grabbed Hemingway’s sweatshirt and said, “Is there any way out?”
Hemingway coughed and said, “No, they were prepared and covered the door windows with plywood. Both doors are chained. There are armed men below the outside window. There’s no way out.”
“Fight the fire, then. Grab what you can and beat out the flames.”
Everyone started moving, and Hemingway took off his sweatshirt, approaching the flames. He started to swing at them, smothering them as best he could, the heat intense. His classmates started to help, and they made progress. Several of the NWO who had made it through Hell Week were all subdued.
He heard more gunfire and then sirens. Shea had to be out there. She was coming for him. Mad Max and the instructors would be coming for them. No way were they going to let these bastards attack the BUD/S compound without a fight.
They just had to hold on.
Mad Max held onto Jugs’s collar as the SEALs entered the administration building, the smell of smoke acrid in the air. The base fire team was lining up on the grinder, but they couldn’t let them in until all the NWO students were neutralized. REACT stormed into the grinder as well on the heels of Mak, Kai and one of their colleagues. The NWO students had trashed the helmets and the bell, pulling it down and stomping on it. They were trying to humiliate the SEALs for what they had done to Easton and the original NWO Compound. He gritted his teeth, anger washing through him.
Dodger started to swear, and Saint surged forward, but Max grabbed onto his tack vest and held him back.
“Stay calm,” Fast Lane ordered. “I know. This is sacred ground to us, but we’re not going to lose anyone over a bell and helmets. They’re symbols, and symbols cannot be destroyed. Pull it together.” His teammates visibly reined themselves in. “Max, send in Jugs. Then follow on his heels and take those bastards out.”
He released Jugs and the dog took off. The SEALs started to move just as 2-Stroke said, “Front of the building is secure, two terrorists down inside and two outside. Dragon’s using his bolt cutters on the door. We can get some of them out a broken window outside though.”
“Do it!” Fast Lane said. “Pitbull, go help him.”
“Copy that, LT,” Pitbull said as he disappeared.
They had taken down three of the terrorists out on the grinder. “That leaves three more, LT,” Max said.
“Copy.”
Max could hear the growling and screaming before he came around the corner and saw that one of the terrorists was down. The dog was keeping his weapon neutralized, but another terrorist was taking a bead on Jugs. Max pulled off two shots and the guy went down. The third one started running, but Dodger was already on him, tackling him to the ground.
“Bolt cutters,” Fast Lane called as he headed for the chained door. Saint pulled his out and handed them to LT. He cut the chains on the door. They pried off the plywood and cut the ones on the inside and opened it.
“Everyone out!” he shouted into the room as they filed out the door.
Dodger stood there funneling people out of the room until Hemingway, supporting Cheezer, came out. “Mate! You had me worried.”
Hemingway grinned. “Aw, I’m touched.” He coughed as Dodger shouldered the burden on the other side of Cheezer, and they limped down the hall. As he passed, Max clapped his shoulder and Hemingway nodded.
“Wilson and his flunkies are inside. We secured them with our shoelaces.”
“The candidates?”
“Lane rallied us, and we almost got the fire out.”
“No. He’s asking if everyone is all right,” Fast Lane growled.
“Oh. Ha! Yeah, everyone is fine. We all made it.”
“Good work. You look like hell. Get some medical attention.”
“Hoo-yah,” Hemingway said, and Cheezer, half-conscious, mumbled the saying, “A SEAL is never out of the fight.”
“Hemingway!” Shea barreled toward him, and Max could see what the two of them probably wouldn’t acknowledge. Shea wrapped her arms around his neck as he gave over the full burden of Cheezer to Dodger. She supported him as the two of them disappeared down the hall.
“We’re going to draft that kid, right?” Max turned to look at Fast Lane.
He released a soft laugh. “Why don’t we see if he makes it through the rest of the way,” Fast Lane said with a twinkle in his eye.
He’ll make it. Max crouched down and rubbed Jugs’s ears. “Looks like we have ourselves a fucking new guy.”
Shea didn’t want to let