Madam President ✓

100. Deaths Add Up Quickly

Tanya

For the first time, Leo reaches for his HA gun. I press harder against the brick wall, leaving a handprint. This is our way in.

"Carlos."I say matter of factly, nothing more being necessary. I don't have to tell him he's the tallest and most muscular person in the group. Alex is a close second, but she's not nearly as wide as he is. "Is this a good time to say I love you all?"

  "Not really." Melissa shrugs. "I probably should have called my mother though."

  I wonder what mine would say now. Would there be a snarky comment- or would she pretend that she actually cared about my life?

  Around her rich friends she was a great actor. After all, if it'd gotten out that politicians, celebrities, and CEO's had a verbally abusive mother in their inner circle- there would've been hell to pay.

  "Mine's dead." Alex blurts out. "Can we-"

   "Клянусь богом, я не сумасшедший, я что-то слышал-/ I swear to god I'm not crazy, I heard something-"

"Здесь нет никого, кроме нас и... тех двоих./ There's nobody here but us and...those two."

I'm really wishing I took Russian right about now. Melissa moves to stand beside me and nods.

  "We should probably... go in... right now. He's down here." She says. "Floors that size.... don't stay that empty for very long."

  "It'd be like the pentagon weapons storage having no security guards on duty." Leo chuckles. "Fucking morons."

  Carlos slowly backs up till he's a few yards behind, and positions one foot slightly in front of the other. We move as close to the sides as we can to give him room.

I try breaking everything down into steps so I don't lose my shit, and there are two ways this can go: The brick is so soft and rotted it moves aside like wet clay, or it's still hard under that first layer and he gets a severe concussion.

  "Cover me for a second." I imagine him saying.

  All of our fingers are already on the triggers of our M4's- except Leo's. If we didn't know what the HA gun was capable of I'd be laughing; it's so comically small compared to his hands that it doesn't look real.

  When our spies stole the technology from the Russians, we of course made the design better. More lethal. Quieter.

  Only downside is they'd know exactly what to look for when coming across the bodies.

  Carlos closes his eyes. Leo pushes his way through to stand closest to the dead end. We let him. Still, I bring my gun up to the most comfortable position, ready to kill the soldiers just there to do their jobs.

  Maybe we'll compensate their families. Maybe we won't.

  Carlos starts running. I flinch slightly- not away from him but from the wall. There's no telling what kind of mold's growing on it- that's about to go flying everywhere.

  At the last second, regret courses through his expression. I don't get payed enough for this shit- I imagine him thinking.

  He crashes through the wall. A few hard bits crumble around him, but for the most part- the brick moves aside like wet clay.

  Everything happens so fast, leaving me with no time to really process any of it.

  Carlos rubs the back of his head. Leo is the second to breach the basement, I am third, standing behind him. The two soldiers barely have time to turn around before two needles have been discharged into their chests. They drop dead seconds later.

The others follow behind, and we stand around the bodies for less than a second to regroup. Briefly- I notice the false sewer entrance at the farthest end of this main basement area- where our first entry plan was going to start.

  I open my mouth to say something about sticking together. A bullet hits somebody in the back and they scream. With so little time to respond, I don't process who it was- all I know is that when they fall over, three more soldiers are standing a few feet away.

  This is exactly why Leo made us train.

  We start shooting, paying no mind to who has what type of weapon.

  When it's over, I count the bodies.

  Three..... four....five.