Chapter Text
Lublin, Poland
0900 hours, local time
Lublin was a beautiful city, featuring extensive greenery and quaint buildings. The atmosphere was abuzz with low chatter as people began their mornings. Unfortunately for the city, the calm air would not last very long.
Collinn “Warden” McKinley peered out from his position. Passerby bustled around him, carrying whatever items they had just bought with them. Collinn leaned against a small cubby built into a nearby building. “Valkyrie, this is Warden,” he said into his mic. “How we lookin’?”
“Warden, Valkyrie. I’ve got eyes on our man. Mr. Brzeziński is on the move on the north side of the market. He’s got one bodyguard in a suit with him. There’s three other plainclothes with him, I think they’re undercover,” answered Meghan.
A new voice entered the channel. “You can thank me for the cameras. Every single optic in the market is now in our control. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Thanks, Grace,” droned the entire team.
Collinn smirked, his mustache moving with his lip. Here they were, at the pinnacle of their planning. Brzeziński was a criminal networker with countless connections. If they could nab him, they just might be able to find whoever was selling this new neurotoxin. A deadly bioweapon had just made its way into the world, and they needed to find out who was producing it. Three weeks of recon had led to this.
Collinn was dead-center in a busy street market. Narrow streets led into other sections, all encompassed by stone buildings on the sides. Tents covered each vendor, shading them from the morning sun.
“All right, people,” Meghan told them, “keep those fingers off the triggers. Remember, we want Brzeziński alive. Zofia’s having a hard time as it is keeping the police off our operation here. If we can get our man without firing a shot, that’ll save us a lot of paperwork.”
“Yeah, yeah,” said Ela. “We know. No shots unless threatened. We’ve been over this before.”
“I’m just trying to make sure that no one gets any funny ideas, Ela ,” snapped Meghan. “I want this op to be clean, copy?”
“Roger that.”
“Wilco,” muttered Collinn. He shifted in the sweater he was wearing. Underneath, he had a thin but absorbent ballistic vest, courtesy of Julien.
“Keep this on at all times,” Julien had said before they left. “It won’t stop a rifle round, but it will keep a nine-millimeter from going through your ribcage. And that might just be the difference between life and death.”
Collinn tried and failed to pull his collar out some more. Despite the necessity of the vest, he could feel it restricting his breathing. At last, he let it go and put his hands back in his pockets. Damn. Well, it wasn’t the end of the world. They just had to focus and get Brzeziński.
“Warden, Valkyrie,” his earpiece said. Collinn snapped to attention. “I’ve got eyes on Brzeziński, he’s headed your way. Try to take out the plainclothes in the back, one of them has an orange jacket.”
“Copy,” he said. Collinn rested a hand on his jacket, which concealed his trusty P-10C. He’d opted for a suppressor this time, given the nature of their mission. Collinn grabbed a shirt from a nearby stand, pretending to inspect it. Every so often, he’d look up to check the oncoming traffic. After the third look, Collinn saw Brzeziński.
Brzeziński was a shorter man in his fifties, with graying hair. His thick beard covered a sharp and distrusting face. A younger man in a black jacket and black cap walked beside him, scanning the area through a pair of sunglasses. Collinn looked back down at his shirt and used it to cover his mouth. “All units, this is Warden. I’ve got VISCON on Brzeziński, he’s headed west in the clothing section,” he whispered.
“Copy that, Warden,” answered Taina. “I’m moving to your location.”
As Brzeziński and his bodyguard passed, Collinn saw three other men that were much bulkier than the rest of the shoppers. One of them had an orange jacket and hung twenty-some yards behind Brzeziński. That was his target.
Collinn stepped out of his cubby just as the orange jacket man prepared to pass by. Collinn looked down at the ground and forcefully bumped the man in the shoulder. Both of them looked up, and Collinn pretended to be startled. “Hey!” Collinn snapped. “Watch where you’re going!”
“Sorry,” the man said in accented English. He held out his hands to placate Collinn. “I do not want—”
“What the hell, man?” continued Collinn, interrupting the man. He gave the man a slight push. “Don’t you have eyes?”
Soon, the man lost patience. “That was not my fault,” growled the man. “You need to watch where you’re going.”
“I’ve had it,” muttered Collinn. He pushed the man again so that he stumbled into the cubby where Collinn had been.
The man glared and pushed back. Collinn suppressed a smile. It was going just as he’d thought. He took the push as an excuse to start fighting even more. Collinn slammed the man against the wall. At this point, the man was fed up with it and kicked Collinn in the abdomen. Collinn grunted from the impact, but the vest had absorbed some of the blow.
Collinn clenched his fists. Now the fight was really on. He threw a jab at the man’s face, but the man blocked with his forearm. In return, the man attempted a left hook, but Collinn ducked under and slammed a knee into the man’s chest. The man gasped as the air was driven out of him. As the man attempted to recover, Collinn drove an elbow into the man’s nose, knocking his head against the wall.
The man, dazed from all the blows, slumped against the wall, out cold. Just to be sure, Collinn patted him on the face. The man did not stir.
Collinn huffed and adjusted his sleeves. “All units, Warden,” he panted. “One plainclothes is down.” He walked out of the cubby, trying to look normal. Nearby, shoppers gave him a wide berth. It looked like his confrontation had been a little less quiet than he’d thought.
“Copy that, Warden,” Meghan said. “Cav, you’re up.”
“Roger,” replied Taina.
Collinn straightened his sweater and headed down the street. He could see the heads of Brzeziński’s other two undercover guards standing high above the rest of the crowd. He jogged through the people in the market to try and reach them. “Excuse me,” he said. “Coming through. Sorry . ”
As he tried to weave through the crowds, Brzeziński continued getting farther and farther away. Damn. Collinn slipped off once the street had opened an intersection. If he wanted to catch Brzeziński, he’d have to go around.
Besides, thought Collinn, improvising is the best part of any plan.
The street that paralleled Brzeziński was much less crowded. Collinn broke into a fast jog now. Vendors attempted to sell him their fresh produce, ranging from broccoli to tomatoes, but he wasn’t having it. There was only one thing on his mind, and that was getting Brzeziński.
“All units, this is Caveira. I took out one of the plainclothes,” Taina radioed. “ Boa noite, senhor .”
“This is Kapkan,” grunted Maxim. “Bandit and I are in position. Brzeziński is walking right into our trap. Heh. A real hunter would watch where he steps.”
“We know,” said an exasperated Dominic. “You say that every chance you get.”
“Keep the channels clear, boys,” Meghan told them. “Ela, try to get there soon.”
“I copy. Moving to the location now.”
Collinn continued his jog. Almost there, he thought. But just as he rounded the corner, he was confronted with another wave of shoppers. Goddammit.
Collinn pushed his way through the people, trying to maintain his cool. He needed to be in position by the time the trap was sprung. One gun might make all the difference. “This is Warden,” he huffed. “There’s too many damn shoppers in my way. I’m trying to get there as fast as I can, but it’s crowded.”
“Brzeziński is almost at the site,” warned Meghan. “You better hurry.”
“You don’t think I’m trying?” snapped Collinn. He started pushing people as he moved. There was no time to waste at this point. It was all or nothing. A few people voiced their indignation at being jostled, but Collinn ignored them. “I need to be somewhere, please move. Sir, I need you to move out of my way, please.” He cursed under his breath. This was taking too goddamn long. “Sir, if you would please move!”
Suddenly, his earpiece exploded with chatter. “All units, this is Alpha. We have them surrounded, repeat, we have them surrounded!” someone said. He could vaguely hear Ela shouting in Polish in the background.
“We got them boxed in!” chuckled Taina.
“Warden, where the hell are you?” Meghan snapped.
Collinn spat out a string of curses. “I’m getting there, but these people are all in my way! Move!”
“Watch the guns, watch the guns,” Dominic said cautiously.
“Warden, we need you to watch our six,” radioed Maxim. “There’s—wait…”
Collinn was just about to start shoving to get the people out of his way when he heard a flurry of gunshots ring out. He instinctively ducked down and rolled behind a wooden stall. People screamed and dove to the floor. Collinn immediately reached into his jacket and took out his P-10C. He hadn’t heard any bullets near him, but the gunshots had sounded close.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked into his mic. Another volley of gunshots thundered but ended quickly.
“Shots fired, shots fired!” grunted Maxim. “We were ambushed! All hostiles are down, but Brzeziński is on the run.”
Collinn cursed again. They were so close. Despite the chaos, he stood. There was only one way to stop this, and that was by going after Brzeziński. He took off in a dead sprint.
Meghan immediately began spitting out orders. “Bravo, get out the van and cut off Brzeziński. We cannot let him into his safehouse. Alpha, go after Brzeziński NOW. Do we have any casualties?”
“Ela’s hit,” Maxim said despondently. “Hit her in the leg. She’s not going to be able to run quite yet.”
Collinn clenched his fists at the words. Dammit. They’d been so careful, but it’d all gone to hell right at the last moment.
“How did they know we were here?” Dominic asked, bewildered.
“Just find Brzeziński!” snapped Taina.
“Warden, where the hell are you?” Meghan asked. “Get moving!”
Collinn grabbed his earpiece as he ran. “I already am,” he said determinedly. He sprinted through the crowd, all of whom were still on the ground. People began to look up as they saw him, and they realized that they should be running too. The crowd surged as shoppers fled in a mass panic. Collinn grunted as flailing limbs smacked into him. Despite his initial gains, the path was once more flooded with civilians.
It was at that point that he’d had enough. Collinn raised his pistol and fired into the air. People around him screamed and dropped to the floor once more. “Everybody down!” he shouted. “Stay down and don’t move!” With the path cleared, Collinn began a dead sprint down the street. He ran to one of the intersections and skidded around the corner, pistol still in hand.
Collinn found Maxim kneeling next to Ela, who was wincing and propped up against the wall. Maxim was putting pressure on Ela’s right leg, which was bleeding just above the knee.
“ Kurwa ,” hissed Ela.
Five men lay facedown on the ground, blood pooling beside them. Their Glocks were spread out around them. “Where’d they go?” Collinn asked breathlessly.
Maxim pointed. “They went left. Caveira and Bandit are already chasing him. You need to hurry!”
Collinn nodded and began sprinting once more. He headed out onto an extremely long road, but this one was empty. He turned left and put as much effort as he could into his sprint. Guess all that PT really paid off, he thought.
Just as he was about to reach the end of the road, someone walked out onto the street. Collinn couldn’t stop himself in time and slammed into the person, sending them both tumbling onto the ground. He groaned, feeling bruises form on his shins. Who the hell was out here like this?
He pushed himself up onto one knee and found himself face to face with the guard he had knocked out earlier. The orange jacket man had blood smeared across his face and was wincing from bruises on his torso. As he looked up, their eyes met. A split second of shock went through the two men.
Both men reached for their guns. Collinn patted his jacket and felt nothing. A flash of panic made his heart skip a beat. Where was his pistol? The man apparently had lost his too, because his hands were empty. Collinn spotted both pistols lying on the ground a few yards away. It seemed they’d dropped them when they collided.
There was another moment of stillness. The man looked wide-eyed at Collinn. Collinn set his jaw in response.
The orange jacket man dove for his Glock, but Collinn grabbed him by the jacket and yanked him backwards. Both of them stumbled onto the ground. The man wriggled free of his jacket and stood, fists balled.
“You made a mistake,” the man growled.
Collinn sighed. The man was between him and the guns. It looked like this would have to be a fist fight. “You really want to do this again?” Collinn asked.
The man didn’t respond and just roared. He charged, swinging a wild punch at Collinn. The operator ducked easily and threw a fist straight into the man’s stomach. The man coughed and fell to one knee. As the man tried to stand on shaky legs, Collinn drove his knee up and into the man’s nose once more. The man staggered and fell onto the ground, coughing and leaking blood.
Collinn sighed again in exasperation and grabbed his P-10C from the ground. “This is Warden, I’m on the move.”
“Copy that,” said Meghan. “Brzeziński is just down the street, you can cut him off at the intersection if you hurry.”
“This is Caveira, I’m almost on top of the desgraçado .”
Collinn wiped his mouth and ran down the street. He felt the ballistic vest dig into his chest, restraining his lungs. Damn. Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. He just had to run.
Collinn turned into a more open area of rug stores. He saw Taina sprint past him, running right. Dominic was right on her heels. He kicked his legs out and started running again. At this point, his muscles were beginning to strain, but he pushed on. If there was one thing he couldn’t afford, it was to lose Brzeziński.
Right before he turned the corner, however, he paused. There was another open alleyway straight ahead. If Brzeziński went left, he might be able to cut him off. Collinn spent a split second weighing the decision, then sprinted full-send down the alleyway.
“This is Warden, I’m going to try to cut Brzeziński off!” he panted into his mic. “Try to push him to one of the left alleys!”
“I’ll do my best, but he’s slippery,” grunted Dominic. “ Scheiße !” he swore suddenly. “More of Brzeziński’s men are here! Warden, go after him!”
Suppressed gunshots echoed from just a few alleys over. Collinn tried not to think of what might be happening to his comrades. There was only him and Brzeziński now.
Collinn entered the narrow alleyway, grimy brick walls flashing by his sides. His breathing became more labored as he continued his relentless pursuit. Suddenly, he saw Brzeziński flash by ahead of him. Collinn cursed and picked up the pace. Damn, this guy was fast.
He turned into a much wider street when a gunshot rang out. Collinn felt an impact slam his chest, and he stumbled backwards, the air knocked out of him. A second gunshot thundered, hammering his torso yet again. Collinn fell on his back. He groaned. He was definitely going to be feeling that one that night.
He squinted forward and saw another figure in a beanie clutching a pistol. Without hesitating, Collinn whipped out his own P10-C and put two shots in the man’s lungs. As the man staggered, Collinn put another round in the man’s skull. The gunman collapsed on his back in a puddle of blood and brains.
Collinn pushed himself to his feet. How many times was he gonna get knocked down today? He unloaded his pistol and checked the magazine. Well over enough rounds to take down multiple men. He slid it back into the pistol.
It was a good thing he checked, too, because at that moment two more men in sunglasses and brown jackets rounded the corner. Both of them carried CZ-75 machine pistols. They stopped when they noticed the body on the floor. One of them looked at Collinn, his face betraying a confused anger. “ Kto –”
Collinn didn’t hesitate to put a round in each of the men. When both of them staggered, he dumped the rest of his magazine into them, until both bodies were pocketed with bullet holes. He panted. That had better have been the last of them. He grabbed the spare magazine hidden in his jacket and slammed it into his pistol. “All teams, this is Warden. I lost Brzeziński,” he sighed. “He’s headed northbound. Good luck, Bravo team.”
Meghan sighed and muttered a few curses. “You heard him, Bravo. Get a move on and get Brzeziński. Valk, out.”
Collinn winced as his ribcage flared in pain. Julien’s armor had saved his life, but now it hurt like hell. Taina and Dominic ran over to him, both with blood on their clothes. “He’s gone?” Taina asked.
Collinn nodded tiredly. Dominic slapped a hand against the wall. “Damn. I guess we just have to hold out then.”
Collinn rubbed his chest. “Let’s get to the LZ. I’ve had enough running around in this place.”