Man on the Inside

Man on the Inside - Part 8

Louis slid violently around in William's stomach as the younger agent hit the ground. "Will! What just happened?"

"E.S.S. battery..." croaked the voice on the com. "Weaker than I thought. They found us."

"What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"Like hell you are." Louis pressed his hand against the wall, feeling the tattoo of Will's heartbeat. He could hear a breath that was more hissing than anything. "You got shot didn't you? Where?"

"Left arm... Glanced it. Not that deep."

Louis grimaced. William was shot, probably bleeding like a fountain, and he was stuck in here, unable to physically help him. "Will, listen to me. Can you move?"

"Yes."

"Keep breathing through it. Make a tourniquet or tie your arm off." He kept stroking the stomach walls. He couldn't lose William now. Turning on the sonic hearing on his SkySprecht, he followed what William was hearing.

---

Nine grey clad men were scattered about the warehouse, a few outside keeping an eye on the boarded up windows with tranquilizer guns. The leader grabbed the shooter's collar. "You idiot! Retten wants him alive!"

"It didn't kill him; it just grazed his arm."

"How about I graze your head!" The leader pushed the shooter to the side. "You four, get up those stairs. We have thirty minutes before security comes by."

The men adjusted their red goggles and headed towards the stairs.

---

William risked a glance at the attackers through the bullet hole in the wall. "Shit, they've got body heat goggles." He crawled to the desk, dragging his equipment and the first aid kid behind him. Tucked to his side was his left arm, blood staining his jacket sleeve. He took a moment to consult the sonic hearing. "And three outside."

"At least they still want you alive," replied Louis.

"Now you're thinking positively?" William put the Kevlar jacket on under his jacket, biting his bottom lip as he pulled it over the bullet wound, and then opened the first aid kit.

"Maybe we can call Cetz and he could get one of the other Watch bases to send help," suggested Louis.

He shook his head as he tended to himself with a bandage. "Take too long, and that would cut off my communication with you. Besides, those guys have to get up the stairs first."

"You're going to defend the high ground by shooting them as they come up?"

"Don't need to. They don't know which steps to skip. Three, seven, ten."

"Skip?"

An explosion rocked through the warehouse and made the office floor shudder. A loud 'whumph' of fire engulfed Retten's followers, all the way to the tenth step.

"Whoa, even I felt that." Louis sounded amused. "You got them rigged with explosives?"

"Close; fifteen pounds non-dairy creamer and an incendiary trigger on each step." William swallowed a quick dissolving painkiller from the first aid kit and fumbled another magazine into his gun. His left arm was nearly useless. "Not a lot of bang, but a whole lot of flame, and half the price. The security guards for the shipping area should be here soon."

"What else have you got rigged?"

A malicious grin crept across his face. "You ever see the 'Home Alone' movies?"