Soaps Honor
Chapter One
The HC-130 banked slowly to the left, holding steady at 65,000 feet the pilot switched the red jump light on.
"One minute to drop" the thick American accent came over the com system.
In the hold of the plane two dark figures stood and checked each other over once last time. The ramp opened filling the hold with the freezing night air. The two men waded to the end of the ramp, again the call came
"10 seconds!"
The light switched green, the men leaned slightly forward allowing gravity to pull them into the darkness. Soap put is head down using his arms and legs only enough to keep himself balanced; he reached terminal velocity in a matter of seconds. He didn't look back; he knew from experience that Price would be right behind him. A quick glance at his altimeter and he levelled out slowing himself down before reaching for and pulling his cord. There was the familiar snag as his weight pulled against the straps of the pack. Soap looked up quickly to make sure his canopy had opened then guided himself into the landing spot. He hit ground and heard Price hit 5 seconds after him.
Both men bundled up their parachutes and hide them in the snow covered bushes. Price bent down and picked up the sniper rifle.
"We better make this quick I want to be out of this shithole as soon as possible"
"Just make sure you shoot straight old man" Soap replied with a thin smile on his lips.
Soap didn't wait for a reply, there wouldn't be one Price was the best sniper in the regiment. The two men went their separate ways Price up the hill to provide cover and Soap to the village to extract the marine who had been taken hostage a week ago.
Price tugged the balaclava back up around his face. The cold was beginning to get him. Night had descended only an hour ago and with no cloud cover the temperature had dropped to minus 15. The only saving factor was that there was no wind. Price shifted his weight a fraction and pulled the stock of the rifle a little tighter to his shoulder and peered into the scope. Below him he could see the village where the royal marine, was being held hostage. The village if it could even be called that, consisted of 6 small buildings surrounding a large two storey school house. The local militia had turned it into an operating base, when hostilities had begun just two months previously. Price moved his view to the left of the one of the buildings; he could see Soap coming out of the tree line...
"Soap... you have an all clear, the cold has kept all these bastards inside" Price let go of the transmission button on his stock.
"Roger that, going in left door... out in 30"
Price kept his focus on Soap as he reached for the door handle. Soap opened it slowly, and crept inside. There was nothing Price could for him until he came back out; he gave the rest of the buildings a quick scan... still no movement.
As Price looked back to the door Soap had gone in, it opened again. Soap sprang out with the unconscious marine in a fireman carry. He paused for a moment and looked up to where Price was lying on the top hill, turned and started moving back to the tree line. Price took one last look back at the main building, just as it seemed they had gotten away with it the main door opened and a guard walked out. He was looking straight in the direction of Soap and had seen him entering the tree line. Price could see the look of surprise in his eyes.
"Bollocks!.." Price put the crosshairs just above the guard's nose and pulled the trigger. The man froze for a second and fell backwards onto the ground with the bullet lodging in the wall behind him.
"Soap they are onto us, move to the pickup point, ill hold off the support" Price began to engage more targets as they came out of the building, each being dispatched to the next life with a quick pull of the his trigger. After a few moments bullets began to strike the rock around Price as the guards began to regroup. Price pulled the bolt from the rifle and rolled sideways away from it. Picking up his M4 he turned and started to run up the hill, flinging the bolt into the trees as he went.
Soap was pushing hard up the trail; the moon light that managed to breach the canopy just barely eliminated the ground in front of him. He paused for a moment to adjust the weight of the unconscious marine on his shoulder. Glancing back the way he had come, bright flashes caught his eye followed by the sharp sounds of automatic fire.
"God dammit Price! Move your arse!...All Soap got back was static in his ear, but the faint sound of an M4 meant Price was still on the move. Soap switched his com to a different channel.
"Nickolai... This is Soap do you read me"
The unmistakable Russian bark came instantly back
"Soap I hear you... We are holding 3 clicks out"
"I need you here now, we are in the shit"
"Ok ... 60 seconds be ready for pickup"
At this stage Soaps lungs where burning, 2 clicks uphill carrying a 200 pound is no easy take even for the best. He propped the marine against a rock and quickly switched the channel back
"Price! Nickolai is on his way in, need you up here now.
"Coming up through the trees to you left, there are about 20 tangos behind me, 200 meters back"
The shout suddenly came out
"Coming In"
Prices head appeared over the crest, he leaped over the rock that Soap was behind, in one swift movement put a fresh clip into his m4 and dropped to a firing position.
"Ready" Price bellowed.
"Ready" Soap responded.
The two men took aim as the Chinook roared in over their heads. They could both feel the down draft as the helicopter landed behind them. They fired in unison as the first of the militia appeared over the crest. A hand appeared on the marine who was just regaining consciousness, a quick glance to Soaps right confirmed it was Ghost. Ghost pulled the Marine over his shoulder, turning he patted Soap on the shoulder and started to run towards the ramp of the helicopter.
Soap waited a few seconds and he too turned towards the helicopter.
"Moving..." he patted Price on the shoulder and ran half way back to the chopper before turning and kneeling to once again engage the enemy. Price got up and started to move back, as he was passing Soap another enemy came over the crest of the hill. Soap gave him a quick double tap to the chest, however as he was falling the AK he was carrying went off. The bullet whipped past Soap and stuck Price in the thigh, knocking him to the ground.
"Ghhhooosssst! COVER!" Soap shouted towards the helicopter. Soap grabbed Price and pulled him to his feet. He could see ghost shooting from the ramp. Half running half stumbling, the two men fell up the ramp.
"Nickolai go now" came the shout towards the cockpit.
As the helicopter began to lift off, Ghost stepped back onto the ramp still engaging targets. Bullets were pinging off the body of the Chinook, this soon died as they climbed out of range. Ghost retreated from the ramp as it began to close, putting his weapon to one side he began to treat Prices wound, Soap looked at the man whose life they had just saved...
"Right Marine... tell me what really happened."