"Damon did say that Xavier only went unconscious, I'm sure he's still alive." Thalia added.
We sat in the rough hot sand. Nora and Thalia talking to one another if the mercenaries we will rescue would be alive once we get there.
On the hill, Stephen and Lennox slide down the sand, reporting to Sebastian what they saw.
"Alright guys, Stephen and Lennox spotted a black spot on the sand not far from here." Sebastian explained.
"It's gonna be another 10 minute walk to get there if we walk, man i wish we got a vehicle. This desert heat is turning me into a roasted chicken." Lennox complained.
"Let's go." Sebastian ordered, we stood up shaking the sand on our backs and butts.
Yet another walk through the painfully hot desert, still sweating. I should remove my mask, sweat is building up on my face from this mask, maybe I can try fanning myself with it.
Pulling out my mask, the sweat dripped onto my vest, i could only remove the mask for now. Removing my vest will make me an easier target to kill.
Fanning myself with the mask, the desert wind gave a little comfort from the sun, even if it's hot it's not as hot as the sun's glare.
Some of my teammates, removing their masks as well. Revealing their faces as they fan profusely for whatever comforting wind they can get.
We passed the time of walking fanning ourselves from the heat, it gives some help from the heat. But if anyone here passes out at least we have a medic to help, Alina.
In the distance, i can faintly make out a black spot on the sand, is that from the explosion in the vision? Did they evacuate after the explosion? Hope they didn't or this mission was all for nothing.
Closer and closer to the black spot, we prepare ourselves, putting back our masks and readying our weapons.
Slowly stopping, we neared the black spot, it's larger up close. Nearby, a charred black chassis of a truck rested. Weird, no sign of a base nor an entrance. Even though in the vision the explosion was quite close. No signs of any base, all just sand.
"Damon, was the explosion near or far from Xavier?" Sebastian asked.
"It felt near, I couldn't see through the window but it felt near, and it sounded near."
As we search around, an engine hum, increasingly getting louder. Moved near us.
"Hide!" Sebastian silently ordered.
Near to the crater, a small hill. I ran behind the hill, my team also hiding behind it.
"Huh?" Mary brushed the sand she leaned against, as the sand parted, it revealed a rusted door behind the layer of sand.
"Is that the door to the hideout?" Mary pondered.
2 metal doors slammed from the other side of the hill. More insurgents huh.
"Lennox, Nora. Stay outside, kill the 2 that got here, were going in. And hold the exit in case we get out." Sebastian commanded. On the door is a valve, Mary started turning the valve and with a few turns, Mary pulled it open, revealing a ladder that went down.
Sebastian descended first. With us following behind him. The ladder went down for some time, how long did it take to make this place this deep.
We got off the ladder into the floor below, it was dark. Only hanging lightbulbs guiding the way, the dripping of pipes coupled with the humming of something, maybe a generator somewhere in this place, the hallway we stood in, thin but we could walk comfortably. With more entrances on the sides, probably to more hallways as tight as this.
"Looks like this is gonna be a close quarter combat, for now use pistols or smgs. Rifles are too cumbersome in this place." Sebastian advised. Pulling out my pistol with my rifle and marksman on my back, Sebastian led forward, creeping in the hallway with pistols or smgs in hand. Ready to kill.
"If we go loud, sweep every room quickly. Find the huntsmen." Sebastian added. We walked deeper into the hallway, on both sides are hallways.
"Mary, Luna, Marcel. With me on the right hallway, the rest, Stephen will lead to the other way. If the hallways are fully cleared we will meet back here." Sebastian instructed.
"Alright new bossman, what's the plan?" Thalia asked, trying to quiet down her chuckling.
"If you see any doors, open em, maybe we can find the captured huntsmen." Stephen instructed.
With me, Thalia, and Alina, creeping through the halls. We stayed close, me in the back holding my pistol, slightly aiming up in case anyone peeks out.
"Stop," Stephen ordered.
"A door, Damon since you're at the very back. Take it, Alina cover our 6 next." We started creeping again, the door had a lever mechanism, rusted text above the long lever vaguely read: "Pull to the right to open."
The lever was difficult to move, with some rusting on it making the lever almost stuck to place. After struggling for a bit, I slammed the lever down to the right. The door opened, inside. Weapons scattered everywhere, weapons with no attachment and just bare black all rifles and pistols looking alike at the end of the room were crates of ammunition with mags also scattered down on the floor, man they suck at organizing. Looking inside the room itself, there were no signs of a door leading somewhere deeper or the huntsmen. I exited the door just to see my team continuing their move, this time Thalia is covering the back. I returned to the group, passing an opened door as I did, Alina just emerging out of it.
"Damon what did you see?" Stephen whispered.
"Just scattered bare guns with ammo, that's it." I whispered back.
"Alina what about yo-" A door next to Stephen slammed into him throwing him against the wall, but just in time managed to catch a knife, an insurgent with a mask on was halfway through the door struggling to stab Stephen. In a few seconds Thalia fired a suppressed shot, the insurgent fell lifeless on the floor.
"Thanks Thalia." Stephen thanked Thalia, she nodded back at him. Stephen stood up again, shaking his head to re focus after the altercation.
"Alina search that room." Stephen points at the opened door where the insurgent emerged out of."
After this order, we went back on the prowl searching for the huntsmen.
"I found some of them." Alina alerted us.
We walked into the room Alina entered, inside 6 chained individuals with their heads down, it's the huntsmen. All stripped into their undershirts and pants. Some barely awake while the rest are unconscious. With shackles binding them to chains attached to the walls
"Christ, get them down." We walked to the huntsmen and attempted to get them out with conventional means but to no avail, from pulling to trying to pry them out the chains and shackles held firm.
"This ain't gonna work," Stephen sighed "Hopefully Sebastian got to the other 4 already, alright shoot the chains." Stephen ordered.
I walked up to one of the huntsmen, a woman unconscious as well." Aiming at the chain on her left arm. I fired, sparks flew out after going at me and her, the bullet though pierced through embedding itself into the wall behind the chain. Shooting the other chain. Her body fell directly on me, I managed to grab her saving me from falling. Putting her on the ground, Alina rushed to her, I continued with Stephen on freeing the rest of the 6 huntsmen. Fortunately they were all alive, with 3 of them unconscious including the girl I freed. The rest who were conscious stood up shambolically limping.
"You, do you know where the rest are?" Stephen asked to one of the huntsmen."
"I don't know." The huntsman replied.
"Here take my pistol, team give any weapon you're not using to them. The huntsmen who didn't get any, stay in the middle between us who have weapons." Stephen instructed, i handed my pistol to another huntsmen.
"Thank you." She thanked me, pulling out the assault rifle, I handed it to a male huntsman.
The unconscious woman Alina stayed with sat up. putting her hand on her forehead.
"You're fine, we'll help you more back at the ship" Alina assured the woman.
"Ship?" The woman asked, confused.
"Here take my pistol." Alina hands her a pistol. Leaving Alina with just a rifle and a shotgun, Alina walked up to one of the injured huntsman, offering her rifle to them. Leaving her with a shotgun.
Outside we positioned the unarmed between us and the other huntsmen we gave weapons to. Creeping outside, the suspense only makes us more and more cautious of the environment, even if it's just a thin hallway with no chance of a surprise attack from these doors, definitely not after we searched em. I stood at the very back with my long marksman rifle pointed straight.
In about a minute or two we got out, into the main hall with the ladder. But Sebastian wasn't there. Were they attacked? Odd since we didn't hear any gunfire.