MF1.0 - 12 - The Last Moment

Ryan fired again and another cultist went down. Then another. They had scattered, and were running – there were more than they had expected, but not more than he could handle. The Solstice were like rats – as many as you took down, some always got away. He tried to avoid the bank of computers – he knew Jones would need to examine them. It was one of the sources of wonder that the Solstice believed their own propaganda so much, that even in the face of reason, they would choose to run, be defiant or fight. Echelon, the two-thirds that wasn’t the combat division in any case, were always willing to talk. Objectively, the line between a cultist and a recruit was quite fine, so occasionally, there was a reasonable person among the Solstice ranks. He stepped over one of the bodies, and listened to the running feet, deciding on the best path to take. After a quick shift, there were two more bodies. Another shift, another body. A few moments later, there was only one life sign left on the premises, and it wasn’t moving. A number of possibilities ran through his head. It could have been a hostage, but it hadn’t seemed to have been that kind of operation. It could have been one of their victims – in which case there was a fifty-percent he’d have to kill them anyway. The life sign in question could have been asleep – but with all the noise, that was a remote possibility. They could have been scared – that was a common enough occurrence. He shifted into the room containing the life sign – it was just another of the small bedrooms. There was a large open window, but the room itself was dark. The occupant wasn’t apparent. The sound of breathing betrayed the occupants’ position. The wardrobe. A strange sense of wonder brought a smile to his face – it was such a quaint place to hide, and it afforded no real protection. Obviously, it had been a desperate act. There was the sound of tapping keys. He crossed to the wardrobe, the floor creaking as he did so. The tapping of keys stopped for a moment, then resumed. He reached for the wardrobe door and pulled it open. Hidden in the shadow of the deep wardrobe, illuminated only by the light of her laptop, was a young woman. She refused to look up, or in any way acknowledge him, her eyes were glued to the screen. She was the last one left – all of the other life signs were long out of reach, and he’d informed Taylor that when his combat recruits were back from whatever mission they’d conveniently taken, that they could pick up the scent. He appraised the hacker, thankful that she wasn’t sprouting the normal Solstice gospel – it made a quiet end to a night for once. As he stared at her, frankly amazed that she was obstinately ignoring him, her file loaded. One fact stood out above all others – a cross-reference to himself. The child? A rush of conflicting emotions washed over him, but a sense of duty overrode them all. He lifted his gun and fired.