Drift Effect

Chapter 16: Covert Extraction

"Illusive Team, this is Bravo Team. Can you hear us, over?

"Team Illusive, this is Bravo Leader. We've been assigned to extract you. We've crossed the Chucktowne Line and are in the general vicinity. Send any intel on your location, over."

"Bravo Leader, this is Illusive Leader. I'm located at Block 72, the Red Coast Building. Hostiles present. Repeat, hostiles present. How copy?"

"Crystal, Illusive. Got your location locked. As you're deep in enemy territory, our team will get to you via Golf Tangos. Interrogative, is the roof clear and intact enough for a standard rooftop extraction, over?"

“Roof is most likely intact, Bravo. However, that's a no go on the standard. I'm surrounded by hostiles. Once I start making my way to the roof, they'll be all over my ass. Has to be quick, over."

"Affirmative, Illusive. We'll be using Golf Hotels for extraction. How copy?”

“Affirmative, Bravo. Will hold until your mark.”

“Interrogative, how many people are in your team, over?"

"It's just me and my package. I'll explain everything once you've extracted me, over."

"We'll be arriving at your location soon. Bravo out."

"See you soon."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Are you sure I should go with you?" John asked as he carefully, almost hesitantly, put on the borrowed gravity harness over his upper torso. "I haven't been trained for a Gravity Tether drop and Gravity Hook extraction."

"Not like we have a choice," Dave replied, securing his own borrowed gear. "It's at least a three-man operation, so unless you're better at targeting than the lieutenant, you'll have to do."

"It'll be fine," Mark assured him as he double-checked his harness and weapons. After a few seconds, he glanced back at John. "GTs and Hs are pretty much the same as a standard insertion anyway."

"Really?" John asked as he finished securing his gear. "That's good to hear."

"Oh, yeah," Dave added, his tone slightly sarcastic, accompanied by a roll of his eyes. "It's definitely the same—except it's fifty times faster and three times more mathematically complex."

John paused, looking from Dave to Mark. "What?" he asked. "Mathematically complex?"

Mark raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah," he replied. "We'll be traveling at subsonic speeds, so you'll need a solid formula to adjust your grav-emitters when needed. That's the most important part of a tether drop."

John stared at him for a moment before glancing down at his harness. "I thought a GT was just about attaching a gravity point to the target, and the emitters would detect it and pull us in," he said, confused.

"Sure, in a perfect world," Dave replied as he finished securing his gear. "But you have to be ready in case the point was placed incorrectly. We're talking about a margin of error of at least a hundred and fifty feet, and in an urban setting like this, that could mean landing outside the target's perimeter—or even on the next building."

"And then you have to deal with external anomalies," Mark added. "Micro gravity wells in worlds under a chronosphere, weather, hostile attacks..." He noticed John giving him a sullen look and chuckled. "Relax. I'll have Eva send you my calculations to get you started."

"You have a formula that will work for a complete newbie?" John asked.

"Oh, he's got formulas for days," Dave replied. "Mine's actually a variation of his. Very generous, right?"