The Program [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Two

"We'll be arriving in Askus City in approximately four minutes," the pilot announced from the front of the aircraft.

Aiden and his comrades were seated in the helicopter, reviewing the building specs and equipment checks one last time before the mission. So far, everything was running smoothly. It had been a two and a half hour flight from Second Unit headquarters to the city, and all of them were ready for action. The six of them were dressed in pure black combat gear, and loaded from head to toe with ammunition and body armor. In addition, each of them had their guns strapped across their backs in case they were needed. Aiden had a feeling they would be.

He leaned back in his seat, making mental notes as to where everything was located on his body. His backup handgun was tucked away in its holster, his three military knives were hidden in his boot, the spider gear was equipped along his hands and feet, the explosive device was secured on his back, and the empty data disc was slipped away into his pocket. He exhaled, looking around the helicopter at his friends. They returned his gaze with strength and determination.

"You guys are ready for this?" Aiden asked them seriously.

"Fuck yeah," Virgil replied with his usual smile. "It's a long flight back home, brother. We've come this far. Let's do this."

"Alright," Aiden nodded. "No one's dying tonight; that's an order from your Mission Leader. Understood?"

"Affirmative, Mission Leader," Theo saluted, grinning.

"Two minutes," the pilot barked. Aiden stood up from his seat, approaching the helicopter exit. His friends followed close behind him. 

"Everyone has their spider gear on?" Zariah inquired. Everybody nodded, double checking their hands and feet.

"See, this is the part I'm gonna hate," Virgil grumbled. "Who thought that climbing the side of a building would be a brilliant idea?"

"Coms are up and running," Jayda reported, checking the sound equipment intently. "We should be able to hear everybody now."

"Good," Aiden said. He waited for the pilot's signal, ready to pull the hatch in a moment's notice.

The plan was straightforward, yet deadly. Aiden and his friends were required to jump only a few feet onto the tallest skyscraper in the complex. The Askus City Laboratories were located in the centre of a circular arrangement of buildings. It was the smallest structure in the area, but it was protected by multiple larger buildings that offered considerable concealment. It was the laboratory's tactical location that accounted for the difficulty of Aiden's mission. Their helicopter would be easily spotted if it landed on top of the roof of the laboratory; even if it was in stealth mode. That's where the spider gear came in. They would need to scale down the building and jump onto the laboratory roof in order to gain access to the interior of the labs and steal the data. It wasn't a far jump from the skyscraper to the roof; only a few feet. Aiden was thankful for the narrow streets of Askus City. The network of skinny alleyways and roads would make their mission just that much easier. They'd enter the laboratory via the building entrances, after eliminating all hostiles in their respective locations. As an insurance policy, they would each need to activate an explosive device to each entrance they infiltrated. Once they were inside the labs, Aiden and his friends would need to enter the nearest laboratory and steal the research from the computers using the help of the data discs, then hand them off to the Program agent hidden away somewhere else in the building. Afterwards, the six soldiers would need to climb back up the skyscraper they'd come from before their bombs detonated, and fly back to Second Unit all without being killed.

Definitely one of their more dangerous assignments.

"You six are good to go. We're hovering in stealth mode just above the tallest building in this complex. The labs should be beneath you. Good luck, soldiers. Remember to stay out of sight and out of mind. Your secondary pilot should be en route to this location," the pilot spoke, bidding them farewell.