Page 19

The Juno Group.

The Juno Group = Simone, Butch, Angel, Kristoff, Akemi, Master Hoshi, Rodeo, Ice, Jana, Lothar, Viking, Wyatt, and Emory.

Artemis

A rtemis checked her team as they took positions. They had zone eight, and it was a lesser-known route into the city. Not as heavily trafficked as some of the major routes, it still offered Fangs an in to the city. They were surrounded by houses and local shops, which made Artemis nervous in case someone came out .

As they approached where they’d be based, Artemis frowned.

“You got to be fuckin’ kidding me?” she growled out. Yesterday, they’d closed this road and used vehicles to barricade it. Numerous cars and trucks obstructed the path, with idiots trying to shift the barrier.

“What the hell are you doing?” Artemis yelled as she began jogging forward. “Get out of that fucking bus!”

A man was trying to start the bus to drive it out of the way. Artemis jumped up the steps, grabbed him around the neck, and yanked him out.

“Get out of my way, lady!” the bloke shouted, squaring up to her.

“The fuck I will. Didn’t you hear the announcements?” Artemis demanded as she caught sight of Akemi removing someone from the other bus and Kristoff shoving another asshole out of a third bus.

“That’s why we’re getting out of here,” the guy retorted.

“Jax,” a woman exclaimed, approaching.

“The public service announcement said to stay in your homes and hole up. So you assholes think to move busses that had been set up to protect this city? Instead of listening, you are gonna run right into them,” Artemis informed Jax.

Men and women were milling around.

“Why are you out here?” somebody shouted.

“Because we’ve been deputised to defend your sorry asses,” Simone interrupted.

“You’re full of shit,” Jax retorted.

“Fine, do not fuckin’ pay attention to anyone but yourself. We warned you. If we had time, I’d arrest the lot of you idiots. Hang around if you want, but don’t expect my team to risk their lives for you. If they’ve got children, remove them, otherwise, let the adults stay,” Artemis ordered.

“You ain’t touching my kids,” Jax roared, getting into Artemis’s face.

Within seconds, he was on his back with a knife at his throat. He swallowed hard as Artemis glowered at him.

“We have got thousands of bikers descending on this city. They have one intent. To take over Rapid City and rule it. They’ve decided they’re above the law. They want to walk in here, take whatever businesses they desire, take your women and children, and they’ll shoot any fucker standing between them and their goal.

“I got better shit to be doing than protecting your ungrateful asses. But you wanna stand here and act like you’ve got bigger balls and know better than the rest of us. Go the fuck ahead. When they ride down that road, don’t expect us to protect you. We’ll be defending those who obeyed,” Artemis hissed.

“Danny’s gone!” a woman screamed.

“What?” a guy yelled.

“Mine are gone!” another man cried.

“I’ll not be responsible for children dying. My team has moved them somewhere safe. Your choices are your own, but the kids are innocent,” Artemis announced and turned away.

Jax scrambled to his feet and came at her.

She sidestepped and throat-punched him.

The crowd behind hissed.

“Give us our kids back,” a woman yelled.

“Go fuck yourself,” Angel said as he approached. “Buzz says there’s about a hundred and fifty approaching.”

A hush fell at his words, and people began looking worried.

Artemis picked up her radio.

“Zone eight calling in. We have a slight problem; civilians were attempting to move barricades and clear a path. Inform Howser the public refuse to shelter despite being made aware of the threat. The team has removed all under sixteens and ensured their safety. I’m aware of approaching danger, and my team is in place,” Artemis called in.

“Buzz confirming as your liaison. Chief Howser is aware of the situation. Stick to the plan, and don’t digress. If they won’t move, then they risk their own lives,” Buzz replied. “Howser says you do not have time to arrest them.”

“Confirmed, Buzz,” Artemis said and began jogging away.

The Juno Group wasn’t interested in a full-scale battle. They had decided to protect their city another way. The busses and cars had been scattered to give them cover. They were going to take these fuckers out, come hell or high water. They’d created a maze for the Fangs to work around.

As she hid behind the rear of a bus, Artemis noticed some of the group had leapt in vehicles and drove back into the city.

But around twenty-five civilians remained. So be it. She couldn’t save everybody, and she’d warned them. Her job was to protect the city, not fuckin’ assholes who thought they knew better.

Bike pipes roared, and the idiot Jax turned and shouted.

“See, it’s just a load of bikers. What’s the betting they’re here to party like usual,” Jax stepped forward and waved a hand.

Seconds later, he hit the floor as a bullet tore through him.

As much as Artemis hated to admit it, the ensuing chaos allowed her team to pick off targets easier. The Fangs, thinking all they faced were unarmed civilians, parked their bikes and tore after the fools. Artemis saw Akemi jump up and slit a Fang’s throat before he stabbed another through the ear. Akemi disappeared before anyone could react.

Kristoff appeared and broke two necks before ducking back behind a car.

A Fang ran around it and fired, but Kristoff had already gone. The Fangs were opening fire on the fleeing public, and Artemis refused to risk her plan to save them. They’d been warned. She accepted people would die today, maybe some of her own, and she wouldn’t risk them needlessly.

That may sound harsh, yet it was war .

Master Hoshi moved in front of a Fang who was twice his size; the Fang grinned before his throat was sliced open, and Master Hoshi faded away.

“Smoke screens!” Artemis called, and everyone threw their cannisters down.

The Fangs cursed and opened fire blindly. Several guys screamed as they were hit.

“Stop shooting, you fuckwits. You’re killing our own men!” somebody bellowed, and Artemis chuckled. Well, now, it looked like someone had brains.

Bodies were starting to cover the ground. Artemis noted Emory, Lothar, and Viking taking on a group and whittling them down one at a time. It reminded her of sharks circling a shipwrecked group.

Rodeo appeared and garrotted a Fang near her as Artemis leapt at a man and covered his mouth as she stabbed him several times. Rodeo winked and turned to grab another as she slashed a Fang from groin to throat. Artemis shook her hand as she moved away. Despite how sharp her knife was, that action always took strength.

Fangs fired every so often, but with the maze of cars and those that had been trying to flee, they were screwed. They couldn’t see, whereas Artemis and her people wore goggles to aid them.

“Grenade!” Ice yelled, and the Juno Group hit the floor as a stupid Fang blew himself and his brothers up.

“Fuckin’ idiot,” Simone stated and shot someone in the head .

“Retreat!” a Venomous Fang called, and Artemis chuckled. They’d be no running. Jana, Wyatt, Butch, and Simone were waiting to cut them off.

Artemis didn’t care if these had been forced to join the Venomous Fangs or if they had chosen to. Nobody would escape them today. They’d attacked her home, her people, and Artemis would not stand for it.

Akemi appeared by her side. She smiled at his leanly muscled form as he wore a tight tee and loose combat pants.

“Father is having fun,” Akemi stated as he flung a knife at a Fang, who emerged before them. It hit the same time as Artemis’s, and they chuckled.

“I thought Master Hoshi would enjoy this. This will hone father’s skills,” Artemis replied.

“They don’t need honing,” Akemi stated as the man they thought of as a father appeared and beheaded a Fang. Blood sprayed and yet none dared land on Master Hoshi’s crisp white shirt.

Artemis snorted. “Yeah, explaining that might be difficult,” she muttered.

“Got to prove who did it.” Akemi chuckled.

“If Howser thought we’d use guns and whatever, he was wrong. This is far more enjoyable,” Angel stated as he broke someone’s neck.

“Of course, we’re all about the fun,” Artemis said as a bullet flew by her. A Fang was crouching behind a car and shooting. They ducked as Rodeo lassoed the guy from behind and pulled him backwards. Rodeo yanked the rope a certain way and snapped the guy’s neck.

“That never gets old,” Angel declared.

“We could use some help here,” Wyatt called.

They headed to the front of the barricade where Fangs were trying to escape. The smoke was also beginning to clear a little in the wind, so they threw additional smoke bombs and some flash bangs down.

The Fangs, sensing they were being hunted, began shooting at anything that moved. Artemis reckoned they must have killed at least thirty of their own. For a brief moment, the sheer waste of life hit Artemis hard. It wasn’t often she considered that, but there was a sadness to this that shouldn’t be ignored.

Some of those dying had been coerced into this; others were here because they chose to be. There would be families mourning tonight, knowing their old man, husband, father, brother, etcetera would not be coming home.

Artemis straightened her shoulders. It was tragic, but it was either them or Rapid City. And she decided to protect the thousands of innocents that would become prisoners under Venomous Fangs.

She chose to save the women, children, and elderly that the Fangs would terrorise. They were why the Juno Group was present and why the Allies protected the streets. And they deserved saving.

Her arm shot up as she stabbed a Fang in the throat and then the eye. He fell towards her, and she shifted out of the way. His gun hit the floor, and Artemis kicked it away.

Artemis shot more, heading to where the Fangs were attempting to flee. As she and several others approached from behind, they took out those who were straggling before eyeing the group in front of them.

“Use guns. They’re going to rush the bikes,” she said over her mic.

“Understood,” the reply came back at her a multitude of times.

Artemis and her team moved to the side and climbed up high on the busses. Guns were already set up specifically for this purpose.

“Shoot at will,” Artemis ordered, and the air was split with the sound of gunfire. Fangs responded, but it was too late. Bullets went wild, and Artemis winced as some of the houses nearby took fire, but within minutes, there wasn’t a single Fang left standing.

“Lay down cover for Simone, Butch, Akemi, and Emory to check the dead. If you find someone alive, give them no mercy,” Artemis ordered.

“Roger,” Akemi replied. Artemis kept watch from her vantage point as her team moved out. Opposite her, Rodeo and Viking did the same. Wyatt, and Jana provided ground cover.

“Got a civilian alive,” Butch called in.

“Move any civilians to the side, and we’ll call an ambo for them,” Artemis demanded.

Fifteen minutes later, her team was piling the bodies of the Fangs out of the way, and Artemis made her way to the five civilians still alive.

Her lips twitched as she leant over the body of Jax. He was struggling to breathe, and Artemis had no sympathy for him.

“They… killed… wife,” he gasped.

“Yeah. Many disregarded the warnings. You got what you deserved for risking everyone’s safety. Guess your balls weren’t bigger,” Artemis replied with no emotion.

“The kids?” Jax gasped.

“My team removed them. They are safe, although some are probably orphans. You ain’t got much longer, you won’t live. I hope your children have family,” Artemis said brutally.

“Bitch…” Jax responded and coughed up blood.

“Yeah, because you risked the safety of everyone because they’re just fucking bikers. They’d come to party. The public address system was being used because Chief Howser felt like it. You’re a fuckin’ idiot and a waste of air. I don’t have any sympathy for you. You were warned, you ignored it. That, dude, is on your head, and so is your wife’s death. Luckily, your kids survived,” Artemis snapped.

“Hate… you…” Jax said as his eyes rolled up.

“Yeah, not fond of you either,” Artemis replied as he took his last breath.

Artemis reached out and closed his eyes and checked the other four who were alive. They would survive, Artemis decided.

A siren wailed in the distance, and Artemis yanked her radio out.

“Buzz.” “Go ahead, Artemis.”

“Team is accounted for with minor injuries. The civilians didn’t obey, and we have casualties here. Four survivors plus children. We need ambos and transport for the kids, there’s ten of them. We’re going to clean this area and wait for the a-okay,” Artemis reported.

“Got it, boss. Confirm no casualties on the team.”

“Confirmed. A few scratches and cuts and Jana twisted her ankle, but we are fine,” Artemis replied.

While Buzz usually operated behind a desk, she could only imagine how hard it would have been for him to sit waiting for news. He never had to deal with them all in the field at the same time. Nigel was manning the desk for another group, so while Buzz wasn’t alone, he was out of the action.

“Thanks, boss, for the confirmation. I’ll update the boards.”

“Roger.”

Artemis stared around at the damage. Her team was piling Fang bodies to one side and civilians the other. If only they’d listened, but they hadn’t and had paid the ultimate price.

Artemis bent down and grabbed a woman. She hefted her up and began walking. The day had barely begun.

Howser.

Watching the boards had become torture for him. He watched as Buzz walked up and wrote on one. A smile finally crossed his face at the first piece of good news. The Juno Group has survived intact and with no injuries. Somehow, that wasn’t a surprise.

He looked as the Fallen warriors were updated and then the RCPD. He’d lost another officer.

Hate welled in Howser, and he swallowed hard. This wasn’t a war they’d asked for or expected. Rage and the allies had done their job and got information for him and his people. They had been left to hang by their country’s president, who’d refused to believe their intelligence.

He glanced at the TV screens, each tuned into different news channels. On all of them was live footage of his city fighting for survival. The whole country was watching as Rapid City turned into a war zone, with civilians acting as deputies defended it. It was sickening, frightening, and a sense of betrayal stabbed deep in his chest. It shouldn’t have come to this. The government should have listened and taken the Venomous Fangs out.

They hadn’t, and his people paid with their lives. It was in God’s hands now.