Bones of Angels by Christopher Forrest Page A

Tank.
    Chunks of rock exploded from an outcropping that concealed Shooter. “I’m drawing fire!” 
    She aimed her assault rifle upwards at a forty-five degree angle. Squeezing the trigger, she took down a robed figure, who toppled from the top rampart of the monastery, screaming. His body hit successive layers of rock, falling limply, like a Raggedy Ann doll.
    The rest of Titan Six was also drawing fire from Reynard’s acolytes. On the south shore of Mont St. Michel, pieces of rock splintered in a dozen spots as Reynard’s forces sent a barrage of bullets down to the coast.
    Each Titan member was separated by a distance of approximately twenty yards.
    Commandoes appeared directly in front of Hawkeye and his three team members. They were wearing dark camouflage suits and helmets. Their weaponry was advanced.
    “Looks like the Council of Nine has its own Special Ops force,” Hawkeye observed. “How quaint.”
    Ops Center
    Aboard the Alamiranta
     
    “Activating night vision nanobots,” announced Touchdown. “All helmet cams operational. I can see the beach, but in a moment, you’ll have much better vision than I do.”
    Catherine Caine looked at the holographic image of Mont St. Michel in the middle of the Ops Center. It resembled a stone triangle rising from the sea. The cliffs rose to an apex upon which was built an imposing complex of monastery and cathedral. At beach level were several two- and three-story buildings constructed later in the island’s history. All were dwarfed by the towering edifice above them. Smaller buildings were wedged in the cliffs below the church.
    “What’s the position of the landing craft carrying Donovan, Quiz, and Angela?” asked a tense Catherine Caine.
    “One kilometer off the south beach, ma’am,” Touchdown said. “Awaiting orders from you or Hawkeye.”
    “Can you find the best access into the monastery for Titan Six?” Caine asked.
    “There are several caves in the cliffs,” Touchdown said. “My guess is that they’re connected to secret passageways that lead into the main complex above. I’m betting that one or more were shortcuts to the coast.”
    “Hey!” cried Tank. “Did anybody take note that my ankle is sprained?  How the hell can I climb these damn rocks?”
    “I’ve already activated your BioMEMS,” answered Touchdown. “The pain and swelling should be reduced in another minute or two.”
    Touchdown looked over his shoulder at his boss.
    “They have such little faith,” he said matter–of-factly.
    “Faith seems to be the theme of this mission, doesn’t it,” said Caine.
    “I guess it is,” Touchdown said thoughtfully. “I guess it is.”
    Southern Coastline
    Mont St. Michel
     
    “We’re outnumbered and outflanked!” warned Tank. “They’ve got us from above and on the sides.”
    “Yeah,” said Hawkeye, “but have you ever had such kick-ass vision at night?  This is fantastic. My compliments to Dr. Nguyen. I can see every crag and outline of the entire mountain, every stone of the abbey walls. Even enemy rifles protruding from dozens of hiding places. Prepare to execute a D and D,” said Hawkeye. “It’s Down and Dirty, ladies and gentleman.”
    Shooter rested her Barrett REC7 assault rifle in a niche of volcanic stone at the edge of the coast. The opening in the stone was wide enough so that she could quickly pivot the gun barrel left and right. She would take aim at the targets along the many-tiered walls built into the cliffs and atop the abbey itself.
    Before the appearance of the commandos, Titan Six had assumed kneeling positions in their respective locations in order to take out the hostiles.
    “D and D now,” Hawkeye said coolly into his COM set.
    Everyone in Titan Six dropped to the ground except for DJ, who stood, wielding a Calico M960 submachine gun. The sleek and cylindrical helical-feed carbine could discharge 750 rounds per minute.
    DJ sprayed the beach, cutting down the Council’s troops in less than ten