PFC. Awesomeness: Awh, I can honestly say that I've missed you! Thanks for all your love and support doll *hugs and kisses* I'm glad you like the result of my laziness (: as I said in a previous author's note, killing Ilona just didn't fit with any of the future chapters. If I would have killed her off, there wouldn't have been anyone to push Jack to join Sentinel! So again, I appreciate you sticking with it. And I'm glad you noticed that! I was really sad that Joker just disappeared and we never know what happens to him. I'll try to keep him around for as long as possible! And yesss! Are you feeling the conflicted emotions and tension?! Cause it's supposed to be there lmao. They'll be reunited soon enough. As for the Gideon x Sam . . . I sort of cut that out. It wouldn't be very appropriate for Sam to get into it with her CO, plus, I don't know, I guess the love triangle thing is just too overused. Hopefully you're alright with that! Have a great weekend!
JazziBe (Guest): Surprise! Hope you liked the new direction of the story and enjoy this chapter! *kisses*
TheOtherSanics: Glad you liked it! Stay tuned for more awesomeness!
NotSureHowToMingle: Thanks for the support and the feedback! (:
Dreamer4life16: You're honestly the reason I went back to this chapter and finished it. So I suppose this chapter is dedicated to you! Thank you so much for the review and criticism, it made me go back and reread the story and try to figure out how I can make it better. Hugs and kisses to you doll!
SoapLady141 (Guest): It's not often that I'm praised for being obsessed with something, lol. But many thanks! I'm very happy that you think so highly of my little fic. And don't worry, I'm still here! I literally am on FanFic every day, reading all sorts of stuff, I just rarely update. There's typically 6 months to a year between chapters- I'm not proud of it, okay? And you're more than welcome to come up with your own ending! I'm interested to see how it differs from mine! Thanks for all the love! Hope you like how the rest turns out!
Everyone else: I appreciate the continued interest as well, it honestly keeps me motivated to not abandon this story. We're in this together! Hope you're all having a great day (or night)! -Mia
Author's note: I'm back for another chapter. Honestly, there're only like 8 more missions left, in addition to an epilogue (probably...maybe), so we're almost there. The end is in sight! God, I'm gonna be so relieved when this is over. It's lost its touch since, you know, the game came out like 2 whole freaking years ago. And I wouldn't be surprised if everyone who read it when it first was published has moved on at this point lol. I'm the worst procrastinator ever. Also, since "Sentinel" and "Crash" are focused on Jack and Sentinel, I've put the two missions into the same chapter. There's very little Gideon in them, meaning Sam isn't around either. Originally, Sentinel was its own chapter, but it wasn't even 2000 words, and I couldn't do that to you guys. Hope this is alright!
Side note: This is more for me so I can keep everything straight, but I'll put it here anyways. In 2054, Gideon is 29, Jack is 27, and Ilona and Sam are 25. Joker's age is unknown, but I'm guessing he's in his late twenties/early thirties, with Jack. It's kind of confusing because of the fact that the Advanced Warfare campaign stretches across a number of years, but hopefully this clears up the confusion. Thanks to Call fo Duty Wikia for being the real MVP and helping me with all the facts and dates and little things. I'd be nowhere without you!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC, Samantha Irons. Everything/everyone else belongs to Sledgehammer Games, High Moon, Raven, and anyone else I missed. All rights go to their respective owners. I am writing this purely for entertainment.
Warning: The following chapters contain spoilers for the game Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Read at your own discretion.
"You've got questions. It's time for some answers. Until now we've stayed in the shadows. Watching. Waiting. We were formed four years ago. A U.S. multinational unit. Codename: Sentinel. Our mission: to investigate the KVA attacks, and prevent anything like that from ever happening again. But soon it became clear that there was an even greater threat… A man ready to exploit this tragedy for his own gain. After the attacks, Atlas rose to new heights. They took over security for ports, shipping lanes, pipelines. Nation after nation handed over their most critical infrastructure to Jonathan Irons. We realized too late he was surrounding us.
"And now in the last ten days, ISA chatter has surged. One word keeps getting flagged: "MANTICORE". Atlas is about to make a move. But we don't know what. It was a risk extracting you, but you're our best shot to find out what Manticore is, and stop it.
"So how about it Mitchell - are you in?"
"Damn right I am."
January 3, 2060
"Is this really necessary?" I question with a huff. "You've got Gideon, why do you need me?"
My father doesn't answer right away, just gives me a look. Feigning confusion, I stare at him expectantly until he caves. "Because, darling, I love spending time with you."
There's no stopping the snort that comes out of my mouth. At least he tried. I'm not an idiot, I know he's on edge. And who better to protect him than his own daughter? Smart- Jack wouldn't hurt me if I was between him and my father, right? Shaking my head, I go back to looking out the window. It wouldn't come to that. Probably because I'll never see him again.
"Sir, we're about to land." Gideon comes up to us, plopping down into the seat next to mine. He ruffles my hair, making me growl and attempt to snatch away his stupid hat.
Father nods. "Thank you, Gideon. Samantha." His tone is scolding. Stopping my assault, I cross my arms and stick my tongue out at the smug Brit. When we arrive at the private airport a few minutes later, I can't keep my thoughts in check. What's Cormack want with Jack and Ilona? Who are they with? Where can I get one of those stealth suits? Where are they right now? Sigh. I have to talk to Gideon before I explode. He'll know what to do.
At the house- more like fucking resort- I immediately grab the nearest waiter and demand the location of the kitchen. The poor guy stutters an answer and I let him run along. "You kids play nice now," my father straightens his tie, accepting his briefcase from the guard. "Sam, honey, there should be some clothes in your room for you to wear to the party."
Nodding, I snap a salute before dragging Gideon away. " We're gonna talk, but after dinner. I'm fucking starving."
Hours later, well after midnight, I'm wearing a short party dress covered in sequins with matching heels. This is my father's party, these are his guests- why do I have to entertain them? Fixing a glare on Gideon, I grumble more. "Why don't you have to dress up?"
"I'm just here to make sure you're behaving," the Brit holds up his hands, smirking. Sadistic bastard is enjoying this. "Besides, I'm not the boss's daughter." He seems to have calmed down since our argument a few hours earlier. He thinks we should look into my father's crimes if there are any. I, on the other hand, am not okay with sneaking around my own company.
"Don't remind me," I mumble. Turning to the window, I look at the scenery. The dark forest is covered with a blanket of fog. Beautiful. "All those years ago," I start before pausing. My eyes flicker to his in the reflection. "You were a dick to Jack because you were jealous."
Maybe it's because I'm not accusing him, but the man doesn't argue. Sighing, he says, "didn't seem right, the bugger walking back into your life after leaving when you needed him the most."
"We all make mistakes," I reply quietly. Finally facing him, I offer a sad smile. "But no matter what he does, I'll always forgive him." There's a pregnant pause as my words sink in. "Holy shit," I whisper.
He laughs aloud at the confused look on my face. "Took ya long enough to figure it out," Gideon smirks. "Admit it, you're in love with 'im." Stepping to the side, he opens my bedroom door and gestures for me to follow.
"Oh, and I suppose you knew this whole time?" I protest as we leave my room and head for the party. Loud music pulses through the estate, vibrating the walls and making my ears ring.
Nodding to the security guards we pass, the British man scoffs. "Trust me, it was obvious. When I saw you two in Seoul, glued to the hip you were. When you came to Atlas, all you could think of was him until he showed up." He starts counting off his fingers, which I quickly push down. "The only one you were fooling was yourself."
"You kissed me," I accuse. If he "knew", then why waste his time?
At this, he rubs his jaw. "That I did." Pulling him to a stop, I frown. Explain yourself. "Look, Sam, I like you. Okay? I respect and admire you- you're a helluva soldier. But this," he gestures between the two of us, "just wouldn't work." Gideon pulls me into a hug, which I gratefully return. He doesn't need to explain anything to me, I know what he means. Like a weight has been lifted off of my chest, I can breathe a little easier now.
"You know I love you, right?" I playfully shove him as we make our way through the house. Holding my hands up, I laugh. "And I'll be the first to admit, I had a huge crush on you for a while there." All of a sudden, the alarm goes off and chatter spikes on the comms, pulling the Brit's attention elsewhere. "Gideon?" I ask uneasily, watching as a few guards near us take off running.
"Take off the shoes," he orders suddenly, turning to face me again.
Without hesitation, I kick off my heels as my pulse races. "What's going on?"
"We need to get to the roof, now." Pulling up his rifle with one hand, he grabs mine with the other and we take off running. If I strain my ears, I can just make out gunfire mixing with the music and blaring alarm. The techno grows quieter the further away we get from the house. "Intruders are on the roof," Gideon shouts into his mic. "Irons and I are en route, do not let them escape!"
Pushing through the pain in my side, we keep running. This isn't the first time someone's tried to attack my father and it certainly won't be the last. That is if we can stop the attackers in time. Fear courses through me as I imagine my father in a pool of his own blood. Bursting through the double doors and onto the roof, I snatch a pistol from one of the dead bodies. Whoever crashed the party sure knows what they're doing.
Gideon is a few paces behind me, spitting commands into the mic. He curses, raising his rifle at two retreating figures. Instantly recognizing the mop of brown hair and hoping with all my might, I push the barrel down. "Jack!" The form hesitates and my suspicions are confirmed when he turns around.
Gideon screams at me as I run forward and Cormack orders Jack to keep moving, but I don't give my best friend the chance. Nearly tripping up the stairs in my haste to get to him, I throw myself at the tall brunette. Pulling him down to my lips, I kiss him hard for what feels like a millisecond before pushing him toward the plane. Jack says nothing, just smiles and touches my cheek.
Life or death, I think to myself as he grapples onto the Atlas plane. Gideon comes to a halt at my side and we watch the duo mark the plane before diving off and into the water below. I might never see Jack again, and that's what truly scares me the most. The Brit sighs, tossing his firearm to the side. "Come on, let's go check in with Irons." What will father say? He must know it was Jack, so what's the next step? He's against Atlas, actively trying to shut it down. When will we be ordered to take the other out? Will I be able to?
Just over sixteen hours later, Gideon and I are flying to Antarctica. "I'm sending you two to contain this," my father had said when we were gearing up. "This 'Sentinel Task Force' needs to be nipped in the bud. Don't let me down." I had avoided his gaze, already knowing what needed to be done. Evidently, Jack and the others had held their own against the waves of robots and soldiers my father had sent. Sentinel must be bigger than anticipated. So here we are, the cleanup crew. The last line of defense for the Atlas plane they're attempting to take down. My father had said it's carrying "an important chemical" and "that's all you need to know."
The VTOL gets low, allowing Gideon, Juarez, Michaels and I to zip line to the ground. It quickly flies away, looping around to land when the LZ is clear. The others quickly disarm Ilona and Cormack, pushing them to their knees. "Hands behind your heads!" Michaels orders, nudging Cormack with his rifle.
"Gideon?" Ilona asks in disbelief when said Brit comes into their line of sight. He helps Jack up from the water before turning to face the others. I shift uneasily as the wind bites through my protective clothes and goggles.
The Commander comes over the comms just then. "Atlas One, report!"
Gideon looks at me and in turn, I nod. "This is Atlas Zero One. Juarez and Michaels are KIA."
They exchange a panicked glance. "What?" Juarez asks. With the speed of lightning, I pull out my pistol and shoot them both in the head. When their bodies fall to the ground, Ilona, Cormack, and Jack all get to their feet.
"Why now, Gideon?" My Russian friend asks. The man in question holds a hand out cautiously, motioning me to his side. As I move, I pull off my eyewear and hood, observing the trio. "Sam?!" Ilona speaks for all of them, surprised and confused. "You two could've escaped from New Baghdad with us!"
"And we'd all be none the wiser," Gideon replies. "There were just too many questions. We needed to find some answers for ourselves," he looks at me. I nod. Gideon had done his research. It was as exhilarating as it was nauseating, watching my Captain look through classified files and break into secure servers. But if he hadn't, we never would have found out what my father was doing. And that was truly sickening. The man I risked my life for countless times was not the man I once knew. He wasn't the flawed hero my naive mind had made him out to be- he was the deranged villain that murdered thousands.
But the worst part of it all: I helped him. I didn't believe Ilona, even when she had shown the evidence. "My father is planning a preemptive strike against the US. He's been secretly developing WMD."
"A bio weapon," the Brit adds.
Jack stays quiet throughout this whole thing, making me uneasy. What's he thinking? What if he doesn't believe us? "And we're supposed to follow you?" Ilona spits, moving toward Gideon. Immediately my hand goes to my pistol, but Cormack steps in.
"If they wanted to kill us, we'd already be dead," he says quietly.
Gideon paces over to them quickly, getting in her face. "Irons has betrayed everything I stood for. I want him in the ground the same as you. If you want to stop him, we need to get to that cargo. Now." Old habits die hard, it seems, because the woman bows her head slightly and keeps her mouth shut.
They briefly glance at me, but Cormack realizes how little time we have. "Okay," he says, giving us his approval. It seems I'm off the hook, for now. "Then lead the way."
We run over to some rocks, united under the same cause for the first time in a while. "Mitchell, Cormack, grab those stingers and get out of sight," Gideon orders as he and I move to the front. While the others duck down, we stand in the open. This just might work. He gives me a reassuring smile, one I can't quite return. This is so wrong, so very wrong. We're disobeying orders; we're the traitors now. "Atlas 2-1, we're ready for pickup. Sentinel operatives have been dealt with."
No turning back now. "Roger that, Gideon," the pilot answers. "You're lucky, we were just about to leave without you."
"Hurry up, I'm freezing my ass off," I complain.
The Brit rolls his eyes. "Is the cargo secure?"
"Yes, sir. Secure and intact."
Gideon turns to the others, waving them back. "Get a target lock, but wait for my signal."
After a moment, the pilot comes back on. "Gideon, we've got multiple heat signatures. Are you sure you and Irons are alone down there?" He's suspicious but just doing his job. He's worried for the safety of the cargo and the safety of us. The guilt stabs me in the gut, but I ignore it. This needs to be done.
At the signal, the stingers go off and moments later, the bird comes crashing down. "Cormack, call in evac!" Gideon shouts as we take off running. "On me, Mitchell!"
"Hurry!" I shout breathlessly. "The mountain is coming apart!"
Cormack signals the bird to move. "Evac's here! We're moving to your position!" Gideon, Ilona and I slow down the cargo while Jack rips a canister out. Turning Gideon jumps up to the chopper and pulls Ilona in. When Jack has a canister, I jump and grab Gideon's hand, pulling myself onto the railing. "Jump, Mitchell!" A Sentinel soldier catches Jack and the bird flies upward, away from the wreckage. "Kingpin, cargo is secure."
Hanging off the side of the bird beside Gideon, I take a deep breath. We made the right choice, I chant. Maybe if I say it enough, I'll convince myself. "Solid copy, Sentinel 2-3. Nice work out there."
We watch the avalanche from above as it sucks in the VTOL and destroys the rest of the Manticore. "We picked up a couple of guests along the way," Cormack informs, looking at Gideon and I. "Bringing them in for debriefing. Cormack out."