Okay, so. I have some VERY important news for you all.
We've hit 21.4k views on our story. I was supposed to say this when we hit 20k, but the chapter didn't come out in time, and it was all a mess. Either way, thank you guys for tuning in to read this story that i'm writing, I really appreciate it. thank you all the people who have followed and favorited, and thank you to the people who've dropped a review in the story. Thanks so much for making this journey worth embarking on, this is a big milestone for us.
I suppose with that out of the way, I'll present to you chapter 27! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing this, it's a good hobby of mine, and I hope you enjoy this chapter in particular.
The Outskirts of Baku, Azerbaijan
"I count… five civilians," One of the police officers informed a squadron of uniformed men.
They were in front of the villa that the incident took place in. An incident involving a shootout that lasted for hours, multiple foreigners dead, and a neighborhood shook. The authorities know who did it, but they had no idea that non-combatants were caught up in it.
"What killed them?" asked the sergeant.
"NATO Rounds, it was the SAS and CIA that did them in."
The sergeant sighed, shaking his head, "Take them to the headquarters in Baku. They'll know what to do with the bodies. I have a few phone calls I have to make."
Operation: Angel H.A.L.O.
The skies above Astchester. In the cargo hull of a C-130.
Trenton Scott
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Age: 31
Occupation: Member of the Central Intelligence Agency, SAC (Political-Action)
Rank: Paramilitary Operations Officer
Rank: N/A
"Pathfinder" Squadron
Trent had done this operation before a million times. Well not literally, but to him, it felt like it. Even still, the excitement never escaped him. Yet amidst all the excitement surrounding the operation ahead, he felt a lot of dread. His last operation in Baku with Kovic was less than stellar. And it haunted him still to this day, though Kovic seemed to handle it a lot better than he.
He was dressed in the proper jump uniform. Warm protective coveralls, a helmet, warm gloves. He was ready. Along with him were four other distinguished officers from the CIA and British SIS. Five men in total. They were all in complete darkness. Save for a few LED lights on the floor. Next to them lay a large metal crate that contained their weapons and ammo for the jump.
The mission was simple. Jump over Astchester and land right outside of the city, with the intent of locating an operative on the inside by the name of 'Cathy', and establish contact with a political organization that could be used to NATO's advantage. Easy, it was a basic maneuver. Made even easier by the technological difference. He'd scout the area out both in the physical sense and in the political landscape, paving the way for the arrival of Kovic and Baker Company, to begin training the 'Reformation'.
"Alright people, we're dropping into hostile territory. We're flying in at 15,000 feet. Iscariot ground patrols will have no idea we even passed over them. We'll open the chutes at 3,500. Check your altimeters," Trent ordered his squadron, who promptly checked their wrists.
"Rules of engagement?" One of the agents asked.
"Do not fire unless fired upon, we're dropping in a field not too far off. Homing in on red smoke, Cathy will know it when she sees it."
"Understood."
Trent heard a small ping come from the comms system of the aircraft, and the cabin light turned on. A red light, filling the entire space and eliminating the darkness. Bathing the agents in a red hue.
"Fix your oxygen, we've got a light," Trent said when the light came on. He fixed a mask over his nose and mouth, connected to his pack via a rubber hose. When he was done with that, he fixed a pair of goggles over his eyes that fit snugly with the mask and helmet.
"Open the door will ya?" One of the Agents asked, Trent made his way over to the hydraulics switch, flipping it. The compartment door let out a resounding groan as it opened. Trent saw nothing but the blue skies and white clouds, as the sunlight filled the compartment.
[X-Ray 1] "X-Ray to Pathfinder, you are clear to jump on the green light."
Trent took the liberty to respond, "Copy that X-Ray."
[X-Ray] "Good luck on your mission. Stay safe."
[Pathfinder] "Thank you."
He could feel a cold gush of air rush over his protective coveralls, not enough to freeze his skin, but enough that he got the point. Clenching his fists to see how cold it really was, he figured it was about thirty degrees or less.
The red light was temporarily replaced by a yellow light, and following that the agents put their hands on the crate. Ready to push. The yellow faded away and the long-awaited green came on over it.
"Green Light! Green Light! Green Light! Green Light! We are clear to jump now!" Trent ordered as he and his squad began to push the crate forward. Stepping onwards into the light…
Before Trent knew it, there was no more floor. His feet were suspended in nothingness. The only feeling was that of his gut rushing up to his chest, and the clothes rippling against his skin. Opening his eyes, he was indeed falling. Headfirst, with his arms by his side and legs together, he fell in formation with the other four agents. The crate haven already slipped past, falling ahead of them. A blanket of cloud cover obscured the ground from his view, overcast.
Water vapor formed droplets on his goggles that rushed upwards, Trent's eyes could feel the air despite being shielded. He could hear the voice of his squadmate's in his earpiece, only faintly, the roaring sound of the wind passing over his noise-canceling headphones was enough to render them ineffective. But still, he could make out the basic conversation.
Trent could look up and see the C-130 become smaller and smaller in the distance, as it banked to the right and pulled out of the airspace going back to base. Leaving them behind. Any regrets that he had about Baku that festered into apprehension for the mission ahead, had to be stored for later. There was no going back now…
They continued in freefall for a few minutes, going through the foggy strands of the cloud cover that shielded the ground below. He could see the entirety of Astchester from up there, a fairly large city with a river flowing straight through its center. Winding roads and highrises, church steeples, and large buildings, it was not too dissimilar from a city back home on Earth. They'd be landing not too far away from the city boundaries, out in the countryside.
The ground came closer and closer to the squad, they have already reached terminal velocity. Trent checked his altimeter, "4,000 feet", it read. The number crossed into 3,999 almost immediately, going down faster and faster. Any second now…
"Final call, we're getting close to our opening. Ready yourselves to deploy the chutes."
Below them, Trent could see the parachute attached to the ammo crate open, already reaching the 3,500 mark. He just had to wait until they passed it…
"Now! Deploy chute! Deploy chute!" Trent called out, ripping the line on his own chute in the process. He felt something pull him up from behind, slowing him down drastically, and straightening his body from a flat belly position to an upright position. The drastic change in speed hurt his eyes and brain a little as the blood rushed back up to his head, but it wasn't anything major. He still kept his wits about him, and judging by the four other open chutes, so did the rest of his team.
He watched as the ground came closer to him, though slowly. He could see a red canister of smoke in a field, dropped by the C-130 as it flew overhead. Right in the middle of it. That's where they were aiming for.
Slowly they reached the treetops, and down into the ground, impacting the floor with a soft thud.
Trent took in his surroundings, his heart racing after skydiving literally from thousands of feet in the air. A breathtaking experience, but now the fun part was over. He had work to do. He quickly took off the oxygen mask and tank, dumping them in the grounds around his feet. removing the harness that kept him tied to the parachute quickly os he wouldn't go trailing off in the wind. Strapped around his body was a Scar PDW, good enough for now. But all the ammo that they would need, and much of their equipment, dropped in the case prior. Now the main task was to find it.
The other agents dropped without a hitch, doing the same routine as Trent. They quickly moved into a blanket of tree cover to shield themselves from view. They were in hostile territory, if any Iscariot guards were around, it could alert them to military activity in Astchester, and the whole mission would be busted. Besides that, the CIA still labeled Mysterium magic as an 'unknown variable'. It was easy to underestimate it due to previous encounters, but nobody was really sure what it could be capable of. It would be better not to find out here, in one of the most fragile missions High Command would run yet.
"Is everyone good?" Trent asked, checking to make sure everyone dropped okay. Everyone nodded, "Good. Let's go find the ammo, and meet with Cathy. She should be around the area."
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The sounds of multiple explosions shook the night, the mortar shelling hitting their mark as expected. Immediately, the platoon of soldiers opened fire on the buggers down below. A massive hail of bullet fire lighting the sky with yellow streaks of light.
Each of the guns filling the air with noise with the sound of a thousand lightning-strikes, all at once. The buggers didn't like it one bit, as they immediately were sent into a frenzied state as to what was happening. Most tried to escape the bullet fire via the main entrance to the hive, and many were able to. A lucky mortar shell hit the entrance, dislodging tons of stone and dirt, blocking off their main entrance. Disoriented, and under heavy fire, the huntsmen scattered, scrambling to find their way to one of the smaller entrances.
Eden remembered the words of Philip back in Juno, hearkening back to when he mentioned that the buggers didn't like loud noises or major vibrations. He noticed how the buggers were reacting to each and every single mortar hit, each blast sending a shock through the insectoids' small bodies. Scaring them every time, fueling their desperation. The sound of the gunfire wasn't helping either, hundreds of them dropping dead left and right as they were picked off by the infantry…
Eden watched as the hundreds of buggers fled deep inside of the tunnels, right where they wanted them. Walking straight into the trap laid ahead of them.
Sherman gave the order for his soldiers to move downhill, closing the range, with the mortars ceasing fire so as to not hit their comrades. The few living huntsmen on the surface were easily picked off by a few shots sent straight through their heads.
After the last bug descended into the dark depths of the colony, a relative quiet came through the region. The gunfire had ceased long before. But that didn't stop the soldiers, they quickly sprung into action.
"Get it in!" Sherman shouted, shooting the insecticide into one of the openings. The rest of the platoons did the same, filling the hive with the deadly gas. Eden tightened the straps around his gas mask, as he continued to spray the poison into the hive.
After a few minutes, Sherman signaled that it was enough, "Alright, ease up lads," he said, putting the tank of insecticide down.
"That ought to have killed the lot of them guarding the entrances. Now, we have to get in there. Who'd like to do the honors?" Cato asked.
Eden stepped inside of the hole first, a small and cramped tunnel. But the issue was, the insecticide tank was far too large for him to carry with him. Descending down into those tight spaces would be impossible with metal weighing him down, and by the looks of it, mobility was bound to be key.
"We've got to leave the tanks behind, too large," Eden said. Sherman nodded with the squads taking their tanks off. It seemed as if the rest of the platoon came to the same conclusion. After Eden got the pesticide tank off, he lowered himself into the tunnel.
Descending down into the dark, he was forced to bend his knees and back as he walked, an uncomfortable posture. Clearly, the tunnel was made for the smaller Huntsmen to traverse through, not the larger ones or a human even. Through the night vision that the lens of the mask provided, Eden could see clouds of smoke hanging through the air. The corpses of suffocating buggers twitched in the dark.
"Burn motherfuckers. That's for Scotty," Eden heard Cato's voice through the earpiece.
The tunnel twisted and descended further into the Earth, eventually merging into a much larger cavern underground. The walls were made of solid stone, droplets of water dripped from above. It was hot and humid in here, despite it being fairly cold outside. Puddles of water dominated the floor, making the stone slippery, Eden still had to be cautious walking through.
"Scotty's mask should keep him safe from the gas if he's anywhere near the surface level. Though I'm not sure how far the gas made it," Sherman said, "The other squads are moving in via the other tunnels. I'm sure they'll find something."
"I'd like it if we'd actually be able to complete a mission successfully for once without any casualties. I don't want to relive Baku."
"Listen, mate. Baku was an accident. We fucked up, lost far too many non-combatants, and lost a good man that day. Isaac, may he rest in peace."
"I'll never forgive Kovic nor Trent for that."
"It wasn't their fault y'know. Things happen in war, it's unpredictable."
Cato shook his head, "We're fucking SBS, the most elite of the RM. Aren't we supposed to be the most elite force in the world? Unpredictability is why we were there, we shouldn't have let him or any of the civvies die…"
Eden sighed, he knew Isaac. But not well enough to really understand the pain. It was his first operation with Hazard. Eden tried to focus on the here-and-now letting Cato and Sherman figure their issues out for themselves. After all, Scotty still needed them to be at their A-game. And damned would they all be if they didn't bring it.
In the dark shadows of the cavern, Eden's eyes swept around. Looking for any threat at all. The corpses of suffocating bugs covering the floor made it hard to distinguish what was dead and what was alive. But his eyes switched to a specific spot when he could've sworn that he saw one of the shadows move, quickly vanishing into obscurity.
"Oi, I see something moving ahead," Eden whispered, "I think he's gone now."
"What is it? A bugger?"
"Most likely, the size of a dog. Quick bastard."
"Press on, we're right behind you," Sherman patted his back, a comfortable sign of trust between the men.
Moving through the twisting tunnels and turns of the caverns, Eden kept finding himself thinking about how deep they actually were, and how long the tunnels went on for. They proceeded to get narrower as they went along. He wasn't claustrophobic, but the tons of rock and dirt that surrounded him on all sides was enough to make him feel boxed in. Far out of his comfort zone.
The tunnels banked to the left, becoming narrower as time went on. Clocking in at fifteen minutes, Hazard still had no clue as to how they were going to get to Scott. From his HUD, Eden could tell that Scott was still under them. Being kept somewhere. And they were getting closer by the second.
As Eden turned a sharp corner, he looked up. Seeing that the tunnel took a sharp turn up into the ceiling. A slight slope was available so they could climb up, but there was barely any room for purchase.
"Christ almighty, we're going up into there aren't we?" Cato asked.
"We've got to. This is the only way, press on."
Eden put a tentative foot and hand on the rock slope ahead of him, scouting the area out a bit to make sure it was clear. He tried putting his foot on the rock but found that it was too slippery, his boots fell off the small bumps in the rock wall every time. Cato tapped him on the shoulder, kneeling and holding out his arms, "I'll give ya a boost," he said. Eden nodded, the distance to the top was easy to close if Cato helped out. He placed his boot into Cato's hands, platforming off of that and grabbing onto the ledge, able to pull himself up into the cavern above.
He stood up, more tunnel lie ahead. But there was something strange about the tunnel that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Looking both ways to make sure his instincts weren't alerting him to a nearby bugger swarm, he couldn't figure out what the matter was. Not yet. In the meanwhile, he focused on getting Hazard out of the hole, reaching his hand down to them so that they could grab on and get out. Once Sherman got to the top, they took a good look at the area.
"Am I the only one who finds this place a bit strange?" Eden asked, looking at the walls. He could see that Sherman and Cato thought the same too.
"The tunnels. They're different. There's more headroom here," Sherman said, "And the tunnel runs in a straight line through the rock."
It was strange, the rigid uniformness of the tunnel was evidence that they were in a new area. Though Hazard had no idea where. The tunnel had a dead-end to their left side, the right tunnel lay in front of them. Only one way left to go.
Eden took point, walking with his rifle pointed downrange. Unsure of what the shadows concealed in their bellies. They haven't seen a Huntsman corpse for a while, a clear sign that the gas didn't make it this far. He hoped that perhaps it had killed the entire hive, but quickly dismissed the thought when he knew for a fact that hundreds more lurked underground.
Eden's boot hit something as he walked, tripping him. He fell onto his hands, bracing himself from hitting the floor.
"Are you alright, Eden?" Cato asked. Eden gave a thumbs-up as he dusted himself off, quickly looking to find what exactly he tripped on. It was oddly soft and large like a…
Like a body. His eyes landed on a body. Not a Hunstman corpse, but a human body, "Hazard, eyes up. We've got a corpse here!" Eden alerted his squad. They quickly rushed over to him to see what he was talking about.
"Damn, he isn't joshing around," Sherman muttered under his breath. It was indeed a human, the corpse lay facedown on the rock. The only thing visible was a steel helmet, a sack full of tools, and some shredded clothing that donned the body.
Cato kicked the corpse over to see if he could find a face. Where there should've been a face, there was a bloody mess. Maggots in the eyes, nose, and mouth. The bone of the skull was completely exposed. Bloodstains all around the area. Eden jumped back in shock, nearly throwing up inside his mask at the sight, "Disgusting," he spat.
"Well, whoever this poor soul is, he's been dead for a long time. I'd reckon a month at least," Sherman analyzed the body.
"Is he NATO? Or a native?" Cato asked.
"Native, definitely. His clothing is an old fashion. He must've been dragged down here. I don't see any other way how he could've gotten so far down."
Once again, Eden noted how strange the tunnel looked compared to the rest of the hive. And now there was a human corpse here? Strange…
"I'll radio in with the rest of the platoon, keep moving forward," Sherman said, fingering his earpiece.
[Sherman] "Hazard Actual to Sierra, we've found a human corpse here. How copy?"
[Sierra] "Sierra to Actual, we've got much the same over here. Found it in a new tunnel, we might be close by your area. Stay sharp."
[Sherman] "Roger that, Actual out."
"So they found one too?" Eden asked as he walked.
"Aye."
Eden's eyes darted up as he saw another shadow move in the distance, "Shit. Another one!"
Hazard pointed their guns down the tunnel in front of them, preparing for a swarm. There was no mistake in Eden's mind, he definitely saw something move.
But nothing came…
"Onwards," Sherman ordered. Hazard cautiously stepped forward. Flashlights surveying the tunnels ahead. It seemed as if the buggers were… scared of them? Every time they came too close they retreated further down the depths of the tunnels. It was bewildering, like a cornered dog. They ran instead of fighting.
Another body, two more in fact. All in poses that looked as if they were trying to resist in a panicked state. A grim setting down here, Eden could only imagine what the tunnel smelled like. He thanked his lucky stars for the gas mask, proving its usefulness always.
Sherman saw something that caught his attention, moving towards it, "Hazard. Over here!" Sherman pointed at the wall, on it was a large wooden board. Painted yellow. With bold red text over it, the Iskarot dialect.
It all clicked in their minds. This wasn't made by the Huntsmen, it was a-
"WATCH OUT, EDEN!"
Eden quickly dove to the side in a frenzied panic, as Cato's bullets fired. A pack of Huntsmen had taken the opportunity to pounce while Hazard was distracted. Sherman began firing too, with Eden trying to scuttle away from the buggers, taking out his own arms to shoot back. But one of the buggers had managed to get a hold of Eden's right leg, pulling and twisting with a force that Eden found remarkable given its size, definitely puncturing the skin, and even threatening to saw through some bone. In pain and utter agony, Eden took out a knife and dove it straight into the head of the creature, killing it instantly. His right leg in searing pain.
There were six of them, they had emerged from the darkness, Five of them were the size of the normal Huntsmen. But one was smaller and was of a darker color. Though Eden wasn't incredibly worried about appearance, his mind was more focused on survival at the moment.
The bangs of rifle shots filled the tunnels, hammering bullets into the exoskeleton of each one. They couldn't close the distance, each of them dropped dead before they could get too close, "Fucking hell!" Sherman said when they were all dead, "Are you alright, Eden?"
Eden nodded, as he slowly stood up. Quickly remembering his first aid course, he grabbed some alcohol and gauze from out of his pack to dress his wounds. Extreme pain was all he could feel in his leg as he wrapped the bandages around, "Good call, Cato. You saved my life," Eden said. Distracting himself from the pain.
"That's our job. You watch my back, I watch yours."
"Enough chitchat, look," Sherman took a minute to recover, "This place isn't a Huntsmen tunnel. It's artificial. Manmade. I'm thinking a mine. An Iscariot mine at that."
"But how? We aren't anywhere near Iscariot borders!"
"Minerva used to be an Iscariot vassal, this must've been one of the mines that they operated. These humans," Sherman pointed at the corpse they came across a minute ago, "Their slaves."
"Bastards."
The tunnel made sense now to Eden. The hole at the end of the tunnel must've connected the rest of the Huntsmen hive to the mines. They dug their hive right into the mines, as the workers chipped away at rock unsuspecting of a thing. Crawling in the walls, with oblivious miners unsure of what could've lie inside…
Once again, Eden wasn't claustrophobic. But he was starting to feel himself become uneasy at the thought. Fear of the unknown playing a big factor. At any given moment, there could've been hundreds of them. Inside the walls. Swarming around them. Waiting for the right moment to strike…
Eden shook himself as if he was physically trying to get those ideas away from him. It was eerie enough being down here as it was. He didn't need to make it worse for himself.
"Wait! There's a light!" Sherman directed their attention. Lying ahead, there was a flash of light coming from down the hall, "It's our guys."
The sounds of rapid footsteps meant that the other squadrons had heard the commotion, rushing to make sure everything was alright, "Friendly!" Sherman called out to the men, "We've taken care of the issue here!"
"What happened?" Asked the Sergeant from the other squadron.
"Bugger ambush, they got us while our backs were turned."
"Bloody hell," The other sergeant eyed Eden's wounds, "Echo 1 to Sierra, we've got injured over here!" The Sergeant radioed out, Eden just held his hand up to him.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said. Standing up. Though he was still in immense pain.
"No you aren't son, you're injured. You can barely stand. I'm sending you back to surface level, this fight isn't for you!" Sherman told him, ushering him to sit back down.
Eden brushed it off, furiously shaking his head, "No! No! I promise I'm good."
"Eden-"
"They've got Scotty down there, Sergeant! I can't let you do this without me! Cato said it himself, we can't relive Baku! Without me, you won't be at combat effectiveness!"
"That's what we have the rest of the Platoon for Corporal!" Sherman told him, his voice steady and direct. Keeping control of the situation, "Listen. Baku isn't your fight, mate. I understand that you want to help and that you don't want to see Scotty get hurt like Isaac did. But you are a liability with that leg, son! You are going back to the surface. That's final!"
Eden looked Sherman directly in his eyes, he was stone-cold serious. Eden knew he wasn't going to convince him either way, "Aye sir."
"Good lad. Jerome," Sherman pointed to the sergeant of Sierra, "I want you to get one of your men to take our injured back to the surface. Do you think you can do that for me?"
Jerome nodded, two soldiers stepped out to help Eden up. They'd escort him back to the surface. Eden wrapped his arms around one of them, holding his right leg up, it was still burning in pain. Eden didn't take a moment to look at how deep the wound was but judging by the amount of blood pouring from it, and the amount of pain, it must've cut straight to the bone. The Royal Marine he held on to was kind enough to wrap an arm around him, letting him limp his way back...
"We'll see you on the other side Eden!" He could hear Sherman call out. He left, disappointed that he wasn't able to complete the mission, humiliated and defeated. The worst state that he's been in. Inside he felt broken, the piss taken directly out of him. All because of a injury...
Eden found nothing but dissapointment going into Mysterium, and even as a soldier. The tales of fantasy and wonder he was promised, failing to come true. Where was the cool dragons, wonderful magic, gorgeous scenery, and most importantly, sexy women? He found none of that here. This wasn't fantasy.
It was a nightmare.
The entirety of Baker company had slowed to a halt, their eyes descending upon the Iscariot fortification that lie ahead of them. It was multiple times larger than the small Imperial Bastion that guarded Minerva, cracking it would be a much more daunting task. But in the end, the fortress would have to come down. The passage it guarded was the only way to Astchester.
"We have to get closer. I'm thinking that the only way we can bring the fortress down is from within," Kovic told the soldiers.
Hezekiah disagreed, "Sir, I don't know if you know this but we aren't ready for combat that close to the enemy. We don't have the experience-"
"Listen, Sergeant, there isn't any other choice. You're a marine, your experience came during boot camp. We have all the tools and equipment available for this maneuver. We're going in!"
"Bu-"
"No buts," Hezekiah threw his hands up. He really didn't feel like bringing down the fortress was an advisable option, but what did he know anyway?
"The night is still strong, most of the soldiers inside should be asleep," Filo informed, "If we approach from the forest, they won't see us. The sheild should be down for the night, the excess energy is too much for them to keep it up. We can strike now while we have the element of surprise."
"Good idea, we'll scout out the area and figure things out closer up," Kovic pointed at the squad, "Misfit, with me."
'That's my line,' Hezekiah thought, as he followed.
Walking off the side of the road and into the forest was like entering a new world. The thick woods blocked out the starry night sky. The darkness concealed them all, Hezekiah struggled to see his own squad, and when he did, he saw silhouettes and shadows. They moved slow, over rocks, and through the thigh-high vegetation. Closing the distance uphill towards the fortress. The terrain slowly began to level out, however, and the vegetation became thinner until they saw a clearing that led right up to the walls of the fortification.
"Alright, stop here," Kovic held a hand out to stop them all. The building was a lot larger here, almost dwarfing them all as they stood right before it. They were still concealed.
"Hey, look up there," Lafayette pointed out, his gloved finger landing on a light, "Somebody's carrying a torch."
A red glow was moving along the top of the wall, bobbing up and down with a regular and quick cadence. Obviously a patrol, "We'll never be able to take them out from down here. We need a line of sight," Bubba told him.
"There's a hill to the East of our position, if we can get a marksman up there we'd be golden," Q said.
"But what's the game plan?" Jay asked, "We can't go in guns blazing. Right?"
"That's the only way," Kovic affirmed.
"Kovic, we don't know what their weaponized magic is capable of sir, I wouldn't advise that we get that close to the target," Hezekiah told him.
"Look, we're caught between a rock and a hard place right now. Going around the fortress would require us to go through the mountain range with limited supplies and dwindling fuel. You see the mountains, if we get stuck there, chances are we won't make it out. The only way to get through is to bring the fortress down," He said.
Hezekiah felt odd having Kovic tell Misfit what to do. That was his job after all. He wanted to protest, but he conceded, Kovic was probably more experienced than he was by several decades, "Yes sir." He nodded.
"Good. Now listen, I want you to split Misfit up. I want your marksmen team to take the high ground over there!" Kovic pointed towards a hill that had a clear line of sight in regards to the fortress walls, "I'll get another platoon to provide support for our assault. We've got to find a way to breach inside."
"Right," Hezekiah nodded pointing at Q and Brian, "You two. You've heard the man. Get over to that hilltop and take the vantage point. Q I'm putting you in charge of the fireteam, you pinpoint targets. And Brian when I say so, you fire."
"Yes sir!" They both nodded.
"Alright, now all we have to find is the breaching point…"
Later
"How many can you see?"
"Five of them. A patrol it looks like. Eastern section of the wall moving south, range one hundred meters."
"Right."
Brian fixed the scope. The image of multiple Iscariot soldiers becoming clear in the sights of the rifle. He could see their silhouettes.
"Are you sure you can take them?" Q asked.
Brian nodded, "Have I ever let you down before?"
"We've only known each other for four months."
"Since then?"
"I suppose not."
"Ah…"
Q, as leader of their fire team, took a knee as she surveyed the target ahead. The binoculars focusing in on targets for Brian to note, reporting their findings back to Kovic. Or Hezekiah. Whichever one of the two was in charge at the moment, neither of them could tell.
"You ever get the feeling that Hez is a bit green with Kovic?" Asked Q.
Brian at first didn't respond as he adjusted himself, only answering with a, "I guess", after finding comfort.
"I just don't think it's good for squad cohesion. If Kovic outranks him then Hez shouldn't be so keen on trying to assert himself. Hezekiah…"
"Hezekiah is Hezekiah, he'll learn what needs to be done eventually."
"I guess."
Q fingered the radio attached to her hip, ready to make the latest callout to the rest of the squadron on the ground;
[Q] "Misfit 2-1 to Actual, we've got eyes on a patrol of five, moving towards the southern section of wall from the East. Over."
[Actual] "Copy that 2-1, we're moving into place. Sergeant Apollo is leading Unity squadron towards our location to support our breach. Do you have eyes?"
The voice of Kovic came over the radio, go figure. Q scanned the surrounding area, looking for Unity. The IR view of the night terrain glowed with small dashes of white light, the IR identification flags shining like a beacon to her camera. Unity was spotted moving through the forest towards Misfit. All was good.
[Q] "Affirmative, Unity is closing in. Less than fifty meters from your position."
[Actual] "Final check, are there any guards left in our immediate area?"
Q took one last look, confirming that indeed there was not.
[Q] "Negative."
[Actual] "Good, you are clear to engage the first patrol. When the patrol is down, you give the signal and we'll begin to breach."
"You heard him," Q said to Brian, who merely nodded. Brian seemed deeply focused on the target, looking straight through the scope.
"I'm going for the one in the rear," Brian warned. As he pulled the bolt back and fingered the trigger. A cautious silence hanging overhead in the moments leading up to him pulling it.
"CLAP!"
Despite the AWM being suppressed with the absolutely massive suppressor hanging off its barrel, the sound the bullet made upon firing was still deafening, though somewhat reduced. They watched as the bullet zipped straight through the air, nailing the Iscariot soldier in the rear. The other soldiers noticed the sound, but they didn't know where it came from. Seeing their comrade fall was enough to instill panic in the patrol as they desperately began to scramble to get the ekron shields up.
"Brian-"
"I know!"
"CLAP!"
Yet another round fired from the rifle hit its target. Brian pulled the bolt back in a mechanized and precise manner.
"CLAP!"
One more down. Q had to admit, even though she was good with a gun herself, Brian's expertise was stunning.
The last one remained, lost, dazed, confused. He dove to dodge the final bullet, Brian gritted his teeth haven failed to hit the final mark. He cautiously pulled the bolt back again, leaning into the scope as he scowled trying to close the final target, seeing his body, he fired once again.
He missed.
The Iscariot soldier quickly took the opportunity to run behind cover, "Shit!" Brian cursed from under his breath. Q knew exactly what to do.
[Q] "2-1 to Actual, one of the Iscariots has gotten away. You're going to have to breach now!"
[Actual] "Copy that 2-1, keep a lookout, and cover our asses from over there. We're breaching in now!"
On the ground.
Hezekiah, Bubba, Lafayette, Jay, Flint. They were the remains of Misfit on the ground, with Kovic added as their Spec-Ops leader.
Misfit, Unity, and Tombstone stood at a rather small gate that led into the fortress. There was a much larger one that dominated the front entrance but this one seemed to be reserved for logistical and auxiliary purposes. An iron chained door separated the interior of the entrance, from the exterior. Around thirty soldiers prepared to storm the fortress.
"When we get inside, we talk on the radio. Whispers at maximum, understood?" Kovic asked. The squads nodded, "Good."
Filo did the ritual associated with loosening the lock that kept the gates shut, using the Ekron stone. The three squadrons stacked up on either side.
"Finally, can't wait to use this," Flint said, admiring the M27 that lay in his hands, "This bad boy's been on my mind for the past few days."
"You'll get your fix Flint, just make sure the bullets hit the bad guys and you're alright," Bubba told him.
"I wouldn't hit anything else! You're talking to the best rifleman in Misfit, baby."
"Quiet, both of you. We're going in."
The door opened, with Filo taking a few steps back to get clear of the path, "We're running on a clock. One of the engaged soldiers got away, he's gonna alert the entire fortress no doubt."
"We should eliminate the beacon first, once the fortress has been alerted they'll no doubt send a message to Fargo asking for reinforcements," Filo told them taking the first few tentative steps inside the fortress walls, "And there's the shield generator, it should be located in the main building."
"Right, we do that. You lead the way," Kovic told her. The soldiers turned their flashlights on, walking through the dark stone-walled hallways. Every step as cautious as the last, moving with expertise and professionalism. Nothing so far. The squads fixed their earpieces.
[Misfit 1-6]"We ought to split up into two," Hezekiah quietly whispered into the earpiece, "One group takes the generator, the other disables the beacon."
[Misfit 1-5]"I'll see what happens…" Kovic whispered in reply. Hezekiah nodded, that strange feeling of him being replaced crawling across again. He knew it was wrong, Kovic outranked him most definitely, Jeb put him in charge. But Misfit was his squad. He didn't want to call it jealousy but…
[Misfit 1-1] "Hey! Do you hear that?" Lafayette asked, stopping the platoon. They looked around listening to what Lafayette was talking about, hearing small and barely inaudible footsteps and muffled yelling from the floors above, "Heavy footsteps, panicked running."
[Misfit 1-2] "Shit, they've already awoken the entire goddamn base," Bubba muttered. They kept pushing on, moving down the hallway, right until they came upon a fork in the road. Two signs were written in the Iskarot dialect, Filo took the opportunity to translate.
"The hallway on the left leads to a storage area, which should connect to the courtyard and the main building. The main building will have the beacon within it, the right leads to an observation post which contains the shield generator. In my experience with the Imperial Army, the generator is always kept under tight security," She whispered to them, unable to speak on the earpiece for... obvious reasons.
[1-5] "Perfect. Sergeant Apollo," Kovic turned to Unity's Squad Leader, "I want you to take Unity down the right hall. Disable the shield, and get air support on the horn to blow this place to hell."
Apollo saluted, rallying his soldiers over as they snaked their way down to the right.
[1-5] "Tombstone, Misfit. We're taking down the beacon, on me."
Back outside
"So, Brian?" Q asked as they moved
"Mhm?"
"How'd you get to be such a good shot anyway?"
"Afghanistan, in the shooting range I'd put face shots of people I didn't like over the target. From there, I just closed my eyes and let the bullets fly," Brian answered, "Usually I'd put a picture of some old university teacher, or Flint.'
"Alright. Good to know you're not like a psychopath or anything," A heavy flavor of sarcasm dominating her voice.
"Pew, pew, pew!"
Q still surveyed the land as they talked, she noted the movement of a few more units from the rest of Baker Company to support the assault. The shield was up now, Brian tried taking a shot but it had vaporized immediately upon contact. It'd be up to the squads inside to bring the shields down.
But out of the corner of her eye, she noted something glistening under the moonlight. She focused her binoculars on what it could've been, squinting a little to see through the green night-vision field.
"Hey! Eyes up, we've got trouble," Q told him. Pointing at the horizon. Brian looked up, trying to see what Q was pointing at.
His own eyes beheld a column of Iscariots, horse-pulled carts carrying covered goods. Soldiers armed with muskets. A red Iscariot flag.
"For fucks sake."
"It's a supply convoy," Q noted, "I count one-hundred and fifty soldiers. Fifteen carts. It's a small patrol."
"Understood, I'll keep an eye on them. Radio it in."
Q nodded picking up the radio once again.
On the ground
Hezekiah heard a buzz come from his earpiece, fingering it. The other soldiers did the same.
[Q] "Misfit Two-one to all Elements of Baker. We've got trouble coming from the Northwest. Iscariot supply convoy. One hundred and fifty soldiers. They don't seem to know about the assault. Over!"
Hezekiah looked to Kovic, studying his expression.
[1-5] "Direct our reinforcements towards that side of the wall to hold them off. If it's a small patrol it shouldn't be a big deal. Keep an eye on them."
[Q] "Understood, two out."
Kovic kept pressing on. Taking a quick look at Hezekiah before he focused on the long hallway ahead, "Staff Sergeant Brooks, right?" he whispered directly to him. Hezekiah was taken a bit by surprise, the silence the two shared had only been interrupted this one time.
"Aye."
"If you want to be an effective leader, you have to think fast. Take it from me, in a high-danger situation there is no time for hesitation."
"Aren't you the Squad Leader?"
Kovic shook his head slightly, "Nope. That's your job, Brooks. I'm just a VIP."
Hezekiah said nothing in return, satisfying Kovic. They continued their move down the hall, coming upon a metal pair of doors. In the seams were light, obvious signs of activity. Voices could be heard from the other side. Misfit and Tombstone gathered to the sides of the entrance leading right up to it.
[1-4] "I can hear voices coming from inside, what are they saying?" Flint asked. Filo moved a bit closer to translate.
"Something about a hostile force outside, they are preparing to sound alarms," she told them. Hezekiah again looked to Kovic for answers.
[1-5] "Staff Sergeant, I'm leaving this one up to you," Kovic told him as he stood at the side of the door along with a few other soldiers, "From what I can gather, we have four people inside. Towards the back of the room. Do what you must."
There was only one way through,
[1-6] "Shock and awe. Jay, I want you to prepare a flashbang, on my signal you get it in the door. Shoot to kill."
[1-3] "Yes sir!"
Jay pulled an M84 Stun Grenade out of his pockets, putting his fingers around the safety pin. Hezekiah slowly pushed open the door, just a small amount. The conversation now clearly audible coming from inside. He could feel his heart pounding in these few still moments.
[1-6] "Alright Jay, let it fly."
Jay pulled the pin, slowly moving towards the opening in the door Hezekiah provided, letting go of the detonator and tossing it right in there. The two squads looked away to shield their eyes from the inevitable blast of extremely bright light. The conversation inside halted, as the Iscariots saw the small metal object fly inside the room. A few panicked shouts came from them, wondering what it was and where it came from.
"BANG!"
A sound erupted from the room that was extremely loud. A quick and concise bang, amplified in volume by a million. Hezekiah was thankful for the electronic headset he wore, the bang from the flash grenade was louder than any bullet he's ever fired. And even then, it still sounded considerably loud even with the headset on. Hezekiah rushed into the room, with Kovic at his side. The light had died down, and the soldiers inside were yelling, confused as to what was going on. Before Hezekiah could identify a target, Kovic had nailed one right in the head. Misfit and Tombstone cleared out the other ones, needing only a single bullet each. The targets neutralized.
[1-6] "Storage room, clear!" Hezekiah stated, after looking through each corner. Inside the room were cabinets and storage units full of boxes and supplies. No other living creature inside. Another pair of double doors led out of the room at the front. Bound to lead out into the courtyard.
The question now, how were they going to get across? Kovic ran to survey the room outside, "No doubt somebody's heard that on the other side!" Kovic said, rushing back to the center of the room. Radios were off now, and the soldiers talked to each other directly. Lafayette and Jay watched the doors, to keep them safe for now.
"Alright, we're somewhere within the outer wall of the fortress. The only way to get to the main building is a fifty-meter dash across an empty field, with guard posts and patrols running," Hezekiah said acing around the room, "There's no way we are getting in there without being detected now."
"So, we go in guns blazing?" Bubba asked.
"I like the sound of that," Flint chuckled.
"Good, then you'll love my plan," Hezekiah said, "We start by-"
Hezekiah was interrupted by a transmission through his radio headset,
[Unity Actual] "Unity 6 to Misfit Actual, we've managed to disable the shield but we stirred up the hornet's nest. Iscariot soldiers are scrambling. Air support is coming within five minutes, how copy?"
[Misfit 1-6] "Solid copy Unity, hold steady. Wait them out until the airforce arrives, we're outnumbered here. Over."
[Unity Actual] "Wilco, finding cover. Good luck out there, Unity out."
"Well... that's orders...
Four Years ago…
The City of Axester (Astchester in the Iskarot tongue)
Population: 450,000 (Humans, elves, reptilians, and others)
Type: Major Colony/Dominion
Allegiance: The Commonwealth
"BLOODY DAY FOR THE COMMONWEALTH ARMY AT 'RED HILL'"
"AXESTER IN IMPERIAL SIGHTS! AS COMMONWEALTH GUARD RALLIES AROUND CITY CENTER!"
"COLONIAL ASSEMBLY ORDERS CIVILIANS TO STAY WITHIN CITY LIMITS!"
"Damn those Falkish bastards!" A bearded human said as he flipped through yet another one of the weekly gazettes. Yuri looked up at him, being about knee high to the man who was her father. He took a quick look at Yuri, realizing what he said, "Don't mind me swearing, little missie," He said squeezing her hand with his giant paw.
Yuri looked around, the market was practically empty. The news of the invasion spread far faster than anyone could've imagined. The only people on the streets were of the Colonial Guard, carrying their musket through the streets on patrol. Other than them, a few rogue civilians. Elves, Humans, Reptiles, Insects… All of them were shuttered inside. Especially the Demi-Human slaves kept sheltered inside by their masters in fear of the Imperial armies stealing them. Though Yuri didn't know that. She was only four, barely old enough to speak properly, much less understand the deeper political maneuvers that accompany warfare of the century. All she knew was that for some reason, everyone was inside.
Usually, the marketplace would've been bustling at this hour, taking up a narrow street. Flags of the Commonwealth Domains and of the Empire itself hung all over, from flagpoles, over roofs, from windows, and over doorways. A bustling center of Falkland culture and patriotism.
But the marching armies of the Imperials seemed to vanquish it, the rich nobility had already managed to pack their bags to head for the capital leaving everyone else behind to hide. They were the lucky ones, able to get out before the governor's order.
Now, only the brave seemed to walk outside. Even daring to do so. Luckily for her family, Yuri's father was one of those brave souls. He was a giant among men, broad shoulders, big hands, tall, hairy. He wasn't afraid of anyone. He scared those around him who didn't know who he was because if they had, they'd love him like a brother. Yuri felt safe around him, always. Whenever he wasn't telling her one of his long stories from his time as a youth, he told her jokes she always found funny. A silly man at heart more than anything else, he loved to entertain, using that part of him to make good friends.
"Much obliged, sir," Said the man as he paid the merchant in a small ticket, taking a crate of rations for his family. He once again took a look at his daughter, who was busy gazing off into the distance, "What's the matter, little missie? You look worried."
Yuri looked up at him, shaking her head. Her father just smiled, chuckling a bit, "It's written all over your face, Yuri," Yuri wished she could see her face, she wondered what she looked like. Did her face change when she wasn't in front of a mirror? Did her blue eyes fade to brown like her fathers when she couldn't see? Her father continued chuckling to himself, as he lifted the crate up, "Come on little missie. We've got to bring this back to your mother. Don't want to starve now, do we?"
Yuri shook her head once again, this time in a more cheerful fashion, so her father wouldn't notice her hidden anxiety. It was just something about the day that she couldn't put her finger on. The lack of people was definitely one of the issues.
She felt a tug on her hand, her father starting to walk down the street back to their home, "You know, if you tell me what's wrong, I get you some sweets from Dori."
"There isn't anything wrong!" Yuri told him, he chuckled.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Alright, if you're tough enough. I'll let you keep your secrets," The man said. Yuri held her chin up as she skipped along, feeling proud for standing up for herself, "And if you're so tough. You can hold this, can't you?"
The man plopped the big crate right into her little hands, she squealed as she tried her best to hold it, but falling over on top of it. Letting go, she looked up at him, an upset face. He tried to keep himself from bursting in laughter, picking it back up, "Now you see what I have to deal with all day don't you?"
She didn't respond.
They took a right, and a left down the street. Still only finding more people out to get their rations and colonial guards running patrols. They came up to a wooden door, that leads into one of the brick two-story homes. A colonial house, built for a large family. Her father took out a key from a satchel, twisting the doorknob preemptively, and sighing when he found that it gave way without the need for the key, "Again?" He sighed.
Yuri skipped on inside while he locked the door behind them. The curtains were parted open, letting sunlight come through and fill the room. The living quarters was cozy, with wooden furniture fit for a working-class family like they were. A grandfather clock that was an heirloom for generations, even a few expensive glasses. They certainly were well off.
"Lyn? Lyn? Did you leave the door unlocked again?" He called out, seeing if there was a response from upstairs.
"Yes, I figured you'd be back home," A female voice came from upstairs, a few light footsteps coming down. A female figure appeared in the staircase, the mother of the family, "I told you not to bring Yuri outside. You know they could arrive at any minute!" She said.
"There's nothing to it, Lyn. We aren't scared of the-"
"You aren't scared of them Oswald. Yuri is just a girl, she has no right being out there, seeing the militia and all, it'll scare her."
"Yuri doesn't care about all that, in fact she loves seeing the militia. She thinks they look funny."
"Oswald." The mother said a bit dissapointedly.
The father sat down in a wooden chair, sighing. The mother was a much smaller person from the father, slimmer too. Just as nice of a person as Oswald, though with more anxiety and fear of anything. She seemed to care more about smaller things than the father, especially in regards to her family.
"Have you heard from Dan?" The father asked her. She shook her head, "If there's anyone I'm worried about, it's him."
"He's a soldier, he's fine."
"Yeah, but he's my little brother."
"Relax-"
"You're telling me to relax, you of all people? You're a walking bundle of nerves!" The mother silently laughed.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!" Someone rapped at the door. Yuri immediately jumped up, going for the door to see who it is, being stopped by her father, "Where are you going? Are you our guard dog now?" He asked her giggling.
"Speak of the devil…" The mother opened the door, revealing another human. Dressed in a light blue uniform with golden stitches and designs, a musket slung around his back and a cocked cap. White pants, and knee-high black boots. A regular.
"Lyn," He said nodding his head.
"Brother! Brother, I've been worrying about you!"
"Don't be," The man told him, Yuri's uncle.
"You've come early, what's the matter?" Lyn asked.
"I've come to warn you all," Dan said with a serious tone, "You need to pack your bags. Now. The Imperial Army marches, they are but a few miles away-"
"Brother, how could you be such a coward?" Said the father, eyeing Dan, "This is our home! We can't just run away!"
"You do not know what they'll do to you, Oswald. When they are through, you won't have a home!"
"I'm not running away-"
"You won't be, you'll be protecting your family Oswald. Listen to me, I know Yuri needs you to be strong now. But there are battles you can choose to fight, this one isn't it. I can get you to the home islands, you'll be safe!"
"So we can wait for the Iscariots to march there? No matter where we go, we won't be safe from them!"
"Boys," The mother interrupted, "I think it'd be best if you take this upstairs, away from Yuri," she told the two. The men both nodded, going up the flight of stairs away from her ears.
"Don't worry about them my darling, they're just acting a little crazy aren't they?" The mother said Yuri let out a sound of agreement as her mother placed a saucer in front of her, stacked with delicious biscuits. Homemade, with the flour reserves they had saved since before the war, broke out. A daily routine shared by the family of having a few. Yuri greedily took one, nibbling on it.
The sounds of shouting came from upstairs, angry shouting at that.
"Why don't you play with your dollies, I'll go upstairs and sort them out," her mother said frantically hurrying up there. Yuri honestly didn't care, regardless of the angry words, to her, it was a good day. Though a strange one. She couldn't understand anything going on around her, she had no idea what an invasion was or who the Iscariots were. She barely even knew what the Falklands were. She didn't know much of anything in the world, the only thing she knew was that everyone around her seemed to be on edge. Particularly jumpy. For a reason, she couldn't decipher.
If only she could know how drastically her life would change, just the morning after.