Legnano Safehouse, Legnano, Lombardy…
The browning grass of the field behind the rustic two-story villa began to spark with an eerie black discharge of energy as a glowing shadow spread out across the area. Within the spreading mass shadow, seven black spires emerged before forming into the members of the Suicide Squad.
“What the hell is that place?!” Diesel spat as he pushed past Flag and Sidewinder in a desperate attempt to escape the darkness, even as it receded to form the dark figure of Abyss.
“More to the point what were those things in there?!” Sidewinder added as Flag started taking a headcount of the members who had emerged.
“They were wonderful weren’t they,” Fauna purred as she began to edge towards the packs containing Flag and Katana’s gear, the hilt of a sword sticking out of the latter.
“Flag has your team made it to the Legnano safehouse?” a voice buzzed over the earpiece Flag had clipped onto his ear.
“We arrived, at least most of us did,” Flag answered as he opened his pack and removed a handgun with a tactical light mounted beneath the barrel. “F.O.K didn’t arrive with the rest of us, is it possible that Abyss made some calculation errors, we don’t appear to have arrived in the safehouse.”
“Across the distance your team was transferred Abyss’s teleportation has an error rate of 10m, if F.O.K arrived in Italy he’s within that radius,” Waller told him as Katana picked up her pack, seemingly unaware of Faust’s attempts to obtain her blade.
“Jaculi, sweep the area.” Flag ordered as a human hand burst out of Abyss’s stomach before slithering black tentacles dragged it back inside. “Without F.O.K we need to re-assess how we’re going to take control of the train.” He sighed as Jaculi accelerated away, traversing the perimeter of the entire field in a second, before dashing into the safehouse. Following her inside the rest of the team entered the sparsely decorated villa.
“I’m going to get tactical,” Flag announced as he headed up onto the second story, as the sound of a kettle began to whistle from the kitchen. “We have two hours before the train arrives in Legnano, let’s get ready.”
The browning grass of the field behind the rustic two-story villa began to spark with an eerie black discharge of energy as a glowing shadow spread out across the area. Within the spreading mass shadow, seven black spires emerged before forming into the members of the Suicide Squad.
“What the hell is that place?!” Diesel spat as he pushed past Flag and Sidewinder in a desperate attempt to escape the darkness, even as it receded to form the dark figure of Abyss.
“More to the point what were those things in there?!” Sidewinder added as Flag started taking a headcount of the members who had emerged.
“They were wonderful weren’t they,” Fauna purred as she began to edge towards the packs containing Flag and Katana’s gear, the hilt of a sword sticking out of the latter.
“Flag has your team made it to the Legnano safehouse?” a voice buzzed over the earpiece Flag had clipped onto his ear.
“We arrived, at least most of us did,” Flag answered as he opened his pack and removed a handgun with a tactical light mounted beneath the barrel. “F.O.K didn’t arrive with the rest of us, is it possible that Abyss made some calculation errors, we don’t appear to have arrived in the safehouse.”
“Across the distance your team was transferred Abyss’s teleportation has an error rate of 10m, if F.O.K arrived in Italy he’s within that radius,” Waller told him as Katana picked up her pack, seemingly unaware of Faust’s attempts to obtain her blade.
“Jaculi, sweep the area.” Flag ordered as a human hand burst out of Abyss’s stomach before slithering black tentacles dragged it back inside. “Without F.O.K we need to re-assess how we’re going to take control of the train.” He sighed as Jaculi accelerated away, traversing the perimeter of the entire field in a second, before dashing into the safehouse. Following her inside the rest of the team entered the sparsely decorated villa.
“I’m going to get tactical,” Flag announced as he headed up onto the second story, as the sound of a kettle began to whistle from the kitchen. “We have two hours before the train arrives in Legnano, let’s get ready.”
ISSUE 2
BY
JOHN CHEESE
BY
JOHN CHEESE
Sidewinder cleaned her sub-machine gun as she sat in the kitchen watching as Jaculi poured out two cups of tea, the middle eastern woman shaking slightly as she put the teapot back down. Removing the ammunition clip, Sidewinder slid over and took her cup, uttering a barely audible thanks.
“I need to ask you something,” Jaculi asked as she took a sip from her cup. “It’s about Coronel Rick Flag. I need to know what kind of man he is.”
“I don’t know Flag personally,” Sidewinder hissed as she took a seat back down at the table. “I’m aware of his military service, he was part of something called Operation Chrysaor. Apart from that, all I can glean is that he’s a military man, a straightforward brick who follows orders but doesn’t think outside the box all that much,” she added before taking another sip, her forked tongue flicking back into her mouth. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason?” Jaculi answered before leaving the kitchen, pushing past Diesel as he entered the kitchen.
“Watch it Speed Freak!” Diesel snapped before he sat down opposite Sidewinder. “Nice gat, you packing anything else?”
“More than you could even imagine,” Sidewinder replied with a smile, one Diesel reciprocated before pulling out a pack of playing cards. “But I could be convinced to let you know a little.” She added as she slipped the ammunition clip back into her weapon.
“I need to ask you something,” Jaculi asked as she took a sip from her cup. “It’s about Coronel Rick Flag. I need to know what kind of man he is.”
“I don’t know Flag personally,” Sidewinder hissed as she took a seat back down at the table. “I’m aware of his military service, he was part of something called Operation Chrysaor. Apart from that, all I can glean is that he’s a military man, a straightforward brick who follows orders but doesn’t think outside the box all that much,” she added before taking another sip, her forked tongue flicking back into her mouth. “Why do you ask?”
“No reason?” Jaculi answered before leaving the kitchen, pushing past Diesel as he entered the kitchen.
“Watch it Speed Freak!” Diesel snapped before he sat down opposite Sidewinder. “Nice gat, you packing anything else?”
“More than you could even imagine,” Sidewinder replied with a smile, one Diesel reciprocated before pulling out a pack of playing cards. “But I could be convinced to let you know a little.” She added as she slipped the ammunition clip back into her weapon.
**********
Heading down the stairs, dressed in a mustard brown flak jacket and trousers, Flag gave Tatsu a nod, the skilled swordswoman shouldering her pack and heading up towards the bedrooms. As Flag headed into the kitchen, Faust slunk up behind Katana and gently placed her hand on Tatsu’s shoulders, the swordswoman swinging round in the blink of an eye and holding the blade against the witch’s throat.
“And there it is, the Soultaker, power most ancient trapped in steel,” Fauna purred as Katana pushed the blade slightly deeper into Faust’s throat. “Such things I could release from that blade.”
“And that is why you will never get your hands on it,” Katana replied as she sheathed her blade. “And if catch you touching my sword again, then you will be one of the souls that will be trapped in its steel. Do you understand?”
“Of course, I’m not stupid, and I’m not your enemy.” Fauna purred as she tilted her head, pale pink light radiating off her eyes and lips. Blinking slightly, Tatsu began to reach out for Fauna, only for the later woman to grasp her heart and scream in pain, the sudden shift in behaviour snapping Katana out of the love charm that Fauna was beginning to lay on her.
“You know the rules Fauna, no manipulating other members of your team without my express permission,” Waller’s voice stated as the panting Fauna began to compose herself again as the cardiac arrestor in her heart deactivated.
“Next time it won’t be on the stunning setting, that warning goes for all of you,” she added as Katana headed upstairs to change into her costume, just as Unicorn emerged from the bathroom.
“Hey, Fauna,” he grunted as he pulled his long blonde hair into a ponytail. “If you want to put a love spell on someone, I’m more than happy to be in your crosshairs.”
“And there it is, the Soultaker, power most ancient trapped in steel,” Fauna purred as Katana pushed the blade slightly deeper into Faust’s throat. “Such things I could release from that blade.”
“And that is why you will never get your hands on it,” Katana replied as she sheathed her blade. “And if catch you touching my sword again, then you will be one of the souls that will be trapped in its steel. Do you understand?”
“Of course, I’m not stupid, and I’m not your enemy.” Fauna purred as she tilted her head, pale pink light radiating off her eyes and lips. Blinking slightly, Tatsu began to reach out for Fauna, only for the later woman to grasp her heart and scream in pain, the sudden shift in behaviour snapping Katana out of the love charm that Fauna was beginning to lay on her.
“You know the rules Fauna, no manipulating other members of your team without my express permission,” Waller’s voice stated as the panting Fauna began to compose herself again as the cardiac arrestor in her heart deactivated.
“Next time it won’t be on the stunning setting, that warning goes for all of you,” she added as Katana headed upstairs to change into her costume, just as Unicorn emerged from the bathroom.
“Hey, Fauna,” he grunted as he pulled his long blonde hair into a ponytail. “If you want to put a love spell on someone, I’m more than happy to be in your crosshairs.”
**********
Flag removed a bottle of still water from the fridge before turning to where Diesel, his fists balled, he swore as Sidewinder turned her cards over to reveal a pair of aces.
“Nice try,” Sidewinder purred as she drained what was left of her tea, before turning to look at Flag. “How about you Coronel, do you want to try your luck?”
“Not this time.” Flag replied as he sat down at the remaining chair around the table. “So do either of you have any ideas about improvising the plan without F.O.K?” he asked as Sidewinder shuffled the cards back into the box.
“Yeah, so this is a covert mission right, aren’t the Heralds or the Authorities going to be suspicious if only two items are missing?” Diesel asked as noticed a piece of rust on one of his fingers. “And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t want neo-Nazis with high-tech weapons if that’s what the rest of the cargo is.”
“Suddenly you’re a Patriot Asley?” Flag asked as Abyss walked through, opening the fridge before absorbing all the light the internal bulb shone on him.
“All I’m saying is that I aint a monster.” Diesel replied as F.O.K’s head breached out of Abyss’s shoulder swearing and cursing before being dragged back inside by shadowy tendrils. Turning the three seated figures looked at the figure clad in black, the star-like pinpricks of light blinking on skin.
“Did you say something Abyss?” Sidewinder asked, only for Abyss to shake his head and walk out of the room.
“I’ll check with Waller, is there anything else you two can come up with?” Flag sighed as Diesel watched the light on the fridge suddenly come back on.
“I can give you a warning Coronel,” Sidewinder whispered as Diesel got up to close the fridge door. “Jaculi was asking about you earlier. She brushed it off when I questioned her, but I feel like she has an agenda.”
“And why would I trust you?” Flag asked as the sound of laughter sounded from the adjoining lounge. “You could have an agenda too.”
“Believe me, don’t believe me, I don’t really care. But we are on the same side, I was law-enforcement with the National Police Corps before a raid of a Kobra drugs lab made me what I am today.” Sidewinder began to snarl, only for a female scream to ring out from the lounge. Jumping to his feet Flag ran into the lounge followed by Diesel and Sidewinder.
“Fauna, are you…” Flag began to say, only to stop as his eyes locked on the topless blond-haired woman wearing Unicorn’s mask, an arm covering her exposed breasts. “…Unicorn?”
“What…what did you do to me!?” the woman gasped, anger present in her voice as she advanced on Fauna, the witch supporting a massive smirk on her face.
“You wanted to be more my type, now you are.” Fauna purred as she stroked Unicorn across her chest above her breasts. “And I must say you are beautiful, even if you are just a brainless thug,” she added as Unicorn shuddered at her touch.
“Enough Fauna, turn Unicorn back, we need his strength if we’re going to pull this off successfully,” Flag snapped as he pulled his weapon on Fauna, only for the handgun to collapse into thick foam that sloshed across his fingerless gloves onto the floor.
“Why? Hasn’t she always been like this?” Fauna asked as Jaculi wandered into the room with a pair of sparkling water bottles.
“No, she was a man just over a minute ago!” Flag answered as Jaculi walked past him.
“Keep yourself hydrated Staci,” Jaculi stated as she handed Unicorn one of the bottles of water. “What, did I say something wrong?” She asked in a confused voice as she headed over to where her quiver of javelins was laying.
“Waller, we need advisement on Unicorn, we’re having a few issues with his…her current predicament?” Flag called as Katana, dressed in a dark red cuirass, pauldrons and greaves over a grey bodysuit, her face covered in a white half-mask emerged from one of the upstairs bedrooms.
“Staci Benson is a super-strong thug from Gotham that goes by the codename Unicorn.” Waller announced over the headset. “What issues are you having with her?” she asked as Flag looked Unicorn up and down at the woman she had become.
“I’m not quite sure, I…we,” Flag stated as he looked up at Katana, “can handle this.” He added as Katana removed a silver cuirass from her back and handed it to Unicorn.
“This got packed with my equipment,” Katana told Staci before shooting a look at Fauna, her hand gripping the hilt of her Soultaker blade a little tighter. Looking at the cuirass, Unicorn stormed out of the lounge up the stairs, her smaller body shivering with rage.
“But Fabio was a man right?” Diesel asked cautiously as he watched the woman head upstairs.
“Was it the right word,” Sidewinder told him as Flag shook his head before looking out to the train tracks that ran past the safehouse.
“Is there anything else that we need to know?” Flag asked as Fauna reclined on one of the sofas that were present within the lounge.
“If the Djinn or the Dybbuk or both are released or restrained there may be a mystical cascade,” Fauna stated as she summoned up a mist that swirled around her before forming into a tunnel with rail tracks heading inside.
“This region has had a mystical cascade occur before back in 1911, a luxury train entered a tunnel thirty miles north of here and vanished in a thick milky white fog.”
“Vanished, do you mean crashed?” Jaculi asked as she removed a small whetstone from her quiver and began sharpening the copper broad-heads of her weapons.
“No, I mean vanished, never to be seen again.” Fauna replied as she collapsed the mist back in on itself. “If it helps the 104 passengers turned up in Mexico City,” she added with a pregnant pause, “in 1845 after being sighted in Ukraine in 1955.”
“So…time travel?” Sidewinder gulped as Diesel started counting on his fingers. “So, if we have a cascade, we could be lost in time.”
“Space too,” Fauna reminded her as Unicorn peaked her head out of the upstairs room. “And that was a natural release of built-up magics, it could be worse with the influence of either the Djinn or Dybukk.”
“Wait they travelled back in time sixty-six years?” Diesel exploded as he finished calculating the gap in time that the passengers had been displaced just as Unicorn walked down her head hung low as if she was trying to avoid attention.
“Then we need to make sure the Heralds don’t release either of them,” Katana stated as she shot a withering look at Fauna. “Even without F.O.K, we still have the power to retrieve the Djinn Bottle and the Dybukk Box if things go right.”
“Nice try,” Sidewinder purred as she drained what was left of her tea, before turning to look at Flag. “How about you Coronel, do you want to try your luck?”
“Not this time.” Flag replied as he sat down at the remaining chair around the table. “So do either of you have any ideas about improvising the plan without F.O.K?” he asked as Sidewinder shuffled the cards back into the box.
“Yeah, so this is a covert mission right, aren’t the Heralds or the Authorities going to be suspicious if only two items are missing?” Diesel asked as noticed a piece of rust on one of his fingers. “And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who doesn’t want neo-Nazis with high-tech weapons if that’s what the rest of the cargo is.”
“Suddenly you’re a Patriot Asley?” Flag asked as Abyss walked through, opening the fridge before absorbing all the light the internal bulb shone on him.
“All I’m saying is that I aint a monster.” Diesel replied as F.O.K’s head breached out of Abyss’s shoulder swearing and cursing before being dragged back inside by shadowy tendrils. Turning the three seated figures looked at the figure clad in black, the star-like pinpricks of light blinking on skin.
“Did you say something Abyss?” Sidewinder asked, only for Abyss to shake his head and walk out of the room.
“I’ll check with Waller, is there anything else you two can come up with?” Flag sighed as Diesel watched the light on the fridge suddenly come back on.
“I can give you a warning Coronel,” Sidewinder whispered as Diesel got up to close the fridge door. “Jaculi was asking about you earlier. She brushed it off when I questioned her, but I feel like she has an agenda.”
“And why would I trust you?” Flag asked as the sound of laughter sounded from the adjoining lounge. “You could have an agenda too.”
“Believe me, don’t believe me, I don’t really care. But we are on the same side, I was law-enforcement with the National Police Corps before a raid of a Kobra drugs lab made me what I am today.” Sidewinder began to snarl, only for a female scream to ring out from the lounge. Jumping to his feet Flag ran into the lounge followed by Diesel and Sidewinder.
“Fauna, are you…” Flag began to say, only to stop as his eyes locked on the topless blond-haired woman wearing Unicorn’s mask, an arm covering her exposed breasts. “…Unicorn?”
“What…what did you do to me!?” the woman gasped, anger present in her voice as she advanced on Fauna, the witch supporting a massive smirk on her face.
“You wanted to be more my type, now you are.” Fauna purred as she stroked Unicorn across her chest above her breasts. “And I must say you are beautiful, even if you are just a brainless thug,” she added as Unicorn shuddered at her touch.
“Enough Fauna, turn Unicorn back, we need his strength if we’re going to pull this off successfully,” Flag snapped as he pulled his weapon on Fauna, only for the handgun to collapse into thick foam that sloshed across his fingerless gloves onto the floor.
“Why? Hasn’t she always been like this?” Fauna asked as Jaculi wandered into the room with a pair of sparkling water bottles.
“No, she was a man just over a minute ago!” Flag answered as Jaculi walked past him.
“Keep yourself hydrated Staci,” Jaculi stated as she handed Unicorn one of the bottles of water. “What, did I say something wrong?” She asked in a confused voice as she headed over to where her quiver of javelins was laying.
“Waller, we need advisement on Unicorn, we’re having a few issues with his…her current predicament?” Flag called as Katana, dressed in a dark red cuirass, pauldrons and greaves over a grey bodysuit, her face covered in a white half-mask emerged from one of the upstairs bedrooms.
“Staci Benson is a super-strong thug from Gotham that goes by the codename Unicorn.” Waller announced over the headset. “What issues are you having with her?” she asked as Flag looked Unicorn up and down at the woman she had become.
“I’m not quite sure, I…we,” Flag stated as he looked up at Katana, “can handle this.” He added as Katana removed a silver cuirass from her back and handed it to Unicorn.
“This got packed with my equipment,” Katana told Staci before shooting a look at Fauna, her hand gripping the hilt of her Soultaker blade a little tighter. Looking at the cuirass, Unicorn stormed out of the lounge up the stairs, her smaller body shivering with rage.
“But Fabio was a man right?” Diesel asked cautiously as he watched the woman head upstairs.
“Was it the right word,” Sidewinder told him as Flag shook his head before looking out to the train tracks that ran past the safehouse.
“Is there anything else that we need to know?” Flag asked as Fauna reclined on one of the sofas that were present within the lounge.
“If the Djinn or the Dybbuk or both are released or restrained there may be a mystical cascade,” Fauna stated as she summoned up a mist that swirled around her before forming into a tunnel with rail tracks heading inside.
“This region has had a mystical cascade occur before back in 1911, a luxury train entered a tunnel thirty miles north of here and vanished in a thick milky white fog.”
“Vanished, do you mean crashed?” Jaculi asked as she removed a small whetstone from her quiver and began sharpening the copper broad-heads of her weapons.
“No, I mean vanished, never to be seen again.” Fauna replied as she collapsed the mist back in on itself. “If it helps the 104 passengers turned up in Mexico City,” she added with a pregnant pause, “in 1845 after being sighted in Ukraine in 1955.”
“So…time travel?” Sidewinder gulped as Diesel started counting on his fingers. “So, if we have a cascade, we could be lost in time.”
“Space too,” Fauna reminded her as Unicorn peaked her head out of the upstairs room. “And that was a natural release of built-up magics, it could be worse with the influence of either the Djinn or Dybukk.”
“Wait they travelled back in time sixty-six years?” Diesel exploded as he finished calculating the gap in time that the passengers had been displaced just as Unicorn walked down her head hung low as if she was trying to avoid attention.
“Then we need to make sure the Heralds don’t release either of them,” Katana stated as she shot a withering look at Fauna. “Even without F.O.K, we still have the power to retrieve the Djinn Bottle and the Dybukk Box if things go right.”
**********
Jaculi threw one of her javelins at the fence post, the projectile embedding in the wooden structure just as Flag emerged from the house. Walking over to the post she pulled the javelin out and inspected the spear point of the weapon.
“Razid Armidi was a person I respected,” Flag stated as Jaculi walked back to her quiver and replaced her projectile. “Sidewinder talked, but when I heard you were using his code name, I figured you had some kind of connection to him.”
“My name is Aadila Armidi, Razid was my brother,” Jaculi stated as she removed a case filled with replacement javelin heads. “I know what you did,” she stated bitterly as she removed five of the javelin points. “An inquest in Qurac revealed that you crippled him, threw him into a minefield and shot at him as he tried to escape.”
“Is that what the Quraqi People’s Democratic Council told you about me,” Flag sighed as Jaculi flung all five javelin heads into the fence-post, each one biting into the wooden structure. “I didn’t kill Razid, he even saved my life during a bombing raid.”
“Why should I believe you?” Jaculi asked as she walked over to the post. “All Americans do is lie. My home burnt around me because of an American lie that led your people into my country! People like you murdered innocents in the street!” she snapped as she spun around to see Flag towering over her.
“You’re a patriot I get it. And I know you won’t believe me regardless of what I say about Qurac,” Flag told her, his eyes fixed not on the spear point clutched in Jaculi’s hand, but the rage blazing in her eyes. “But know this, you do your job and we’re fine, hell I’ll bend over backward to get you or anyone else out of a firefight if they followed orders. But if you disobey, know that Waller will be watching, and she doesn’t need a reason to end your life beyond looking at her cock-eyed. Do you understand?”
“I was a soldier, I understand,” Jaculi replied bitterly. “If my brother did save your life, don’t expect me to emulate his actions,” she added before darting back inside leaving Flag alone outside.
“Razid Armidi was a person I respected,” Flag stated as Jaculi walked back to her quiver and replaced her projectile. “Sidewinder talked, but when I heard you were using his code name, I figured you had some kind of connection to him.”
“My name is Aadila Armidi, Razid was my brother,” Jaculi stated as she removed a case filled with replacement javelin heads. “I know what you did,” she stated bitterly as she removed five of the javelin points. “An inquest in Qurac revealed that you crippled him, threw him into a minefield and shot at him as he tried to escape.”
“Is that what the Quraqi People’s Democratic Council told you about me,” Flag sighed as Jaculi flung all five javelin heads into the fence-post, each one biting into the wooden structure. “I didn’t kill Razid, he even saved my life during a bombing raid.”
“Why should I believe you?” Jaculi asked as she walked over to the post. “All Americans do is lie. My home burnt around me because of an American lie that led your people into my country! People like you murdered innocents in the street!” she snapped as she spun around to see Flag towering over her.
“You’re a patriot I get it. And I know you won’t believe me regardless of what I say about Qurac,” Flag told her, his eyes fixed not on the spear point clutched in Jaculi’s hand, but the rage blazing in her eyes. “But know this, you do your job and we’re fine, hell I’ll bend over backward to get you or anyone else out of a firefight if they followed orders. But if you disobey, know that Waller will be watching, and she doesn’t need a reason to end your life beyond looking at her cock-eyed. Do you understand?”
“I was a soldier, I understand,” Jaculi replied bitterly. “If my brother did save your life, don’t expect me to emulate his actions,” she added before darting back inside leaving Flag alone outside.
**********
The sun began to set over the western edge of Legnano as the train requisitioned by the Heralds of the Fourth Reich moved onto the slower track to allow the commuter train to pass. Even at a slower pace, the train was still cutting through the Italian countryside at seventy miles per hour. Dashing alongside the train Jaculi moved up to the head of the train, before falling back for a few seconds and then picking up speed again, finally leaping onto the footplate of the train.
”I’m on board,” Jaculi whispered as she clipped a carabiner onto the guide rails of the footplate before moving up to the door and the electronic keypad that controlled the deadbolt to the engine room. Removing one of her javelins Jaculi tapped on the door with the butt of her weapon, the door sliding open and a man dressed in the uniform of a railway engineer emerged.
“Who the fuck,” he swore, only to be slammed with the butt of the spear before he could finish his warning.
Darting into the engine room Jaculi raced towards the driver, his hand reaching for his sidearm a little too late as the javelin slammed through his chest.
“Engine room secured,” Jaculi stated as she kicked the dropped sidearm away and pulled the unconscious engineer inside before closing the door. “Get ready to board,” she added before pulling the emergency brake down, the sound of screaming wheels joined by the yells of the train passengers.
“Okay, people move like you have a purpose!” Flag ordered as the train began to slowly pass the Suicide Squad’s hiding place. As the team rushed the train, a figure dressed in grey urban camouflage fatigues emerged from one of the cars, an assault rifle slung over his shoulder.
“Sidewinder, take the shot,” Flag whispered as Sidewinder stopped and fired a burst of gunfire that ripped through the guard. As the guard collapsed Diesel leaped onto the footplate and smashed through the carriage door, the occupants opening fire almost immediately.
“Other end let’s go,” Flag ordered as the train came to a stop, the sound of gunfire ricocheting off Diesel’s metal skin radiating around the carriages. Leaping onto the footplate, Flag watched as the remaining members of the Squad joined him on the two connected footplates. “Fauna where are the Heralds storing the relics?”
“Three cars down,” Fauna stated as Katana and Sidewinder climbed onto the roof of the carriage and began to head towards the reliquary car.
“Then let’s clear a path,” Flag stated as Unicorn kicked the door to the carriage in before stepping back as Abyss walked in, the sounds of gunfire quickly replaced by screaming and then silence. Walking inside, the Squad balked as they found stretched fragments of light, screaming faces of the Heralds who had been inside visible in some of the beams.
“What the fuck.” Unicorn gasped as she touched one of the beams before it liquified into a stinking black slurry.
“Focus on the mission Unicorn,” Flag stated as the door on the opposite end of the carriage was kicked open and a flashbang grenade was rolled into the room, detonating in a cacophony of sound and an accompanying flash of light. Backlit by the illumination, figures dressed in grey power armor armed with machine guns ran in opening fire, forcing the Squad to duck behind the metal crates in the carriage.
“You made a mistake coming here robbers!” One of the heralds boomed as he removed a spear tipped with a golden eagle. “The Fourth Reich rises, here and now!” “The Fourth Reich rises, here and now!”
To Be Continued…
”I’m on board,” Jaculi whispered as she clipped a carabiner onto the guide rails of the footplate before moving up to the door and the electronic keypad that controlled the deadbolt to the engine room. Removing one of her javelins Jaculi tapped on the door with the butt of her weapon, the door sliding open and a man dressed in the uniform of a railway engineer emerged.
“Who the fuck,” he swore, only to be slammed with the butt of the spear before he could finish his warning.
Darting into the engine room Jaculi raced towards the driver, his hand reaching for his sidearm a little too late as the javelin slammed through his chest.
“Engine room secured,” Jaculi stated as she kicked the dropped sidearm away and pulled the unconscious engineer inside before closing the door. “Get ready to board,” she added before pulling the emergency brake down, the sound of screaming wheels joined by the yells of the train passengers.
“Okay, people move like you have a purpose!” Flag ordered as the train began to slowly pass the Suicide Squad’s hiding place. As the team rushed the train, a figure dressed in grey urban camouflage fatigues emerged from one of the cars, an assault rifle slung over his shoulder.
“Sidewinder, take the shot,” Flag whispered as Sidewinder stopped and fired a burst of gunfire that ripped through the guard. As the guard collapsed Diesel leaped onto the footplate and smashed through the carriage door, the occupants opening fire almost immediately.
“Other end let’s go,” Flag ordered as the train came to a stop, the sound of gunfire ricocheting off Diesel’s metal skin radiating around the carriages. Leaping onto the footplate, Flag watched as the remaining members of the Squad joined him on the two connected footplates. “Fauna where are the Heralds storing the relics?”
“Three cars down,” Fauna stated as Katana and Sidewinder climbed onto the roof of the carriage and began to head towards the reliquary car.
“Then let’s clear a path,” Flag stated as Unicorn kicked the door to the carriage in before stepping back as Abyss walked in, the sounds of gunfire quickly replaced by screaming and then silence. Walking inside, the Squad balked as they found stretched fragments of light, screaming faces of the Heralds who had been inside visible in some of the beams.
“What the fuck.” Unicorn gasped as she touched one of the beams before it liquified into a stinking black slurry.
“Focus on the mission Unicorn,” Flag stated as the door on the opposite end of the carriage was kicked open and a flashbang grenade was rolled into the room, detonating in a cacophony of sound and an accompanying flash of light. Backlit by the illumination, figures dressed in grey power armor armed with machine guns ran in opening fire, forcing the Squad to duck behind the metal crates in the carriage.
“You made a mistake coming here robbers!” One of the heralds boomed as he removed a spear tipped with a golden eagle. “The Fourth Reich rises, here and now!” “The Fourth Reich rises, here and now!”
To Be Continued…