Shades of Grey: An Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite) Fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Elite Squad or Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within. All I can lay claim to is my OC, Natalia. I was leery to write a fanfic based on these movies because I know little about Brazilian culture and was afraid I may offend or have misinterpreted. I'm sorry if that is the case but this is just a work of fiction based off a movie I really enjoyed and a dark and deeply flawed character I fell for.

Also if anyone knows of any other Elite Squad fanfics that are in English please let me know (sorry, it's the only language I know - I'm sure there are some great ones out there in Portuguese...) I'm dying to read them and I can't find any.

Summary: Just another scumbag on the streets of Rio. That's all Natalia was to Captain Nascimento when BOPE raided the slums she called home. Deep down though, they wanted the same things - to clean up the streets and put an end to the corruption that plagued their city. Could she learn to forgive and work with the same ruthless and brutal men who had hurt her? Could he go against all his special forces training and let down his hard exterior to earn that trust? After all, they needed each other in more ways than one. OC/Roberto Nascimento.

Warnings: violence, torture, abuse, drugs, language, sensuality and all that stuff. If you've seen the movies you'll have a good idea what I'm talking about, if you haven't then what are you doing here? Go watch them first, they're fantastic! ;)

Chapter 1: A Dangerous Game

Lyric's from Creed's "Don't Stop Dancing"

The noise of the city droned in the background. In Rio De Janeiro it was never still, never quiet. Of course with over six million people and a bustling drug trade that much was to be expected. In the slums where the thugs and crooked cops did as they pleased it was near impossible to find a moment's peace. Especially for Natalia who had thrown herself into the heart of it. It had been two years since her family was murdered. Two years she had been living with the Red Command.

Yet it wasn't all bad, even in the most dangerous slums where Natalia found herself surrounded by criminals and drug lords. Once in a while she would see glimpses of the good in people that gave her hope. Hope that one day it wouldn't be the thugs and corrupt cops that ruled the city. Hope that there were still good people left who were willing to stand up for what was right. Hope that one day she might find justice for her family.

That day, though, seemed to fade so far into the future that Natalia wondered bleakly if it would ever come. She wondered if she would ever get herself out of this tangled mess. Flinging her wavy black hair over her shoulder the young woman sighed and returned her attention out the window to the hot and dusty street below. Baiano's men covered each side of the street. Their guns held in plain sight without regard for who might see them. That after all was the point: to be seen. The Red Command ruled the streets here. No one dared to complain. Not even the police.

"They're here," Natalia called back to Sergio as she watched a cop car roll to a stop down the block.

The license plate number was new. It was one she had not seen before. Natalia made a mental note of it. Later when it was safe she could jot it down with the others. The men, the supposed cops, who stepped out of the car, however, we're not unfamiliar. It was the same men who always came to collect the Police Commander's payoff. It was his fee to turn a blind eye to the drug and human trafficking that went on in the slums. It was the fee to keep their part in the fragile peace that existed between the thugs and the police, because no one really wanted to die... Not for people like Natalia and her family. The people here: they were poor, they didn't matter.

"Like fucking clockwork, I'm telling you," Sergio answered back.

"C'mon then," Marco snorted. "Baiano's counting on us, man."

Sergio and Marco's voices were no more than an insect like hum in the back of her mind as Natalia watched the scene below. The men with guns, Baiano's men, stepped confidently into the street below blocking the cop's path. They would keep them there and make sure they didn't try anything until Sergio and Marco could get down to deliver the money. Of course, the cops weren't stupid enough to try anything. If they did the cops knew it would be a blood bath... and they wouldn't be coming out on the winning side.

Yeah, she had to get out of this mess. It was a dangerous game that Natalia was playing. Either side was just as likely to kill her as the other. If it wasn't for her family, if it wasn't for Camila, she would have given up already. She would have run. Natalia wasn't brave, not really... She wasn't strong, not by any means. But she had made her baby sister a promise. Natalia had held Camila's bullet ridden body as she bled out and had made her a promise. She would bring the men who had done this to justice.

It was a reflexive motion as Natalia's hand came up and clutched the cross she wore around her neck. A motion she wasn't even aware she was doing until she felt the cool bronze metal in her hand, grounding her to what was important, to the reasons that she was here. The cross had been her sister's.

Natalia was here to find justice for her family. No one had wanted to hear it. No one had wanted to hear how dirty cops had gunned down her family as she watched helplessly. Everyone knew the police were corrupt, and they would protect their own even if it meant writing off the murders of an entire family... And Natalia's family was from the slums. They weren't important enough for anyone to take notice of the holes in the so-called investigative reports.

When the legal system had turned it's back on her, Natalia had found herself mixed up with Baiano and the Red Command. She was as close to the heart of the corruption as a girl from the slums could get. From here she could watch it all go down and gather the evidence she needed to go public. What she needed was something that people couldn't ignore. Something big and irrefutable. It was the only option she had left, and Natalia wouldn't give up until she had it. She wouldn't give up until she found justice.

In little over three months the Pope would be coming to Rio de Janeiro. The holy man, despite the clear dangers apparent to everyone else, insisted on spending the night near one of the city's most dangerous slums, Morro dos Prazeres, so that he could stay in the Archbishop's house. Perhaps the fool thought God would keep him safe, Captain Roberto Nascimento thought cynically to himself. Except it wouldn't be God, it would be BOPE: Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais, a special forces unit of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police also known informally as the Skulls.

"The plan is stupid," Captain Nascimento protested. "If we go in every night they will know we're coming." They would needlessly be putting his team's and his own life in danger, and for what? So that the Pope could have a quiet night... But no government would want His Holiness to take a bullet on their watch and that was why BOPE was called in. They went without hesitation to where the regular police feared to tread.

"Orders are orders," Nascimento's superior reminded him.

"But sir..." Captain Nascimento persisted. He was soon to be a father and this mission was needlessly dangerous. His wife, Rosane, and his unborn child needed him alive. It was time he found a replacement.

"Nascimento!" his superior snapped firmly. "You will lead this operation and the Pope will have a quiet night, is that understood?"

There was little room left for argument. Captain Nascimento nodded and felt the vice around his chest tighten. He could barely breathe properly let alone speak to continue his argument against the plan. Crossing his arms firmly over his chest so that his colleagues wouldn't be able to see his hands shake, Nascimento tried to write off his fears as nothing more than jitters related to fatherhood. But it stemmed further than that, he was exhausted and worn down. It was time to get out.

The scrap of paper Natalia had laid out before her held a list of numbers: all of the license plates, dates, times... It wasn't the holy grail of evidence she was searching for but it was a part of the puzzle, a piece of the bigger picture. It was one more scrap of evidence in her growing collection. When she had enough she would go public. She would do whatever it took to get people to notice. She would find justice against the crooked cops who had murdered her family.

The dull thud of footsteps down the hall registered in Natalia's ears. Someone was coming. Her heart stilled a moment as she hastily gathered her notes and shoved them back in her hiding hole under the floorboards.

"What were you doing?" Sergio asked as he stepped into the doorway, his imposing figure blocking her only route of escape.

Natalia swallowed the fear she felt and stood up to face Sergio. "None of your business," she snapped defiantly. "A woman is entitled to a little privacy, no?" she retorted as she tried to push past him. Sergio quickly brought an arm up, wedging it in the door frame and stopping her progress.

"Everything that goes on here is my business," Sergio informed her as he eyed her with suspicion. "What do you have there?" he asked, nodding to the papers Natalia held tightly in her hand.

Natalia shoved the ragged contents of her hand into his broad chest. "Are you happy now?" she demanded, tears welling up in her big doe eyes.

Sergio flipped over a worn photograph of two girls smiling and laughing on the beach. One of them he recognized instantly as Natalia, albeit a younger version. She couldn't have been older than sixteen when the photo had been taken. The other girl, even younger, wore a bronze cross around her neck. The same cross that Natalia now wore.

"Your sister?"

Natalia nodded mournfully and choked back a sob. It made her sick using Camila that way. She hated using her grief as cover. It made her skin crawl, made her feel cheap... But what choice did she have? If Baiano's men found out she was a fraud he'd have her killed.

"Hey Sergio, did you find Nat?" Marco's voice hollered from down the hall.

"Yeah, she's right here," Sergio replied as he lowered his arm from the door jam.

"Good," Marco said as he stepped into the room. "I just got off the phone with Baiano."

The temperature seemed to raise ten degrees with their three bodies crammed into the small space. Natalia could feel the sweat forming under her blouse, dripping between her breasts. The sooner she could get away from these jokers the better. To her blessing, Baiano had a soft spot for the young woman and her tragedy. Because of that so far his men had generally let her be, but Natalia didn't trust either of them. She especially didn't trust them with the way Marco had of leering at her.

If Baiano was phoning and the message was for her that was bad. Natalia tried hard to lay low and not be noticed. It was a strategy vital to her survival. "What did he want?" she asked hesitantly.

"You're taking the delivery to Morro dos Prazeres tonight," Marco said. His hand grazed Natalia's breast as he shoved a package straight into her chest.

"Me?" Natalia replied as she swatted his wandering hand away.

"Marco!" Sergio snapped casting his counterpart a stern glance.

Marco snorted. "Relax man, what's Baiano gonna do? I didn't do shit. You saw, right?"

"Fucking make sure it stays that way too, is all I'm saying," Sergio warned. "Ya know the motherfucker has a soft spot for the broad."

"Yeah, yeah, take it easy before you give yourself a hernia," Marco laughed. Licking his lips,he turned his attention back to Natalia and stared at her chest. "Yeah, you're to make the delivery. That's what he said."

Natalia ignored his rude gaze. "But why me?"

Marco shrugged. "The fuck should I know. You got a problem with it? You want to call Baiano up and tell him to find someone else?" he asked with a snicker.

She might as well slit her own throat, Natalia thought bitterly. She shook her head and took the package without further argument. It wasn't like she didn't know exactly why Baiano had chosen her. There were rumors about crackdowns in the favelas, the slums, with the Pope coming to Rio. Natalia was a fresh face: young, pretty, innocent. No one would suspect the girl... Or at least it was safer than sending his usual runners who were well known to the police.

Sergio and Marco left the room. Natalia sighed and let her eyes drop to the dusty floor. This wasn't what she'd signed up for. She wasn't a bad person. She wasn't a drug trafficker. "Oh Camila," she whispered casting her eyes heavenward from the floorboards where the two years of her work was squirreled away. "What am I to do?"

Of course, there was really no choice... Not unless Natalia wanted to be joining her sister among the ranks of the dead. She would deliver that package. After all, if she didn't do it, someone else would, Natalia reasoned. Maybe she would be going to hell, but at least she'd be bringing her families murderers with her. The evidence she was gathering against the crooked cops was solid. All she had to do was hang in there a little longer.

Natalia inhaled a deep breathe and tried to calm the shaking that started in her knees and threatened to take over to her very core. She would get through this. She had to, for Camila. Quietly she began humming letting the faint sound ease her frazzled nerves.

"At times life is wicked and I just can't see the light,
A silver lining sometimes isn't enough to make some wrongs seem right,
Whatever life brings, I've been through everything,
Now I'm on my knees again...

But I know I must go on,
Although I hurt I must be strong,
Because inside I know many feel this way...

Children don't stop dancing,
Believe you can fly,
Away...away..."

Natalia let the soft, lullaby like song ease her racing mind and calm her fears. Music was her safety blanket, shielding her from the world. Whenever life got to be too much she wrapped herself in the soothing rhythm and let it take her somewhere else, somewhere far away. Somewhere where she still had her mom and dad, where she still had her baby sister, Camila. Somewhere beautiful and safe, where there were no guns and bullets never flew.

With renewed determination Natalia pulled on her shoes and straightened her blouse. If Baiano wanted her to take his drugs to the dealer in Morro dos Prazeres, that is exactly what she would do.

That was the night BOPE began their new mission to clean up the nearby favela for the Pope's visit to Rio. Operation Holiness was under way. One relentless assault after another they would rid the slum of the drug dealers, pimps and other scumbags to ensure the Pope a safe and quiet night at the Archbishop's house.

It was with a cat-like grace and agility that Captain Nascimento and his team moved through the shadows: quiet, fast, efficient. The scumbags never saw them coming. The dealer's lookout hadn't the chance to make so much as a peep before the Nascimento grabbed and secured him.

The BOPE team moved ahead to determine what they were up against. There were two men with guns guarding the terrace above. They signaled to their team leader and waited - nothing. Nascimento made no response.

"Captain?" Number Two whispered as he glanced back. "Captain?"

The word, although soft-spoken as not to garner the attention of the thugs only meters above them, caught Nascimento's attention, pulling him back to the present. The anxiety that had been creeping into his soul since he'd found out his wife was pregnant was reaching new levels. He had to get out. He needed to find a replacement. But in order to do that he had to stay alive and that meant focusing on the task at hand. It meant leading his team and getting through the mission.

As a BOPE officer anxiety and fear were emotions that were beyond dangerous. If Nascimento was going to do his job and keep his men safe then he'd have to push them aside. He'd need to be the man who he was trained to be: A cold, ruthless, killing machine.

Moving up to the rest of his team Nascimento gave the signal. Two of his men popped up and took the dealer's gunmen out with well-practiced ease. The team moved like a single organism, everyone working in perfect harmony with everyone else. BOPE was a well oiled machine - they had to be in order to survive in the favelas where the ordinary police dared not tread.

"Everything alright Captain?" Number Two asked as Nascimento signaled for his men to secure the perimeter. They had everyone where they wanted them. One of these scum bags was the dealer and they weren't leaving here without him.

"Yeah, fine," Nascimento nodded, although sweat beaded on his brow and tremors ripled through his hands.

A sharp movement caught the Captain's eye as a young woman tried to bolt. She didn't look like the usual drug runner, but they couldn't be too safe.

"Grab her!" Nascimento commanded. The woman had a good head start, but Number Two took off after her and he would catch her, of that the Captain had no doubt. A civilian was no match for a Skull. Even if the girl was one of the dealer's lackeys, she was still no match for BOPE.

Turning his attention back to the group his team had cornered, Captain Nascimento grabbed a young man from the frightened group cowering on the ground. While the police might be a joke here in the favelas, BOPE was another story. Their black uniforms, the knife through the skull logo, and their ruthless reputation all engendered fear and respect. These weren't guys to be messed with.

Nascimento dragged the frightened young man, barely more than a boy, over to the corpse of one of the gunmen. Roughly he shoved the boy's face in the pool of blood spreading out from the bullet wound. The gunman's body was still warm, the crimson liquid still wet and sticky against his skin.

"Who did this?" Nascimento demanded.

"I... I don't know..." The boy stammered in a trembling voice.

The Captain took a step back. "You don't know? I think you do. Who did this?" Nascimento demanded again, his tone more menacing.

"One of you..." The boy whimpered fearfully.

"One of us?" Nascimento spat furiously. "What the fuck? 'One of us'?" He shoved the boys face back towards the corpse. "You did this. You hear me? You did this. You finance this shit, you did this."

All the boy could do was whimper and snivel some more as Nascimento dragged him back towards the cowering group. "Now tell me, which one of you is the dealer?"

No one responded. No one dared look up to meet the eyes of the man in the black uniform. There was silence as they huddled together on the ground.

"Get me the lookout," Captain Nascimento commanded. His men obeyed. Holding a gun to the lookout's head he gave him one chance. "Tell me which one is the dealer."

The lookout pointed a trembling hand towards one of the men in the group. The kid knew full well that he was signing his own death sentence. Nascimento knew it too. Lookouts who squealed were executed - it was as simple as that. Still, Nascimento let him go. He had what he wanted, the kid's fate didn't concern him. If he was killed, rather when he was killed, it would be one less scumbag on the streets.

As far as the frightened boy was concerned it was better to squeal than to be beaten by the Skulls until he gave up the dealer in the end anyways. It was quicker, easier, more painless. Because that's what BOPE did and everyone in the favelas knew it. They came in guns blazing. They were harsh, cruel, unforgiving and if you didn't give them the information they wantd they would get it at any cost. Their logo, a knife through the skull with two guns crossed in the background spelled out exactly what they were all about. Everyone in the slums feared the Skulls.

It was then that Number Two returned with the young woman who had tried to bolt. He deposited her roughly on the concrete at his Captain's feet.

"I found this on her, Captain" Number Two informed Nascimento as he held up the package she'd been carrying. Jackpot. Not only did they have the small-time dealer from Morro dos Prazeres, they also had a link to his supplier: a bigger fish in the sea of problems that was Rio's slums.

When Captain Nascimento looked down at the woman trembling at his feet, he didn't see a pretty girl with wavy black hair. He didn't see a frightened young woman with tears filling her big brown eyes. All he saw was another scumbag enabling the drug trade to continue - just another useless waste of flesh adding to the problem that plagued his city.

Natalia could feel herself starting to hyperventilate as she stared at the Captain's black military issue boots, his feet planted in a wide and steady stance. The world closed in around her eyes trailed up his black uniform, past the handgun holstered at his side, to his arms crossed authoritively over his chest. Finally Natalia's eyes settled on the black beret atop his head and zoned in on the logo sewn proudly in place: the knife through the skull.

These men were Skulls, they were BOPE. Natalia's situation took a turn from bad to worse. There was a saying in the slums from which she was raised: "When BOPE came into the favelas, they shot first and asked questions later." These men weren't exactly disproving that stereotype.

Staring up at Nascimento's dark eyes, filled with nothing but anger and disgust, Natalia felt a fear incomparable to anything she had ever felt in her life. She could feel her body crumpling under his heavy gaze. The dangerous game that she was playing had just taken a turn towards deadly. If she talked Baiano would kill her. If she didn't then the Skulls probably would, only they'd torture her first. Either way she'd be dead and the men who murdered her family would never be brought to justice.

Natalia wasn't cut out for this. She wasn't brave. The shear weight of it threatened to overwhelm her and she was only vaguely aware as her vision narrowed and became peppered with spots. Staring up at the imposing figure of Captain Roberto Nascimento, the young woman blacked out.

A/N: And there you have it, the first chapter of my new endeavor! As much as I told myself I would not start a new story until I finished my Walking Dead fic, I have hit a bit of a block there and couldn't get this great movie out of my mind. I will go back and finish my other story as soon as I work through this block. In the mean time, I hope you all enjoy Shades of Grey :)