Ford's Rise - L. Ann Marie Page 0,85

we go to Ops. Stella falls against the wall and I turn shooting the green army guy.

“You fuckin’ dick that hurt!” Stella yells and I hit the door before more people are shooting. She’s yelling so she must be okay.

Seth pulls me in and drags Stella with a hand over her mouth. Allen hugs my waist. I sit on the floor and he sits with me. “You safe. You safe, Boss,” his little whispers make me cry.

“The Alpha-Bits. Sheila said they’re safe?”

He nods. “Shhh. No talk. Sign, type.” He signs, ‘All Alpha-Bits safe. Only Ops have As. We all safe now.’

I sign, ‘Thank you.’

He nods making it easier to calm my breathing. ‘I help get house clear, Boss. Sit console to Web.”

I nod and crawl by Stella who is whispering to Alder that she’s fine. Web lifts me and sits me next to him. I get a kiss and hold on to his arm as he types. No one is talking in here. I see the flashes of light all over the place. The infrared makes it look brighter. Putting my gun down, I reach for my glasses to fix the light so it’s not so blinding. It’s already hard enough to see what’s happening.

I see Raid shoot and point. “Raid, the kitchen.” My typing shows on the board. “He shot two.”

Cort is talking to Sheila, Akai and Amal. I can’t read and watch what’s happening. When Raid moves toward the tunnel, I see a man in green and override the lights so Raid can see him. He shoots. I type the tunnel feeds are down.

Cort nods. “Alexia, help where you can.”

I read under his picture. I nod and look for more men in green.

~*~*~

Web

Choppers shooting outside has Alexia cringing. “It’s the good guys, baby.” I whisper.

She swipes at her face and gets right back to typing. Lights flash then go off. She’s fucking amazing. She’s pointing out the dicks for the Teams all over the fucking place.

The intercom goes on and I look for who. Fucking Alder. “This is Little Pres, Alder Ford. Drop weapons now. No way out. We shoot to kill you not surrender. Four alive to you. Six teams, three Flight Crew to us.” Ford? I smile at him.

Alexia flips a light and we hear the shot. Sheila is crazy kicking the dick when he has a hole in his head.

“Three alive to you.” Alder has me shaking my head.

A yell has me searching feeds. “Library!” I yell hoping Nova gets it.

He turns and shoots as the dick runs through the library door to the hall. “Clear.”

“Two to you, drop weapons now.” Alder is keeping up the count for the fucking dicks.

“Boss Tats, three o’clock.” Alder has me looking for Tats. Right in the fucking Ops hall.

Alexia jumps with the shot outside our door. “No, no. Kyler!” She whispers and tears fall.

“Boss Kyler, seven o’clock.” Alder calms her.

Sheila runs through just as Kyler shoots. She nods to him and keeps running.

“No threat show on screen. Feeds down to tunnels and low camera in house. Boss Alexia, house light, on. Alta, Akai, camera. Web, before alert, how many? Pres Cort, chopper find how travel to here?”

Cort nods. I flip the audio on and we hear him agree. “Do not leave that room until the house is checked and Teams are accounted for. All Alpha-Bits stay safe roomed.”

Alder rogers him while I run feeds back. I hear everything going on but watch and count. I’m surprised when Alexia says, “Fourteen in. Two out.”

“Sixteen, Alder.”

The speaker goes on again. “Sixteen military show. Need Sixteen body, VP Raid.”

Alexia pulls her glasses off and I pull her onto my lap. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Lexi. You’re safe and helped keep our family and Teams safe.”

“Three died in the tunnels.” Her body is shaking.

Fuck. I hold her tighter. “They did. Sixteen came in and could have made that a lot worse.”

A commotion at the lake tunnel has me turning to the board. “That’s the dick from Madrid, Cort. He’s not our Security.” I point to Raid on the screen like he sees what I am. He looks at me. “He was shooting at Mucimi and Phoenix on Ops there.”

“Are you sure, Brother?”

I nod. “He’s a freak. He flipped up in the air and back when Mase shot his way.”

“Akai, get the feed of Madrid when the chopper was getting ready to lift. We need to identify that one.”

I turn back to my scared girl. “Sorry, baby. I’m glad you’re not