June 18, 1995
Governors Island, New York
Objective:
Extraction, alive or dead.
In tact data post needed.
My body falls through the air.
Silently I land on my man with my boot slamming into the side of his head.
The other three point their guns at me.
My over-shield absorbs their bullets as I stand there letting them shoot me.
After a second I go on offense, batting them left and right with the short staff in my hand.
Blades emerge from the end of the staff taking the form of a small mace.
I stab it into the hand panel, gaining entrance.
"Alright I'm in. Where's the nerd?"
I ask.
"Intel says he's at the bottom in a warehouse. Try not to raise any alarms."
I roll my eyes.
"Keeps that's where the fun is."
I stroll inside the building with the mace on my shoulder.
"Shift if you jeopardize this mission so help me I will kill you myself."
Keepers growls.
"Relax. I'm gonna go in there, and kill the nerd, and get out. Easy."
The stairwell door explodes with my kick.
"No. No no you're not going to kill him. The briefing said extraction if possible. You only kill him if you are compromised."
I peek over the edge of the railing.
8 floors down.
That's a long drop.
I can make it.
"Sure. That's what I said."
I place the staff on my back before throwing myself over the edge.
The different floors zoom by.
7.
6.
5.
"You worry too much."
I mutter.
My legs kick off the air just before I hit the ground, boosting me to a stop.
I hit the ground silently.
"I'm on the ground floor. This warehouse is where?"
He sighs on the other end.
"Shift we spent an hour talking about this."
I shake my head.
"No, you spent an hour talking about it. I spent an hour playing solitaire. 104 moves. New record."
He grumbles something that I can't quite understand.
I press my shoulder against the door.
Motion tracker tells me there's something on the other side moving around.
I pull the staff from my back and extend a blade from one end.
I push energy into the blade, making it glow and sizzle with heat.
It cuts through the lock with ease.
Three.
Two.
One.
A deep breath escapes my lips.
I kick open the door and swing my mace at the first thing I see.
A soldier goes flying.
Another raises his weapon.
My mace knocks it from his hands and my fist knocks him to the ground.
Guards begin running towards me.
There's a hoard of them.
"Shift I have multiple heat sigs moving your way. Keep your head on a swivel."
A kick to the chest sends one skidding across the floor.
"Yep I noticed."
I say, ducking under a punch.
An elbow greets his chin as my knuckles prepare to meet the stomach of a man in front of me.
The butt of a rifle knocks me on my back.
He lowers the barrel to my face.
My move my head just before he pulls the trigger.
My first punch lands in his elbow, loosening his grip, my second and third are aimed at his face to disorient him, the fourth is just for fun.
I pull the rifle from his hands and ram my shoulder into him.
They all run for cover as I open fire.
Once its dry, I start looking for the nerd.
This place is huge.
Something bounces off the back of my head.
I turn around.
The grenade detonates the second I lay eyes on it.
The world is fuzzy.
My finger tips feel tingly, and my legs feel like they're on fire.
Footsteps move towards me.
"Keepers a grenade just blew me up."
I cough.
I stumble to my feet.
A boot slams into my ribs throwing me back to the ground.
"Oh no. You're not going anywhere, Shift."
Says a voice.
I try to get back up, but a second harder kick knocks me into the air.
On my back I look up at the person assaulting me.
"We have too much to discuss."
He says.
"Bob?!"
He straitens his back.
"What?"
I roll over, supporting myself on fist and knee, trying to push myself up.
"My name-Gah!"
My knuckles swiftly crash into his crotch with enough force to lift him off the ground.
He bends over, clutching his wound.
His head lowered, I take this opportunity to deliver a solid punch to his face.
"Never let your guard down, Bob."
I say, standing on shaky legs.
I grab him by the shirt collar and lift him into the air, slamming his back into the wall.
"Where is Stillman?"
I growl.
He purses his lips.
I throw him onto the ground.
My boot rests on his neck, pressing his head against the ground.
"I'll apply pressure in exactly 7 seconds, and unless you tell me where the Nerd is, your neck will break and you will be crippled for the rest of your existence."
7
6
"Get off me."
He growls.
"5 more seconds. My leg is getting heavy."
I say.
3
2
"Down the hall, 3 doors to your right, up one flight of stairs and the first door on your left."
He says frantically.
I lift my boot from his neck.
"Thanks."
I say, grabbing the back of his shirt collar.
His body slams against the wall.
I follow his instructions, and I find the door to be metal and heavy and thick.
Kinetic energy charges up in my fists, I release it with every punch against the iron door.
Eventually the door flies from its hinges.
Dust rains from the ceiling as the screws are pulled from the concrete.
In the confusion I punch out 4 guards in a span of 3 seconds.
I pull the mace from my back.
"Hello, Stillman."
I say.
The young man looks up at me from his chair, shaking a bit.
"I'm here to kill you."
I growl, extending the glowing blades.
Keepers voice echoes off the speaker of my armor.
"No, no, he's not going to kill you. Dammit Daily just get him out of here before you're compromised."
Swinging my weapon, I slash his restraints as he winces in anticipation.
I take a step towards the door.
Gunfire greets me.
"Get back!"
I shout.
"Keeps they got me pinned down! I need backup!"
Bullets wiz through the doorway, my only exit.
Normally I'd try to blow a hole in the wall, but we're on the bottom level, hundreds of feet below ground, and these walls are load bearing.
The shooting stops.
All falls silent.
"What's going on?"
Asks Stillman.
I shush him.
Something flies through the door and bounces off the wall.
I throw myself on top of Stillman the second I realize what it is.
I feel a hundred pieces of shrapnel enter my back ripping through my armor.
Then the heat from the explosion throws me against the wall.
Dazed and confused, I try to get up.
I can't move my legs.
My left arm won't move either.
"Shift?!"
My vision fades out as my eyes involuntarily close.
"Shift! Daily!"
