Chapter 25

David walked through the corridor to his patients' room. Things were still touch and go and he had yet to hear from people. This was the thing he truly disliked about the job and that was the waiting. The funny thing was that he was a scientist and he had to exert patience when he used to work with his biologicals. Then it transferred over to Mossad and now here.

He glanced around the corridor of the place that he had secured. There were nurses and doctors as well as a few Mossad agents. Things were looking all right so far. He then heard a beep and he looked at his watch and touched the bud in his ear. At the same time the loudspeakers kicked in and he looked around with a frown and listened.

History is written by the victor. History is filled with liars. If he lives and we die, his truth becomes written and ours is lost.

Misha was talking to his friend as they headed back into Russia but not before they would separate. One would be going to India and the other back to the lion's den so to speak. They were joking about the trip when their radio crackled. Misha pulled out his radio and adjusted it. They caught the transmission and they both turned to listen.

Shepherd will be a hero. Cause all you need to change the world is one good lie and a river of blood.

Section was on his flight back to base and JSOC. He hadn't liked how this went down and he had a hard time believing that one of their own would turn on their unit and make them scapegoats. He had wanted to stay and help out but he only had a small window to get what he needed and then meet up with Harper. They had their own terrorist to track down.

The meeting went as well as it could. Mostly it was stories about when his father was in Afghanistan. She did warn him but it helped a little and he thought she needed context too. She wouldn't admit it to his face but he could tell that he had her interest in where she learned the things she knew… what he also knew too.

He heard his comm beep and he frowned thinking that it was too early to talk to Harper. When he put the earpiece in, he started getting audio. It wasn't anyone he had heard before but he was compelled to listen. His eyes shifted, staring ahead as he listened and hung onto every word.

He's about to complete the greatest trick a liar ever played on history. His truth will be the truth.

The camp was quieter than usual. Santana was listening to the radio intently and he signaled his radio man to relay the transmission. He had a few friends around. He glanced at the others of his team who were also listening. It had come over the radio like an official transmission and they were surprised by what they were hearing but it certainly countered what they had heard. He decided it was time to play a little 'phone tag' with a few other units.

But only if he lives and we die…

Addy appeared on the screen in a room she was very familiar with. It was the same one she had been interred since over a year ago but technically she had free reign to go anywhere. Yet this was home and from here she could make a difference. Her handler may have a different view on things but the least she could do was help out in making sure the truth came to light.

She had done a few things from her post to be ready to stave off total disaster as she would define this situation. It was also a means to insure that they wouldn't be completely alone. She paced around on the matrix she was in. To others it looked like a person was walking across the screen of a computer and her image would look like something from a computer game. She turned to study the data flow. She looked at the dots that tracked each of the members of the 141and cursed the fact that S64 initiated her lockdown protocols. There were some things that an advanced AI couldn't defy.

The tunnel hadn't been affected by the blast and led straight to the river. MacTavish had to admit that the kid had been right so far. Price yelled out, "They're just around the corner!"

MacTavish checked his gun and followed Price. As they rounded the corner, he saw the boat with Shepherd in it take off from the dock. He raised his rifle to see if he had a shot. His lip curled in frustration when he didn't.

"Get in the boat, Soap!"

MacTavish lowered his rifle and ran to join Price in the boat. The line was already free. All he had to do was get the engine going and they were off. He jumped in to take position with the engine while Price jumped in the front and gunned the engine. There was only one goal in mind and that was to get to Shepherd.

He was not familiar with the layout of the river so MacTavish eased a bit off the throttle but not too much so that they fell behind. He needed to keep up with the speed of the other boat so they didn't lose him and they were being fired upon by the remaining drones of Shepherd's men. At the first sign of shooting. MacTavish pulled up his weapon and fired.

"Focus on driving the boat. I'll keep them suppressed."

MacTavish lowered his weapon and put more on the throttle. They had dropped back a few meters and almost lost them. Perhaps it was a better idea that he focus on the driving. He needed to keep an eye out on the obstacles that were dangerous for watercraft of any kind. It just didn't help when it included bullets flying at you. MacTavish just had to trust that Price would do the best he could with suppression fire.

It was an underground maze as MacTavish guided the boat through the river. The spray almost seemed to cloud the tunnels as they plowed their way through. He had a near collision with the rock walls of the cavern when he had to veer off to avoid colliding with it when a blind corner revealed more of Shepherd's men firing on them.

"We're losing him!"

MacTavish adjusted and went full throttle. He was just going to have to do the best that he could do. They couldn't let Shepherd escape. It was a dangerous thing to do since the river was narrow but if they went full speed and skidded on the ground, they would be okay. The water sprayed on both sides from the shots that missed them. They were going pretty fast that the enemy was having a hard time trying to lead the target.

The narrow tunnels before finally coming out into the main river bought some relief but MacTavish felt that any little movement would send them crashing. He could almost scrape his face off if he made a wrong turn. Once they were out in the open, he was able to get them going without fear of a narrow corridor. There was a downside to that though.

"Stay clear of those open areas!"

MacTavish saw the helicopter coming at them. That was just bloody brilliant. Movement on the water caught his attention. And it was more good news. They were going to get attacked both in the air and on the water. It really just made this plan all the worthwhile.

The sarcasm that filled his mind was a means of keeping his cool but also pushing away his worry about his Nico. He had no way of knowing if she was dead or alive and he wasn't in the mood to press the kid for details. Hell he wanted to shoot him and that was because he was with Shadow Company. It was that whole damnation by association crap she once talked about when she was watching the news and taking notes.

Nico sometimes the things you say just don't fit and yet… eventually they do. Makes me wonder what you see in things.

MacTavish steered the boat towards the rocks. It was still open to maneuver but the walls were high enough to provide cover from the aerial assault. It would leave Price to focus on the water assault. The downside was that it wasn't going to last. MacTavish forced his vision to look distances ahead, if that were possible, and steer towards the areas that would give them the best advantage. He couldn't go too far off otherwise that would put them further behind; the distance between them and Shepherd would lengthen and that would spell disaster if they lost him.

The boat was shoved to the left roughly and MacTavish looked up. Another boat had rammed theirs and there was someone turning to fire. It was automatic for MacTavish to pull his gun and fire. Price was right under the guy and could have taken him out but MacTavish got to him first and automatically moved to take out the other one that was starting to point a gun on him while Price took out the driver.

The loss of the driver sent the boat careening out of control and it hit another that was trying to finish what it started. Both collided and bodies flew into the water like rocks skipping off a pond. It was a fairly accurate description considering the speeds they were going. Unfortunately that cost them some distance they had gained and MacTavish growled as Price shouted at him to gun the engine. He was more agitated that they had to really make things work in order to gain what they had lost.

"Gun it Soap! He's getting away!"

MacTavish gave a deft twist and the boat sped forward. He swerved when he noticed some men with RPGs on a bridge. That just added to the fun… as Nicolette would say. He felt the need to actually hear some sort of remark she would make and while possibly grossly inappropriate, it general improved the mood of the team. It channeled their focus. Though in the beginning he though she was just being a pain in the ass because she knew it annoyed him.

A couple of more helicopters came in and MacTavish headed towards the rocky islands to make it difficult, cursing that it was affecting their gains on Shepherd. Price was doing what he could by taking out the drivers of the boats that came after them and the RPGs that were on the bridge. He occasionally shouted the presence of the ones that got fired off so MacTavish would have time to swerve out of the way. The last one put them in the line of fire of an oncoming chopper.

"Chopper inbound," Price shouted.

MacTavish swore quietly for a loud situation. He was right in their sights and they had a fix on him and Price. The best thing to do was to try and swerve and hope for the best. He turned to head for cover just at it started firing on them. He blinked when the shots went wild and narrowly missing them. He spared a look along with Price and noticed that there was a second helicopter but it was firing at the one firing on them.

The helicopter was low enough to see who was in the pilot's seat and MacTavish was surprised and relieved to see Chief at the stick. Price looked at the chopper and commented, "Bugger me."

All units be advised that Eagle 1 has been compromised…

That meant that Chief was a target. There was nothing that MacTavish or Price could do about it at the moment. They had to get to Shepherd. It was a sore spot since Chief was risking everything to make sure that they weren't completely blown out of the water. He covered them as much as he could before they disappeared into a canyon made by the river. MacTavish silently wished Chief luck in getting out of there alive and focused on steering the boat.

They passed by villages that dotted the shores. More likely they were conscripted into helping Shepherd. MacTavish didn't give it much thought as Price shouted, "Rapids up ahead! It's going to get rough! Hang on!"

MacTavish adjusted his grip and prepared to ease up on the throttle just a little and to secure his body so he wouldn't fly out. It was a good thing too since one of the boats that had been following them flew overhead. Price and MacTavish watched as men flew out and landed in the water. MacTavish kept his focus on the rapids since they managed to pick up some distance. They were close.

Avatar One, gimme a sitrep over!

I have Warhorse 5-1 standing by. Pave Low's downriver sir.

Fuck! MacTavish looked to try and get more out of the boat's engine. They weren't going to lose the bastard. He coaxed the engine to give more but Shepherd was a good 60 meters ahead of them. Dammit!

Copy that! Warhorse 5-1, be advised we're coming in hot!

Coming in hot is right, MacTavish and Price thought to themselves.

Roger. Dropping the hatch. Keep it above 30 knots and watch the vertical clearance.

MacTavish paused when he heard the call over the radio. He saw Price stiffen slightly as well. The voice sounded awfully familiar but it was difficult to tell since it sounded gruff. MacTavish didn't ease up though and they rounded the corner just as the Pave Low started to rise with Shepherd in it.

"Soap! Hold it steady!"

MacTavish looked to see Price readying himself for the shot to take out the chopper. There was more than one way to bring down a bird. Price was going to have to do it quick though since the Pave Low was turning around at the edge of the waterfall. It was going to try and take them out. MacTavish kept the boat as steady as he could.

Price aimed through his scope at the sweet spot that would take down the chopper. He needed to do it fast before it had a chance of firing at them and he had one shot. He repeated for MacTavish to keep the boat steady. It was like playing chicken when the aircraft was fully facing him and that was when he took his shot.

It hit true and it started to go down but by that time their boat was near the edge of the waterfall. Price gestured wildly, "Back up! Back up!"

MacTavish eased up on the throttle and reversed the engines. It was no use though as the current was stronger and dragging them closer to the edge. It left both men little choice but to grab on and pray that they would survive the drop. MacTavish grabbed rigging as Price did just as the boat went over the edge and plunged into the pool below.

It was dark but there was light coming from above. There was no sound but if there was, it was muffled. MacTavish flailed his limbs trying to go towards the light. Instinctively there was life at the light even though there was that whole going towards the light meaning death. In this case… there was life at the top. His limbs felt heavy as they moved towards the surface. He had to get air otherwise he would die. It had to be finished.

The air hit his nostrils forcing MacTavish to wake up. He began coughing as his lungs took in gulps of air. Water started spilling out to the point he was almost choking. He rolled over onto his stomach and coughed more water out. MacTavish took deep breaths as he coughed the last of the water out and blinked slowly to clear his vision. He tipped forward and rested his head on the ground as he took deep breaths. The air felt welcome and his other senses started to come back to him.

The first thing was the smell of smoke and fire. The downed chopper! His vision was a bit blurry but MacTavish forced himself to his feet and took inventory. The only thing that he had aside from what was on his vest was his knife, which he pulled out and held in a ready position in front of him and blinked as he took a few steps forward. He was forced to raise his arm up since the sandstorm was coming in.

It eerily quiet as he slowly walked towards the downed chopper, taking stock of his surroundings and listening for any signs of survivors. He heard slight groaning and a dragging sound and looked up. One of Shepherd's men was dragging himself away from the wreck. Without a second thought, MacTavish pounced on the downed soldier and knifed him. After all, the grunt would have done the same thing from his position. Better to get him first before he got you.

He continued on towards the wreck of the chopper. The smell of burning fuel and burning flesh hit his nose. It was strong and he remembered back to when he led the rescue for her, Ghost, Roach and the other two. His body quivered slightly thinking of the betrayal when his thoughts lighted on the kid. Emotionally he thought the kid a traitor but rationally, the kid said he didn't kill her. MacTavish wanted to believe that. He truly did and Chief firmly gave his opinion by taking sides with him and Price so maybe hope wasn't lost but…

Sometimes Soap in order to draw out your true enemy, you have to make them think one thing while you do another. It sucks but… It's all I can think of in order to draw out Makarov…

When she came back he learned more about her ways as a spy than he probably would ever care to know had it been five years earlier. As a soldier he was well aware that there were things he had to do in order to make sure his home and country was able to sleep at night. Most people would never understand except those that had been through it or those who attempted to understand. It was why he had been willing to listen and try to see where she was coming through when she mentioned anything she did as a spy. They both were fighting for the same thing but just in a different manner. He hoped that he was still alive so he could tell her but if she wasn't… It was hard to think of life without her and he had nearly lost her before he could tell her how he felt. He would try though but it would be the same. The best he could do was to finish this and take down Shepherd.

The wreck was fairly in one piece. There was the possibility of more survivors and certainly was the case when he came across another Shadow Company grunt who was going to die from his injuries. The bastard tried to pull his service pistol on him and fire but the click told MacTavish that it was empty. He wasted no words on killing him nearly stumbling from the overwhelming stench of burning fuel, metal and flesh.

The wind picked up a little and MacTavish looked around. The storm was coming in and it looked like it wasn't going to show much mercy. Well as long as he got the job done. It wasn't like Nikolai was going to come out in this storm. He would finish this and try to find Price and then figure out what to do then.

Straightening out, MacTavish edged along the wreck slowly. He had to check and make sure. He made a slight grunt that was lost on the wind from the stench and stepped over the wreckage making sure he had his footing. He rounded what appeared to be the back of the downed craft and he heard some noise. It was the sound of metal being shifted. His vision was blurry form the storm and the fact that he was still a bit lightheaded from his dunking but he recognized the outline of Shepherd. The bastards managed to survive that.

MacTavish quickened his pace to intercept as Shepherd stumbled out. He noticed a large spot of blood on Shepherd's shoulder and the man was holding it and rubbing it. The man was injured and he was coming right towards him. MacTavish poised his knife for the kill and took a swipe but the bastard dodged it and took off running. MacTavish went in pursuit. As he ran, he thought he heard more movement from the wreck but ignored it as he followed his main objective.

For an injured man, Shepherd was pretty fast. Yet MacTavish managed to keep up and continue to keep the man in his sights even though he blowing sand was making that difficult. He could tell that with his injuries, Shepherd wasn't going to get that far. Not with the storm coming on and with no means of transportation. He ignored the fact that he was screwed in the transportation department at the moment as he moved forward.

He found Shepherd leaning against a car taking a breather. MacTavish saw it as his chance and took it. He lunged forward with a blow intended for Shepherd's heart. He would have liked to have prolonged it but making it quick was the better choice. He got more than what he bargained for.

Shepherd saw MacTavish swing at him with the knife and dodged it. He followed through by grabbing MacTavish and slamming him face first into the roof of the car. MacTavish was instantly dazed since Shepherd slammed him on the sweet spot of his head. He felt himself falling backwards, unable to do anything; his limbs felt like they were lead as he hit the ground hard.

I warned ya Ghost. You run into that one every time.

She was looking down at Ghost and the man looked like he had been given powerful drugs. The others were on the ground rubbing their heads.

You were right Nico.

MacTavish was still in a daze when he saw Shepherd pull out a knife and it was aimed right at him. It was by pure instinct alone that he reacted and lifted his arms up and blocked. He felt the knife slice his forearm but it was superficial. He had to push Shepherd off and gain the upper hand. His first instincts were to go for the injured shoulder and he tried to shift his body to do that.

Shepherd seemed to sense his shift and countered by readjusting. When MacTavish refused to budge and continue blocking the descent of the knife, he took drastic measures. With his good hand, he punched MacTavish across the face and then drove his elbow in his gut. It forced MacTavish to loosen his grip slightly but it was enough. He raised the knife and drove it into the man's abdomen.

MacTavish felt the knife pierce his abdomen and it felt like a burn as it drove its way in. His hand closed instinctively around the knife as if to protect the injury but he was also put in a daze. His brain was trying to compute that he had been stabbed and from the looks of things it was a wound meant to inflict a slow and agonizing death. All he could see was the face of Shepherd and his bloody shoulder and he wondered how the hell the bastard managed to get the upper hand. He closed his eyes as he writhed on the ground a bit.

MacTavish had no idea how long he blacked out. The initial shock and pain knocked him out but now that the adrenaline died a little bit, he was able to open his eyes. He found that he was still on the ground… probably where he had fallen. He could see the sand swirling around. Yep he was still in the sandpit of Afghan and in the middle of a sandstorm. He heard noise and his gaze shifted to see Shepherd staring down at him and he was loading what looked to be a .45 revolver.

"Five years ago, I lost 30,000 men in the blink of an eye. And the world just fucking watched."

Yeah and Nico figured it out before you all and you didn't listen.

Shepherd looked at MacTavish. To MacTavish the man looked confused at the look he was giving. To be honest he didn't know himself except that he was mentally retorting to what Shepherd said. It helped since he was feeling the pain from the knife embedded in his gut.

Shepherd finished loading his revolver. His lip twitched from the pain in his shoulder. He looked down at MacTavish. He liked the man and admired his dedication. It made him regret what he was going to do but sometimes you had to make sacrifices for the greater good. "Tomorrow there will be no shortage of volunteers, no shortage of patriots. The lieutenant made sure of that with her work and for that… she will be remembered."

MacTavish narrowed his gaze at Shepherd. What was the bastard talking about? He managed to breathe out, "Ryan? What…"

"Sometimes you have to make something appear real in order for it to make a difference. The lieutenant was a hero and nothing will inspire the volunteers and patriots more than the wrongful death of a hero," Shepherd explained. He looked down at MacTavish as he made sure the revolver was locked and loaded. He then pointed it at MacTavish with the goal of shooting him in the head. "I know you understand."

MacTavish stared up at the barrel of the revolver. He knew that this was it. Even if he did manage to move and avoid the shot, there was still the knife in his gut and Shepherd could make his life a living hell with that. He knew he was going to die then and there and he could almost hear her scolding him saying he was a stupid Scottish bastard. I'm sorry Nico. I love you.

He would not close his eyes. He would meet it head on. He looked up at Shepherd and watched as the finger curled around the trigger. He would take it like a man. He steadied his breathing even though it sounded ragged in his ears.

BANG!

A/N: Looks like Addy might be doing a few things on the side. And it looks like they caught up with Shepherd but looks like MacTavish is getting the short end. Stay tuned for the conclusion of Cry Havoc...