Chris Kennedy [Kennedy - The Price of Freedom

Your objective is to infiltrate

The chairman was interrupted by a strobe light and a horn that could have woken the dead. Whats that? I asked. Although Id been with Teledyne a long time, I didnt spend much time at any of the headquarters facilities. My job took a lot of training, and I was gone on missions. A lot. It was also Sunday morning, and I confess to being a little hungover; the horn was a most unwelcome addition to my day.

Missile launch, the chairman called over his shoulder as he ran from the room.

I doubted the lights and horndamn it was loudwould have been necessary if wed launched missiles, so I expected it was from one of our competitors. Probably the bastards at Obsidian; things had been heating up for a while.

The chairman was older and slower than I, so I caught up to him quickly as he raced through the corridor. We only stopped onceat a scanner for his handprint to unlock a door Id never been throughthen we arrived at The Situation Room.

We went in, and I could see the situation was best described as pandemonium. People yelled back and forth, lights flashed, andif anythingthe horn was even louder. I would cheerfully have ripped my ears from my head if I could; sometimes augmented hearing was a pain in the ass.

The chairman yelled a couple of times, trying to get everyones attention, but he wasnt very successful.

Shut the hell up! I roared. Id been through military training; I knew how to capture a groups attention. The room went silent, except for the God-awful horn.

Thank you, the chairman said, nodding once to me. Could someone turn off that horn?

He paused, giving me a chance to look around the enormous space, which held a large control room butted up against an auditorium. The control room side had a large conference table ringed with large consoles. All were currently flashing; red and yellow lights predominated. The screen in the auditorium showed a map of North America, centered on the Pacific Northwest, with lots of lines converging on it from a variety of locations, worldwide. No one sat in the auditorium. I shrugged; apparently, it wasnt a very good movie.

The horn, blessedly, ceased its wail, and the chairman asked in a normal voice, What have we got?

We had an inadvertent launch from one of our sites, one of the technicians related. Apparently, they were cleaning one of their panels and a missile launched.

Well, detonate it! the chairman exclaimed.

We did, but those bastards at Obsidian must have thought it was some sort of EMP to try to take out their facilities; we now have multiple launches from Obsidian sites throughout the world, even some we didnt know had weapons, one of the technicians related. Some of the smaller companies are now launching, too. Damn, there go the Dellik sites. Almost everyone has their missiles in the air now except us. Most of our biggest sites are going to get pounded. Defenses are activating, but theres no way were going to stop them all. He shrugged. We didnt know Obsidian had that many, or that wed be targeted by as many of the smaller corporations as we have.

Why havent we returned the favor?

I havent received any orders to launch. The Board was just sitting down to discuss the response.

Obviously, the Board isnt going to be able to come to an agreement, as Im not up there. On my authority, I want you to launch. Launch everything! Turn Obsidian into radioactive rubble. I want to be able to see the East Coasts glow from here.

Like well be here to see it, one of the other techs muttered to his system panel. Most people probably couldnt have heard him. I did.

Yes sir, the technician replied. He turned to the console closest to the auditorium. Launch all missiles.

Yes sir! the man at the console exclaimed. He took off a necklace which had a key hanging from it and inserted the key into his console. He turned it, and a red light began glowing on a button under a wire cage. He removed the wire cage and pushed the button.

Immediately, the lights began strobing again, and the God-awful horn began wailing anew. I had been wronglaunching our missiles did activate the horn. I thought it was a pretty serious design flaw.

Happily, a technician silenced the horn and killed the strobe lights without having to be told this time. On the screen, lines appeared from our locations, heading out toward where the lines were tracking in from. There was going to be one hell of a nuclear sunrise this morning.

All birds away, except one! the man who pushed the button said, looking at his console.

Which one? asked the chairman.

The technician consulted the board next to him. We had a missile failure. The missile targeted on central Philadelphia failed to launch.

Thats one of their new headquarters sites! the chairman exclaimed. We just found out about it!

Sorry, sir, the technician said. I cant do anything about it.

What do you mean? Use one of the other missiles! Retarget it in flight!

I cant, the man said woefully. Once theyre launched, they cant be called back.

Today was the day to expose design flaws, apparently.

Wellwell the chairman sputtered. Use another one!

There are no more. You said to launch them all, and I did. All of our missiles, aside from the one that broke, are airbornethere are no more missiles.

Philadelphia has to gothose bastards deserve to die more than anyone else, the chairman said, as if speaking to himself. His eyes searched the room, looking for someone who had a better answer, and he startled as I came into view. You! he exclaimed.

I smiled. I could already see where this was going. Me?

Yes, you, Rinardi. He pointed to the door. Go! Go to Philadelphia and kill all of Obsidians management that you find at their headquarters there. He looked over at the screen; the missiles were noticeably closer. He sighed, but then he squared his shoulders and stood a little straighter. It doesnt appear there will be anything left here to return to, so this is your final mission. Kill all of the Obsidian management in Philadelphia, and then you are released from service.

He doesnt have much time the technician said. Hell need to be at least five miles away in ten minutes, tops, or hes going to glow like the rest of us.

Go! the chairman yelled. Avenge us!

Its been great working for you, Boss, I said with a nod.

Then I spun and ran.

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