The Eyes of Fate (Currently in Rewrite)

Chapter 61

"Vyper," Sentinel spoke softly, "We've got company."

The two of them had been dropping Vyper's homemade accelerant, glass vials filled with clear liquid, and some kind of little mechanical bits on top. Sentinel was holding the bag, his new rifle slung across his back to give him easier access to each vial. Vyper was spacing out the vials and making sure they were clear of debris. Way off to their left, Chesyr and Oracle were doing the same thing. Meanwhile, Ranger was setting explosives and more accelerant outside of the buildings in the compound. Fang was supposedly finishing up with the outside targets, and would join them just in time for the show to begin.

"Damnit." Vyper looked over at him, his eyes shadowed. "How many?"

"At least ten, hard to tell with everything else." Sentinel gestured to the woods around them, and the rumbling sky above them. The sky had been grey since before their arrival, and the thunder had been going off for the last half an hour. It definitely smelled like rain to his nose, it was only a question of when.

"We need to move." Vyper stood up rapidly, and Sentinel copied him. "Leave the bag behind."

Sentinel gingerly set the bag into the bushes and took off after Vyper. It didn't make sense why a patrol was here, they should have been at dinner. They had been every day before.

"This is bad." Sentinel said, then keyed his comms. "Guys, we've got a snag."

"What do you mean 'a snag'?" Ranger's voice crackled across the comms. It was calm and clipped, a cadence pounded into him in the military, but Sentinel could hear the tension in it.

"We've got a group coming our way, at least ten." Sentinel spoke, and heard muffled cursing that was either Oracle or Chesyr.

"Copy that, try to let them go by. Update when situation is clear or FUBAR." 

Sentinel let off his mic, and looked over at Vyper, who nodded. Sentinel tilted his head in the direction of the coming patrol, and together they peered around their trees to look.

There were eleven of them, and they were dressed far more professionally than the patrols he and Ranger had spotted the days previous. They were still more than loud enough to be heard, but they were wearing both body armor and camouflage. They were in a loose formation, trying to give themselves clear fire lines, and were holding their weapons at the ready. 

"I'm telling you guys, there's no way they're actually gonna show." One, a black man in the middle of the line, said. "They know they can't take us."

"Rick, you weren't at the church last Sunday," A balding man near the back answered him. "They'll be here, and we'll be the first line of defense."

"Damn I wish we were at dinner." Someone Sentinel couldn't pick out said.

"Hey, what's that?" A woman with her face painted in camo said, breaking off from the group. Sentinel's blood froze as she began walking towards where they had been setting down vials.

"Everyone, listen." Vyper spoke into the comms, making Sentinel jump. "Drop your bags, right now, and get away from them."

"What? Why?" Chesyr was the first to respond.

The woman had picked up a vial, and the rest of the group was gathering around her to look. Somebody was looking towards the bush where Sentinel had dropped the bag.

"Our trap is discovered. I need to activate them now!" Vyper's voice was a furious whisper as he pulled out the remote. "Five. Four." 

Sentinel unslung his rifle and took aim at the group. The person by the bush pulled the bag out.