Traveling by air wasn't safe. No helicopter could withstand a rocket hit. Benjamin certainly didn't want to be killed at the last moment when the crisis was almost over.
"Looks like I'll have to wait until it's all clear and leave in the armored President One vehicle," he said reluctantly.
"Relax, buddy. We're safe here, just a little more waiting," William nodded in agreement. "At least President One can take a rocket hit without blowing up."
"Let's hope so."
"SIR, in three minutes, three Black Hawks carrying 24 Delta Force soldiers will arrive. You should prepare," Sunday's voice came through.
"OK," William replied.
He found a handgun on one of the fallen thugs and handed it to Benjamin. "I'll go up and clear out the trash first. You follow when it's safe—just be careful with the trigger."
Benjamin checked the safety, noting it was already armed, and nodded nervously. "Don't worry, I'm a Texan cowboy. I know my way around a gun."
With that, he ducked behind a table with Emily in his arms.
Satisfied with Benjamin's hiding spot, William checked his weapons and ammo. As Sunday's countdown hit 30 seconds, he held his M4 and began moving toward the rooftop.
With the armory under William's control, the White Palace's own anti-aircraft systems and defensive weapons wouldn't activate. A Black Hawk landing was now more likely to succeed, especially with William clearing out anyone armed with shoulder-fired missiles. If he could take them out, the Black Hawks' own miniguns would make quick work of the rest.
Fifteen seconds before arrival, the rooftop terrorists spotted the approaching helicopters, and gunfire erupted in a panicked frenzy. Someone shouted to check on the armory, demanding answers for why it hadn't fired, and ordered others to prepare the Stinger missiles.
Standing at the door to the rooftop, William used his mental powers to scan the area. He took a breath, visualized each enemy's location, and put away his M4. Then, he yanked the door open and grabbed a terrorist who was about to enter, snapping his neck with a single squeeze.
Using the fallen thug's body as a shield, he raised his pistol and shot another terrorist in the head as he tried to aim his gun.
With a sharp "whoosh," a spray of blood erupted as William dropped the body and charged onto the rooftop, firing at the terrorists loading Stinger missiles.
"Thud, thud"—more bodies hit the ground. William turned to aim at a gunman firing on the helicopters when he suddenly felt a chill of danger. Without a second thought, he dove for cover.
In an instant, the Black Hawk's six-barrel Gatling gun roared to life, pelting the area William had just vacated, sending debris and stone chips flying.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Michael Banning, sitting in the Black Hawk's co-pilot seat, shouted frantically. "For God's sake, that's William Devonshire, you idiot! I said cease fire!"
The Gatling gun continued spraying bullets for a few more seconds before it finally stopped.
Staring at the now pockmarked rooftop, Banning cursed at the pilot before unbuckling his seatbelt and shouting at the Delta team onboard, "Rope down! Rope down!"
He grabbed the rope and rappelled down without waiting for the helicopter to position itself properly.
The image of American forces accidentally firing on William quickly circulated worldwide. When the news anchors confirmed that the person helping clear the terrorists was William, the English public, at least, cursed the Americans' incompetence.
Meanwhile, William fumed in his hiding spot. If he hadn't dodged in time, he might've had to expose his magical abilities. Furious, he let the surviving terrorists continue firing at the helicopter.
Banning, moving swiftly, was on the ground in seconds. Fortunately for William, his vengeful nature made him wait it out instead of playing the hero. The other two Black Hawks, seeing their comrade under fire, unleashed their Gatling guns, obliterating any hostile positions in seconds and circling the rooftop until the area was clear.
But William's irritation didn't fade. Taking two small orb-shaped spider drones from his storage, he tossed them toward the offending helicopter. In midair, the drones unfurled their legs, attached themselves to the Black Hawk's hull, with one crawling near the fuel tank and the other toward the engine, awaiting his command.
The Delta team completed their descent within half a minute. With Banning already on the ground, all 25 soldiers reported in and began clearing the rooftop, securing it before advancing downward.
William finished his retaliation setup with a calm expression, then turned to Banning, who approached with an apologetic look. "Man, you're something else, jumping out before the helicopter even steadied."
"Had to," Banning replied, shaking William's hand. "I'm the president's personal guard. If I don't take risks, who will?" Seeing that William didn't appear genuinely angry, Banning radioed the Black Hawks to circle the area and await further orders.
The helicopters moved away from the White Palace, but the one that had been targeted began trailing black smoke from the engine. The pilot radioed in that he'd lost control, and after a few spins, the Black Hawk crashed onto the White Palace lawn.
Luckily, the pilot survived, though he was injured.
Since William couldn't be sure if the pilot's actions had been intentional or due to fear, he didn't detonate the spider drone near the fuel tank. Otherwise, the pilot wouldn't have survived.
"Keep an eye on that pilot. I want to know if he fired on purpose or out of panic."
"Understood, SIR."
Banning and the other Delta team members looked down at the crash scene, visibly relieved when they saw the pilot moving as he was dragged from the wreckage by ground personnel.
Banning returned to William's side. "Mr. Devonshire, would you like to come with us to finish clearing the White Palace, or would you rather leave by helicopter?"
"Take a helicopter?" William shook his head firmly. "No thanks. I'll wait here until you've cleared the building and leave by car."
Just then, a Delta team downstairs shouted over the radio, announcing they'd found Benjamin. Moments later, Benjamin, holding Emily, was escorted to the rooftop by several Delta soldiers.
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