caged and broken (first draft)
Chapter 2

Gudmundur had left the placement and defence of the flag up to us. So we picked a single story reception area it was easily defendable and we had a clear 360 view of everything happening around us. As soon as the clacks-on sounded Gudmundur and his team ran in to the abandoned area surrounding us. I was unnerving seeing a big powerful frame like his move so silently.

“Abbey” I said trying to keep my voice low, but also trying to pump her for information.

She stoped scanning the area with her m4 for a second and looked at me “yes” once she spoke she resumed he scanning of the area. Everything was quiet out the so I knew the other teams hadn’t engaged each other yet.

“Why have you and gudmundur given up so much to work with me on this team and why did you both agree to assign me as lead on this, you both have more experience and know how to lead a team. I couldn’t even get two people to work as a team so why follow me.?”

It had been bugging me since the fall out from the warehouse raids and Aldrich’s betrayal. I have been put in charge of a task force of powerful people some of which held influence on the council, none of it makes sense.

“This isn’t really the time to be talking about this jess we are training and trying to prover that your team has what it take’s. But I will give you a short answer. We are at a tipping point of change and I believe you are going to be instrumental if the changes we face are going to be for the good of us all or if it will bring our downfall. I believe the dragon feels the same way. There is more I can say but this is not the time maybe later we can sit-down and have an honest conversation about everything, but for now we need to show these guys that they shouldn’t mess with team jess.”

Through her speech she didn’t once stop her scanning of the surroundings. “We have contact” she said in such a low tone I could hardly hear her. I followed her line of sight”

I was surprised to see that it was one person form both Osaki’s and Daniels teams. That was going to make things more difficult I was hoping they would target each other feeling that my team would be too weak and by extension not a treat. It seem’s I was wrong and they had formed an alliance. We couldn’t contact gudmundur for back up because we agreed to no radio contact. Although seeing how he handled the team I’m sure this is something that he would have assumed might happen and had taken it in to account

“Jess do you want me to open fire?” I thought for a moment opening fire would alert everyone and would probably draw unwanted attention “no it’s to early for that let me see if I can take them without being noticed. If it looks like I’m going to get caught or you see it’s a trap then open fire.” Before she could reply I was off darting behind buildings and machinery that had been left when this facility had been shut down. I kept my head on a swivel looking for any signs that more than two scouts had been sent but I all I could see was the original two. The fact that abbey hadn’t started firing told me that no one else was on to us. I carried on my approach taking the long way to avoid them seeing me once behind them a approached at speed unsheathing my borrowed k-bar tactical knives. I struck quickly drawing my blunted blade across my first opponent’s throat showing no hesitation learning from my past mistakes I would show my enemies no mercy. The second scout was quicker than I had expected and was already drawing his weapon up to fire. Without thinking I brought my foot up between his legs. He went down almost immediately letting out a pained grone as he fell. He released his weapon as he fell. “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to.” I said but then my common sense caught up to me he was still an active combatant I needed to take him out. He had already begun reaching for his weapon when I dropped down and administer the same blow that I had the first scout. Once they where both experiencing convulsions from my taser attacks I dragged them back to my base where abbey was waiting. She was still on alert but I could see she was itching to say something.

“Okay spit it out. I know you want to say something” I said after I put my victims aside to recover

“That was a fairly extreme takedown jess. God I don’t have balls and I think I felt the poor guy’s pain. Im genuinely surprised he didn’t toss his cookies when you connected to his family jewels” she said and began to laugh as she continued her sweep looking for anymore scouts, it was quiet for the next ten minutes I had gone to check on our captured enemy team mates. “Well I can see the convulsions have stopped how are you both feeling?”

They both broke down laughing then abruptly one stoped and started to grone “oh Christ please don’t make me laugh mama” he managed to say between moans of discomfort it was then I realised this was the one I had kicked.

“I’m so sorry!. do you need me to get you a medic or is there something I can do” I asked I went to rush towards him with an attempt to give him some form comfort or aid

He held his hands up and tried to back away going a shade paler as he did so. It’s okay I’m fine mama” he managed to gasp”

My other captive couldn’t controll himself at this point and was clasping his arms around his barrel chest. His boisterous laugh filling the reception area where I had left him.

“ Man you should see your face I have never seen someone look so terrified he near shouted with glee at the agent on the floor”

Some colour started to come back to his face “ you let her kick you in the nuts and see how you feel after, he said “I think she even managed to break my cup with that damed kick”

“okay enough” I said trying to sound serious and not at all amused. “ do you need me to get you a medic?” I asked now a little bit more composed

The agent who I had managed to injure replied “we will be fine mama”

“Fine but promise me you will get checked out once this training is over”

“I will, and thank’s for your concern” he said as I turned to leave. Walking out of the reception area I heard them laughing about the whole encounter.

Setting myself up with abbey again we sat In a comfortable silence. 15 minutes passed and I was starting to get jumpy. “Why haven’t they sent anyone to find their missing. Scouts” Before she could answer me. An explosion lit the sky and we could feel the concussive force of the detonation. Debris flew high in to the sky and I was stunned, I really hope that it wasn’t my team that caused it but I also hoped that my team were okay.

“What do you think Jess should we try to find out what’s happened and provide back up.”

I could tell she was on high alert and she wanted to see what had happened. The look in her eyes and the change in her posture screamed predator. I could admit at that moment I almost gave in. I wanted to give the order to back up my team mates. I wanted to break radio silence and beg for news that they where all safe but I stopped myself. It had taken a herculean level of self control but I wouldn’t give in we wouldn’t lose this because I didn’t believe in my team.

“No we hold our position, if our team has been taken out. the opposition will be heading in our direction soon. We need to stay sharp and defend our position.”

I could still hear smaller explosions in the distance and the sound of debris falling from the sky but I couldn’t hear any fighting. My skin was tingling with anticipation. I had my clock ready safety off and I was trying to keep track of every noise and any movement. I was convinced that we would be the target of a co-ordinated attack at any moment.

Abbey and I picked up the sound of approaching foot steps and and the mumble of voice’s coming from a cluster of building shrouded in shadows without thinking we shifted our position in to one that would make us smaller target’s and at the same time give us a better position to take out our potential targets, the voice’s grew louder as the seconds ticked by. I couldn’t make out what was being said and I couldn’t recognise who the voices belonged to. i Could feel the butterflies in my stomach as nerves and excitement started to pump adrenaline through my body trying to cause a fight or flight reaction. But I hade to stamp these feelings down. I couldn’t act on feelings alone I had to be logical. So I held my position and tried to regulate my breathing. Then a mountain of a man if you could call it a man began to stepped from the shadow’s the first thing I noticed where the horn’s sprouting from it’s temples it reminded me of those that spout from the head of a stag he wore it like a grown, he walked with the authority and confidence you would associate with some one from high society next my eyes where drawn to it’s hands from what I could tell his hand’s arms and fingers where covers in some sort of armour that looked a lot like interlocking scales and his fingers seemed to be tipped with some sort of blade that would defiantly leave a devestaing injury if he landed an attack with them following this man out of the shadows came my team all looked uninjured they seemed to be in great spirits as the approached, “abbey stay in position this could be an illusion by osaki” I said not wanting to doubt my team but also not wanting to loss our flag we train our weapons on our team mates. “Abbey is that thing with the horns is that Gudmundur” I asked not sure if I really wanted the answer

“yep that’s the dragon. Looks like he decided to go in to this in his worrier form”

I would need to file that little tidbit away and ask her more about this. I though the dragons only had two form’s it could take. With human or dragon no in between stage.

We let them make there approach and in there wake was the other two teams all of them where cuffed and not looking overly impressed by our apparent victory.

I stood from my position and my team rushed over a look of relief showed on all there faces.

“So should I assume you where responsible for the explosion” I asked directing my question at gudmundur.

“Well I needed to get there attention while the team snuck in and retrieved there flags.”

“So they did team up?”

“Yeah and they though it was a good idea to conciliate there force in one location.” they didn’t hear back from the scouts and assumed somthing had gone wrong and planed for a full scale frontal assault assuming we would focus more on defence”

“Okay that kind of makes sense but what’s with the worrier look” I asked still confused as to why he who’d use so much power he could probably defeat all 3 unit’s while in his human form so the worrier form just seemed like over kill.”

He shrugged “it was all about the intimidation. If you see something like me approach your base what would be you first reaction”

I wouldn’t admit to it but I would probably wet myself okay mister intimidation are we done with the training or what?”

“Well I have the facility for the rest of the day so its up to the unit leaders.”he said

“Osaki, Danielle” I yelled to get there attention. “Let’s see what they think about an extended training session.

After a brief conversation we established that it was a good idea to use the facility to get more training in. But instead of a battle Royale formate gudmundur, abbey, osaki and Danielle decided to run independent drills focusing on their specialities abbey was running hand to hand combat, osaki worked on stealth and infiltration, gudmundur did breach and clear techniques and Danielle worked on evasion, I chose to drift between each drill taking part in various rolls to try and understand each of my teams strengths and weaknesses,

*

By the end of the day I was hot, sweaty and in need of a shower, my body hurt in places that I didn’t know could hurt.but I was satisfied with what we had achieved the team threw themselves in to the training and there team work although still not great was showing improvement. I would have to ask the other teams to join us in training more often to see if it will help us develop quicker.

Walking back in to the agency lobby everyone went there separate ways. And I was left with abbey and Gudmundur.

“Guys I truly appreciate everything you are doing for me and the team, I dont know where we would be right now without your help and support”

“It is my pleasure to help you in anyway I can, all my resources are at your disposal if you ever need them and I will make it my personal mission to ensure you have the best team in the agency. If that is okay with you” said gudmundur

Abbey just sniggered at his statement and rolled her eyes

“Are you saying you want to take charge of the teams training” I asked disbelief clear in my tone

“Yes but only if it’s acceptable to you, it has been a long time since I have trained so many like we did today and I find I rather enjoyed it.”

“It’s fine by me but you need to remmber that we are still trying to investigate Aldrich and Jeremiah’s connection and who is pulling their strings so can the training be a side project”

Gudmundur seemed to radiate joy as he bade us good by and left the way we had just come in. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“You have know idea what you have just agreed to” abbey said and it was one of the few times that I could actually say she had a sour expression on her face.

“He can’t be that bad. Look at what he achieved with the team in a few short hours imagine what he can do if he has free rain to train them how he sees fit” I said

Abbey just shook her head in response.

“So what are you up to now” she asked

“I’m just heading for the dorm room going to shower then pass out on my criminally soft bed. What about you. Anything interesting Planned for your evening ”

“I’m going to head to the blood bank then im going to speak to some of my contact’s see if there is something they might know.” With that she lent in and softly kissed my check. It bearly lasted a second but it was enough to make my heart go into overdrive and my cheeks to flush “what is wrong with you I shouted after her but she was gone. I really hated how fast vampires could move when they wanted to.

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