''What about the receiving dock on the south side of the building?'' Jack asked.
''No access from the main roof, so any detachment that goes there is on its own. And we've already taken heavy fire from what they have defending that end. I don't recommend it.''
''Do you recommend anything?'' the captain asked.
Penny was silent for a long while. ''Not really.''
''Well, assuming we occupy the main roof,'' Kris said, ''how do we get inside?'' Kris ignored Santiago rolling her eyes.
''There are four accesses to the roof. Along the east side, there are two stairwells that take you down to the top level of breakout rooms.''
''They'll be booby-trapped,'' Santiago said, ''and exit from the stairwells is easily covered by fire teams here in the top-level gathering area; they also can cover the middle-level access to where the hostages are. Two fire lanes toward two threats. Bound to be well-covered.''
''So we don't use them,'' Kris said. ''Penny, you said there were four stairs. The two others are…''
''On the west side of the building, leading down into the building service and support area above the lowest level of breakout rooms. That's where they have the electrical, air-conditioning, heating, that sort of stuff.''
''These folks don't strike me as the type to leave if we mess up the bathrooms,'' Abby said.
''I don't think they're letting the hostages take bathroom breaks,'' Penny reported.
Commander Santiago gave them a look.
Jack just shook his head as if to say, ''You don't really want to know.''
''Sounds like these stairs will be booby-trapped and well covered,'' Kris said.
''I'd expect that. Heat may give us better info later.''
''So…'' the Captain began. Hand up, she raised one finger. ''You can't make a standard drop because they have radar to lock on to your armored suits and pick you off as you drop. Two…'' another finger came up. ''If you get on the roof, they're in full armor, and the M-6 will be as like to bounce off them as shatter their ceramics. Three''—another finger—''even if you get control of the roof, you can't get off it. Excuse me, Princess, but I think your pumpkin is staying home tonight. No fairy godmother.''
Kris had nodded as each digit came up. She reached across and gently folded one of the Captain's fingers back into her fist. ''So we don't do a normal drop mission. We don't use the usual stairs,'' she said, folding a second one. ''And do you have any of those dandy new M-6A4s?'' she asked as she half folded the last one.
''Where'd you hear about the A4s?'' Santiago asked.
''I read a lot.'' Kris shrugged.
''There are four targets on the roof, I'll think about loaning you four. You still haven't persuaded me you can do anything. Keep talking, Longknife.''
Kris tapped a vent on the building. ''This leads down to the fast-food kitchens. I plan to enter the building down it.''
Santiago zoomed in on the air exhaust. ''It's only a half meter square, and it doesn't go all the way down. Even if it did, you couldn't get battle armor down that.''
''Don't plan to go all the way down. Abby, you ever use a hand laser or welding torch?''
''Had to use a welding torch to fix my employer's jewelry.''
Jack just shook his head.
''Would you happen to have one handy?'' Kris said as she followed the exhaust's plunge down until it shared a support with an air-conditioning duct of equal size. ''Think you could cut us a hole from the exhaust to the duct?''
''Easily, ma'am. I'll even anneal the edges so no one can scratch themselves.''
''You are not taking my Marines bare-ass naked down that air vent. Not against terrorists with fully automatic weapons and ceramic body armor,'' Santiago announced in full-force Captain. Even Sergeant Li looked a bit pale.
''Don't worry, Sergeant. You won't be totally bare-ass naked,'' Kris said. ''Abby, just how many of those body stockings did you get on sale?''
''They were selling them by the dozen, ma'am. I bought two.''
''Body stockings?'' The Marine gulped.
Jack pulled his up above the collar of his shirt. You could easily see his fingers through it.
''I warned you, Sergeant. Longknifes!'' Santiago spat.
''Abby, you have a knife on you?'' Abby nodded. ''Stab Jack somewhere he's got his stocking on.''
''It's full body,'' Jack drawled without looking back.
Abby produced a knife from nowhere and stabbed Jack full in the back. He grunted as he leaned forward to absorb the blow. ''You didn't have to do it that hard.''
''Princess here didn't say how hard, and I've been wanting to do that for oh so long.''
''Sergeant, take Abby's knife and stab her anywhere you have a hankering,'' Kris said. He took the knife and went for the gut.
''Is that any way to treat a lady?''
''I don't see any here,'' Santiago drawled. ''Okay, so you have some Super Spider Silk undies. I've got some chutes that don't give back a radar bounce. M-6s are mainly plastic, and what isn't we can tape. I imagine you only want Marines that will fit down a half-meter hole, so I get to keep the big mean ones, Sergeant.''
''Yes, ma'am,'' Sergeant Li responded, still looking a bit unsure about leading a squad of Marines dirtside in translucent underwear.
''And Abby will provide you with black body paint that ought to meet the modest requirements of the corps,'' Kris said.
''If you ask me real nice,'' the maid added.
Shortly after midnight, liberty launch 2 departed the Halsey. Intended to carry the ship's official car dirtside, its rear opened. The manual said it could open in flight. This would be the first time this crew ever attempted that maneuver. They were optimistic it would cause them no problems.
Kris hated optimists on a drop mission.
Santiago had granted them the loan of four M-6A4s. Rather than fire the 4 mm standard carbon steel darts from a spool, these shot 2 mm tungsten flechettes, twice as long as the normal round and with twice the normal load behind them. No sleepy darts for those who put on ceramic armor.
Just who got to use them had been decided at the Marines' shooting range. The Sergeant had shot a near perfect score first, followed by Jack matching him. The other nine who could fit down a half-meter exhaust duct shot next. All did well except one fellow who got razzed bad when he shot his worst in six months.
Kris shot last. And shot between Jack and the next-best Marine. That surprised her. Then Abby surprised them all by stepping up to the next firing slot and picking up an M-6.
''Where do you load this thing?'' A Marine showed her.
She shot one round. Missed high and outside. ''Need to sight this thing in.'' A smiling Marine showed her how. She made an adjustment. The next round was in the center. So were the next eight. ''Am I doing as good as you, Jack?''
''Better. I had a round that edged into the nine ring.''
Abby's next round nudged the nine.
Behind Kris there was murmuring in the Marine ranks. ''Even a Longknife's maid's got to shoot as good as a Marine.''
''As good as a Marine Sergeant,'' another corrected.
When the liberty launch dropped its rear ramp, Kris and Abby, Jack and Sergeant Li led off with the M-6A4s. Penny jumped with the other Marines. The last two out were the combat engineer and his assistant, carrying loads that, hopefully, the radar would be turned off before it got too strong a return from.
Free-falling at eight thousand meters was cold. Not as cold as Kris expected it to be. The body stocking did nothing to stop the freezing air, as Kris had learned on Turantic. But tonight, Abby had outdone herself. Ceramic girdles protected guts and butts and what the guys considered most important. Gauntlets and leggings reinforced arms and legs. Abby even had something for chests and backs that she claimed she got at an after-Christmas sale at a toy store. They were round and glided nicely. The Halsey's stores provided tape that should absorb enough of their radar signal for them to get close before any alarm went off.