Hey guys, I know it's been a little bit and I'm sorry for the wait. A quick shoutout to all of ya'll who reviewed, a special shoutout to Curlscat who has succeeded in explaining comma splices to me, and although I still suck at it, my story has a better flow because I have now learned how to use commas. Also, anybody that was all hyped up about Sabrina being a soldier now, you can also thank Curlscat for that after we had a talk about how badass Sabrina should be and how badass she wasn't being. Anyways, bust them moves and flip them bricks, I got two phones, one for the plug and one for the load, I ran out on the plug twice, and all that. RIP LA Capone! Free9! Free22! And if anybody knows what I'm talking about, Lil Durk has apparently figured out a way to get Rondonumbanine out of jail, so fingers crossed that Cdai won't be too far behind. Rest In Peace to Lil Bango too Naptown's finest, I'm afraid the same can't be said for Lil Skooter about getting out of jail, but if Skooter ever reads this, keep ya head up folk, you'll be alright. Anyways, remember to read and review, and as always God bless.
BY THE WAY! I MAKE A CALL OF DUTY 2: THE BIG RED ONE REFERENCE IN THIS CHAPTER, LET'S SEE WHO CAN SPOT IT!
Chapter 5: Another front
Puck
"Absolutely not!" Puck exclaimed, standing up "No way in-"
"Excuse me?" Sabrina demanded "No? Puck, I've sat out in this war for too long, I won't do that any longer."
"Sir," Conners protested "With all due respect, our purpose is to protect the Grimms, not send them charging off into battle with us."
"I've been in plenty dangerous situations before," Sabrina said "Besides, it's not like I'll be alone."
"You've never been involved in anything like this, Sabrina," Black said "Trust me, you've never seen anything like this."
"You're okay with this?" Puck demanded, turning to Henry
"No, I'm not," He said, sighing "But Sabrina is almost eighteen, I trust her to make her own decisions."
"Henry!" Puck yelled "Do you even have the slightest clue what you're sending her into?"
"That's enough soldier!" Charming barked at Puck "The decision has been made, and it is final. There will be no arguing, fighting, or overturning it!"
"Puck," Mathews whispered, grabbing his arm as he began to rise "He's right, Sabrina is officially a Guardian now, there's nothing we can do about where she goes and who she goes out with."
Puck was fuming, absolutely fuming, but he knew Mathews was right, there was no fighting this. He remained in his seat, glaring angrily at Charming, who didn't seem any more pleased by this decision than Puck did. Basil chose this moment to spark up his own conversation with the men, trying to even out the mood a bit.
"I hurt my arm today," He said brightly, showing off his skinned arm "Only it didn't really hurt that bad."
"Now that's a scrape," Mathews laughed "I'll tell you a little story, buddy. A few years ago, we were out somewhere in Germany, and this hawk just-"
"Dane," Jax said, nudging him "He's just a kid."
"Oh yeah," Mathews laughed sheepishly "I kinda forgot that."
Puck knew exactly what story Mathews had been about to tell, and he was glad Jax had stopped him, it would've scarred little Basil for life. He kept his gaze away from Sabrina, who he knew was still upset by his outburst. She was by far the toughest girl he'd ever met in his life, but he wasn't sure about tossing her into a war. He figured he should just thank God that Daphne hadn't decided she wanted to do more to help the war effort. He knew Snow would've enlisted herself if Charming would allow her, and Charming would never put her in danger like that. He figured it wouldn't be long before Henry and Jake enlisted, but he didn't think anybody in their right mind would've allowed Sabrina to enlist, especially her previous displays of blatant disregard for any type of authority figure.
"So," Black said, clearing his throat "If I may, could we hear more about this mission, sir?"
"You, along with a few thousand other Guardians, are being sent into the book of Everafter through a portal Baba Yaga has been able to open," Charming explained "Our goal is to push the Scarlet Hand out of the book. Once we've done this, the Editor has agreed to help us contain these creatures, whatever they are."
"So we're throwing away the lives of men to get rid of something we already know how to kill?" Liam demanded
"They're breeding," Relda said, cutting off Charming "I knew the only way to stop them was too ask the Editor himself for help, but I also knew he would want a favor in return, this favor is that we push the Scarlet Hand out of his book."
"Breeding?" Harris asked
"They're reproducing," Relda told them "Creating eachother, and they'll spread faster than you can kill them."
"This war just gets better and better." Miller muttered
They all fell silent again, continuing to eat. Daphne, who had been silent since they walked in, finally chose this moment to speak. Puck had known Daphne before the war, and he could speak for certain that she had been changed because of it. Whenever she spoke now, the brightness she used to give off was gone, replaced by a sense of hopelessness, the kind given off by a helpless animal trapped by a much superior hunter.
"What happens if they can't push them back?" She asked, voicing what each of them was thinking
"Then we've got a problem." Charming answered simply
"We've had a problem for the last few hundred years," Conners said "This is just another bump in the road."
Sabrina
20:00 hours
Book of Everafter
Story: Snow White and the seven dwarves
"Keep your weapon up when you move," Liam whispered to Sabrina, passing her "Less likely to get killed."
Sabrina nodded and raised her rifle, moving into position behind Liam. Puck was still angry, and Sabrina didn't even try and talk to him. She knew he would get over it in a few hours, he always did. They moved through the countryside, a small village looming in the distance, no Scarlet Hand in sight.
"Can we just get shot at yet?" Rogue groaned "It's too quiet and I hate it."
"Is he always like that?" Sabrina asked
"Yeah," Black shrugged "We all like the peace and quiet, but eventually it makes us all a bit antsy."
"I could use some more of it." Sabrina said, looking around
"Give it a bit," Puck said from behind her "It'll be gone."
They continued moving, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. There were three squads that had been sent out, and Sabrina's was bringing up the rear. She could see the other men in front, moving together and watching the fields. Sabrina was reminded of those old Vietnam war movies where the soldiers would be walking along the wheat fields, where VC or NVA soldiers would be hiding out, waiting for them. The thought made her a little nervous, and she picked up her pace.
"Stop!" Jax yelled suddenly, sticking his hand up
Sabrina froze dead, as did the men around her. Puck almost walked straight into her, and he stood so close she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Puck tapped her shoulder and pointed ahead of them, where one of the soldiers was standing completely still with his foot pressing down on a landmine.
"Fuck," One of the soldiers said, doubling back "Brooklyn, this one's yours."
"For God's sake," Another Guardian said, moving carefully past Sabrina "I'm from the Bronx, Sarge."
"Shut up and disarm the landmine." The soldier said, pointing to the mine
"I don't get it," Sabrina whispered to Puck "Why not just step off of it and back away."
"If his foot leaves that pressure plate, it'll blow up," Puck explained "That's why Brooklyn is going to disarm it, so he can get off of it without it exploding."
"Don't worry, Ellis," Brooklyn said, kneeling down next to the landmine "I'll have you out of this in no time."
"Hurry," Ellis said nervously "I don't like standing in the open like this."
Brooklyn went to work disarming the bomb, the other Guardians keeping an eye out. Sabrina raised her weapon and looked around, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. Nothing presented itself, and Sabrina allowed her gaze to return to Brooklyn and Ellis.
"Alright," Brooklyn said, pulling out a wire "I think this one-"
That was as far as he got before a burst of gunfire cut through the silence, ripping Ellis in the chest. He fell back off the landmine, causing it to explode, killing four Guardians including Brooklyn. Instantly, Sabrina hit the ground for cover, trying to figure out which direction they had shot from. Puck slid into the ditch on the side and fired directly in front, using a rock in front of him for cover.
"Brooklyn!" One of the soldiers behind her yelled "Fuck!"
Sabrina fought the urge to vomit, a battle that she almost lost. When the landmine had gone off, a chunk of flesh had been blown out of Brooklyn's chest, landing right in front of Sabrina. The Guardian across from Sabrina took a shot to the head and dropped, blood pooling from his wound.
"Sabrina!" Jax yelled at her, crawling up next to her "What are you doing? Shoot back!"
"I can't even see them!" She yelled to him
"It doesn't matter!" Jax yelled, pointing straight ahead "They're somewhere over there, now suppress em!"
Sabrina poked her head, ever so slightly, over the top of the ditch, praying a bullet didn't smack her in the head. She could see where the rest of the Guardians were shooting, and she peered down the scope on her rifle, squeezing the trigger gently. A small burst of bullets shot into the field, followed by another, and then another.
"Frag!" Puck yelled, tossing something into the field
Moments later, a massive boom tore and Sabrina's eardrums, sending dirt and cornstalks flying through the air. Sabrina sent another few rounds into the field just to be sure, then she noticed that Guardians had begun to stand, leveling their weapons and firing as they advanced. She fell in behind Conners, sending several more rounds. She squeezed once more, but was rewarded with a clicking sound, no more ammo.
"Cease fire!" Conners called "Hold up!"
Sabrina dropped the clip out and put another one in, looking around for more Scarlet Hand soldiers, but finding none. She looked around, checking their numbers. She could see dead Scarlet Hand soldiers inside a small hole dug into the field in front of them, and six dead Guardians lying around on the path.
"That," Puck said, coming from behind "Is why you never step off the landmine until it's disarmed."
"He didn't step off," Sabrina reminded him "He got shot."
Puck shrugged and continued moving, checking the hole for surviving Scarlet Hand. The firefight had ended as quickly as it had started, and Sabrina was almost shocked out how easy it seemed. She had been scared at first, of course, but returning fire wasn't hard. One of the things they had drilled into her during her training was that she wasn't shooting at men, she was shooting at machines in a man's body. However, what Sabrina was seeing in that hole wasn't wires and gears, it was flesh and blood, and now she was having second thoughts.
No, She thought angrily, steeling her nerves You are not going to sit around while people die for you just because you're getting cold feet, it's too late to turn back now anyways.
Sabrina was by no means a coward, she was not easily thrown off her game, but had she known the things she would soon be witnessing before the end of this war, she may have considered twice before enlisting. Snow had fought hard against Charming to convince him to let her fight, and she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
Capt. Bridget Solace
Guardians: Air force
South America
Mission briefing: A Scarlet Hand compound has been discovered in the jungles of Brazil. Intelligence believes that this compound has been producing Scarlet Hand units and supplying soldiers and weapons to the forces assaulting Ferryport Landing. A five man team of fighter pilots has been sent to take down the compound in hopes that this will cripple the Scarlet Hand's ability to continue the siege.
"Alright boys," Bridget said into her headset "Let's do this quickly, no causalities."
"Will do, Captain." Wing responded
She veered her bomber to the side slightly, looking at the screen in front of her. It showed nothing but jungles at the moment, but the compound wouldn't be too far out. The night sky would conceal them until they began the attack, then they would have to move quick.
"Single file line," She reminded her squad "Fire twice, pull up, if we have to go for a second run then we will."
"I wonder what they'll tell the mortals happened when they see this one." Knight wondered out loud
"Probably say a storm," Wing said "Forgetful dust will convince them of anything, we could tell them it was a terrorist attack."
"There it is!" Rig exclaimed "I see the search lights!"
Bridget looked down at her screen and saw that Rig was right, a compound was now visible, not that far ahead of them. Her team pulled behind her in a single file line, just like she'd told them to. She was slightly nervous, this was her first mission as a squad leader, her every move could result in the death of one of her men.
"Captain?" Knight asked "We're in position, on your mark."
"Yeah," Bridget said, pulling herself back to reality "Mark."
She pushed her plane downwards, angling it at the compound. She knew that the Scarlet Hand had spotted them, as they began firing. They were out of range, and the flak simply exploded about a hundred feet below them, they would be able to fire their missiles and veer off before they were even in range.
"I love this part!" Lewis laughed, bringing up the rear
"Speak for yourself." Rig said back, nervousness in his voice
Rig hadn't been serving with them for very long, and he was still working out his battle jitters. Bridget remembered, without fondness, her first battle. North Africa, 1992, it hadn't gone very well, it was a miracle she had even made it to the ground. She squeezed the trigger and two missiles launched from her jet, sending them straight into the compound. She veered upward, not even getting to see the explosion, but she was sure it was spectacular due to Knight's reaction.
"Ohhhhh!" He laughed "Hell yeah! Nice shot, Captain!"
She saw Knight veering behind her and Wing closely following him, and she let a grin come to her face. They may have to turn back and go for a second run, but they had knocked a huge chunk in the compound for sure.
"Lewis?" She asked "How we looking?"
"One more run should do it," Lewis laughed "Damn, that was pretty cool."
"Turning back," Bridget laughed "Let's do it."
She veered back into position and let the others fall in behind her, lining up her shot. They had leveled a good section of it, and another run would definitely finish it off. She let two more go and then shot up, letting Knight take his run.
"Suck on that ya sons of bitches!" Wing yelled, laughing with joy
Bridget let a small grin come to her face as Lewis pulled up, finishing his run. Mission accomplished!
Unit 739
23:00 hours
Scarlet Hand
Book of Everafter
Story: Little Red Riding Hood
Sector 172633820
739 glanced around, looking for Guardians. He didn't see any so he signaled his squad that they could rest for a moment, a reprieve that they gladly took. Atticus might act as if they were just machines that felt no fatigue or pain, but he was very wrong. They weren't machines, they were clones, they were men.
"Sir," One of the men, 362, spoke up "Radio command from the General."
"What did he say?" 739 asked
"Prepare to make the push into the village in sector 17283829," 362 said "The Guardians are dug the perimeter and it's heavily fortified, but it will serve as a forward command post."
739 rolled his eyes, making sure his men saw it. Charming was an idiot if he though they were going to be able to push through to the village with the way the Guardians would be dug in, it was a suicide mission. If Charming was saying 'heavily fortified' then they might as well prepare for the entire Guardian and US Army combined.
"Pack up and let's move," 739 sighed, standing "Might as well just get this over with."
"Yes sir!" They all echoed, standing with him
They fell in line behind him and began walking, moving in the direction of the village. 739 assumed that there would already be Scarlet Hand soldiers massing by the village, preparing for the attack. They continued up the path, heading off to the side to avoid any patrols they might run into.
"283 to 739," A voice buzzed from his radio "283 to 739."
"739," He said, picking up his radio "Go ahead, 283."
"We're beginning our assault on sector 1629302937," He said "You and your team will be coming in from sector 1594027273."
"Yes sir." 739 said, putting the radio back
They continued moving up the path until they had come to the edge of the forest, looking out directly into a village. 739 could see Guardian trenches dug all around the perimeter, machine gun turrets spaced apart, facing at the woods, tanks sitting behind them, it was a suicide mission alright.
"Sir," 364 whispered from behind him "All units are in position, we're just waiting for the official command to begin the assault."
739 nodded and turned back to the village, scanning it. A head on assault would be suicide without tanks, which they had. It would be extremely difficult without air support, which they didn't have. They would have to use the tanks for cover, advancing on the Guardian lines until they eventually overran them.
"Begin the assault!" A voice yelled through the radio "All troops, begin the assault!"
"That's the order," 739 told his men, turning towards them "Move!"
Pvt. Alex "Mop" Stevenson
Guardians
Book of Everafter
Story: Little Red Riding Hood
Mop sat in the trench, manning the machine gun. Next to him, Hopper had his rifle grip on the ground, using it as a stand. The tanks behind them were positioned for battle, facing every direction. Mop saw some movement in the treeline and peered at the forest, making out vaguely human shapes.
"Scarlet Hand!" Somebody called "In the trees!"
"Open fire!" Somebody else yelled
Mop squeezed the trigger, spraying into the treeline as tanks emerged, Scarlet Hand taking cover behind them. The tank right above them fired a shot, ricocheting it off the Scarlet Hand armor. A burst of bullets came from the gun on the tank, ripping into the trench, hitting several Guardians. Mop ducked down, letting the bullets fly around him, smacking the dirt behind him. Hopper took several to his body, the force throwing him back.
"Hit those tanks!" Crock yelled "Now!"
A shot from the tank behind them slammed into the Scarlet Hand tank, blowing it to bits and scattering the soldiers around it. Some of them weren't dead, so Mop squeezed the trigger and shot into their bodies, eliminating them permanently.
"Keep shooting!" Mop called out "They'll be falling back any minute!"
He hoped he was right, but he knew they wouldn't retreat unless given a direct order. Mop kept shooting but the Scarlet Hand just kept pouring out of the woods, firing into the trench and taking out Guardians with seemingly every shot. A helicopter went down in the field to the side, rocking the ground as it hit.
"Fall back!" Somebody yelled "They're too close, fall back to secondary-"
The officer yelling the order was struck down by a bullet to the head, dropping him. Mop turned back and looked in front of him, staring directly at the advancing Scarlet Hand. They were mowing down Guardians left and right and were almost upon them, he had to fall back quickly. Before he could move, Scarlet Hand began pouring into the trenches, overwhelming the Guardians inside it.
"Shit!" Someone called out
The Guardian next to Mop took a head shot and dropped to the ground, blood leaking from around his neck. More Scarlet Hand poured in, shooting every which direction and taking down a Guardian with every shot. Mop fired into a small group of them, dropping five, but then he felt a tremendous force from behind, knocking him to the ground. His head throbbed, but he barely had time to register it before he heard the bang.
Hey guys, so I know this chapter seemed a bit random at times, but it's really hard to bounce back and forth between several placed while so many battles are going on. Anyways, I'm gonna try to work on it, please read and review, God bless, and as always, I love you guys.