If there is one thing I know about Shadow when he calls for a meeting with all the team leaders, it must be severe. This was apparently the case when he asked me to join him with the other team leaders. They are probably going to ask us questions pertaining to the interrogation we just performed prior. Right now I was waiting patiently for my crew to arrive at the meeting so we can discuss the plan to extract the hard drive. I looked around to see all the leaders conversing with one another until my crew arrived. Till then, I closed my eyes and rested my head on my arm and started to snooze. That was until I heard some familiar voices coming from the hall.
The door slammed opened to reveal the three familiar faces, which each had different expressions on them. Everyone turned to see what is the commotion to reveal the Wrecking crew standing in front of them. Shadow gave them a nod and gestured for them to sit by me. They nodded back in response and went towards me and took their seats. KOS decide to take a seat next to me and gave me a smile along with a thumbs up. I looked at him quizzically and just ignored it for the time being so I can concentrate on the meeting. Shadow made his way to the end of the table with a map and a similar copy of the UWPF protocol book in his hand. He laid down the map and the book and began to speak.
" Thank you for coming everyone to join this meeting. " he said and gathered everyone's attention.
" Not a problem Shadow. Can you tell us why we are here? " KOS said.
" We are gathered here to discuss the information we had collected from the captive. From what I heard, it is something that has piqued my interest. Now, would you three care to explain what you managed to get from him? " he finished and sat back in his seat to listen to what Psycho, Devil, and myself have to say. Psycho got up from his chair and cleared throat.
" Thank you, as you all know Falcon, Devil, and along with myself conducted an interrogation on a UWPF soldier we captured. Since he was part of the IT people from the central office, we could extract some valuable info from him. From what we have uncovered, he was sent to retrieve a hard drive from the base he was stationed to, but we ambushed his convoy yesterday and took him in after we beat him into submission. He told us that the hard drive has some files that contain all UWPF and NWO base locations and along with high ranking officials as well. If I'm correct, there is a possibility that the hard drive may contain some classified information that is most likely encrypted. So, we are waiting for your call Shadow. " Psycho said and took his seat. Everyone in the room started to nod in agreement, but one short man had to say otherwise.
" Well, that is one hell of a way start to a meeting. So, can you tell us why we should take a hard drive from the UWPF? Especially, when we just robbed them of their supplies and killed most of their men after we ambushed them. Personally, I think it is a bad idea. " Price said while gaining everyone's attention. Shadow stood from his seat and began to explain.
" Thank you for your input Price, I know it is a ludicrous idea, but that hard drive can contain vital information. We could use that info for future Ops and conduct propaganda so that people will lose faith in the NWO. " Shadow countered, and Nails decided to join the argument.
" I agree with Shadow; it can be used for those purposes. We just need a team to enter the building and steal it. How hard can that be? " she concluded.
" Well, the base is full of heavily armed soldiers and some light armor. I don't want to risk anyone's life in this mission and die for a stinking hard drive that might contain bullshit. " Price added in anger.
" Listen, I know you don't want to be responsible for another death; we all do. No matter what, our lives are in danger every day because we rebel from the NWO and we are their enemy. " Shadow said calmly.
" I know, I don't want anyone of us to go this mission, and that is final! " Price said and was apparently pissed at them.
" Listen, I don't care if you don't want to go on the mission. You are going on it! " Shadow said.
" You can fuck off then! " Price yelled out.
" Babe, you are going on this mission, and if you don't, I will force you!" Nails said.
" You won't do anything, and I will say it again. I'm not going on this mission! " Price yelled out, and before anyone had a chance to speak out, Devil decided it was his time to act.
" That is enough! " Devil said while slamming his fist on the table. " I'm not here to listen to you all bitch and moan about the mission. Price, I understand where you are coming from, and I know the feeling of losing someone during a mission. Look at Falcon; we nearly lost him to the guy we just interrogated. He didn't stop because of that, and we didn't stop when lost some of our fellow Renegades in the past. Either way, we are doing this mission whether you like it or not. " he concluded and left the room's occupants silent for the most part.
" Now just sit down, and we will discuss this like civilized people. " I added. Price let out a stressed sigh and proceeded to take his seat.
" Thank you; we can continue where I left off. The hard drive is currently located under the base in the south wing and the only way we can access it is via elevator. " Shadow said.
" Well, that does sound easy, but there is a catch isn't there? " Nails added. Shadow looked at her and gave her nod.
" Yes, the only problem is that we need a passcode and the captive has no idea what it is. From what Psycho told me, the only people who know the code are authorized personnel. We just need to identify one of them and force him to tell us the code. That is where Psycho will come in and interrogate the guy and hopefully giving it up. If he doesn't we have another option; we use C4 to open the way and repel ourselves down, and we retrieve the hard drive. " Shadow finished and took his seat. Psycho stood up from his seat.
" Shadow, may I speak and have the floor? " Psycho asked as he stood there with a sense of worry in his voice.
" You may have the floor. Please tell us what troubles you, my friend. " Shadow said, and the whole table drew closer to listen.
" Based on what Price said. The UWPF could be setting up a trap if we attack the base to steal the hard drive. After our raid with the convoy was a success; it didn't go unheard by the UWPF. They are probably looking for what remains of the convoy and its crew. I'm saying if we attack the base whether being a frontal assault or with stealth, it could be our certain demise. So, if we do this, we need to be prepared for whatever happens to us. " Psycho said and took his seat. He did have a point; the UWPF could be setting up a trap for us if we are not careful. If we are going to proceed on this, we need to on our wits and prepare for anything.
" Finally, someone listened to me for once. I try to tell you all and apparently Psycho was listening to me the whole time. " Price added in.
" We know this, and we will take this into consideration. For now, we need to find a way to enter the base without being detected. Since both Price and Psycho made their concerns across, we need to scout up ahead three to four days before the mission, so we have an idea of what we are dealing with and find out a strategy. " Shadow said to help ease the tension with the leaders.
" I won't mind doing a recon mission again. I just need some extra men and can perform this. So, who is willing to volunteer for the scouting mission? " Nails asked.
" I volunteer myself on this mission. " Devil said.
" I will go as well. " Shadow added in.
" Why the hell not; consider me in. " Price added while sighing.
" I would go, but this wound could slow you down. Just give me time to heal, and I will join on this mission. " I said and could see them staring at me with disbelief.
" Are you sure you want to do that? " Shadow asked.
" Considering it is a scouting mission and the UWPF should not be able to find us. So, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea. Besides, I could go to Gizmo and see what kind of toys he has for us. " I said to reassure them.
" Very well, you can attend this mission when you heal properly and use anything that will help you in the mission. " Shadow said. He grabbed the map and began to open it to reveal the complex highway system of the UWPF of the state of Tennessee. " Nails if you would please explain the location of the base and its surroundings? " he asked her.
" Not a problem; the UWPF has a highway that leads to the base which is located in the middle of the forest. The base itself covers ten acres and has a light armor division inside. The area surrounding the base is full trees and vegetation, which can be used to our advantage to stay hidden. The only problem is that base is encased by a ten foot reinforced concrete wall. Along the four corners, there are four sniper towers Th with each equipped with a turret and at least two people per tower. That is all I have until we got caught last time. " Nails finished, and she took her seat.
" Thank you, that is all we have for now, and if we are going to scout this fortress, we need to do it at dusk to dawn. " Shadow said.
" So, you want us to stay there for ten to eleven hours to scout the base throughout the night? Don't get me wrong it is a smart plan to observe them at night, but where there be any activity at that hour? " Price asked with a dumbfounded expression.
" The reason is we could use the cover of darkness to observe them when they least expect it. The UWPF will still be active during those hours, but there won't be as many, and that is why I think it is sensible. Also, we have a chance to observe the base for any means of an entrance without being caught. " Shadow answered his question.
" So when are we doing this then and how many people will be attending? " Price asked.
" So, far it is only five of us, and it will probably happen in one to two weeks due to Falcon's injury. So, in the meantime, we just relax for the time we have now. Everyone in agreement? " Shadow asked.
" Sounds good to me and I can finally relax for the day. " KOS said as he smirked.
" I guess it won't be bad to chill for a bit. " Price added in.
" I will probably convince the prisoner to join and help him find his family. " Psycho said.
" I'll come with you. " Devil stated, and they both left the meeting room.
" Well, I'm going to find Cardinal and talk to her for a bit. " I said and could see KOS giving a thumbs up to me. I just smirked at him and left the meeting area. When I walked out, I was blinded by the intense light shining down on me and over the Homebase. My eyes took awhile to adjust to the brightness of the sun and proceeded to head to the med bay to find Cardinal so we can discuss that kiss she gave me earlier. I still can't believe she did that and I can't help to crave more of it. I guess KOS big time to help me snap out of my selfish rant and possibly hurting her more if I didn't tell her anything. It goes for my brothers and sisters of the Renegades too, and I plan to keep that promise to stay alive.
After about five minutes of walking, I reached the med bay, and I was greeted by Dare Devil, Shepard, Plank, and Corpsman. They were just standing around talking about God knows what. I ignored them and proceeded to enter the tent to find Cardinal and finally talk about that kiss. That was until someone called for me and I stopped in my tracks and turned to face them. Since I had nothing to lose; I went up to them and hell I could probably find the whereabouts of Cardinal if she is not in the med bay.
" Birdboy! It is so good to see you! " Shepard shouted out and proceeded to hug me. I could feel my ribs being crushed by him.
" Yeah man, we barely see you anymore. So, how has it been? " Plank said.
" Well, I've been out and about. Been on the convoy raid and got shot at the same time. Overall I'm doing fine. Now, can you please let go of me? " I pleaded, and Shepard released his grasp on me, and I managed to breathe.
" I heard about you being shot and I thought it was a rumor, but that bandage says otherwise. " Dare Devil said, and he was pointing at my shoulder.
" Yeah, that guy got a good shot on me, but thank God I'm still alive. " I said letting out a small chuckle.
" So, what brings Birdboy to the boo boo tent? Is he looking for the Birdwoman? " Shepard said in his usual accent.
" Yes, I was trying to look for her, and I have no idea where she is. Do any of you have a clue on her whereabouts? " I asked.
" You just missed her; she went towards the mess hall with the twins. That was about five minutes ago. " Corpsman told me.
" Why are you looking for her, Falcon? " Plank asked.
" I just need to talk to her about something before I had to attend the meeting. Since the meeting is over with, I'm trying to find her, and we can continue where we left off. " I explained.
" Well, you better catch her dude. The more time you are wasting talking to us. The further away she is getting" Corpsman added in, and she was right the longer I talk, the more time I'm wasting.
" Okay, I will speak to you guys later. Hell, next time you should join us in a card game sometime. " I said to them and headed to the mess hall. Hopefully Cardinal is there so we can talk about this and get it over with. Other than that; I had no idea she was friends with the twins. Hell, I still remember the time when I first met them. That faithful night around the campfire and telling them my story how I got here in the first place. Maybe I will have a little chat with them. I kept walking to the mess hall while enjoying the view. That was until I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around and lo and behold it was Cardinal standing there by herself. I thought she was going with the twins for lunch, but she was right there smiling at me.
" Hello Rick. " she greeted.
" What the- I thought you were heading to the mess hall with the twins. What happened? " I asked.
" Well, I was heading down there with them, but as we were walking towards the mess hall; I couldn't help but notice you walking away from the med bay. I told them that I would join them some other time and decided to trail you. Now, we are here. " she explained, and she gave a signature grin.
" Well, that does account for a lot, but that it is beside the point. I was looking for you so we can talk about what happened earlier. So, do you want to talk about in the privacy of my tent? " I asked her.
" Please, lead the way. " she replied. I just gave her smirk, and we started to walk to the tent. The journey was slow and quiet as the outside world was no longer a distraction to me. Everything was a blur to me, and the people seemed to be an oddity; just standing there talking in some strange language that no one can comprehend. The only one that stood out was Veronica with her short black hair and stunning blue eyes. I cast a glance to see her smiling, and she was happy while I was in her presence. Suddenly, I felt a warm gripping sensation coming from my hand. I looked down to her hand gently grasping mine. I was going to say something about this, but that would ruin the moment. Who would want to ruin such a beautiful thing?
Eventually, we made it to the tent, and I could feel the anticipation in the air. I still can't believe we are doing this. I took a seat on my bed, and she sat next to me, but she sat closer than usual. I could feel the warmth coming from her, and I wanted to melt from it. She cleared her throat, and it brought me from my comfortable bliss.
" Uh, sorry I was thinking of something, " I said.
" It's alright. So, what do you want to talk about then? " she asked while chuckling.
" Right, I was wondering why did you kiss me out of nowhere. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed it. It just caught me off guard. So, can you tell me why? " I asked. She took a deep breath and began to speak.
" Rick, I cannot begin to fathom how much I care for your safety and your well-being. It pains me when I see you trying to hide the pain and not talking about it to your brothers and me. To make it worse, you drink to cope with the PTSD and the nightmares. I wish you will come to me so I can help you, but sometimes I feel like you are avoiding me. Then you get shot, and I could see it your face. The pain and suffering of dealing with that traumatic experience. Even though you lived; I still fear to lose you to one of these missions. If you didn't come back, I would never tell you how much I felt for you. So, that is why I did it because I might not get another chance if I didn't. " she said in a somber tone. I couldn't help but feel guilty.
" I'm sorry. I just had no idea how you felt about me, and I can't help but feel guilty for what I have done to you. " I said to her.
" I just don't want to see you suffering and dealing with this alone. Since the first time I met you, I could tell you were dealing with something, but I didn't know. It took some time to find out what you are hiding and was shocked when I found out you were drinking to cope. Rick alcohol is never the answer to deal with PTSD; it would only going to make things worse. " she replied on the verge of tears. I watched her with the tears starting to form, and I had set things right. I embraced her, and she hugged me in return. I could feel the tears starting to leave a wet spot on my clothes. About two minutes, we separated from our embrace, and she stopped crying from the moment.
" Veronica, I'm sorry for being selfish and not letting you help me when I needed it. " I said to reassure her. She looked at me with her puffy eyes.
" I forgive you, Rick. Just promise me that you will not hide anything from me and please stop drinking. " she asked me. It was the only way for her to trust me.
" I promise that I will not keep anything from you and the others. I also promise to stop drinking to cope with my PTSD. " I murmured.
" Thank you. You have no idea how much that felt for me to hear those words coming from you. " she said to me. We were staring at each others eyes, and I was lost in her gaze. She slowly inched closer to me and ran out of reasons to resist her. I closed my eyes, and I inched to her. I felt her tender lips on mine, and I could feel the shockwave of pleasure and happiness. For once in my life, I felt complete for the longest time. We continued the kiss until our lungs burned for air and we split from our moment of bliss to breathe. For that moment on, her feelings were clear.
" Rick? " she cooed.
" Yeah? " I replied.
" I love you, and never forget that. " she said to me.
" I love you too, Veronica. " I said to her. She cupped my cheek and started to kiss me again. I guess life is starting to light up for me and I couldn't be happier.
Two Weeks Later.
The past two weeks went by fast, and it just felt like yesterday we discussed plans for the recon mission. I guess time does fly by and you hardly notice it. Other than that, the past two weeks were great, and I would give my life to relive it all again. Just spending time with friends and play some poker with guys with me losing at the end. Then we have Veronica becoming my girlfriend after she kissed me before the meeting. Truthfully if this war ended right now that would be grand, but life is a cruel mistress, and we must live day by day. Either way, I must prepare for the upcoming recon mission which starts in five hours, and I still need to talk to Gizmo so he can give some of his gadgets for the mission. The problem is; he can be stubborn when it comes to anyone requesting the use of any of his gadgets. Hopefully, I can persuade him.
After checking my gear for one last time, I headed towards Gizmo's tent or should I say workshop. If there is one I know about Gizmo; he can be very reclusive, and you barely see him around Homebase. The only time you probably see him out of his workshop is when he is hungry, or an assembly is called, and he is usually hiding in the crowd. Even though he can be antisocial at times, he can be a good guy to chat with if you get past the smartass attitude. Still, he is a great guy and all, but he needs to bring his smartass mouth down a couple of notches. When I got to his workshop, I could hear sparks coming from inside. I decided to go in to see what he is working on and grab the gear I need for the upcoming reconnaissance mission.
The workshop was a dark, cluttered mess inside and the smell metal filled the air as I entered. I looked around to shelves of various gadgets sitting there accumulating dust. The ground was littered with cans of iced tea and wrappers for energy bars. Sometimes I wish he will clean up after himself and stop living in this dump, but it is his workshop, not mine and will tell me otherwise. I could see a faint light coming from the corner of the shelf, and I could hear a faint sound of classical musical coming from the same area. I went to turn the corner to see a tall, pale skinny blonde standing at 6,3 with his green eyes attached to his project in front of him. When it came to his projects; he will often work for hours and sometimes days to complete while sacrificing sleep. Since I didn't want to bother him; I stood from a distance and watched him work.
Name: Alex Hertz
Codename: Gizmo
Division: Technical Engineer
" If you are going to stand and look pretty. You are wasting your time along with mine by speaking to you. If you need something say it now. " he said.
" Well, is that any way to treat your friends Gizmo? " I said, and he looked up from his position.
" Oh, Falcon how have been? The last time I heard you got shot if I'm correct. " he said with blatant disregard.
" Yeah, that is beside the point; I need one of your gadgets for the recon mission. Do you have anything that will help us scout the area without being caught by the UWPF? " I asked, and he got up from his seat and went to his back room and told me to wait outside. After two minutes he emerges with something I thought he never had. In his hands was a drone with a camera with several lenses on the end of it. He placed it on the table and activated it. The done came to life, and he gave the controller to observe. I flicked the throttle lever, and the drone started to lift with little noise being emitted from the rotor. Truthfully I was impressed how quiet the drone was, and this was hidden from us. I turned off the drone and started to take it with me, but a particular tech savvy man was refusing.
" If you use this; you better bring back in one piece because it took me two years to build and to find part make it work. Now, if you bring it back in shamble, I will personally ask KOS to torture you instead of Psycho. Do I make myself clear? " Gizmo made his point.
" I will try my best to not to break it. I swear on it. " I said, and he let out a sigh.
" Good, just be careful on your mission. We don't want to lose another man do we? " he said while being himself.
" Thanks, I will try not to. " I said and started to leave.
" Before you go. Why are you scouting a UWPF base anyways? We never bothered to attack them, but why observe them? " He asked.
" Well, Devil, Psycho, and I interrogated a UWPF soldier we captured from a raid. He told us he was sent to the base to retrieve a hard drive containing files of the locations and high ranking officials in the NWO and the UWPF. That is why we are scouting the area before we attack it. " I answered his question. Gizmo stood there stunned.
" Did you just say, you were going to retrieve a hard drive from the UWPF base? " he asked.
" Yeah, for now, we are scouting the area to search for possible entrances and to learn the patterns of the soldiers that move around the base. Why do you ask? " I answered his question.
" Well, when you do infiltrate the base. Can you steal me some tech from the UWPF? " he asked.
" What kind of tech are we talking about? " I asked, and he gave me a wishlist of some sort.
" This is the kind of tech I'm looking for, and since you are scouting the area, you could probably spot anything that I will like. " he stated.
" I can see what I can do, but in the meantime, I must get ready for the mission, and I will be taking your drone. " I told him.
" Alright thank you for considering this and be careful with my drone, or I will skin you alive. " he threatened, and I just burst out laughing at it.
" You couldn't if you tried Gizmo. The only way you can do such a acted if I was to lose my limbs and I will still find a way to kick your ass. " I told him and started to laugh at it.
" Whatever you say, Falcon. Just don't get caught and bring your sorry ass home. " he responded.
" Thanks, you mad scientist. " I retorted and walked off with the drone in hand. As I was walking down the camp; I looked at my watch, and I only had four and a half hours left till the mission began. Might as well catch some shut-eye since I'm going to be up for at least twelve hours without any sleep, but I need to drop off the drone with Shadow and the others before I can sleep. So, I switched my course towards the main HQ and walked to the tent so I can rest for a bit. Thankfully, Shadow and the others were sitting outside the tent relaxing before the mission. I went up to them with the drone in hand. Shadow was the first to notice me and started to speak.
" Hey, Falcon. What do you have in your hand there? " Shadow asked while gaining the others attention.
" This is a drone that Gizmo lent us for the recon mission. We just need to be careful and not to damage it or else. " I said.
" Or else what? " Price asked.
" He will have KOS personally torture me and knowing him; he will do it. " I replied, and everyone started to chuckle at the thought.
" That will be one hell of a sight to see! " Price laughed out.
" Yeah, I guess it would be funny to see in your eyes. Me, on the other hand, will be running away from the little bastard. Since the mission doesn't start in four hours; can you watch the drone while I get some shut-eye? " I asked.
" Of course, just give here and get some rest it is going to be a long night ahead. " Shadow answered, and I let out a sigh of relief.
" Thanks, just wake me up when you get ready to go. " I replied and gave them the drone and proceeded to head towards my tent. This recon mission better pay off, and hopefully, we don't get caught by the damn UWPF. Knowing my luck, it is a highly likely situation. Still, it could be worse; we could have the camp ambushed by the UWPF. I swear if we get discovered by them what would we do. Would we run or do we fight to the last man and lose the lives of the innocent? Time will tell if we all fight the UWPF if they invade us unexpectedly. Till ten we try live day by day and enjoy the little things in life.
I finally reached my accommodations and entered to reveal a familiar girl is sleeping in my bed. She looked so peaceful while she slept on my bed and it would be a crime to wake her from her sleep. So, with no other options left, I went to my bed and tried to make as little noise as possible. I took a seat on the bed and rested my body alongside hers and wrapped my arm around her and started to stir. She turned to face me with her groggy face and let out a smile. I did the same, and she was puzzled why I was here. I decided to say something, but she put her finger on my lips and just stopped me from there. She probably understands why I was doing here and didn't want me to speak. I let out a sigh and gave her a quick peck and closed my eyes to drift into the realm of sleep.
AN: Hey I'm back and with another chapter and it is going to be a two-parter. Till next time; review and fav.