Through the Ghost
Chapter 18

“Damn, I’m pinned! A little help?” Tal called out from behind the wall separating him from the crafty sniper that was intent on stopping his approach.

There’s a distant crack as the sniper fired at him again. As a series of pops echoed across the training ground in response

“He’s down, go!” Reis called out.

Tal whipped around the corner intent on making a beeline for the objective. As he moves from cover to cover, a high-pitched whistle drew his attention.

Get down! Allie alerted him a half second before the ground in front of him exploded into a cloud of dirt. He fell backwards, the sky spun momentarily then settled down. A sharp whoosh of air darted past his head. He attempted to raise his weapon in response only to find his right arm unable to answer his commands. A quick look verified that his arm was coated in a thin green substance.

“Damn it!” he cursed. Another series of projectiles attempted to hit him as Tal turned and bolted towards the nearest hiding place. He picked a dark decrepit building, making sure to keep to the shadows.

Thirty seconds, Allie informed him, eliciting a second curse from his lips. He took a moment to catch his breath only for the sound of exacerbated breathing to catch his attention. His eyes closed as he focused on the sounds surrounding him. Another shot cracked across the landscape, then silence, his heart beat rhythmically in his chest. There was a creak as someone pushed open the old wooden door. Each step seemed to last a minute as the floorboards beneath them grumbled about the applied pressure.

Fifteen seconds, Allie announced.

The footsteps came to a halt. Silence took over, the muscles in his legs tensed with anticipation. There was a tingling sensation as his hands were freed of their paralysis. Instantly he reached to draw his weapon, his arm shot up, his fingers tensed in anticipation, only to be met by the face of his teammate. Reis’s appearance elicited a moment of relief that allowed him to lower the weapon.

Instead of the heavier maroon armor Tal currently wore, Reis’s sported a lighter variant consisting of gold and blue patches with a blue Orothros logo on the shoulders. There was less plating on the arms and legs, thus allowing for greater mobility.

“Griff’s up on the left watch tower, Anna took the right,” Reis spat out between exerted breaths.

“How can you tell?” Tal asked.

Reis held up his numbed left hand, it’s covered with the same viscous substance Tal’s was. “He had a perfectly good shot at you, and still came after me. He’s really not happy I put her on his team.”

Another series of shots penetrated the wall next to them. Bringing a brief end to the conversation. The two of them crouched low, just beneath where the projectiles embed themselves in the wall.

“I’ll draw their fire, you head for the objective,” Reis stated.

“I should draw their fire, I’m faster,” he argued, knowing Reis couldn’t push himself as far physically. A powerful EMP wave on one of his missions had knocked out all the nanites in his system, as well as his A.I. companion. It’d killed his partner, and very nearly killed him. As a result, he was effectively mortal compared to the rest of them. A highly skilled, hyper intelligent mortal, but a mortal nonetheless.

“Hey, I’ve got this,” he stated confidently before running out the other side of the building.

Tal took a deep breath, then burst forth from the building. A sniper round passed just over his left shoulder. Reis’s pistol popped off in the background, but it failed to fully attract the attention of the sniper gazing down on him. Shots continued to narrowly miss their mark as he raced towards the objective, kicking up dirt and dust in his wake.

The heat of sniper rounds grazing his neck kept him moving.

Twenty meters, on your left, Allie alerted him.

A round caught him in the leg causing it to stiffen up. The ground quickly rushed up to greet him as he fell. Fortunately, his body was out of any discernible line of sight allowing him to drag himself towards nearby cover. Once there, he propped himself up so that his back rested against the partially damaged wall.

Twenty seconds, Allie informed him as he waited for the paralysis gel to wear off. He sat there, in the dirt, watching the red laser sight sweep back and forth across the makeshift warzone.

Go! Allie alerted him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he dodged away just in time to hear the thump of the projectiles striking the wooden wall. He made it under the arch leading to the small center building where the flag sat on its pedestal. With a great leap, he plucked it from its resting place, before dropping into a combat roll that allowed him to narrowly avoid another attempted strike.

A sigh of relief exited his body, allowing him to run a little lighter. Another barrage of weapons fire rang out, then stopped midway through. He would be on his own now. As he raced through the course until he spotted his destination. The finish line loomed just ahead, he picked up the pace. A bullet struck the ground in front of him, bringing his progress to a halt.

He tried to move to his left, another shot landed in the dirt. Same thing happened on his right side. He looked up at the watch towers, taking special notice that his position was only viewable from the structure overlooking the right side of the course.

A self-assured grin flashed across his face. With a quick wink in Anna’s direction he took off, zig-zagging across the yard towards the destination. Rounds grazed the hair on his neck, and dinged off the plating of his armor. A heavy punch struck him in the back, his muscles went limp, but with one last effort he launched himself towards the finish line. He landed on his back, a cheeky smile on his face. A minute later, Reis was helping him to his feet with a celebratory hug.

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