Chapter 4 �?? Gang Warfare �??Well, I�??m going to start on my end of the assignment.�?� Glacia told Firius as she began to walk away from him towards the warehouse. �??You probably should as well.�?�
�??Yeah, gotcha.�?� Firius responded, heading towards the pub behind them. Crossing the road, Glacia made a quick check to make sure there was no one around before pulling out her pistol to ensure it was loaded.
�??
I hope I didn�??t sound like too much of a *****, just throwing that out without even thinking to mention it beforehand. �?� she thought, having a quick look behind her, �??
He knows our situation, I�??m sure he�??ll understand. �?� Glacia affirmed herself, clearing her head as she entered the wide-open entrance of the warehouse.
Moving slowly, she took her pistol out and held it low, just in case there was anybody present. The main space of the building was completely empty aside from a few boxes, all unmarked and stacked in to several different piles. Certain that the area was empty, Glacia moved up the small staircase to the upper offices, taking each step slowly as she held her gun pointing upwards next to her head. Reaching the top step, she ducked under the first office window, hearing the rustling of papers within. She approached the door slowly, grasping the handle as she rose to her feet. In one sudden movement, she opened the door wide open, swung around the door frame and aimed her gun at the occupant. The man �?? who was sorting papers in to a suitcase �?? made a sudden turn around and pulled out a pistol of his own. Before he could shoot, Glacia fired at the man, taking him down with a shot between the eyes. Stepping past the corpse, Glacia looked through the suitcase, examining some of the papers for any traces of information regarding a central group. �??
Nothing through first glance. �?� she thought. �??
Seems to mostly be addressed to one of these groups from another. Probably best taking this back to the ISA to receive a proper check through. �?�
Closing the suitcase, she walked towards the door, only to hear footsteps below. Closing the door, she glanced out of the window and noticed several men entering the warehouse below. �??
Just my luck, it had to be today, didn�??t it? �?� she rolled her eyes.
�??Glacia, this is Firius.�?� Glacia�??s earpiece buzzed in to life. �??There are several men heading over to the warehouse now. Watch yourself.�?�
�??Yeah, I see them.�?� she told him. �??I found an old office room near the back that I�??m currently holed up in. I think they�??re getting closer, so I need some radio silence and assistance if you�??re finished hanging about in the pub over there.�?� As she spoke, her earpiece began to crackle, signifying radio interference.
Hello? Glacia? Come in, Glacia. Your signal cut out.�?� Firius yelled through the earpiece.
�??Radio silence! I need radio silence and backup.�?� Glacia called back, louder than she had intended.
�??Hey, you hear something?�?� Glacia heard one of the thugs below.
�??We�??ve got company, boys!�?� Another said. Glacia glanced out of the window to see the group arming themselves with guns.
�??Aw, ****. I�??ve been found out.�?� Glacia said to Firius, �??I need backup, now!�?�
�??I�??m on my way. Stay where you are.�?� Firius responded, her earpiece going dead afterwards.
�??
Like I�??ve got much choice on that. �?� Glacia cursed herself for getting herself trapped. Pulling out her sniper rifle from its back holster, she opened the door slightly as she loaded the first magazine clip in to the weapon. Rifle fully loaded, she sat down next to the slightly ajar door, back against the wall, and glanced out of the gap to try and point out the right moment. �??
I�??ve got one shot to try and surprise them. After that, they�??re going to know my position. I need to make the first one count. �?� She assessed the situation. Deciding on her target, she quickly stood up, swung the door open, aimed her rifle and fired, flooring the gang member with a shot through the shoulder. �??There she is!�?� yelled one of her victim�??s allies, returning fire with several shots of his pistol. Glacia swung back in to the office as the shots flew past in to the far wall, glancing out to try and pinpoint the next opportunity.
�??
She�??s taken the free shot. �?� Firius observed from the edge of the warehouse entrance, �??
Time to test out my own weaponry. �?�
He took his machine gun out of its holster with one hand while pulling out one of the weapon�??s rockets. He loaded the rocket on to the front of the gun before pulling out the first ammo clip and loading it in. Ready to make his move, Firius swung around through the front entrance and pulled the trigger. The rocket shot away from the weapon with a small trail of smoke, flying past several of the men before making impact with a pile of boxes closest to the group. The rocket exploded, blowing back a considerable amount of its targets with both fire and burning wood. Several of the remaining thugs scrambled as the boxes lay alight, trying to count up the casualties of the attack. They turned around to see their attacker still standing at the entrance, machine gun held high.
�??Hey, this is the NRA meeting place, right?�?� Firius joked, blowing away the smoke from his gun. Noticing the group aiming their weapons, Firius made a quick run towards a pile of boxes near the corner, hiding as the shots began to hit the wall behind him.
�??You were waiting for them to start firing at me, weren�??t you?�?� Glacia asked him through the earpiece.
�??Well, you would have moaned if I didn�??t let you take your free shot.�?� Firius reasoned, glancing out and firing several rounds, resulting in two men to collapse with holes through their lower bodies.
�??How very thoughtful of you. I�??ll remember that for the next time you�??re surrounded.�?� Glacia said, aiming out and firing at her second target, flying straight through his waist.
�??Don�??t trouble yourself. My kindness doesn�??t need any returns.�?� Firius grinned, making light thought of his current situation as he crouched down to avoid shots through the hole-riddled boxes. Spotting another box pile at the other end of the warehouse, he made a sudden dash for them taking the thugs by surprise as they tried, but failed, to shoot him. Ducking behind his new hiding spot, Firius ejected the current clip from his gun, reloading the weapon while he had the chance. Weapon loaded, he stood upright, leaning out slightly to assess the situation. There were five left that he could see, six including the one suddenly crippled by a sniper shot to the back of his left knee, two of them were climbing the stairs, three were occasionally popping up from behind a fallen pile of boxes. Seeing a chance, Firius fired a few rounds in to the lower body of one of the men, disarming and flooring him. Ducking back behind the boxes for a moment as bullets flew by, he quickly swung back out and fired a few bullets at the men on the stairs, piercing through the right foot of one of them. Returning to cover, Firius began to charge up a fireball within his free hand, waiting for the bullets to stop for a moment before stepping out and throwing at the men before him, igniting their cover. As they jumped out from the burning boxes, Firius pulled out his pistol and fired a round in to a leg each, flooring them in pain. As he aimed at the one remaining visible gang member, he was unaware of another member sneaking up behind him. The man suddenly grabbed Firius by the mouth, blocking out his air with one hand while brandishing a knife with the other. Managing to press the button on his machine gun with his thumb, Firius spun the newly emerged sword in his hand towards his attacker�??s waist and stabbed him. The man staggered back in pain, freeing Firius. Firius returned his weapon to its gun state as he grabbed the man with his left hand, the sudden heat coming from the hand burning the man�??s face. Firius let go of the man�??s face before giving him a swift punch with his right, knocking him out with the clear sound of his jaw cracking. Looking up, he noticed that the last man standing had reached Glacia�??s position, brandishing a knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. As the man swung around the doorway, Glacia jumped back from the swing of his knife as she activated the hidden blades of her rifle. She lunged forward before he could fire his pistol, stabbing him through the lower body with all four blades. In pain, the man swung the knife at Glacia, who dodged it before grabbing the handle of the weapon. As both of them held the knife, the temperature of Glacia�??s hand suddenly dropped as the air surrounding it became visible. The frigid air moved downwards and surrounded the knife, suddenly freezing the blade. The man pulled his hand away from the knife, his hand now blistered with the cold, as Glacia dropped the knife, allowing it to smash as it hit the ground. Glacia withdrew the blades and quickly kicked the man in the chest, knocking him down and slamming his head on the railings behind him. Glacia walked out past the unconscious attacker and down the stairs towards her partner.
�??Well, seems that our guess was right then.�?� Glacia shrugged, returning her weapon to its holder.
�??Yeah, who�??d have thought we would score this quickly?�?� Firius responded, holstering his own weapon. �??I�??ll check the wounded, you report to HQ about our findings.�?�
Glacia nodded, activating her earpiece. Firius walked towards some of the downed men, looking around at the mess that their scuffle had caused. Most had visible bullet wounds, each lying in pools of their own blood that in some cases had been enough to render them unconscious. �??Well, for the most part it seems that they�??ll be fine, maybe one or two with lasting reminders to not tango with us again.�?� Firius commented, inspecting one or two of the more serious injuries.
Something suddenly caught his eye.
Quickly glancing up, Firius noticed one man running out from a box pile and jumping out of a broken window. �??Damn, we missed one.�?� Firius cursed, drawing his pistol and running for the window. Aiming out of it, he saw the man running for the front of the warehouse towards the cars that were now parked outside. �??He�??s trying to escape!�?� Firius yelled out to Glacia, who ran for the entrance as Firius jumped out of the window. The man, panicking, reached the closer of three vehicles and quickly jumped in. He turned on the ignition as fast as he could, just about to set the gear in to reverse as a sniper round shot through the bonnet, killing the engine. The man desperately tried to restart the engine, but to no avail. He quickly got out of the car, only to see two fireballs fly overhead, arcing downwards on to the other two cars. The resulting explosions caused the man to stagger back. As he got to his feet, Firius stopped next to him, pointing his pistol at the man�??s head. �??Nice try, but you�??ve nowhere to run to now.�?� Firius told him as he whimpered in fear.
�??Firius! Something�??s wrong here.�?� Glacia called out as she ran towards him. �??I can�??t get through to HQ, the radio comms are just producing static.�?�
�??Really?�?� Firius said, turning his head around to her, �??I thought earlier was just a one-off.�?�
Firius felt his gun holding hand being shoved out of the way, instinctively firing a round at the car�??s tires. Firius turned around to see the man running, dodging past a fence before he could fire. �??Crud, can�??t believe I let him go.�?� Firius grunted. �??I�??ll chase him, you find out the source of the radio interference. There�??s bound to be something here messing it up.�?�
�??I�??m on it.�?� Glacia nodded as Firius sprinted after the man.
�??
Damn, he�??s pretty fast. �?� Firius thought as he chased the man, following him as he dodged in to arather dark alleyway. His heart began to race as he brought his pace up, charging through the rubbish-littered street with his target in view before him. The man made a right turn in to another alley, which Firius followed him in to. Noticing a fence at the end of the alley, Firius jumped on top of it, spying his target having already done so. Perched on the fence, Firius lobbed a fireball over the man�??s head, hitting the ground before the man, giving him enough of a shock to stop him in his tracks. His path blocked, the man looked around for a new means of escape, his panic increasing as his pursuer jumped down off of the fence. �??Alright, let�??s try this again.�?� Firius said, drawing his pistol and aiming it with both hands. �??Lay down on the ground and put your hands on your head.�?�
Before the man could do so, two small cylinders landed between the two, instantly spraying out large amounts of smoke that obstructed Firius�?? view. �??Smoke grenades? He�??s got backup?�?� Firius coughed as he tried to fan the smoke away with his right, pistol holding gun while covering his mouth with his left. As the smoke faded, the man �?? and the fire �?? had disappeared. Glancing up, he saw the runaway climbing up a fire ladder on the building to his right. �??Not again�?��?� Firius sighed, jumping up on to the ladder and resuming the chase. As he reached the top, Firius watched as the man leaped off the other side of the building. �??What the hell?�?� Firius ran towards the jump spot, only to see the man on the roof of the next, slightly shorter building. Firius jumped down after the man, rolling as he landed, as the man leaped over to the next building. Getting to his feet, the agent continued to follow the gang thug, jumping building after building as the man tried to escape. The man took a quick look back at the agent, seeing him a building behind him. Looking forward again, he stopped at the edge of the roof he was on, shocked to see a road a fair distance below with no other buildings close enough to jump to. He turned around to see Firus landing before him. �??End of the line, by the looks of it.�?� He said, pointing his pistol in the air. Firius knew that the man was unarmed, so his only means of escape here would be for the guy to try and physically attack him. Even if he was in a visible state of panic, to charge at an armed man was bordering suicidal. �??
He�??s not that stupid, is he? �?� Firius thought.
The man clenched his right hand in to a fist and charged at Firius, screaming at the top of his lungs. Firius sighed, waiting a moment as the man got closer before firing a shot in to his left leg, causing a spray of blood from below his kneecap as he fell to the ground in pain.
�??�?�Done yet?�?� Firius asked, standing over the man while pointing his pistol back in to the air.
�??S�?�son of a *****�?��?� he spat out, trying to ignore the pain. �??Who the hell are you anyway?�?�
�??Well, considering your current situation, as well as my current predicament, I could give you two different answers to that question.�?� Firius told him. �??If you�??re willing to help me out here and spill your guts about your buddies and their plans, then I�??ll tell you that I�??m your best friend. If you�??re not willing to help out things, then it looks like I�??m going to be your worst nightmare.�?�
�??You shoot me in the leg and you expect me to talk?�?� he almost laughed; the pain in his leg the only thing that was keeping him from doing so. �??Even if I were to tell you everything, do you really think you could do anything about it?�?�
�??Well, you asked for it. I hoped we could avoid any more bloodshed.�?� Firius shrugged, aiming his pistol at the man�??s uninjured leg.
�??Go on then.�?� he said, now grinning at his attacker. �??Shoot me, kill me even. Whatever you do to me, just what is it that you accomplish? Eh, Firius?�?�
Firius lowered his gun for a moment, stunned by the man�??s knowledge of his codename. �??How do you know that?�?� he asked, the humour from before gone from his voice as his pistol aimed at the man�??s forehead.
�??So slow to catch on, aren�??t you?�?� he sniggered, �??You and your organisation, your other free agents, all this time and you�??ve never noticed it. Funny how one lone being can change things, or even corrupt things.�?�
�??
A double agent? How did that go undetected?! �?� Firius realised, activating his earpiece with his free hand. �??Control, this is Firius. I need contact with a Colonel immediately. This is top priority information.�?�
�??Affirmative Firius, we will patch you through momentarily.�?� the operator confirmed.
�??You think that tattling on us at this stage is enough to stop us?�?� the man continued to laugh. �??It�??s too late, we know all about your group. How to override the security of your data archives, how to gain remote operation of your vehicular weaponry, if it�??s important to you people, we can find out about it and destroy it.�?�
�??You *******.�?� Firius kicked the man hard in his face, causing a shot of blood to fly out of his mouth as he rolled along the roof. �??Just what is it you�??re planning, who do you answer to?�?�
�??You still think I�??m going to answer you?�?� he smirked, spitting out more blood. �??Think again, Tony.�?�
�??
What the- �?� Firius was shocked. Panicking and unsure of what to do, Firius picked up the man by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the roof edge, holding him out as far as his arm could stretch.
�??Let�??s try this one more time.�?� Firius said, pointing the pistol at point blank range between the eyes. �??First off, how do you know my real name? Only very select people know such information, and I doubt anyone would have gotten away with this for as long as it would take to learn such data.�?�
�??Like I said, just one man.�?� he laughed. �??You still have no idea of the scale of things. What will you do soldier? Stand or die?�?�
�??
Damnit, he really isn�??t going to talk. �?� Firius realised, calming down as he assessed the situation. �??I gave you enough warnings, so this really is your own doing.�?� He turning away from the roof edge and threw the man down to the ground, letting him turn to face him before firing a bullet towards his head. The sudden jolt of his body hit him, followed by stillness.
�??
Looks like he mentally exhausted himself trying to play those mind games with me while ignoring the pain of his injury. �?� Firius noted, observing the unconscious man and the slight dent in the roof near his head from where he had aimed his gun. �??
He�??s most likely worth more to us alive. �?� he reluctantly decided.
�??Firius? This is Colonel Wilson here. What have you got for us?�?� Firius�?? earpiece buzzed.
�??We have just raided a suspected meeting venue of the gangs, which we confirmed as true.�?� Firius explained. �??We have the majority of them alive, though one of them did reveal some�?�disturbing facts.�?�
�??Such as�?�?�?�
�??We might have a double agent among our ranks.�?� Firius stated, �??I don�??t know who, but one of them mentioned something about one member being able to corrupt our whole organisation, being able to find out anything within our databases and take remote operation of our vehicles.�?�
�??Are you absolutely sure about this?�?� the Colonel questioned, his voice evidently showing concern.�?�
�??Yes sir. He was somehow able to obtain knowledge of not just my codename, but my real name too.�?� Firius mentioned, looking down at the unconscious body. �??That is something I have disclosed to almost nobody within the ISA myself, so it would have to have been something they took off of my stored records.�?�
�??Hmm, that is definitely some unsettling news.�?� Colonel Wilson accepted, �??We�??ll look in to it. Round up your captured men, we�??ll send round some of our unregistered vans to pick them up.�?�
�??You sure that�??s safe?�?�
�??They�??re unregistered within the organisation for a reason, son.�?�
�??Alright then, Firius out.�?� he signed off, deactivating his ear piece. Holstering his gun, he knelt down to pick up his victim just as his earpiece crackled back to life.
�??Firius, can you hear me?�?�
�??Glacia? Everything good on your end?�?�
�??Looks that way. I found the radio jammer, something left lying in the back of someone�??s car. It�??s odd though, as something of this level of low-tech stuff normally has a very limited range and needs to be programmed to the same frequency as those that you want to block out.�?�
�??You mean that they managed to find out our radio frequency?�?� Firius asked, slowly realising the links that were appearing before him.
�??Yeah. This doesn�??t look good Firius, for someone to know this, they would have to-�?�
�??Have access to our information.�?� Firius made the link. The man who set up the radio jammer was also their double agent.
�??Well�?�yeah. How did you�?��?�
�??The guy I was pursuing told me that we have a worm among us.�?� I told her. �??Seems that we got more than we bargained for with this assignment.�?�
�??Oh my god�?��?� she said, concern noticeable within her voice. Firius found himself agreeing with her concern; an assignment like this was well over their heads. �??Did you catch the guy?�?� she asked.
�??Yeah, I�??m just away to drag him back now. Round up the rest of the party outside, their transport should be there shortly.�?�
�??Alright, don�??t be too long.�?� Glacia confirmed. �??Glacia out.�?�
As his earpiece went dead again, Firius picked up the man by his shoulders and dragged him to the doorway for the building�??s staircase. As he did so, he felt his thoughts trying to piece the strings of the mission so far together. �??
A radio frequency jammer in a car like that, for them to set up something like this so quickly that we didn�??t notice, as well as in such a small area that I�??m out of its range when just 2 streets away�?�they must have known we were coming. �?�
�??
The question is�?�how? �?�
By ozzo
Mission debriefing:
Now available