CLINK. CLINK. TINKLE.
The sounds of automatic gunfire in the corridor finally sputtered out.
Silence rushed into the vacuum, broken only by the metallic clatter of hundreds of hot, spent brass casings raining down upon the concrete floor. Dense grey cordite smoke hung thick in the air, illuminated by the strobing red flashes of the emergency klaxons. The pungent stench of burned gunpowder filling the air.
Down the corridor, eight operatives lowered their smoking high-caliber rifles, their chests heaving behind chestplates. Their gloved fingers remained locked around their triggers, their heads tilting slightly as they stared through their night-vision visors into the dense, churning veil of smoke.
Nothing moved.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" the squad leader barked into his comms, his voice tight. "Check target telemetry! Is he down?!"
Through the fading grey haze, a faint sound echoed across the hall.
Fsssshhhh...
It was the sound of superheated vapor venting into cold air.
