The cliff was topped by a series of large, ascending ledges, and when Kayla hauled herself onto the second, she stopped to ready her weapon. Now that the sickening drop was removed she ought to feel safe,

  but she couldn’t. This was enemy territory.

  “Three hostiles above,” a familiar voice said in her ear. Elmira was directing a drone above, watching everything through its powerful cameras. “The closest is at your two o’clock,

  fifty meters, smoking a cigarette. He’s facing east. Next two are at your ten—one-two-zero meters, facing down the slope.”

  Kayla swallowed. She gently pushed herself up the lip of rock until she could make out a head, and the jerk of a hand flicking ash into the breeze. It would be foolish to try anything on her own—if

  she made a mistake and alerted the defenders, the climbers behind her would be sitting ducks. Her first priority was to get her own squad into position.

  She retreated backdown to the clifftop as quietly as she could, and peeked over into the void to see Bibi below. Her eyes met Kayla’s and conveyed the agony of knowing that death was still peeking

  over her shoulder. When she got close enough, Kayla reached out and grabbed her arm, then pulled hard. Bibi almost flew through the air and collapsed against the rocks lining the ledge. She paused for a few seconds, her jaw

  clenched, and eyes shut tight. Then, she looked back at Kayla with a questioning expression.

  Kayla used hand signals to convey what she needed to know, and Bibi was up again, creeping across the next ledge. While she formed the first line of defense for the Ranger’s toehold, Kayla continued

  to pull the followers up.

  Thandi arrived with a death grip on Kaylas arm, and a wild look in her eye.

  “Jesus is with me,” she muttered as she staggered forward. “Jesus is with me.”

  Eventually, more Rangers topped out on the other routes, and the narrow perimeter was bristling with weapons. Hand signals flew back and forth as the squad leaders hatched a plan. The three men were still

  idly patrolling, and they had to be taken out quickly and silently. Kayla’s heart thumped with adrenaline as she realized she would have to kill the smoker. At such a delicate stage of the assault, they couldn’t

  afford to take prisoners.

  Ray followed behind her as she move in on her target through the maze of outcrops. The man wasn’t wearing a helmet, so Kayla lay her rifle down, and picked up a small rock. Ray caught her eye, and

  took up a stable position with her weapon ready.

  It only took a minute for Kayla to close the final gap . When she could hear him breathing, she leaped, and struck the back of his head. His skull split open when he hit the ground. Kayla felt a moment

  of nausea at the red and pink puddle that formed around the body, but conviction swept it away.

  Here was a blood offering for the plant life on this lonely mountain, for the animals that ate it, and for her planet. There would be many more to come.

  With the peak secured, the climbers moved onto the outcrop above the doorway. Long range scopes scanned the slopes below for defenses and dialed in on the men who occupied them.

  The voice of the Ranger lieutenant soon filled Kayla’s headset. “All set.”

  A few minutes of silence passed while the elements hiding in the forest at the base of the mountain prepared themselves. Kayla’s world narrowed into a tunnel of violent action.

  The trigger was pulled by a call on the guard’s radio that none of them could hear. A Raider sent a warning of imminent danger and a few panicked curse words punctuated by gunshots. Those rang out

  across the mountain, grabbing the attention of the men at the top. They, in turn, sent their own reports, right as clouds of smoke billowed out from the edge of the valley forest, followed quickly by machinegun fire. The show

  was completed with a series of spectacular drone strikes along the lower slope that ignited chaos amongst the clueless defenders.

  The snipers at the top gave their targets a moment to report these developments, then opened fire.

  In seconds, every guard on the mountain top was either dead or trying to burrow into a hole. Silence filled the cool air, broken only by the occasional hiss and chatter of dropped radios. The strike team

  waited patiently for the confusion brewing inside the base to boil over.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Kayla closed her eyes, controlled her breathing, then raised her weapon to her shoulder. A metallic bang signaled the violent opening of the entrance door, followed by stern voices yelling orders. More

  than a dozen of Vennzech’s finest poured out onto the upper slope, anxious to find out what was happening. At first they ran, but when they saw the empty scene ahead, and the smoke clouds drifting away, they slowed down

  and began to voice their doubts.

  Kayla dropped her reticle onto a target and waited for one of the operators to fire first. A suppressed crack was all she needed to apply finger pressure until her trigger broke. The man dropped dead and

  she moved to another, nearly oblivious to the noise erupting around her. When she couldn’t find another target, she lowered her rifle and waited again for the assault leaders.

  Two men had dived behind the rocky outcrops protecting the doorway. Someone dashed forward with a frag grenade, and, after it went off, her partner dropped down and finished the job. The rest of the team

  moved forward, coalescing towards the entrance. A thermobaric grenade was thrown inside, detonating with a heavy thump that shot dust into the evening sky. After two counts, the operators moved inside. A staccato burst of

  shots rang out, then nothing.

  Kayla counted her squad members into the queue, and they shuffled past bodies and blood pools as the assault swept into the corridors beyond. As she transitioned from rubber mats to a steel floor, she was

  slapped on the back and the lieutenant’s voice called, “seventeen.”

  Once counted through, the squad followed the train of bodies. Up ahead, the experienced operators cleared the first set of rooms at a lightning pace. A remaining guard using a computer was thrown on the

  floor, then restrained. Nervous looking civilians stepped out from doorways, so the Rangers eyed them for weapons, smiled and waved.

  “First Barrochians,” they called. “Don't be alarmed—we’re here for your protection and safety.”

  Milani had apparently provided some useful information, because the operators seemed to have a rough idea of where they were going. As they entered a larger space, the doors of what looked like an elevator

  slid open.

  Out in front, Masey dropped her weapon and strode forward with the self-confidence of a tornado. “My guys,” she called, to the two stunned Vennzech guards inside, “what is going on with

  your radios? We’ve been calling for the last half-hour.”

  “Uh…” one of them said as his eyes swung around the crowd of unfamiliar, armed soldiers. “Ah… I think we’ve lost comms.”

  Masey gave him a pained look. “You don’t sound well informed.”

  He stepped out of the elevator like a scared cat, and Masey dropped a hand on his back to lead him away while she continued.

  “Listen buddy, Captain Seraphin with First Guards. We dropped straight here from the Augustine after the signal dudes picked up some hints of trouble in this area.

  We need to get this situation squared away right now, because I see a lot of frightened civvies in here, how copy?”

  A small crowd began to form down the adjoining corridor, watching the unfolding drama.

  “Um…” said the guard, “my supervisor should be over by the entrance.”

  “Yeah, we met. He’s outside securing the perimeter, and he said he’s getting nothing but static from your command channel. Now listen, why don’t you get these eggheads settled back

  in their rooms— you know, keep them calm. Nobody’s in danger, yet.” She lowered her voice. “There has been some gunfire. The situation is likely to escalate.”

  The confused mercenary looked into her eyes, and Kayla, holding at the back of the hall with her squad, trying to look as friendly and reassuring as she could, sensed that he wanted to believe. Unfortunately

  for him, he also seemed to have a curious nature.

  “Are you…” He glanced around again. “Are you all women?”

  “Female Engagement Team,” Masey replied. “We handle civil affairs mostly—bring the soft touch, you know? The hairy-chests held us back from the first wave because… I mean…

  you know.”

  “No?”

  “Some guys don’t like having us near combat. Think we can’t handle it. Whatever—it is what it is.”

  “Okay, but…” the guard said, his mind unstoppable in its quest to fully explore the depths of the trouble he was now in. “But… you don’t have uniforms?”

  Masey shrugged again, but the smiling operators behind them were already edging closer to the second man, and the controls of the elevator cab.

  “Duh, that’s part of the deal,” she said with a chuckle. “Blend in, put people at their ease.”

  His eyes flickered to the assault rifles, and he gave a forced smile. “Yeah, ok—i’ll just get together with my supervisor and we’ll get this radio issue fixed.”

  Masey threw her arm around his shoulders and squeezed him tight. “You know, I love a diligent security professional. Guys like you are what keep us from the brink of chaos. So, just answer me this.

  Is it, or is not your job to keep all these people safe and secure from the evil terrorists out there, who want to kill them all?”

  Kayla saw him wince and stiffen, his eyes widening with shock. Another of Masey’s ODTs was right behind him, and had obviously shoved the barrel of her sidearm into his back.

  He didn’t speak, so Masey prompted him again. “Whaddya say my good man?”

  “That… yes, that’s why we’re here.”

  “Excellent. So, let’s get one of the senior docs up front, and we can get everyone settled back in their rooms, nice and safe. Make sure they don’t all get gunned down in these very halls,

  like the poor lads outside.”

  The miserable looking man glanced at the armed women around them, then at the impatient looking collection of scientists and engineers nearby, waiting to be informed.

  “Nice and cheerful, now. Let’s not cause any alarm,” Masey cautioned.

  He nodded. “Doctor Uzdan, could you please join us?” he called.