The End of Her World

Chapter Thirty Two: Three Mile

Cooper was silent, Katrina was silent, and Jason was silent. All three were wearing Kevlar vests, padded legs, and helmets with mirrored visors that descended from the brow of the helmet. Radios set on a encrypted frequency looped through their ears, split at their necks and rejoined at their chest.

         Katrina held a rugged assault rifle, known as the SCAR-L in her hands, three extra magazines clipped to the one shoved in the fuselage of the gun for quick reloads. A Desert Eagle handgun with laser sights was strapped across her thigh.

         Cooper wore the same equipment, but his rifle was different, heavy, with more firepower, a M-1A with a folding stock. Instead of a Desert Eagle, he carried a Colt.

         Jason was similarly armed to both of them, save his M4-A1 a favorite of troops deployed in Afghanistan.

         All three of them were ghosts, killers, nightmares, the monsters that haunted evil men's dreams. They were going to rescue Fade.

         "Go." Jason slammed on the brakes, and slid open the van door, and Cooper and Katrina piled out.

         Jason sprinted up to the doors, and flipped open a keypad, and motioned for Cooper to come and unlock it. "Coop, come here and unlock it!" he ordered in a low voice. Cooper refused to move.

         Suddenly, Katrina, guarding Jason's back as he tried a code desperately, felt an arm snake around her neck, and yank her backwards, effectively cutting of her breathing. Gasping, she struggled, but she was caught. Spotlights slammed on around them, burning Katrina's corneas, and armed men began to creep out of every corner of the building, weapons raised. The sickly white light was cold and pale, throwing everything into thick, jagged shadows.

         "Drop your weapon Jason, or I'll blow her head off." Cooper spoke with cold, flat certainty. His scent overwhelmed Katrina, and she began to feel dizzy. Cooper wouldn't do this! He wouldn't! She thought to herself.

         Through half slitted eyes, she watched as Jason bent at the waist, and slowly set his rifle down. Cooper's handgun relaxed off her head, and he yanked her arms roughly behind her back, and then the freezing metal of handcuffs was wrapped around her wrists, immobilizing her arms.

         Jason was on the ground, held down by two burly men, struggling furiously, though he must have known that it was futile. Cooper looked bored as he circled Katrina, his eyes bright with sadistic amusement. Not taking his eyes off her, he called to one of the soldiers, "Take her and her father to the interrogation room."

         Katrina felt her head roughly jerked backward, and a stifling black bag was tied securely over her head. A soldier gripped her upper arm with bruising strength and dragged her into the monolithic building, where she was sure, that she would meet her end.