The raid[3]

Back at the police headquarters, through a screen where some high officials were viewing the operation through body cams on the soldier's bodies, the minister of state for security noticed that while Chi Lian was running like a galloping war horse in one specific direction, his men had slowed down and were looking around aimlessly.

He did not underestimate Chi Lian's prowess and wisdom. She had managed to find a most wanted rebel criminal, his area of operation and crack his plan. This meant she had the means to figure out what he was planning next or possibly where he was heading.

He grabbed a satellite phone, "What are you walking around for? Follow her." He shouted at the squad leader.

"Follow her." The squad leader ordered his men.

Half of the citizens of the empire were wide awake and aptly paying attention to this operation. There was no room for failure. The higher ups had said consequences for failure in this mission would be grave.

Soon, Chi Lian came to a stop in front of the blue and red painted house.

"It's here." She said with confidence. "He is in here."

The squad leader signaled to his men to approach silently as they tried to find a way into the house.

"This is the military police, you are surrounded. Come out with your hands up." A voice said.

"Back off." Venom replied and fired two shots from his gun. Screams from a woman and children were overheard.

"Suspect is armed and has hostages." The squad leader said into his radio.

At this point, the decision on how to proceed needed to come from the higher authorities.

There was no easy way to end the operation without the possible sacrifice of innocent lives. Under no circumstances would Venom be allowed to walk away from this place a free man. He was leaving in a body bag or handcuffs.

"Instructions on how to proceed Sir." The squad leader asked again.

In the board room at the police headquarters a serious debate was on going. Some of the leaders were insisting that the soldiers make forceful entry. They were claiming that the sacrifice of the lives of one family was worth saving the millions that Venom would take if he escaped.

Others were arguing against this plan because the sacrifice of that one family would prove to the people if it could be done once, it would be done again in such a situation. Who knows if their family would be sacrificed next?

They were trying to re-assure the citizens not alienate them.

"What is she doing?" one of the leaders asked? He was pointing to the screen in dismay.

On the screen, Chi Lian was climbing the roof of the neighboring house. From there, she was stealth fully making her way to the house Venom was occupying.

She was not worried about Venom because she could see exactly what he was doing on her virtual screen. Her tiny drone camera was currently somewhere in the ventilator of the house.

"Get down." The squad leader signaled to her.

Chi Lian shook her head and refused. The family inside was innocent and if the military did things their way, they would end up as sacrificial lambs in this fight.

She pretended to peep into the house through the window and lifted her head up.

"He has armed the bomb." She indicated to the squad leader.

As a former soldier, she knew exactly what symbols to use correctly.

"Thirty five minutes." She indicated.

The squad leader's eyes popped wide open. If the bomb went off then the whole neighborhood was going to come crumbling down.

"Suspect has armed the bomb, less than thirty three minutes on the timer." The squad leader informed the higher ups.

"Go in now." The minister ordered. "If the bomb is allowed to go off then this operation is a bust. Go in right now." He shouted.

"Yes sir." The Squad leader signaled to the rest and mobilized. They rammed the door and entered forcefully.

Like a flexible cat, Chi Lian swung her way into the house through the window and grabbed the two children. She sent them to the soldier who had joined her on the roof.

Venom was shot in the arm and he dropped the bomb.

"Get everybody out." The squad leader said to his men. The bomb was complicated and the explosives expert that had tagged along with them had said he would need at least forty minutes to figure it out.

"Sir, the timer is on twenty nine minutes now. We won't make it out in time."

"Try your best. Start evacuating all the civilians from this area and get them as far away from this place as possible." The squad leader looked at Chi Lian and Chi Rui, "You are civilians as well, and you should leave now."

At home, mama Chi agreed with the words of the squad leader, her children were civilians; they had no business in that area.

"I am not leaving." Chi Lian was determined to stay and refused to be moved.

"Do you understand that you could die." The squad leader emphasized.

"And I am making this decision because I trust in the experts our empire has trained. The people at home should know how much special soldiers of the empire sacrifice to protect them. They should see the price that is paid to make sure that they sleep safely at night, go to work, go shopping, get married and have families." She paused. "This is all possible because the soldiers are willing to lay down their lives and stop the rebels from achieving their evil goals."

The squad leader smiled beautifully. Her words were really encouraging and heart filling. Most of their families and the public did not understand the sacrifices that they made to keep the empire safe.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"En_" she shrugged.

The timer was now down to two five minutes. While those that remained were anxious, including Chi Rui, Chi Lian had already formulated a plan.

"This won't work. We are running out of time, I have a way to save us all."

She was looking at the expert who was now frustrated because he had failed to disarm the bomb.

"May I?" she asked.

The current situation needed a miracle. It was too late to do anything so he nodded his head in agreement.

"Grab a pillow." She said to the squad leader.

"What are you going to do?" he asked as he did as she asked.

"Help me; let us tie the bomb to the pillow."

Together, they did as she wanted.

In their different homes, many citizens were crying and praying that the brave men and women who were doing their best to protect the nation would survive this ordeal.

"When we leave the house, throw it into the air like a baseball, I am going to hit it into the sky." She said to the squad leader.

"That's a crazy plan." He said.

"It's the best we have."

"In that case, I should be the one to hit. I have more power in my swing than you."

"Don't make me give you a lecture on reasons why you are never to underestimate a woman. "

The squad leader sighed.

"What are you going to hit it with?"

"Don't worry about that." she replied.

Outside, Chi Lian indicated that she was ready.

She pulled a tiny pen sized steel bat out of her pocket and to the wonder of her audience; it grew into the size of a normal bat.

"Throw it." She shouted.

The squad leader threw the pillow into the air and Chi Lian hit it. It rose so high and exploded like fireworks in the sky. From far and wide, different citizens of city B could see the explosion. Some of them left their houses or opened their windows to watch the explosion.

As they watched it explode, their racing hearts calmed down and they were overcome with a sense of relief. A wide plethora of emotions was written all over their faces. It was a crazy plan but it had worked.

Now that everybody was safe, they turned around and looked at the bat in her hands.

"What's that?" the squad leader asked.