Reluctantly Ajax obeyed, scowling at Leo before releasing him.
A scream broke through the silence, prompting Ajax and Obi to point their weapons up the dark staircase simultaneously.
“Get out your night vision,” Obi whispered.
Both soldiers reached into their coats and pulled out their goggles. A cool orange glow warmed the staircase and the two quietly made their way towards the sound.
Another scream rang out above them. Obi halted, changing his night vision to infrared. He wanted to pick up heat signatures so he knew how many people they were dealing with.
“You go in first and I’ll follow; if Spurious is in there with Lana, be careful. I don’t want either of them harmed.” Obi said, nearing the top of the staircase.
“What do we do with her?” Ajax whispered.
“Not sure, just move.”
The two soldiers crept down the hall slowly like hunters, trying to tiptoe over the creaky wood floor. At the end of the passage, underneath one of the doors, a blue glow flowed into the hallway.
“Stop, Ajax.”
“What’s wrong boss?” he whispered.
“Tin Cans. Ahead. I can see the glow from their night vision goggles.”
Obi removed his glasses and knelt, reaching for his knife in a sleeve on his right leg. Ajax hunched down next to him, resting his massive frame against an apartment door. They knelt and strained to hear the conversation coming from down the hall.
“Sounds like someone got to this Spurious before us," Obi said.
“What are you thinking?” Ajax asked.
“We need him. If the Tin Cans want him, then he is obviously valuable.”
Ajax groaned heavily. "I don't like this. We’re gambling with our lives."
Obi checked his clip and put his goggles back on. He was picking up at least four, maybe five heat signatures in the room. With only their pistols, they were going to need some more fire power to take out two or three Knights.
The ringing of heavy footsteps shattered the silence. Quickly Ajax followed Obi into an open apartment, hiding in the shadows. They waited, their chests both heaving in and out their eyes watching the blue glow of a Knight’s goggles flooding the hallway.
Ajax pulled out his knife, revealing it to Obi with a single finger over his mouth. They waited patiently for the light to pass before Ajax peeked into the hallway to confirm the presence of another Knight. The man stood guard at the doorway where Spurious was being interrogated, his armored back facing the hallway.
"He has his back to us. We can get out now," Ajax said, turning.
"Can you take him from behind?" Obi entreated.
"Are you fucking kidding me, boss? There is an entire squad of them in there. It’s suicide."
Obi shot him an angry glance, his orange goggles staring back at him. "You take out the guard, grab his gun, and we’ll kill the other Knights together,” he paused to take in a deep breath. “That's an order, soldier!" Obi hissed.
He pulled a new clip of armor piercing rounds from the bowels of his jacket. They were custom made, tipped with plutonium. The last of their kind, and he had been saving them for a special occasion.
"And make sure Spurious isn't harmed, or his girlfriend, if she’s in there too," he said, inserting the clip into his pistol with a click.
Ajax nodded, clicking off his goggles to examine the hallway one more time before he slyly slipped into the darkness. He crouched, heading towards the guard with his knife drawn.
A minute passed and Obi watched anxiously from behind, waiting for Ajax to make his move. The Knight remained frozen, standing in the entryway of the room, no idea he was about to die.
Ajax stopped less than a yard away from the guard, bringing his knife inches away from the unsuspecting Knight’s armor. He aimed it at the gap between the neck armor and helmet. With a quick jab, he jammed the sharp blade into the back of his neck. Ajax barely flinched, indifferent to the spurt of blood that exploded onto his face. He had the guard’s rifle within seconds, shoving the Knight who clawed vainly at his neck. Obi rushed into the room, his gun spitting hot lead at the other two Knights, who were attempting to drag Spurious’ body out of a bedroom.
The barrage of bullets from Ajax’s assault rifle went high, tearing into the wall, and sending a shower of splinters into the air. Both Knights fumbled with their weapons, but it was too late, Obi's armor piercing rounds ripped through their armor. 30 seconds later it was over. All three Knights lay in pools of their own blood. Ajax checked their vitals, firing a single shot into their goggles to ensure they were dead.
In the center of the room, Spurious lay curled up in a fetal position, moaning in pain.
"Check him!" Obi shouted, rushing over to Lana, who was huddled in the corner.
He pulled the drape of hair out of her face, revealing a frightened set of eyes.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
She rocked back and forth, her knees pulled up to her chest and her wild eyes locked on her feet. She was catatonic, in shock from the gun fire.
"We need to move, boss!" Ajax yelled from across the room. "Reinforcements could be here any minute!"
"How is Spurious?”
"He’s hurt, bad. We need to get him out of here fast."
Obi glanced down at the girl with concern in his eyes, knowing he shouldn’t be wasting time on her. "Are you okay?"
She stared back at him blankly. Her eyes were clouded with fear and she was slipping into shock. Obi left her and ran over to help Ajax who was bending down to pick up Spurious.
"Help me get him on my shoulders."
Obi snagged one of the dead Knight’s rifles on his way, throwing the strap around his shoulder.
The two soldiers rushed out of the room, just as one of the dead Knight’s radios blared to life.
“This is Delta Base. Report. Over.”
“Friede, what’s your status? Do you have the package?”
“Shit. Let’s go!” Obi yelled, turning one last time to check on Lana. Miraculously, she was standing in the corner staring back at them. “Well, are you coming or what?” he screamed at her. She froze and then reluctantly walked over to Ajax, placing her hand on Spurious’ unconscious head.
“Boss, we aren’t taking her with, are we?” Ajax asked scornfully.
The radio blared back to life again. “Friede, we’re sending another squad to your location. ETA five minutes. Over.”
A chill ran down Obi’s back as he locked eyes with Ajax. No words needed to be exchanged. The two soldiers knew each other well enough to know it was time to move. Within seconds of the radio transmission they were running down the hallway, Spurious’ head bobbing up and down on Ajax’s shoulders.
“We need to find a different exit. This could be another trap.” Obi yelled over the clamor of their footsteps. He could see the bottom of the staircase in the distance, a diminutive yet guiding glow of moonlight illuminating the first floor hallway. He entered cautiously, his rifle drawn. There were no signs of a trap through the door they entered, but he didn’t want to risk it.
“That way,” Obi motioned with a nod of his head. He stood guard at the door, his rifle aimed into darkness while Ajax carried Spurious down the hallway, Lana close behind.
Obi took off to catch up with them and seconds later they were at the end of the hallway staring at a sealed door, closed off with several two by fours.
“Damn, it’s a dead end!” Ajax yelled.
Obi glanced back down the hallway, scanning it for an open apartment door. Every door appeared to be sealed with two by fours as well. “Shit, the reinforcements are going to be here any minute,” he said.
“Help me,” Ajax said, lowering Spurious carefully onto the ground.
The two soldiers clawed at the two by fours, tearing them off quickly while Lana attended to Spurious.
“Where am I?” Spurious moaned. He peered up at Lana, blinking through the fog of stars, his brain still on fire. “Lana, was it a dream?” he asked, her face finally coming into focus.