Chapter 10: Backstory 101

Leaning my body against Sakidos much larger frame, I felt her drape her arms across my body as she pulled me closer to her. We were currently sitting at the back of the BTR as it drove onwards, and I took this chance to relax with my beloved for once, instead of simply being near her. The tree canopy above us provided broken shading, but also caused a haze like twilight beneath the branches of the forest around us. The growl of the BTR beneath us brought gave me a comforting feeling, along with the feel of Sakidos arms around me and the feeling of her breathing was starting to lull me to sleep.

At this point, I felt her pull me up against her even tighter, and I felt my fur bristle as I felt every curve to her body. I could hear her humming thoughtfully as she lowered her muzzle closer to my ears, before I felt her kiss me very gently between said ears. As I leaned into her hold, I felt heat flooding my body. But it was with an unexpected question that she asked mentally. 'Jonathon and you are friends, with a long past from what I have pieced together. I wish to know of your past... along with how you have become to be as skilled as you are now.'

Chuckling a bit as I reached a hand up, I caressed the side of her muzzle as I responded the same way, with a question of my own. My beautiful demoness, you should know I'm skilled in many ways, but which skill is it you are interested in?'

While we sat there, I felt her move a bit until her muzzle entered my sight, and she was grinning as well. Her muzzle moved closer until she gave me a soft kiss, 'How would you show me, my dear median man?'

Grinning as I felt her slowly pull her muzzle away from the side of my muzzle, I slid my hand away from hers and set it atop of her hand. Simple really. Remember how you were able to show me what you saw through your eyes? I will simply do that, but with my memories.

I wasn't sure if it would work exactly how I hoped it would, but with how Sakido and I shared not only the others feelings, emotions, sights, and touches, but our dreams as well, I could only assume memories would work the same way; they were essentially thoughts of past experiences. Lowering my hand from the top of her own, I could hear her snort in what I hoped was amusement, though she seemed to humor me as she whispered softly, "If that is so, then let us see you do it... perhaps I can learn how you came to be a skillful hunter without making any sound."

A skillful silent hunter, huh? Letting a soft chuckle leave my throat, I shrugged my shoulders as best I could in my current positon, before leaning further back against her. Well, your wish is my command. And I know just the memory to show you...

~Three Years Ago~

~Flashback~

Location: Classified

Time: 1745 Local Time

Looking up towards the canopy far above, I saw sunlight drifting in through broken patches, twinkling in the twilight world that I was currently stalking in, feeling the thrill of the natural beauty around me take hold. The wind blew softly through the forest, the air felt hot, and the sound of wildlife and the forest living and breathing around me drowning out the sound of my steps. I brought my gaze back down to the forest floor, looking around to make sure I didn't step on any patches of foliage that would give me away or any hidden traps that would wound me. From the corner of my eye, I saw a patch of foliage keeping pace, a long rifle hidden beneath bright and dark green stalks of grass and leaves keeping the barrel and scope hidden even to my trained eye.

Turning and looking towards where I knew the road would be, however many miles away, I looked around, keeping low yet moving quick and nimble as I looked for anything unnatural in the forest. The terrain was ideal for ambushes or even hidden surveillance equipment, all of which my commander and I were sure of was hidden somewhere in the forest, with the chances becoming increasingly more plausible the closer to our destination we got. The trees were ideal for camera's to be hidden, as they not only would give the watcher a birds eye view of the surrounding area in an overlapping pattern, but they were also were easier to hide.

My stalk was brought to a halt as the other patch of moving fauna ceased its forward approach, the top of it rotating away from me as the headset I was wearing crackled to life, "Elexion, stationary hidden camera located up high, mid branch extending towards us, facing away. Take it out to draw attention away from our sector."

Dropping to my knee silently as I rotated to face my target, I brought my rifle up to my shoulder and brought the scope up to my eye, keeping an eye on the tree branches as I searched for the camera my commander had mentioned. I glanced from branch to branch, scanning each one for a camera, before I saw the sunlight glint off a reflective object further down the forest; approximately forty meters from my position. Bringing my rifles scope to my eye, I kept both eyes open, watching with my left eye as my right eye looked through the scope. Bringing my rifle into proper visual of the camera, I saw it up close now, the tops of it hidden with fuax leaves that concealed the camera, painted brown and green in a hidden manner that served well for base protection. The lense was rotating towards our sector, yet as I lined up my rifles scope, I took in a deep breath, quietly whispering into my mic, "Roger, taking shot now..."

Letting my breath out, I rubbed the trigger, gently pulling it towards me to keep the shot accurate, before feeling my heart beat firmly in my chest. When the feeling left me, I pulled the trigger, feeling my rifle jerk against my shoulder as a quiet 'snick' left my rifle, and the scope rose a bit. Yet as I resighted on the target quickly, I was welcomed by the sight of the camera sparking as a hole passes cleanly through it, a thin trail of smoke rising from the twisted metal, and I whispered once again, "Target eliminated. Orders?"

Lowering my rifle and looking amongst the closest treetops, I heard a pair of whispered bullets sound out, and the sound of wood being struck further down the forest reached my ears. The sound of my commanders mic activating crackled in my ear, before he said quietly, "Follow quickly, keep low and move quietly."

Lowering my rifle to my chest as I turned towards my commander, I rushed after him as quick as I dared, keeping a few meters from him as I rushed from tree to tree, keeping my feet light and my eyes open. My Ghillie would keep me hidden, the leaves, grass, and vines blending in seamlessly with the forest around me, my lithe frame being able to keep the appearance of foliage when I remained motionless.

"Stop and blend!"

Reacting purely on instinct and training, I stopped my movement and dropped to my knees as I pressed my side against the nearest tree, lowering my rifle to my knees and towards the ground, yet in the remaining in the at-ready posture. Almost as soon as I did so, a group of heavily armed and armored men ran through the forest, their weapons raised as they stormed pass. Their faces were hidden beneath full battle plate armor; they would survive a hit to the face, but they would be stunned. These men were part of a specialized mercenary team that had been hired by an unknown benefactor, their operations having begun to threaten my countries interest and allies.

"Move quickly, time for infiltration."

Bursting into movement as soon as the order was given, I kept silent, knowing all it would take was a single source of sound and that man behind me would know of my presence. My objective to move cautiously was overruled by the urgency to get into the base, extract the intelligence the higher ups needed, and then get out. The side objectives of destroying the fuel depos and vehicles was secondary, as well as destroying any essential equipment to this bases functionality came last.

Coming to an incline that fell twenty feet along a narrow path, I stopped on the incline and got my first look at the target location as my commander looked both ways, before he turned to me and spoke, "Elexion, determine the best possible route down and into the base."

Nodding my head, I dropped to a knee as I brought my rifle down in front of me, looking over the base and at its defenses. The trees were sparse inside the base, yet outside it the only clear location was a few meters around the road leading to the gate, with four metal towers placed at each corner of the base. The base of the walls appeared to be solid metal, the top halves being basic fence, the top most being laced with barbed wire that ran around the entire perimeter, the watchtowers having the same setup around the walkways. In each watch tower stood a single man, their attention roving around the forest in a way that suggested lack of discipline. From our vantage point, I saw a clear route into the base, seeing a loading area that had crates lined up in a way that would allow for us to quickly reach and hide within. From there we would be able to make our way to the building that had its main doors open, displaying a warehouse on the inside, devoid of any guards or workers. From there it would be easy access to run and get to any building with whatever means we needed. There were no patrols outside, the largest building being four stories tall yet short and stout, the top of it covered in netting that looked similar to the forest canopy; obviously meant as camouflage from any satellites or passing recon planes. The netting stretched out to the lighting poles that were set up nearby, the tops holding the netting down low to keep it tight and the building and open ground concealed.

Our route would be protected, the netting concealing many of the taller windows in thick layers of fuax foliage that would keep our approach safe, yet we would need to watch our back closely once inside. Turning and looking towards my commander, I spoke quickly, clearly, and quietly, "If we slide down this hill, rush towards the wall, make our way into the compound and to the warehouse, and then to any of the buildings that will possibly have intel. When in the warehouse, charges can be placed to destroy the depo to complete secondary objective, or as a means of distraction."

He looked towards the compound, and beneath his mask I could see his eyes darting around the path I laid out, before he nodded and he said firmly, "We take your path, yet we deviate afterwards. You take the warehouse and plant explosives; I will head to the Compounds main structure. If it seems possible, neutralize the surveillance crew, destroy the equipment, and continue the mission." His rifle was tucked close to his chest, it being held there in one hand as he jumped off the incline and onto the slope, his other hand running across the side as he slid down to keep himself stable. I turned and looked back towards the forest, keeping his approach protected, before I heard my mic activate again, "Your plan runs smoother than my own, congratulations."

His gruff voice approved of my decision to our approach, and I felt a bit of pride swell in my chest as I looked over the hilltop to see him reach the bottom. I looked back at the forest one last time, before I quickly turned around and jumped over the side, following in my CO's path and quickly descending. I saw him kneeling at the bottom, rifle held in front of him as he scanned the surrounding area.

Once I hit the ground, he took off, and I pushed off the incline and followed after him, keeping my rifle ready as I watched the towers, anticipating the watchman to look towards us. My commander would watch the main road, I watched up high, and I would keep us safe. The run was easy, the many trees outside the wall keeping our approach concealed, and as we reached the walls, we quickly ran alongside them. I looked back the way we came, keeping an eye on what little of the forest tree line above that I can see as we ran alongside the metal wall. I heard only the distant sound of animals from the forest, and the sound of electricity running from over the walls.

Slowing my pace as we approached the gates, we both stopped as he looked in, and as he did, I watched the road. While I kept an eye, he dashed through the gates and towards the shipping containers that were a mere twelve feet from the entranceway. Once he reached the safety of the containers, I glanced around once more, before looking through the gates and into the compound. I saw not a soul, so I ran as quickly as I could, slowing my pace only once I was beside him and he said, "Good work son, take care of secondary, and I will complete the primary. Keep off the radio for now, we will meet back here."

Giving a nod, I made my way past him and into the shadows of the container, peeking around the corner as I looked around, seeing nothing but boxes stacked haphazardly around the unloading area, with the only sound coming from inside in the form of grunts, and verbal curses that alerted me of the frustrations coming from within. Quickly and quietly I made my way inside and towards the buildings side and in the shadows, looking around quickly and seeing no cameras located within the building, though it wouldn't have mattered as many of the windows were covered with boxes that were stacked high and blocking the sunlight from streaming in. Yet as I made my way further into the building, I carefully made my way around the poorly stacked pallets, keeping a close eye on every pathway as I went, approaching the sound of curses that rang out.

Reaching the end of the boxes that were stacked around me, I saw a big burly man was standing next to a pallet that had its contents spilled over. The ground was covered in expensive looking equipment, many of the devices with screens cracked or cases shattered, with a few that were broken clean in half. Raising my rifle with the intention of silencing this enemy, I was pulling the trigger as I aimed at the back of his head, before a voice shouted into the warehouse, "Oiy, Olaf! Get your ass out here and clear this unloading bay! We got new weapon shipments arriving!"

Keeping the man in my sight as he shot his head towards the entranceway, I kept myself hidden in the shadows as he shouted, "Yer hands work!"

Weapon shipments, I will need to make sure I get those destroyed as well. Two charges to the warehouse... place one with the primary stashes, and then the second on the new arrival. For now I will place them on the power and barracks, take out two objectives. The motor pool seems to be empty however.

Ducking into the shadows and creeping my way deeper into the warehouse, I stopped two thirds to the back and stepped into the middle isle behind a group of pallets. I kneeled onto the ground and set my rifle against the pallet, before reaching under my Ghillie suit and onto my back and opened the side zipper to my sack, before pulling out a C4 charge and setting it for remote detonation. I pulled the remote out afterwards, placing in on a part of my chest as I stood up, and placed the charge atop the pallet and pushed it back to keep it hidden.

Grabbing my rifle and making my way towards the backdoor, I ignored the shouting match that was going on, before making my way out of the back door and towards the back of the next building. It stood up off the ground by a meter, overgrown grass underneath the structure keeping the floorboards hidden. The top of the building was bristling with antennae's, and the back of it had an electrical box that I knew supplied this compound with its power; taking out this would destroy surveillance, power, and the comms. I rushed towards it, quickly going prone and crawling under it as the sound of floorboards creaked above me, and the door opened up, before the sound of footsteps walking on the metal walkway that led to the ground reached my ears. Crawling under the building as quick as I could, I reached into the sack again and pulled out another charge and placed it onto the underside of the building, and then moved onwards.

Charge one, three, four, and five will be set within next few moments, time to move onto the barracks.

Placing my rifle in my arms and moving towards the outside edge of the building, I heard the sound of the door on this side of the building open up. The sound of muted speech from inside reached my ears, yet as I stopped at the edge of the undergrowth, I heard the sound of a click and heavy footfalls on the floor above me. I pushed myself sideways along the building, stopping just as the metal grating of the electrical box area came into view. Reaching into my pack once again, I brought out another charge and then placed it against the cage, pressing it against the cage to help the charge mold with the grating as I primed it for remote detonation.

Once I was finished, I pushed myself away, letting the charge hold firm by itself as I turned and made my way toward the edge of the building. I kept my weapon cradled in my arms, its weight and shape the only comfort in this hostile compound. Upon reaching the edge of the building, I saw a small convoy of trucks pull into motor pool, crates and assorted boxes piled in the backs of them.

With a new objective right in front of me, I made my way out from under the building I was currently in as all those within the vehicles got out and were preoccupied out of view. I quickly made my way towards the back of the building they were parked in front of, intent on dropping a charge with their fuel; the explosion would act as the catalyst for destroying what fuel they currently have. As I reached the back of the building, I quickly swapped my firearms for something with much more mobility that a large rifle; namely my sidearm. With my pistol out, I unsheathed my blade and quickly made myself scarce to any passing eyes, looking for what would most likely be a fuel tank or a hatch to an underground storage tank. I crept along the edge of the building, my eyes open and ears listening.

When I reached the edge of the building, the sound of diesel engines starting up reached my ears, and I used my blades reflective edge to peek around the building. I didn't see much, but that was good, as the crates that had been stocked in the trucks were now instead piled between me and those beyond the trucks. I kept a close eye on my knife's edge as the first truck backed away from the crates. It drove off, and was soon followed by a second, a third, and finally the forth truck.

Move in and execute.

Surging around the corner quickly and quietly, I brought my knife low to the ground, as well as my body and my firearm. I would need to account for the barrel of my rifle, yet as I moved, I saw just what I was looking for, the external fuel tank. I wouldn't be able to destroy the vehicles, yet as I moved my knife into its sheath and my firearm into my free hand, I reached into my pack and pulled out another charge and quickly prepped it just like the others. I glanced around my location, making absolutely sure nobody saw me as I slid the surprise gift under the tank, and pushed it back enough so that it wouldn't be accidently stumbled across.

Pulling away from the tank, I looked around, before quickly ducking back around the building and backtracking towards the comms building. There were no other obvious structures between here and my next and last objective, along with no real cover; I needed to neutralize the personnel in the comms station if I wanted to reach the barracks without a hitch.

Keeping an eye on the tower I was moving towards, I remained motionless as the guard walked to the outer corner of the structure closest to me, keeping perfectly still despite the fact he was currently using what I could assume as a cell. He remained standing there for a few minutes, before he turned and walked back out of view, and that was when I peeked around the corner and looked for any possible hostiles. I didn't see any, so I bolted for the building, quickly switching my pistol to my primary hand. As I maneuvered around the railing to the stairs, I stepped up all three at once and quickly pushed my shoulder to the door as I grabbed the lever and pushed it down.

The door was unlocked as I pushed it open, my pistol lifting and sighting on the first man that I spotted, though I refrained from shooting as I moved in and closed the door behind me, looking to the side quickly to ensure there weren't any additional hostiles. Only a wall greeted me, and I looked back forward just as a muffled voice spoke from around the corner, "Connect radio with the outbound search team and-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off, his eyes having landed on me as he walked into the room, as well as a shell being shot between his eyes and then two into his chest. The only sound between the slight rustle in my attire and the soft tinkling noise of shells hitting the ground at my feet was the thud of the man's body against the ground, before a trio of shots quickly ended the other man's life with nary a whisper.

Moving forward, I quickly yanked the man's corpse from atop the console and moved into the other room, seeing nothing more than what looked like a small service room. With no additional hostiles within the building, I quickly moved back into the other room and locked the outer door I had just came into, before moving towards the other, looking towards the monitors that I could see. There weren't nearly enough for the entire base to be secured and observed from this little room, eight monitors being all that resided against this wall, with one of them blackened, and another filled with static. Four others had screens around the forest, with the last two looking over the main road of the compound from two separate directions; bringing a chill to run right down my back.

They weren't doing their job, else they would've seen our entry, and the whole base would've been on alert...

Just as I was about to turn away, I saw a shadow twitch, before a figure clad in Ghuili Cameo burst onto the camera and ran behind the cargo containers I had been at. I already knew who it was, and what it signified. Despite lacking the last secondary target being set for sabatoge, I knew it would be riskier to make my commander wait and potentially risk our mission than to finish with a full one-hundred percent completion.

Double checking that the coast was clear VIA the limited camera space I had in this room, I lifted up my sidearm and fired a shell into each screen, before quickly changing clips; slipping the two-bullet remaining clip into a pocket as I made my way to the door. Moving to the door, I slipped out and quickly closed the door behind me with only a soft 'snick' of sound from the latch. I vaulted over the railing and then ran as quickly as I could towards the warehouse side entrance, and then slipping inside. I reached into my sack and produced my second to last charge and prepped it, making my way towards the front of the warehouse.

Upon reaching the front of the warehouse, I found myself looking at boxes stacked as high as I was tall, with agitated growls of what I knew as anger from the other side. I slipped the bomb between a few crates and moved slowly, careful of making no sound as I inched towards front entrance that I had originally made my way in through.

Outside was when I chose to move quicker, easily slipping around the cargo containers until I came upon my commander, his head twisting to face me as well as his own sidearm. He lowered his weapon as soon as he saw it was me, and he nodded as he asked, "Objectives complete?"

"All except barracks sir. Complications arose in a communication building, two downed hostiles, only managed to lock southern door."

His head turned towards the road, before he cursed beneath his breath. I felt a bit of shame before he said, "Don't worry, intel suggests the main force isn't even here anyways. We move now, as soon as we leave this compound, you blow them charges."

Placing my pistol back in its holster, I retrieved my rifle from my back while also pulling the detonator out of my pack, activating it and letting the signal reach out. I flicked the switch and lifted the safety, a bright red light shining once it was armed and ready for use. Yet I looked back up when my commander chuckled, before he looked back at me and said, "Elexion, you know why we wait until we leave to detonate the charges, correct?"

"Yes, sir. The distraction lets us get away unnoticed." I answered immediately, genuinely curious as to why he would ask a question that simple.

That is, until he finished, "That may be true from the logistical standpoint... I like it to see the fireworks... let's go."

As soon as he took off, I followed right behind him, my finger squeezing the lever as soon as five feet separated me from the compounds walls. The blast I felt shook me to the very core, yet it was the secondary series of explosions that stretched my commanders and my shadows out in front of us...

~End Flashback~

Grinning like a fool as the memory dragged on a bit more, I tilted my head to the side a bit and gazed up at Sakido, seeing her eyes twinkling as she herself most likely went through the memory some more herself. I wouldn't be too surprised, as Medius was new to her, so everything that was from my world would most likely be just as new to her as well, though with nothing to really show her as I had only came with what I had during my last mission.

Bringing my gaze down and towards the front of the BTR, I found myself looking towards one of my few true friends; one of those rare few individuals you can trust to help you out of any situation with only a brief explanation. Possibly my best friend in fact, and as I looked towards him, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind. He was looking towards the sky as he reclined against the turret, and I noted the notebook I had seen him write in before was clutched in his hand; a pen sticking out from one of the many pages. There were no intricate designs or cover image that could depict what he wrote in the book, rather it was just something he seemed to carry around with him now.

When I felt a muzzle brush against my ear, I felt Sakidos hold around me tighten considerably, her lips pressing against the side of my head. 'I remember a similar explosion when we you had destroyed the rebels... helicopter? Were you always so destructive?'

I felt a chuckle rumble from my throat as I leaned into Sakido's hold, her arms and wings draped or draping across my shoulders as I thought about her question. Sure I had been allowed to use the occasional small blast ordinance or precision-discharged explosives, yet true destruction hadn't been in the job profile or what was expected.

A sniper such as myself is to remain unseen and far from the actual combat that most ground troops are subjected to, and my main role is to act as a covert operative, or in most cases, far range tactical support for squads operating in the field. My tasks normally didn't rate me to cause such large explosions or remain in the open quite as much as you have witnessed, yet I still hold onto most of my training. When we first met, I had been trailed by something in the woods, and that was why I was injured during our initial meeting. When we went to visit that first small town, I had you wait for me from the cover of the forest, and I covered my tracks leading into the forest, that was all training as well. When we assaulted the rebel's stronghold, I would've proceeded differently if I hadn't been running extremely low on sniper ammunition.

Sakido's breath raced past my ears as she let out a clipped laugh, before she said a bit too breathily for comfort in my ear, "Lair." I felt my ear instinctively pin against my head as she turned away, the feeling of wind blowing into my ear proving to be a new and extremely uncomfortable sensation. I brought a hand up and held my ear, that part of my head immediately feeling extremely sensitive. While I was preoccupied with dealing with the fallout of Sakido's action, I failed to notice what she was doing until she spoke louder, "Jonathon, I have a question, if you do not mind answering."

When I looked up, I noticed Jonathon now looking towards us, his head bobbing down and then back up in a brief nod. "When you fought alongside Eric... did he make a lot of explosions?"

Jonathon's expression went blank, and I watched with mounting shame as he went from confused to a bright smile, all in the blink of an eye. His eyes danced between Sakido and I, before he turned his body enough that he was generally facing us, his head shaking as he chuckled softly, "Did Eric make a lot of explosions? I can't remember a mission when I was with him and there wasn't an explosion of some kind!" His eyes landed on my own, his wide smile showing all his teeth as he laughed again. Even though it was at my own expense, seeing my friend laugh like that brought back plenty of pleasant memories that I unknowingly shared with my beloved mate. "We both took Special Forces training, and while we both passed and became Special Forces, Eric here earned sniper qualification due to his exceptional use in long range weaponry and superior stealth. I was placed more in the general use field, as I am proficient in close quarters combat scenarios compared to Eric." His eyes shot back up towards Sakido's as he added, "Snipers are silent killers generally... Eric however..." His head lowered as he shook it, "he likes to make things go boom."

Amusement spread like a wildfire through mine and Sakido's mental link, and without even hearing her inquiry – internal or external – memories of past explosions rippled across my mental eye unbidden. A building erupting in a ball of flames, a column of vehicles creating a series of explosions from afar, the most recent memory of a weapons warehouse creating a rippling shockwave of energy and fire that cast long shadows, and down to my most recent fiasco including C4 in a Russian troop transport Helo. Needless to say, Sakido and I had a lot on our minds respectively.

Turning my attention towards Jonathon as I attempted a half-hearted glower, I smiled despite myself and said indignantly, "You make it sound like all I do is make things go boom... and why do you make it sound so simple? Boom..."

We shared smiles, before he asked, "Do you recall when we had went to that forest down in South America, deep in the mountains in Peru?" The memory did flash to the forefront of my mind, so I nodded, "Well, if I recall, you made sure to plant explosives on the fuel tankers as they drove by. What did you do after they reached the fueling depot?"

...

"I made them go boom." I said softly, fighting back laughter as the memory of that inferno played through my memories. The intense heat from over two miles away, the deep red and bright yellow of the flames, and the deep dark black mushroom cloud afterwards. It was all I could do not to laugh.

Jonathon looked up, towards Sakido though, not me. He gave a blank look, his eyes tight and his jaw twitching upwards faintly, "He made everything... go... boom." His gaze fell, and then we both shared in raucous laughter...

A.N.: This story will not be discontinued... just my life and growing up comes foremost.