Back to Bob’s rescue mission. It starts well…

I’m already into the epilogue and may finish the raw MS before Imaginarium after all. I could copy it to a flash drive and hand it to my copyeditor, I suppose.

Would a highly trained soldier really steal a look at a girl in the middle of a rescue mission? Sorry, ladies, men are pigs.

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The small amount of C4 was pushed onto the door by the handle and a fuze inserted.  Hardt had seen the CC camera over the door but with the guard inside still asking for Nick, he guessed it didn’t work.  Or was disabled.

Back around the corner, the under-centurion fired it without waiting.  Hardt tossed a flash-bang and the two with machine pistols took point into the cell block.  The guard, presumably who had been speaking, was on the ground in pain.  Hardt pointed to his two men to go the forty feet ahead to where the hallway T’d and wait.  When they moved, he stabbed his knife directly into the guard’s heart.

Alarms began.

No time to look for keys, his man was already putting another explosive on what should be Eloise’s door.  Bob pounded on it and yelled his name and for her to get back and down.  It would be stupid for her to die after all this.

The two at the far end hunkered down and Hardt and his second went back out the door.  Another small blast and they walked quickly through the smoke to the cell.  Curled up against the far wall…

“Damn, El!” Being a Hartmann, Bob couldn’t help himself.  “Naked already?  Want me that bad?”

It was a bad joke and she stood, crying.  Shit.

“We’re leaving,” he called to the men at the end of the hall.  Back moments later, those two led the other three, Bob’s arm around Eloise’s waist as she looked, to his human eyes, very unsteady.  Likely mild shock from blowing the door.  Being a guy, he did appreciate she was prettier than he thought she’d be.

Back out into the yard, their ship was not there.  Planned, of course; it was just up and out.  Hardt sheathed his knife and pressed the button to summon –

Six guards came out of the other door to the prison yard.  His men instantly opened fire, forcing them back.  He heard more on the roof.  That’s not good…

“Roof!  Frag out!” he shouted.  A series of explosions above them followed just as their ride dropped to three feet off the grass and snow.  They ran.

His three men went first and Hardt passed their guest up and took the offered hand of one of his men.  Feeling the sudden acceleration –

There was a jerk and bang at the same time.  The ship was falling out of the sky.  They must have had some AA on the roof, was his thought before blacking out on impact.