Baikonur Cosmodrome Base, Kazakhstan.
Former base used by the Russians, later adapted for research and rocket development.
An intrusion occurs, and in seconds, the base enters an alert state; alarms burst through every corridor, the hatches close with dry blows, and the lights change to a constant red. The personnel in lab coats abandon what they're doing and head to their positions, each one taking a bulletproof vest and personal weapons. Meanwhile, the surveillance systems intensify tracking, and the command center coordinates the immediate action response. The accesses are blocked, the internal routes are controlled, and the critical points are secured under an unknown protocol, which is executed without margin of doubt and which everyone understands; they move without complaining. Each movement responds to a precise order, each second counts, and the entire base transforms into a living defensive structure that seeks to eliminate the threat, recover control if possible, and give time to the personnel to eliminate the contents about the program, take what's essential, and evacuate the base.
Regardless of whether they can or cannot defend it from the enemy, it was a certainty they could no longer step foot in this place, not when it has already been leaked.
The guards descend carrying assault rifles, wearing black uniforms with red shoulder pads, signifying they were mere guardian executors; some fewer with yellow shoulder pads with the number IV, and many fewer of level III.
However, that didn't mean they didn't have enough support.
Meanwhile, outside the base a few kilometers away.
A CRITON forces battalion was mobilizing toward Baikonur, with an army organized by specialized combat forces from different countries.
Delta Force - Elite unit for ultra-secret missions: hostage rescue, and target elimination; and Army Rangers - Elite unit for ultra-secret missions: hostage rescue, and target elimination. Both from the United States, who were accompanied by a United Kingdom force called SAS - World reference in modern special forces. Experts in infiltration, sabotage, and counterterrorism.
This rare union would only be possible through the establishment of CRITON as a new world form against terrorism. They could never share information on strategic objectives; moreover, the terrorist objectives of common groups, they keep them in their own group, so the information doesn't spread. But for the districts, the thing changes; although there's a higher probability that the information will be leaked, CRITON's methods help that level to be practically 0.
Besides, they're not the only countries in their search; in the opposite direction, there's a special force coming from China accompanied by an elite Russian force. The first is called the Snow Leopard Commando Unit - Highly trained anti-terrorist unit with a focus on urban combat. And Spetsnaz - Set of highly trained units in direct combat, sabotage, and irregular warfare.
Both battalions would attack from different points, in order to intercept any escape, and in the best case scenario, capture those involved as scientists and district squadron leaders.
According to what was collected by 2 infiltrated agents, at first it seemed like a common and ordinary one with research on missile launches at orbit level. Although the implemented treaty prevented the creation of massive weapons, it didn't prevent research for investigation, and above all it wouldn't fall into doubt if it were with the excuse of investigating optimal ways to carry space rockets to new frontiers. The steps of going to the moon in 2026-2030 gave the world the image that, while they were capable of taking people back to space, they wouldn't be capable of doing it on a large scale, like being able to quickly populate Mars if they wanted to.
Since the projects continued in process and were launched into space, bringing feedback to the other countries and publishing their achievements, nobody paid due attention until the threat from the districts after 2042.
The agents, after almost two years of infiltration, discovered that part of the resources used didn't only come from the government; there was technology that came from diverse places in Asia, even some stamped with Russia's own shipments.
At first sight this didn't seem very suspicious; it was something that could be justified by buying merchandise from neighboring countries or in alliance to complete what they were missing. Even if Russia itself was paranoid regarding the specific secrets of its technology, they would have no choice but to reluctantly accept the dependence on certain equipment.
The problem arose from the people who brought the cargo. At the beginning they only suspected the appearance of the districts, but everyone had something in common: tag, logo, shape, color. A shoulder pad they camouflaged or kept, depending on the district, but whose colors had similar meanings.
No matter how much the guards themselves tried to hide it, their own equipment would be neglected at some point, a minimal failure. That's how they found the Kazakhstan district force's own stamp.
A minor oversight alerted the infiltrated agents that there could be district people inside the complex; what they didn't expect was that more than 80% of the research people had already been bought by the district. They knew it because they had already recruited them; they, without being able to oppose, had to accept pretending to enter their system.
They spent more than the whole month in extreme scrutiny with other people they didn't identify in the complex and who they intuited upon seeing behaviors that before seemed normal.
The reason for their recruitment was to try to lower the risk rate of exposure, before a possible new project that would arrive and that was rumored in the hallways. Those who accepted the bribe had a bit more ease in communicating with the outside, but that doesn't mean what they did didn't remain as a record, and they could be eliminated. The non-bought were subject to a demanding norm for external communication.
They only considered it was an anti-espionage measure for the technology used in rockets; therefore, there were no complaints before such coercive norms.
"Battalion leaders, we're 5 km away; the second battalion awaits the moment to attack directly"
There are two commanders leading their battalions, one from the United States, another from the United Kingdom; the same happens in the other battalion.
"Is there information from our agents?"
"No sir, we lost communication with them; there's been no response for 30 minutes"
The first representative of the Rangers and Delta Force, an older man of 45 years, with a profiled beard, with his clear complexion, indisputable skin of those the world considers gringos, blond hair, and green eyes. At his side is a distinguishable SAS member, with a brilliant career at her young age of 26 years, capable of disturbing any man's sight for her unequaled beauty, dark brown hair, honey colored eyes, and symmetrical body, neither exaggerated, just preserved and slender.
She stole glances from everyone in the battalion.
"If we wait too long, we could risk losing them; not for nothing are those rats known for having eyes everywhere. They must already be aware of our presence"
"That's correct. What do you think we should do, Junior? What's the indicated strategy?"
"You treat me like a junior, when we're of the same rank? It's not an evaluation, old man"
"Hahahaha!"
The older man laughs heartily, his incredible muscles moving strangely, as if they were tensed like iron; they gave the impression he could pierce through armor.
The girl called Monica observed him with a hint of disgust.
'Damn gorilla'
"Haha, we may be of an equivalent rank, but I always knew there was respect toward elders. I didn't think you'd skipped your education, little grasshopper"
Monica's veins started to protrude from her forehead, apart from her jaw that clenched with such force she could tear off a piece of his incredible arm without problems.
"Commander Alex, refrain from unnecessary comments during the operation"
"...Oh, so the strategy I'm asking you about is unnecessary? Tell me, what should we do now that we're so close to catching the district terrorists? Or are we really not even close? According to me, we're as close as we've always been, so the doubt is how to proceed so we don't move further away"
"Do you pretend we haven't achieved anything despite being about to catch them? We were never so close to being able to capture a large quantity of district terrorists"
"...So you don't see the difference? Well, then you'll direct this operation, and you'll contact the second battalion for the attack"
"Hmm, that's what I had in mind from the beginning"
"Sure..., I'll just observe"
"Tsk"
She only clicks her tongue and takes the long-range precision rifle. She heads to the back part of the convoy, waiting for her order.
"Attention everyone!"
She raises her voice so everyone in the back hears her next orders.
"From now on I'll take command. We'll perform a double envelopment maneuver; everyone without exception will sweep through the complex in a joint operation with the Russian and Chinese forces waiting on the other side for our synchronization. Most likely they'll try to flee through the northeast and southwest; to prevent it, we must suppress the defense forces! Once we finish quickly, we'll be able to pursue the remnants, and since we have groups waiting on both sides, it's impossible for them to escape!"
"Any doubts?"
"...."
None respond, maintaining tacit understanding.
"Good, let's go"
"This is Monica to the second battalion"
"...We hear you, commander. According to what was agreed, you'll direct this operation. We await instructions"
Since there's a typical conflict between the United States, China, and Russia, the only ones who could take the reins to have a relatively neutral perspective were the British. Therefore, they took command of the mission and decided the strategy to follow against the district forces.
"Well, listen carefully..."
***
At the same time, at the base all the people ran and prepared for the assault; none expected a truce or surrender, much less conciliation or negotiation. Here many scientists would be arrested and many others eliminated.
Nobody was afraid of CRITON's own agents, who, although very barbaric and fearsome, would be their lesser consequences. Everyone knew that once captured, your head would already roll from people infiltrated in the district; wherever they went, they would be found and eliminated without option of being saved.
But it's precisely this reason why many of them are still alive: if the districts were only ruthless against a possible threat, they would end up eliminating each other and implacably reducing their force in half. Therefore, there were countermeasures in case of assaults on this scale.
Regardless of the force of level IIIs, there were other forces to consider that the district always distributed once they sensed something was about to happen.
"Squadron leader, we're ready"
An Asian man speaks to a man with light-brown skin who is partially compact, has fine features with a marked jaw, and has green eyes that on his face are disconcerting. They're not the common grayish green. They're clear, almost translucent, and contrast with his dark eyebrows in a way that makes people hold his gaze longer than normal. He wears his hair short and somewhat wavy, with the first gray hairs appearing at the temples, although not precisely from age, maybe a condition of his own or even accumulated stress.
At his side was Tariq Al-Rashidi, with a clear complexion, almost European from his Lebanese mother's side. Thin but fibrous, a bit marked in the clothes he wears, with ordered features and green eyes that, in contrast with Malik, are very dark, almost translucent, contrasting with the dark eyebrows.
Next to Malik, the contrast is immediate. One seems made of shadow, the other of light. In the silo, when they work together, more than one calls them "day and night" in low voices, never in front of them. He wears black hair somewhat long for being operative, always pulled back carelessly, and a short beard that doesn't quite decide if it's intentional or simply neglect from the last days or maybe weeks.
"Jae, are the scientists ready?"
His subordinate is Jae-won Seo; he's thin and of medium height, with the stillness of someone who thinks before moving. Pale yellow skin, dark slanted eyes under a black fringe that falls over his forehead without seeming to matter to him. He has long hands, with thin fingers, that don't match the friendly smile he holds before the whole group; they're his own weapons and essential instruments for his work.
"Yes sir, we're ready. The two groups aim at the northeast and southwest as you wanted. The rockets are ready, and the needles under the ground system are ready"
"Good, that'll give those fucking barbarians the lesson. They think they're special just for belonging to a group of war machines; they're not even supermen to believe they're special"
"Enough Tariq, you know it's not their fault to believe what they do is right; we'd already talked about this. Jae, wait for my instruction..."
"What do you mean, talk about this! You settled the differences, proclaiming and decreeing the innocence of that bunch of idiots, when they're the ones hunting us. I understand the anger toward the district, but why must we follow their way instead of freeing ourselves when we found out about Heiss's death? We made a promise! Doesn't it anger you that they attack you without being able to defend yourself? Without being able to say you were a victim all this time, do you really want us to maintain the role of villains before the world and at the same time smile like hypocrites every time we're given an order?"
"Are we not already at the limit of what we can do!"
The strong discussion attracted the gaze of some group members.
"None of us here had time to hold a wake for our brothers. The liquidation by the district took away an important part from all of us; that's why I feel you're in that temperament..."
Without letting him continue, Tariq attacks with the following words.
"So when are we going to hold a wake for them? For our brothers, for Heiss, whom we swore to return the help he offered us, and for his own brothers, that district 3 sacrificed?"
None stopped him; everyone wanted a pause to process everything they had done. They were tired, of inevitably always being on missions, murdering, stealing, and torturing. Slowly they were approaching a limit between madness and complacency; when they accepted that what they were doing wasn't wrong, to save what little they had left of humanity, that would be the instant they'd be lost forever.
"...."
"Instead we're here defending the very weapons that all the codices of district 3 tried to stop. Simply because I should help these bastards and not flee with our own"
The words got stuck in his throat, either because he wanted to tell him the words his companion and best friend wanted to hear or because he couldn't since he knew they were a lie.
"...Give me 3 days"
"...What do you expect to achieve in that time"
The wrinkles on his face were of anger, rage, but above all, frustration. Greater against himself, otherwise he would know that if he were in Malik's position, he would make the same decisions; not for nothing are they best friends, and it was he who nominated him for group leader.
"...."
"If you don't expect that...!"
"I already got answers from the codices' squadron leaders, although I wanted to tell you, it's until last night that I had confirmation, but with so many guards and cameras in the compound, it became impossible for me. Within a few months we're planning a global-scale attack on the district's points, but for that we have to fix communication problems between leaders. Besides the follow-ups they do to us periodically, we must be capable of being able to move without alerting the district. However..."
"!"
The news takes them by surprise, one because he didn't know what position the other squadron leaders would take and two because they didn't think they already had a plan in motion in order to checkmate the entire district. It was progress they didn't expect to achieve even in a span of a year; that's how oppressive the districts' surveillance and scrutiny over their own squadrons was.
"...The biggest problem we have isn't the chips in our body or communication between us codices"
"What are you trying to say? What would be worse than dealing with the district's pressure if they don't realize we could give them a forceful blow"
"That's true, leader. Here we and the other codices know better than anyone the internal structure of our own districts; a quick and accurate blow wouldn't be impossible"
Jae speaks, convinced they could make a plan that could stagnate the districts.
"That's right, Malik, we have the strategic advantage of information and location"
"...You're wrong; the main problem we face is the same one Heiss's brothers from district 3 had"
Suddenly none said a word, because even without knowing all the facts, there were already rumors in each district about it.
"The chimera?"
"...Yes, our main obstacle is the machine created by the district to eliminate us. The last thing we received from Heiss, and thanks to the help from district 6 of Thailand, we could know why almost all the members of district 3 died"
"It was because of that thing, that abomination"
Raising his hand, a digital blueprint rises toward the team members; it's a hologram of a mechanical beast of 2.5 meters. It's a machine they decided doesn't need to resemble anything alive.
It was an inhuman monster, nothing like a living being, only with a clear objective in mind: eliminate impossible targets that a normal human couldn't.
Furthermore, it's a living mobile weapon, an atrocity designed to assassinate and dismember humans.