Cyberpunk: Spartan Walker

The green team and the blue team will meet us at the landing zone. If John doesn't send the all-clear signal then, stay away. Winnie reminded them, We may be caught. They will do whatever they can to Let’s confess.”

Tommy nodded along with them, remembering how T Company treated James. Company T's explanation was that he fell down a flight of stairs while they were escorting him from one cell in the prison to another. James didn't give in, at least mentally. But Tommy preferred him to give in, and it took James a full week to recover.

Tommy admired James's tenacity because he felt that if it were him, he would not be able to survive such torture.

I'll repeat the all-clear signal again, everyone remember it. Winnie whistled a single-rhythm six-note tune that Deja taught them. She stood up, holstered her pistol, and checked the three stun grenades on Tommy's belt. See you at the landing zone.

She held out a fist, and Anton and Grace gave her a fist bump.

Anton nodded his chin at her, Let's shake things up, eldest sister.

Winnie grinned, her red hair swaying gently in front of her forehead, Of course, we'll kill them later.

Tommy looked at this scene and felt a little uncomfortable. He also wanted to say something and opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. I have to cheer up, I can't live like a mouse, always cowering aside, so I can never express my feelings.

Come on, little Tommy. Winnie led him and climbed outside, where Fjeld and Naomi were waiting for them. Their faces were splattered with mud and their coats were stained with grass clippings.

Any questions? she asked them.

The three shook their heads.

Okay, check your mirrors.

They took out the lenses they had taken from T Company's bathroom the night before. They all put tape on the edges of the mirror to make it easier to take it in and out, and also put tape on the back of the mirror to reduce the chance of chipping. The whole operation was tied to a fragile lens, which made Tommy particularly uneasy.

Just gestures from now on, Winnie told them, Let's go, Silver Team.

They crawled through the forest to a gravel road, pushed down two huge rocks from a nearby hill, blocked the road, and then crouched in the bushes to wait.

Not long after, a logistics supply truck rumbled over with its headlights on, and then stopped with a squeak. Two soldiers got out of the car and scanned the area.

Do you think it's an ambush? one of them muttered, tightening his grip on his rifle.

Did those little monsters from MI3 do it? God, I don't know. The driver paced uneasily. The rules of this exercise are messed up. He picked up a Kevlar fiber B cloak. Cover your head. I don't want a dart in the ass if that happens. Cover me.

The man in the passenger seat got out and walked around the truck. It looks like everything is fine. He whispered, Hurry up.

The driver jumped out of the cab, walked over to the rocks and pushed them off the road.

Tommy crept out of the bushes and crawled under the truck, grabbing the chassis and pulling himself up against it so close that he could smell the rubber of new tires and the metallic smell of the heated chassis. Winnie and Naomi followed closely, and Fjeld arrived last.

None of them were found. So far so good.

The two men got back in the car and continued along the road.

The gravel bounced up and hit Tommy's cheek, cutting the skin. Blood flowed from his ears to his neck, but he didn't dare to let go and wipe it away. After they had passed a kilometer of sand and gravel, the truck came to a slow stop at T Company's base. The guard chatted and laughed with the driver for a while, then walked around the car and opened the back door of the truck.

Winnie squirmed and readied her lenses. She waved her hand slightly, signaling for the others to do the same. Tommy tilted the lens and pointed it at the bed of the truck. His hand was shaking a little, but he managed to steady it through willpower. He must do it.

The doorman approached the truck holding a long pole with a small mirror on the end. He reached the bottom of the car with his long pole and scanned along the edges.

Tommy pointed his mirror at the mirror on the pole and moved the mirror as the doorman passed him so that all he saw was the reflection of the chassis - one meter to his left.

They trained all night yesterday. It must be done to perfection.

The guard then moved to Winnie's position, then to Fjeld, and finally to Naomi's corner of the car.

Naomi's mirror suddenly slipped, and she reached for it hurriedly—and caught it before it hit the ground. Tommy was so nervous that he couldn't breathe. When the guard checked her part, Naomi's mirror's reflective surface was misplaced.

Go in. The guard patted the car beside him and said, It's okay.

How is the dog? the driver asked.

It's not good yet. The guard muttered, I wonder what they ate last night, and they are still frothing at the mouth.

Hell, don't do it to those little monsters, the driver said, then started the engine and drove into T Company's headquarters.

Last night Anton fed the guard dogs a paste made from a few squirrels they had captured, some unripe berries, and antibacterial ointment from their first aid kit—a hodgepodge that was guaranteed to keep T. The dog was weak the next day.

The truck is parked in a warehouse. The two people came in, unloaded the goods at the back, and then left, locking the warehouse door.

Tommy and other teammates slowly climbed out from under the car. No one said anything, and if one word was overheard by the other party, the whole operation would be ruined.

They rubbed their sore muscles in silence. Winnie glanced at Tommy's bleeding ear, then took out the gauze and walked over. When her hands touched his skin, Tommy stiffened for a moment, then he lowered his head and allowed her to bandage him.

Of course he could do this himself but he would rather have her do it.

After quickly bandaging it, Winnie took a step back, put her hands on her waist, looked at her masterpiece, nodded with satisfaction, then pointed to Naomi, and then to the hood of the car. Naomi immediately climbed into the hood and got to work; then Winnie pointed to Fjeld, then toward the side door, and Fjed walked to the door and began to pick the lock.

Tommy and Winnie patrol the warehouse, looking for cameras, dogs, guards, etc. that they have to clear out - luckily, there's nothing.

Naomi returned with four water bottles, which she was supposed to have filled with acid from the truck's batteries. The side door clicked, and Fjeld gave them a thumbs up. They gathered around the door. Fjed slowly opened the door, first peeked out through the crack, then opened it a little further and glanced to the left and right.