A/N: Greetings, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm terribly sorry for not updating for while; school and life pretty much hectic, especially my AP Class. Well, i finally found some time to write at least one chapter for now. To be honest, this chapter was supposed to be A LOT longer, however the amount of pages seemed too much to put in one post. Therefore, i decided to split this part at least into two parts. Also, if there's someone with the time, i am...asking if there's a beta reader that might be in service. If there's not, then that's fine. So, without further ado, here's Chapter 9 of Tale of a Savior.
"Ghost, the plates are a match," MacTavish informed via radio.
It was almost noon the next day. Inside a car, John cradled his ACOG scoped ACR with an under-barrel grenade launcher. Attached to his utility belt were a combat tomahawk and a tactical combat knife. In addition, he still had a spare knife in his boot. On his back was a M1014 semi-automatic shotgun, mostly used for up-close-and-personal combat. To reduce the risk of collateral damage, John used 12gauge slug ammunition for the shotgun. There were four grenades and four flash-bangs hanging on John's belt. Sitting beside him was Captain MacTavish, armed with a M4 Carbine with an under-barrel grenade launcher. Roach was sitting in the passenger's seat, armed with the same weapons John has. Their driver…named Driver was busy tailing the white van that John identified yesterday. The African-American had a UMP submachine gun hanging on his side. They all wore Kevlar armor with ammo pouches on top of their clothing. Their Kevlar armor was an experimental variant called Wolf Spider. In addition to the Kevlar vest, it was laminated by multiple layers of different materials; the first layer was a thin ceramic plate, then a layer of tightly woven and dense synthetic spider silk, followed by a second layer of ceramic plating and spider silk respectively, then a layer of ballistic gel, and finally the Kevlar Vest itself. The ballistic gel is added to absorb the shock from a direct impact. In addition, each ceramic and synthetic spider silk layer is composed of hexagon patterns, and each hexagon piece partially overlaps the pieces on the layer underneath. Therefore, the shock of a direct impact is spread throughout the entire vest instead of a single area, and thanks to the ballistic gel, the shock would not hinder the soldier's performance. Even though its outward appearance looked the same as the standard Vest and ceramic plates, the Wolf Spider armor was significantly lighter. These new modifications are insured to increase the soldier's survival chance by 70-75%.
However….it has a lifespan of 150 shots…and that's already pushing a soldier's luck too far…
"Copy. Any sign of Rojas' right hand man?" Ghost asked.
"Negative. They've stopped twice already. No sign of him."
They've followed the white van for at least twenty minutes, so far they haven't seen Roja's assistant, yet. Their targets stopped once at a gas station and once at a bar. John gave a frustrated groan; he was starting to doubt that this would work. John then adjusted his S.A.R.H. helmet and turned on its camera. The car's AC felt cool on John's sweat covered face.
I really hope I didn't screw this up…John hoped.
Then, the white van slowed to a stop right at the driveway of the Hotel Rio.
"Wait, they've stopped again. Standby," MacTavish informed.
Then, the two men that John saw at the bar exited the van and headed towards the front door of the hotel. The men seemed like they didn't care if they would cause uproar; they were already holstering AK-47 assault rifles. AK-47's were cheap—especially the old models—but they are reliable in harsh conditions and they don't jam as much.
Oh crap…this is going to turn ugly…Roach realized.
"Wait, they've stopped again. Standby," MacTavish ordered.
The men seemed to yell at someone at the door, but they couldn't hear it from the car. Then, a Brazilian man that matches the photo of the assistant walked out, with his hands up. He then walked up to the armed men, trying to find out what's going on.
"Got a positive ID!" MacTavish yelled through the radio. Then, he realized something; these armed militia troops aren't here for a peaceful conversation. "Whoever these guys are, they're not happy to see him..."
Then the assistant reached for something at his belt. He drew out a Desert Eagle handgun and fired at the chest of one of the men. Before the other man could react, the assistant fired at the man's forehead. At the back of the man's head a cloud of pink formed from the exit wound. The driver got out of the van and snuck around the back of the van. However, the assistant saw him and fired two shots at the driver, one at the heart and the throat.
Oh shit! All four men exclaimed in their minds.
MacTavish frantically reached for his radio and yelled, "Ghost, we have a situation here!"
After scanning the bodies before him, the assistant then looked up and looked to his left. He stared directly at MacTavish's car.
"Uhh…is he looking at us?" Roach asked, despite the answer extremely obvious.
They all flinched as two bullets shattered the windshield, showering them with shards of glass.
"Get down, get down!" MacTavish screamed.
John felt the Captain tackle him to the floor of the car. They heard a few more shots, and then a wet "shliick!" sound. Soon followed, the car's horn blared non-stopped.
John and MacTavish feared the worst…
Once the two got up, they saw the front dash-board covered in blood and brain matter. They saw Roach and Driver lying against the dashboard, both covered in pieces of skull, blood, and brain. Thankfully, Roach stirred in his position and sat up. He looked at his hands and saw they were covered in the crimson blood, and so were his clothes.
"Holy shit…" Roach whispered. He then looked at Driver and saw that he wasn't moving. "Oh no…"
Together with John, they managed to pull Driver back against the driver's seat.
What they saw….was horrifying…
Driver…was no longer recognizable…his face literally shattered by the impact of the gas-powered slug. His jaw was hanging limply from its one remaining joint, his eyes lying on top of the dashboard. There was a continuous flow of blood from Driver's shattered face.
Roach and John almost heaved at the sight, but now wasn't the time.
"He's getting away!" MacTavish yelled. He opened the door and exited the car. He waved at the two to get out. "Roach, Savior, let's go, let's go!"
Roach quickly got up and exited the passenger compartment. John, however, stayed for a few minutes in the car. He reached for something on Driver's neck. He felt a chain, and he gave a small tug. In John's hand was Driver's dogtags. They all knew if they were killed in action, there's a chance that their bodies won't be shipped home right away…or not at all. John figured it will at least give Driver's family something to bury in his funeral…
And maybe some peace-of-mind…
John clenched the chain in his hands, tears threatening to pour out of his eyes. He finally regained his composure and placed the tags in one of his cargo pockets. He opened the door in the back seat compartments and joined with MacTavish and Roach.
"Ghost, our driver's dead! We're on foot!" MacTavish yelled into the radio. "Meet us at the Hotel Rio and cut him off if you can!"
"Roger! I'm on my way!" Ghost replied through the radio.
The men turned around the corner and chaos ensued. They saw people running away from the gunshots, screaming, trying to find a place to hide. John saw a man slumped against a taxi cab with a dark red/purple stain on his shoulder. John wanted to stop and help the man, but the mission came first. Eventually, the men saw Ghost, Royce, Meat, and Claire sprinting from the road on their left.
Ghost managed to see the assistant take a turn in an alley.
"He went into the alley!" Ghost yelled.
"Non-lethal takedowns, only!" Mactavish barked, "We need him alive!"
Roach and John ran past the rest of the squad and chased after Roja's assistant. Out of everyone else besides John, Roach's adrenaline surge was the most…potent, more powerful than the rest of the squad.
Roach crossed the street and entered they alley. John was behind him until a car screeched to a stop in front of the alley. John kept on running, and when he was at the hood of the car, he jumped and slid across the hood. He slid to the other side and continued his chase with Roach.
"Roach—take the shot!" John yelled. "Go for his leg!"
He then heard a gunshot echoing throughout the alley. Once John reached the source of the shot, he saw Roja's assistant on the ground, howling in pain and clutching his leg. A small pool of blood was surrounding him. John then saw Roach standing over the man, the barrel of his gun smoking.
"He's down…" Roach growled. He then proceeded to kick the downed man at his stomach. "That is for Driver…you fucking bastard."
John glared at the assistant with the same rage. He walked to him and proceeded to kick the man between the legs. John's steel-toed boot made sure it hurts like hell.
Soon, the rest of the squad caught up with them. Meat and Royce went to the down assistant and grab a hold of him. Then they took him to a nearby garage for interrogation. Meanwhile, MacTavish and Ghost walk besides Meat and Royce, carrying a low-voltage car battery and jump starter cables. Last of all, Claire jogged to a stop in front of John and Roach. For some reason unknown to the two men, Claire was the only one that was panting, out of breath.
Between pants, she asked, "How the…hell…can you guys…run so fast?"
It left John in a stupor for a few seconds, but then he realized why. He then proceeded to smack himself at the forehead. Aw geez…I forgot to tell her about the Adrenaline Surge…
"I'll explain later when the mission's done," John replied.
Meanwhile, Roach then felt his spine go cold as the adrenaline wore off. Then, he began to smell a rancid and putrid odor. He then felt patches of his vest sticky and wet. He finally noticed his hands sticky and covered in crimson liquid and gelatin composed matter.
Once Roach finally remembered what he was covered in, he heaved…
Roja's assistant was bound to a chair with his arms tied together with zip-ties behind. He was inside a local garage. He struggled to get free, but it was futile and the bandaged gun-shot wound to the leg didn't help much. He then looked up and saw Ghost turn on the car-battery and let the two ends of the jump-starter cables touch, and a spark jumped between them. The 1st Lieutenant turned around with a cable in each hand, a small upwards crease on his skull patterned balaclava. When the assistant saw Ghost, his face paled and…Ghost could swear he saw a huge wet stain at the front of the assistant's pants and a dark brown stain on the back of the pants.
"Alright Roach, this will take some time," MacTavish said, kneeling underneath the garage door. "Go with Meat, Royce, Claire, and Savior and check out the favela for any sign of Rojas—that's where this guy was headed."
Roach gave a brisk nod while he replied, "Yes, sir!"
MacTavish returned the brisk nod and then he pulled the garage door down. Before the squad could leave to start their search, they heard a zap from inside the garage, which soon followed by a scream of agony.
It was clear what was happening inside to the squad, as each of them had the same thoughts:
Based on his grin…Ghost might be enjoying this…
The squad checked their weapons and gear before they go on their new objective. John's and Roach's ACRs are fully functional with ACOG sights, dual magazines—cartridges that were taped together oppositely side-to-side, under-barreled M203 grenade launchers. Meat's Mp5k submachine gun was customized with a red-dot sight and dual extended magazines. Royce's weapon was a M4 Colt Commando with Reflexive sight, extended magazines, and an under barreled M203 grenade launcher. Claire's weapon of choice was a heavily customized M4 Colt Commando. It had a piston-charged system, which reduces the number of moving parts and improves stability. It has a heavier barrel to reduce warping and erosion. The grip was ambidexterity; the weapon can be used for both left and right handed users with equal performance. The Commando even used a new type of ammo: the M855A1. It has a higher velocity and it requires no yaw and pitch. When it hits a target, they are going down. It's even environmental friendly to boot. Also, it has a new version of the Masterkey under-barrel shotgun accessory: the M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System, or MASS. It is a militarized version of the Lightweight Shotgun System. It has a 12 gauge caliber, a straight pull bolt-action operation, a 3-5 round detachable magazine, and could fire 2.75 and 3 inch lethal, non-lethal, and breaching rounds. Other modifications include a Red-Dot Reflex sight and dual extended magazines. Royce and John stared at Claire's rifle with a sense of jealousy.
I bet it was courtesy of her father…John thought. But…the ACR's accuracy is beyond that of the M4, so it doesn't matter.
"All right, let's go," Royce ordered. Despite Roach and Royce being the same rank, Royce had a longer experience of being Sergeant. So naturally, they picked him to be squad leader. As the squad ran up the stairs that led to the Favela, Royce added, "Remember, there are civilians in the Favela, watch your fire out there."
Soon, they reached a fence with a hole thru it that led a small drop that led into the favela. There was one problem: there were civilians everywhere.
"Dammit…a lot of civvies, guys," John stated.
"We got to reduce the chances of collateral damage," Claire added. "Any ideas?"
Royce thought of it for a brief second, then he looked at Meat and ordered, "Meat, get these civvies out of here."
Meat nodded and pulled the charging lever of the Mp5k. "Roger that," Meat replied. He then pass thru the gap in the fence and dropped down to the lower village. Once the dust settled around Meat's feet, the civilians looked at him with confusion and fear. "/Everyone get the fuck out!/" Meat screamed in Portuguese as he fired a few rounds into the air.
This caused the civilians to panic and seek shelter. In a way, Meat's plan worked, but it did have some repercussions. Not only did it send the civilians away, but it also caused the Militia to enter.
Knowing that a fight's inevitable, the rest of the squad armed their weapons and dropped into the Favela. They soon took cover behind a set of broken, rusted car frames and fired at the enemy Militia.
It was now a full out war…
"Bravo Six, be advised—we've engaged enemy militia at the lower village!" Royce yelled into his radio. He saw the silhouettes of at least three Militia troops in a small concrete shanty house. He took out a grenade and primed it. He then threw it in an arc through the shanty house's single window. Soon, the grenade exploded, painting the walls with crimson blood and gore. Royce then turned to Roach and added, "Roach! I'm with you! Watch the rooftops! Go!"
Roach nodded and took a quick look above the car wreckage. From that split-second out of cover he saw two paths of opportunity. There was a path on the left, which leads through some shanty houses and directly to the center of the lower village. In addition, there was a path to the right which goes around the lower village on the right side and leads to the path to the upper village.
"Royce, you and I will take the path on the right!" Roach ordered. He then faced the other three and added, "The rest of you take the path on the left! Let's go!" With that said, Roach provided suppressing fire for Royce and they fought they way through.
Claire saw a couple of militia troops running over improvised bridges from a second story window and taking cover behind obstacles on the rooftops of the houses. She popped out of cover for a split second and opened fire at the troops. The new bullets that she used were able to pierce through the obstacles and hitting the militia behind them. Soon enough, Claire saw their lifeless bodies falling from the rooftops and land at the ground below them.
John popped out of cover to fire a quick burst at a militia trooper inside a concrete shanty house. One of the bullets caught the man at the throat, causing him to spray the walls with his blood. John reloaded his rifle and looked at Meat and Claire. "Guys, I'll make a beeline for that shanty house; I need some covering fire!"
Both Claire and Meat nodded in response. At the same time, they popped out of cover and fired bursts at the insurgents. This in turn caused a vast amount of militia troops to duck behind cover. John then used this opportunity to make a run for the shanty house. He made beeline towards the house and vaulted over its one window. He then braced himself against a wall that connected to a corner of a hallway. Thinking that a militia trooper will appear, John switched his ACR for the M1014 shotgun. His patience paid off, as a militia trooper with a RPD Light Machine Gun ran by him, oblivious. John raised his shotgun and fired at the trooper's skull at close range. The resulting impact caused the 12 gauge slug to penetrate the enemy's skull and exit through the other side, creating a purplish-pink cloud. After checking if the house was secured and cleared of any enemy militia, John then switched back to his ACR and ran to the window he vaulted over.
"I got you guys covered!" John yelled at Meat and Claire. "Make a beeline to the window!" The other two nodded as a response. John laid down cover fire as Claire and Meat made a beeline to the same window. Once they were all inside, the three of them took places at the side door, kitchen window, and front door respectively.
On the radio, Captain MacTavish ordered, "Royce, gimme a sitrep, over!/"
Royce's voice crackled in response. "Lots of militia but no sign of Rojas over here, over!"
"Copy that! Keep searching! Let me know if you see him! Out!"
In the radio's background, there were distinct retorts of gunfire as Royce ordered to Roach, "Roach! Move up! Let's go!"
John looked out the window for a second and saw a group of militia hiding inside a tin-sheet home. He loaded a grenade into his M203 launcher, aimed, and fired at the tin-sheet home. The resulting explosion created a gaping hole in the side of the house, with the militia troops that were standing behind that wall all dead on the floor. As John reloaded the launcher, he saw a small ball smash through the window and land in the kitchen sink. As he turned around and get a better look at the object, his eyes widen in fear. In the sink was a hand grenade.
With all his might, John screamed, "Grenade, get down!"
Meat heard him and jumped inside a closet. Claire, however, acted a bit slow to the warning. Before she could get to cover, John tackled her to the ground and he kicked the thick dining table to its side, the top of the table protecting them from the blast.
I hope this works…John prayed in his mind.
The grenade soon detonated, leaving a ringing noise in both John's and Claire's ears. However, this was a good sign, which tells them that they're alive. John looked up and looked to his side. He saw that the thick dining table mostly survived, but there were portions of the table that was shredded and splinted by the grenade's explosion. He smiled in relief that his plan actually worked. Meat, fortunately, endured the blast unscathed and walked out of the closet.
"Ramirez, could you get off of me?" Claire asked; his body still on top of her own.
John looked down and saw the awkward position that they were in. His face flushed, but then he saw something that hanged on a bead-chain around her neck. It was a stainless steel four leaf clover pendant about the size of a single dog tag. He wondered why she has it, but he kept his curiosity to himself.
"Sorry," John apologized, getting off of her and pulling her up on her feet.
Claire then looked at John's left arm and pointed at it. "You're bleeding," Claire informed John
John looked at his arm and found out that it was true. There was a small patch of blood that soaked into the sleeve of his shirt. He rolled up his sleeve to see what the damage was. Fortunately, it was just a splinter that pierced through the flesh only, so it was a shallow wound. John pulled out the splinter and tossed it to the ground. "It's only a flesh wound," John said.
Claire just shrugged it off and reloaded her rifle. "Let's move on," Claire ordered. Both John and Meat nodded in response. Together, the exited the house and took cover behind the wall of another tin-sheet home before rounding another corner.
Meat looked beyond the corner and observed that they were at the center of the lower village. It was practically a circular clearing with shanty-houses and tin-sheet shacks surrounding the clearing and it had multiple paths that led to the base of a hill and to the path that leads to the upper village. He then saw multiple militia troops hiding in those houses and on the rooftops of those houses. Before he could open fire, a large mass of civilians ran into his line of fire, trying to seek cover. Meat held his fire, but he saw a collection of oil barrels that were between two groups of militia troops. His face grinned when the idea came into his mind. Once the civilians were out of his line of fire and away from the projected blast zone, Meat opened fire on the barrels, catching one on fire before he went into cover as Militia troops fired upon him. Thankfully, sparks from the fire of the first barrel soon ignited the rest of the barrels, and soon enough they all exploded, killing about ten militia troops and wounding several other troops that were in the blast radius.
Meat looked beyond the corner and saw the destruction his plan created. He grinned from ear to ear. "I can't believe that work!" Meat exclaimed, in a thrilled voice. However, that all soon changed as a sniper perched in a two story balcony shot Meat directly at his chest. Meat was thrown back and landed on his back.
John saw him take the shot and immediately panic filled into his being. He pressed the PTT button on his radio and yelled a phrase that no one dared to hear.
"Meat is down! I repeat: Meat is down!"
