Target In Sight

Chapter 3

Great. The project hasn't even officially started and the Chairman is already asking for a report. I hurried to his office, a thin dossier tucked under my shoulder, and knocked politely like always. He allowed me in and I slid the dossier onto his desk for his viewing. "How are you today, Harmon?"

"I've been well, sir. Those are the security images you asked for."

  "I see." He slipped the photos out and seemed pleased with what I brought him. He took a sip of black coffee and help his mug out. "Would you like some, Harmon?" 

"No, thank you. I'm more of a hot chocolate guy."

"I see." He piled the photos together and took another drink. "How are the HVTs?" 

"They are extremely aggressive towards each other, more so than the other HVTs. In fact, as soon as we dropped them off they attacked each other."

"What you call aggressiveness, I call enthusiasm. Just make sure that the safety protocols are still in place. Good work, Harmon."

"Thank you, sir." I hurried out of his office and breathed easily. As long as everything goes smoothly then we'll have no worries. No worries at all. 

* * *

I felt someone nudging my forehead and slowly opened my eyes. Apollo was standing over me with a datapad in her hand. "It's 7:31, captain. You have a message." She went to work waking up the rest of the team as I opened the message. I nearly flung the pad across the room when a tiny holographic man popped out of my screen. "Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Shelly. Listen, is the rest of your team up?"   

That deep voice. The hologram is supposed to be Harmon. "What do you want, you son of a bitch?"

"Hey, what happened to being nice? Shelly, I don't really like doing this either, but I don't have a choice. Now, is your team awake or not?"

I swallowed my anger and checked behind me. Everyone was roused awake and looking at the hologram. "The fuck is that?" Matt mumbled.

"Jeez, do all of you need to wash your mouths? I'm still your principal, you know. I need you all to pay attention to this-"

"Why should we listen to you?" Charlotte hissed.

"Because it'll make things easier for all of us. If you finish this assignment quick, you see your families sooner."

We hushed up to get through this little presentation speedily. "Alright then," Harmon started. "This is Project Jericho. You've met your HVT and have seen your target in action. Let me tell you, this won't be easy. Luckily, we will be giving you the tools to complete this task. A few minutes ago we dropped your luggage, armor, and weapons off, which I'm sure your HVT has already collected."

Apollo tapped her feet and drew our attention momentarily. She motioned for the doorstep, where our bags and multiple crates were laid neatly. Her sullen expression was briefly broken by a small, proud smile. "What kind of weapons do we have?" I asked.

"Tranquilizer guns with muscle relaxant darts. Nonlethal, so long as you don't shoot your eyes out. The darts are meant for your peers, but have a slight affect on your target. Keep that in mind. We've also given you sleep gas grenades. Remember that you are to incapacitate, not kill. It'll help with your consciences. Oh, and don't worry about either of the HVTs hurting you guys. There are safety protocols in place to prevent that from ever happening."

"Anything else we need to know?" I inquired. I feel so in charge right now. It's kinda empowering.

"You will also be given secondary objectives, such as disarming hostage situations or securing airdrops."