Chapter 16 - The Assault on Blackwood Manor
The twin turbine engines of the MH-60 Blackhawk helicopter roared through the pitch-black sky,
cutting directly through the heavy rainstorm hovering over the jagged forest ridge below.
I sat in the cramped tactical troop cabin,
checking the night-vision optic on my suppressed carbine,
feeling the familiar,
steady rhythm of my pulse before a combat insertion.
Beside me,
Major Ethan Walker adjusted his ballistic helmet,
his face illuminated by the soft green glow of the cabin's tactical tactical displays.
Brigadier General Marcus Vance stood near the cockpit door,
holding onto the overhead grab rail,
his radio headset crackling with continuous military communications.
"Two minutes to target,
Captain,"
General Vance announced,
his voice calm,
clear,
and cold over the intercom system.
"Blackwood Manor is situated inside a heavily forested valley,
surrounded by a ten-foot concrete perimeter wall,
infrared motion sensors,
and automated point-defense turret systems."
"Mercer built a fortress,"
I replied,
pulling down my night-vision goggles over my eyes.
"He knew that if his political shield ever failed,
he would need a stronghold to hold out until he could purge his digital databases."
"We are dropping four ODA teams simultaneously,"
Ethan added,
checking his primary weapon's chamber with practiced efficiency.
"Alpha Team takes the north perimeter wall,
Bravo covers the east gate,
and Charlie clears the lower courtyard.
You and I,
Claire,
breach the main roof roof skylight with Team Delta."
The helicopter veered sharply to the left,
banking hard against the howling wind as the massive estate came into view beneath us.
Blackwood Manor was a sprawling,
Gothic-style stone mansion,
surrounded by manicured gardens,
tall security towers,
and dark,
impenetrable woods.
Suddenly,
bright tracer rounds erupted from two automated defense turrets mounted on the estate's corner towers,
spitting heavy ammunition into the night sky toward our formation.
"Taking ground fire!"
the pilot shouted over the comms,
flaring the aircraft to dodge the incoming rounds.
"Door gunners,
neutralize those automated turrets immediately!"
The Blackhawk's heavy side-mounted machine gun opened fire with a deafening,
rhythmic roar,
sending bright streams of lead crashing down onto the estate's roof towers.
Sparks exploded into the darkness as the automated turrets were obliterated in brilliant bursts of fire and metal.
"Fast-ropes deployed!"
the crew chief hollered,
throwing heavy thick nylon ropes out the side doors into the storm.
"Go!
Go!
Go!"
I grabbed the rope without a single second of hesitation,
stepping out into the empty void,
sliding down fifty feet through the pouring rain onto the slick slate roof of Blackwood Manor.
My boots slammed firmly onto the roof tiles,
and I immediately unclipped my weapon,
dropping into a low kneeling position to cover Ethan as he slid down right behind me.
Four Special Forces operators landed in rapid succession,
fanning out across the elevated roof structure with weapons raised.
"Skylight in position!"
the team leader shouted,
placing a square frame of explosive breacher tape onto the heavy glass dome below us.
"Cover eyes!
Breaching in three...
two...
one!"
A sharp,
muffled explosion shattered the reinforced glass,
sending thousands of harmless fragments raining down into the grand atrium below.
Smoke billowed into the dark night,
and without waiting for the dust to settle,
May you like
we dropped through the shattered skylight,
descending on ropes directly into the heart of Mercer's fortress.
