Love Struck Delusion

Chapter 71 – This Couldn't Be Possible.

Commander Drake Linnen's POV, Corvega Sewage Plant.

I found myself next to the main door of the factory. I only remember getting hit, but it was enough to knock the wind out of me. My men were all down. The factory was trashed. I had no idea what happened. Black must have done something to the pipes.

Coughing up on myself, I got on my hands and knees to look around. Everyone looked okay. At least the ones near me. I had a feeling it was a lot worse further in.

Slowly grabbing my 44. that was next to my side, I got up on my feet to ask.

"Status?"

Looking to my team the leader replied.

"We're good. What the fuck happened?"

Helping him up I replied.

"I don't know. The rebels must have done something to the pipes before we got to them. Somehow they overloaded the system like this."

Still taking a moment to clean myself off, I kept my eyes out deeper in. I heard some men groaning and I saw others who were just laying around. The blast must have been fatal that close. Thank god I didn't push in sooner.

"Commander!" I heard a man shout.

Looking towards the area where most of the main pressure pipes were located, I saw one of my Black Ops troopers waving to me. Quickly I asked.

"What?!"

With his black helmet looking towards his side, he replied.

"Your gonna want to see this?!"

Looking to my team leader, he nodded and took the lead. As I followed him I soon saw blood hiding behind the pipes. I grew curious as we came up to the man who called me over. As I came around to his side, I stopped in my tracks to widen my eyes at what rested on the floor.

"Akkk! Akk! Ahhhhh...?"

Vector sat there. Blood gushed out from his mouth and stomach. A large portion of the pipe next to him was lodged in his lower intestines. As he stared at the ground coughing; I noticed in his hand was a syringe.

"Vector?" I said in confusion as he slowly looked up at me.

"Linn...Akkkk! Akk! Linnen...?"

His voice was fading. It was clear the only reason he was alive was because of the Viper Venom. His eyes were red. He only had a few minutes left, if that, before he died.

Gripping my magnum, I asked.

"What were you thinking? Helping Black do this to me?"

With blood rolling down his chin he replied.

"I was just following what I believed in sir."

"The Rebellion? Or Black?"

Looking towards my feet he replied.

"A little of both I'm afraid. Akkk! Akkk! Ughhhhh!"

Slowly my whole team gathered around as I got down to look at him directly.

"I never had a problem with you Vector. You know you could have just stayed after that incident with Leo and Black right?"

Nodding he replied.

"You trained us to follow our leader. I couldn't...! akkk! I couldn't...leave Black. It just wasn't in my nature sir. I never had a problem with G.U.N just so you know."

"I know." I replied with a low tone as he was lowering his head more and more.

"Vector?" I muttered.

Gently he looked back up.

"Where did he go? Where is Black?"

Vector began to stare at me in silence.

"Help me Vector." I begged of him as he began to breathe slower.

"I'm sorry sir. But...but I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" I wondered in loss for words as he quickly replied.

"I could never betray him like this. Even on my deathbed."

Nodding I slowly stood back up. Vector followed my eyes as I stated.

"You always were a good soldier. I admire your loyalty to him. But I'm sorry to say I will find him."

Giving me a slow single nod Vector replied.

"Sooner or later yes. What happens then is no matter to me now. I'm sorry things went the way they did Commander."

With my men now ready for the final moment I replied with a raise of my gun.

"I'm sorry too Vector."

With Vector giving me a smile, I pointed the gun at his head.

"You'll be remembered."

"BANG!"

The round sent his head back into the pipe he leaned against. Blood splashed it and the floor behind it as my men all looked to me for what to do next. Letting my gun lower I ordered.

"Get a clean up crew on site and get the wounded back to the Capital."

"Yes sir." Replied my team leader as I now looked directly at him to add.

"I want you and your men to find out where Black went to with the rest of those rebels. I need Voltz back."

Nodding he replied.

"They had to have gone into one of the nearby pipelines."

"Do what you have too but do it now. Every second we let pass the further they get to getting their leader back in Iraq."

"Yes sir." He replied as I began to head for the exit.

I came here in nothing but blind rage. Now after Vector...I honestly don't know how to feel. He was loyal and a good man. But regardless I need to get my hands on Black. Black is the traitor here and I'll be damned if he fucks over any more good men for his stupid vendetta against me.

Walking back outside to my mess of an army, I got back in a Humvee and waited for the drive back.

I had faith in my team. They would find Black soon and Voltz would be recaptured shortly. That I have faith in after today.

Black's POV, Pipeline, Ten Minutes Later.

With the pace we were at we would be out of this hell shortly. Looking to my watch I saw we didn't have long left till we were on our own. The chopper would be at the canyon in a few minutes. We had to be there now.

With Wreak and Misty still guiding an out cold Raptor through the pipe, I looked to Archer who now seemed to be worried for me. His eyes looked me over as my G.U.N comm went off.

"Echo 7-4 to all Gen Sec teams. The rebels are heading to the canyon outside the border perimeter via the main sewage pipeline leading out of Corvega. Expect an armed response from them. You are clear to engage but be warned. Commander of the Iraq Rebellion Raptor Voltz is in their possession. Bring him back in alive. Linnen's orders."

Everyone looked back to me as I urged.

"We need to start running. Gen Sec will be at the canyon soon now. We can still get away."

"Will they shoot us down?" Wondered Misty as Wreak shook his head to reply.

"Linnen still wants Raptor back safely. We get in the chopper and they won't take the risk. We can still beat this."

"Run." I ordered them all as I now took the lead. I wanted to get the hell out of here as soon as possible.

Not getting more then a few feet ahead, I stopped instantly as the G.U.N comm went off again with a scary voice.

"Gen Sec is ordered to stand down under Commander Linnen's authority. Phantom Echelon will take control of the recapture of Raptor Voltz and the elimination of all rebels."

My heart instantly sank as I knew that voice and who was it's wielder. I didn't know he was in Pakistan. Last I heard him and his team was in Syria dealing with the Rebellion there. He must have ended it.

"Who's that Black?" Asked Wreak in worry as I continued to listen to the G.U.N comm. Coming into the picture next was Linnen himself.

"Don't kill Voltz Major." He ordered him as I looked to Raptor who was hanging over Wreak's shoulder.

"Roger that Commander. My team and I are already at the canyon. I'll make sure to bring him back alive."

With everyone still scared of what made me stop exactly in my tracks. I felt only fear as Linnen then urged.

"Captain Rose is among the rebels. Make sure you deal with him Major."

Archer slowly came to my front as he replied back to Linnen.

"He's not an issue Commander. I'll make sure he's dealt with accordingly."

The comm went silent as it was clear to me now that I was going to die. My mind was still lost by the fact that he was even here.

"Who is that?" Asked Archer now as I looked to them to reply.

"A fucking nightmare."

Misty instantly showed fear herself as Wreak questioned.

"What are you talking about? Who is he?"

"A rumor. A myth. A telltale if you wana get fairytale about it. I didn't know he was in Pakistan now."

"Who is he?!" Asked Archer in anger as I looked at him directly to reply.

"Major Gorgon Zetes."

"Never heard of him." Stated Archer as he didn't understand the magnitude of the problem we had now.

"Gorgon is a fucking monster compared to me. This man is a pure breed User like myself. Only difference is; he is Viper Venom. A genetic mutation of it's very genome. His team is ten times tougher then any black ops trooper and they're all legends by G.U.N standards. My team was always second class compared to his. Last I heard he was in Syria dealing with the Rebellion over there."

"They only sent them?" Questioned Misty as I nodded.

"That's all you need. Gorgon has a combat record like god's own bible. We're dead now that he's here."

Pushing me Archer questioned.

"What kind of fucking talk is that!? You act so fucking big and this guy scares you!?"

"You don't understand." I replied with direct eyes as he pushed by me to shout.

"Fuck you! We'll kill him like we do any other person who fights against us! Come on Wreak!"

Wreak looked to me in disbelief of my fear, but we had no other choice but to follow onward. It was useless now. Gorgon wouldn't let us on that chopper.

My legs wanted to refuse to keep going, but I knew there was nothing else left that mattered. Thank god Vector isn't here to see this.

Ten Minutes Later.

Light could be seen at the end of the tunnel. I don't know if I was dead yet but I hoped. This was going to be bad.

As I walked out of the pipe behind everyone else, I looked around to see not a sign of Gorgon or his team. It was strange because I knew some of the men on his team. Usually Jagger was stalking around somewhere. But it seemed clear. They had to be waiting up top.

"Where are they?" Asked Archer as he looked back to me.

"Up there I'm willing to bet. Waiting for us."

Misty was scared. It was clear I was the reason she was worried. I do act tough and I am tough myself, but compared to these men I'm nothing. Wreak just seemed really curious, and Archer seemed eager to die. I hope they know what their getting into.

"So their waiting for us." Stated Archer as I nodded.

Chuckling like it was a joke he replied.

"Fuck this. Get Raptor up that cliff Wreak; and Misty you cover him. I'll handle these guys."

"You're going to die." I told him with a sure tone as he quickly walked off for the ropes to reply.

"Fuck you Black! If you don't wana get left behind get your ass up there as well! I'm not waiting for you!"

Letting out a growl as Wreak looked to me, he asked.

"Are they really that bad?"

Looking into his eyes I replied.

"Their worse then any enemy you could ever hope to fight. Trust me. Archer goes up there with that attitude he will get hurt."

Looking back up the cliff, Wreak replied.

"Our chopper is up there. We don't have a choice."

Nodding I replied.

"Seems that way. Let's go."

Following me to the ropes, I forced myself to get linked up and begin climbing. Archer was nearing the top soon enough. With him in full speed I knew I had to hurry. Looking to my watch as I neared him at the top, I saw the chopper would be here any minute. I had half a mind to call it off. No need for anyone else to die.

A few feet under Archer, I watched as he quickly climbed the rest of the way up. Soon leaping over the ledge and out of my view I knew I had to take my chances. Using my speed, I pulled myself up as fast as possible. The second I got back on my feet I looked forward to see what I feared. Archer stood front and center as we were being stared down like hawks.

Looking towards the hedgehog in the center who smiled as he saw me, I listened with a shut mouth as he said.

"Rose. Funny seeing you here."

Instantly I gulped to his dark voice as Wreak and Misty made it to the top behind us with Raptor held tightly together.

Wreak's POV.

Getting to the top with Misty and Raptor, I panicked and looked around to see Black and Archer stopped in their tracks no more then a few feet away. What stopped them was the issue now. With eyes now on us, I looked around carefully. It was clear Black was right to be scared.

Two black Humvee sat parked in front of us with six men to be weary of. Each spread out like they were their own maker. From left to right I looked at each to see the trouble we were in.

"Black?" I said as he was clearly struck silent by the men.

Black's POV.

They were all here. And none of them looked at all fazed by my presence. In fact they all smiled and stared at me.

Looking to my left, I counted the issues. Or better put, I counted the myths who stood before me.

Jagger.

A full fledged dark green snake with a pair of yellow eyes that I swear could see past any man's soul. He wore half a desert gillie suit from the torso down. With a pair of black combat cargo pants. Along his gillie he had strapped some of his best shots. Shell casings marked each of his best kills. With a brown bandana tucked under his ballistic vest and his Desert Eagle under his belt, I looked to his rifle which he had resting along the Humvee as he stared back. A long and fully tricked out AWM counter-terrorism sniper rifle. That gun had more kills then the last two Middle Eastern wars combined.

Licking his lips as he smiled at me, I recalled what I knew of him.

Officially he was the declared the best sniper in G.U.N history. Unofficially, he's the man who single handily protected Hecan Moore during a press conference in Chile. Story goes he killed over fourteen assassins that day. Five who were mixed in with a crowd of over four thousand people, and nine more who attempted to play as security during the evacuation afterwords. Hecan owes his life to Jagger and Jagger was in return granted a medal of honor and for a time played as Hecan's own assassin. His biggest kill was knocking off King Gorge of England a few years back during a speech. Ever since then G.U.N took control of the land and gave Jagger Black Ops status and assigned him to become a user. Ever since he has claimed over seven hundred rebel lives. He alone could topple the states.

Looking to his right to the driver side of the first Humvee, I now stared at the man who sat over the edge of the seat with his custom M4 hanging over the door.

His name was Tusk.

A fully stable and fully functional; dark red furred Echidna. His appearance much resembled my own when I was wearing the uniform. A black pair of combat cargos and desert brown tee under thick black combat ballistic vest. Along his right arm was a large bowie knife and on his leg was three colored hankies. One red, one green, and one burned up black. The story behind that was much like a tale from the book of old.

Tusk is G.U.N's best combat technician and engineer. Placed in charged of the science division early on his career; Tusk made the world's first non-explosive nuke. He had help of course, but that's not what made him famous by G.U.N standards. A non-explosive nuke is designed to not deal physical damage to the environment. In fact from what I know of the project, the bomb was a mix of direct radiation and toxic biochemicals. The point of it was to kill without making a mess. As for Tusk, he made the thing and was declared a war time hero for deploying it in China. G.U.N fought for years to make this happen, and it turns out when the nuke went off the people of the country were convinced their own government caused it. No evidence was ever found and a nuclear plant was framed as the cause for the deadly event killing over three million people. After such an event G.U.N acted as a relief effort and eventually took control of the government there. Now China and all it's business is own by them. It was a genius plan, and Tusk is still an unknown genocidal killer. For being as smart as he is he's a fucking demon when talked to. Some say he could kill you with just one thought. Hinting at the silent nuke he made a reality.

With my eyes running to the end of the first Humvee I now looked at G.U.N best assassin alongside Jagger. Her name was Ruby. But if you heard the stories you called her the red death. For a semi built light blue hedgehog, she was the first woman allowed to join the Black Ops team. From there she was given a mission which was considered suicidal by G.U.N command. Or more so considered a false hope. The mission was to invade the Russian homeland and eliminate it's government figure known as Putin. This was declared a war not so long before this one I found myself in. G.U.N wanted Russia so they sent Ruby and her team to kill Putin. I don't know the details but I know her team died early on and she managed to kill Putin in his own home after sweet talking her way by the guards on duty. Dressed as one of Putin's own maids, she slit him in bed and slipped out unnoticed. The guards found him early in the morning and by then G.U.N was invading. Without leadership the government folded and they took over in record time. Hecan then assigned her to the Users once a bounty came out for her head. Ever since then no one has been able to find her. Unlucky for me she always liked me. I have a feeling she'll slit my neck if I get close enough.

With her two custom red M9's resting on her legs as she sat over the back of the Humvee, I looked past her and Gorgon to rest my eyes on a dark yellow wolf. His claws were sharper then razors and as he stood alongside the other Humvee he nodded at me and showed his M1014 shotgun and his extended 44. magnum. His name was Blitz. Now seeing that he was not in his main combat gear got me wondering where it all was.

Blitz is G.U.N's best CQB specialist. He won countless awards for his bravery and comradely. He's mainly a defensive man. Dressed normally in a full bomb suit and frontal assault helmet, Blitz was basically considered a fortress on legs. But his shotgun wasn't his strong suit. Normally along with that gear he had his pride and joy ballistic shield with him. It had to be in the Humvee. The shield itself was impossible to break and it provided him and his team full cover while standing. I'm pretty sure ever since joining the Users Blitz was never injured in combat. Not even a scratch has ever touched him. He alone was a near impossible enemy to combat against.

Lastly besides Gorgon himself was Gorgon's second in command Scrotus.

Scrotus is G.U.N's best combat planner and coordinator. He lead the final assault on North Korea and had a hand in killing Kim Jun Un. No one thought it was possible to get inside North Korea, but Scrotus found a way. Hecan Moore gave him the rank of General, but he declined claiming he wanted to remain a Captain and stay in the open field. After that Hecan sent him on to Users training and he now works for Gorgon. Gorgon stared at me as I slowly gulped and looked back him.

Gorgon himself is a nasty piece of work. A dark black hedgehog much like myself. Hazel eyes and a body to match god's best warrior. Gorgon is considered G.U.N's best soldier. He has never failed a mission. He has never been injured. He has never lost a comrade while on active duty. He has ended over four rebellion wars himself and has taken over countries for G.U.N such as Australia, Japan, local Pakistan and Afghanistan before Shadow Robotnik got into the picture, and he has himself saw to the end of each government leader himself. Hecan claims him to be the voice and the brawn behind G.U.N and without a doubt trust him beyond any shadow. Gorgon is head of the Users and in charge of all Ops. He is Viper Venom. Meaning he was the first to be exposed to it on a genetic level. As such would go he is a super soldier. Stronger, faster, harder to kill, and smarter then almost any man on this planet. The worst part is he has no drawbacks. He's considered to be perfect. The perfect monster. When he is sent after someone, he will see to their personal end. In this case, it's mine.

With his custom M9 on his hip and his very own personal UMP 45 on his back. Gorgon looked me over to ask.

"How long has it been...Black?"

That is it for this chapter. Sorry it's on late. I'm getting sick. I'll do my best to have the next one on soon. Please review and let me know what you think. Thank you all again.

mT Shadow.