Snippet #2455347

In the RV-

Mark accompanied Anthony's movements through the cameras as best he could, switching from place to place in order to see if he was doing all right, even though the hacker was impotent to do anything about it. He merely watched, as an ancient vigil, to the bloodbath that ensued when Anthony started eliminating everything and everyone in the lab. The Sphinx kept telling himself that it would all be worth it, if only he could get Imogen out...

He heard the screams of the scientists, and the silent perplexity of the guards, realising they never had a chance. Then the operative got to Imogen and, as Mark held his breath, all of the guards were eliminated in an impeccable display of agility and skill.

Outside-

Johan finished his last victim by standing over him and piercing him through the heart with his sword before he removed a cloth from his pocket to wipe the blade clean. His brow arched at the directive for everyone to meet at the entrance and with a quick inclination of his jaw towards the laboratory, he signaled for Teagan to move on without him.

“I will just be a moment.” He wiped blood from metal as Teagan gave a careless shrug, holstering her own weapon as she turned and began walking away with an evident sway of her hips. “Don’t keep us waiting or Ombre and I will clear the whole lot without you.”

Laughter trickled from her lips as she moved into position, folding her arms beneath her breasts as she leaned herself against the entrance which gave her a clear view of both the interior hallway and the front of the building.

Riordan approached moments later, his blue-grey eyes scanning the area though they continually flickered over towards the general direction of the MCU.

In the Lab-

Antony looked at Imogen as he kneeled and picked up the spent clip for his weapon, his fingers still gripping the Manhunter in his right hand.

He smiled slightly as the glee of the moment crept over him and he reached forward on her pulling a small piece of unmentionable flotsam off her shoulder.

"Apologies Doc"

Imogen said nothing but nodded towards him. She was tense and alert. There was bile in her throat but she ignored it. They needed to get out. George ordered them to the front doors and that was her goal. She would not think about what just happened, at least not while they were still in the lab.

He tightened the stock of the weapon on his shoulder and aimed it down the hallway away from the good doctor. Walking slowly down the way he came, only treading lightly as he stepped over the bodies of the recently gone.

She followed him, picking her way carefully through casting no more than a cursory glance over the obstacles in her way. Her pulse was pounding in her ears and her mouth was dry. Just need to get out of here... Imogen was so close to finishing her part of the job. The bullets should have come later but there was no helping that now.

Antony rounded the corner and he could see the way was clear as his feet did not cease to tread a path.

His duty was to get Imogen out and return with the express intent of cleansing the whole structure. His ears kept to a high strung note as he was trying to hear what could be coming from behind or ahead of them and he was not really wanting to get caught in a firefight with her at his back."How are you feeling Doc?" He asked with a cursory glance over his shoulder before returning to his sites.

Imogen's face was a mask of apathy. No smile, no sadness. Nothing registered on her face. Even her tone was cold, almost detached.

"Fine. Thank you."

He chuckled slightly which could be heard over the com, it was obvious that seeing her in this state tickled a part that was running around inside of him like a child hyped on candy. But he was stern for now to get the mission done as he could see the exit coming up after a few doors that he knew for a fact were clear. But Antony stopped as if something were wrong and stood there as if to ponder the moment. "I suggest you make your way out now Doctor, it would be better if you were to leave now."

Imogen frowned. "We are under orders to meet outside at the entrance."

She looked at him for a moment. She knew that George could hear the conversation and hoped there was an explanation why he was sending her out alone. Imogen raised her eyebrows as if expecting that reason to come before she moved any further.

Antony turned towards her slight and let his hand lower to a point, there was a trail of red on the floor as if something had dragged itself by. The trail lead into a door that was closed and that was the source of his current attentions. "I can see how this affects you.. so as a kindness I am willing to spare you this moment. Or would you like to go in and finish my work?" He let out with an attentive sigh to his voice.

Imogen's chin lifted. "You are coming back in to finish it. I do not see how I factor into this but not my place to question." She was annoyed and angry though she was not entirely sure it was directed at the man in front of her. He was doing her a service by not killing someone else right in front of her but implying that she was some how not handling it set her blood to boil. This is not what you do. It does not matter. Yet he perceived her as weak and that bothered her more than anything.

The scientist walked past Antony. She headed down the hall towards the exit.

Antony watched as Imogen walked passed and he turned slightly towards the door putting the barrel of his weapon on point and slowly opened it. Creeping in and watching as the room unfolded to him. The trail lead over to the wall and there was obviously someone there hiding under a large coat, which he slowly removed to see the frightened face underneath. He smiled behind the mask as this woman peered back at him and though she had been crying for several minutes now it was apparent that his return was going to start her up again.

She began to cry loudly, so loud that it was echoing on his own com as his face came closer to hers. Antony reached forward to the girl and she pulled a weapon on him, if one could call a letter opener a weapon compared to someone like him. He easily snatches the item away and she becomes hysterical screaming and raving as if it would somehow drive him away. But Antony reached forward and gripped her hand pulling her up into his reach and her voice stopped sounding though the com.

A gurgle followed.

It was easy to tell now that his other hand had seized her throat and even now this instant he was wrenching life from her body. But his absolution was not instant, no not at all. He was enjoying every moment of what he was doing and the others could hear a slight draw of his own breath peeling in delight. This continued for several seconds, in fact nearly a full minute as she thrashed weakly from the loss of blood as he held tight. The last moments of her life sounded as if it were a lifetime of pain condensed into several small miniscule fragments and the last sound was a seizing crack from her neck as he finished her.

Antony breathed once as he spoke in the following seconds. "You're welcome.. Doctor."

Imogen heard a woman's cries in the com but she kept walking towards the door. She recognized them for what they were: desperate, fearful and panicked. She remembered a time when she had made the same sound but she had fought as much as her body had allowed. This person, this woman would have no chance. As if to punctuate the thought a gurgle sounded in the com. Imogen closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed. When her eyes opened again she was at the door and her mask of apathy had returned.

"He will be along momentarily."

Her words were not needed, everyone had heard over the com but it felt better to say something than for them to stand in silence. Her eyes scanned the figures that waited. Imogen moved to Riordan's side and his protective nature took over. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders despite the blood spray on her face and jacket, drawing her to his side as they began to move. "It's almost over." His words were a soft murmur, meant to calm and his piercing eyes swept from side to side looking for threats as they made their way towards the MCU.

After wiping his hands on what was left that could be called clean fabric, Antony took two small items into his hands. The womans ID and the small impromptu weapon she wielded against him. Sticking the letter opener in the cuff of his bracer and the ID under his vest he stepped clear of the room, shutting the door with his foot.

"Ready to commence with purging the building Alpha, no need to leave the building just yet at least." He said as he tapped his hand across the barrel of his weapon, eyes scanning the bodies lying about before he turned his gaze to a camera situated above his head. "Oasis.. any more mishaps like with the Doctor and I will make you one with that keyboard.. understand?"

In the RV-

The Sphinx accompanied the scene, trying his best not to care.

It was horrible.

All the others could do was listen to Anthony torturing the terrified woman, but Mark, Mark could see it. Mark saw the woman's expression of sheer horror as the mercenary played with her, enjoying it. It was far too much to handle, but nonetheless, the hacker watched. Nonetheless, he mourned silently her terrible passing, as if her blood weren't also in his own hands for letting that monster inside the lab. The Sphinx had never had any delusions of morality: he knew well the nature of his work, and what it did to people. Ruined them, destroyed families and lives. But still... This was too much.

Yet, The Sphinx said nothing. Not even when the mercenary, once his bloodlust was quenched (or was it? Could it ever be?), threatened him. Empty words. With the click of a button, Mark could arrange a clean, untraceable accident... No one would ever know it was nothing more than that...

Mark shook his head, letting these thoughts vanish from his mind. Too much work. Anthony was not worth it.

The hacker heard Imogen's voice, void of all warmth. That scared him more than the mercenary, more than the horrific death the woman had suffered, a death that would surely haunt his nightmares for a long time to come. He felt compelled to say something, to comfort her, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. What was there to be said? Mark suddenly wished he was there, in person, not simply an eye from a camera. He wished for a second he could be useful in some way, that he could somehow protect them, protect her, using the skills he had gathered from stealing and deceiving.

Be careful what you wish for said a voice inside his head. It was perhaps his conscience, who had been long asleep, and had suddenly flickered to life like an old computer starting up for the first time in many years. Mark chose not to listen to it, nothing good could come from growing morality now.

George heard everything that went on though she was focused on the pad infront of her. There was no time to order Antony to leave the person until later. She ignored the woman’s cries and the ending of her life. There were bigger issues.

“Phoenix, Apex. Get in there and help him. Ombre save the threats and focus on your job. Do you understand?”

George was pissed and in no mood for showboating or team members going at each other.

“Do this quickly people.We have problems."

There on the screen was an announcement that Arasaka and Portel were working on a new joint venture together. George was angry. It made sense now that the lab was going to be packed up that day. Arasaka had a contract with her and knew she would be hitting the lab soon. They got lucky that they hadn't taken more time for the set up or the lab would have been gone and George's other two contracts would have been unfulfilled.

"Arasaka has fucked us over."

Her fingers worked on her pad as she typed out multiple messages to send off. Damage control....

At least if the team cleared out the lab she could cash in on two contracts. The third, well she'd be taking that up with Arasaka and they would learn the hard way why it did not pay to mess with CKSD.

And suddenly, Mark's wish came true.

A dozen perimeter alarms were set off at the same time, and the camera feed confirmed what they all had realized: CKSD had been betrayed.

Somewhere in his mind, Mark found room to find the situation delightful. Now he was needed, and now he could put his skills to good use. Something else also grew inside of the hacker, a sense of joy, a joy of knowing with absolute certainty the people responsible for this would pay dearly. He would see to that. George would see to that.

"People, I've got alarms flashing all over... We've been ambushed!" There was no fear in his voice, no surprise. Only excitement. He was eager to deliver punishment to those dots on his screen. "Get ready, multiple enemy readings converging on your location. I'll try and slow them down."

Johan took the lead, letting Teagan watch their backs as they moved down the hallways towards Antony's position. Teagan unclasped the snap on her pack, leaving her with free access to its contents- a combination of sleeping gas grenades, a couple of flashbangs and a handful of frag bombs.

George's voice was calm in the com."Clear the lab out. I want them all taken care of. We still have two contracts and we are going to show Arasaka not to pull this shit on us. The three of you no one but you walks out of there."

She was beyond pissed off. No one double crossed her, no one dared come at CKSD like this. She had so much dirt on everyone she ever worked for that the they wouldn't know what was going on by the time George was done with them. Arasaka was big but she had no qualms with taking them on.

His multi-tasking mind was already thinking several solutions as he saw the dots that represented danger advance in an orderly way towards the team. If he could tap into their own coms, and make a mess, that was sure to slow them down...

With a bit of tinkering and a few ridiculous firewalls bypassed, Mark was able to download the entire discography of The Rolling Stones and play them, as loud as the hardware permitted it, into the enemy's coms. He watched with a smile from ear to ear as the dots stopped in utter confusion and as a technician (the poor thing) tried to clean up the transmission. Once The Sphinx had pinpointed his location, the technician's hardware too was playing The Rolling Stones. At least there was a use to century-old music.

"Beta, get the Doc here now. You guys can't get caught in this firefight."

George stayed calm not letting fear cloud her voice but neither Imogen or Rio were shooters. They would if they had too but the teams coming in were going to be armed to the teeth and pros. No match for a duo. "Get to the RV stat."

Riordan's voice, slightly teasing despite the obvious weight of sincerity evident in his tone came over the comm. "Believe me, Alpha... We don't wish to get caught in this either. On our way."

In the lab the teams of men stopped in the hallway. Their ears were filled with music from another time and they were confused. The team leader from each held up a hand to halt them while their technician tried to fix things. Each team was coming down a different hall. They too were there to exterminate witnesses and take out the CKSD team. They had planned to work their way through the lab until they found them.

George was tense in the RV. It would slow them down, Mark's hack but they were trained professionals and they would soon run silent and keep moving. She looked over at Mark. "Good job. Won't stop them but will give our team time."

Outside the lab Imogen and Rio slowly moved towards the RV. Inside the lab the trio moved down the halls. Imogen had her gun ready. She was looking around a little but was focused on the direction of the RV and Riordan.

“George's right, I bought you some time, but not much.” It wouldn’t be long before their system rebooted and the interference was gone. Mark had to be fast. “I see two main teams coming towards you, and a lone reading from somewhere… I can’t quite pinpoint his location, but he’s definitely coming towards you."

George's mouth set itself in a straight line. This was not how it was supposed to go.

"I've got visual... The lone reading, it's a sniper. Coming in between the two teams. His coms are isolated somehow, I can't get to him."

This frustrated Mark, but his powers were limited to things connected to a web, and this man was entirely off it.

George shook her head. "No. Shit..." She leaned over Mark's shoulder. "Where? Where is he?"

"He's breaking formation... Moving away from the teams... I don't see..."

Then Mark noticed the pattern. It was like a click, but there it was, as if highlighted, the path the sniper was taking. His heart froze, and his voice came out as a whisper.

"He's going for Im... He's going for Beta and the Doc. How did he...?"

George stared in disbelief at the screen. “No....Move...you two have to move....”

She knew they would never make it. George straightened and pulled out her gun. Her eyes were on Mark. “You watch the teams in and out. You do whatever it takes to get them out of there if this goes south. Drive the fucking RV into the lab I don’t care.”

With that George headed to the door of the RV and stepped out into the dirt.
In the lab-

In the lab the teams were moving again. There were six individuals in total, three in each team. Gunshots could be heard as they shot anyone they saw. They were the opposite end of the building from the CKSD group and at their first junction they now split into three groups of two, each team taking a hallway.

The CKSD Trio moved up the hallway. Before them was a junction, behind them the main hall and front door. The junction split one hall to the right and one straight ahead.

Antony lets the voices play out on his comm, several of the returns are funny and some are just lightly entertaining by his standards. But when George told him that it was time to get the job finished and to keep his own words to himself, he was redoubled in his mindset. He stands there waiting for Johan and Teagan, small dabs of blood still clinging to the bottom of his boots and he fiddles the small impormptive blade between his fingers. Only to slide it into a small sectioned pouch on his vest.

He runs several lines of memory through his mind before returning to his comm. "Well.. Arasaka, we can expect light assault make ups.. mostly AW-65s."

"They fire 5.56 rounds so I suggest you stay behind me if things get hairy." He taps the plating over his ribs to make an emphasis to himself about how bad the idea of impact might be.

"Oh and ladies.. if you see their hand reach for the under rail, yeal grenade and hit the deck.. hehe."

Arasaka isn't one of the more techy corps but they do have a rather large research division and they have been know roll out with highly modular equipment.

Antony points his gun towards the opposite direction and gets ready, letting his back sit towards Teagan and Johans entrance. "Holding position, you two better hurry.. I won't wait forever." A slight snicker left his mouth as he left the sound of the comm.

His words came mere moments before two forms shifted into position behind him. Teagan kept an eye on their six with her revolver in hand and Johan's larger frame filled the corridor as he gave a silent nod. "Let's get these bastards then go the hell home."

----

Outside-

George had her gun drawn. She began to move towards the lab. She could make out Imogen and Riordan’s forms but that was not who she was looking for.

“Where are you?” She whispered through clenched teeth.

The pair grew closer, George could see their faces now. They were about eight feet away.

And then she saw him. At some point he had changed his target. He wasn’t aiming at them anymore. He was on one knee behind some brush and would have been in the perfect spot to pick them both off as they came by.

Now his laser sight was on George.

From their vantage point Riordan and Imogen could see something rather interesting. George was standing there, gun drawn. A laser sight aimed at her chest and one appeared at her back.

"Geo-" Rio tried to warn her, stress and fear straining his voice as his footsteps quickened.

Imogen gasped. “No!”

Two guns went off.

In the lab-

The Arasaka infiltration team was moving swiftly through the lab hallways. They kicked open doors, shooting anything that moved.

"We can't stay together or else they'll come at us from both sides. I'll take the right." Teagan adjusted her mask making sure that it was sealed properly over her face and eyes as she gave a nod to the two men and slipped away from the group. Her enhanced optics swept the area as she checked each room that she passed methodically. Gun in hand, she would duck down, scan the room, then search for survivors and shoot any that still dared to breathe. As she neared a corner she heard footsteps falling lightly upon the hard flooring and she switched her revolver so that the under barrel grenade launcher was activated instead.

Fate was on her side and as she swung around the corner, the trio of men were facing in the opposite direction. Apparently they had just turned into the hallway themselves and without a sound she lifted her weapon, aimed at the man in the middle and fired off a 30mm frag grenade right into his back. Without waiting to see the impending bloodshed, she shifted, spinning to press her back against the opposite wall to shield herself from the debris as shrapnel ripped through all three men and the surrounding walls with equal ferocity.

"3 down."

Antony was second to leave the group, he turned the other way from where Teagan moved. This way made sure he would find his own little slice of fun instead of having to share his quarry with the other two. His feet tread a path very quickly and quietly around corner and wall to make sure he was not taken by surprise.

Keeping his manhunter held high and to his shoulder, the weight of the weapon lead to into his turns as he dipped the barrel and spun under the edge of the corner. But as he got further in he began to slow his steps, coming upon every new turn through the tight corridors and peering around to make sure of his advance and then it was he noticed them. Three men in body armor moving up the hall, one behind the other in straight sequence. He pulled his weapon up tight before swinging out and pulling the trigger on the first man in the line, the 10 gauge shot tore through most of his clothing and flesh in equal measure while another shot made short work of his remaining life.

The two behind split and hit seperate rooms, bunkering behind the heavy frames of the doors as they began to blindly fire back in quick succession. Antony could feel the pressure of the passing rounds as he kept advancing releasing shell after shell in their direction. Every moment or so a round would glance off the edge of his body armor and one even struck across the cheek of his mask. Antony let the gun kick to full auto fire and he began to shell the hallway with lead as he reached the first mans body. Then in a quick motion he let the gun swing to his side as he pulled his revolver, its heavy barrel nearly matching the weight of the weapon he just released.

Pulling the hammer back he clenches tight on the grip and lets the first round fly just as the two kneeled from cover.

Antony's weapon issueds its arrival by shaking loose mostly everything in reach as it fired, kicking up dust and ripping a stream through the air. The office windows on the hall shattered in place as the gun discharged and the fired round tore through everything in its patch. It caught the mans weapon and shattered its frame, tore through his forearm and punched a two inching round hole in his chest. The inside of his face mask filled with a red coloration as his lungs could no longer contain the flow of life and with that his partner retreated, ducking once more into his room. Antony smirked behind his mask as he aimed dead on the wall and pulled the trgger again with the same resounding blast. The round punched through the wall and from the spray seemed to hit a sensitive target, only to travel further and not only kill the man. But two chairs, a table and the three computer towers situated on the desk in the next room as well.

"Three down.. west corridor.[b/]

Antony said as he marched forward, picking up the first man's weapon and slinging it over his left shoulder. Searching the second to fall he grabbed the man's ID and side arm, placing the small gun in a pouch on his left thigh.

[b]In the RV-

On Mark's screen the little blip that was the sniper went out.

The feeling of powerlessness hit Mark again. He was jamming Araska's coms, but that didn't seem to affect them for long. All he could do was watch the little lights that meant so much to him move around in the screen, trying to survive...

And when had they started to mean so much to him? Was it when he met them for the first time, in a dimly lit, sound-proofed room in a bar he would never set foot on in any other circumstance? Or was it when he learned about their lives, about who they were outside of work?

Any of that might have been true, but it wasn't essential. Mark Parnasse started caring about these people when he started being responsible for their lives. When he started being responsible for Imogen...

Two gunshots were fired, and the hacker already had the visual: George was on the ground, and Imogen was there, alone, trying to bring her to the RV...

There was only so much that could be done on a computer. The Sphinx got up and, picking any gun he could find laying around in the vehicle, left it and started running awkwardly towards them as fast as his sedentary body could take him.

Outside-

George hit the ground in a heap.

"NO!" Pure rage filled Riordan's voice but he didn't release the Doctor from his side. Instead, he pulled her with him as he ran the last few feet towards George, only releasing Imogen when they were closer to the RV. "George," he tried to calm his tone as he fell to his knees beside her but the damage he saw made him seethe. He sprang into action, standing up and clasping Imogen on her shoulders as he stared into her eyes.

"Doc, protect her. Move her into the RV if you think it's safe. I have to clear the area."

Imogen nodded and knelt down, taking Riordan's place beside George. She began to assess the wounds. She had her gun drawn but her attention was on George not any dangers that might be around.

He couldn't think of George lying on the ground or he wouldn't move from the spot where they stood and so as soon as he released Imogen's shoulders he spun in place, gun drawn as he moved in the direction of the first sniper only to see him already laying in a puddle of his own blood. Anger fueled his movements, making him unload another two shots into the already dead body with a snarl of anger before Riordan spun around, eyes searching the area behind where George had stood to find the second shooter.

When he reached Imogen, Riordan was already gone. Mark wished he could help him find the second shooter, but that was less important than getting George to safety. Gasping, Mark helped Imogen bring George back to the vehicle, cursing his lack of exercise.