Read Team Omega for Free Online

as they moved.  Most of the terrorists in watch positions had been taken out by the snipers, but a handful remained alive, including two who tried to surrender.  The operatives searched them roughly, cuffed them and then left them where they lay.  They’d be able to pick them up after the fighting was over and the building was secure.  Besides, Jackson wouldn't shed any tears for them if their comrades killed them before they could be interrogated.  They’d lost all right to be treated as human beings the moment they took civilians as hostages. 
     
    A burst of gunfire greeted them as they reached the tenth floor, forcing Jackson to crawl on his hands and knees after the Sergeant, who barely slowed down.  Maybe his enhanced form had some advantages, Jackson decided, although he couldn't see just how von Shrakenberg would get up if someone managed to knock him over.  The gunfire grew louder, mingled with sobbing from the hostages, both male and female.  They might have been corporate CEOs, with more money in the bank than Jackson could ever dream of earning as a soldier, but they didn’t deserve to be treated like that.
     
    “Standoff,” von Shrakenberg muttered.  The terrorists had a near-perfect position, apart from the fact that they couldn't get out without being shot down.  Alpha Team would be sure to take hits as they threw themselves into the room and their body armour wouldn't be able to handle everything.  “New Guy—take that corridor and see if you can catch them in a covering fire.”
     
    Jackson nodded in acknowledgement and crawled westwards until he could stand up without being seen.  His father had often grumbled about working as a corporate drone, pointing out that the managers loved to spy on their employees while remaining hidden behind semi-transparent glass.  Now, their offices had become prisons, allowing the terrorists to hold them with minimal effort while they concentrated the main body of their force against the rescue teams.  Jackson found a crack in the wall and peered through it, wincing as he saw five terrorists—including two mutants.  The superhumans who could no longer pass for human were more inclined to violence; why not, when civilised society shunned them?  One of the mutants sniffed loudly and turned to look at Jackson, even though there was no way that he could have seen him.  Jackson threw himself to the ground as bullets tore through the cheap plaster walls separating him from the terrorists.  They offered no protection at all.
     
    “Five terrorists, including two mutants,” he subvocalised, as the bullets drew closer.  He crawled away as fast as he could.  “I don’t know how, but they saw me!”
     
    “Nice going, new guy,” someone muttered.
     
    The Sergeant ignored him.  “Go,” he snapped.  Jackson heard the sound of M-22’s firing as the three operatives took advantage of the distraction to charge into the room, taking down the terrorists before they could react.  “Move...”
     
    Jackson felt someone grasp the back of his uniform.  A strong arm picked him up and threw him down the corridor, slamming him into the wall at the far end.  The body armour took most of the blow, but it was still jarring as hell; Jackson managed to turn around, only to see the mutant growl as it charged towards him.  Up close, it was very hard to tell that it had been born human.  It looked rather more like a werewolf might, if caught in transition between human and wolf forms. 
     
    He managed to draw his knife as the werewolf caught him, ready to bite into his helmet with sharp canine teeth.  The helmet should have protected him, but there was no point in taking chances.  Desperately, Jackson knifed the mutant in the heart and was rewarded with a howl so loud it almost deafened him.  Then the mutant staggered backwards, glaring at him with disconcertingly human eyes.  Jackson had just enough space to draw his pistol and shoot the werewolf through