Child of the Order #12

The Order had declared publicly that Jimjnez and the rest of his team were heroes, and that Johnson and Shonda had died as heroes for their part in bringing Alpha to justice. That, of course, had been a lie. Once the publicity had calmed the team had been known simply as Fire Team. The missions considered too dangerous for insertion or tactical teams were given to Fire Team, but no matter how The Order tried to eliminate Jiminez the man was simply too stubborn to die.

All the while Alpha's consciousness lived on, backed up in several servers, waiting, watching.

Child of the Order #11

Just because I don't feel like sleeping just yet, here's another.

The blood curdling battle-cry that came from Jiminez as he charged the room, his rifle firing on full-auto, caused the team to hesitate for the briefest of moments. Shonda's body had yet to hit the floor and Jiminez knew what had become of his sharpshooter and lover. Alpha was completely unprepared for the illogical assault. He had no response to Jiminez's bloodlust. Alpha was knocked back into the wall as shells ripped through his body. Before he had fallen to the ground Jiminez was over him, rifle clicking on empty, his cry of rage and anguish echoed through the halls.

Child of the Order #10

The report of her rifle never came. Shonda's focus had been so complete she never heard Alpha's arms stop whirling. She never thought to use her mirror to check inside the door. When she pivoted on her left heel she had time enough to look down her scope. Dead on target, right between the eyes, except for the black dot that clouded her vision. Alpha's aim was just as accurate. The pen went through the scope and buried itself so deeply in her skull there was bump on the back of her skull; they wouldn't find that until the autopsy.

Child of the Order #9

Shonda drew in a breath to steady herself, closed her eyes for a moment, and pictured the shot. Her gun raised to her right shoulder, the moment of anticipation as she squeezed the trigger, the shocked expression on Alpha's face, and it would all be over. Johnson would not die in vain. One shot was all she needed. Shonda's thumb found the toggle and switched her rifle to the single shot setting. It was her time now. This was the reason she was part of the team. She was the marksman. She always made the shot under pressure. One shot.

Child of the Order #8

"Where the hell did he get all those pens?" Mac called after he turned from the door to seek cover.

"It is a school, Mac," came the response from Shonda, which was followed by chuckles from the team.

After a moment Jiminez said, "Let's take this freak down. Forget what The Order wants. Bring him down, Shonda. I'm not losing another man today."

"Roger that, sir," Shonda agreed as she moved closest to the doorway. The pens stopped flying when she pressed herself against the wall, but the sound of Alpha's arms still whirling could be heard by the team.

Child of the Order #7

Missed one yesterday so it's a two-fer today.

The pen head poked through the back of Johnson's neck, blood seemed to well from the tip. Before he slumped to the floor like a sock monkey he had time to attempt to draw four short, ragged breaths that did nothing but flood blood into his lungs. The team never even had a chance to attend to their fallen comrade as a barrage of pens were fired from within the room. Alpha's arms were a mechanical blur as he windmilled near the far wall, scooping handfuls of pens each time his arms rotated, embedding in walls and body armor alike.

Child of the Order #6

All plans to attempt a peaceful requisition of Alpha were abandoned when the first member of the assault team burst through the door. The boy did not have conventional weapons, but in the hydraulically power hands of a cyborg a pen became a lethal weapon that traveled more than 300 meters per second. It was no wonder the Order wanted Alpha captured, if all else failed he could be studied, replicated, and used as the ultimate killing machine; but first they had to capture him. The team discovered capture was easier said than done when the first man fell dead.