The Athena Operation (2 page)

CHAPTER 4: YOU'RE ONLY A

HOSTAGE AS LONG AS YOU

COMPLY

The seythra hadn't wasted any time. Within minutes, both Sadhis and Seraph had been handcuffed and taken into an underground passage beneath a hut. Just as quickly as they’d been captured, they were alone again.

It was full dark in the holding space, and the air smelled of stale smoke. Being a fesar, Sadhis was able to see in the dark a bit better than a Human. Sadhis ran his finger along the outline of the hatch they’d come in from, feeling for the crack where the lid met the hole of the cell. The space was almost nonexistent, as if the lid had been vacuum sealed. The hatch was not going to budge.

Sadhis spotted an odd pile past where Seraph had sunken down against the wall. As he approached it, he covered his single nostril hole as it filled with the stench of death. The pile was a combination of corpses with tribal clothing, and animals. The bodies ranged from fresh to decayed. The sight of such disrespect to the dead caused Sadhis to swell with anger.

“They've just thrown the village dead down here.” Sadhis exhaled deeply.

Seraph tilted his head towards Sadhis, but didn't seem particularly disturbed. “You found a way out yet?”

“B’yon willing, a little improvisation should get us out just fine.” Sadhis turned from the bodies. “Have a little faith, Seraph.” Sadhis wasn't sure he believed his own words. Who knew how many guards there were, or what their intentions could possibly be? Still, perhaps he could convince Seraph there was a chance they'd get out alive.

“Faith is blindness. We're stuck waiting until we can get the jump on them, and that could be quite a while.” Seraph's tone speared Sadhis with blame.

Sadhis tried to maintain his composure. “We wait then. Could be minutes, could be hours. They'll deal with us eventually. It's an obstacle, that's all.”

This was not the first time Seraph had been taken captive, but he was not desensitized to the experience. Every time it happened, he was forced to recall the one mission that had gone terribly wrong, the one that had planted an unshakable fear deep in his gut. Seraph swallowed hard.

Seraph's fingers traced over the bumpy scar on the top of his left hand. It was jagged, with corroded edges that felt sharp to the touch. He closed his eyes and felt a shiver overcome him as the scar's origin penetrated the front of his mind. On one of his first missions as a private, he'd been chained up in the lower deck of a ship of Miles Peyton, an infamous hitman that the Confederate Military had made the mistake of trying to intercept.

In a last-ditch effort to break free from the chains, Seraph had bitten into his own flesh, tearing the skin from the top of his hand and trying to use the blood as a lubricant to liberate himself from the bindings. Seraph ended up having to break his thumb as well, which still didn't work as well as it used to, to free himself.

Seraph snapped back to reality as the hatch opened. A strong chemical smell flooded the underground chamber, stealing his focus.

One of the seythra came down and walked over to Seraph and Sadhis, his pistol drawn. He pointed a flashlight right into their faces. He grunted and motioned for them to get up. Neither Seraph nor Sadhis moved. The guard uttered a deep growl and slammed his foot into Seraph’s chest.

“Get your ass up! Now!”

Seraph was doubled over on the ground, coughing up strings of spittle. Sadhis grabbed him and pulled him up so they were both standing in front of the guard. The seythra pointed his flashlight down the length of the tunnel, illuminating the bodies. Among them were children, butchered by bullets. Seraph groaned. Seraph and Sadhis were ordered to move down the tunnel. Sadhis led the way, the guard’s gun trained on his back.

Suddenly, Sadhis jerked backward and slammed into Seraph. Seraph fell into the guard and knocked him to the ground. The gun fell and skidded across the floor. The guard tried to get up, but Sadhis’s foot pinned the guard’s shoulder to the ground. Seraph watched Sadhis bend down to the guard’s face. The fesar smashed the guard’s head into the wall, knocking him out cold. The guard rolled to the side and lay still.

Sadhis stood up. “How’s that for improvisation?”

Seraph snorted. “Yeah, you’re a regular hero.”

Seraph grabbed the knife from the guard’s belt and started working the blade into the keyhole of his handcuffs. The cuff cut into his skin as he wriggled the blade as far into the hole as it would go. He pushed in as hard as he could, hoping that the cuffs were flimsy. Just when he was about to give up, the blade caught the pin that released the lock.

He rubbed his wrists. “The hard part's not over,” he said. “We still don't know how many guards there are . . . or what they're doing. Can't believe it's the fucking seythra.”

“We can get the advantage back. The seythra can be stopped, just as any other.” Sadhis said. He grabbed the knife from Seraph and began working on his own cuff. “We know they're making something here,” He continued. “A bomb . . . weapons . . . what have you. They're using something highly explosive. Triacetone triperoxide, I’m guessing. I can smell it in the air. If we can get to it, we can seize it, stop them from using it.” Sadhis caught the release on the cuff and pulled his hand free.

Seraph picked up the guard’s gun and studied it. Bullets, not plasma like he’d hoped. “That, or blow the village and let them burn for what they did. We’ve got one mag. Eight rounds, give or take. Plus the knife.” Seraph didn’t know if they could do the damage they needed to do without the precision of a plasma gun, but the guard’s piece would have to do. “Alright, we-”

The hatch flew open and Seraph stopped mid-sentence. Another seythra guard climbed down into the cell, calling out for who Seraph could only assume was the guard they had just killed. Seraph shut off the flashlight. Sadhis clutched the knife, and he and Seraph inched their way behind a pipe, trying to remain hidden.

The guard shone his flashlight around the room, looking for his comrade. He moved toward the passageway and nearly stumbled over the first guard’s body. It took him a moment to register what was happening. He looked at the guard’s face and gasped, horrified.

Seraph could hear him mumbling under his breath, nearly hysterical.

The new guard knelt beside the sergeant and pulled out his radio, but before he could call for backup, Sadhis rounded the corner and shoved the knife right into the guard’s throat. The guard fell to the floor, gagging and choking on blood. After a minute, he fell still. Seraph came out from behind the pipe.

Sadhis studied the second body, confused. “Why the hell doesn’t he have a gun?”

Seraph knelt next to the body. “He could have something else we might need.” He fumbled through the guard’s pockets and pulled out an empty magazine, two cigarettes, and a lighter.

Seraph held up the lighter. “Not entirely useless. I think we found a way to blow up that bomb, or whatever the hell it is. If we don’t get ourselves killed first.”

Sadhis's eyes met Seraph's in a cold stare. “We'll try to neutralize it first.”

Seraph didn't bother with a direct response. “We need to move. It won’t be long until someone else comes down here.”

Sadhis nodded. He grabbed a flashlight and tossed the other to Seraph. They made their way over to the hatch and started up the ladder.

CHAPTER 5: WAIST DEEP

Seraph whispered a prayer to a God he didn't believe in, hoping the seythra guard had forgot to lock the hatch when he came down. He sighed in relief to find it give without resistance. The hatch opened on a small room, dimly lit by a single light bulb. The door was only a few feet away and it was wide open. Seraph was about to make a run for it when he saw something moving in the corner of the room. Another seythra, he guessed. He didn’t want to wait to find out. He moved to lower the hatch back down, slowly, when suddenly, the hatch was yanked open from behind. A seythra pulled Seraph from the holding space and threw him to the ground. The guard slammed the hatch shut and bolted the top. Sadhis pounded from below, but it wouldn't budge.

Seraph got to his feet, and took in the appearance of the massive seythra before him, before the seythra guard kicked him square in the face and sent him crashing into the wall. Seraph managed to pull the knife from his belt. He ran toward the guard and managed to slice into his side before being knocked to the floor by the guard’s left hook.

Seraph’s left eye started to swell. He could hear the guard advancing on him, so he rolled under a nearby table. The guard grabbed the table by the legs, and threw it across the room, scattering its contents across the floor. Seraph raised the knife and jammed it down into the guard's foot. The guard let loose a blood curdling scream. He yanked the knife from his foot and threw it across the floor. Seraph tried to crawl to the other side of the room, but the guard caught him around the neck and slammed him to the floor.

Seraph gasped for air and tried to break free of the guard’s grip, but the guard’s hand wouldn’t budge. Seraph could feel himself fading fast. He started to panic, then forced it away. He had to try to think. He reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out the lighter he’d taken from the dead guard. He ignited it and forced it against the guard's hand. The seythra yelped and his grip slackened enough for Seraph to draw in a ragged breath. Seraph struggled free and rolled away from the guard. He dove across the room and grabbed the knife the guard had thrown. He lay huddled in the corner, the knife hidden, pretending to gasp for breath. He could hear the guard closing in on him. The guard rushed forward and Seraph jammed the knife he’d retrieved from the floor into the guard’s eye.

The guard shrieked and collapsed to the floor with a dull thud. Seraph removed the knife from his eye and jammed it into his throat. He bolted for the hatch and removed the lock. Just as he pulled the bolt free, he heard a gun cock behind him.

“Drop it.”

Seraph slowly raised his hands and tossed the knife aside.

“Now, turn around-”

Seraph started to turn when the hatch flew open and a spray of bullets sent the guard behind him crashing to the ground. Seraph looked down into the hatch and saw Sadhis holding a smoking gun in his hand.

Seraph cracked a small smile. “Nice work.”

Sadhis climbed up out of the hatch. “You’re welcome.”

The moment of peace was broken by a barrage of machine gunfire. Sadhis and Seraph dove below one of the windows as a slew of bullets tore through the hut. Seraph turned to Sadhis.

“What now?” he shouted over the gunfire.

Sadhis pointed at a door hidden behind the hatch. “There!”

Sadhis dove across the floor and yanked open the door behind the hatch. Seraph crawled over and slipped inside and Sadhis slammed the door behind them.

**

It had been about an hour, by Seraph's count. The gunfire had ceased shortly after they had dove into the bushes outside the hut, but the guards were on a quick patrol route that kept Seraph and Sadhis moving throughout the dense foliage surrounding the huts. Seraph entertained the idea of escape, but wanted to blow the village and see all his captors dead. Sadhis, on the other hand, was determined to carry out their orders with as little ruination as possible.

They were about 20 yards from the village, buried in a patch of dense bushes. A guard was slowly advancing on their position. He must have caught their small movements; he’d aimed his flashlight on the bushes several times already. He was within a few feet now, and Seraph stood poised with a knife in his hand, waiting. The guard stepped right up to the bush, sure that he'd spotted something.

Seraph struck out with the knife and jammed it right into the guard's throat. He pulled the guard into the bushes before he could fall. The guard spat and choked while Seraph patted him down, searching for anything of use. His inspection was cut short, however, as another seythra began running toward their position.

“Makhai! Makhai!” The guard shouted, frantic.

He opened his mouth to scream again when Seraph slipped out of the bushes and jammed the knife into the guard’s chest. The guard slumped and Seraph pulled his slack body back into the bushes.

“We've got to finish this up now. Chances are, whoever these people are working with, they know we're here and are on their way. We need to blow this place up, if we can, and go,” Seraph demanded.

Sadhis sighed. “No, we can't risk any surviving members of the village. We've got four shots in this gun.” He pointed at the second dead guard. “His gun has a suppressor. Grab that and let's go. I think I might know where they're holding whatever it is they're making,” Sadhis said.

Seraph retrieved the pistol without a word, holding his tongue in hopes the fesar had a plan that made sense.

“Alright,” Sadhis said. “The scent was strong when we came out of the hatch . . . much less so over here. We need to inspect the two buildings on either side of the hut where we were held. Do not fire your weapon in or at either of those huts. This is a highly explosive chemical.”

Seraph scoffed Once again, his partner wasn’t thinking practically.

“Why don’t we just shoot both of them so they explode, and then get the hell out of here?” He suggested.

Sadhis stared him down. “No. I told you, we can’t risk any innocent lives here! The blast could kill anyone within a quarter-mile radius.”

“Goddamn it, Sadhis! Why the hell don’t we just report to HQ and the Confederate Chamber that they’re manufacturing bombs here?! Let someone else worry about it. Our lives are not worth these-”

Sadhis snapped. “Enough! If you want to go, Seraph, then go! I’ll finish it alone!”

Seraph sighed. After a moment, he turned toward Sadhis and looked him straight in the eye. He drew in a deep breath. The thought of his discharge papers being served to him teetered on the edge of his mind, dangling as a broker of peace between the two.

“Fine,” Seraph said. “We’ll do it your way. But we need to move, and we need to move now.”

They reached the huts in no time. Only a few guards were patrolling. Seraph and Sadhis were inching around the wall of the first hut when a guard rounded the opposite corner and stared right at them. Seraph raised the pistol without hesitation and fired a shot directly into the guard's head.

Sadhis grabbed the guard’s body and started pulling him into the shadows of another nearby hut.

Once he was hidden, Sadhis nodded to Seraph and the two peeked around the corner again.

The hut they had been held captive in was two huts down and to the left. The next one down was bigger than the rest. Sadhis guessed that if any of the huts held the headquarters for this operation, it was that one. Sadhis jerked his head toward the main hut and Seraph nodded.

“We need to go in as quietly as possible,” Sadhis said.

For once, Seraph didn’t argue.

They reached the main hut and quickly moved around the side of the building. Two flashlights moved back and forth in the distance, searching for them. Seraph and Sadhis slipped into the hut silently.

They froze when they found themselves at the end of the barrel of a shotgun. Reacting on pure instinct, Seraph moved forward and shoved the gun, and the wielding guard, as far to the side as he could. The gun fired, and the buckshot grazed his side. He and the guard went crashing to the ground.

Sadhis pounced on the guard while he was down and wrapped him in a headlock. The guard struggled, but Sadhis kept his grip strong until the guard fell unconscious.

Sadhis knelt over Seraph and studied his wound. The bullet tore a few layers of skin from Seraph’s side where there was a gap in his armor. “You were lucky,” Sadhis said. He helped Seraph to his feet.

Seraph winced. “Goddamn it, that hurts.”

Seraph placed a piece of cloth over his wound and he and Sadhis surveyed the hut. The hut had multiple rows of tables, all covered in test tubes and beakers filled with chemicals. It wasn't clear what they were making, but both Seraph and Sadhis knew that whatever it was, it wasn't good.

“Thank God that shot didn't hit any of those tubes, or we'd have blown up,” Sadhis said.

The walls of the hut were covered in paintings. On the left wall, the messages ’THE COMING’ and ‘THEY MUST BE STOPPED’ were painted in red and black letters. There were crude pictures painted next to the words. Sadhis thought it looked like typical cult garbage.

Sadhis shook his head and was about to speak when a back door flew open and another guard, armed with a machete, charged into the hut.

Sadhis spun around and grabbed the knife from Seraph’s belt. He rolled out of the way as the guard struck down with the machete, and then jammed the knife into the guard’s arm. The machete fell and the guard cried out. Sadhis had him in a headlock before he could hit the floor. Before so much as a whimper was heard, Sadhis quickly choked the guard out, laying his unconscious body onto the ground. Sadhis stood up after the coast was clear, holstering the knife.

Sadhis could hear shouts in the distance. The rest of the guards must have heard the gunfire. It wouldn’t be long until they were surrounded. “We need to go. Now!”

Seraph nodded. He fumbled in his pocket and yanked out one of the cigarettes.

Sadhis took it, and ripped the filter end off. He lit it with Seraph's lighter, and inserted it into the top of one of the beakers. “They’re coming, we need to go or we'll get caught in the blast.”

Seraph got to his feet. “Glad to see you've come to your senses.”

Sadhis motioned for him to hurry. “Come on!” Seraph darted across the room and he and Sadhis slipped out the back door.

They ran as fast as they could, managing to dodge what guards remained. When they were almost to the edge of the forest, Sadhis came to a stop and glanced back at the hut.

Suddenly, the hut exploded and sent shards of wood and glass through the air. The main hut, along with most of the others, had been completely obliterated, and the few that were still standing were starting to catch fire.

Seraph exhaled a sigh of relief, running a hand through his sweat-stained hair. “They took our radios . . . we'll need to find an uplink somewhere, send out a call for pickup.”

Sadhis shook his head and pulled a small device from his pocket. He tapped it a few times, then returned it to his pocket.

He turned to Seraph. “Done. Let’s go.”

Seraph and Sadhis started back through the forest, headed toward where they'd landed. They walked on in silence, and by dawn, when they reached the landing point, they still had not spoken.