Ah what the hey, never could say no to a shove. Mechwarrior 5 is too stimulating at this late an hour anyway.
Why, soldiers why
Should we be melancholy boys
Why soldiers why
Whose business is to die
What sighing fye
Let's not fear, Drink and be Jolly, boys
T''is he, you or I
Cold, hot, wet or dry
We're always bound to follow boys
and scorn to fly.
Coco was pacing, nervously pulling puff after puff, lighting the next with the previous botch.
-Cool down kid, you're gonna wear yourself out 'fore we get there.
-Oh spare me Enrico. Can't believe I'm doing this. Can't believe we're dragging the girls through this. Can't believe we're throwing our lives away for a lost cause. Free andurien my lilly arse, what good is it going to do me if I'm locked away for years...or six feet under?
-Can't believe you're having a melancholy bout at this point. Anyway, shut your yap hole, here comes the girls.
Two figures where walking towards them. From afar, in the dim lighting of street lamps, their singlepiece work suits made them look the piece. Coco hailed them, barely contained exasparation in his voice.
-Damn you two, I was worried sick!
-Oh pipe down, we had to make sure this make over was up to the task. So how do we look?
- Like two warehouse workers going to their night shift.
Enrico offered a sigh and a low whistle.
- Ain't no good lookin' laborer like this in my warehouse.
-Aw shucks, always such the flattering goon aint'cha? We doing this or what?
- You sure I don't need to carry those tool bags for y'all?
- And risk you lighting it up by accident?
They set on their mission, walking casually and laughing, sharing a flask of hard liquor.
-Why don't you lighten up Coco? Take a swig, come on.
- I need my wits about me, all of it. You two are confident you can do this?
Sophia offered a mischevious grin as a spark of pride lighted her eyes.
-You know me. Swip-swop.
As they neared the suppy depot's perimeter, the girls fell back a few meters back and slowed their pace, just to make sure they wouldn't be mistaken as part of the boy's party. As they saw a guardsman under a street lamp, Coco stopped and started meticulously rolling a cigarette.
-Okay, he should spot us pretty quick, zip it and let me do the talking.
Enrico gently patted the younger man's shoulder.
-Don't worry kid, I know my role, I'm just around on account of numbers.
Sure enough, the guard spotted them. Shoutting at his nearby fellows, he started for the Anduriens.
-Hey! Hey you two!
-Here they come.
-What in the blazes are you doing here!? This is a restricted area!
-Oh sorry officer, we must've taken a wrong turn, you know how it is: meet an old friend, start walking and chatting...
-You take me for a fool? This is a darn warzone!
-Well...
Coco appraised the situation. The nearby guards were all converging on him and Enrico, weapons ready, as the girls were nowhere in sight. Then distant gunshots were heard. A guard who had just reached him cried out.
-You little turd!
Coco barely had the time to think of his pillow as he was knocked senseless by the butt-end of a rifle.
***
"Razor" Ramon was chewing his toothpick, looking at his watch.
-Okay, everybody should be in position. Time to get this show on the road.
-Hey Razor.
-Yeah?
-Keep cool man.
- Shut up and try to keep up Bob.
Walking at a brisk pace, yet with a curously light step, Razor went straight for a guard that was watching the wrong street corner.
-Yo chico.
The FWLM soldier never even had the time to let out a "huh" that Razor's rifle came crashing on his ear. Without a sound the duo sneaked forward, evading this patrol, knocking out this watchman. Then distant gunshots were heard. Razor turned to his compagnero.
-Looks like Styx's group are done for and now the beehive been kicked to action. Time to make 'em panic. See that small building?
-Uh, yeah.
- We're blowing it up.
-Ain't look like more then a makeshift mess hall.
-Who cares. Important thing is to keep 'em running around and give space to the girls. We ain't getting to the depot proper. Not anymore.
Nearly a full platoon passed before them, running towards the sound of the gunshots.
-Let's wait 30 seconds, then we take a run.
Thirty seconds of pure, unbridled stress. The heat emanating from the two men was such that Razor ripped up his shirt to try to cool down. Then they ran. They were nearly there when Bob fell down with a welp.
-Damn Bob! Get up!
The only answer he got was a bullet whistling near his ear. Razor dived for the bag lying besides the corpse of his partner, then armed a grenade contained within and threw it against the target building. A modest explosion followed by a wave oh fire engulfed the messhall.
-Now what?
A bullet caught him square in the shoulder. As endorphine kicked in to supplement the adrenaline, Razor ran right in the direction of the last shot.
-Bastard leaguer is up top is he?
Dropping his rifle, he lept and grabbed a handle of the ladder which led to the roof. He climbed like a raging baboon. The ladder actually went further then the roof itself. Razor climbed to the top of it, under the eyes of the bewildered sniper who's aim was thrown off, then jumped, crashing down on the soldier, elbow first. Picking up the poor man like a ragdoll, swinging him as to be back against back, he then crashed him into the roof head first. But by then the sniper's spotter had finally moved to jump in the fray and unloaded the full clip of his needler. Razor Ramon fell to his knees, disfigured by the hail of needles and collapsed.
***
I had my doubts about this cappie technology, but today this Raven was a godsend.
-Colonel Lee, you really think we can count on those jokers?
- Heh, captain Santa Anna, if this "razor" is half as good at covert ops as he is with his fists, you can be damn sure we'll get the split-up we're wishing for.
- Do you know him?
- Well I wouldn't say I *know* him. Met him at a couple of rally's. But, well, quite the few years ago, back when I was but a junior officer, me and my unit went to down a few brews in a pub. Thing is a group of the Atrean Hussars had had the same idea. Once everybody got drunk, tempers exploded. We were outnumbered, but lucky for us, Ramon and his jolly buch of thugs were there. Saw him smash a leaguer through a pool table.
- Through it?
- Right through.
From their position, mostly submerged in a river, they barely saw the fire.
-There's our cue.
-Not yet. Too small. Something's gone awry. Get everyone systems ready, we'll hope for more.
-And if that's all we get.
- Give them a few minutes. We really need their 'mechs to split up, we can't face 'em all at once. Not in this state. If it *is* all we get, well, to hell with it all. I ain't turning back.
