Chapter 74: Operation Empty Quiver

Friday, 14th of June 2019, 00:00:10

X - X - X

Winston's POV

"Alright, everyone ready?" I asked. Looking around I see Tony, Garth, Hutch and Scar looking back at me while cocking their own preferred weapons. Tony with an HK417 A2 rifle with Variable Zoom Sight, Vertical Grip and a Laser Sight. For secondary he has a USP with a flashlight attached on the bottom. Garth has an MP5SD5 with an Angled Grip. For secondary he has a Glock 18 with stock to increase accuracy. Hutch has an M27 with ACOG Sight and a Vertical Grip with a customized stock. His option for secondary is a Five Seven with a red laser. And finally, Scar's weaponry consists of a AA-12 with a Vertical Grip as well and a Drum Mag to increase firepower. For his secondary he chose Desert Eagle with Extended Mag.

"Yeah we are ready" Tony replied. I take a quick look on my own weaponry which consist of HK416 with Hybrid Sight, Vertical Grip, Red Laser and a customized stock. For my secondary i have Akimbo M1911 resting on two holsters on each side of my hips. And because this is a stealth operation all of our weapons have suppressors attached to the end of the barrel.

"Within ten minutes we will board a C-130 plane. We will drop from an altitude of 6000 meter. Infiltrate our target. Steal some nuclear missiles and get the fuck out of there. So for now, i suggest all of you to take your time and say some last words with your family or loved ones. Dismissed" I said ending the meeting. Tony, Garth and Hutch nodded and went on separate ways. Sighing to myself i begin to walk where Eve was. Our new house was built hastily but i have to say it was built rather nicely. A small house with one floor only but cozy. Enough to accommodate 4 people, or anthro i should say. Oh well, people would do just fine.

Kate is staying with us since the house has three bedrooms. One for me and Eve and one for Kate and the last one for a guest. Garth and Lilly have their own house and so is Tony. Opening the door slowly i am greeted with the sight of Eve. Clearly she was awaken not long before i arrived. Her eyes still watery due to her abrupt wake up. "You are back! I thought the mission was supposed to be-" "Yes the mission hasn't started yet honey. We just got back from the briefing and let them know we have 10 minutes until departure" I informed her.

Nodding her head she let me come inside, as i rest my gun on the wall near the coat rack and sat down on the comfortable looking couch. Eve quickly scoot closer to me, resting her head on my chest. "How's Kate?" I asked. "She is still asleep. Poor girl missing Humphrey a lot. That shows how much she loves him" "I won't deny i miss him as well. He was a good kid that made our daughter the happiest person alive" I confessed. True, Humphrey was like the son i never had. "I felt the same thing whenever he was around. I hope he is okay, somewhere..." Eve trailed with a hint of sadness in her voice. Looking to her i peck her lips. "Don't worry. I promise you that i would bring Humphrey back no matter what. And we will have our revenge to those backstabbing bastards".

Eve smiles at me, earning me a sweet kiss from her. "I know. Now go do your mission honey". Looking at the time almost 10 minutes have passed. I didn't realize time flew so fast. Must've because cuddling with my wife caused me to lost track in time. I can't blame myself it's a blissful feeling. Kissing Eve once more i picked up my gun and goes to find one more person, Candu.

"Candu i am trusting you to watch over the pack while i am gone. Is that clear?" I asked. Candu salutes me and say "Yes sir. Understood". Smiling to him i walk to the runway where the said plane is waiting for me along with a platoon consisting of Blackwatch, USMC, Spetsnaz, etc. They were picked personally because they are the best of the best. Their leader is a lieutenant.

"Identify yourself lieutenant" I said. "Lieutenant James Conrad at your service sir!" He identified himself while saluting me. "I take it you are the leader of this special task force?" "Correct sir. They were picked due to multiple factors that make them suitable for this kind of operation" He replied. Looking at him intently i say "I will expect nothing but perfection from you and your men. Failure is not an option and will not be tolerated. Is that clear, lieutenant?". "Yes sir. We will not fail you" He replied.

"Good. Now move out!".

X - X - X

"Approaching the designated target ETA 30 seconds!" The pilot announced through the intercom. All of us stand up and begin our final check to our equipment especially our parachute. "Remember, we are doing HALO jump. Do not open the parachute until we reach 1000 meter. Lower than that is not recommended and could lead to your death. Is that clear soldiers?!" I asked. "Yes sir!" They shout in unison.

The door began to open, showing an infinite darkness in front of us. It's still night so all of us are using thermal goggles. Well, except for us since we already have one due to our status as a Prototype. But still, we wear a normal goggle because the wind hitting us would be great and it is annoying.

"GO GO GO!" Lt. James signaled his task force to jump. All of us jump out of the plane and began diving onto our target. "Our designated target is called Base Monsoon Eleven. Get in and get out stealthily. How copy?" "Affirmative sir" Lt. James confirmed. We are reaching the altitude of 1000 meter fast. "Deploy 'chute!". "Deploying 'chute now!". The sound of the parachute being deployed break the silence of the night. Using their thermal goggle they could see soldiers patrolling on top of the wall along with stationary guards on the watchtowers.

"They are patrolling around in a group of five. Typical formation. Guards on the watchtowers are numbered at six for each tower. Must've been raised in anticipation for an invasion" I informed the rest of the group. "Very well. We should land in the forest so they won't be able to pick us up easily" Tony said. "How are we going to get close if we radiate heat signatures? They would be alerted if they see a human sized heat signature in the forest?" Garth asked. "Don't worry, i have an idea".

X - X - X

"If i knew this was your idea, i'd rather run to the front gate and smash it open, alerted be damned" Tony grumbled. My idea was to cover ourselves with mud. Yes mud. I know it's not a good idea but at least the cold mud would cover our heat signature. "I wonder why did i sign up for this" Garth mumbled. "It's the least that we can do. Us five would infiltrate a watch tower. Kill everyone in it- i mean consume all and assume their identity. Let the main forces come through the front gate and search for the base commander. Got that?" I laid out my plan. "Fine then. Let's hope this wonderful plan of yours works perfectly" Tony grumbled again.

Jumping above the forest roof we glide towards the intended watchtower. Using our biomass we manage to slow down our descend rate. Targeting all six we quickly pounced them, consuming them assuming their personality, appearance and also acquiring their memory. "Good work. No one got alerted. Continue as planned" I said. All of us walk to the front gate and open it. "Why are you opening the gate sergeant?" Someone asked me.

Quickly I come up with a reasonable idea. "We got additional reinforcement. Not much but quite significant judging from our current size" I said. The captain let himself in a deep thought for some time before nodding to us and left us alone. "That was a close one" Tony commented.

"Alright you're clear. Move out and enter through the front gate. Do not be suspicious". Half a minute later they marched inside the base trying their best not to start killing everyone left and right and directly go to the nuclear missile cache. "Alright, who's your acting commander?" I asked even thought I already knew who it was.

"Lt. James reporting in sir!" Lt. James saluted me. "Very well Lt. James. Let's cut to the chase shall we?" I asked with a smirk. He smirks back and motions his task force to follow him. We arrive at the entrance to the base's building. Confirming my fake identity with the scanner the door opens, showing the interior of the base. Standard interiors. Soldiers doing regular maintenance to their vehicles or just patrolling around. Scientists here and there most of them are doing what they do best.

"Let's try to find the base commander. He should be here somewhere" I said. "Eyes peeled everyone but don't act too out of the ordinary or you'll draw unnecessary attention to yourself" Tony added. "Maybe we should ask one of them" Garth suggested. Both me and Tony look at each other before nodding our heads in agreement. "I guess it wouldn't hurt". Garth walked to a resting soldier asking "excuse me, do you know where the commander is right now?". The soldier, a US Marine, responds with "yeah he's in the office right now. Go there through the stairs take a left turn and just walk all the way until you meet an office. He should be there" He told Garth. "Thanks".

Garth returns to us with a smile adorning his face. "Well that was easy" "Come on we don't have much time. Lt. James, you and your task force spread out around the base see if any of you have a visual on the nuclear missile storage area" I ordered. "Affirmative sir. You heard the man! Spread out!".

Us five arrived at the commander's office. Knocking on the metal door we hear a muffled "come in". Taking that as an invitation we slowly open the door, revealing the base commander's office interior. Stacks of paper on his desk. His bed on the right side of the room, big enough for him to sleep comfortably. There is a bathroom and a small kitchen along with a blue colored couch.

The base commander is a Blackwatch captain. He has his head gear unequipped and currently resting on his desk. On his hand is a mug filled with what I presume to be coffee to accompany him while he was working with the papers. His pistol, a USP. 45 is resting on the desk.

"How can I help you?" He asked with a monotone voice, clearly a long time Blackwatch soldier. "We just want to report to you that we have an additional force that is currently roaming around the base to familiarize themselves with it… Captain… Nathan" I said trying to read his name which is on his right chest on a badge. "Very well then. Who is their leader?" "Lt. James sir. Would you like for us to fetch him?" I asked again. "Yes please". Suddenly the radio chatter comes alive.

"Sir we lost contact with Watchtower 4. They were not responding since five minutes ago. We are sending a squad to check on them". "Shit! That's where we consumed them!" I thought while I am readying my arms to shapeshift in case things go south. "Roger that. Inform me if you find anything" He replied.

"I suppose we have disturbed you long enough. We shall fetch Lt. James for you" "Dismissed" He declared. We salute him before exiting his office. "Damn it! They are going to find the blood pools in the tower! Things are going to get harder from now on!" Hutch exclaimed. "Then we have to act fast! Lt. James! Do you have a visual on the nuclear missile storage area?"

"Yes sir we have a visual but it's guarded with two Super Soldiers" Lt. James answered. I cursed under my breath. "Distract them can you? We need a way to enter the storage area". "The easiest way would be with the base commander. They won't question him since he holds the highest authority here" "We can't just simply ask him to open the door to the nuclear missile storage area! He'll grow even more suspicious and might get our covers blown up! Moreover, he's asking your presence in his office ASAP!" I replied half angry.

"I never said you should bring him along didn't I?" He replied with a hint of intriguing proposal. "So what do you have in mind?" I asked. "Simple. Consume him". I subconsciously growl to his answer. "Are you out of your mind?!" "No but it's the best option we have at the moment". Sighing to myself I request him to rendezvous back on the commander's office front door.

A few minutes later we are back at the front door of his office with Lt. James in tow. "Come in". After we all settle down, he finally starts speaking again. "So you are the leader of the additional forces that was sent to us, aren't you?" "Yes sir that is correct. We were sent to reinforce your base" Lt. James answered. "How many are you?" "30 men strong sir" He answered again.

Captain Nathan took a deep sigh before continuing. "Well it's not much considering our original number at 150 men, but one fifth addition is better than none to be fair. Very well then, I accept your men but I am afraid you must sign some papers to finalize the transfer. Just for formality" He said. Lt. James nodded in reply and Cpt. Nathan handed him over the papers. Just as he about to start signing it, Cpt. Nathan's radio comes alive once more.

"Sir we have reached Watchtower 4. No one's here but suspiciously we have found several pool of blood around the tower. We don't know what caused it but I am afraid we have hostiles in the area. We have sent a request to Red Crown to ask if the soldiers that were entering our base were actually sent by them or not. Be ready for an answer within two or three minutes. Over and out".

Both of us inwardly curse to ourselves. Damn it. We should've been more careful. To make things worse, they have sent a request to Red Crown to validate their suspicion. This is going from bad to worse in a matter of minutes.

"Are you okay corporal? You seem to be troubled with the current situation that is developing" Cpt. Nathan asked me. Shit, he noticed my body language. "No sir. I am just concerned by the fact that we might have a potential threat looming around our base" I lied. Thankfully he bought it.

But then it gets worse.

"Sir we just received a reply from Red Crown. They did not, I say again, they did not sent an additional force of 30 men to our base. Requesting to apprehend their personnel for interrogation" "Granted. Apprehend all personnel including their leader. I'll do it myself". Cpt. Nathan narrowed his eyes toward Lt. James. Drawing his pistol he said in a calm but full of authority voice.

"It would be wise for you to follow my orders if you want to get through this easily. Otherwise, I'll be forced to use… unconventional means to make you comply. Is that clear?". Lt. James tries to shoot him but we catch him first. Whispering to him I say "Time to execute your plan". Realizing what I'm about to do, he relaxes.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening soon Nathan" I said as I secretly morphed my hand to a claw. "Address me with the Captain honorific or I'll make yo-". He never got to finish his sentence as Tony had moved behind him and stabbed him with his blade through his chest. "You talk too much" And he drives his blade upwards slicing his upper body in half before Tony consumes him.

"Damn it Tony you overdid it! Now look at the blood splatters all over the damn place!" I yelled at him. His overzealous act of killing him made his blood splattered all over his desk and wall. He merely rolled his eyes in response. "To be fair, he was threatening to blow our cover up so I just did what I do best". "Clearly your best was shit" I said half joking.

"Alright enough you two, we have to move and steal some nuke. Tony, assume Cpt. Nathan's identity and call off his previous order. Tell everyone that Red Crown made a mistake and they indeed sent additional forces to this base" Hutch told him.

Sighing to himself he tells everyone in the base through the base's comm that Red Crown indeed sent additional forces and the previous statement was merely a mistake since they overlooked the command logs.

"Alright looks like they bought our bullshit. That should buy us some time, for now" Tony said. Nodding in affirmation we walk out of Cpt. Nathan's office but not before we tried our best to cover the blood splatters painting his office. We scrubbed it off using his bed sheet. In the end the result was rather looking good. It's the best that we can do with limited time and resource. All of us were hoping that if someone did came to his office and saw the faint stain of blood they would assume it was just ketchup.

But now we're moving to our next objective: find the nukes and steal them without getting noticed. Since James did find the entrance to the storage area, this should be easy coupled with the fact that Tony has Cpt. Nathan's disguise.

"Good evening boys" Cpt. Nathan / Tony greeted the two Super Soldier guards. "Good evening as well sir. May we inquire what brings you here this late?" The Super Soldier on the right asked. "I've received a request from our neighboring base, Typhoon Six to transport several nuclear missiles to their base. They were lacking of WMD in these days and asked me if I would kindly send them some of ours. The main reason is that due to their geographic location nearer to the border, they could launch a pre-emptive strike to the defectors and warn other bases" Tony explained, or should I say, bullshitting his way through them again.

All of us had to stifle a laugh on how good Tony was making convincing excuse like that. I praise him for being such a good silver tongued wolf. The Super Soldier then replies.

"Well we see no harm in doing so. We'll open the door for you sir. Also, would you like to have some protection while transporting the nuclear weapons? We fear that the defectors knew what you are planning right now and might attempting to steal those weapons for their own cause".

Again we have to stifle a laugh because of how ironic his words are.

"I am afraid I already have one. Lt. James over here, along with his task force of 50 soldiers would be the one who will guard the weapons. Moreover, it would be a good escort mission as it would also allow them to familiarize themselves with our location".

"Fucking hell Tony you are too good at this bullshitting stuff!" I mused while mentally laughing. "We are ready whenever you need us sir. We are at your service" Lt. James picked up to make things more believable.

"Alright sir, the door is open now, good luck" The guards stepped away, allowing us to enter. Inside, there are ammo boxes, vast array of weaponries and most importantly, nuclear weapons.

"We hit the jackpot. Look at those babies!" Cpt. Nathan / Tony exclaimed. I counted at least 40 nuclear missiles in the storage rack. "Alright let's get 10 of those, load it up to a truck and get the fuck out of here" I said. "Roger that sir, I shall bring my men to aid you loading it up. I will request the transport trucks to be prepared" Lt. James said before disappearing.

A couple of minutes later he was back with a dozen of his soldiers. "Alright boys let's take these babies to the loading bay!" Lt. James ordered. We arrive at the loading bay and we see trucks and Humvees already stationed there, ready to go. All of us excluding Lt. James take command of the first Humvee. I assume the driver role while Tony assumes the commander role. Both Hutch and Scar take the role as passengers while Garth manned the minigun.

The Super Soldiers from our earlier encounter helped us with the loading process of the nuclear missiles. Once we heard it's good to go, Tony, once more in his Cpt. Nathan disguise, began his bullshitting again.

"I will be staying in Base Typhoon Six for several days. Perhaps three or more. In the meantime, keep everything in the base safe and clean alright boys? Tell all I say hi" Tony said. "Will do captain. We would like to wish you a safe trip" The Super Soldier replied.

Smiling to them, he goes back inside the Humvee and tells me to drive. Slowly, our convoy is exiting the base, into our destination which is obviously NOT Base Typhoon Six.

Throughout the whole journey back we were laughing our asses off on how good Tony was on his bullshitting ability. That just made our mission even easier than we thought. Those poor bastards won't know what would hit them within the next 24 hour or so.