Subject Nightingale 1: Birth and Death by Tim Cody Page A

order!”
    “ I completed the objective!”
    “ What's it gonna be, Jonny?” Theo asked. He looked torn between the building and the argument.
    “ Innocent people remain alive inside,” Michaela said as she set her rifle aside and rolled down her sleeves. “With or without you, I am going back in to rescue them.”
    Jonny grabbed the front of Tommy's vest and pulled him close, his other fist catching him with a strong right hook. He knocked him out cold, and then discarded his own rifle. “Glitch squad, move out! Secure any survivors!”
    The three sprinted back into the burning building, and suddenly Nightingale was standing on her own two feet.
    “ Listen, kid,” Jonny said, standing beside an open door next to the word Lobby , “I'm not letting you die in here, not after all we've been through. You understand?” Since ECHO had turned the lobby into their staging ground, the doors leading to it were left open and under guard.
    “ What...” Nightingale muttered, rubbing the soreness from her head. “When did we get down here?” she asked.
    “ Just now. Are you with me?” he asked. “Did you hit your head?”
    “ No, I'm fine...” For an instant she had hoped it was a dream—that she had hit her head and passed out, and that Michaela was standing right behind her. But she wasn't.
    “ Trust me, I get it—losing someone, it sucks, and as soon as we get out of here I'll think of something real comforting to say. But first, we need to make sure that Theo's and Michaela's sacrifices don't go to waste.”
    Nightingale nodded. She remembered Michaela's last words to Jonny—to get her out of here. It's what she wanted.
    She remembered the last words spoken to her, as well: that she was strong, and brave. She stared down at the medical kit in her hands, wrung its strap in her fists, and then slung it over her shoulder. She secured it bandolier-style, nodded, and steeled herself.
    “ They won't go to waste,” she said.
    “ We're about to walk right into ECHO's base camp. Stick close, and stay absolutely silent . Do you understand?” He cocked back his sidearm's hammer and looked down at Nightingale.
    “ Roger.” She nodded, and then added, “And...I'm sorry I slapped you...”

Chapter 8
%$#@!^& Glitches
 
    Jonny spent a few more minutes in the stairwell, peeking one eye through the door, keeping an eye on the ECHO squad assigned to guard duty and studying their patrol routes. Heavy Guard, led by Thaddeus Garland, was in command of all base camp operations, and was essentially second-in-command in the field—second only to Command itself. If an ECHO squad was for some reason unable to report directly to Command, they were to report to Heavy Guard. No doubt they had all the information pertaining to Glitch squad and Subject Nightingale.
    However, Jonny knew Garland as a reasonable man. He saw a glimmer of hope that he would allow him to walk out the front door under the right circumstances—it was just up to Jonny to determine those circumstances.
    The four-man squad was stationary for the most part, watching the front door and surveying the second-floor mezzanine, but every once in a while Garland sent a pair of squad members to patrol the perimeter and make sure building security wasn't getting into their supply crates.
    Crates of varying sizes had been brought in to support the ECHO squads when they needed reloading and restocking. The Lab was tall—100 stories high—and extremely well guarded, so they were dug in and prepared for a siege that could last up to a few days. The crates were spaced a few yards away from the walls, and provided a path right to the front door.
    “ We'll use the crates for cover,” Jonny whispered to Nightingale, who was close behind him. The nearest crate was about four-feet tall, and two yards directly ahead of them. Once the patrol returned to the center of the lobby, he motioned for her to follow. “Keep low. Watch me and follow my lead.”
    He crouched and moved