Read Blades of Winter for Free Online

everybody uses at ExOps. One day at lunch he came up with Freaking Unstoppable Cranium Krusher, and I laughed soda out my nose.
    I buckle on my SoftArmor, stop worrying about prosthetics, and listen to the
whop-whop
of the helicopters coming to pick us up. “We’ll find her all right,” I whisper to myself, “and once we do, craniums won’t be the only freaking things I crush.”

C HAPTER 6
S AME DAY , 1:30 P.M. EST N EAR Q UANTICO , V IRGINIA , USA
    The Tech Specialists have analyzed a bunch of stuff from the abduction site formerly known as my house. God only knows what they found. I leave that technical crap to the eggheads. Whatever it was, they worked even more frantically than normal because Cleo is one of our people, and nobody fucks with ExOps’ people.
    Our mission requires three helicopters: one gunship for air cover and two slicks to transport personnel. Each slick carries an eight-man Squad while the Mission Commander rides in the gunship. I get in Slick One with Cyrus, Patrick, and Alpha Squad.
    As soon as we’re aboard the helicopters, I have Alpha Squad’s Med-Tech clean out the cut on my cheek and apply a new bandage. Patrick makes sure my SoftArmor is properly secured, then I recheck my ammo and grenades. Good to go.
    While the choppers fly us to Quantico, Cyrus comms his boss to get me promoted from Level 4 to Level 6. He speaks out loud, so I can hear his end of the conversation.
    “Yes, Director Chanez, I said Scarlet. Yes, that Level, the Interceptor from yesterday’s mission in New York. No, sir, she survived it with only a light bullet wound. I know, sir, but the abductee, Cleopatra Nico, is her mother.” Cyrus listens for a moment. “Right, Cleo from Admin. Sir, I want Scarlet on this Smash ’n’ Grab, but her clearance is too low to lead one of the Squads.” Long pause. “Director Chanez, may I … Yes, sir … Yes, but sir …” He shuts his eyes. “Sir, with all due respect,if we don’t involve Scarlet in her own mother’s rescue, we’ll need a crew of Vindicators to keep her away from it.” Cyrus winks at me and continues. “Besides, sir, she fits the mission parameters perfectly, and there will be plenty of oversight.” Another pause. “Very good, sir. So I can file this promotion with your approval?” He listens for a long time. Trick, who has been eavesdropping, gives me a smile and two thumbs up. Finally Cyrus signs off with “Yes, sir, as you say. Thank you, sir.”
    So I’m a Level 6, and Cyrus sternly lectures me about ExOps process and procedure. Like I give a shit about that right now. For all I know, my mom has been tortured or raped or killed. Show me the bad guys and I’ll give
them
some process and procedure.
    The choppers hurtle in low and land outside a bucolic office park in Virginia, near the marine base at Quantico. We all jump out of the bird before it’s even on the ground. Cyrus and Trick run to the gunship and hop on as it lifts off again.
    It turns out that the Mission Commander is Raj. He’s the last person I want to take orders from, but he’s available, he’s got the right clearance, and I’ve heard he’s effective in the field. When I ask Cyrus why he doesn’t lead this op himself, he says he wants to assess Raj’s leadership skills.
    I’m about to tell my boss what I think of Raj’s leadership skills when Raj comms me from the gunship on my private frequency. “Scarlet, listen up, because I’m only gonna say this once. I don’t know how you sweet-talked the Front Desk into promoting you two Levels at once, but if you screw up my mission, I’ll have you demoted back down to Training.”
    Before I can spit out one of my patented smart-ass responses, he switches to the Job Number’s group frequency and broadcasts his orders to the teams. Raj directs me to assault the main entrance of the facility with Alpha Squad while Beta Squad surrounds the rest of thebuilding. Rah-Rah will direct the operation from the heavily armed