The 13th Division

Chapter 2: Official

Scar screeched to a halt outside a 45-floor office building. Duke's back tyre slid out and left a black mark on the sidewalk.

Scar caught the bike on her left foot and swung off. She kicked the side stand down and locked the handle bars before grabbing the key. Then she yanked off her helmet and ran for the building.

A middle-aged woman sat behind the reception desk. "Welcome," she said with a professional smile.

Scar strode over to her and dumped her helmet on the desk. She dug out her wallet and handed over her military ID.

The receptionist scanned it and gave it back. "Floor 19. Room 11. You had better hurry."

"Thanks." Scar hurried to the elevator.

She swiped her ID and keyed in '19'.

Scar had a death grip on the railing as the elevator lurched up.

A few seconds later the doors dinged open and she was faced with a white carpeted hall with generic paintings of flowers here and there.

She didn't run this time, settling instead for long, measured strides.

The hall split into a cross intersection. Scar went left and the third door along was mark '11'.

Where a handle would normally reside were two lights and a button. Scar pressed it and waited for a light to blink green. "Scarlett Adare. 13th Division."

The door swung open and Scar stepped inside.

A dozen eyes landed her as she entered.

"Just in time, Scarlett." The Hawk stood in the middle of the room beside a large 3D hologram.

To his left a little old lady stood with the aid of a walking frame and beside her was a stooped old man leaning on a walking stick.

Across from them was a group of teenage boys a few years older than Scar. At the back of the room two little kids were playing with blocks.

The rest of the crowd looked like your average soldiers, dolled up in military uniforms with guns hanging on their hips.

By the door stood a sole police officer. A representative from the government.

"Yo, helmet head," one of the boys from the group called out to her. He was the shortest and Scar stood a solid half-head above him. He had reddish hair and a spray of freckles.

Scar smiled. "Hey Billy." She headed over to join them.

"Where's the rest of your team?" The guy asking was tall with brown hair and a pretty face.

"Juliette is not here and no, you cannot get her number." Scar scowled.

Pretty boy opened his mouth but The Hawk fixed him with a glare and they all fell quiet. "Buildings in red have been hit," he explained, his eyes glued to the city scape.

Everyone crowded forward, including the children, and studied the map. Nine buildings glowed red. Three sky scrapers had fallen and the surrounding area was also marked red were the rubble had landed. Two shopping centres had collapsed and four more miscellaneous buildings.

Warning signs floated above other areas, indicating fire and a dozen other alerts blinked with incoming calls for help or downed security systems.

"We're lucky the wind's pretty calm today." The soldier's ID read Michael.

"The attackers have been identified as American but they haven't revealed their affiliation. Attempts at communication with America have led nowhere. All three sectors proclaim innocents. If the government has had any more luck they aren't sharing." The Hawk levelled a glare at the cop. "Half the 13th division is already in the field. It seems the perpetrators have taken up operations in Flinders street station. Trains are still running but they aren't being used by people. We believe the terrorist are transporting something."