World's Strongest (part 1)
It takes a great man to fight his past. But when things don't go according to plan, it takes a strong man to overcome his situation. When a madman rises to dominance, it is Delta Red who has to overcome him. But will an encounter with a beautiful soldier jeopardize the mission?
The Siege
He sat sipping his small ceramic cup. The hot, dry air threw dust along the busy brick road. Cement buildings were cracked beyond their thin white-wash coats. The wind blew across his face as he sat on the patio of a lifeless restaurant. The man was in his mid-thirties and the black jacket to his tie-less business suit was thrown haphazardly over the vacant chair next to him. Two men were arguing on the street near him. A few tall buildings were scattered about, but mostly they never reached more than a few stories in height. He finished the last sip of his coffee and continued to wait for his food when it happened.
He didn't notice the flash on top of one of the larger buildings. And wouldn't have been able to guess the implications even if he had. But he could not ignore the blast of fiery red and orange colors which followed. Nor could he ignore the screams of the masses which surrounded the area and the falling of large chunks of debris to the earth. He tore off his sunglasses and watched in horror. Gunshots from afar silenced the terror partially, but soon gave rise to more screams. Surprisingly, to him at least, no shot penetrated a civilians skin. People filed away from the building in large numbers. The man raised his arms as four guns were pointed directly at him. He was herded in a different direction.
The Mission
They did not need to look at the black and white pictures which sat in front of them. The had seen the news stories which had replaced parts of normal television since it had happened. The shots of multiple buildings were not new and the scene of the assassination was already well known to them.
A large, gruff man with a noticeable scar down his cheek pointed at locations on a map with a short wooden pole. "He has taken Rabat and killed the king. The Royal Armed Forces of Morocco fell easily to him. The Gendarmerie didn't last much longer. With speed greater than Adolph Hitler's "Blitzkrieg" he has flawlessly taken control of the country in less than a weeks time. He has set his troops 20 kilometers from the borders on all sides but still has units making sure no one enters of leaves the country. Apart from the king and his advisers, not one civilian has perished."
A man with shoulder-length hair spoke. "Who exactly are we dealing with here? Who is 'he'?"
The gruff man continued. "The man's name is Rolento."
The other man continued. "Would this be the same Rolento which terrorized Metro City as a member of 'Mad Gear'?"
"Correct. After Mad Gear's fall in Metro City, Rolento has been attempting to recreate it and to form a military Utopia. His plan has begun. He already has a foothold."
"Sir, may I question you on the extent of this foothold?"
"I already informed you. The borders are sealed and the Moroccan army has been defeated. The frightful part of it is the time span in which he has completed it in. He is by far the most tactful and capable military leader you have faced, as well as one of the greatest terrorists the world has seen in the modern era.."
The man laughed. "Shouldn't be too hard. We did take out Shadaloo."
The first man's face switched to a deep scowl. "Do not underestimate this situation Colonel Wolfman. Mad Gear has innocent lives at their disposal. We also can't afford another haphazard job like the one which took place in Japan. We need precision. We need speed. And most importantly, we need minimal loss of human life. This will be a test unlike any which has been set before you. I trust that you will not fail again."
Wolfman responded with a cocky two-finger salute. "Yes sir."
The man was about to put the pictures away before he started talking again. "One more thing." He said as he grabbed a few pictures from a beige envelope which sat in his briefcase. "This is ambassador Nigel Chombers." He said as he pointed to a picture of a tall man with a light complexion, blonde hair, and a noticeable scar over his right eye. "We need him out alive. Protect British interests. You leave at 0500 tomorrow. Good luck."
The door slammed as the walked down the wide hallway out of the office. "It's about bloody time they gave us another job." Wolfman scowled as he continued to walk
Luwanda agreed. "We have been inactive for years now. Ever since that mission in Japan."
Matthew chimed in. "It still seems hard to believe that they blamed us for destroying that town.
Wolfman responded while he was still walking. "It was either tell them the truth and get arrested or take the blame but still report getting the job done. If we told them we let an international criminal and murderer go we would be locked up faster than anyone we have ever gotten."
George agreed. "We needed to report to them that he was hostile and we had to take him out by any means possible. It was the only option we could take and keep minimal scrutiny."
They all agreed. Only Cammy remained silent. She, like most of Delta Red, hadn't changed much in the few years after the mission in Japan. Only George had a noticeable change. He had grown a little taller and he spoke with a deeper voice. The same group would be departing for Morocco in the morning to take on Rolento.
The Report
The loud thud of his boots filled the empty hall. The red beret set slanted on his dark hair. His dusty beige combat suit sat loosely on his rigid body.
"Blain, what's our status?" Rolento called out to one of his men.
The man he called Blain stepped forward. He was of medium stature with short black hair and a dark complexion. "Sir, The assassination attempt was successful as you already know. The large cities have been secured and we have rounded up every man who appeared to be of European or American decent. There has been minimal resistance and no unnecessary loss of life. We have cleared the debris from the empty buildings we have bombed and they appear to have been a successful intimidation factor."
Rolento smiled before he responded. "Excellent. Everything is going according to schedule. Men, inform the infantry to completely seal the borders. "Stage 1" is now complete. Now proceed to "Stage 2". The Philanthropy mission is to take effect as soon as possible. Total take over is proceeding right on schedule."
It was Blain which spoke up again. "Sir, what if we are attacked?"
Rolento chuckled at the questions. "Our soldiers are the best in the world. It will be too late before they send anything which is a threat to us. And even then, we will crush them." The soldiers looked at each other silently in the pause. "Now, back to your positions. We haven't much time."
The soldiers left as another came in and saluted. "Sir, we have the ambassador. He is currently being held with a few of the other prisoners."
Rolento chuckled again. "This keeps getting better and better." He followed the soldier through a long hallway to where the ambassador was being kept.
The Breaking
When he woke up he was in a small room. His hands had been chained to the wall. There were three others in the room with him, one was next to him and the other two one on the walls. He could hear the sound of Rolento's boots coming down the hall. Rolento stood in the lit room for a second before walking toward him.
"Well, well. Ambassador Chombers, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Rolento said as he glared into his face.
He raised his head and scowled at Rolento. "It's funny. The world sees you not as a leader. They see you as a terrorist."
A frown grew across Rolento's face. "Would a terrorist take a country over without the loss of one innocent life? I will be known as the greatest conqueror in history. I will be known as the greatest dictator in history."
Nigel had to restrain himself from screaming. "Yes, a dictator. Lowered to the likes of Hitler. You will never be a real leader. You will never be competent."
Rolento had to restrain himself now. "And what has democracy ever caused? Apart from trouble and misery. Corruption is rampant in your democratic countries. And what will democracy do for you now? Will it save you? What can democracy do? It's tied up in personal problems and corrupt individuals. It is filled with self-centered individuals who only advance the proletariat. They never help the common man. They never improve life for a normal human."
Nigel screamed back at Rolento. "And what good dictator has there ever been? What country has thrived? What people have prospered?" His voice lowered. "What can you do to help the common man?"
Rolento straightened himself up. "I can liberate them. I can free the streets of illicit drugs and poverty. I can solidify my place in history by making Morocco into a world power. An unrivaled military will protect my people, and the most intelligent leader in history will lead them there."
Nigel chuckled. "Really? 'The most intelligent leader in history'? Is that what you call yourself? You are pathetic. You are no leader. You are a coward, hiding behind explosives and fear to make yourself known. You cower behind an army to express your politics. You make every citizen fear you long before you make them respect you. You are nothing. You are..." He stopped short and coughed. Rolento removed the knife from his stomach and stood straight in front of him.
"I am a greater leader than you could ever dream of becoming. Democracy has never accomplished anything."
The ambassador slumped down and soon grew completely limp. The breath escaped his body. His head hung toward the ground. Rolento turned his head at the man next to the ambassador. "My my, what do we have here?" There was a man who looked similar to the ambassador in his eyesight. Rolento tried to get a glance at his face, but the man jerked his head to the side and closed his eyes. Rolento frowned and slammed his stick into the man's stomach. When the man felt it, Rolento grabbed his head and held it up. "Funny, you were supposed to be dead. Now what would you be doing here?"
The man uneasily stared back at Rolento. "Murderer" was the only word which came out of his mouth.
Rolento laughed. "Now you're calling me a murderer. How ironic. I assume that I'll have plenty of time for questions. It's getting late now. Welcome to Morocco, Vega Fabio De Cerna." Rolento laughed as he walked away. He pointed his stick at the other two prisoners and they were released and let out of the room with fear still in their eyes. Rolento left Vega in the room with the dead ambassador.
It takes a great man to fight his past. But when things don't go according to plan, it takes a strong man to overcome his situation. When a madman rises to dominance, it is Delta Red who has to overcome him. But will an encounter with a beautiful soldier jeopardize the mission?
The Siege
He sat sipping his small ceramic cup. The hot, dry air threw dust along the busy brick road. Cement buildings were cracked beyond their thin white-wash coats. The wind blew across his face as he sat on the patio of a lifeless restaurant. The man was in his mid-thirties and the black jacket to his tie-less business suit was thrown haphazardly over the vacant chair next to him. Two men were arguing on the street near him. A few tall buildings were scattered about, but mostly they never reached more than a few stories in height. He finished the last sip of his coffee and continued to wait for his food when it happened.
He didn't notice the flash on top of one of the larger buildings. And wouldn't have been able to guess the implications even if he had. But he could not ignore the blast of fiery red and orange colors which followed. Nor could he ignore the screams of the masses which surrounded the area and the falling of large chunks of debris to the earth. He tore off his sunglasses and watched in horror. Gunshots from afar silenced the terror partially, but soon gave rise to more screams. Surprisingly, to him at least, no shot penetrated a civilians skin. People filed away from the building in large numbers. The man raised his arms as four guns were pointed directly at him. He was herded in a different direction.
The Mission
They did not need to look at the black and white pictures which sat in front of them. The had seen the news stories which had replaced parts of normal television since it had happened. The shots of multiple buildings were not new and the scene of the assassination was already well known to them.
A large, gruff man with a noticeable scar down his cheek pointed at locations on a map with a short wooden pole. "He has taken Rabat and killed the king. The Royal Armed Forces of Morocco fell easily to him. The Gendarmerie didn't last much longer. With speed greater than Adolph Hitler's "Blitzkrieg" he has flawlessly taken control of the country in less than a weeks time. He has set his troops 20 kilometers from the borders on all sides but still has units making sure no one enters of leaves the country. Apart from the king and his advisers, not one civilian has perished."
A man with shoulder-length hair spoke. "Who exactly are we dealing with here? Who is 'he'?"
The gruff man continued. "The man's name is Rolento."
The other man continued. "Would this be the same Rolento which terrorized Metro City as a member of 'Mad Gear'?"
"Correct. After Mad Gear's fall in Metro City, Rolento has been attempting to recreate it and to form a military Utopia. His plan has begun. He already has a foothold."
"Sir, may I question you on the extent of this foothold?"
"I already informed you. The borders are sealed and the Moroccan army has been defeated. The frightful part of it is the time span in which he has completed it in. He is by far the most tactful and capable military leader you have faced, as well as one of the greatest terrorists the world has seen in the modern era.."
The man laughed. "Shouldn't be too hard. We did take out Shadaloo."
The first man's face switched to a deep scowl. "Do not underestimate this situation Colonel Wolfman. Mad Gear has innocent lives at their disposal. We also can't afford another haphazard job like the one which took place in Japan. We need precision. We need speed. And most importantly, we need minimal loss of human life. This will be a test unlike any which has been set before you. I trust that you will not fail again."
Wolfman responded with a cocky two-finger salute. "Yes sir."
The man was about to put the pictures away before he started talking again. "One more thing." He said as he grabbed a few pictures from a beige envelope which sat in his briefcase. "This is ambassador Nigel Chombers." He said as he pointed to a picture of a tall man with a light complexion, blonde hair, and a noticeable scar over his right eye. "We need him out alive. Protect British interests. You leave at 0500 tomorrow. Good luck."
The door slammed as the walked down the wide hallway out of the office. "It's about bloody time they gave us another job." Wolfman scowled as he continued to walk
Luwanda agreed. "We have been inactive for years now. Ever since that mission in Japan."
Matthew chimed in. "It still seems hard to believe that they blamed us for destroying that town.
Wolfman responded while he was still walking. "It was either tell them the truth and get arrested or take the blame but still report getting the job done. If we told them we let an international criminal and murderer go we would be locked up faster than anyone we have ever gotten."
George agreed. "We needed to report to them that he was hostile and we had to take him out by any means possible. It was the only option we could take and keep minimal scrutiny."
They all agreed. Only Cammy remained silent. She, like most of Delta Red, hadn't changed much in the few years after the mission in Japan. Only George had a noticeable change. He had grown a little taller and he spoke with a deeper voice. The same group would be departing for Morocco in the morning to take on Rolento.
The Report
The loud thud of his boots filled the empty hall. The red beret set slanted on his dark hair. His dusty beige combat suit sat loosely on his rigid body.
"Blain, what's our status?" Rolento called out to one of his men.
The man he called Blain stepped forward. He was of medium stature with short black hair and a dark complexion. "Sir, The assassination attempt was successful as you already know. The large cities have been secured and we have rounded up every man who appeared to be of European or American decent. There has been minimal resistance and no unnecessary loss of life. We have cleared the debris from the empty buildings we have bombed and they appear to have been a successful intimidation factor."
Rolento smiled before he responded. "Excellent. Everything is going according to schedule. Men, inform the infantry to completely seal the borders. "Stage 1" is now complete. Now proceed to "Stage 2". The Philanthropy mission is to take effect as soon as possible. Total take over is proceeding right on schedule."
It was Blain which spoke up again. "Sir, what if we are attacked?"
Rolento chuckled at the questions. "Our soldiers are the best in the world. It will be too late before they send anything which is a threat to us. And even then, we will crush them." The soldiers looked at each other silently in the pause. "Now, back to your positions. We haven't much time."
The soldiers left as another came in and saluted. "Sir, we have the ambassador. He is currently being held with a few of the other prisoners."
Rolento chuckled again. "This keeps getting better and better." He followed the soldier through a long hallway to where the ambassador was being kept.
The Breaking
When he woke up he was in a small room. His hands had been chained to the wall. There were three others in the room with him, one was next to him and the other two one on the walls. He could hear the sound of Rolento's boots coming down the hall. Rolento stood in the lit room for a second before walking toward him.
"Well, well. Ambassador Chombers, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." Rolento said as he glared into his face.
He raised his head and scowled at Rolento. "It's funny. The world sees you not as a leader. They see you as a terrorist."
A frown grew across Rolento's face. "Would a terrorist take a country over without the loss of one innocent life? I will be known as the greatest conqueror in history. I will be known as the greatest dictator in history."
Nigel had to restrain himself from screaming. "Yes, a dictator. Lowered to the likes of Hitler. You will never be a real leader. You will never be competent."
Rolento had to restrain himself now. "And what has democracy ever caused? Apart from trouble and misery. Corruption is rampant in your democratic countries. And what will democracy do for you now? Will it save you? What can democracy do? It's tied up in personal problems and corrupt individuals. It is filled with self-centered individuals who only advance the proletariat. They never help the common man. They never improve life for a normal human."
Nigel screamed back at Rolento. "And what good dictator has there ever been? What country has thrived? What people have prospered?" His voice lowered. "What can you do to help the common man?"
Rolento straightened himself up. "I can liberate them. I can free the streets of illicit drugs and poverty. I can solidify my place in history by making Morocco into a world power. An unrivaled military will protect my people, and the most intelligent leader in history will lead them there."
Nigel chuckled. "Really? 'The most intelligent leader in history'? Is that what you call yourself? You are pathetic. You are no leader. You are a coward, hiding behind explosives and fear to make yourself known. You cower behind an army to express your politics. You make every citizen fear you long before you make them respect you. You are nothing. You are..." He stopped short and coughed. Rolento removed the knife from his stomach and stood straight in front of him.
"I am a greater leader than you could ever dream of becoming. Democracy has never accomplished anything."
The ambassador slumped down and soon grew completely limp. The breath escaped his body. His head hung toward the ground. Rolento turned his head at the man next to the ambassador. "My my, what do we have here?" There was a man who looked similar to the ambassador in his eyesight. Rolento tried to get a glance at his face, but the man jerked his head to the side and closed his eyes. Rolento frowned and slammed his stick into the man's stomach. When the man felt it, Rolento grabbed his head and held it up. "Funny, you were supposed to be dead. Now what would you be doing here?"
The man uneasily stared back at Rolento. "Murderer" was the only word which came out of his mouth.
Rolento laughed. "Now you're calling me a murderer. How ironic. I assume that I'll have plenty of time for questions. It's getting late now. Welcome to Morocco, Vega Fabio De Cerna." Rolento laughed as he walked away. He pointed his stick at the other two prisoners and they were released and let out of the room with fear still in their eyes. Rolento left Vega in the room with the dead ambassador.