Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 109: Grab Your Weapons!

Most of the soldiers were at the botanic gardens this morning, practising archery, spear throwing and sword fighting while riding their dragons.

Kai was doing particularly well at mounted archery, especially given how little time he’d had riding a dragon. Tingting was a very fine archer as well. She continued to rise in Feifei and Delphis’ estimations.

Indy and Niko remained at HQ with Han and Winter, instructing Opal and Brenner on the control room and the perimeter defences.

As Han was demonstrating the cameras and the alarms for Opal and Brenner, one of the perimeter alarms went off.

Niko, who had his feet up on a nearby table and was ’resting his eyes’, jumped up and came over to take a look.

"Did you set that off, Han?"

"No. Definitely not. I was nowhere near that one. It’s for the alley and the ladder."

"Could it be an animal?"

"Possibly. Hold on while I get the right camera on it."

There was a minute or two of strained silence while Han found the image they were looking for.

Niko had to look twice at the screen that popped up, and then, all hell broke loose.

There were two of the Emperor’s soldiers in the alley outside.

One of the dogs came skidding into the control room barking.

"You’re a bit late, mate," said Niko, leaping into action.

"Grab your weapons!" he shouted.

"Brenner, take the roof. Grab a crossbow as well as your usual. Opal take the binoculars and see what’s happening out there. Han, stay here for now, we’ll need you on the doors and shit. Winter, you’re on comm’s. Keep us informed of everything. Indy, get the dogs and the dragons sorted. I’m not sure how they managed to get so far in without being spotted. Send them after them."

The team started to sprint. Brenner immediately disappeared up onto the roof.

"Incoming!" shouted Opal. "There’s a man on the ladder and he’s moving fast!"

An arrow suddenly sped through the open door, narrowly missing her.

"Soldier on the rooftop opposite!" she cried.

"Get your shield Opal," Niko ordered.

Winter got the intercom operating.

"Brenner, there’s a soldier on the rooftop across the alley."

Brenner had already discovered this fact, watching as the first arrow flew. He hoped Opal was alright. He and the soldier started to exchange a volley of arrows. Standing up to shoot at one another, then ducking out of sight.

"Lieutenant, I can’t shoot this man that’s incoming on the ladder," said Opal urgently. "They’re covering him from across the alley!"

"Han, electrify the ladder. Do it now!" ordered Niko.

Opal peered around her shield and another arrow flew through the open door, embedding itself in the control panel.

"He’s almost up here Lieutenant," she reported.

Niko prepared to fight the man, drawing his sword and hiding behind the vestibule door out of sight of the archer.

"Han?" said Niko urgently.

"Getting close Lieutenant! Five more seconds."

Opal lay flat on the floor of the vestibule now, fully sheltered by her shield. She peered through the small gap made between the round edge of the shield and the floor.

"ETA three rungs until he hits the platform, Lieutenant!"

Han hit the command code he was after and there was a loud electrical sound, followed by a cry, and then the sound of a body banging its way down the ladder.

"Direct hit," called Opal. "You burned him, Han."

Han was watching the electrocution and fall from his screen.

"Man on the ladder is down, I repeat, Brenner. The soldier climbing the ladder is down," Winter announced via the intercom.

"Keep the ladder live, Han. I’m going up to join Brenner. Opal, stay there and report up via Winter."

"Yes, Sir."

Indy’s voice crackled through the intercom. "The dogs are all out on the hunt."

"It’s not going to help," muttered Niko as he took the stairs three at a time, "the enemy’s on the buildings not on the ground".

"Winter, tell Niko and Brenner there are two soldiers on the rooftop opposite us," said Opal urgently, as she spotted a second head up there.

"Second soldier spotted on the rooftop. Repeat, there’s a second soldier."

Niko half-crouched as he ran towards where Brenner was set-up behind the plantroom near the edge of the roof that fronted the alley.

"Coming in to join you, private," he called.

"Sir," said Brenner, "they’ve got me pinned down here. We’re exchanging shots but it could take all day. They’re very cautious about exposing themselves."

"I’ll get Han. He’s one of the best archers we’ve got, behind the Generals."

Han was definitely the best archer in the building according to their competition rankings. Niko ran back down to fetch him.

"Han," he barked. "Need you on the roof to take out these archers. Brief Winter with anything you need her to man in here."

Han quickly showed Winter the command for switching off the ladder and auto closing the doors.

"Leave it all as is for now though," he said to her. "We’ll call you on the intercom if the ladder needs to be switched off."

"Opal," Niko called, "keep an eye out for our team coming back from the gardens. Make sure they don’t go near that ladder unless you’re 100% sure it’s off."

"Yes, Sir!" she replied.

Han picked up his long-range bow and followed after Niko, pounding up the stairs. They commando crawled over to Brenner, who was still hemmed in.

Han peered cautiously around the plantroom wall. An arrow sang past his face, embedding itself in the aviary and making the quails chirp.

"Shit!" he cursed. "He’s located at two o’clock. I’m going to move behind the beehives to get a better angle."

Han leopard crawled over to the beehives with his bow and arrows.

He set himself up and peered between two of the hives where there was a one-inch gap. This was good! He had one of the soldiers in his sights now. He drew back an arrow, using the narrow gap to shoot through.

Niko and Brenner watched from across the twenty yard ’no man’s land’ between their positions.

Han let the shot fly, and there was a faint cry from across the alley.

"Yes!" Niko hissed, pumping his fist.

He and Brenner clasped each other’s forearms in a monkey grip.

An arrow flew across the alley and hit the beehive to Han’s left, blasting the top off it. Bees flew out in a great swarm.

"Fuck!" Han quickly leopard crawled right back the way he had come.

He stood back up when he reached the other two men. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Did you get stung?" asked Brenner.

"Yep. I think so. It’s fine though, bigger fish to fry right now," he said shortly. "Have you got a bead on the second guy, Brenner?"

"He’s at our ten. He’s behind a plantroom too. Doesn’t come out very often and he’s very quick. I’ve taken a few shots at him, but he’s gone before the arrow lands."

Han searched around for a better vantage point to take the shot.