Experiment VII

Chapter Forty-One: Getting Reckless

     Ducking under a sloppy right hook, I take advantage of my opponent's bold over-extension and slam my foot into his kneecap. The Umbra agent cries out in agony, his leg bending back the wrong way with a loud crunch. He staggers back, allowing me the opportunity to plant a well-placed punch onto his face. This final blow sends him into unconsciousness before he hits the ground.

"North gate secure," Rychner's voice comes through my earpiece. "Hunter, what's your status?"

The next agent speedily unholsters his gun. Before he has a chance to pull the firing pin, I close the distance between us and grab his wrist, yanking him forward. The pistol falls to the ground with a clatter. He lurches forward, and my elbow crashes into the back of his head, rendering him too unconscious.

"South entrance is secure," I respond.

At the sound of several loud thuds, I glance up to the top of the massive cement walls. Chester's recognizable winged silhouette creeps up on another of Umbra's men and bashes him over the head with the butt of his gun. The man topples over immediately, and Chester wastes no time jumping off the other side of the wall, disappearing from view.

Soon after, the squeaky metal gate slowly rolls open. I cringe, wanting to cover my ears at the racket of metal grinding against metal.

A three-storey tall brick building stands within the centre of the walled square, its vague outline easy to make out, despite the darkness. Several sizeable satellite dishes rest atop its roof.

Umbra's communications centre, finally.

"You took your time," I remark at the sight of Chester.

He merely scoffs before taking flight toward the building.

"In position," Chester states over the intercom upon making a rather rough landing on the roof of the communications centre.

Rychner's voice crackles through my earpiece once again, "Understood. Hunter, take the back door on my signal."

"Right." I hastily scurry over to the centre's back entrance, my heartbeat quickening in anticipation. We aren't likely to meet any real resistance here, but I haven't seen any combat in weeks, not to mention we could deal a sizable blow to Umbra if this is a success.

"Now!" Rychner shouts.

I ram the side of my body into the door, ripping it off its hinges. The heavy thud of the metal door hitting the ground resonates loudly through the building. The clamour gains the attention of several Umbra agents whose eyes were previously glued to the computers that line the room's walls.

I turn to my left at the sound of a gentle *ding*. A set of elevator doors roll open, a large group of men flood into the room with the doors sealing shut behind them. They each pull out their sidearms as soon as they catch sight of me.

Oh great.

Not having time to run to cover, I bring the cover to me, picking up the metal door lying on the floor beside me. I just about have time to shield myself behind it before Umbra's agents open fire. I wince their bullets loudly ricochet off the door directly in front of me. After a few seconds, the shooting comes to an abrupt halt, soon replaced by the distinct sounds of grunts and thuds.

I dare to steal a glimpse out from behind my shield only to see Rychner amid the chaos, turning the shootout into a brawl. He manages to shoot two of them without allowing any of them the time to get a shot off before he opts to switch from his gun to his fists. My eyebrows rise slightly as Rychner expertly navigates his way through the cluster of Umbra's men, easily evading their blows while dishing out plenty of his own.

Not remaining idle any longer, I charge forward crashing the heavy door into the nearest Umbra agent. The sheer force sends him flying across the room, quite an impressive distance away. More than satisfied by my newfound weapon, I shove the door into another man, also sending him flying in the same direction I sent the last unfortunate man.

"The Overseer is on the second floor!" Gemma's voice suddenly booms across the comms.

"Wh- what?" Rychner asks between punches. "Are ya sure?"

I stop in my tracks, my eyes widening as Gemma responds, "Yeah, I'm sure. I've seen him before and I'll telling you, he just took the stairs down with Viktor We're a little tied up here to chase him though."

"Viktor," I half ask, half state.

"Hold your position-" he cuts himself off to sidestep from an incoming attack. "We gotta finish here first."

Rychner steps behind the Umbra's last standing man, grabbing ahold of his head and roughly snapping it to the side. Just as his body crumples to the ground, the elevator dings once again, its doors sliding open to reveal another sizable group of Umbra reinforcements.

I shield myself behind the door once again, and Rychner manages to jump behind a tipped over desk just before they open fire. My eyes wander over to the flight of stairs nearby the elevator.

"Don't even think about it," Rychner's voice is barely audible over the bullets ripping through the air.

This could be my only chance...

I toss the door aside in the direction of the elevator before bolting toward the stairs. I rush up as fast as humanly possible. Upon my arrival the lights suddenly flick off, leaving everything in a heavy shroud of darkness.

"What are you doing?!" Rychner asks over the comms. "Get down here! Ya can't take 'em by yourself!"

I tear the earpiece out of my ear, casting it aside while I examine the room. I squint as my eyes adjust to the poor lighting. The wide corridor reaches on for a short stretch before branching off into two opposite directions. Absolute silence blankets the room, save for the surprisingly faint noises of fighting below.

I cautiously creep forward, keeping my hand on the grip of my gun. Slight shuffling from the left hallway catches my attention. I draw my weapon from its holster, pulling back the slide and pointing it in front of me as I turn the corner.

A faint crack of light peers through a partially opened door on my left. I pause my advance as a shadow moving under the door catches my peripheral. I take a shaky breath before shoving the door open with my forearm. As it swings open, something thumps at the other side, or rather, someone.

Rapid footsteps approach behind me. I spin around just in time to meet a metal fist to the face. Pressure builds up in my head as I hit the floor, blood pouring out from my nose. My vision swims, my eyes watering with the immense pain breaking out across my face. As the footsteps once again draw near, I scramble back and pull my gun from the floor, pointing it at the blurry figure.

"Viktor..."