ARKEN

Lockdown, Part Two

Recker was in the second building when the lockdown went into effect. The office personnel froze, with no one knowing what to do. Recker checked the nearest door, but it was locked down. He used the radio, "This is Recker, what's the situation?"

"Recker, this is Spate! We've had a massive escape on Sub-Level 4, at least fifty prisoners are free!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the main building, Sub-Level 3. They managed to get the cargo elevator going. We're fighting a two front battle down here! Recker, we can't let them get to the armory!"

"Hang on, Jason. Help is coming."

Recker switched to the command channel, "Kerzing, you need to lift the lockdown on the upper levels, we can't get over to help them out."

"Where are you, Recker?"

"Second building, eighth floor."

"I'll unlock the second building so you can get over."

After a few seconds, the lockdown in the second building was over, Recker was able to go to the sixth floor and cross through the skybridge into the main building. Everyone who wasn't trained was scared, Recker pushed past many frightened people running for safety and took the stairs down to the ground floor. The ground floor of the main building was locked down, all the entrances in and out were blocked. Recker found Kerzing, Specialist Mike Carson, and Rick Baker.

"Good to have you here, Markus," Baker said.

"Kerzing, we need to get down there," Recker said.

"No good. I'm keeping the ground floor and all the sub levels locked down. Everyone down there is stuck where they are."

"We've got people down there who are underequipped and outnumbered three to one."

"If we open the floors up, then they could get to the armory, then they could blow their way out of here and escape," Kerzing warned.

Kerzing's willingness to just lock everything down and leave it be, especially with people still down there annoyed Recker.

"When was the last round of Thoripan? Sooner or later, all those bios down there are going to get their powers back, and when they do, they'll get out regardless of how many barriers are in their way. Our only chance is to get to the armory first and to neutralize the targets before they regain their abilities."

Kerzing mulled it over in his head. Baker spoke up, "I agree with Recker, Sir. Even with their powers coming back slowly, most of those bios will be trouble, a handful could lay waste to this entire complex with a fraction of their strength."

Kerzing relented, "Alright. We'll go down there with reinforcements and put a stop to this." Kerzing reached for his holster and withdrew his weapon, a customized Ruger Security Six revolver. Carson and Baker used Beretta 92s, and Recker had his Kimber Raptor II.

Kerzing lifted the lockdown on the ground floor and Sub-Levels 1 and 2. They rode one of the elevators down to Sub-Level 1. Outside the armory, they found Sergeant Gage Cavanaugh and his squad, Axe Team. Axe was well-known within the HDF for being a skilled unit, and Cavanaugh an effective leader. His men were already suited in riot gear. Carson seemed slightly concerned.

"Eight guys? Only one team? Are we sure twelve people is enough? There are fifty prisoners down there, right?"

"If we send an army down there to fight an army, we'll just have a mess," Baker explained.

"Axe Team is trained for this sort of thing, and we're going in with the right equipment." Recker said.

"We're going in hard, less lethals take point. Everyone else follows closely behind, you boys with the Remingtons watch their backs," Kerzing ordered.