Young Writers Society

Chapter 1.1

"This is Wing 1, positioned for duty," Skylar announced into her com device, lying on the hard ashphalt behind a tall government building that spiraled up into the sky. Skylar could see her reflecion in the tinted, bullet-proof glass that separated the government workers from the rest of the population.

"Wing 2, positioned for duty," another voice, this one masculine, reported over the com system. Skylar closed her eyes and rocked back onto her heels, keeping her hand close to the holster that cradled the silenced gun she always wore. Her usual get-up also involved a sniper rifle slung across her back, but for this mission stealth and subtlety were essential, as was typical for infiltration missions.

"Wings 3 and 4, positioned for duty," another voice reported, and Skylar pushed herself back up onto her toes. Now all she was waiting for was the final go-ahead, and then they would spring this plan into motion. Skylar lived for these moments, on the brink of an adrenaline rush, tensed and ready to launch into her plan. The nerves in the pit of her stomach were quieted by the anticipation of this moment, and she almost trembled as she waited to release all of the energy stored up inside her.

"It's go time, folks," one of the leaders from HQ announced. Skylar immediately began to army crawl across the hard ground, using her elbows to pull herself forward while staying low to the ground. Her black, military-grade cargo pants brushed against the ashphalt, but they were made out of too thick a material to show any signs of wear. She reached the door and didn't even pause to brush the dirt and rocks off her pants, instead reaching into one of the pockets on her pants to pick the lock on the door. Another masked figure appeared from the other side and began to cover the voice and vision sensors, which the team referred to as the "eyes and ears" of this bureau.

In a matter of moments, Skylar heard a click, and she placed her hand on the handle. "Door is unlocked. Waiting for further instruction," she reported.

"Copy that, Wing 1. Wings 2, 3, and 4, please confirm."

"Wing 2, positioned."

"Wing 3, positioned."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then "Wing 4, positioned," sounded in Skylar's headset.

"Breach the building," HQ commanded, and Skylar grinned. "You don't have to tell me twice," she muttered under her breath before opening the door and throwing it wide open. The door closed silently, and Skylar and her opposing wing, a boy about her age whose name was Darien, claimed opposite sides of the hallway. Both of them drew their batons from another pocket of their respective vests, making slow but steady progress down the hallway. The lighting flickered, making Skylar jump, but she kept her arms relaxed, prepared for a fight.

Careless footsteps sounded from Skylar's left, and Darien looked at her and nodded quickly, his brown eyes wide. Skylar nodded and pressed her back up against the wall, inching forward until the wall ended and she was waiting at the intersection of two hallways. The footsteps got closer and closer, and Skylar counted down the steps until she woul strike. Three. Two. One.

A man in a sharp suit stepped out from the end, completely oblivious to the danger lurking on the other side, and Skylar immediately swung her baton at his knee while clapping a hand over his mouth. She muffled his scream of surprise and pain perfectly as he collapsed and wrapped her arms around his neck in a rear naked chokehold. He struggled for a few seconds before going limp, and Skylar gently guided him to the floor.

Skylar gestured at the unconscious guard and jerked her head towards the direction they had just come. Darien seemed to understand and nodded, pointing at his feet as if to say "I'll stay right here."

Skylar grabbed the feet of the unconscious worker and dragged him down the hallway until she found a maintenance closet. Making quick work of the lock, Skylar stepped inside and used some heavy-duty rope to tie him to a chair and to gag him. She slipped out of the room, not bothering to re-lock the door, and then hurried to meet up with Darien.

"Good?" Darien whispered, and Skylar nodded. "Let's go."

"Wings 1 and 2 have reached the first intersection. Waiting for further instruction," Darien reported in a whisper.

They waited in silence for a few minutes, the only sound the quiet whispering of the industrial air conditioning a few rooms down. Eventually, the com device crackled before a more feminine voice that belonged to Wing 3 reported, "Wings 3 and 4 have reached their checkpoint. Waiting for further instruction."

"Both pairs, advance to the second checkpoint," HQ instructed, and Skylar and Darien quickly jogged across the intersection and then continued to creep along the hallway until they reached the second intersection. After a quick confirmation from headquarters, they continued down the hallway in the same fashion until they reached an elevator.

"Wings 1 and 2 have reached the elevator. Waiting for further instruction," Skylar radioed in, and she and Darien plastered themselves against the door.

A few moments after, their complementary wings appeared at the opposite of the ends. Skylar watched one of them report their position to HQ in a whisper and then braced herself for action.

"Storm the elevator," HQ commanded, and the four of them immediately rushed the elevator. Wing 4, a tall and slender trainee who was named Issac, pressed a stolen badge to the door to open the door, and the light on the bottom of the card reader changed from red to green.

The doors opened, and the four of them immediately stormed inside. Darien and the other girl, whose name was Kiersten, immediately covered up the audio and visual sensors while Skylar slammed the correct button. Issac positioned himself close to the door and settled into his fighting stance, baton raised and ready to fight.

The elevator dinged, and the doors began to slide open. The four of them jumped outside, and the two people who were standing waiting for the elevator jumped, both of them freezing. Skylar and Issac grabbed one apiece and used the traditional reverse chokehold method, squeezing them tightly until they passed out. Together, they dragged the two unfortunate employees to another janitor's closet conveniently located only a few doors down the hallway. They secured them to chairs with more heavy-duty rope, gagged them, and then rejoined Kiersten and Darien.

"Third checkpoint reached. Waiting for further instruction," Kiersten reported, and the four of them stepped into a fighting formation. Skylar and Issac were look-outs, standing with their backs against the wall and occasionally peeking around the corner to see if anyone was coming down the hallway. Kiersten and Darien lingered further back, hands on their batons in case of any trouble.

A few moments later, the reply from HQ came through on all of their devices—"Copy that. Proceed to the fourth checkpoint. Be cautious for a group approaching from the northeast. Currently, the hallway you're approaching runs north to south. If you turn left, you'll be going north."

"Copy that," Skylar whispered, motioning for Darien to follow her. The two groups split up to make their way in a rectangular shape so that they would meet again after moving down these two east-west hallways and then approaching each other from the other north-south hallway.

She and Darien made quick progress, moving methodically down the hallway until they reached the corner. Skylar was just about to turn the corner when she heard footsteps and motioned for Darien to freeze. Drawing her baton from her belt, Skylar braced herself to pounce, and then someone rounded the corner with a gun drawn. "Freeze!" he boomed, his voice filling the small hallway.