The Athena Operation Read Online Free

The bullet tore a few layers of skin from Seraph’s side where there was a gap in his armor. “You were lucky,” Sadhis said. He helped Seraph to his feet.
    Seraph winced. “Goddamn it, that hurts.”
    Seraph placed a piece of cloth over his wound and he and Sadhis surveyed the hut. The hut had multiple rows of tables, all covered in test tubes and beakers filled with chemicals. It wasn't clear what they were making, but both Seraph and Sadhis knew that whatever it was, it wasn't good.
    “Thank God that shot didn't hit any of those tubes, or we'd have blown up,” Sadhis said.
    The walls of the hut were covered in paintings. On the left wall, the messages ’THE COMING’ and ‘THEY MUST BE STOPPED’ were painted in red and black letters. There were crude pictures painted next to the words. Sadhis thought it looked like typical cult garbage.
    Sadhis shook his head and was about to speak when a back door flew open and another guard, armed with a machete, charged into the hut.
    Sadhis spun around and grabbed the knife from Seraph’s belt. He rolled out of the way as the guard struck down with the machete, and then jammed the knife into the guard’s arm. The machete fell and the guard cried out. Sadhis had him in a headlock before he could hit the floor. Before so much as a whimper was heard, Sadhis quickly choked the guard out, laying his unconscious body onto the ground. Sadhis stood up after the coast was clear, holstering the knife.
    Sadhis could hear shouts in the distance. The rest of the guards must have heard the gunfire. It wouldn’t be long until they were surrounded. “We need to go. Now!”
    Seraph nodded. He fumbled in his pocket and yanked out one of the cigarettes.
    Sadhis took it, and ripped the filter end off. He lit it with Seraph's lighter, and inserted it into the top of one of the beakers. “They’re coming, we need to go or we'll get caught in the blast.”
    Seraph got to his feet. “Glad to see you've come to your senses.”
    Sadhis motioned for him to hurry. “Come on!” Seraph darted across the room and he and Sadhis slipped out the back door.
    They ran as fast as they could, managing to dodge what guards remained. When they were almost to the edge of the forest, Sadhis came to a stop and glanced back at the hut.
    Suddenly, the hut exploded and sent shards of wood and glass through the air. The main hut, along with most of the others, had been completely obliterated, and the few that were still standing were starting to catch fire.
    Seraph exhaled a sigh of relief, running a hand through his sweat-stained hair. “They took our radios . . . we'll need to find an uplink somewhere, send out a call for pickup.”
    Sadhis shook his head and pulled a small device from his pocket. He tapped it a few times, then returned it to his pocket.
    He turned to Seraph. “Done. Let’s go.”
    Seraph and Sadhis started back through the forest, headed toward where they'd landed. They walked on in silence, and by dawn, when they reached the landing point, they still had not spoken.

 
    CHAPTER 6: SKIES WILL BURN
     
     
     
     
    It was a long ride home, and both Seraph and Sadhis spent the time lost in their own thoughts. Seraph’s focus was already far away from the mission he’d just completed. He could think only of his upcoming break from assignments, and he couldn't wait. With the threat of discharge on his mind, a vacation was strongly desired.
    Sadhis, on the other hand, was replaying the day’s work in his mind, obsessing over what he could've done differently. He’d violated his own principles. He’d been caught off guard, and he’d had to act on instinct, not on intellect. He couldn’t help but feel like his poor planning was responsible for the high death toll of this mission.
    Seraph turned to Sadhis and broke the long silence between them. “What’re you thinking about? What you could've done differently?”
    Sadhis didn’t look at Seraph. “No, no. Just. . .”
    Seraph interrupted.