coursed through the streets and wrapped itself around the adjacent structures—poisonous wisps invisible to the naked eye. Matted in white silhouette, the façades of old apartment buildings reached defiantly into the night sky, but only as sagging shadows of their former selves. The souls who had once called this place home were ancient memories now, though the traces of their lives froze the city forever in time. Disaster had immortalized Chernobyl, and inoculated it against the progress that changed the rest of the planet.
“Looks inviting,” Tiernan observed.
Lea nodded grimly.
“Any biologicals down there?” she asked.
“Not that I can detect. But our sensors aren’t working, and the plume off those reactors effectively masks body heat signatures.”
“Doesn’t sound promising, Tiernan.”
“It’s not all bad,” he said, pointing toward the tallest building. “Our target should offer us some cover, as well as the radiation—once we get close enough. If we make it that far, they’ll be as blind as we are.”
“Confidence. I like that in a man.”
“I wouldn’t bet a bottle of scotch on it, Major,” Tiernan warned, “but it’s the best we got.”
Lea nodded in agreement. She zoomed in on the direction of their approach: a stretch of open road that went about fifty meters and ended at a guard gate that used to block the entrance into town. There was no cover between, which made it a dangerous run. If they were going to get made, that would be the place.
“So who gets to go first?” the lieutenant asked.
“No guts, no glory,” Lea replied, rising to her feet but keeping her head down. “Once I’m there, give me a few minutes to make sure I’m clear. If nothing happens, send down one person at a time.”
“What if something happens?”
“Then you get the hell out of here and call in an air strike.” She flipped up her visor. “I mean it, Eric. Nobody leaves—even if that means cracking that reactor wide open. Promise me that.”
Tiernan hesitated, but only for a moment.
“I got your back,” he said, then slipped away to join the others.
Alone now, Lea stepped out into the open, scanning the horizon for any signs of movement. Dead leaves blew across the cracked pavement of the road, while a door on the guard booth swung open and shut, urged on by the same wind.
She ran.
Powered by adrenaline and instinct, she went as fast as she could. With body armor weighing her down, that wasn’t nearly fast enough. She darted from side to side to make herself a harder target, all the while searching the nearby rooftops for snipers. Meanwhile, the entry gate loomed in front of her, tantalizingly close and impossibly far.
She hit the ground just short of the guard booth.
Lea rolled the rest of the way, dragging herself into the ramshackle hut and pulling the door shut. She stayed on the floor for a time, waiting for her breath to slow. Painstakingly, she inched herself back toward the door, opening it just enough to get a look into the heart of town. The small towers stared down at her, their empty windows like black, vacuous eyes, revealing nothing within.
Minutes passed. Lea stood absolutely still. Eventually, she heard the frantic pattern of approaching footsteps. Looking back up the road, she saw Tiernan closing in. He ducked behind the other side of the booth, then shuffled over to join her.
“Glad you could make it,” Lea said.
“Hell of a spot,” the lieutenant replied, sighting his pulse rifle on the skyline. “Next time, I get to pick where we go on vacation.”
“You got yourself a deal.” She pointed down the street, which was flanked by a number of alleyways that snaked between the buildings. “We’ve got to go through there. I’m thinking two-by-two sweeps, one block at a time.”
“That’s why they pay you the big bucks.” Tiernan studied the approach as other members of the team arrived, frowning at what he saw. “Cross fire could turn this into a real
“Looks inviting,” Tiernan observed.
Lea nodded grimly.
“Any biologicals down there?” she asked.
“Not that I can detect. But our sensors aren’t working, and the plume off those reactors effectively masks body heat signatures.”
“Doesn’t sound promising, Tiernan.”
“It’s not all bad,” he said, pointing toward the tallest building. “Our target should offer us some cover, as well as the radiation—once we get close enough. If we make it that far, they’ll be as blind as we are.”
“Confidence. I like that in a man.”
“I wouldn’t bet a bottle of scotch on it, Major,” Tiernan warned, “but it’s the best we got.”
Lea nodded in agreement. She zoomed in on the direction of their approach: a stretch of open road that went about fifty meters and ended at a guard gate that used to block the entrance into town. There was no cover between, which made it a dangerous run. If they were going to get made, that would be the place.
“So who gets to go first?” the lieutenant asked.
“No guts, no glory,” Lea replied, rising to her feet but keeping her head down. “Once I’m there, give me a few minutes to make sure I’m clear. If nothing happens, send down one person at a time.”
“What if something happens?”
“Then you get the hell out of here and call in an air strike.” She flipped up her visor. “I mean it, Eric. Nobody leaves—even if that means cracking that reactor wide open. Promise me that.”
Tiernan hesitated, but only for a moment.
“I got your back,” he said, then slipped away to join the others.
Alone now, Lea stepped out into the open, scanning the horizon for any signs of movement. Dead leaves blew across the cracked pavement of the road, while a door on the guard booth swung open and shut, urged on by the same wind.
She ran.
Powered by adrenaline and instinct, she went as fast as she could. With body armor weighing her down, that wasn’t nearly fast enough. She darted from side to side to make herself a harder target, all the while searching the nearby rooftops for snipers. Meanwhile, the entry gate loomed in front of her, tantalizingly close and impossibly far.
She hit the ground just short of the guard booth.
Lea rolled the rest of the way, dragging herself into the ramshackle hut and pulling the door shut. She stayed on the floor for a time, waiting for her breath to slow. Painstakingly, she inched herself back toward the door, opening it just enough to get a look into the heart of town. The small towers stared down at her, their empty windows like black, vacuous eyes, revealing nothing within.
Minutes passed. Lea stood absolutely still. Eventually, she heard the frantic pattern of approaching footsteps. Looking back up the road, she saw Tiernan closing in. He ducked behind the other side of the booth, then shuffled over to join her.
“Glad you could make it,” Lea said.
“Hell of a spot,” the lieutenant replied, sighting his pulse rifle on the skyline. “Next time, I get to pick where we go on vacation.”
“You got yourself a deal.” She pointed down the street, which was flanked by a number of alleyways that snaked between the buildings. “We’ve got to go through there. I’m thinking two-by-two sweeps, one block at a time.”
“That’s why they pay you the big bucks.” Tiernan studied the approach as other members of the team arrived, frowning at what he saw. “Cross fire could turn this into a real
Similar Books
