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I. Rogue Spear
A helicopter circled above a new house in the suburbs. Houses around it were still being constructed. Police cars and helicopters surrounded it, shining bright lights on the home. Terrorists had taken a hostage, and counter-terrorist team Raven Shield was deployed to retrieve her by any means necessary. From a helicopter, the team observed the house from a FLIR camera.
"Ah, first floor's all boarded up." The team leader, Dante, watched the house from a laptop. The terrorists were working quickly and fortifying the house. After a few seconds, Dante's drone came online within the second floor of the house. Wooden beams, exposed roof tiles, and paint cans were visible. As soon as Dante began to move the drone, a terrorist moved into the room.
"One that just passed me," he commented. The drone rolled out the doorway into the hall, where three terrorists fortified walls, doors, and windows. "Three more in the main hallway, and it looks like one's fortifying the main entrance." he observed. Dante moved into a kid's room, where a bedframe was shaped like a boat. Terrorists boarded up the windows, one pointing his gun towards the hostage. She was young, with blonde hair in a bun and tears running down her face, smearing her makeup. She saw the drone.
"Help me." She whispered, and screamed as the terrorist opened fire on the small drone, taking it offline.
"Argh, dammit. Drone's offline." Dante whispered to himself.
One of the teammates, Pyro, piped up. "What's the gameplan, boss?"
"We could breach the garage or front door," suggested Noodles. He was the newest and youngest member of the team.
"No, no, they'd defend it with a ton of traps, to hold off the cops." Pyro pointed out. Noodles nodded in response.
"I say we rope onto the roof. We'd all come in at once." Dante said. "We good?" The other teammates agreed, including Wrath, the team's sniper, and Otto, who carried a shield. 'Alright, let's go. Command, this is Raven Shield Actual. Ready to kick this off." The team prepared for the raid, slapping brand new magazines in their weapons and adjusting their equipment.
"Copy that, Actual. Weapons free, all restrictions lifted. Begin operation Rogue Spear." a voice replied through the team's helmets.
The helicopter moved above the house, and the team slid out on the ropes, landing on the roof. As the team hit the ground, Wrath split off. She moved to a construction site nearby, with a good view of the house.
"Okay. Everybody ready?" Dante asked. He and Pyro had already rappeled by a large window in the kid's room, and Pyro was setting a breaching charge.
"Wait- wait!" Noodles spoke. Moving to the side of the building, Dante saw Noodles slowly and nervously descending from the roof where he stood.
"It's alright, man. You're fine." Dante reassured him.
"Okay, okay. I'm good." Noodles set his charge. Dante raised a hand. After a short breath, he quickly balled it into a fist.
"Now!" Pyro detonated his charge and blew the window into the room, sending up glass and dust. One terrorist was in the room, whom Dante quickly took down with a short burst from his G36C rifle. The hostage inside let out a short scream, and the terrorist slumped against the bed frame. Shot up and bleeding, but alive.
"Alright, I've got her." Pyro announced, helping the woman off the ground. "I'll carry her outside, through the window."
"Can't. Got a guy camping outside." Wrath interrupted. "It's a legitimate strategy.." she trailed off.
"Agh, dammit. Okay; Pyro, stay here. We'll-" Before Dante could finish, the wall erupted in gunfire. Pyro threw the hostage behind the bed, but Otto was struck by one of the traps and was knocked to the floor. Bullets started flying into the room, and while Pyro helped Otto onto his feet, Dante returned fire with his rifle.
The exchange quickly died down. Noodles and Dante followed Otto into the hallway to clear the building, while Pyro stayed behind to guard the hostage. Down the hall was the main bedroom and bathroom, and stairs led to the downstairs entrance. It was eerily quiet as the trio entered the main room, until Dante spotted the leader of the terrorists. Known only as Havoc, he was one of the most dangerous mercenaries alive. He opened fire from the bathroom, prompting Dante and Noodles to take cover.
"It's Havoc!" Dante shouted. He fired on him, but Havoc quickly mantled out the bathroom window. Suddenly, more gunfire came from outside the room. Otto and Dante moved to the door, where Noodles was already returning fire with his shotgun. Dante's heart raced as he saw four terrorists exiting the kid's room, dragging the hostage with them. The hall fell silent once again, save for the woman's cries and grunts. While three terrorists took the hostage downstairs, one stayed behind, carrying a large shield. The team opened fire to no effect, they were pinned down.
"Wrath, we need some help!" Noodles shouted over the comm. "There's a guy pinning us in the main hallway!"
"I can't see him, the windows are boarded." she replied coolly. Dante wordlessly emptied his clip into one of the windows, clearing it out. A red laser popped through, and after a few seconds, the shield carrying mercenary fell over to the side, bleeding from the head. "Got him."
"Raven Shield, this is Command. Advise you double-time it, you're on the clock." the commander reminded the team. Checking their watches, they saw that only a few minutes remained before the terrorists won. The team moved to the stairs. As they passed the bullet-ridden kid's room, Dante kneeled by Pyro, wounded but alive and conscious.
"Sorry for- losing the hostage." he managed to choke out before slipping into unconsciousness. Dante rushed downstairs and into a 3rd level underground, where Noodles and Otto were positioned by a shuttered and boarded door.
"Two guys behind the door. One's using the hostage as a shield." Otto announced. The gears in Dante's mind turned as he thought of solutions, before an idea clicked in his mind.
"Whatcha thinking?" Noodles asked.
"Stay here." Dante replied quickly, before heading upstairs. He quickly reached the area above the basement, when he heard gunfire across the street.
"Fuck! It's Havoc!" Wrath yelled. There were sounds of a struggle, followed by that of a gunshot. Then, static.
"Wrath? Wrath! Fuck!" Dante quickly set a breaching charge on the floor, before taking cover and detonating it, blowing splinters and dust through the hole in the floor and onto the mercenaries. Dante opened fire on a merc behind a shield, and he collided with it and slumped over, dead. The man with the hostage turned to fire his pistol on her, but at the same time, the door blew open. Noodles shot the mercenary in the head, and he fell down over the woman he held prisoner. Dante managed to drop into the basement from the hole in the floor.
Picking her up, Dante switched to his sidearm. Giving a short wave with his hand, the three surviving team members moved on. Havoc was now the only survivng mercenary. Noodles took point, reloading his shotgun. "Everything's boarded. I'll clear out the main entrance." Noodles stated, leveling his shotgun. Before he could fire, two bullets ripped through his shoulder. He fell to the ground. Bullets tore through the room.
"Havoc!" Dante shouted. Otto shielded him and the hostage as they moved up the stairs, Dante firing his pistol. When they reached the top, the woman collapsed to the ground. Blood stained her pink shirt red. She'd been shot.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. Get up." Dante reassured her. She slowly got through the pain and stood up.
"Go! Get out of here, I'll cover you!" Otto yelled.
"No! I can take him!" Dante shouted back. Havoc ditched his machine gun, and pulled out his pistol. Dashing towards Otto, he jumped off his shield. Landing behind Otto, both he and Dante were helpless as Havoc fired a bullet through his neck. Dante rushed the hostage into the kid's room.
"Not today!" Havoc laughed as he entered the room. Both he and Dante leveled their pistols. A scream, and two gunshots.
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