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THE MAKESHIFT TEAM of rescuers made its way cautiously file down the hallway in single. Rory kept his Heckler & Koch UMP9 submachine gun weaving back and forth as he advanced. He checked each door they passed by opening it quickly and stepping inside, ready to fire.
Chet and Donna-Lou kept pace, both of them still looking scared and out of their element.
Skye kept a watchful eye behind them.
"Freeze!"
"Don't move! Don't move!"
Three men filled the narrow hallway, two feet in front of Rory, submachine guns aimed directly at him.
A moment later, three men appeared in the hallway behind Skye, submachine guns trained on her as she stood sideways in the hallway.
Chet froze.
Donna-Lou sank slowly to the floor in fear.
Rory put his left hand up and slowly lowered his weapon towards the floor.
Skye put her left in the air as well, glancing towards Rory as she slowly crouched to lower her weapon to the floor.
Chet followed suit, crouching and placing his submachine gun on the floor.
As Rory was beginning to rise from placing this submachine gun on the floor, he kept his left hand up in the air. The guards didn't see his signal, a quick thumbs up to Skye.
Skye dropped and grabbed her weapon.
Rory thrust his right hand up towards the guard's face and moved to the right, crouching with his back against the wall.
The guard flinched and fired.
Donna-Lou screamed.
Bullets from the front guard ripped into the first man behind Skye and his weapon fired up into the ceiling as he fell backward.
Rory drove his left knuckles into the lead gunman's throat, then drove with his shoulder into his chest, knocking him into the other two behind him.
Skye spun around on the floor and opened fire. More automatic weapons fire joined hers as the two men danced like marionettes, bullets tearing into their bulletproof vests and ripping away their throats and faces. As the men were falling dead, Skye turned quickly.
Chet stood in a half crouch, his weapon smoking. His face showed the disbelief in what he had just done in taking down the two men with Skye.
Rory had the second man on his side pinned down under the dead body and they were struggling.
The third man had been knocked backwards and was now rising to his feet, weapon in hand.
Skye yelled, "Down."
Chet dropped to the floor.
Skye opened fire and 9 mm bullets passed over top of Rory and tore into the far gunman, killing him before he could get his weapon up to fire.
The gunman under the dead body swung his weapon out and fired. His bullets tore into the wall of the hallway just inches from Chet and Donna-Lou.
Donna-Lou screamed.
Skye leaped past them and stood just to Rory's left, firing a burst into the gunman's head.
"Thanks," Rory said as he reached for his weapon and turned to Chet and Donna-Lou, "Is everyone okay?"
Chet nodded.
Donna-Lou had her hands on her head, her weapon on the floor beside her, "I'm...I'm so sorry...I'm no good to you...I never should have...."
Rory motioned to Chet and they began working to pull each set of bodies into side rooms. Blood smeared the floor as they dragged the dead gunmen from the hallway.
Skye moved to Donna-Lou, bent down and picked up the H&K submachine gun. "It happens to everyone the first time they're under fire. Don't beat yourself up," she said softly. "Take your weapon and let's go find your son."
Donna-Lou nodded to Skye after a moment and took her gun.
"Okay. We're going to have to move fast," Rory said. "We may not have the luxury of being in tight spaces like this hallway again. Let's go." He turned and began moving up the hallway again.
Chet helped Donna-Lou to her feet and she moved woodenly in a crouch behind Rory.
Chet and then Skye followed behind.
After a few minutes, Rory came to a corner. He pressed his back against the wall and had the others line up against the wall behind him.
He peered around the corner.
He pulled his head back in quickly and put his fingers to his lips.
Sounds of a number of people walking in the distance reached their ears as they waited.
It took several minutes of tense waiting before the sound was replaced by the echo of a door slamming shut.
Rory peered around the corner again.
After a moment he turned and gave instructions in a low voice, "Okay, stay behind me, keep low and move fast."
He peered around the corner again, then moved quickly around and down the hallway.
Donna-Lou, Chet, and Skye moved around the corner and stayed in a line as Rory advanced quickly. His Heckler & Koch UMP9 submachine gun moved back and forth, covering the hallway ahead as he advanced. There was only a door on either side to check and he cleared each one quickly. Within moments they approached another door on the left with a numeric keypad lock
"They took a line of kids in here. Do your thing," Rory whispered to Skye. He readied his Heckler & Koch UMP9 submachine gun at his shoulder.
"Kids? Did you see Corry? Did you–?" Donna-Lou said loudly.
Chet jumped forward and put a hand over her mouth quickly
Skye raised her weapon and readied for an assault.
Donna-Lou's eyes were big as she realized what she had done.
She listened intently along with the others.
Everything was quiet.
Chet took his hand away from Donna-Lou's mouth.
Skye slipped her weapon over her shoulder and knelt in front of the keypad. She pulled out the small penlight, knelt and began examining each number on the keypad.
Chet placed his submachine gun against his shoulder, guarding the rear.
"This one looks like...3...4...6...9 are the numbers used," Skye whispered.
Donna-Lou knelt beside Skye, her voice shaky but determined, "I'll try and help remember the combinations you try."
Skye nodded and they began going through each one. Their whispers echoed lightly off the walls. Failed attempt after failed attempt went by. Finally, a satisfying click sounded. Skye pulled the door open and placed her foot in the crack to hold it in place as she slipped the UMP9 off her shoulder.
Donna-Lou rose, holding her UMP9 in sweaty hands.
Skye whispered to her, "You open the door for me on three like we did back there. Okay? On three."
Donna-Lou nodded once, slipped her weapon over her shoulder and grabbed the handle. "1-2-3, " and she pulled the door open.
Skye slipped inside, followed by Chet.
Rory moved into the doorway and held the door open with his shoulder as Donna-Lou moved in behind Skye and Chet. Then he let the door slowly close to minimize the bang.
Skye, Donna-Loub and Chet lined up, crouching beside the left wall, waiting for Rory to take point again.
Setting his Heckler & Koch UMP9 submachine gun to his shoulder, Rory moved past them and led the way again, weaving the weapon back and forth as he advanced up the hallway.
Skye kept her eye on the door behind them as they moved.
Halfway down the hallway, Rory reached a door on the left. He raised a fist, the signal to hold and the others crouched behind him. The top half of the door was tempered glass and Rory slowly rose and took a peek inside. After a few moments, he crouched with his back against the wall. "It's a large cafeteria," he whispered. "There are a number of children inside, maybe one hundred–"
Donna-Lou began to rise and spoke loudly, "Can you see–?"
Chet immediately put his hand on her arm.
Donna-Lou stopped halfway up, looking down at Chet in anger.
Rory and Skye brought their weapons up and faced both ends of the hallway. If the guards heard her....
Donna-Lou's body relaxed after a moment. She nodded and whispered, "Sorry."
Silence ensued as Rory and Skye waited.
After a few tense moments, Rory turned and began whispering again, "There are guards on either side of the door just inside. Donna-Lou, you pull this door open. Skye and I will move inside and neutralize them. Chet, you move in through the middle. There are guards on a second level walkway looking down, one on each side of the room. You shoot up at them starting on the left. Donna-Lou, you have to come through and start shooting high up on the right. Can you do that?"
Donna-Lou licked her lips and she trembled but she nodded.
"Good," Rory said, "Once we get our two, we'll help you. But remember...both of you...you can only fire high...all of the children are dead ahead. Understood?"
Chet and Donna-Lou looked very nervous but they nodded their heads.
"Okay," Rory said. "Everyone keep low so they don't see us through the window."
Donna-Lou crouched low and moved passed Rory to the door, putting her hand on the doorknob.
Skye and Rory moved in position to move inside, with Chet ready to do his part, coming in behind them.
Rory counted down, whispering, "3-2-1-go!"