Malevolence Catu Book 4 Ch 04

Androka, Madagascar

Bridges

quietly slides open the door to the communications room a couple inches allowing just enough room to slip in a flexible camera. Pulling out his

PDA,

the image of the room appears as clear as if he was looking at it firsthand. Inside the medium sized room sits many consoles with flashing lights and switches and a single human being sitting in a chair.

The man's back is turned to the door and he appears to be readily occupied with what he is doing. Bridges is content with the situation and quickly and as quietly as her slipped the camera in he pulls it out. Once he has replaced it in a pouch in his pants he slides the door open forward allowing just enough room to enter. Closing the door he slips over into the shadows and waits.

"What happened to teams two and seven?" the man at the console asks into a microphone.

"We lost contact with team seven shortly before the explosion took place and the power went out. And we just lost contact with team seven," an answer comes back over the microphone.

"Damn it!" the man says slamming his fist onto the table he sits in front of. "Any confirmation on kills from the special forces team members?"

The question intrigues Bridges.

DEP Six

were certain no one knew they were going to be here and if their communications signal actually got picked up, it would be so scrambled the enemy would think they were listening to aliens talk. So Bridges decides to continue lying in wait before making his move.

"Nothing and we lost track of them through their signal."

"Where is your team located now?" the man continues his questioning.

"We're at the spot where them two found the female, but the entire team is slain," the man on the other end responds with an almost disgusted tone in his voice.

Good job Matthews.

Bridges is now certain it is his team, but did he dare to break silence? He isn't quite sure if this guy is tracking the signal or if it is someone else. Deciding it is better to not break radio silence, he remains quiet.

"Keep monitoring for their signal and search the entire area. I'll get the guard doubled around any entry point."

"Understood."

Bridges now has the information he wanted to know. It is now time to act and prevent making it harder for him and his team to make an escape. He stands up and begins moving toward the man.

"Incompetent fools," the man mutters to himself.

Bridges pauses long enough to look around the room and make sure they are the only two there. When the coast is clear he reaches his arms around the man's neck and with a quick twist, the audible crunch of bones snapping can be heard ending his life.

He lets the man's body slide to the floor and takes his place at the desk. Using the computer to the right of where he sits he begins typing out a message. When he is done, he pulls out a USB card and slips it into the computer. A few mouse clicks later a signal is sent and a few seconds after that, the USB card fizzles and the computer quietly shuts down.

He looks at his watch noting the time and gets up to leave the room. He cracks the door and uses his flexible camera once more to verify that there is no one in the hall. When the coast is clear he steps out. He has just stepped fully into the hallway when the doorway opens and that's when things take a downward spiral.

——

The

engine room is bustling with workers. The workers are split between those working and ensuring the engines are running and those fixing bulkheads from leaks caused from the earlier explosion.

Danny Ross enters the room and takes the entire scene all in. His next task is to cause the engines to stop working beyond repair and ultimately cause the ship to sink. If he can sabotage the engines enough he may be able to accomplish those goals. The only problem laying in his way is the room full sailors.

For Danny Ross, however, the task won't provide much of a challenge. Pulling out two M1911 45mm pistols, he steadily begins firing. Bullets rip through the room taking down the first six crewmen before any of them realize what is happening.

Crewmen try to scramble for cover while others attempt to fight back. Ross slowly walks through the engine room killing each man as casually as if he was walking through the park without a care in the world. Thirty seconds later every person in the room except for Ross is lying on the floor bleeding out from various wounds.

Ross stops in the center of the room and simply releases his grip on the guns and lets them fall, clattering to the floor. It is now time to cripple the ship and bring the American fleet to their knees.

——

An

explosion rocks the battleship throwing the entire bridge crew from their seats. Lights cut off momentarily before red emergency lighting replaces them. Klaxon alarms follow immediately afterward.

"What the hell is going on? Pellington yells over the alarms. "Get those damn things turned off!"

"Working on that sir!" a reply comes from a crewman. In the next moment the alarms are cut off leaving the bridge still bathed in red light and eerily silent. "Engines not responding," a crewman announces breaking the silence.

"Assessment reports," Pellington demands.

"Nothing sir," the same crewman reports. "We are not getting any responses from the engine room."

"Get someone down there," Pellington orders. "I want damage and assessment reports. Who's closest to us?"

"The

Rainier

and

Pascagoula

sir."

"Get on the horn with both. I want them to perform as our guard until we get the engines back up. Have the

Rainier

send a couple squads to aid with hunting down this saboteur."

"Understood sir."

——

What is the status of your sabotage?

"The ship is dead in the water. I will soon have it well on its way to the bottom of the ocean," Ross answers the demon hidden in the shadows of the bulkhead.

Excellent. The Chinese continue to believe it's the Americans sabotaging them and the Americans will believe it's the Chinese.

"Just as you planned master."

Of course it is. I want this ship sunk, but ensure that you kill Admiral Pellington in front of as many witnesses as you can and allow them to report the incident before you fulfill your task.

"Cut off the head and the body will soon follow," Ross thinks aloud.

You fool. The Americans are not like every other country. You kill one of its leaders and another will just step up to the plate. I want the admiral dead so that it forces the American's hand.

"And forces them to act faster than they intend to," Ross finishes.

Exactly. We will not have Avyanna or any other Demon Lord in control. It is the place of the Asura to do so. Our time is coming and I will not have it delayed any longer.

A sudden clatter steals both Ross' and the demon's attention bringing their conversation to a halt. Both look in the direction of the noise and see a man looking back at them. He has the look of shock on his face as he attempts to regain his footing.

Kill him, no one must know of my existence.

"It will be my pleasure," Ross says as a smile slowly creeps across his face.

——

Spencer,

Sam and Nash move through the complex toward the main chamber where the

Demon Lord

, Avyanna is supposed to be waiting for their arrival. Natalya is true to her word so far as to keep any

Black Dragon

away leaving only the standard Russian troops as protection to the facility. Nash knows this place will be abandoned now that Avyanna is released; at least that is what their intelligence said. It still didn't hurt to attempt a mission.

They run through the halls, Nash taking point using his

HK

XM8

to cut down anyone foolish enough to step out into his path. Spencer brings up the rear using a

Remington 1100 Tactical Shotgun

eliminating any threats that survived the initial assault or appear from out of nowhere. Sam is stuck in between the two using her

H&K UMP

to help Nash clear the path.

"Just how many of these guys are there?" Sam asks out loud more as complaint than an actual question.

"You have to remember," Nash begins as he blasts three soldiers that suddenly appear from around a corner, "Avyanna has no qualms about wasting human life or Russian man power."

"Yeah well we can see that," she says sarcastically as she points toward their intended destination.

The three come to a halt and take cover as a barrage of bullets ricochet off the wall around them. "They are pretty intent on stopping us," Spencer remarks.

Nash just snickers at the comment and peers around the wall he is using as cover. Ahead just outside the great double doors of the room that holds Avyanna sits a barricade with a squad of soldiers. Each of the soldiers carry an

AK-103

assault rifle.

Nash figures since these soldiers have better improved rifles compared to the soldiers they had faced so far in the complex, carrying

AK-74

s, they are going to have a tough time leaving alive. "It's not the intent I'm concerned with," Nash says drawing looks from both Sam and Spencer, "it's the fire power these guys have. Obviously the demons are well funded."

"Considering they have been around for a few thousand years," Sam says thoughtfully. "Yeah, I'd say they are pretty well funded and prepared."

"Question is," Spencer says trying to bring attention to the task at hand, "how are we going to get past these guys in one piece?"

Just my line of thinking.

Nash thinks. He looks down at his watch and a smile spreads across his face.

"What do you find so funny about this?" Spencer asks.

"I was beginning to think this was going to be too easy. Shall we?"

Without waiting for a confirmation, Nash withdraws his

SOG SEAL Team Knife

; a partially serrated knife with a seven inch blade and throws it at the first man he sees. Spencer and Sam are already following suit.

Sam steps out from behind her cover and relentlessly unleashes a barrage of suppression fire raking back and forth the barricade and door behind it. Two of the soldiers fall right after the first takes the knife to the chest. The others safely take cover behind the barricade.

Nash, an instant later, joins in the barrage of suppression fire Sam is laying down allowing for Spencer to move unhindered around the barricade. When he is in position, Sam and Nash stop their assault and take cover behind their initial posts. The soldiers unaware of Spencer's position stand and begin their assault on the other two. With the soldier's attention fully on their intended targets Spencer steps around the barricade and unleashes on them.

The first shot takes out three and a second takes out two more before the remaining four soldiers before they become aware of the situation and begin to respond. By then it is too late as Spencer fires a third and fourth time decimating those remaining. Silence quickly falls over the area like a blanket. The only sound is the crunching of Nash and Sam's boots over the debris and bullet casings.

"Good job Reeds, Roberts," Nash comments.

"What can I say? I'm good at what I do," Spencer says winking to Sam.

Sam smiles and then turns to Nash. "Yeah, but he is messy about it. Shall we crash the party?"

"After you," Nash says grinning and gesturing with his hand toward the massive double doors.

——

Bridges

is only a couple steps out of the communications room when a growl catches his attention. Turning slowly he faces the growling noise bringing his

HK 416

to bear. The only thing he sees was a pair of eyes in the shadows of the hall, but instantly he knows what it is.

"Prebyvanie tut zhe i sdacha ili my budem vynizhdeny vysledit vas," the soldiers holding the

Hell Hound

's chain warns. "Stay there and surrender or we will hunt you down."

"Fat chance of that," Bridges says. He unleashes a torrent of bullets at both the

Hell Hound

and the soldier. Both fall without ever having a chance to react.

Shouts begin to filter from the doorway beyond and he knows he has overstayed his welcome. After quickly changing out his clip, he turns and bolts through the door opposite the shouts. Bridges runs keeping his attention split between the soldiers chasing him and any that may be a potential threat in his escape. He disliked

Hell Hounds

but he knows their tactics. It isn't his first go around with the things. He last run in with them was in the jungles of Brazil with an almost unsuccessful mission.

In fact, his entire team was surprised to see the

Hell Hounds

. Since then

DEP Six

added more focus to battling these beasts. Of course the best defense against them was to run and only fight when there was no other option left. He ran unhindered turning corners and seeking a way out. The

Hell Hounds

were practically nipping at is heels and the soldiers not far behind them. As he turns a final corner, the hall opens to a small reception room. Not stopping to pause he continues running toward the door across the small room.

He makes it to the door, ready to blast through it when he has the sudden urge to turn around. Like others with

Second Sight

there is a warning system each individual had. For some it is a tingling sensation, for others it is a shiver down the spine. The warning system is different for each individual. For him it is a feeling like someone is behind you or watching you.

He spins trying to bring his weapon to bear and is met with a force strong enough to throw him backward through the door. He lands on his back with splinters of wood from the door scattering all across the floor. A

Hell Hound

stands over pinning him down. The hound snaps at his face. Bridges manages to barely keep it from ripping his face off by barring his forearm into the hound's throat. He can hear the growls of the other hounds and knows he doesn't have much time before they reach him.

With his free hand he reaches down for the

.40mm S&W

strapped to his thigh. He struggles with freeing the gun. His leg is already at an awkward position from his landing and the hound's weight doesn't make it any easier to free it.

Once he manages to pull the gun free he places it at the base of the hound's skull and fires. He fires the gun until the hound finally slumps to the side. He frees himself from underneath the beast a stands over it. For good measure he fires two more rounds into it before looking for a way out of the room.

The sounds of the growls are getting closer and Bridges sees he doesn't have many options. He considers standing his ground and using his

HK

.

Hell Hounds

, after all are like any other denizen of Hades. But how many of them are there? And there still are the soldiers with guns to consider.

He looks to the window which has a nice view of the complex and makes his decision. Just as the first of the hounds breach the room, Bridges is already in motion and through the window. Shards of glass falls alongside him but luckily the fall isn't very far. He lands hard on his back and lies for a moment trying to suck in the much needed air into his lungs that was just knocked out. He sees the

Hell Hounds

, two of them, reach the window ledge and look down at him and he knows he needs to get up and move.

He rolls off the air conditioner unit to his feet. He glances at the unit, seeing the large body-shaped dent and says a quick

thanks

before running over to the edge of the roof. The drop to the ground isn't much. Maybe twelve feet, nothing he can't handle. Not that he has much of a choice. The two

Hell Hounds

that were peeping out the window are now on the roof as well. Their presence is marked by the audible

thumps

as they land.

Bridges takes a deep breath as three more

thumps

echo signaling the arrival of three more. Then he bounds over the edge and drops toward the ground like an anvil. As he lands he lets his legs buckle and then he tucks his body and rolls up to his feet. He is already in motion when the howls of the

Hell Hounds

sound out. His part of the mission is over which is good since it leaves him no other distractions. Once he made it to the water, he'd be safe. If he made it at all.

——

Was

that what I think it was?" Matthews asks coming to a halt.

Mason looks off in the distance of the howls and slowly nods. "Looks like these guys are better prepared than we thought."

"I'd say so. Let's just hope those aren't for us," she remarks.

"Well if they are, then it just gets a little harder for us."

Matthews glances at Mason. He in turn gives her a curt nod. She turns away from him and resumes the hike up the hill overlooking the compound. Words aren't needed because each one knows she is to keep them off the commanders back and he'd keep them off hers or die trying.