Never Touch

“Where are we headed?” Eric shouted over the sound of the helicopter.

            “Dose it matter?” Xander asked rolling his eyes.

            “Not really.” Eric responded, checking the ammo in his M4.

            “Then why ask?” Xander growled as he pulled his gas mask down over his head.

            “To pass the time.” Eric said sheepishly, as Zack and Thomas snickered at his wit.

            “To waste my time.” Xander corrected, prepping his repelling rope.

            The helicopter passed over an office building in downtown Detroit, and Xander, along with his team, repelled down onto the roof.

            Two hours ago a group of violent terrorists had attacked the office of Burthimer & Sons Munitions Fabrication Laboratories in downtown Detroit, Michigan.

            Xander scanned the roof for any entrance to the building. He spotted only one door.

            Xander was already halfway to the door by the time the rest of his team hit the roof.

            “Wait up.” Thomas said over the radio as he struggled to keep up with Zach and Eric, carrying his shotgun in one hand, and the breaching charges in the other.

            Thomas made his way to the door and placed the breaching charge on the doorknob. Then they all backed away to a safe distance so Thomas could detonate the charge.

            The charge exploded with a sharp bang and the door swung inward. With the locking mechanism destroyed, nothing was holding the door closed.

            “Let’s go.” Xander said over the radio as he sprinted toward through the open doorway in into the stair beyond.

            The stairwell descended for thirty floors until it hit the bottom. Xander had no intention of traversing every step. His team only needed to reach the twenty-first floor and keep the volatile chemicals from being detonated.

            Xander missed the friendly chatter of Kyle, Conner, and Frank. This suffocating silence that covered the team, as they scrambled down the stairs as fast as they could, made Xander long for his old team.

            Loud footsteps echoed up the stairs as two terro