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\u201cSamurai, Farmer,\u201d Wood said. \u201cCopy that. What kind of intruders?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe crawler spotted a large boat with thirteen individuals mooring at the berth. Both the boat and the subjects have chameleon camo. We\u2019re tracking them with EM vision and Lycan\u2019s blessings.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crawler had an electromagnetic imager, allowing it to see EM fields. Mustafa, an Elect of Galen the Wolf, could draw on the god\u2019s power to enhance his vision and see the unseen. For everyone else, it would be nearly impossible to track the intruders.<\/p>\n
At least, without being detected.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood,\u201d Wood said. \u201cBe advised, Deadeye and myself are observing the Green Bliss regrowing on the trees, and we suspect this is how the subjects resupply themselves. This might be a counter-narcotics operation. I could contact the local PD and check what\u2019s up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead,\u201d Yamamoto said.<\/p>\n
Wood dug out his satellite phone from his pants pocket, turned it on and dialed a number.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this?\u201d Sheriff Kane said gruffly.<\/p>\n
\u201cJames Wood, PSB. We spoke earlier today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kane\u2019s voice brightened immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cAh, Special Agent Wood. What\u2019s the purpose of your call?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there anyone conducting a counter-narcotics operation in the vicinity of Grass River?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I told you this afternoon, we don\u2019t have any special ops planned in Grass River.\u201d<\/p>\n
A blunt\u00a0THUMP-THUMP<\/em>\u00a0echoed in the night.<\/p>\n \u201cWas that a shot?\u201d Fox wondered.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about the New Gods?\u201d Wood asked. \u201cAre they doing anything there too?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNope, not that I know of,\u201d Kane replied. \u201cWhy? What’s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust checking,\u201d Wood said. \u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n Another\u00a0THUMP-THUMP<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cBlack Watch, Samurai,\u201d Yamamoto radioed. \u201cThe newcomers just took out a pair of guards. No warning, no attempt to arrest. They\u2019re not acting like cops.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood dialed a second number. Deputy Frank Matthews picked up after two rings.<\/p>\n \u201cFrank, it\u2019s Jim,\u201d Wood said. \u201cIs SRT or anyone else pulling an op in Grass River?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, not that I know of,\u201d Matthews said. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t just mean the SD. I mean the Network and the Guild. Do you have any knowledge of their operations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo. The New Gods don\u2019t tell us everything they do. What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n Suppressed gunfire chattered through the night.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you later. I\u2019ve got work to do now.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood put the phone away and hit the push-to-talk switch.<\/p>\n \u201cBlack Watch, Farmer. Local contacts tell me there are no law enforcement operations in the area, and they have no knowledge of any activities of the New Gods. Break. Samurai, what\u2019s the call?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe stop them,\u201d Yamamoto replied.<\/p>\n \u201cBoss, they\u2019re moving too fast. We\u2019re not going to be able to intercept them in time,\u201d Fox said.<\/p>\n As she spoke, red icons flashed across Wood\u2019s smartglasses. The intruders. There were nine of them, dashing through the trees as fast as greased lightning, yet completely and utterly silent. In his regular sight, all Wood saw were blurry streaks.<\/p>\n \u201cThey must be cybered up,\u201d Yamamoto said. \u201cWe\u2019ll take them at the berth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about the objective?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n \u201cWe sweep the site after we take the subjects.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut there are people in there!\u201d<\/p>\n Yamamoto sighed softly over the radio.<\/p>\n \u201cNone of them are innocents. None that we know.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood cursed. Part of him wanted to rush in and stop the bad guys. But by the time the team waded across the water, the intruders would have finished the job\u2014and the Black Watch would be caught in the open. And the subjects were so damn fast, there was no way they would take them in a fair fight.<\/p>\n Scanning for threats, Wood picked himself up and packed up his scope. Fox raised herself to a knee and covered him. Muffled automatic fire emerged from the house.<\/p>\n \u201cSamurai, ZT,\u201d Tan said. \u201cWe\u2019re outnumbered, and those guys are cybered. Do we have to pick this fight?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need information. They have some in their heads. We must do this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the plan?\u201d<\/p>\n Yamamoto rattled off a series of movement orders, addressing each operator in turn. Wood tracked them all, modeling the plan inside his head, mapping consequences and if-then scenarios.<\/p>\n It was going to be a long shot. But they were the Black Watch. If anyone could do this, it was them.<\/p>\n The operators gathered their gear and regrouped at the base of the hill. The sound of gunfire at their backs, they donned their fusion vision goggles and rushed through the forest. Leaping over exposed roots, ducking under branches, they moved as swiftly as they dared. The sounds of battle erupted from the direction of the house, automatic fire mixed with screams and explosions and blood-maddened howls.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t a mad charge. There were three more icons on the lenses of Wood\u2019s smartglasses, gathered near the berth. Three more living, presumably breathing, likely cybered, threats. Too much noise would give the game away.<\/p>\n Wood had grown up in the swamps and the forests. Moving quickly and silently through the woods was second nature to him. The other operators were only slightly less skilled, but he still winced at every errant crackle or rustling brush.<\/p>\n The drone appeared in Wood\u2019s augmented reality as a bright blue shape. His eyes saw only a distorted blur through his night vision goggles. The operators formed up around the bot, three to a side, and crept to the woodline.<\/p>\n Lying prone on the moist forest floor, Wood shouldered his carbine and splayed out his legs, supporting his weapon with solid bone. He peeked over his optics and studied the three threats.<\/p>\n One Tango sat in the boat, within easy reach of the engine. The other two positioned themselves past the berth, attentively sweeping the forest before them. The bot detected the metal in their weapons, their limbs, their bodies and their heads, producing a trio of roughly humanoid figures.<\/p>\n Full-body cyborgs. All of them.<\/p>\n White numbers appeared over the targets\u2019 heads. Yamamoto had assigned them to the team, setting up a synchronized takedown. Fox had the boatman, bobbing up and down in the water. Tan had the left-hand threat by the berth.<\/p>\n Wood had the last.<\/p>\n Wood turned on his combat optic. A bright red crosshair appeared in his field of view. He swiveled slowly but smoothly, aligning his crosshair on target. Ghostly green crosshairs appeared in his peripheral vision, showing where the other two operators were aiming.<\/p>\n They were all on target.<\/p>\n Wood breathed, rested his finger on the carbine\u2019s frame, and waited.<\/p>\n The gunfire ceased. The targets stayed in place, staying true to their duty. The Black Watch lay in wait.<\/p>\n The targets weren\u2019t run-of-the-mill hired guns. They had top-tier gear, with the discipline to make the most of them. Where most cybertech were simple limb replacements or conferred modest capabilities at most, they had tech that made them superhuman. Such tech was cost-prohibitive, even for the government\u2014and exclusively the hallmark of the New Gods.<\/p>\n In the distance, something exploded. Wood twitched, slightly, but his finger remained still. More explosions followed, dozens of them. Ashes drifted into Wood\u2019s nose. Still he maintained focus on his mark.<\/p>\n \u201cI see fire and smoke to our ten o\u2019clock,\u201d Yamamoto whispered. \u201cThe bad guys are erasing evidence. We need prisoners. If possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Against cybered threats with unknown capabilities, the only way to win was to hit hard, hit fast, and keep hitting. Going out of your way to take prisoners was a dicey proposition at best, and usually a fatal one.<\/p>\n They were the Black Watch. They\u2019d find a way.<\/p>\n More threats abruptly emerged from the woods, appearing as if by magic. Once more, Wood\u2019s eyes saw only blurry motion. Not even his cybertech could see through the cloak. The crawler detected nine more cyborgs, organized in a loose echelon. And a tenth subject, stumbling across the grass, a cyborg firmly controlling him with one hand.<\/p>\n A human.<\/p>\n A perfectly ordinary human, no camouflage, showing up in bright green and orange in fusion vision, with no significant metal in him.<\/p>\n The cyborgs gathered near the berth. A cyborg broke off from the main group, conferring with the security element. More crosshairs appeared, highlighting the cyborg with the prisoner, and three other cyborgs with heavy weapons. Wood made out the distinct shapes of machine guns and grenade launchers in their hands.<\/p>\n We\u2019re going to rescue the prisoner,\u201d Yamamoto whispered. \u201cI have control. Stand by, stand by.\u201d<\/p>\n A cyborg tensed, pivoting to face the team. A crosshair appeared over his face.<\/p>\n The crawler\u2019s loudspeaker kicked up.<\/p>\n \u201cTHIS IS THE STS!\u201d Yamamoto\u2019s voice boomed. \u201cDROP YOUR WEAPONS AND PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!\u201d<\/p>\n The cyborg squad alerted. The hostage froze.<\/p>\n Silence.<\/p>\n Then the cyborg facing the team fired.<\/p>\n \u201cInitiate!\u201d Yamamoto ordered.<\/p>\n Wood pressed the trigger.<\/p>\n A storm of suppressed gunshots rang out. Wood\u2019s target dropped, jerking like a puppet with its strings cut. Immediately he pivoted left, trained his crosshairs on the leader\u2019s center of mass, got off a quick double-tap. The cyborg went down. Wood went hunting for more threats.<\/p>\n Switching to full-auto, the Black Watch hosed down the area with controlled bursts. Maximum firepower, maximum surprise, maximum aggression. The crawler joined in, shooting for exposed heads where it could.<\/p>\n The hail of steel cut down the cyborgs in the open, forcing the rest into cover. The hostage screamed and curled up into a ball. Automatic fire hammered through the trees. Wood saw a threat flee behind a thin tree and lit him up. The bullets ripped through the bark and into the threat, and as the cyborg fell he blasted it again in the face.<\/p>\n Water splashed.<\/p>\n Wood looked up.<\/p>\n A hazy form cut across the tributary, spraying water in a sharp V-shaped bow. Rising to a knee, Wood aimed and\u2014<\/p>\n The cyborg was on him.<\/p>\n He ripped off a burst at point-blank. The cyborg stumbled away, weapon falling from his hands. Wood aimed higher\u2014<\/p>\n The cyborg pounced, his left arm whipping up and down\u2014<\/p>\n Swerving aside, Wood smashed his weapon into the cyborg\u2019s arm and deflected the blow, then stepped in and rammed his forearm into his throat.<\/p>\n The cyborg fell flat on his back. Wood trained his weapon on the cyborg\u2019s face.<\/p>\n \u201cSTS!\u201d he shouted. \u201cShow me your hands!\u201d<\/p>\n The cyborg spread out his arms.<\/p>\n \u201cI surrender!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n The firefight was petering out. Wood kicked the Tango over on his belly, knelt on his back and looked up.<\/p>\n The hostage was still curled up, still yelling incoherently. A couple of shots rang out, a cyborg dropped to the ground, and suddenly there was no more movement. Wood counted thirteen cyborgs down, including the one he had below him.<\/p>\n \u201cTaking suspect into custody,\u201d Wood reported. \u201cCover me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstood,\u201d Yamamoto said. Raising his voice, he yelled, \u201cWe\u2019re the STS! We\u2019re here to rescue you!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSHIIIIIIIT!\u201d the hostage yelled.<\/p>\n He flopped about on the ground, trying to pick himself up.<\/p>\n \u201cAlpha, secure the hostage. Bravo plus crawler, secure the prisoner,\u201d Yamamoto ordered.<\/p>\n Yamamoto, Connor and Karim forded the waters while Fox, Tan and the drone closed in on Wood\u2019s position. Wood aimed his weapon at the prisoner\u2019s back until he sensed footsteps to his left.<\/p>\n \u201cCovering you,\u201d Fox said.<\/p>\n Wood slung his carbine around his neck, then patted the cyborg down. The subject offered no resistance. Wood worked thoroughly and methodically, emptying out the cyborg\u2019s pockets and pouches, checking places where he could conceal a tool or a weapon.<\/p>\n Wood piled the cyborg\u2019s gear next to him. Carbine, pistol, spare magazines, multitool, grenades, camera, map, on and on and on. What he didn\u2019t find was water. Or food. Or an escape kit.<\/p>\n Two of Wood\u2019s bullets had struck the cyborg in his ballistic plate. The last had shattered his right hand, reducing it to a ruined wreck of polymer and metal. No blood. The cyborg didn\u2019t even seem to care.<\/p>\n Wood grabbed the cyborg\u2019s wrists and snapped on a pair of handcuffs. A full-body cyborg with superhuman strength could snap them\u2014he\u2019d seen it more times than he cared to count\u2014but with so many guns on him any escape attempt would be quickly and decisively defeated.<\/p>\n \u201cWho are you?\u201d Wood asked.<\/p>\n \u201cSuperuser Iota Omicron Seven-Two-Eight of the Singularity Network,\u201d the cyborg replied. \u201cWe wish to fully cooperate with the Special Tasks Section.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe could be anybody, for all you know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour voice print matches that of Special Agent James Wood, Special Tasks Section, with a confidence of ninety-two point eight percent.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood\u2019s breath caught in his lungs.<\/p>\n \u201cHow did you know?\u201d Wood demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are the Network,\u201d the cyborg said. \u201cWe are everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you here? What do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur mission is to destroy the Green Bliss plantation. During the mission, we discovered and detained Antoine Santiago. The younger brother of Raul Santiago.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho put you up to this mission?\u201d Wood demanded.<\/p>\n \u201cI will answer your questions,\u201d the cyborg said, \u201cbut you must take me to a secure holding facility.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you operating under orders of the Net?\u201d<\/p>\n The cyborg paused for a fraction of a second.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Wood exhaled sharply. Looking up, he saw the other three operators wade up on the opposite shore. The hostage was worming around, flailing about, still completely helpless.<\/p>\n \u201cSamurai, this is Farmer,\u201d Wood radioed. \u201cThis mission just got a lot more complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n If you’d like to support my fiction, check out the Kickstarter for Silver Empire’s\u00a0HEROES UNLEASHED<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Cheah](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/files.steempeak.com\/file\/steempeak\/cheah\/ykX4vmm4-CheahGitSanRed.jpg\")
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