Suddenly, the sound of weapons fire cracks across the street. You instinctively duck into a crouch and raise your rifle, scanning the windows. Automatic fire bursts forth from the third floor at the far end of the street, raining down on the troopers of Squad One still in the open. You fire three shots at the building, your explosive rounds crashing through the outer brick work. Your troopers scramble to avoid the toppling wall, kicking in doors and charging in.
Amori grabs your arm.
"Come on, sir," he says, pulling you into a run. "We need to find cover!"
De Silva and the other civilians are fleeing down the middle of the street. Your troopers are all disappearing inside the houses and over the chatter of small arms fire you hear screams and shouts. An explosion billows forth from a house across the street, and you see dark figures running through the smoke. Amori leads you through an open door as bullets ping the wall beside you.
Inside, you see a dark hallway and stairs leading up to the left. To the right is a sitting room with a window looking out on the street. You hustle into the room and crouch down, scanning through the window and checking your forearm display. Symbols of your troopers are visible, scattered throughout the buildings on the street, with only two hostiles positively identified at the far end of the houses.
You hear a whimper behind you. Looking back, you spot three young children cowering behind one of the chairs, too terrified to move. The situation, you realize, is out of control.
"All Foxtrot units," you order over the circuit, "hold your positions—watch your fire! Report all hostiles via tactical."
You watch your screen, waiting for new red symbols to light up. After five long seconds, there are still only two hostiles—both at the far end of the street.
"All units, maintain position and check for wounded." You swipe commands on your screen. "Squads One and Two, take designated hostiles then hold position."
You watch as the symbols of your troopers maneuver, listening as concentrated fire of explosive rounds and grenades destroy the two enemy positions. Nothing else moves, and you assess that you've neutralized the threat. Your platoon is scattered but safe, no doubt hunkered down with terrified civilians just like you and Amori.
You take a closer look at the children behind the chair. One of them is very pale, with faint red blotches on his cheeks: the early symptoms of MacMillan's Disease. You offer him a kind smile, but he stares back with glassy eyes.
"Let's go," you say to Amori. As you rise you issue the order for your platoon to disengage and assemble in the square where you met De Silva.
There's no way your mission to educate the population will succeed now, but at least you have solid evidence that the outbreak has hit Free Lhasa.
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