BtH70

==Chapter 70 - By the Horns==
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Ivan Patrice Computer Sciences Center, University of Taurus
Samantha City, Taurus
Taurian Concordat
November 27th, 3025
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Victor Li grunted quietly as he slapped the disconnect on the straps securing him to the glider; bending his legs, the dropped the four meters to the roof of the computer sciences building, landing in a roll that hid him behind the facilities main air intake shaft. A second soft thud—almost lost amongst the cracking and thundering of fireworks in the sky—signaled the arrival of Osami Koga.
One of the security guards stationed on the roof turned at the faint sound and Victor held his breath as the beam of the flashlight played over the rooftop structures. There was a faint crunching sound as the guard took a step closer—but at that moment, there was a loud BANG against the side of the building.
“He’s distracted,” Control’s voice emerged from Victor’s ear-piece. “Alarms are remotely bypassed on the shaft, Two—you are go for descent.”
Victor didn’t bother to answer; instead he stood and lifted the access hatch as Koga crawled inside the narrow shaft and began to lower himself down. Taking care not to make a sound, Victor followed, lowering the hatch shut behind him.
“Guards weren’t expecting a fireworks misfire,” whispered Control in his ear. “But you are behind schedule, gentlemen. Move.”
With their hips against one wall of the shaft, feet on the opposite, and gloved hands braced against the two side walls, the agents quickly climbed down bypassed ventilation tunnels that opened intermittently.
“This junction,” Control ordered. “North fifteen meters and you hit the elevator shaft. Be advised—your opponents have just entered the building.”
“Not very subtle are they,” whispered Koga as faint alarms began to sound.
“They are Death Commandoes on a suicide run—subtle isn’t as important as completing the mission.”
“You are certain that Riese will be the one carrying the nuke?”
“Mostly,” answered Victor with a chuckle as he pulled himself into the horizontal tunnel and began to crawl after Koga towards the elevator shaft.
“What if he has a dead-man’s trigger?”
“Then we are dead—but I doubt that he does. If he gets killed in the initial assault, then the device goes off. And the lab with the core is five levels underground and heavily reinforced—damn thing is a bloody bunker, and their nuke isn't that big. He’ll die at the Chancellor’s order, but not for nothing. No,” Victor mused as he reached the elevator shaft and pulled himself into it’s cavernous interior. “It’s on a timer with a manual trigger so that if he goes down another member of his team can get the device down there and then set it off.”
Koga grunted his agreement as he hooked Victor’s cable-grab onto the proper elevator cables; his own was already hooked up. “Control is certain that the elevator is only way down?”
“If I weren’t don’t you think I would have already told you?” she answered dryly. “This shaft is the only passage from the main building to sub-level five—no stairs, no alternate route. It requires a key-card pass . . . which the opposition has probably pulled from one of the dead guards. Slut reports they are approaching the elevator; engaging in a fire-fight with the internal guards.”
Victor snorted. Nicky was furious with the Marik agent for the code-name she had been assigned; not that Control had seemed in the least affected by her displeasure.
“Mandarin,” she continued and Victor nodded as he recognized the code-name for one of Phil’s juniors, “reports that armor and infantry from Fort Snowden have hit the streets en route. ETA . . . five minutes in the current traffic congestion. Songbird,” a Marik observer drafted from the embassy, “says ‘Mechs are scrambling from Fort Gaines.”
“Game time,” muttered Victor. “You ready for this, old man?”
Koga snorted as he loosened the katana that he wore in a sheath on his back. “I was one of Takashi’s chosen samurai long before I joined the ISF, Capellan. This does bring back memories, I must say, of comrades long dead and fell deeds long past.”
“All right, then. Three,” he looked down and grimaced at the dark shaft, “two,” he took a deep breath, and then he bent his knees and prepared to jump from the girder he was standing on, “GO!” he snapped and the two men plunged down into the darkness.
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