and Jay reached the desk in time to see the com slide towards the UN soldier on the right. The soldier ignored it, but when Denton moved towards him, he stepped forward.
‘Allow me, Colonel.’ He picked up the com and handed it to Denton.
Denton gripped the soldier’s wrist and bent his hand back towards his elbow. The soldier buckled, sticking his elbow out. Denton took it and tucked the soldier’s arm behind his back. He stepped behind the soldier and stuck his pistol into his neck, using him as a shield. The soldier immediately dropped his weapon, arms in the air.
Damien jumped over the desk. His boots connected with the receptionist’s head, sending the man sprawling. Jay disarmed the UN soldier on the left, stealing his M4 carbine.
‘Drop your weapons!’ Denton yelled at the four soldiers standing at the elevators.
Jay joined Damien behind the desk, a carbine in both hands. Damien searched the receptionist for a pistol. He was out cold, and unarmed. ‘Great.’
One of the soldiers fired at Denton. The shot struck his hostage in the shoulder. Denton dived behind the desk and Damien heard something clatter along the marble floor.
‘Well, that didn’t go to plan,’ Denton said. ‘Oh, by the way, flashbang.’
Damien didn’t need to be told twice. He shut his eyes and covered his ears as firmly as he could. Even with his eyes shut, he saw the shift in light, and he heard the loud bang. When he opened his eyes, Denton was already on his feet.
Damien stood to see the four UN soldiers collapsed near the elevators. Denton strode towards them, pistol in both hands. As he approached, he squeezed off three or four shots into each soldier. Replacing the magazine from his utility belt, he then scooped up a carbine, turned on his heel and walked back to the desk. He flicked the shoulder strap over his head and kept his suppressed pistol in both hands.
‘You just killed those men,’ Damien said. ‘They’re American.’
‘You seem to think I had a choice.’
Denton aimed his suppressed pistol at the soldier he’d taken hostage just moments ago and shot him in the face. Damien looked away.
‘Take him out.’ Denton was pointing to the UN soldier on Jay’s side.
Jay aimed his carbine at the soldier, then lowered it. ‘No.’
Denton glared at him.
‘You know how loud these carbines are,’ Damien said. ‘Do you want to alert everyone to our presence? Use your suppressed pistol.’
Denton was already taking aim at the unconscious man behind the desk. Then he shook his head. ‘No. I need to conserve the suppressed rounds. We have to bluff our way from here anyway.’
***
‘Protesters have breached the plaza,’ Denton said to the Blue Beret bodyguard as he flashed his ID. ‘These aren’t fucking hippies. They’re military trained and they’re organized. They know the General is here and they want his blood.’
There was no reason for the Blue Berets not to believe him, Jay thought. Sure enough, the bodyguard standing in front of the security door spoke into his throat mike.
‘We need to extract the General ahead of schedule.’ He turned to two of his three men. ‘Secure the emergency exit.’
Jay retreated a few steps, as naturally as possible. He monitored the corridor they’d come from, pretending to watch for protesters.
The bodyguard stepped towards Denton, eyes narrowed. ‘No one should even know he’s here. How did that happen?’
Denton raised his carbine and shot the bodyguard through the throat.
Two to go.
Jay aimed and dropped the bodyguard at his ten o’clock. The other one slumped to the floor, shot by Damien. Jay turned to the corridor and shot two more in the face as they reacted to the gunfire. Their heads burst over the corridor walls.
Regrouping with his trio, Jay saw Denton push the dead bodyguard off himself. Blood had soaked his undershirt. Denton didn’t say a word, just pushed forward. Damien broke into a run, catching up with him and taking the right flank. Jay moved in and took up rear security.
At the door, Denton planted his middle finger on the fingerprint pad and let the retinal scanner check his eye. The red light switched to green and they were granted access.
‘Get in, quickly,’ he said.
Damien was first in, Jay followed him. The door sealed behind them. They advanced, carbines at eye level.
‘Did you actually plan any of this?’ Damien asked.
‘Only the necessary parts,’ Denton said. ‘The men I’m taking you to aren’t even meant to be here. The security here is basically zero. Trust me, compared to the OpCenter, this is a walk in the park. And a rare opportunity for us.’
‘I wouldn’t exactly call that crash landing a walk in the park,’ Damien said. ‘So far, we’re lucky to be alive.’
Denton chuckled softly, but kept his carbine steady. ‘Do I need to remind you that we’re half-invincible?’
‘All it takes is a round to the head,’ Damien said. ‘You’re impulsive.’
Sometimes Damien should just keep his mouth shut, Jay thought.
‘We have company,’ Damien said. He’d stopped moving.
Denton pressed himself against the wall and crouched down. ‘Talk to me.’
‘I can hear reinforcements,’ Damien said. ‘Wait. I can hear bodies. People falling.’
Jay blinked to get rid of sweat trickling into his eye. ‘Are you sure?’
He knew Damien was sure. His pseudogene-enhanced hearing could pick up far more than Jay’s ears could.