Apologies for the delay, friends. My fiancee had the computer tied up with a big project, and I simply wasn't able to get on to post anything. It's here now, though. Setting up for something good next week!
* * * * *
"So what's the deal here anyway, sarge?" Drake said, looking across the APC at Apone.
"Yeah, nobody has really told us anything," added Dietrich. She frowned. "We're going in blind here."
"I heard something about, what, biological containment or something?" Drake continued. "The hell does that mean?"
"Stow it, all of you," snapped Sgt. Apone. "Lt. Gorman and I don't have all of the information either. What we do know is, yes, containment of biological specimens has been mentioned, along with crowd control. Apparently, local PD responded to a call here, then reported it as being related to the incident we're here for."
"So we don't know what these 'specimens' are supposed to be?" asked Hicks.
Frost smirked at him. "Heh. Maybe we're gonna be fighting space aliens or something."
"I don't care what they are," Vasquez intoned gruffly. She checked the magazine in her pistol and snapped it back in. "We'll put 'em down hard and fast, right?"
"Vasquez!" Lt. Gorman barked. "Stow that sidearm. We've been provided with several less-than-lethal measures. That means you grunts have to try not to kill anyone. Think you can manage?"
"Aw, where's the fun in that?" Hudson remarked with a grin. "I don't see the point in being armed if I don't get to kill something."
"Hudson, you asshole," retorted Crowe, "you have to be able to hit something to kill it."
"Hey, I'm a great shot!" Hudson said defensively.
"Yeah, I heard you won the gold at the Marksmanship for the Blind contest last year," Ferro intoned snarkily.
"Enough chatter, squad," Gorman said from the front of the APC. "We're approaching the destination."
The group fell silent, the rumbling of the APC's engine and the crunch of its tires the only sounds for several moments. Shortly, it slowed and stopped, and Gorman opened the doors.
"Move out, squad!" he shouted.
"Alright, sweethearts, you heard the man and you know the drill! Assholes and elbows!" Apone added.
The soldiers hurriedly filed out of the APC and stepped into the street. They were in the middle of an intersection in town. The police had barricades up some distance away down each street, and a small crowd of curious onlookers stood beyond their perimeter. The cops and the crowd all seemed to be looking at an office building near where the APC had parked.
Looking at the building, Hicks let out a low whistle. "What the hell happened?"
"Looks like a bomb went off or something," Hudson remarked.
The building was missing several large chunks of masonry from its exterior walls. More than one of the holes looked as if something had burst out of the building from within, twisted bits of rebar and jagged, broken cinder blocks bending outward from the edges.
"Holy hell, look at that," Crowe breathed. He pointed at one of the largest holes, which ran from the ground all the way up to the roof of the three-story building. Beneath it was a flattened, mangled jumble of scrap that looked like it had started the day as an SUV. In addition to being crushed, it was driven into the cracked asphalt around it.
"Looks like something fell out of the building and landed on it," Vasquez remarked, staring wide-eyed at the wreckage. "Something big. But where the hell is it?"
"Jesus. What kind of biological containment are we talking about here?" Frost muttered.
"Maybe they have us hunting Godzilla," Hudson said sarcastically.
Just then, a loud crash sounded from within the building. It was followed by another, then a loud thumping sound that shook the damaged exterior wall.
Gorman turned to Apone. "Sergeant!" he said quietly but emphatically. "Take Vasquez, Drake, and Crowe. Check that hole, see if it's clear, and go in that way. I'll lead Dietrich, Frost, and Ferro in through the main doors. Hicks, Hudson, you secure the vehicle and the exterior. Nothing gets in or out." He paused for a moment. "And keep quiet and maintain a low profile if at all possible. No need to give away our presence when we don't know what's going on yet. Everyone clear?"
A low chorus of "Yes, sir!" came from the assembled group.
"Good. And remember, no lethal force."
"What do you want us to use? Harsh language?" Frost said sourly.
"The magazines we gave you earlier are loaded with rubber bullets, Frost," Apone replied.
Suddenly, a woman's scream, impossibly loud, echoed from within the building.
"Move!" Gorman said hoarsely.
The soldiers split into their designated groups and moved quickly toward the building. Apone and Drake stopped on one side of the hole, while Vasquez and Crowe quickly dashed to the opposite side. Peering into the hole, Vasquez saw rubble strewn about the ruins of what looked like a cafeteria or break room. Overturned and smashed tables littered the area. The walls and floors sported numerous cracks and craters. Something that might have been a refrigerator lay on its side, its midsection bent inward; it looked for all the world as if it had been crushed like a beer can.
"What the hell happened here?" Crowe whispered.
Apone silenced him with a look. "You and Vasquez head in first," he said softly. "We'll follow."
Crowe stepped gingerly through the hole, pointing his gun rapidly around the room as if expecting something to jump out at him. Vasquez was a step behind. Her attention was drawn to a broken vending machine embedded into the wall. "Crowe, look at--"
The woman screamed again, louder than any human throat should have been able to handle. They both whirled, pointing their weapons at a gaping hole in the far wall. Looking up, they could see the hole extended through a break in the ceiling and up to the second floor. Something that sounded like huge, booming footsteps was approaching the opening, and there were more incredibly loud screams.
“Ready, Crowe?” Vasquez asked, training her gun at the opening.
“Ready!” he replied, doing the same.
The footsteps got louder, along with more screaming and the occasional word. Finally, with a deafening cry of “Fuck you, you two-bit whore!” the source of the sounds stepped into view around the edge of the hole.