Briefing Room – Virginia Beach
The team, one by one, entered the briefing room for the first time in a few weeks. They had previously been sent on three consecutive missions due to circumstances beyond their control and as a result were rewarded for some well-deserved time off.
They each took their seats, excited to get back in the game.
"Whatcha got for us Mandy?" Jason asked eagerly.
She pulled up a picture and began to explain. "This is Yuri Petrov, a highly sought-after human trafficker known for luring and kidnapping American college students and then selling them to whoever is willing to pay top dollar for them. He's highly feared and has eyes everywhere and as a result, people are afraid to give up his location. That is until now." She pulls up another picture of a middle-aged male. "This is Andrei Sokolov. Used to be Yuri's right-hand man until they had a major falling out over money."
"Let me guess, he wants to make a deal? Information on Yuri in exchange for what? An easier sentence?" Jason asked.
"That and he wants payback against Yuri." Mandy added.
"How do we know what he's saying is true?" Sonny questioned.
"We have boots on the ground in the area. They said everything appears to be true so far." Davis jumped in.
"If there's already boots on the ground then why are we being sent in?" Clay asked.
"Glad you asked." Mandy smirked. She then proceeded to pull up a picture of a mountain. This is Manaraga Mountain, also commonly called the voodoo mountain."
All eyes immediately fell to Sonny, waiting for him to respond. "You're sending us to mountain referred to as 'voodoo mountain?' Is this one we can opt out of?"
Everyone all got a quick chuckle out his response, but it didn't last long. They all understood the seriousness of this mission.
"So, what's so bad about this mountain to earn such a nickname?" Brock asked.
"It's extremely dangerous, making even the most experienced climbers seem like first timers. Many of the locals consider it alive, offering it occasional sacrificial stones. They claim the mountain 'does not let' mountain tourists to its peak due to the extreme obstacles and unpredictable changing weather predictions. There's not a single tour guide that will take people to the mountain." Mandy said.
"And we're going there why?" Ray asked.
"Yuri and his men have a hideout halfway up. That where he holds his 'prisoners' until they are sold. He feels safe there since no one is willing to step foot on the mountain." Davis added.
Suddenly, they weren't as excited to return to work as they were before. They have never been afraid of a location before, but this one changed that.
"Wheels up in two hours." Blackburn said as he dismissed his men to pack and prepare for their flight to Russia.
Manaraga Mountain, Russia
Nothing about this mission was going to be easy. That was made perfectly clear by everyone. As they took their first few steps up the mountain they could see why. It was steep, it was rocky, it was grassy, it was snowy, it was windy. It all depended on what part of the mountain they were on. And to make things work, they were told to stay off the main 'trails' as much as possible to avoid being detected, meaning they had to climb.
"Everyone stay alert and be on you're A game. Got it?" Jason ordered.
Everyone nodded as they carefully continued scaling their way up the mountain. They split up into two groups. Jason, Sonny, and Trent went left, while Ray, Brock and Clay went right.
A quarter of the way to their target location, Trent saw something out of the corner of his eye. "Boss, I've got movement to the right." He whispered.
The three stopped where they were, hoping whatever Trent saw was just an animal and if not, that whoever it was didn't notice them. They stayed motionless for minutes, waiting to spot whatever Trent had seen. They were just about to start moving again when Sonny caught a glimpse as well. He looked over at Jason to tell him and Jason just nodded his head letting Sonny know that he had seen it as well.
Jason quietly reached for his radio to inform the other three of what they were seeing. "Bravo two, this is Bravo one, be advised we have movement headed towards your direction. Proceed with caution." Jason whispered over.
"Copy Bravo one, proceeding with caution." Ray whispered back. Ray then looked around and found a clearing a little further to the right. "Bravo six, see that clearing over there?" He spoke quietly to Clay.
Clay looked to the right then nodded.
"I want you to make your way over there, and get high. Take out anyone that appears to be in our path. We'll have slight visual on you and will stay put until you reach location. If anyone approaches you, we'll take them out." Ray instructed.
Clay hesitated for a moment, not liking the idea of being separated or leaving the security of the rope, but the clearing wasn't nearly as steep as where they were not so he didn't complain. "Copy."
As Clay unclipped himself from the rope, Ray put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Be careful." Clay nodded and then began making his way away from the safety of the group.
Clay just about made it to clearing without a problem. He looked over to Ray and Brock and gave them a thumbs up, letting them know he was good. He started slowly moving again through the last few feet of rocky terrain, when one of the rocks he stepped on came loose. He tried to quickly grab onto something, but there was no time. Before he knew it, he was rolling down the mountain, trying to protect himself from falling rocks and debris, while also bracing for impact.
He rolled about 20 feet and then dropped straight down another 5 feet, landing on one of the paths they were told to avoid. When he landed, he was face up, thankful that the big rocks were no longer falling that could have possibly landed on him. He took a deep breath and noted that he was sore, but nothing appeared to be broken. Most likely just bumps, scrapes, and bruises. He sat himself up and when he went to get on his feet, noticed a sharp pain in his ankle. It didn't feel broke, but it was definitely sprained. He reached for his radio and found it wasn't there. 'Must have lost in in the fall.' He thought.
Clay looked up and could see Ray and Brock looking down at him with worried looks. He estimated them to be at least 20 feet up. He brushed himself off and then attempted to stand again, this time using the rock wall he fell from for support. He put as much weight on his ankle as he could to test out how weight bearing it was. It hurt like a bitch, but nothing he couldn't suck up and limp through.
Ray and Brock looked down in shock, but relieved to see Clay wasn't seriously injured. The thing that concerned them most was his limp. It was a pretty big limp that was impossible to miss and would without a doubt make climbing back up nearly impossible. Ray was just about to radio Jason to inform him of the situation, when his heart dropped.
Below, they noticed a group of 15 men rapidly approaching Clay's location and Clay was completely unaware. They couldn't radio him since it was made obvious Clay either lost it or broke it in the fall, they couldn't shout down to him without giving away their location and there were too many men to take out. The second they would open fire, their location would be immediately given away. They couldn't take the chance. They knew where Clay was being taken. Their best chance of getting him back was making it to the location undetected. For now, the only thing they could do was sit there and watch.
Watch as Clay was questioned, watch as Clay was pushed around and then watch as Clay was taken.
It all happened so quick, although it felt like forever. Once Clay was no longer in sight, Ray reached for the radio. "Bravo two to Bravo one, we have a Major problem." Ray hissed, dreading telling Jason what just occurred.