Blackwatch

[Ironwatsas]

The Dropships carrying the infantrymen finally touched down, as the remaining Scimitars flew overhead. The Black Dragons had been destroyed, with the loss of four of the Consortium craft. As the dropships' doors slid open, the light infantry departed. No less then thirty heavily armed and armored troops moved forth with percision and swiftness to the entry positions of the battered Warehouse.

Around the perimiter, the Consortium forces of Delta platoon were now on the defnesive. Establishing a perimiter and setting up cover, barricades, and emplaced antitank guns to protect against a Kusari Army response force.

All this for a seemingly unimportant warehouse, A hollow construct of Reinforced steel beams and sheet metal. With the doors blown off, there was little of interest visible inside the facility itself. Just some machinery, an overhead crane, and a pair of unmanned Black Dragon fighters. Indeed, aside from a small office and work area, there was nothing else to the building... or so it seemed.

"Squad 3, clear and secure the warehouse interior. Take any prisoners you find. Alpha lance, get those fighters outside and use them for the barricade." Shamshir commanded.

He looked around at the carnage. Why so much wasted time for so little reward? Not that he questioned his orders, he knew there was something else here... but where?

"Something's not right. There's something else here, or Overwatch wouldn't have deployed us." Chons mutterd.

Shamshir looked carefully around the room, observing every crack in the floor and cieling. His attention resting mainly on what looked like a closed trap door in the floor, a square, uniform depression about 12x12 metres in diamater, surrounded by Black and Yellow caution striping around it's perimiter.

"Wouldn't be surprised if this whole operation was for some little piece of paper..." Chons continued.

"Look there. That's definately a door. Where does it go?" Shamshir pointed at the depression in the floor.

"Maybe a lift? Didn't see anything of significance on the Ground Penetrating Radar scans. No underground cavities..."

"...Unless it's shielded. Squads 2 and 3, check for anything that might be lift controls. I want to see where this goes."

The infantry squads moved with percision, checking every corner of the facility for a button or lever which controlled the assumed 'lift'. At the same time, several operations coordinators checked blueprints of the facility, which apparently showed no such lift or any sort of underground structure.

Before either could muse further, their suspicions were confirmed when the door slid open and a lift infact appeared. Unfortunately, the lift was carrying yet another battlemech, which was armed and ready.

"Cover!" Shamshir yelled as the exposed infantry scattered.

The Kusari mech had little time to zone a target, or even move, as a Cyclops mech was already providing overwatch of the Warehouse interior. A fiery explosion tore through the area as the threat vehicle exploded and crumpled to the ground. The impact was enough to severely weaken the lift, causing it to collapse into it's shaft, taking the mecha with it.

Shamshir counted mentally as the debris fell, listening for it to hit the bottom of the shaft. The dull thud came quite a while after it was expected too. He quickly got up and walked to the edge of the shaft and looked down, bringing his rifle up as he did so.

"So much for no underground structure..." chons muttered, striding up next to him.

Beneath their feet, was no mere elevator shaft, but a massive, open, vertical facility. The lift going down for several hundred metres, was suspended in the middle of the facility by four sturdy rails, though their diamater took up a mere fraction of the diamater of the shaft. Several access platforms connected to the elevator, and a number of windows, wall mounted robotic arms, and other hardware indicated that this shaft was just part of something much, much bigger. The warehouse's sole purpose was apparently to hide the entrance.

"All ST teams, prepare for vertical insertion. We're going to be here for a while..."

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All that begins must end.