Operation Infiltration

“23 MINUTES TO DETONATION. PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.”

“Captain…”

“I know, Lieutenant, I can hear it,” Arinobu replies sharply. His attention remains on the task at hand even as the alarms blare around him, red lights flashing intermittently. Tap, tap, tap, as his fingers press against the screen of a tablet, frantic as he searches for the correct set of data.

A brief flash. The screen dims.

“Shit.” He presses down harder, acutely aware now of the fizzling blaster shots firing some ways ahead, likely from down the corridor they had just run through. The tablet fails to respond, despite how furiously he taps on it.

“Sir!”

“20 MINUTES TO DETONATION. PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.”

“Fine! Fine,” he sighs, frustrated. Dropping the tablet to the floor - he doesn’t need it now, but still winces as he hears the deafening crack as it makes contact - frees his hands. One reaches for the blaster holstered at his hip. The other digs out the ID card they had swiped from an unsuspecting worker some three weeks ago now. “Recon team, abort. Priority, personnel.”

“–– affirmative Captain –– meeting point? ––”

“Tower Delta.”

“–– understood –– see you on the flip side, Captain ––”

Arinobu glances up as his Lieutenant. The ever trustworthy and reliable Farai who usually looks so stoic, but he’s managed to catch her looking flustered.

“You’re cutting it close,” she says pointedly, only moving to the exit after Arinobu heads to it first.

He swipes the card, relieved when it buzzes and the lock light turns green. “We almost had it.”

“I know sir,” she replies, making a point to nudge him through the door as he glances guiltily back at the broken tablet. “Next time. For now, we’ve got to focus on getting out of here.”

“Right…” he says, just as the alarm blares out once more.

“18 MINUTES TO DETONATION. PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.”

From that point on, the two of them work in silence, save for the sound of their fleet-issued combat boots clattering against the floorboards. They burst out of the building at the 15 minute mark. Make it to Tower Delta two minutes later.

As the first to arrive, Arinobu and Farai wait, bristling with every passing second.

“11 MINUTES TO DETONATION. PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.”

They frown. Farai glances at him, a question burning in her eyes. How long do we give them? The worry is that Arinobu doesn’t know. He got them all into this mess because he was too stubborn to call it quits when it was obvious the plan had failed. Now his muscles ache, coiled under the pretence that maybe he’ll charge back in and get his crew.

He almost does, except he spots figures in the distance coming their way. A small group of eight. He raises the blaster just in case. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Farai doing the same with her rifle, glaring down the sight.

“–– recon team inbound –– put the rifle down Lieutenant, you’re freaking out the techie ––”

Techie? Arinobu thinks, confusion knotting his brow. Maybe this mission wasn’t a waste after all…

“Good job recon team, now let's get the hell out of here.”