Page 88 of Red Zone Awakened

CHAPTER36

Red Zone Warriors surveillance vehicle

Four blocks from CommTECH’s research facility

Houston, Northern Territory

“Striker,I’ve intercepted a communication from the terrace,” Hunter said as he typed furiously on his keyboard.

Striker signaled for silence as a man’s voice filled the air.

“Pickup now!I repeat.Pickup now!Enforcement has attacked.Pickup now!”

“We’re on our way.”

“There’s no way out.Damn it!”he shouted.“I’m shot.Get to the terrace.West side.Hurry!There’s—”

A deafening explosion cut the communication.

Sandi pushed past her team, threw the van doors open, and burst out, her eyes on the CommTECH building in the distance.Striker, Friday, and Gray followed.There were flames on the sixty-sixth-floor terrace.

“Get back in here,” Hunter shouted.“I’ve got Mace.”

They scrambled into the van.

“Mace?”Striker snapped as he rushed to Hunter’s side.

“We’re stuck in a war zone.”The comm line was scratchy and his words hard to understand, but it was definitely him.“The signal jammer’s damaged.”

Relief surged through Striker at the sound of his best friend’s voice.As Friday pressed her face into his back and curled her fists into his shirt, he glanced over at Sandi, who blinked rapidly and turned her face away.

“Position,” Striker demanded.

“On the terrace.It’s a mess.Freedom and Enforcement.Picking each other off.I need a path out of here.”There was static.“—EMP band.Got to get it off her.”

“Who, Mace?”Striker asked.

“Need a—” The transmission cut out.

Hunter looked up at Striker from his seat at the desk.“We’ll get him back.It’s just the damaged jammer.”

Striker clasped his shoulder as he began to issue orders.“Sandi, Ignacio,” he started, but they were already out the door and running.No doubt guessing what he’d ask of them.“Jeremiah and Zane are covering the front of the building,” Striker said over the comm system that connected his entire team and kept everyone informed, even Mace, if he could still hear them.“Gray’s got a team covering the back.Sandi?What’s your target?”

“We’re going for Freedom’s bird.”The roar of her bike’s engine filled the background.“It’ll give us an option at terrace level.”

“We got a location for that bird?”Striker asked Hunter, knowing he’d have traced the signal from the terrace to the recipient.

“She’s already got it.”His attention was on the screen filled with code in front of him.“I’m grounding the bird until she gets there.It’s a class-four shuttle, currently parked on top of the Righteous Center.”

Basically, it was a car with wings that folded in when not in use, allowing it to be garaged.It was meant for private use within the city limits, so it would be small and nimble enough to get close to the terrace but ill-equipped to deal with any fire it might take.

“She’ll need air cover,” Striker said.“I’ll take up our chopper.”

Friday gasped and slid around to his front, her eyes wide.“You can’t.Enforcement can’t see you.They’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Bébé, if Sandi and Ignacio don’ have backup in the air, they’ll get shot down.It’s a civilian vehicle—a handgun could bring it down.Someone has to protect their asses.”

“Why don’t they take the helicopter?”Friday’s voice was pleading, begging him to stay on the sidelines and let his team take the risk.