Armageddon

Sula rammed a new clip of armour-piercing shells into her Glock and slid a fresh round into the chamber before the ejected magazine hit the floor. The tinkle of hundreds of brass shell casings echoed away into silence. She stretched the skintight leather catsuit, slick with her own blood, over the powerful Honda and fired it up. Crunching over the spent cartridges, she snaked out of the hangar doors leaving a black smoking trail of rubber and powered into the daylight towards the launch site.

The Apache's mini-guns were locked into Holger's infra-red signature as he planted the last of the C4 charges on the rocket and set the timer for 'remote'. The co-pilot's finger hovered over the fire button waiting for a clear shot so as not to hit the thousands of gallons of LOX. Meanwhile 4 black clad ninjas abseiled down from the chopper onto the gantry and were closing in. Holger unslung the anti-aircraft launcher from his back and aimed at the Apache. The pilot snatched the collective and pulled away but it was too late. The chopper exploded. The shockwave hit Holger like a charging bull and tipped him over the scaffolding into oblivion. Still reeling from the blast it took him a second to realise he was freefalling and yanked the ripcord. The canopy opened immediately but wasn't much larger than a tablecloth - he was going to hit hard. The crumpled body of the helicopter sailed past him and splintered as it smashed into the ground. The rotor blades followed, they were much closer to Holger and the still spinning blades snagged the 'chute and catapulted him sideways out across the marsh towards the black forest.

Sula raced towards him wringing the nuts off the Honda, changing gear only when she felt the rev-limiter kick in. She nearly overshot the point where Holger went down and braked so hard the rear wheel lifted. Scanning the tree-line she saw the ragged canopy and her eyes followed the ropes down to his lifeless body suspended just above the ground. She leapt off the bike and sprinted across the soggy ground to the tree. A quick thump into Holger's chest released the harness and he slumped to the ground, she felt for a pulse, alive but unconscious. Her fingers reached beneath his jacket and removed the small metal box from his utility belt. Without turning she pressed the button, the sky lit up, a wave of burning hot air singed her blonde hair and Holger opened his eyes.