Undercover Ops Ch. 13

Undercover Ops: Ch. 13

Cassidy remained in a foul mood, despite hearing Wolf's ecstatic voice after too long out of touch. The news was greeted enthusiastically, even though she had no concrete proof. With her newly acquired holocam jury-rigged to her e-pad, the group had been able to holo-conference while they formulated their plans. The plan was a simple assault with one exception. There was no way to get a vehicle into the compound. Both Wolf and Silvie confirmed the disturbing news. The main gates were too heavily reinforced for either a vehicle to crash through or demolitions charge to damage sufficiently. Given time, Silvie would be able to set enough charges, on the inside, to permit access but she would require virtually the entire team to cover her. With Wolf waiting beyond the walls, in the transport, and Darien sniping from one of the burned out buildings, that would leave Jackson and Cassidy to perform the double duty of protecting Silvie and rescuing the women. Considering the opposition one of the two was highly likely to fail.

Wolf suggested a plan that appeared absurd at first. He noticed from her recording that the gates were only reinforced against the heaviest impacts from the outside. Where it would require a series of demolitions charges, a single armored and reinforced truck, like the one they intended to use anyway, would crash through with little hindrance. He received blank stares until he explained he could get the truck inside the compound regardless of the gates. He refused to explain any more, simply insisted they plan to have the truck inside the compound. Jackson, seeing Wolf in a better mood than he had for more than a week, shrugged and conceded.

"Let the driver have his fun, 'for now'!"

The only other suspicious part of the plan was when he insisted Darien would be part of the insertion team rather than sniping. Cassidy began to understand some of his reasoning and quickly supported him. She explained a sniper would be of little use when they entered the building, especially if it turned out to be the subterranean complex she suspected.

Whatever his reasons, Wolf would not enter the compound with the rest of the team and Darien would drive the truck. If the plan was important enough that Wolf willingly kept himself from being among the first to see and rescue Shade, then it was worth Cassidy's support. She knew how badly he wanted to be the white knight who charged in on the white horse to rescue his princess.

Cassidy leaned back in the driver's seat of her new car. The monstrosity was so conspicuous she remained parked in an alley, blocks from the Altani estate, as she waited for the signal the others were ready. Out of spite for the new Patriarch of the Zuntri family Cassidy had failed to choose one of the flashy sports cars, or even the fully equipped reconnaissance van, when she selected her 'recompense'. Instead she pointed to the car parked a short way from the gate, that silently waited for any family member in need of its services. Dimitri looked at it before turning back to her, laughing. He gave a deep bow to say 'well played' and instructed his servants to load the armored stretch limousine with all of the clothes she had been given over the past week. However, the approving look from Jester's, now expressive, face was somehow the greatest triumph.

It was almost time, the team should already be in the Barrens and headed in fast. In truth, the team was primarily a distraction during the first part of the operation, while Cassidy snuck into the building for a preliminary inspection and to round up the captured Ops. Once they were ready to move out, Cassidy would signal the team who would pour on additional pressure. They would take special care to eliminate any heavy weapons, which could damage the armored vehicle, and bring the truck in for the pickup.

Thirteen rescued people, and two Ops, would be cramped in the back of the truck so Cassidy opted to escape via her own transportation as soon as she knew the team was safe. She chuckled at the thought of driving off in the limo and quickly decided to stage a meeting point a few blocks after the escape in order to transfer as many people as possible to the luxurious comfort of her own transport.

Cassidy left the car, secured with its new code, and trotted out of the alley and across the streets until the compound was in sight. She moved towards the estate from the direction of the Heights, knowing the Silent Skills would attempt to breach as close to the main gate as possible. She looked down at her outfit. She still wore the clothes she had when she scouted earlier; flare khakis and the unusual white shirt. She'd never been on a mission wearing such visible colors before. Then again, she'd never been on a mission without at least some armor protection either. This whole situation, from start to finish, remained a single uninterrupted novelty. One she hoped never to repeat again.

Her comlink clicked twice, paused five seconds then clicked twice again. She liberated it, along with a machine gun, a pistol and every available clip, from Pavel's guards as 'spoils of combat'. If she was doing him an inadvertent favor the least he could do would be to supply her equipment, especially after they attempted to kill her. Her arms coiled, struck the ground with the force of a jackhammer and threw her into the air. She landed smoothly on top of the wide wall, arms outstretched for balance before she brought them onto the wall. She crouched and waited for the team. She was exposed, up there, but the double click signal meant they were only a few blocks away and incoming.

She watched, curious of Wolf's plan. Already, there was a commotion on the far side of the compound. The incoming team had been spotted, though the guards seemed relatively unconcerned, for the moment, trusting their fortifications. Cassidy hurriedly brought out the recorder, set the eyepiece on, and kicked in the full zoom feature for a better look at what caused such consternation among the guards.

Five blocks away, closing fast, was a full-sized auto transport truck. A quick glance further back, possible only from her higher perspective, raced the anticipated grey, armored, assault truck. At that moment the simplicity of Wolf's plan astounded her, unfortunately she doubted that Darien was skilled enough to be able to pull it off. She glanced back at the growing image of the first truck and gasped at the sight. Not only was Wolf driving the big truck but the display and transmitter nestled onto the dash proved he simultaneously drove the second vehicle as well. If it would have required more skill than Darien was capable of, to drive either of the vehicles for the preposterous plan, then Wolf driving both would either prove a complete disaster or qualify him as the single best driver the world had known.

As Cassidy began to record and watched the two trucks barreled towards the nearly indestructible wall. The unseen second vehicle began to distance itself slightly even as she watched. At two blocks the Altani security force's confidence in their defense began to wane as the truck failed to slow. Cassidy was sure there was no way he would be able to stop in time to avoid the wall but continued to watch in horror as the determination showed on his face.

Suddenly, just past one block away, the breaks caught and she realized, with her final calculations, that he would stop within inches of the wall. Moments later the second truck passed the one block mark and Wolf keyed in a remote control to floor the gas. As one truck slowed and the other raced faster the distance between the two closed alarmingly quickly. The timing was perfect. Just as the car transport stopped the armored truck hit the bottom of the dropped ramp, to vault the heavy vehicle up and over the compound wall.

Wolf's reaction was lost behind the solid wall but Cassidy had to resist the urge to shout with joy as a witness to such a spectacular sight. She rushed forward and leapt off the wall, to make her own dash across the compound even as the truck crashed onto all four wheels on the soft ground of the tailored yard. Gunfire began to sound in the distance as security slowly overcame its collective shock and awe, and began to react to the obvious threat. The truck spun around, wheels kicked up dirt and grass, to head in the opposite direction from the true target.

Cassidy slowed her run, she stuck to the shade of the scattered trees for concealment as she began to assess the situation. The Altani overseers began to join their comrades and rushed to pour completely futile medium arms fire into the heavily armored sides of the truck. She wanted to laugh, while a missile might knock the truck from its wheels even that would not be able to penetrate the team's security. As a distraction the truck proved incredible, however Cassidy realized they would have great difficulty clearing out enough people to exit the truck. While they were safe, for the moment, more and more security surrounded the vehicle and pinned down her reinforcements. Worse still, the professionals hired to protect the unusual brothel refused to leave their charge.

The plan was rapidly falling apart. Cassidy cursed the fact that they'd neglected, in their haste, to bring in any of the other teams whose members were also trapped within. A three, or even four, pronged attack would have been able to reduce the structured security to utter chaos in moments. She needed to think of something quickly or the opposition would quickly realize the truck remained contained, so long as they simply posted a dozen or so guards on it at all times. She struck a nearby tree in frustration only to have it crack loudly in response to her regained strength. She looked at her hand in horror, aware that the sound would alert security to her presence.

Naked flesh still pressed against the dented and cracked bark. For a moment she stood and stared at the unfamiliar sight before remembering her unusual outfit. Her eyes widened as the absurd plan began to unfold in her mind. Even before she became fully aware of it, she was moved boldly forward, directly toward her target building, not bothering with concealment. The professionally trained men noted her approach with caution but little concern. Before she closed to within twenty feet of the nearest she called out to them, attracting even more attention.

"Mr. Altani sent me to check on them."

She emphasized the last word as derisively as possible, assuming at least some of the employees felt threatened by the strange business.

The guards looked her over thoroughly. They noted the weapons, tucked into her belt and that dangled from her shoulder. While she was clearly dangerous she looked nothing like what corporate security, or life on the streets, training designated as a 'hostile'. Dressed casually, if enticingly, and loaded down with weapons, the confused men came to the very conclusion Cassidy hoped they would. She was a very highly placed security officer or perhaps even a member of the family, armed when the disturbance arose. In either case they may very well never have seen her if her typical assignment related to the more sensitive zones of the house proper. They simply let her through, recognizing that, even if they were wrong, there was little a lone woman could do inside the secure building since she clearly carried no explosives.

As she passed through the door she simply nodded at the weapon barrels that pointed menacingly in her direction. The guns dropped to their sides as guards came to attention. She nodded once more, kept her expression firm despite the growing urge to burst out laughing at the ridiculous lengths the bluff could be carried to. She looked around quickly, memorizing the layout as she appeared to assess everyone's status. The entire ground floor was designed as a very comfortable waiting room where clients and family alike could gather. Currently the only occupants were the handful of secondary guards who had sprung to their feet, from plush furniture, the moment the door opened. She smiled seriously and nodded a final time, apparently approving of their vigilance in light of the strange noises and reports from inside the compound, before she turned towards the elevator along the back wall.

As she strode in, she casually pushed a button near the bottom without looking at it. She stood, the epitome of boredom, for a moment as the door slowly slid closed. She didn't relax until she felt the small room pulse with movement. She looked to discover the button she had pushed. Out of the four available, the top was labeled "G" and the other three were labeled typically with the lowest number on bottom. She'd pushed the second floor button and shrugged. She supposed it no worse than any other choice. Without another means of escape, she could effectively seal off each floor by simply holding the elevator doors open. She pulled out the pistol she waited for the doors to open.

The soft "ding" echoed loudly in her ears as she tensed, prepared to dodge at the slightest sign of attack. The doors slid open to reveal an empty, very utilitarian, hallway. She began to get nervous. She didn't expect the industrial veneer in a place designed to cater to the fantasies of the rich and powerful. There were a number of metal doors that lined the walls but little else.

Cassidy felt compelled to confront her fears at the first door she came to. She swung it quickly open to find the room devoid of occupants. As the scene before her unfolded her breath caught as a sigh of relief warred with a gasp of horror. The walls were lined with a mixture of restraints and devices designed for all forms of minor torture or sexual domination. Rage boiled within her to discover such damning evidence that every fear had been confirmed.

She left the room without another glance. Hard eyes swept the hallway, in search of any indication which doors were currently in use, and which weren't. In the sterile environment it was impossible to tell without a comprehensive search. Although every minute of delay gave the Altani additional time to call in support Cassidy felt no rush. Her friends, acting as a distraction, would remain perfectly safe unless they attempted to exit the vehicle, which Jackson would not permit. Meanwhile the more thorough she was, the better the chances of reaching out to the women who were truly broken, after they were free. She quickly searched the next two rooms on the same side of the hall to reveal much of the same, both empty save for the equipment.

As with all but the first door, she put her ear to the one at the end of the hall. Finally she heard a very faint noise. Given the thickness and design of the heavy metal doors the noise within would be much greater. Een her machine gun would not be heard from one room to the next, if the doors were closed. Pistol ready, she reached for the latch and threw the door open.

Hanging in the center of the room naked, held aloft by thick manacles, was a naked woman. With her head slumped forward, Cassidy couldn't tell if her will had been broken or her body had passed into unconsciousness. She instantly recognized the woman from the files the Owners provided. This was Petra Destiny, one of the more experienced combat Ops. and missing for three weeks now.

A man stood behind her, with one arm wrapped roughly around her chest, and naked from the waist down. His other hand held a cattle prod. A quick inspection revealed uncounted fresh pink marks across her body where he used the device. Cassidy flinched slightly as she entered the room. She noticed, in particular, the concentration of marks that surrounded the woman's most tender regions.

The man stood in shock, stared without comprehension at the vision of rage that flowed into the room. Even as the door closed behind her the pistol raised parallel to the floor. Instinctively the man released Petra and tried to back away only to be stopped as her muscles clutched at his stiff length. His eyes widened the moment he stared down the length of the gun, directly into fiery green eyes. For an instant his mouth worked to form words, even as his bowels released in terror. The moment was shattered by the bark of vengeance. The pistol returned to her side slowly while the body collapsed. It hung for a second before it finally pulled free of the helpless woman.

Cassidy tucked the gun back into the holster in her belt before she hurried over to Petra. She took the woman's weight easily on one arm while the other reached up to rip the chain from the ceiling. She moved the unconscious woman into a corner to rest against the wall. The remaining chain broke away from the metal cuffs, which fell away once they lacked the cohesive links. As she stood, the woman instinctively curled into a ball in a feeble attempt to protect herself. Cassidy turned, more determined than ever, and left the room.

For the moment there was nothing she could do to help the woman. To drag her through the rest of the complex risked hurting her and would slow Cassidy should a fight ensue. Better to leave her comfortable in the room and come back to retrieve her later when others among the rescued could help.

The next door likewise revealed a noise. Adrenalin and anger mingled within her as she tossed the door open. It bounced noisily against the wall and flew shut again as Cassidy threw herself inside. Two bullets found the face of the naked man even as his head swung to investigate the noise. As he slumped over the woman, a driver and the second most recent captive, her soft whimpers shifted to screams of terror. With two strides Cassidy was there, tossed the man roughly away before she realized what the action would do to the woman he had sheathed himself in.

Steph "Racer" had been bound into a position where her back and neck bent forward, connected by a short length of rope to a metal bar designed to spread her knees wide. The simple series of bindings placed her on her knees, legs spread wide, with her forehead touching the floor. Cassidy quickly removed the rope that held her hands behind her back before she freed her neck and finally her legs. The woman turned to wrap Cassidy in an embrace as her screams turned to sobs. Cassidy held her, and rocked back and forth as long as the woman clutched and cried. She soothed the woman's hair and murmured encouragements to help the woman calm.

All too slowly, minutes or more later, the halting breath evened out. Cassidy sensed there may be enough sense returned to her to understand and respond.

"I need to go in search of the others. You know there are others here don't you?"

The driver nodded weakly. "Sometimes they opened all of the doors so we could hear each other screaming."

Cassidy's rage returned, flooded through her with renewed vigor.

"There's an unconscious woman in the next cell over. Her name's Petra. She needs someone to keep an eye on her and help her if she wakes up. Can you do that for me?"

She knew she spoke as if the woman in her arms was a child but she had little experience with torture victims and wasn't sure how sensible the woman was. Fortunately she nodded weakly, brushed away a few remaining tears before she accepted Cassidy's help to stand up.

Cassidy put her ear to the next door, and heard nothing, as Steph slipped into the room at the end of the hall. Once more she threw the door open and threw herself into the room. Hanging naked in the center of the room, in a similar fashion as Petra, was a missing Op. Cassidy looked around the room in confusion for a moment, in search of her tormentor, before the horrifying realization dawned. When the women weren't being abused, they were left to hang uncomfortably as a constant reminder of their nonexistent status. Rage grew with each passing minute, Cassidy strode over and ripped the chains apart, careful not to hurt the victim any further.

The woman woke with a start as Cassidy began to move her. She struggled so fiercely Cassidy let her go and backed off. She held empty hands forward, and slightly to the side, palms spread.

"Hold. I'm an Op.! I'm one of two teams that has come to free you from this nightmare!"

The instinctive terminology, referring to herself as the entirety of a team, confused the unknown woman into coherence.

"You are one of two teams?"

"Sorry, I'm Cassidy. I usually work alone so my terminology gets confused when working with a team. Anyway the Owners asked me to look into your disappearances so I teamed up with one of the affected teams once I found you."

It was a partial truth, but telling the woman that her rescue was incidental to the freedom of her friend wouldn't help the situation and wasn't fundamentally true anyway.

"The Cassidy?" She nodded. "I'm Terry Castaline. Demolitions. They kidnaped me a few days ago." She paused unable to meet the 'legend's' eyes. "They've done some things to me. And they were going to do worse. They told me exactly what would happen, and further, what they would do if I struggled." Her head snapped up, eyes ablaze with an anger that dwarfed Cassidy's. "I will make them pay!" The simple whisper sent chills up her spine.

Cassidy slowly handed the machine gun over to the woman. "For now I need you to keep an eye on the two women in the room at the end of the hall. I may need that back later, depending on the condition of the sniper they captured."

The woman nodded and headed to the end of the hall to introduce herself to the other two. Cassidy was glad she had understood about the gun. Some IOs could not handle admitting others were better then they were.

She moved to the next, and final, room. Once again there was no noise but that meant nothing. As she opened the door she saw the woman trussed into the fetal position on her side in a corner. She was struggled against the bonds, her attempts at speech stifled by a ball gag crudely shoved into her mouth. Cassidy went on guard the moment she witnessed the sight as she moved into the room.

Motion sprang to life in her peripheral vision. The pistol swung towards the action a moment too late. Even as her eyes shifted focus to the threat, a heavy weight crashed down on her pistol. Sharp pain knocked it from her grip. Cassidy swore as the man in a suit came into clear focus. His arms pulled back. He held a paddle in a two handed grip. The pained fist flashed forward with a weak rabbit punch that nevertheless staggered the man, threw him off balance and destroyed the incoming attack. Before the man could right himself, her other hand sped forward to grab the weapon. It tore easily from his grasp. Without even adjusting her grip, she swung. The heavy handle collided with the man's jaw, snapping his head around to collide with the wall and dropping him on the spot.

Cassidy crouched down to check his neck. Although his head canted awkwardly to one side it wasn't broken. A quick shift of her fingers confirmed a solid, if erratic, pulse. As she moved over to the woman, she scooped up the pistol and returned it to the belt holster.

I really need to talk to Shade and Max about adjusting the pain settings on these arms. I shouldn't have lost the gun!

The woman, a combat Op. nicknamed 'Pacemaker', for her affinity for perfect bull's-eyes through opponent's hearts, quieted the moment the brief fight began. Obviously, the commotion had been designed to warn her of the trap. Unfortunately, as often happened in such situations, it provided more of a distraction than assistance. Cassidy shook her head at the irony as she removed the gag.

"I'm sorry Cassidy. I was trying to warn you but..."

"It's okay Pace. I appreciate the attempt. I knew something was up, but he still got the drop on me." She crouched down and began untying the bonds one at a time. "He's still alive. What should we do with him?"

Pacemaker rubbed her wrists, to work the blood back into sore limbs. "Do you really want to leave that up to me?" Cassidy nodded emphatically. "I say we string him up to the damn thing by his balls and roast him with that!"

She nodded towards a voltage meter set into the wall attached to two wires with alligator clips on the ends. Cassidy shuddered at the thought of what it had been used for and refused that aspect of the plan. However, as they could not leave him free, potentially to awaken, while they made their escape, she did bind his hands and feet and leave him hanging in the same position she had discovered the two women in. Pacemaker glared at the man, cocked her arm back and slammed him in the stomach before she nodded and left with the 'rescue party'.

The two made their way to the room at the end of the hall. Cassidy made brief introductions all around before she focused on the two who seemed the most capable of fighting.

"I think one of you should stay here with the gun in case they send people down the shaft. The other can either stay here and help make sure those two are okay or come with me in case there are more of the bastards around."

Pacemaker snorted a laugh. "Cassidy, I've seen you fight. If there were a dozen guards you wouldn't need a hand taking care of them. But I certainly want to go. I saw some of the other girls they broke. You will need a hand convincing them this really is freedom and not another deception."

Cassidy cringed at the news. "Pace, did you see Shade? How is she?"

"She broke quickly. I heard some of the others grumble that she sold out and I can't say I blame them!" She stopped seeing the glare on Cassidy's face.

"Ask me sometime what I went through to find you ladies, before you start talking about holding onto your pride."

The other two woman turned away from the conversation, uncomfortable with the path it followed. Pacemaker tried to meet her eyes before finally looking down.

"You could have saved yourself a lot of pain and extra humiliation if you'd followed Shade's example. I'm even willing to bet she's well on her way to an escape plan because they assume she's cowed and won't try anything." An arm waved to indicate the body on the floor. "They may be vicious but their operational security sucks."

Cassidy softened her expression. She drew the pistol and placed the grip in the woman's hand as a peace offering.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how hard it's been for you. Undoubtedly you've been through far worse than I have, for far longer. I just don't want you to forget that some people rightly value survival over pride, or even honor. I intend to get everyone out of here."

"There's twelve of us left. I don't know where they were taken, beyond the elevator. We all woke up in these rooms and those of us who hadn't broken were left here until we did."

"Twelve? What happened to the other two?"

"To be honest I'm not positive that the other eight are all alive still. All I know was that they were when they left here."

She paused once more unable to meet Cassidy's eyes.

"Bethany and 'Lysa are both dead. Beth was killed as an example to break some new Op. they pulled in early on. It was before I got here. 'Lysa they brought into the hallway there," pointing near the elevator, "and shot her while all the doors were open and rooms were full. They say she tried to escape. Being on the end I had the privilege of seeing the whole thing."

Steph looked up from where she cradled the unconscious woman and nodded. "It was one of my first days here. They dragged her body from room to room, making sure everyone saw. They worked us extra hard right after that." Her voice trailed off to barely a whisper. "It broke most of the others."

Cassidy simply nodded. Finally she turned back to Pacemaker. "I'm sorry we didn't find out earlier. The Owners sent me in as soon as they figured it out and it's taken me about a week to find you." She looked around at the wide eyes, at her mention of the near mythical 'Owners', and pushed ahead. "But there's a team pinned down up there acting as a distraction. They should be safe but I don't know how long we have. We need to go find the others now."

Pacemaker nodded back and the two moved towards the elevator with renewed determination.

* * * *

The third and topmost submerged floor proved to be completely empty. There were a number of well-appointed rooms, apparently to provide privacy for guests, or perhaps for those who planned an extended visit. Cassidy's companion said nothing throughout the investigation, simply glowering at the fresh made beds and comfortable furniture. Cassidy couldn't blame her, knowing who the rooms were for. Knowing that if she had not come to free them, Pace would have been brought to them eventually, time and again. They left the level without a word, to dive deeper into the Earth.

If there were going to be any more guards present, they would be on the first floor with the women. Neither of the two in the elevator knew what to expect when the doors opened but both prepared themselves for anything; for the worst. Cassidy handed her companion the spare clip for the pistol, who then checked the barrel, action and current clip before she settled into a double handed stance, just off center of the door. Cassidy moved to less than a step from the door, off-center opposite her partner. The small room settled into the bottom of the shaft and the doors slid open.

Cassidy slid through the moment they opened far enough for her frame. Pacemaker raised the gun and sweptback and forth a few times. Both of their momentum faltered as the scene before them registered. By the entry, off to one side, stood a podium. Behind it, shoulders rigid and head bowed stood a god made human. His every line seemed toned to perfection, smooth and firm without appearing too solid. Long brown silken lochs drifted down past his shoulders and back, framing his down-turned face. He wore royal blue spandex briefs, that accented his well proportioned attributes. This was the single male Op. among the missing persons.

"How may I serve you ladies?"

"You can gather everyone together now."

Soft eyelids fluttered open and glanced upwards in confusion before returning to the floor quickly. "I'm sorry if I do not please you. We can bring one of the women if that is to your preference."

Cassidy closed the last few steps in a moment. She placed a hand gently, but firmly, under his chin and forced his head upwards until he had no choice but to see her. Instead of eye contact he looked left and right, anywhere but at her.

"Stop. Look at me dammit!" Instinct over the force of the order brought intense light brown eyes to meet hers. "Caleb Martin. My name is Cassidy. I have come to help you, all of you. This will go faster if you help me. Do you understand." She felt the attempt to nod in her grip. She smiled and released him, heartened that he continued to meet her eyes after she did.. "Is there anyone down here aside from the other women?"

Pacemaker moved into the room. She shoved an ashtray between the doors to hold them as Cassidy had done on the other levels. Caleb, the face, broke eye contact long enough to notice her, smile and nod to her before turning back to Cassidy.

"It is very good to meet you, even better under the circumstances. Are you really here to save us?"

"Look, I don't want to keep repeating this over and over, but yes I am. Is there anyone else on this level or can we gather everyone now?"

Caleb looked startled by her frustration. Cassidy cursed herself for forgetting that the man, even before being brought here, used charm and diplomacy as his trade rather than deception and force. Cassidy's style was far more blunt than he was used to.

"I'm sorry. Let's start easily. Where's Shade? A mousy hacker who's only been here about a week."

"No, uh, sorry."

He seemed to slip from one persona to another. Cassidy could only hope this one more useful as she waited for the metamorphosis to complete.

"There's no one on this level except for the girls. The guest level is clear and I take it since Pacemaker is here with you that the second level has been cleared."

Cassidy nodded, glad that the man had finally slipped into 'professional debriefing' mode. He leaned over and ran his hand down a series of switches on the podium, but Cassidy no longer paid attention to him.

Beyond the man's shoulder, in an alcove hidden from the elevator, was one of the remaining women. Cassidy only knew the Op by reputation but, but it was too much to bear to see her condition. She hung on a specially designed frame, her wrists, ankles and neck strapped to the thin boards that spread her limbs wide. The whole frame hung from a multi-jointed armature, allowing the enslaved to be pulled from the wall and placed at any height or angle. The woman was completely nude and dark bruises covered her entire body. Worse still, as Cassidy noted when she maneuvered the frame down to the floor, were the numerous scabs and contusions surrounding the poor woman's mouth, cervix and sphincter. Cassidy quickly unbuckled the various leather straps and noted the chafing and bruising there, and knew most of the others came after she had been strapped up.

"She's been there since they brought me down here."

Cassidy nearly jumped at Caleb's voice. The deeply sympathetic tones drifted right over her shoulder. She turned, his face startlingly close, as watery eyes continued to stare past her at the woman.

"I think she was the first they brought in. They come in once a day to force her to eat and drink, otherwise she hasn't moved or even reacted to anything the entire time. They rape her and occasionally whip or prod her but she just stares ahead."

He moved forward scooping the woman into his arms protectively. He cried as he held the woman's head to his.

"I've never even seen her eyes closed for sleep."

"Cas!"

Cassidy spun and was almost bowled over by the flying form of Shade. The woman cried with obvious relief as she squeezed her friend. Cassidy returned the fierce hug more carefully.

"Where are the others?"

"Outside providing enough of a distraction for me to sneak in."

"Security is that bad here?" Cassidy nodded.

She looked up to see the remaining five women. Each stood in little more than underwear and gauzy robes. None looked very sure of the situation.

"Here's the deal. My name is Cassidy. Yes, that Cassidy. I'm here in conjunction with Shade's team, the Silent Skills. We have come to free all of you. What I need to know is what happened to the bodies of the two dead women if you know." Heads shook. "I didn't expect so. Get ready to leave. Do you have anything you need to collect?" More heads shook.

Cassidy nodded firmly and stood. She placed a hand under Caleb's elbow, to balance him as he rose with the broken woman still in his arms. She turned and was halfway to the elevator when she realized none had followed her. She turned back in confusion. It was Shade who answered her unasked question.

"It's hard Cas. If something happens you can't know what they'd do to us. I know it's you and Jackson, Darien, Silvie and," her voice choked for a moment before she could continue, "Wolf. But they don't know you all. How can they believe we'll succeed. Cas, we don't even know where we are or who has us."

Cassidy sighed. Before she could reply Pacemaker stepped forward, pistol resting in one hand on her shoulder.

"First of all this is no trick or trap. Would they have given one of their 'unbroken' a weapon if it were?" Heads shook uncertainly. "Second, I know Cassidy by more than reputation, I've been assigned missions going against her before, and the stories are true. If you find yourself opposing her either step aside and take what you need from her contact, after the mission is done or simply accept the mission is dead. I don't know what we're up against, but if she believes we can make it out then I know we can."

Cassidy held up a hand.

"I can't speak about the stories but I can tell you where we are and what we face. Do any of you know much about the Barrens." Most of the heads shook but the other remaining hacker raised her hand and nodded. "The Altani family, the most influential family in the Barrens, kidnaped you. This complex is on the grounds of their estate, a heavily fortified compound right next to the Heights."

As she spoke eyes widened. "There are dozens of guards, perhaps even as many as a hundred. Most of them are little more than the men who were assigned to break you, however there are about twenty six or so assigned to watch this building who are professionals, probably former corp-sec."

Cassidy looked around the room, making sure to look each in the eyes. Three of the women couldn't bring themselves to meet her gaze. Those were the ones she couldn't trust. They were truly broken and nothing short of decisive therapy would bring them back to their former selves, if even that. Cassidy was gratified to see that Shade was not one of those three, unfortunately the sniper was. She nodded.

"I won't make you go against your will. It's going to be hard enough to get out, dragging along someone unwilling to leave. The choice is yours. However, there are two women who will need to be carried."

Cassidy turned to Caleb to ask if he would continue to carry the Op only to find him holding her even closer. He would not relinquish her and that simple fact convinced her that his will would not falter. She turned back to the others for one last look before she turned back towards the elevator. This time she did not stop until safely inside the little room. She turned as Pacemaker stepped in beside her. Finally she breathed a sigh of relief as all of the rest followed.

The group rose to the second floor and the doors opened. As one pistol and machine gun snapped up to threaten each other before both confirmed the other's friendly status. Cassidy strode into the hallway and nodded at the impromptu guard.

"Any luck with Petra?"

The demolitions expert shook her head. Cassidy nodded and one of the women from downstairs, a combat Op, came up to lift the unconscious woman and carry her back to the elevator. Shade followed. She helped the shaken and battered Steph walk. Cassidy entered the room and collected the cattle prod before she returned to the elevator with Terry.

Before she stepped in and removed the ashtray she handed over the extra clips for the machine gun. As her eyes swept the assembled group, she practiced mission briefing techniques long unused.

"When we reach the top I don't want any heroics, and especially no firing. I'm going to move in and attempt to take them by surprise. There are only six or so within the building and they think I belong here so it should be possible, if not easy. If I fall then you will need to shoot your way out, but know that the first shot fired will bring in the twenty guards from outside. I'll fill you in on the next stage when the main floor is clear. Acknowledged?"

Every head nodded though some were less enthusiastic. She reached for her com only to discover the depth and construction of the building blocked signals. Cassidy shrugged and stepped in, after she kicked over the ashtray. The cab ascended just as slowly as it had gone down, straining slightly for the added weight. The two carrying incapacitated women had been forced, due to space constraints, were forced to shift them to standing with the support of the others.

As the elevator slowed, Cassidy felt her adrenalin beginn to flow. Aside from the unexpected attack by the Zuntri, this would be the first major action since the whole mess began. That, or the attacks by ganger for that matter, had been a surprise while this was a planned assault against professional opponents. This would be a challenge worth accepting, even if it weren't under such dire circumstances. The car settled and the doors opened. It was time.

Fortunately no one was in view as she stepped forward. Two more steps and the first barrel appeared directed at her head. She targeted the man with a bored disdain and his confidence wavered. After two more steps she stopped and turned towards the six men. Their guns were half raised towards her. Clearly, they remembered her from her trek in.

"Everything downstairs is confirmed. Has there been news of the attack?"

The guards lowered their weapons finally accepting her story again.

"They truck has been pinned down but they have yet to breach it." Cassidy nodded, her expression slightly sour. "Word is someone has been sent for a rocket launcher but no one is sure where to find one."

"Any word who they are?"

"No ma'am." She nodded, empty hand raised to her chin while the other shifted discretely behind her back to mask the cattle prod. "Uh, ma'am?" She looked at the guard speaking. "What happened to your weapons?" The other guards finally noticed the inconsistency and brought their weapons back up in caution.

Empty hand reached out, grabbing the barrel of a rifle too loosely held, stripped it from its owner, and casually tossed it behind her. Meanwhile the prod flashed in the opposite direction, to land harshly on the hand of a second. The spastic limb dropped the weapon. Her leg raised far quicker than the guns of the confused men. Her foot connected solidly with the body of another gun for another disarm. Upraised leg recoiled and lashed out to strike the unprotected throat of a fourth guard. As she shifted back onto an attack stance only two of the men retained their weapons.

Both were now at the ready. Cassidy knew she only had an instant before the first shot was fired. The prod dropped from her hand to dangle by a strap from her wrist. Palms out her hands flashed forward to strike both men in the nose, shoving them upward into their brains. As both men fell, nerveless, she lashed out to one side. The strap of the prod wrapped around the wrist of an incoming punch. She caught the prod and redirected the man's momentum into another guard, releasing his wrist with a deft flick. The prod followed him and struck hard with a combination of shock and enhanced strength, a moment before the two collided. Electrically inspired flailing limbs tangled the two and brought them down in a heap.

Her pivot continued, her free hand coming up to block a desperate high kick. A twist of her wrist and she held the offending ankle. With casual cruelty the prod came forward to strike the man's well exposed groin and held position for a moment. Muscles danced in uncontrolled agony. He collapsed nervelessly the instant she removed the prod.

She spun to face the final opponent, who scrambled for a nearby discarded weapon. With two long strides Cassidy was on him. Her trailing foot came forward to connect heavily with the side of his head. He grasped the weapon, as his consciousness failed, and spun with the momentum of her kick to bring the gun towards her. Her lead foot lashed out, stepped on the maneuvered weapon and crushed the man's fingers in the process.

The two remaining men untangled themselves quickly and were on their feet in fighting postures even as Cassidy spun to face them.

Two on one? Maybe I should give them a chance to surrender.

A confident smile crept across her face as she shifted into a fighting stance. The two men looked nervous but moved apart slowly to surround her. With her eyes closed to slits, she concentrated on their presence rather than her sight. Sound and spirit echoed like a radar across her thoughts, displayed their location like a beacon.

As one, they lunged with fist and foot. The man on her right charged high while the other moved in to sweep her leg. Her arms wove to block the one-two combination punch as she hopped deftly over the sweep. A cross-body block threw one man's hands wide as she shifted weight to kick out behind her, forcing the lowered guard back into a defensive crouch. A simple shift of the head and the incoming punch blazed past her ear. Her hand came up to catch his offhand elbow.

Cassidy felt the blow to her hip and moved with the kick, to absorb most of the force. As she spun back towards the second man her fingers flexed, shattering the elbow. She dragged the pained main around and used her momentum to toss her captive into the second opponent. The uninjured man hopped back to his feet quickly. He kept her distracted while his companion struggled into a defensive posture. Cassidy smirked at their courage and shook her head.

They have no idea who they're facing.

Cassidy knew she needed to end the fight quickly. Their posture shifted from defensive to attack as their confidence returned. In their minds, two on one was more than enough to handle a single woman, the loss of their comrades could be no more than a setback, due to the woman's advantage of surprise. Cassidy shook her head in sympathy for their ignorance as she flowed towards them.

Hands lashed out, striking repeatedly. She hit first one then the other in a blur of motion. The men's reflexes reacted to one blow while the next two landed in succession, bodies two steps behind the damage being dealt. The entire concerted offense fell apart beneath the unrelenting barrage. Within a dozen seconds she stopped and stepped backwards. As she returned to the elevator the two finally faded into unconsciousness, falling as one behind her.

The faces greeting her from the elevator ranged from smug, Shade's response, to open mouthed shock, from some of the broken women, to unadulterated awe, from the rookie Ops. Cassidy, unused to an audience, faltered at the sight. These were, in theory, her peers and although they had not seen a majority of the fight they witnessed the speed with which she dispatched six armed men with nothing more than a cattle prod and her bare hands.

Slowly the former prisoners filed out through the double doors. The moment enough people emptied the cabin Caleb shifted his precious burden back into a double arm hold. Cassidy wondered briefly if the two knew each other before their capture but put the thought aside for other concerns. She hurried back to the scene of the fight. Pacemaker and Shade were already busy collecting the guns and extra ammo from the downed guards. Most of the rest simply stood by, staring at the scattered bodies.

"Are they dead?"

Cassidy turned to the broken hacker as she stooped to help collect the weapons.

"Those two are." Her head dipped sideways towards the two unfortunate men who almost managed to bring their guns to bare. "The others are either unconscious or immobilized. They will be little threat as we escape, since we will have their weapons."

Standing, Cassidy flicked her hand at Pacemaker and the woman returned the pistol and clips she had borrowed, now favoring one of the guards' rifles. She handed the pistol over to Shade, knowing the woman's limitations well and began to distribute the other rifles to the remaining unbroken women. She retrieved the machine gun and ammunition from Terry in exchange for one of the new weapons. Of the two that carried women, Cassidy gave the burly combat Op. the final gun, She figured that Caleb lacked the strength to hold his self-appointed charge and fire, and it was clear he would not release her until they were all clear.

Cassidy looked across the faces arrayed before her and raised the com to her mouth. With a press of the button it clicked once, followed quickly by a responding click from the team. She released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding; not only did the coms work but the team was still alive and free to respond. She held down the button, speaking into the tiny device.

"Charon, this is Demeter. I have Persephone and we are on our way out." She looked up to the women as she released the button. "Our chariot awaits."

The women filled in behind her as she turned towards the door, professional instinct moved the non-combatants to the rear with the less skilled in the middle. Cassidy smiled slightly. She noticed the lack of confusion as so many Ops from different teams automatically located the very places she would have selected for them. For all their faults and trials, they still moved like the professionals they all were.

Cassidy opened the door and looked quickly, to confirm a viable exit. Quickly the group filed out after her, forming a defensive perimeter around the unarmed and injured. Cassidy was about to motion towards the rear wall when motion caught her attention. From around the side wall of the building poured the former corp-sec guards, already alert and targeting numerous members of the escaping group. No one moved as they took up positions. Both sides refused to surrender while unwilling to begin the bloodbath a firefight would create.

Guns held steady on both sides across the twenty foot gap. Neither side moving, neither side speaking for fear of the consequences. Suddenly Cassidy's com barked to life causing a few on either side to flinch at the intrusion to the strange silence.

"Demeter this is Charon. We are pinned down and the coast is not clear. Repeat we are pinned down and the coast is not clear."

Now he tells me!

Darien's timing left a lot to be desired. Cassidy quickly assessed the situation. Roughly twenty armed corp-sec guards against seven Ops. with equivalent equipment and hampered by noncombatants and wounded. They weren't odds she would have liked even without the hindering factors. If any of the broken women were hit it would be virtually impossible to move them through their hysterics. The others likely accepted the possibility of death, even preferring it to recapture.

She tensed, knowing the firefight they all dreaded was inevitable. She had come to save these people, all of them, and the two already dead saddened her. While she mourned them, she felt no guilt. She had done everything she could to find them as quickly as possible, once the situation had been revealed. Both women had died before she even knew any of them were missing. Now, with so little planning and reconnaissance, more would die but at least some would escape. She owed them that much.

Her finger tensed to begin the swathe of destruction when a sound intruded on her focused awareness. In the heat of combat, she was trained to ignore extraneous information, relegating it to the back of her mind in case she needed it at some future point. The subtle whine should have been so filed but the comforting sound broke through. A familiar pang ran through her body even as she wondered how it was possible. Her body rejoiced to the sound of a Lynx engine as it drew closer, not just any but her bike. The very bike her modifications changed the engine pitch, just slightly enough, to mark it bike from every other model made.

Her head snapped up as she pinpointed the direction of the sound, just beyond the wall and closing. And then it was there, flying along the exact trajectory the truck had used as it sailed over the wall. Wolf, for no other driver could have made that jump and reacted so quickly to the situation spanning before him, was already turning the bike mid-air through subtle weight adjustments. In seconds the front of the bike moved across the escaping prisoners to point accusingly at the unknowing guards. Cassidy couldn't help but laugh, even as her grip tightened on the machine gun.

The unexpected drew the full attention of all of the guards, an unintentional but absolutely perfect situation. Wolf finished the turn moments before wheels touched ground once more. As soon as he was aligned thumb moved to the trigger and the heavy machine gun Cassidy mounted the night before she entered the hellish district, flooded the air with deadly metal. Four of the guards fell, torn apart, before the sound registered. As heads began to turn to identify the terrifying new threat Cassidy, and several other of the group who had marked the incoming bike, dove to the ground in order to present the least profile as targets.

The leader of the ex-corp-sec team caught Cassidy's movement and open fired even before his head returned to lock onto her. The unaimed bullets flew above the diving form. She refused to make the same mistake. She waited until she firmly, if harshly, landed before she took instant aim and returning fire. Both groups took their cues from the apparent leaders and the space between filled with the crossfire.

Cassidy watched her bike strafe once across the opposing group. It cut a heavy toll into the enemy numbers. With a single spinning pivot the bike raced away, likely to lend support to his pinned team members. She nodded an unseen thanks to the man, vowed to promote the action later as the defining moment of the battle in case Shade had been among those unaware of the incoming support.

She rolled quickly to one side as she noticed a few of the enemy selecting her as a primary target. Bullets ripped apart the turf and followed her as she continued to roll. She made occasional unaimed cover shots in return. Most of the opposition was prone, which made it difficult to differentiate between those out of action and those who continued to resist. Cassidy, however, estimated the numbers at far less than two to one. Unfortunately at the head of the group she could not afford to look back and guarantee all of her charges, or even the combatants, were still responsive.

Fire began to die down as neither side could accurately target the other. Cassidy took advantage of the slowed pace and began a slow crawl forward. She hoped to round the building, where she could stand without fear of interrupting her companion's fire and draw a bead along the flank of the enemy. She saw a few of the remaining mercenaries notice her, only to roll away before they could bring their weapons around as cover fire strafed their position. Where the well trained opposition still held a slight weight in numbers, the incongruous team of Ops suddenly blended together into a cohesive whole which reacted to any threat as one organism. Cassidy spared a glance back as she continued to move forward and was gratified to see the noncombatants had been moved behind the building. The combat veteran had even rested her charge somewhere and leaned slightly around the corner, rifle held as a sniper, to take shots at the enemy.

Finally she reached the edge of the building and slid sideways, to press her body against its foundation. She steeled her resolve and hoped none were able to turn to shoot her as she stood. After a deep breath, in and out, she pounded the ground, to throw her weight into the air in an attempt to confound any who tried to pinpoint her. She landed easily on the balls of her feet, machine gun cradled at her side menacingly.

"Enough!"

Eyes turned her way but bodies refused to follow. The gunfire died almost instantly as the professional guards weighed their options.

Finally, the acting leader lifted the butt of his weapon in the air, as he held it by the barrel for all to see. In short order the rest of the remaining men, only ten total, followed suit. One by one each stood, one hand out to the side splayed as proof of intention, while the other grasped the very tip of the barrel of their guns. The moment they stood the gun was tossed away, the intent to make it clear to nervous triggers where the weapon was located. Slowly the other Ops rose, shifted positions to cover the new prisoners without risking their allies in a crossfire. Shade trotted over, pistol still in hand.

"Cas, we don't have any way to secure them."

Cassidy looked over the assembled guards and nodded. She moved back around the corner and risked a glance at the door, to confirm her suspicions.

"We can put them in the building and jam the lock easily. They won't be able to get out until someone comes for them and it will give them a chance to tend the wounded inside."

Shade nodded, shifting to her other side to keep clear of Cassidy's line of fire should any of them try something on the way to the door.

Despite the way the other members circled, Cassidy had the men's undivided attention. The barrel of the machine gun twitched towards the door a couple of times, to set the men in motion. As they filed past she could almost feel Shades gaze so she turned. She trusting the other Ops to cover the captives.

"That was Wolf wasn't it?"

Cassidy smiled. "Sure was. And if he hadn't single handedly saved out butts I would have to kill him." Shade looked at the taller woman in confused horror. "After I find out how he managed to hot-wire my bike despite my security features."

Both women laughed freely for the first time in a week.

Copyright 2006, By Deathlynx