The helicopter hovered low over the building, its engine roaring so loudly it drowned out every other sound. One by one, people climbed into the chopper using a rope ladder.
“Hurry up, hurry up,” one of the guys in camouflage gear barked as he hauled a woman onto the ladder. “We’re running out of time.”
The loading continued. A few soldiers in camo directed the operation from inside the house, two were crouched on the roof behind a chimney, and a handful more were in the helicopter, helping the evacuated residents climb aboard.
“They’re here!” someone shouted from below. “They’ll be on us in minutes!”
Panic erupted. The civilians still waiting their turn inside the house scrambled toward the attic in terror. The evacuation kicked into high gear.
“We’re not gonna make it. They’ll shoot us down,” one of the guys muttered.
“I’ll buy us some time,” the only woman in uniform said, darting toward a terminal built into a desk.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard, activating a system of pre-set traps controlled remotely.
Two of the guys nodded in approval. The brave woman punched a few more keys, then started stripping off her military gear.
“What are you doing?” one of her comrades asked.
“Just in case I don’t make it to the chopper,” she replied, grabbing the first civilian clothes she could find from a closet and changing while still tapping at the keyboard. “If it gets too dangerous, don’t wait for me.”
“You sure about this?”
“We’ve got no other choice. If no one controls the traps, they’ll take us all out. Get moving.”
The terrified civilians only slowed things down. Up until now, the evacuation had been sluggish—hardly anyone had ever flown in a helicopter, let alone climbed into one using a shaky rope ladder. The panic just made the chaos worse.
The enemy was closing in. The woman checked their coordinates and realized it was time to lock down and hide the terminal, or her cover would be blown. Suddenly, two figures appeared near the house. Somehow, they’d bypassed the traps and arrived ahead of the others.
“Take off now!” the brave woman shouted.
Her warning was unnecessary—her comrades had already spotted the enemy. The helicopter jolted into motion and lifted off.
With a swift motion, she hit the emergency lockdown button on the terminal. The floor split open, and the desk began to sink downward. She quickly left the room, stepping into the hallway and locking the door behind her. At that exact moment, the front door swung open, and two figures appeared on the threshold.
Seeing the civilian woman, one of the men snorted. The other rushed to the door she’d just locked. He jiggled the handle—locked. Without hesitation, he pulled out a pistol and shot the lock to pieces. By then, the terminal was safely hidden beneath the floor.
“No one else here,” he called from the next room. “Looks like they left the girl behind.”
The enemy mercenary returned to the hallway. At the same time, the rest of their group arrived at the house.
“What’ve we got, Neuro?” the commander asked.
“Nothing. They slipped away again,” the one called Neuro grumbled. “But this time, they forgot the girl. She’s just a civilian, though.”
“I’m sick of these punks, I swear. Alright, Neuro, Toro, take the girl back to base. We’ll figure out what to do with her later. Everyone else—start the search.”
Toro stepped over to the woman and grabbed her by the elbow.
“Let’s go,” he said.
The brave woman didn’t resist and followed him obediently. Her face showed a mix of fear and disbelief.
The three of them left the house and walked a short distance. The woman cautiously glanced to the side and noticed that a few enemy mercenaries had clearly fallen into one of her traps. Seeing this, she smirked inwardly, careful not to let any emotion show on her face. She kept playing the part of a civilian—and a civilian in this situation would be scared and a little submissive.
“What’s your name?” Neuro asked.
“Jamie.”
A brief silence settled over them.
“Why the hell do you help them?” Neuro broke the quiet again.
Jamie stayed silent. The three of them reached a vehicle and climbed inside.
***
The building where the enemy mercenaries had set up camp looked like it might’ve been a school or something similar. Jamie was led into a gym, where Neuro pointed to one of the mats and gave her a slight shove in that direction. The captive complied, walking over to the mat and sitting down.
Neuro and Toro left the room. Besides them, there were other guys around. It wasn’t long before one of them sat down next to Jamie.
“Hey, kid, how you holding up?” he asked with a cheerful tone.
The woman turned and gave the mercenary a surprised look.
“Yeah, I can see it’s not great. That’s what happens when you side with the wrong crowd.”
Jamie turned away, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her head on them. The pushy guy lingered for a bit longer before getting up and walking off.
About half an hour passed. Jamie discreetly watched everything happening in the gym through the gaps between her knees. A few mercenaries were practicing punches and takedowns. Eventually, the guy who’d been “checking in” on her joined them.
She studied every move closely, mentally noting that many of them weren’t well-trained. One guy swung too wide, constantly leaving critical areas exposed. Another was the opposite—always on defense, barely attacking. The chatty mercenary clearly had slow reflexes.
The gym doors opened. Jamie lifted her head and saw two guys enter. One of them called out to the others, then made a distinct hand gesture. Jamie recognized it—it meant a mission was coming up.
The enemy mercenaries dropped what they were doing and gathered together.
“Sorry, guys, but someone’s gotta stay with the girl,” Jamie overheard. “I reckon one of us is enough.”
“I’ll stay,” the same pushy mercenary volunteered.