It's a good beat and I can dance to it.

LT ran with his head down, breaking glass shattering above him, but this was the least of his concerns. The broken glass he would have been more than happy to take, it was the bullets breaking the glass he was trying to avoid. Jumping over a fallen artificial tree in the hallway, LT ran into the conference room at the end of the hall. With a sharp breath, he jumped onto the large rectangular table and slid across the length of it, his hand clinging to his weapon as his knees skidded across the top. Then, with one hand planted forward, LT pushed off his knees and onto his feet as he reached the end of the table, tucking into a roll off the edge. The conference room window shattered, again covering him in flying glass as he tucked into a ball and landed onto the ground.

'What was that, Piper?' A Scottish brogue yelled out with a laugh.


'Auditioning for a movie, like it?'

Another voice chimed in, 'I give it an 8 cuz you over worked that jump.'

Laughter erupting from the group of men gathered at the other door leading into the open concept designed lobby.


'Oh come on...' More gunfire erupted above their heads. 'Go! Go, gogogogogo!'

There were five Pipers, moving low and quickly along the length of the conference room and headed out into the Lobby. The biggest of the group let LT take lead, but yelled out to him.

'Now?'

LT reached back and grabbed the shoulder of his team member.
'No, too many civilians. Last thing we need is a group of wolves showing up in the 11 o'clock news.'

'What of the Beta?'


'The Beta can handle himself.' With that declaration, the building shook, and bits of plaster and tile fell on top of them. 'We split up - meet at the roof top. Move. Now!'

'But sir,' Williams, the large Piper, was cut off when the bullet of a sniper rifle above them hit him square in the chest, knocking him back. The Pipers returned fire as LT pulled Williams out of the corridor and toward the emergency stairwell.

LT signaled for the Pipers to head toward the elevator; they would know to ride it to the top via the cables instead of the car, but LT heaved the large Piper into the stairwell and pulled at his uniform. Williams was moaning as LT ripped open his shirt and checked his Kevlar. LT paused for a second and laughed.


'How many lives does a dog get, Williams?' He pulled out his Leatherman knife and tugged on the bullet lodged into the ceramic shield plate. He held the bullet up and showed Williams who laughed in between the moaning. Taking Williams' arm and pulling it over his neck, LT grabbed the Piper by the belt of his uniform and half carried him up the stairs to the roof top.

As they pushed out the roof top exit, LT was greeted with a bloodied Beta in wolf form and a waiting black hawk. The other Pipers were already there waiting and took Williams from LT to the chopper. With a final look back at the horizon of South Africa, LT bid the home he had known as an adult goodbye and boarded the last black hawk. Inside was a stretcher with someone he did not recognize, an old man.

Placing his weapon in between his legs, LT took a deep breath and watched as the chopter flew away from the roof top. Their new destination was Nachton, an American city in the United States. The pack had been preparing for their departure, but with far less fan faire, that was for sure. The other Pipers seemed to be thinking the same thing he was.

'So what's in Nachton, then?' One of them said amidst the thump thump of the helicopter blades.

LT didn't answer, but looked to the Beta. The Beta had plans for the Pipers, he knew this, but what was the worse that could happen?