Rainbow Six Siege: Shattered Skies
Chapter 10
Rogue Protocol
"Bravo."
"N.P. zero six two six three four."
"Charlie."
"Ninety-degree grid."
"Hotel."
"Surface."
"Juliet."
"Thirty-six hundred seconds."
"Kilo ten degrees."
"Romeo three point zero centigrade…."
"Maverick, what does that radio sequence mean?" Clash asked from the bus top bench. She held a broke radio in her hands. Its signal receivers were spotty and she couldn't send out a distress signal.
Maverick leaned against the supports of the bus top canopy smoking a cigarette. He stared at the rain pouring on the city streets. Somewhere in the distance he could hear chopper blades beating through the air/ but it was nowhere near his position where he could see it.
"It's an after-action report." He said and took a drag.
"From the artillery strike?"
"Yes."
"I still can't believe they actually bombed us. Good thing my shield held up for the both of us or we would've been toast. Mira and Twitch are going to kill me when they find out I shattered it."
Maverick took the last drag from his cigarette and flipped the butt into the rain. Clash was right. If it hadn't been for her quick reaction time, the blast would've fried the both of them but thanks to Clash's wit and the sturdiness of her shield, they were protected from most of the blast. Unfortunately, they couldn't say the same for their friends. They didn't have time to search for survivors. Right after the blast more roaches swarmed upon them forcing them to run away. After running for what felt like forever and running scarce on ammo, the infected finally gave up on their chase giving them a chance to rest.
"Do you think they'll come back for us?" Clash asked.
Maverick sighed and took another drag from his cigarette. He stared down at the M4 he cradled in his hands. He had been in this situation once before back in Afghanistan.
"No. No they won't." He said grimly.
"What? Whatever happened to no man left behind? Does that mean anything…"
"Morowa…" Maverick cut her off.
Clash fell silent.
"We're soldiers. Cannon fodder. You honestly think they're crying over a few lost soldiers? Get a hold of yourself."
"But how do you know that's what they think?"
"Because nobody came for me when I was captured in Afghanistan! If it wasn't for my friend I wouldn't be here today!" Maverick now with rising anger.
"I'm sorry."
"If you don't mind me asking, who was your friend? You've mentioned him before but never told me about him."
Maverick smiled at the thought of his friend. He more of a brother than a friend. They'd been to hell and back. They'd taken some of the world's most deadly opponents.
"His callsign was Vanguard."
"Vanguard?"
"Yes. I still miss him to this day. Great soldier and a great friend. He was a brother to me." Maverick thinking back to his time in Afghanistan.
"So, you two worked together in Afghanistan? What did you both do? I know you two went off the grid for a really long time."
Distant gunfire began to sound from somewhere in the city causing Maverick to tense. He looked out to the city streets but didn't see anything.
"It's classified." He responded.
"Bullshit Mav. You and I work in the most top-secret unit in the world. I'm sure there's nothing more secret above us." Clash argued not accepting his answer.
Maverick chuckled at the statement and tried to think how he could describe someone who was directly responsible for killing one of there most valuable operatives.
Before he could speak, he heard a blood curdling screen broke the ambient sound of rain echoing off the empty buildings. Clash stood up from her seat.
"You hear that?"
"Yeah, I did. It sounded close. Let's go."
Clash put the radio in her pouch and drew her pistol. The two operators jogged through the streets with their weapons at the ready. As the operators advanced with each block, the sound of screaming and gunfire began to pick up in volume. Then they heard chopper blades.
They were getting close.
"Think its Rainbow?" Clash asked between breaths.
"Could be. Let's pick up the pace. Maybe we can catch that helicopter out of here."
The operators were now sprinting through the rain. Visibility was poor from the weather so they couldn't see too far down the road. After running for another 15 minutes they came across a chaotic scene.
Before them they saw two figures running for their lives from a mass of infected. In front of them, a British helicopter with figures inside shouting an laying down suppressive fire.
The two operators ran toward the chaotic scene to get a better look.
"Is that Jager and Ash running away? And is that the Spetsnaz in the helo?" Clash asked as they ran.
"Yes and Ash looks like she's hurt! We need to get to that helicopter fast!" Maverick shouted.
The two operators ran in a dead sprint now. They were about three blocks away from the helicopter. The only thing blocking their path was the mass of infected.
"What about the infected?" Clash asked beginning to fire at the infected.
"Run past them! Don't let that helicopter leave without us!" Maverick responded and began to take pot shots with his M4.
Maverick and Clash watched in horror as Jager and Ash made it to the helicopter. He passed Ash's body to the Spetsnaz before being stabbed in the back by a roach. A small group began to swarm around him.
"NO! JAGER!" Clash yelled out.
The helicopter began to lift off into the sky and swiftly flew toward the horizon. They could hear Ash's screams for Jager as they flew away.
"PROTECT JAGER!" Clash screamed and began to engage the roaches head on as began to mob around Jager's body. She spotted two Apexes and began to fire at each of them. Maverick joined in.
Different from usual infected behavior, instead of engaging the operators head on. All of the roaches withdrew fleeing in all directions until they were alone in the streets. They'd most likely be back but in greater numbers so they had to help Jager quickly.
Maverick and Clash ran up to Jager and began to tend to his injuries. He was stabbed in the chest causing him to lose blood rapidly. Clash put pressure on the wound making Jager wince.
"Stay calm Marius. You're gonna be okay." She said trying to stop the bleeding.
"Did Ash get out okay?" He mumbled.
"Yeah. She made it." Clash said.
"Good." He said and stared at the cloud above him.
"Jager stay with me. We're not going to lose you."
"Clash…" Jager tried to speak.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Behind you…" He said pointing at something behind her.
She turned around to see the barrel of a pistol pointed at her forehead. The gun fired, and Clash's body fell lifelessly to the ground. Blood began to pour out her cranium. Jager watched in a front row viewing of one his fellow operators being murdered.
Maverick stepped over her body with the smoking M1911 and stood over Jager.
Maverick aimed the gun at Jager's forehead. Jager looked down the barrel of the gun. He thought he was going to be saved, but now it looked like he just can't catch a break.
"Maverick? What is this? What are you doing?" Jager struggled to speak in a haze of confusion.
"I'm finishing what a close friend of mine started. I find it ironic that the lone wolf of team Rainbow is about to die alone." He said coldly.
Jager had to think quickly. He slowly reached toward his chest at his radio without alarming Maverick. He pressed the button on his mic. Maverick had forgotten that Marius's comms was still operational. He had to relay his message to someone that there was a rogue operator on the loose. He pressed the button and held it giving him an open mic. He hoped someone was listening.
"Who is your friend Maverick? Why do you have it out for Rainbow?" Jager asked.
"I can't reveal all of my secrets Marius."
"Rainbow will go into rogue protocol. They'll come for you." Jager struggled to speak through the pain he was already in.
"How can they come for me if no one witnesses me going rogue?" Maverick sneered.
An image began to shimmer in the rain before him.
Ela stood behind Maverick.
"End this Maverick. We have much work to do." She whispered in her ear.
Maverick's took aim with his pistol pulling back at the hammer.
