Enemy One (Epic Book 5) (6 page)

The six men fired their pistols and assault rifles as they ran for the door. Rashid, Rodion, and Feliks hit the door first, followed by Becan and William. Scott bolted inside and slammed the door shut, grabbing a magazine from his belt to reload.

“Almost looked like yeh bleedin’ enjoyed tha’,” said Becan to William.

Reloading his hand cannon as he ran through the building, the demolitionist answered, “Payback.”

The building they were running through was some sort of apartment complex. As the men ran onward, they met a flood of inhabitants, all bee-lining for the exit amid the explosion in the building next to them. It was a veritable logjam—but it would help them. As long as they were in the middle of the crowd, they could slip through the building without attracting the fire of EDEN. Glancing behind him, Scott caught sight of the pursuing operatives opening the door and charging inside. Though dozens of residents were between Scott and the operatives, he could see them plainly pointing ahead at Scott in his armor. Scott’s focus returned to his comrades. “Keep running!”

*
      
*
      
*

“Can you see them?” David asked, grabbing hold of the cockpit archway as the
Pariah
swept low through the streets.

Travis pointed to their display. “They’re moving through this building here!” They’re going to come out on the other side, but I can’t land there. Too many vehicles on the ground. They’ve got to get to some kind of a clearing or a rooftop.” The pilot swallowed and shook his head. “We may not be able to get them.”

Poking her head in from the troop bay, Esther said, “We’ll leave them over my dead body.”

“That arrangement is easier than anybody realizes.” Gripping the stick tighter as the
Pariah
neared a corner, Travis said, “Everyone, hold on!”

*
      
*
      
*

Scott was pushing apartment residents out of his way, gaining ground gradually through the moving pack of evacuees. EDEN was steadily growing closer behind him. Catching up to the other five men with him just as they reached the door exiting out onto the street, Scott patched through to Travis in the
Pariah
. “We’re coming out! Are you nearby?”

“Yes, but we can’t land! There’s too much on the street there.”

The
Pariah
appeared as the pilot was talking, veering around the corner of the building nearest to the four-lane street it had just been parked on. Beneath it, the pulsing lights of police vehicles flashed through the storm.

Travis continued. “Can you make it to one of these rooftops? Check the building at our right, right now!”

Running down the street with the others, Scott inspected the indicated building. Though a decent trek from where they were now, it could be reached. “We’re on our way!” Closing the channel, he looked behind him for pursuers. EDEN was exiting the building with the crowd. A fleeting glance later, they pointed to Scott again. Leaping on top of a car and getting height over the citizens around him, one of the soldiers aimed his assault rifle and fired. Scott stumbled and ducked as bullets hit the vehicles nearby. “Come on, man!” Avoiding friendly fire on the residents of Krasnoyarsk was apparently not high on EDEN’s priority list. Behind the EDEN operatives and running full speed, the police force that had had the
Pariah
pinned down was nearing.

“Contacts ahead!” Rashid shouted. Scott looked where the Turkish fulcrum was indicating, where another cluster of EDEN soldiers emerged from a side street. There was no hesitation from him or his slayers—all three men opened fire on EDEN immediately. Within seconds, two of the approaching soldiers fell. The others dispersed around the cars in the street.

“Becan!” Catching up with the Irishman, Scott pointed at the building to their immediate right. It wasn’t the one Travis had identified, but it was the best option they were going to get. “Head there!” He looked at William to make sure the demolitionist got the message, too. After firing a round of explosive suppression fire with his hand cannon, William followed Becan’s lead for the building. Scott’s focus shifted to the three Nightmen. “Guys,” he said through the comm, “we’re heading into the building across the street.” The Nightmen acknowledged, abandoning their firefight with the new EDEN arrivals and following Scott’s lead.

Like the building they had just exited, Scott and company found themselves in another apartment complex. Though it still had its fair share of onlookers amid the commotion taking place outside, at the very least it was devoid of a full-fledged evacuation. Running behind the rest of the team, Scott kept a constant watch of his backside. EDEN and police forces would be coming in at any minute.

All of a sudden, the procession of operatives in front of Scott slammed to a halt—he collided into Rashid, nearly knocking the Turk over. “What’s going on?” he asked, dropping to a knee and aiming his weapon at the doorway they’d just come through.

“Waitin’ for the elevator!” Becan pressed against the side of the hall as he joined Scott from behind.

Eyes widening, Scott looked back. “We don’t have time to wait for an elevator! Find a flight of—” The door from outside opened. EDEN soldiers emerged.
“Veck!”
They were all smack dab in the middle of the hallway without cover anywhere. EDEN opened fire.

Bullets zinged past Scott and his comrades, dinging against the Nightmen’s armor as they stayed in front of Becan and William. The demolitionist kicked in the door of the apartment room directly across from the elevator doors. The massive Southerner dashed inside, Becan hot on his heels.

A single shot rang out that was louder than all the others. Rashid was spun around, the bullet catching him squarely in the shoulder. The fulcrum howled in pain as Rodion and Feliks covered him. Rodion shoved Feliks into the room with William and Becan, motioning quickly for Scott to follow suit.
“Sniper!”
It was the last word the slayer said. Another shot rang out and Rodion’s head rocked backward, blood bursting from the back of his helmet.

Diving on top of Rashid, Scott rolled him over his own body and into the room. Not a fraction of a second after he was cleared from the hallway, a third shot from the enemy sniper zinged past. As soon as Scott and Rashid were clear of it, Scott pulled the Turk up to his feet.

Ding!

Scott looked across the hall as the elevator door opened.
If they were gonna use it, then let’s use it.
Pointing to William, he said, “Make them run.”

The demolitionist reloaded his hand cannon, leaned around the corner of the doorway, and fired a pair of rounds before the sniper could fire a fourth time. Even as the rounds whizzed down the hallway, Scott could hear the EDEN operatives shouting for one another to take cover.

That was their cue.

“Into the elevator! Go, go, go!” Pulling up Rashid, Scott shoved the fulcrum with all of his might across the hallway and into the elevator. Rashid collided against the wall with a roar of pain. Becan and Feliks dove next, leaving Scott and William alone in the room. “Fire again, Will!” As William did as commanded, Scott bolted into the hallway, grabbed Rodion’s limp body by the shoulder guards, and dragged him into the elevator alongside William. As soon as they were in, Becan’s finger pressed the
close
button repeatedly. The elevator door squeaked as it closed.

Readying themselves at the back of the elevator, Scott, Becan, and Feliks aimed their assault rifles at the door—just in case something unexpected happened. But the sounds of the shouting EDEN soldiers were gone. The only noise any of them heard was the squeal of an old belt as the elevator’s motor cranked it up.

Becan shouldered his assault rifle, looked down at Rodion’s body, then back up to Scott. Frowning, the Irishman said, “I’m sorry for stoppin’, Remmy. Tha’ one’s on me.”

Glaring at the Irishman through his faceless helmet, Scott didn’t say a thing. He simply turned his head back to the door and waited for the top floor to arrive.

*
      
*
      
*

The
Pariah
was still banking hard around the corners of Krasnoyarsk’s low skyline when the comm from Scott came through. “Travis, we’re on our way to the top of the building now.”

Pulling the stick back, Travis shot the
Pariah
’s nose straight up. “Heading up there to pick you up.”

“What’s the status of those Superwolves?”

As Travis focused on the flying, Tiffany took over the comm chatter. “If we get out of here fast enough, there’s a chance they could miss us, but when I say fast, I mean
fast
. Like, ‘make haste’ fast.”

“We’re making as much haste as we can.”

“We’ll be at the top waiting for you.”

Scott spoke again, quickly. “Oh! We couldn’t make it to the same building you were talking about. We’re coming up the one right before it.”

Travis’s eyes widened. As the
Pariah
reached the building top, he took the comm back from Tiffany. “Wait,
what
building are you guys going up?”

“The one right before it! Why, is that a problem?”

Their faces paling, Travis and Tiffany just stared at each other. Finally, Travis cleared his throat and replied. “Yeah. That’s kind of going to be a problem.”

*
      
*
      
*

Scott and company were already running down the twelfth-floor hallway when Travis said the words, every member of their party looking for some kind of door depicting rooftop access. There was no sign of one anywhere. “How are we supposed to get to the bleedin’ roof?” Becan asked.

Already on the comm, Scott asked Travis, “Now might be a good time to tell us about that problem you’re talking about!”

“It’s a pitched roof!”

Scott’s heart lurched up to his throat. “Come again?”

“The roof of the building you’re in right now,” Travis said. “It’s pitched! There’s no way to access it from the inside.”

The team’s collective shoulders sunk. William, with the body of Rodion slung over his shoulder, asked, “What are we supposed to do now? I mean, there’s
gotta
be a way we can get onto this thing, right?”

That might have been true for some of them, but most certainly not for all of them. Some of the more agile members of the team, namely Scott himself, Becan, and possibly Feliks, could maneuver themselves up and around the roof’s tip through a window. But Rashid? William, carrying Rodion’s body? Not a chance.

“I told you to get on the roof that I told you to get on for a reason,” said Travis, the pilot’s tone sharp and accusatory.

Had Travis snipped like that to Scott while standing in front of him, Scott would’ve socked him. “So where can we go now? Get us out of here.” At the far end of the twelfth-floor hallway, a stampede of footsteps emerged from the stairwell. EDEN. Scott hollered to the others. “Contacts, far hall!” The others turned to face the fast-approaching EDEN forces. “Travis, give us a route out of here
now
!”

*
      
*
      
*

Snarling, Travis answered, “Roger, workin’ on it.” As soon as the channel was closed, the pilot muttered. “They ask the pilot for help, the pilot offers it. They don’t listen, it all goes to hell, and somehow it’s the pilot’s fault. Do you have any idea how much of this I have to put up with?”

Tiffany
ugh
-ed. “Gag me with a spoon.”

“You have no idea.” Engaging his tactical computer, Travis pulled up the ground team on the display. “I have you guys on here, but I need context. Move down a hall or something!” Over the comm channel, a barrage of gunfire exploded. “Or have a shoot-out,” said Travis off-comm. “Whatever floats your boat.”

*
      
*
      
*

The moment EDEN’s forces emerged from the stairwell, they took shelter behind the natural corners formed between each set of doors in the hallway. Opening fire liberally at Scott’s team, they quickly fortified their position as the hunted operatives ran for cover. Chunks were blown out of the wall, windows were blown out at the end of the hallway. In a matter of seconds, the twelfth floor of the apartment complex turned into a war zone.

Having no choice but to mirror EDEN’s moves, the escapees took to the corners of the hallway, returning fire as best they were able. Dropping Rodion’s body, William readied his hand cannon to fire.

“No!” Scott held out his hand at the demolitionist. “There are people in this place!”

William angled his weapon back up.

Leaning around the corner, Scott aimed at the clustered EDEN soldiers and fired off a small burst. Though the operatives in his crosshairs ducked back, it did nothing to make a dent in the overall wave of ammunition flying their way.

“I understand your concern,” said Rashid from one corner back, “but now is not the time to let ethics guide you. If your demolitionist can help us survive, let him fire!”

“I understand
your
concern, but the decision’s been made.” Scott looked at the Turk. “Command still falls to me.” Though Rashid’s face couldn’t be seen behind the faceless plate of his fulcrum’s helmet, his disapproving body language made his stance clear. Just the same, he accepted it without further retort. Back to business. Firing a burst again, Scott looked across to William. “Get in that apartment next to you and look for a window!” If there was a balcony patio, the
Pariah
might be able to pick them up from it. Based on the law of averages alone, something
had
to go their way sooner or later.

Fiddling with the handle and finding it locked, William bashed his elbow against the door. It swung open wildly—inside, a woman screamed. Without a word, William hoisted Rodion’s body on his shoulders again and charged into the room. Even from a distance, Scott could make out the distinct shape of a sliding glass door at the apartment’s far side.
Thank God.