A Fire Still Burning by Daniel Ikuma

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And she would gladly step on toes if it meant getting the job done.
Despite her mounting frustration, the mercenary's outward appearance remained serene. She decided to distract her mind by re-inspecting her firearm. It didn't help; she could have disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled her Tavor assault rifle in her sleep.
The helicopter decelerated until it hovered several hundred feet off the ground in the midst of several skyscrapers. A dull ringing in the occupants' ears replaced the whipping of wind.
"Command, this is Dragonfly team leader. We're standing by at the checkpoint, awaiting final coordinates, over," the pilot said into the comm.
The static laden voice of a Command official sounded in eight headsets. "Dragonfly, this is Command, coordinates being uploaded to your console presently."
A moment passed in relative silence.
"Coordinates received, over and out."
The helicopter swung north and sped off into the distance, fading into a fuzzy black dot.
Two
1733 Hours, September 14, 2143/ Lineean Sector
Four armed figures hustled silently along a main street with military dexterity, hugging the buildings on its right side. Struggling awkwardly amid the debris, three more people tagged along, obviously not accustomed to such terrain.
"Slow down, damn it!" Kannan wheezed. "It's not like there's anything to run from!"
The mercenaries didn't break pace.
"You deaf?" he yelled. The exasperated voice echoed through the silent streets, alone save for the padding of feet.
Dust sprang up in little eddies by their feet, swirling around momentarily before dissipating.
"Locke! For chrissake just give us a minute!"
The leader of the pack halted grudgingly, turning towards Kannan. She seemed hardly out of breath, as if on a morning stroll.
The three scientists were breathing heavily with pained expressions on their faces. "We've been running for miles!" Kannan said in between breaths.
The woman named Locke looked at him in the way one reacts when confronted by an especially horrid smell. "You have sixty seconds."
"Oh, thanks," Kannan muttered sarcastically as the mercenary walked away. "Bitch..."
Locke spun around and her hand snaked out, seizing his throat in a tenacious grip. A fire burned in her eyes, and Kannan flinched under its intensity. Strangled gurgling came from his mouth as the scientist clawed frantically at Locke's hand. Her grip was far stronger than he had ever imagined, her nails digging into his skin.
"You will respect me. I am the sole authority on this mission," Locke stated in a matter-of-fact tone loud enough for the others to hear. "Is that understood?"
Kannan sputtered unintelligibly.
Locke dragged him towards herself, bringing their faces within inches of each other.
"Excuse me?" she said icily.
He spat out a cough that ended in an "s", and Locke released him roughly, sending the man to the dust covered ground. She glanced at her heads-up display and strode back towards the three other mercenaries, two of whom were staring in awe. "Papa" Gibbs was chuckling.
"Fifteen seconds."
†
The group of soldiers and scientists were situated under the lengthening shadow of a crumbling water fountain which had once beautified the front entrance of a large building.