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Post by Breanne..(: on Jun 14, 2015 18:08:15 GMT -5
"Wow, blunt much?" I asked sarcastically, dropping any hint of the earlier event.
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Post by KenseyG on Jun 14, 2015 18:50:24 GMT -5
Levi
"Nah, just concerned." I said, giving her a look. "Can you walk a ways? I don't wanna stick around here."
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Post by Breanne..(: on Jun 14, 2015 19:12:08 GMT -5
Zayna
Just as he finished his sentence, a cold wind brushed by us, making me shiver. I looked back at Levi and folded my arms over my stomach.
"Yep, I’m good to go,” I informed him, starting to walk as snow started to lightly fall from the sky. Again.
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Post by KenseyG on Jun 14, 2015 19:20:56 GMT -5
Levi
A breeze blew past, brushing Zayna's hair behind her shoulders and she shivered. She folded her arms over her stomach and looked at me. "Yep, I'm good to go," she said, starting to walk as snow started to fall again in small flurries. I looked her up and down for a second and nodded, knowing there wasn't much of an option otherwise. Hopefully we could get somewhere else quickly and find something in the backpacks we took that could help us. With everything that jst happened, one thing was certain: We were one step closer to getting the upper hand.
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Post by KenseyG on Jun 14, 2015 23:22:35 GMT -5
CHAPTER 5/6
Nixon
"Grey Team, respond." I said into the earpiece for the fifth time. The only reply I got was an earful of static- and not because my earpiece was slightly broken. Grey Team had gone radio dead. After a few more seconds I gave up with a sigh, flicking the unit off for awhile. "No response." I say to the rest of the team. "Let's go see what the problem is." I turned in the direction of the spot we were headed to up in the mountains.
I'd assumed since the two blinking dots on our tracker went stationary in the mountains for the night, they'd had to have found a cave or some kind of shelter to stay in. We'd set up a small camp to rest through a bit of the night when I'd gotten contact from Karisity and the Coaties back at base letting me know where the chase would kick off. I decided to send out the three trainees we'd taken out to go box in the kids until we could finish packing up camp and meet them. I made it very clear that Levi was mine, so there should've been no casualties... Yet. Now, realizing something was wrong, I was unsure of my orders but I had to stand behind them.
"Maybe they wandered out of range, Nixon." Erynn suggested as we trudged up the base of the mountain. Our government issued boots crunched heavily in the crisp snow. I'd known Erynn since we were teenagers, and I'd also known that die-hard optimism she had. She looked at me with her blue-green eyes with raised eyebrows as she tied her blonde curls into a bun. Behind her slim, feminine stature, doe-eyes and innocent demeanor she was actually one of the best members our team had- our top sniper.
"Possible," I said, breaking my eyes away to look straight ahead as I walked. "But not likely. I gave them specific directions to follow, so if they aren't dead now, they will be when I find them." My foot dove into a hole, filled in by the thickening snow. I cursed under my breath as I yanked it out. "Watch your step." I mumbled.
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Post by Breanne..(: on Jun 15, 2015 9:03:54 GMT -5
LENNOX IN THE HOOOOOOOWSE!!!!!
"Hey Lennox," Xera called out from behind me and I turned towards her in acknowledgement. "Shoe's untied."
I looked down at my shoes and then back up at her, seeing as how my boots were both tied perfectly. She smiled back innocently as Nixon gave her a look.
"What? Just trying to lighten the mood a little," she told him, unfazed. He grunted at her in reply as he continued to walk on. I locked my gaze of Xera and in unison we rolled my eyes at his back. Even if we were on a mission, we didn't have to be so serious. Especially if we were just tracking at the moment. As Xera walked by me, I nudged her shoulder and smiled down at her, unable to help but think of how beautiful she was as she smiled back up at me.
Her gorgeous hazel eyes were speckled with green and always shined with a burning intensity that matched her spirit and personality. As she walked in front of me, my eyes were drawn to her hair. It was a mix of auburn and mahogany with a red tint that shone in the sun as it flowed down her back in small waves. She was only about 5'3 and, like Erynn, very petite but well-toned.
If I just looked at her, I would immediately categorize her as not a threat but she was actually quite deadly and stealthy. I would never admit this, but I wouldn't want to be in a one on one fight with her. Even though I towered over her at 6'4 and I was widely built, all I had on my side was strength. Whereas she was a born fighter, another one of the government's best, and her size made it impossible for people to catch her. But even if they did, she was a skilled hand-to-hand combat fighter and could win in an instant. I wasn’t smitten with her or anything; just intrigued and mesmerized by her skill.
"Yo, Nixon," I called out, rubbing my chocolate brown hands together. "Once we find Grey Team, what's the plan? Just keep running two steps behind these kids? We need a plan of action, not spur of the moment ideas sent from the government."
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Post by KenseyG on Jun 18, 2015 17:10:31 GMT -5
Nixon
"Hey, Lennox, shoe's untied." Xera chastised him from the back of the group. I glanced over my shoulder to Lennox. He was my right hand man, though I wouldn't dare say he was my friend. We've never gotten along since he was assigned under me. He's about my height but built like a machine. If he ever got fired up enough he could crush me in a fight, so strength wasn't his downfall in competing against me for my job. From what I understand of his background he had a little problem with the discipline required to hold a leadership position, and it involved the girl we were after, Zayna.
Lennox looked down at his laces, which were perfectly knotted at the top of his boots. He looked back up at Xera who was snickering like a three-year-old. I gave her an uninterested look.
"What? Just trying to lighten the mood a little." She said, unfazed. I just gave a grunt in reply. Xera was always playing around with people. She was the fiercest member of our team- a born fighter. She's incredibly small at 5'2, which makes her impossible to catch. Out of the specialists Karisity and I comprised this small team of, Xera had top marks in hand-to-hand combat which made her a valuable asset. If only she didn't get on my nerves this much...
Before I turned back around I saw Lennox rubbing his chocolate brown hands together.
"Yo, Nixon," He said. "Once we find Grey Team, what's the plan? Just keep running two steps behind these kids? We need a plan of action, not spur of the moment idaes sent from the government." I understood how he felt. The higher-ups firing the gun for the chase had no idea what it was like down here on the ground, but I was taking orders from them as well as making my own on this mission. It was a complicated project, and while I had a part in it, Karisity held the reigns. I shook my head and turned around, replying to him with my back turned.
"Of course I have a plan Lennox." I said plainly. "Grey Team was supposed to detain the kids, but if something has happened I'll reevaluate."
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Post by Breanne..(: on Jun 18, 2015 17:44:03 GMT -5
Lennox
"Reevaluate what?” I asked tersely, folding my arms over my chest. "We have no clue what’s going on. We can’t keep wasting time trying to figure out what we’re going to do next when our targets are constantly on the go.”
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Post by KenseyG on Jun 18, 2015 18:48:08 GMT -5
Nixon
"Reevaluate what?" He asked tersely, folding his arms over his chest. "We have no clue what's going on. We can't keep wasting time trying to figure out what we're going to do next when our targets are constantly on the go."
"Well, Lennox," I said cocking an eyebrow and narrowing my eyes, turning around to look at him full-on. "That's what this training is all about. Tracking, and trapping. Sorry if it's harder than you expected, but that was also the point."
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Post by Breanne..(: on Jun 18, 2015 21:41:28 GMT -5
Lennox
“Too bad we’re only getting taught the tracking part then, huh?” I muttered, fuming at his attempt to belittle me.
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Post by KenseyG on Jun 20, 2015 18:06:16 GMT -5
Nixon
"Too bad we're only getting taught the tracking part then, huh?" He muttered under his breath.
"Yes. That is unfortunate." I retorted evenly, inviting him with my tone to say anything else he had to say on the matter.
"You know, it's only been a day. I think we're doing pretty good, considering they had a head start and all." Erynn chirped in, trying to lift the morale. I cut my eyes at her in a way that made my disagreement very obvious. She blushed and looked down while she bit her lip.
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Post by Breanne..(: on Jun 20, 2015 18:29:14 GMT -5
Lennox
“Well, whether we’re doing good or not, we still need to keep moving,” Xera added, motioning past Nixon since we had all stopped walking.
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Post by KenseyG on Jun 20, 2015 18:46:13 GMT -5
Nixon
"Well, whether we're doing good or not, we still need to keep moving." Xera said, motioning past me. We had all stopped walking at this point and as much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I gave her a terse grin and a small nod and then went back to walking. After awhile we hit a ledge and I lifted myself over it. I could see the mouth of a cave gaping open in the distance, exactly as I predicted. Above us the clouds were growing darker by the second. Thunder rumbled as I stood up, looking down to make sure everyone else was able to get up safely. Erynn grunted with the weight of her equipment and as she came up a little higher I grabbed the rung of her pack and tugged, giving her a boost. I looked back at the cave, trying to scope out any of the guards I'd sent.
"Grey Team, are you there?" I called out, waiting for a response that never came. However, the sight of red mixed into the snow answered that question for me, something had gone very wrong. I breathed out a cuss word and started in that direction.
"What?" Erynn asked. I shook my head.
"This won't be pretty." I responded.
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Post by Breanne..(: on Jun 20, 2015 19:30:54 GMT -5
Lennox Nixon gave her a terse grin, as if agreeing with her killed him, and a small nod and then went back to walking. We all instantly followed suit, dropping the previous conversation.
After a while, we hit a ledge and Nixon lifted himself over it. I quickly followed, then turned around to offer my hand to Xera, whose head didn’t even hit lowest part of the rock. She took it gratefully and my muscles constricted as I pulled her up next to me, her feet landing with a pound. Erynn grunted with the weight of her equipment and as she came up a little higher, Nixon grabbed the rung of her pack and tugged, giving her a boost. Once we were all up safely, I looked around. My gaze landed on the mouth of a cave not too far from us just as a clap of thunder sounded, rattling me to the bone.
"Grey Team, are you there?" Nixon called out, waiting for a response that never came. As I took a breath, I wrinkled my nose in distaste. Something smelled.. Off. Taking another breath, I realized I had smelled this before, in many past battles. The smell of fresh blood. Suddenly everything was clear to me as I realized why Grey Team never responded back to us and why they would never respond again. Nixon came to the same realization a moment later and let out a low cuss word.
"What?" Erynn asked. Nixon shook his head.
"This won't be pretty," he responded.
As we climbed over one last ledge, I looked up towards the sky. The clouds were dark grey and swirling tauntingly, as if warning us to go away. I stepped toward the entrance of the cave and walked in slowly, penetrated by the smell which was growing worse. I few steps more into the cave, and I stopped cold, my eyes wide.. The three guards from the Grey Team lay on the floor in a pool of thick blood. One's neck was sliced open and the other two had bullet holes through their heads.
I heard another gasp and I turned around to see Xera standing with Erynn and Nixon at the mouth of the cave. Erynn covered her mouth, her eyes wide and filling with tears. Nixon stood with his jaw tensed and his face a mask as he slowly walked closer. Xera's eyes were also wide but her nostrils were flaring as she breathed angrily. She whirled around and walked quickly out of the cave, kicking one of the walls as she went. I followed suit, nudging Nixon with my shoulder as I walked by him, and sat down on a rock a few feet from the cave, holding my head in my hands. Let Nixon do what he wanted in there; this one was all on him.
A few moments later he walked back outside with Erynn, whose eyes were red with unshed tears. Nixon put his hands on top of his head and exhaled deeply, shutting his eyes in concentration. After a second, grunted then walked a few feet away from us and started talking over his comm. unit.
I couldn't hear what he was saying but I guessed he was talking to Karisity and from the expression on his face, she was not happy with what he was telling her. His expression went from unhappy to irritated to angry in a matter of seconds before he finally flipped his earpiece off and sat down on a rock, leaning his head back.
I felt numb, no feeling coming or going. It was like I couldn't breathe; my breathe gone along with the people from the Grey Team. Even if I was working for the government and I was a trained killer, losing members of your team was still hard.
I looked up and saw Xera pacing back and forth. Her long hair blew into her face as the wind whipped around us and she pushed it back roughly. I looked on as she suddenly stopped pacing and looked over to Nixon. With her eyes narrowed and her jaw set, she walked briskly over to him. I stood up quickly, afraid of what she might say, or do, and walked up behind her, staying a few feet to the side.
"What is your problem?" Xera hissed at Nixon, her eyes all but glowing with a burning intensity she only got when she was on the prowl.
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Post by KenseyG on Jun 20, 2015 20:34:04 GMT -5
Nixon
As we got close to the mouth of the cave I paused, the smell of fresh blood hitting me and my boots hitting a puddle of red. Lennox stepped past me into the cave and once he saw the scene he gasped.I pressed my lips together for a second, feeling a pit in my stomach, then I looked up and pushed on into the cave. I walked slowly and silently until I saw them. The members of Grey Team laying in a puddle of blood. The first one lay on the ground with his eyes wide open and his neck roughly sliced open with a jagged rock which sat nearby. The other two were riddled with bullets and stripped of their weapons and backpacks. Both of them were completely still and drained of any color.
I heard a gasp as Xera entered next with Erynn following behind. I set my jaw and fixed my eyes. Xera's eyes went wide as she looked around but I refused to move my eyes from the mess before me. She started huffing and after a moment let out a strangled noise as she sent her foot flying straight at the wall before she stormed out of the cave. Lennox turned to watch her and then followed suit, glancing at me and brushing past me with his shoulder as he left. Erynn stepped up beside me timidly and I glanced at her. She stared ahead with shallow breaths and her eyes brimming with tears that wouldn't dare slide down her face.
"Are you okay?" I asked softly. She nodded in reply.
"Yeah... I've seen worse." She replied. It was then that I noticed light streaming in from the back of the cave... It was another entrance. I stared again at the corpses and knew in that moment that this was more my fault than I'd thought.
"Let's go," I told Erynn, putting my hand firmly on her shoulder. "I can't be in here anymore." She wiped her eyes quickly as I led her from the cave. Out in the open air I locked my fingers together on the top of my head and exhaled slowly. I'd completely underestimated what we were dealing with. After years of kicking Levi in the face I thought it'd be easy to defeat him, and that had caused me to overlook critical possibilities. I looked at the others who had grouped up silently, all handling this in their own ways, and I knew that I had to handle this in my way too. In my case, it was getting back to work. I walked away from everyone and faced away as I flipped on my earpiece. I was greeted by a loud crackling noise that made me cringe and cup my ears. Soon it faded away into the constant, soft static I'd gotten used to.
"Karisity." I said into the comms unit. There was some shuffling around and a thud in the background before she replied. I heard some exchanging of words in the command room. Still no response, they all went blank. I pursed my lips and pushed my wavy hair back.
"Nixon, what happened?" She asked finally. "Three of your groups' trackers just shorted out, they went dead, what-"
"Karisity!" I snapped to make her shut up and listen. "We just found them. Grey Team had a little... Mishap, in the cave. They were killed in an attack by Levi and Zayna." The other end was quiet for awhile and I wondered if my earpiece had finally given out on me.
"This wasn't supposed to happen." She said.I visualized her shaking her head. A moment later I heard her slam a hand onto a table or desk. "Nixon, you said they would have this under control!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't count on the cave having two entry ways." I told her. I lowered my voice and narrowed my eyes. "You know, if you would have authorized us to kill them yesterday they'd already be gone by now."
"We're running an experiment here, Nixon! You'll get to kill them but we had an agreement. You work for me." She replied angrily.
"Then you'll have to put up with a full morgue." I shot back. "Do you want to see any more of us dead? I can't just follow all of your stupid rules and watch my men die because of it!" She swore under her breath.
"Just give it another day or two. We won't send any replacements but we've put too much into this to let you end it this early." She said trying to compromise. I sighed, pacing back and forth briskly through the snow.
"If I die before then it's on your hands." I told her harshly. She began to start talking again about a billion things I didn't have time to hear so I turned the unit back off and sat down on a rock, leaning my head back to look at the clouds. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to think of our next move. After a moment there was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning that turned the entire sky an iridescent white. I opened my eyes and sat up straight. Xera was in front of me glaring at me like she wanted to burn me straight into the ground. I stared back with cold, grey eyes.
"What is your problem?" She hissed at me. Her eyes flashed with rage.
"Right now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow like she was stupid for even asking. I tilted my head to the side and sneered. "You."
I stood up and clasped my hands behind my back, glaring down at her for starting this crap. Lennox stood behind her and from the corner of my eye I could see Erynn walking over. Erynn plced a hand on Xera's shoulder gingerly.
"Xera, keep it together," She whispered softly. Another clap of thunder blasted from the sky as Xera shook off Erynn's hand.
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