Hey guys i am back. sorry it took so long to upload i had finals and i am moving so everything has been really hectic lately. but i managed to get some time in to write this chapter out for you guys. Oh before anyone asks Yes Eila does have a sister named Aruora in canon though for some reason she never mentions it in the tv show. come to think of it Eila i think is intentionally left with a mysterious background all we know about her is she likes Sanya and is from Sumous so i get to take some liberties with her background. anyways so yeah here is the next chapter i hope you enjoy.
The Safe House
Unknown location somewhere in the Eastern United States
Flying Officer Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen
11:12 Local Time
The Task Force had been marching through some forest for the last ten or eleven hours. They hadn't said much to each other since General Shepherd had betrayed them. Looking upon the individual members of the unit Eila could tell that some where taking the betrayal much harder than others. Francesca had cried the entire car ride to the outskirts of the forest; after a good nine and a half hours of crying she had finally exhausted herself and had passed out. Now Francesca was being carried by Shirley who had ditched her weapon in order to carry the younger and more emotionally fragile witch. Frost and Gertrude had both pulled the silent routine when they had gotten into the car and hadn't said a word since. Eila couldn't speak for Frost (who was always hard to read when he was wearing his mask and goggles) but during the car ride Trudy had ridden in the same car as Eila and Sanya. During the trip Eila looked into her eyes to see them as hollow, deep pits of despair with a tiny light of anger behind them. Frankly that disturbed Eila the most; usually if something like this happened back in their world like when Trevor Maloney tried to disband them; Gertrude was an unstoppable ball of rage that wanted to crush everything in her path. But now she just stared off into space only half paying attention to world around her. Shirley had tried talking to her a few times since they started their trek through the woods but each time Gertrude shrugged her off wordlessly. Still Gertrude wasn't the person she was worried about the most. Over the night Sanya had quietly sobbed into Eila's chest as they rode in the back of the truck to their destination. Eila comforted her the best that she could but what could she say to Sanya to make her feel better. The reality of the situation was that she and the rest of the witches for that matter were officially stranded here in this hell on earth. As they marched on Eila thought to herself about her vision of Shepherd betraying them; she saw that Shadow Company mercenaries were shooting at America soldiers; what did that mean? Was it possible that not everyone in the U.S. military was with Shepherd? And if that was the case perhaps they could seek assistance from other Americans in finding safety. The group was climbing up a small hill in the forest; Grinch was taking point. When Grinch crested the hill he looked to the rest of the unit and spoke.
"Alright people we're here." Grinch informed the group. Hanna was the first to speak.
"Finally about fucking time we got to our destination." Hanna stated as she crested the hill. Eila got to the top of the hill and looked down to see a small decrepit looking cabin about the size of a small home. Hell even some of the ramshackle homes back in Eila's home village back inSuomus were bigger and better maintained than this one. "Grinch what the fuck is that? Please don't tell me you want us to all cram into that little match box?" Hanna inquired with frustration in her voice. Grinch smirked a bit.
"Oh ye of little faith, come on." Grinch chuckled. Sanya spoke to Eila.
"I don't think all of us will be able to fit in there Eila that cabin looks way to small for fourteen people." Sanya stated to Eila who nodded.
"Yeah but I think we just have to trust that Grinch knows what he is doing." Eila replied Sanya nodded as they headed down the hill. When they got to the cabin Sandman gave the signal for the group to hold up. Grinch and Sandman stacked up on the door, weapons ready and entered the cabin. After a few seconds they came out of the cabin.
"Alright ladies it's clear come on in." Sandman told the Task Force. Eila entered into the cabin to find that it was just as bad on the inside as it was on the outside. The walls were slowly rotting as termites and weather took their toll on the wooden structure. In one corner sat a small bed and a night stand with a candle on it. In the other corner was a book shelf with a few books on it. Hanna entered the cabin and raised an eyebrow.
"Are you fucking kidding me? Grinch please tell me you don't expect us to stay here?" Hanna spat annoyance clear in her voice. Grinch laughed and walked over to a book case and pulled on a book. Suddenly the floor opened up by the bedside revealing a set of metal stairs lit up by lights on the edges of the stairs. "Well I'll be damned. A hidden entrance huh? And from a fake book no less; tell me Grinch isn't that kind of obvious and cliché?" Hanna asked Grinch who grinned.
"Trust me no one in their right mind would ever pick up a copy of Twilight." Grinch stated. Sandman actually laughed at that one. "Well ladies after you." Grinch said as he gestured for the girls to enter the underground facility. The stairs seemed to go at least thirty meters down before the end of the stairs where a door was located. Upon arriving at the door it opened up into a large room. Eila stepped into the room and spoke.
"Now this is what I call a safe house." Eila stated as she looked at the giant movie screen in the main room with a couple of rather plush looking couches facing it. Off to Eila's left was the entrance to what Eila was guessing was a kitchen and to the right was a pair of hallways that led further into the safe house. Grinch stepped down the stairs with everyone else.
"Well ladies and gentlemen welcome to NSA safe house number six." Grinch said as everyone took in the sights in amazement.
NSA Safe House 6 USA
Flight Lieutenant Charlotte E. Yeager
11:29 Local Time
Shirley looked upon the safe house in amazement. How could anyone build such a place without it being incredibly obvious? Shirley's back was killing her, despite weighing about forty kilograms give or take carrying Francesca for so long got really tiring. Shirley gently laid her sleeping partner on one of the couches. Shirley brushed a hand through her hair. Looking upon Francesca sent spikes of sorrow throughout her body. No matter what she did Shirley could not protect Francesca from the horrors of this world she was stuck here along with the rest of the witches. Shirley looked back at the rest of the group suddenly Frost just walked off and headed down one of the hallways. Yoshika then spoke.
"Frost where are you go…" Hanna stopped Yoshika from finishing her sentence by putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Save it kid he wants to be left alone." Hanna told her. Yoshika looked confused.
"What how do you know?" Yoshika asked her.
"Trust me I know when a guy wants to be left alone and when he wants someone to talk to. In his own time he will be ready to talk, but for now just leave him be." Hanna told her. Lynne put her hands on Yoshika's shoulders and rested her chin on them. Shirley noticed Perrine had a look of concern for Frost on her face but taking Hanna's advice she held her tongue. Shirley found it pretty strange that of all people it seemed like Four Eyes had actually hit it off with Frost. Back in their world Perrine rarely gave men the time of day but she seemed to be comfortable around Frost and spoke with him pretty often. Shirley then looked to Gertrude who looked unmoved at the sight of this underground complex. Trudy hadn't said a word since the betrayal by Shepherd and had been aloof ever since. Despite Shirley's best efforts Gertrude wouldn't talk to her or anyone else she just tried to hold in her emotions and hide behind a wall of stoicism. Shirley went over to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey are you ready to talk yet?" Shirley asked her. Gertrude shrugged Shirley's hand off and hen to Shirley's surprise she spoke.
"I…I need to be alone." Gertrude said and she walked off down a different hallway than Frost did. Erica was then at Shirley's side as she watched Gertrude walk off.
"Go, I will take care of Francesca." Erica told her. Shirley was confused.
"But she said that she wanted to be left alone." Shirley replied. Erica frowned.
"We both know that being alone is the last thing that Trudy wants. Now go and see her; she needs you Shirley." Erica told her. Charlotte nodded and headed after Trudy. As Shirley walked down the hallway she noticed that there had to be at least half a dozen rooms in this wing of the safe house; some of them where bedrooms and others appeared to be offices. Shirley got to the last room at the end of the hallway and heard sobbing. Shirley stepped into the room and found Gertrude sobbing in the corner her fist against the wall.
"Gertrude I… I am here for you." Shirley told her. Gertrude then spoke.
"She is all alone now back there; I failed her as an older sister I left her by herself with nothing, she isn't even getting the money that I used to send her anymore. Chris she is an orphan now she doesn't have anything anymore." Gertrude sobbed as she sank to her knees. Shirley put a hand on Trudy's shoulder and knelt down before speaking.
"Hey we are going to get back to our world; Chris isn't going to be alone for long we will see her again." Shirley said to Gertrude confidently even though she didn't believe it herself. Trudy turned around and faced Shirley; tears were in her eyes as sorrow overtook her. Gertrude tried to speak but the words were trapped in her throat as she struggled to get the words out. Instead she just buried her face into Shirley's breasts and started to cry. Shirley wrapped and arm around Gertrude's waist and put a hand on the back of her head stroking her hair comfortingly. Gertrude placed one of her hands on Charlotte's shoulder and the other upon her breast. "There there it will be all right I am her for you Trudy." Shirley told her. Gertrude didn't respond she just kept crying into Shirley's chest. Charlotte wasn't a big believer in god but she prayed silently hoping that if there was a god out there that he would find some way somehow to get let them see Chris again. Shirley couldn't stand seeing someone she cared about so deeply in so much pain. Charlotte didn't know it at the time but she might just have her prayer answer but not in the way she intended.
NSA Safe House 6 USA
Flying Officer Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen
11:54 Local Time
Eila was sitting on the couch with Sanya who was now fast asleep with her head rested in Eila's lap. Most of the other witches were there too along with Sandman and Grinch. Yoshika and Lynne were also sitting on the couch next to them. Yoshika then got up and spoke.
"How about I make everyone some food that should cheer us up." Yoshika said to anyone who was listening. Then Grinch spoke.
"Go ahead the kitchen is to the left." He told her. Yoshika nodded and went into the kitchen. Then Minna spoke to Grinch.
"So Grinch how did you know about this place anyway?" Minna asked him.
"It is because I moonlight as an NSA agent between deployments. I was told about this safe house a few years back and told I could use it when I was on assignment." Grinch informed her. Then Sandman spoke.
"Yeah he has been in the NSA for about seven years now." He told Minna.
"What is the NSA?" Mio asked them.
"It is the National Security Agency. After 9/11 the government was convinced that we needed better security on our own shores to guard against further terrorist attacks. So President Bush authorized the creation of an elite task force made up of veteran CIA and FBI agents who were authorized to use any means necessary to prevent another major attack. So some agent decided that they should start hiring Special Forces operators to do their dirty work because apparently we get shit done right the first time. So about 2009 or so I got contacted by the NSA after my latest deployment with Sandman to Afghanistan. They told me they needed me to do some infiltration and espionage work on a couple people stateside. Now mind you this is highly illegal so I was doing it off the books. Well it turns out the people I was spying on were planning on carrying out a mass shooting in Madison Square Garden but I got the intelligence necessary to stop it in time. So NSA swoops in and snatched up the would be terrorists and well that was the end of them." Grinch told them. Then Minna asked a question of him.
"Really what happened to them?" Minna asked.
"They probably got shipped to Guantanamo Bay; so in other words they won't be a problem anymore." Grinch told them. Eila then spoke up.
"Really what is Guantanamo Bay?" Eila asked him.
"The short answer is it's a military prison where we hold terror suspects." Grinch told Eila who raised an eyebrow.
"What is the long story then?" Eila inquired. Grinch waved dismissively. Then Yoshika stuck her head out of the kitchen entrance.
"Hey Grinch why is there only whiskey and beer in the refrigerator?" Yoshika asked him. Erica perked her head up from her slumber.
"Really you have whiskey?" She said with clear joy in her voice she got up and practically ran into the kitchen. After a few seconds she shouted. "Jackpot! Hey Hanna do you want some Johnny Daniel's?" Erica shouted to Hanna.
"Sure pour me a couple of shots would you?" Hanna replied. Sandman then spoke.
"Wait your under age you can't drink."
"Oh not this shit again. Fuck Sandman first you tell me I can't fuck, then you tell me I can't drink what next are you going to say I can't smoke either?" Hanna spat. Sandman nodded.
"Yup you can't smoke or have sex until you're eighteen and you can't drink until you are twenty one years old." Sandman gleefully told her.
"Well fuck you those rules I refuse to follow." Hanna shot back to him.
"Fine I guess I would rather you be getting shit faced and smoking then to try and sleep with Frost." Sandman replied. Hanna smiled.
"Well I am still going to do that eventually I just need to work him over some more." Hanna stated playfully. There she goes again objectifying Frost. Eila thought to herself. Then Yoshika spoke.
"So do you have any food at all in here?" She asked.
"Yeah check the freezer we should have some frozen food there." Grinch replied. Eila looked around for a second and noticed a stack of cases near the movie screen.
"Hey Grinch what are those?" Eila asked Grinch.
"Oh those are DVDs they are recorded movies that you can watch anytime. Do you want to watch one or something?" Grinch informed her. Eila nodded.
"Sure maybe later tonight do you mind if I take a look at them?" Eila asked Grinch nodded. Eila gently moved Sanya's head so she could get up without waking her girlfriend. She walked over to the movie cases and looked over them. Her eyes were drawn to a horror movie called Shi No Numa apparently it was a movie set in the 1940s about zombies. Eila smiled to herself if she watched this with Sanya she would probably be all over Eila during the scary parts; Eila thought to herself lustfully. Then she noticed Hanna next to her looking through the movies.
"Hey do you got any dirty movies?" Hanna asked Grinch.
"Huh, I don't understand?" He replied, Hanna grinned.
"You know porn, skin flicks, smut, whatever basically as long as it shows two or more people fucking on camera it's a dirty movie." Hanna replied Grinch frowned.
"No I don't have any of that filth." He replied Hanna chuckled.
"Yeah sure you don't" She replied then she looked to Eila and whispered in her ear. "Hey If I find some do you and Sanya want to watch it with me." She asked seductively. Eila turned bright red and didn't respond. "I will take that as a yes then." She said teasingly. Eila got up and stepped away from the nymph that was Hanna still blushing. Hanna gave her a lustful smile as Eila walked away. What is it with that girl? why is she trying to sleep with me and Sanya? Eila thought to herself, not that the idea of a threesome didn't intrigue her, but she would rather still have Sanya to herself; well at least for her first time anyway then well she would see if Sanya was up for something like that.
"Eila are you alright you look flush?" Grinch asked her.
"I am fine!" She replied curtly. Though it went without saying that Eila was rather flustered by Hanna's advances; Eila knew that there was a reason why Hanna was so popular with the ladies back in her world. According to the gossip she always got who ever she was with off and that is why so many girls came back for 'seconds'. Eila tried to shake her mind free from such dirty thoughts. Then Erica came out of the kitchen holding a few beers, a bottle of whiskey and a couple shot glasses. She set the glasses and whiskey down on the coffee table then handed Sandman and Grinch a beer. Erica poured a few shots of whiskey for everyone.
"Eila would you like some whiskey?" Erica offered her.
"Sure I will have a shot." Eila replied Erica handed her the glass and Eila downed it. The sharp taste of the whiskey filled her mouth and the rush of the alcohol numbed her senses a little. Erica then proceeded to give everyone a shot of whiskey with the exception of Lynnette who she gave the remaining beer to. Yoshika came out of the kitchen with a pizza box and spoke.
"Hey guys I hope you don't mind but would a pizza be alright?" Yoshika asked everyone. Erica replied for the group.
"Sure that sounds good. Hey would you like a shot of whiskey Yoshika?" Erica asked the young Fusoan witch who shook her head.
"No thanks I don't drink alcohol." Yoshika replied. Then Hanna spoke.
"Awe not even just a little? Here have just one shot it won't kill you." Hanna goaded the young girl and practically shoved the glass filled with hard alcohol in Yoshika's face.
"Hanna stop forcing alcohol on Yoshika she doesn't want any!" Lynnette said to Hanna who just smiled.
"Fine. Well my little kitten if you ever feel adventurous and want to try some booze let me know." Hanna told her. Yoshika just nodded and headed back into the kitchen. Eila thought to herself that Hanna was indeed a strange girl even by her standards.
NSA Safe House 6 USA
Flying Officer Perrine H. Clostermann
12:21 Local Time
The pizza was out of the oven and had finished cooling Perrine watched as Yoshika finished carving up the pizza and putting them onto paper plates. Perrine was not a big fan of pizza she always saw it as commoner food but after going the better part of a day without food she was more than happy to eat some of the greasy oily mass of cheese and bread. She had already forced one slice of the disgusting blobs of fat and vomit inducing cheese when Miyafuji spoke.
"Should we let everyone know that lunch is ready?" Yoshika asked aloud. Erica then replied.
"Uh I am sure Trudy and Shirley will get some when they are hungry for now I think its better if we leave them be." Erica said. Yoshika seemed confused for a second then shrugged it off.
"Well perhaps I should bring some food to Frost I am sure he is hungry." Miyafuji said to Erica.
"Actually Perrine you are friends with Frost you should bring him the food." Erica suggested.
"What why me?" Perrine asked Erica.
"Because if I asked Hanna to do it she would probably try to rape him or something, and I know I don't have to worry about you trying something like that." Erica replied, and then Hanna shouted from the other room.
"For the record I wouldn't have to rape him to get him into bed with me!" Hanna shouted amidst a few giggles. Erica rolled her eyes.
"See what I mean." Erica said.
"Yeah I get it. I will bring him a slice then and a glass of water I don't think it would be a good idea to give him alcohol right now." Perrine replied. Erica nodded. Perrine poured a glass of water and put a slice of pizza on a paper plate. Perrine thought to herself this was very strange normally when it came to men she would just say that they could get their own damn food she wouldn't play handmaiden to them. But with Frost she actually thought of him as a friend and felt that this might be a good ice breaker to see what is bothering him. Perrine started out of the kitchen and looked to Sandman. "Hey Sandman do you know where Frost is right now?" Perrine asked him.
"Yeah he is probably in the armory right now." Sandman told her. Perrine nodded and started to head down the hallway to the armory. At the end of the hallway was a single room. Perrine stepped inside to see that this armory was easily the size of the one at Fort Campbell. On one of the walls was a huge rack of weapons of various types. On the other end of the room was a shooting range so one could practice their marksmanship; finally in one of the corners was Frost sitting curled up just staring off into space. Frost had stripped out of his uniform and was wearing just a green t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Perrine noticed his uniform lay discarded in the middle of the floor in a pile. Perrine normally would have chastised him for his sloppiness but decided that it would be better if she just let that slide.
"I brought you some food Frost I figured you might be hungry." Perrine said to the American commando who didn't acknowledge her. Shepherd's betrayal must be hitting him really hard. And I would imagine that Truck's death isn't helping either. Perrine thought. She set his food down on a box of ammo near him and leaned in towards him putting a hand on his shoulder. Perrine thought that it felt weird touching a guy they weren't nearly as soft and pleasant to the touch as a woman was. "If you need someone to talk to I am here for you Frost." Perrine told him.
"Thanks I appreciate it but I… I need to be alone right now." Frost told her. Perrine nodded.
"Ok but if you want to talk just come to me ok I am your friend Frost and I hate seeing you this way." Perrine said to him. Frost looked to her and smiled.
"Thanks Perrine." He simply stated; Perrine smiled back to him.
"Don't mention it any time." She replied. And with that she walked out of the room. Perrine hoped that Frost would be alright. She wondered if she should stay nearby in case something happened. The thought of him in a room filled with guns and in a state of deep depression didn't sit right with her. She thought it over for a bit and decided on doing something about it. Perrine walked into a linen closet and pulled out some sheets and a few pillows. She then grabbed a mattress pad and headed back down the hallway. She walked into the armory and laid the mattress pad down then laid a few sheets over it. Frost looked confused; he just stared at her blankly.
"Um what are you doing Perrine?" He asked her. Perrine set the pillows down at the head of the mattress pad.
"Look Frost I don't feel comfortable with you being all alone in a room filled with guns when you are in such a state as you are in now. So I decided that I am going to stay with you until you feel better." She stated. Frost looked surprised. "Now I am really tired and going to sleep which means so are you; now get into bed with me." Perrine said as she stripped down to her underwear. Frost's face went beet red; then Perrine realized what was going through his head. "NO I DON'T MEAN LIKE THAT! I mean to sleep-sleep nothing else." Perrine stated in mock anger.
"Oh ok well you had me confused there, um are you sure you want to do this you don't have to you know." Frost said as he got under the covers. Perrine smiled as she took off her glasses and placed them on her uniform which she had neatly folded by her side of the mattress pad. Perrine then got under the covers with Frost.
"Shut up before I change my mind." She stated playfully. She wrapped her arms around him (not for intimacy but to make sure he didn't try anything stupid) it didn't feel right not like holding a women in her arms but she ignored it. Perrine thought about it for a second; it was strange he was the first man she had ever had in her bed. Obviously nothing was going to happen between them sexually she trust that Frost was enough of a gentlemen that he wouldn't try anything on her. Perrine just hoped that no one would walk in on them; especially her beloved Major Sakamoto that could lead to some serious problems. After a few minutes she heard Frost's soft breathing indicating he was asleep. Perrine allowed herself to drift off to sleep a few minutes later.
Shadow Company Headquarters USA
General Hershel Von Shepherd the Third
21:09 Local time
General Shepherd walked through the hallways of the massive underground base. He looked around at the various improvements that had been made since the last time he had been here. Roving the hallways were several AGR drones new editions to Shadow Company's arsenal courtesy of the Tacticus Corporation. Shepherd heard a buzzing noise and ducked a bit as a Dragonfire Quad Rotor flew overhead. Shepherd continued walking and went past the weapons labs. Several Storm PSRs were being tested by some engineers; the powerful metal storm rifles should be able to brute force their way through a witch's shield when the Task Force makes its inevitable assault on this base. When they did they would be in for a rude surprise. Shepherd had gathered over six hundred Mercenaries at this facility and would have one hundred and fifty more here by tomorrow. In addition to that he also had several metal storm turrets capable of firing (literally I shit you not) one million rounds a minute. They could shred even a main battle tank so a puny shield even one as powerful as Yoshika Miyafuji's would not be able to stand against it. Also he had deployed soldiers with optical camouflage to help guard the base( those particular soldiers were actually Green Berets loyal to ODESSA under the command of Captain Jerome Jackson who had lost his younger brother Paul Jackson during the battle of Yemen five years ago.). Suddenly Mattias Nelson his loyal Mercenary ally walked up to him.
"Yo what is up Mein Kommandant." Mattias chuckled. Shepherd glanced over to him as he began to walk with the leader of the ODESSA Network.
"I am going to be speaking to my subordinates in the Council of Thirteen." Shepherd told him Mattias laughed.
"Ah yes those guys what are you going to be talking about?" Mattias asked him.
"I am going to be briefing them on the latest developments to our plans. Unfortunately Isabella confirmed today that Makarov is indeed in possession of the Artifact and is stepping up his plans. As a result I must also kick my plan into high gear as well since not only do we have to deal with Makarov we also have the remnants of the Task Force to deal with." General Shepherd said to Mattias who nodded.
"So is Isabella still in the dark about what we did to the Task Force?" Mattias asked him. Shepherd nodded.
"Yes I said that they were all killed trying to take out Makarov and it is up to Shadow Company to defeat him." Shepherd told him.
"You think she bought it?" Mattias asked; Shepherd shrugged.
"Maybe, she isn't stupid, she will figure out something is wrong eventually but she did try to figure out how the witches were killed." Shepherd told him.
"Oh really what did you tell her?" Mattias inquired.
"I said they got caught in the open by a Russian tank platoon and were cut down." General Shepherd told him. Mattias laughed.
"That would be a fitting death for them but no such luck. Anyways so do you think Isabella will side with us when we show our true colors?" Mattias inquired with genuine curiosity.
"Isabella wants Makarov dead almost as much as I do albeit for different reasons; either way when she sees that ODESSA is her best bet at killing Makarov she will come around to our side. Beside I need her… abilities in the future when I turn the NSA into my new secret police." Shepherd told him.
"You know I didn't take you for a guy who would buy into that mysticism crap. But honestly either way that Marquez girl she got a damn fine body on her I wouldn't mind pinning her down and fucking her brains out." Mattias laughed. Shepherd glared at him.
"You will do no such thing." He simply stated. Mattias looked like he was about to protest then he rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Fine… as long as you let me have Gertrude to play with I am fine; and didn't she have the hots for that Yeager girl or something? Imagine how emotionally broken Gertrude would be if I blew that red head's brains out." Mattias said as a sadistic look crossed his face. Shepherd knew what he meant by "play with" when it came to Gertrude; personally Shepherd didn't care what Mattias did to amuse himself in his free time as long as he got his job done he was fine with it. If that meant repeatedly raping some defenseless girl so be it.
"Just remember to use the prototype ammo we are developing; the simulations show that they are twenty percent more effective against a witch, which is better than normal small arms ammo." General Shepherd told Mattias who chuckled.
"Sure sure whatever you say." Mattias replied as Shepherd got to the entrance of the council room. "Hey Boss why don't you ever let me come to these council sessions?" Mattias asked him.
"Because you would probably just make an ass of yourself." Shepherd said as he walked through the door into the pitch black room and closed the door on Mattias. Shepherd walked forward a few more steps, and then twelve lights lit up shinning on twelve black monoliths each six meters tall. In the middle of the monoliths a series of numbers from two through thirteen appeared in blood red with the words "audio only" appearing underneath them. "For ODESSA." Shepherd gave the ODESSA Network Salute.
"For ODESSA." They replied in unison. In the old days during the Third Reich and the following days they would have said "Hail Hitler" but Shepherd had made a point to get rid of that. Hitler had been a fool who let his own paranoid delusions get the better of him. Most of the Old Nazi party were fools who believed that Germany was the home of the Thousand Year Reich but that was never the case. Even though Germany had the marshal spirit to try and obtain its goals it lacked the industrial capacity and manpower to truly rule the world. America was always the true home of the Thousand Year Reich through its strength of arms and its industrial resources it would be unstoppable. The only thing America lacked was the desire and the willpower to become a globe spanning empire. But Shepherd intended to change all of that. Shepherd knew that there were some problems to America accepting Nazi rule mainly the stigma attached to the name "Nazi" it was a dirty word in America English so Shepherd stated that they should only refer to themselves as ODESSA and in some respects that was justified due to the changes he made in the Nazi Party's ideology. When Shepherd found the remnants of ODESSA they were still backwards and foolishly believing Hitler's teachings of Aryan superiority and all of that bullshit. Their way of thinking would never be accepted by modern day America. That was why Shepherd had removed the racial elements of the party and changed its overall goal from creating a pure Aryan empire into creating the perfect militaristic state that's superiority came not from race but through its fighting spirit. And with this ideological change they appealed to the massive pools of disenfranchised soldiers who felt like they were being betrayed by the civilian government with their appeasement and military budget cuts. Shepherd thought about it for a moment as much as he hated the civilian government he also hated the average civilian to. America had become a lazy overfed under motivated nation that had become complacent and pathetic. These America's were nothing like the proud soldiers who so thoroughly crushed Saddam Hussein's army in 1991. September 11th was the final straw for Shepherd he knew that the civilian government was incompetent and the American people too weak willed to stop its enemies. But Shepherd's war with Russia would change that it would shake America out of its coma and bring about a force the world hadn't seen since the great Blitzkrieg across Russia seventy five years ago.
"Gentlemen I have news to report as to the timeframe of our plan. I have learned that Makarov is in possession of the Artifact and may have already begun to activate its power." General Shepherd told the council; there was a murmur of discontent and surprise.
"Sir how do we know for sure that Makarov is in possession of the Artifact? With respect sir, I still do not trust the use of your exotic in gathering intelligence." Number 7 asked Shepherd.
"I had it independently verified myself. I am bring up an imagine on your screen now as proof that his plan is in motion." Shepherd pressed a button on a consul to his left and an image appeared on all of their screens and the main screen behind the monoliths. The picture was rather disturbing by itself without the implication of what it really meant. It looked like a jet black tree but with no leaves and its branches covered in meter long spikes upon theses spikes were dozens of impaled mutilated bodies from some villagers in South Sudan. Shepherd then pressed another photo for an aerial view revealing around the tree was a ten meter in circumference pentagram drawn in human blood. This drew another series of frustrated grumbles and gasps from the council. "I am sure you now see why we must accelerate our plans. Now Number Four what is the status of the production of the new Valley Forge class anti-aircraft stealth destroyers?" General Shepherd asked Number Four.
"Sir the first ship shall be online in two weeks time with another four being built within the next two years. We have added the new metal storm CIWS and rapid fire 105mm anti-aircraft guns to the ship combined with the one hundred plus SM-3 and Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles it should be more than a match for any aerial threat." Number Four told him. Shepherd nodded the Valley Forge class was certainly something he was proud of. He had actually rammed that ship design down Congress's throat.
"Very good; Number 9, how goes the optical camouflage production?" General Shepherd asked him.
"We are producing them at a steady rate of ten per day every day." Number 9 simply stated.
"Ok number 13 how is the Nanosuit production going?" General Shepherd asked the head of Crytek Industries. If Shepherd could get his hands on the Nanosuit he might actually have a fighting chance against the impending threat.
"Unfortunately we are running into difficulties sir the test subjects keep rejecting the nano bots from their body and the miniature fusion reactors have been problematic to say the least." Number 13 told him.
"Ok, well I need a no bullshit assessment, when will the first field production suits be ready?" General Shepherd asked him.
"By 2022 sir." Number 13 told him General Shepherd snorted in frustration.
"I hope you realize we will all be nothing but ashes by then I need you to work faster on development; even if you have to cut corners with safety. Gentlemen we are running out of time here we don't have as long as we thought we did to prepare for The Day when it comes it will be really really bad for us if we are not ready." Shepherd told them. The council was silent for a moment, then number 2 spoke.
"Sir I am confident that with the new wonder weapons we have created that we will be able to defeat any enemy we face. So shouldn't we focus on our goals to destroy the communist countries?" He asked Shepherd.
"Oh believe me I plan on slagging every Islamic and communist nation on the planet with the exception of Cuba for obvious reasons. Stopping The Day from happening and killing Makarov is just a nice bonus in my opinion." Shepherd told them. Then Number 8 spoke.
"Sir other than production and training of our soldiers how are we going to assist you in your plans?" He asked Shepherd.
"Nothing you guys are going to sit back and watch the fireworks because if things go south for me I need you all to still be alive to pick up the pieces." Shepherd told them.
"What happens if we fail to stop Makarov for whatever reason?" Number 8 asked him.
"Then America dies screaming." Shepherd told them bluntly. A series of panicked outbursts erupted from the council. "Look if it comes to that, and I am not saying it will; I need ODESSA in one piece to influence events from the shadows to give this nation a fighting chance." Shepherd told them which seemed to settle them down a bit.
"Of course sir. Is there anything else that we need to discuss this meeting?" Number 2 asked him.
"No we are finished for today. For ODESSA." Shepherd said to them.
"For ODESSA." Came to the reply. One by one the monoliths shut off until Number 4 was the only one remaining.
"Number 4 do you have something that you would like to add?" Shepherd asked him.
"Yes I do. What are we going to do about Viktor Reznov; from what I understand he has made contact with the witch named Eila if I am correct?"
"Yes I had gotten word of that from a spy drone. If we see him we will kill him or try to at least but there is not much that he can do to interfere with our plans and in time we will deal with him and Alex Mason." General Shepherd told him.
"Very good sir." Number 4 said as he terminated his connection. Shepherd thought for a moment it really was a shame that Viktor refused to work with him. They both wanted Makarov dead and the Artifact destroyed. But ideological differences were too great to overlook and Viktor refused to even speak with him on the one occasion where they met in person. Fortunately Isabella didn't connect the dots as to why Reznov was so unwilling to help him but she would suffice for Shepherd's plans. Shepherd turned to leave the council room and thought to himself. What will happen if I do fail in my plan?
NSA Safe House 6 USA
Flying Officer Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen
23:56 Local Time
It really had been a good movie; Shi No Numa had been both funny and scary. The zombies looked so real and the gunshots so accurate; how did they manage to do all of that SFX work? Plus Sanya had been all over her half the movie every time there was a scary scene she buried her face in Eila's chest. Fortunately they were all alone in a private room with a smaller movie screen in it and a soft bed that they could just both fit into; so when they inevitably had their intense make out sessions no one would leer at them. The credits started to roll as a "to be continued" sign appeared on the screen.
"So Sanya are you feeling better about… you know?" Eila asked Sanya who looked down at her lap.
"I guess I am coming to terms with it a bit I just don't know how we are going to get back to our world if we can't use Shepherd's teleporter thing. I just want to see my father again." Sanya told her.
"I know Sanya and we will see him again together someday I promise you." Eila said as she smiled to Sanya who smiled back. Suddenly Eila felt sleepy again so she turned off the movie screen. "Hey I think I am going back to sleep I must have not gotten enough rest from the nap I had earlier goodnight Sanya." Eila told Sanya who nodded.
"Ok I guess I will go to sleep to goodnight." Sanya said as they both laid back and tried to go to sleep. Within moments Eila had fallen asleep.
Unknown
Flying Officer Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen
Unknown
Eila was back in Suomus in her home village. It was spring and the flowers were blooming and the sun was shining. Eila was in disbelief her village had been destroyed by the Neuroi how could she be back here with everything in such pristine condition. Eila didn't care she was happy now. She rolled around in the soft grass on the hill overlooking her village feeling its soft texture brushing against her skin. She picked some daisies and smelt them. She then got the feeling that she should go and see her family again go back to her home for dinner. Eila ran down the hill and came to the center of the village and she saw the town was gathered in the town square all facing away from her. Eila noticed in the middle of the crowd was Aurora; Eila hadn't seen her big sister in years.
"Hey Sis over here!" Eila shouted gleefully. Slowly Aurora and the other villagers turned to face Eila. Eila's mouth dropped in horror at what she was beholding; Aurora's skin was rotting and falling off, an eye had fallen out of its socket and her mouth was agape in horror and agony. The other villagers were no better off. Aurora's lower jaw fell off and she stuck her arm out groping for Eila who seemed to be getting closer even though she was frozen in fear. The grass around the village turned grey and lifeless the building decayed as if left abandoned for decades.
"Join us Eila." They chanted to her. Some of the corpses were crawling towards her grabbing onto her legs tearing at her clothing. Then Aurora was face to face with Eila.
"What's wrong baby sister, don't you miss me?" The corpse asked her. Eila got the strength to push the corpse away.
"No you're not real, Aurora is alive! You are just an illusion." Eila retorted. The corpse got up.
"Really just like your parents the ones you left to die in this village are alive?" The corpse mocked. Eila was stunned she had never told anyone about that day when the Neuroi attacked her village. "That's right Eila I always knew you were a pathetic coward you make me sick." Aurora said to her. Eila was at a loss for words she couldn't say anything the words trapped in her throat. "But your greatest failure is yet to come Eila, take a look for yourself." It said before all of the corpses turned to ash. In the center of the town square was a naked female figure that was impaled to a cross. Eila couldn't make out who it was but she was compelled to walk closer. Then before she knew she was at the base of the cross looking up at Sanya an iron nail shoved through each hand and one through her feet. Her throat had been slashed and blood trickled down covering her torso in bright red sticky blood. Eila fell to the ground sobbing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Eila sobbed.
"Why Eila? You said you would protect me, why did you lie to me?" Sanya sobbed to her. Eila looked up to see Sanya staring at her blood flowing freely from her neck wound.
"I am sorry; I am so sorry." Was all Eila could say.
"No you're not; you never cared about me. You are just a coward who only thinks about herself." Sanya spat in disgust. All Eila could do was cry as she knelt before Sanya's crucified corpse; then she heard an unmistakable voice.
"Don't worry Eila you're next." Makarov said. Eila turned to see him standing on a pile of human skulls his right arm outstretched. And to Eila's Horror the unmistakable sight of a Neuroi core levitating a few centimeters above Makarov's palm. Eila woke up and let out a scream.
Outside of NSA Safe House 6 USA
Captain John "Soap" Mactavish
04:44 Local Time
"Oy Sandman we are arriving in from the East over." Soap said into the Sat phone. After a few seconds Sandman replied.
"Roger that you know how to get in don't you?" Sandman asked him.
"Yeah just pick up the crappiest book I can find and the door will open." Soap replied Sandman chuckled.
"Ok see you in a few minutes." Sandman replied. Soap looked to Nikolai and Price who were ten meters behind him. He gave them the thumbs up and they approached the cabin. They went in through the front door and Soap went to the bookshelf. He found the copy of Twilight and pulled on it; the stairs opened up revealing the passage into the safe house. The three Task Force members headed down the stairs and went into the main room of the NSA safe house as he pulled off his night vision goggles. Sandman was waiting for them.
"Hey Sandman it's good to see y… holy shit!" Soap stammered as he noticed a young blonde women sleepily moving about the room in her underwear. "Sandman who the hell is that?" Soap demanded.
"Oh that is Erica Hartmann she is one of the others I told you about over the phone." Sandman told him. Erica raised a glass of whiskey in salute.
"Hi, nice to meet you." She slurred. Clearly she was more than a little drunk.
"Sandman are you sure that she is a Task Force member she looks a little…" Price said before Nikolai cut him off.
"Young, drunk, girly take your pick of any one of those statements." Nikolai said. Erica hiccupped.
"Hey… buster I would have you know that in my home country I am a holder of the… of the… of the." Erica stammered.
"Of the what? National whiskey drinking championship." Price joked.
"No … no… I have the Knight's Cross… with Oak Leaves… and stuff." Erica told them.
"Yeah bullshit you are way too young to have seen combat." Price said; Erica gave him the middle finger. Then from one of the hallways another girl appeared this one a taller girl with long blonde hair. She wore the top of an ACU uniform and no pants.
"Hello I see you have met Hartmann over there, don't mind her she is drunk." The young girl said.
"Hanna I thought I told you that you have to wear pants in this world." Sandman told Hanna.
"Rules, rules, rules always with rules with you. Fine I will wear pants when we are in public but in private which includes now I am going without pants are we clear?" Hanna said to Sandman who rolled his eyes.
"Oy Sandman what the fuck is going on?" Price asked the America Delta Force Operator.
"Yeah so it's a long story but these ladies are part of our Task Force and trust me there is more to them than meets the eye." Sandman said to Price. Then two more came out from the hallway this one a girl with auburn hair and a Japanese woman with an eye patch.
"Hello I am Commander Minna Dietlinde-Wilcke of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing and this is my XO Major Mio Sakamoto." The auburn haired girl said.
"I am Soap, the guy with the mustache is named Price and the Russian is named Nikolai." Soap said to her. Just then another girl this one appeared French came out of one of the hallways.
"Hey Perrine where have you been?" Erica asked Perrine apparently.
"Oh I have been with Frost for a while looking after him." She replied.
"Ooooh looks like someone got lucky." Erica teased. Perrine's face went bright red.
"What!? I was doing no such thing you ass." Perrine shot back. Mio then spoke.
"Well I just hoped you used protection I wouldn't want you getting pregnant." Mio told her.
"What no I didn't sleep with him. No god kill me now." Perrine whimpered.
"Yeah so these girls are witches." Sandman said to Price and Soap.
"Witches surely you can't be serious." Nikolai said. Just then a bright blue aura appeared around Minna and a pair of animal ears appeared on her head and an animal tail appeared at the base of her back.
"I'm serious and don't call me surely." Minna said to Nikolai.
"Ok Sandman, explain everything from the beginning." Price said. Then for the next hour and a half Sandman explained everything from the beginning how these girls were from another world and that they had become stranded here. He told them about their magic abilities and how they were basically super soldiers. He introduced all of them to him and told them about the countries they were from. Soap looked to Erica who still was buzzed. It was scary she looked and acted a lot like a much younger version of his ex-fiancé well hopefully she isn't as violent, Soap still had bruises from their last fight a year ago; truly his ex was a frightening and demonic individual. He shuddered at that memory. Finally it was over; frankly it was a lot to take in. "Ok well I guess we will just have to take everything at face value for now do you trust them Sandman?" Price asked him.
"Yes with my life." Sandman replied; Price nodded.
"Ok that is good enough for me." Price looked around. "Where is Frost?" He asked.
"He is in the armory." Perrine replied.
"Ah he is taking this hard isn't he?" Price inquired.
"Yes how did you know?" Perrine replied.
"I guess I can't blame him. Anyway I am going to hit the hay I don't know about these two but I haven't gotten to sleep in a real bed in three years so I am going to bed good night." Price said Soap nodded.
"Right well I guess I am going to bed to good night." Soap said to the group.
"Yeah same here nice meeting you all." Nikolai said as he followed soap. "Oy weird bunch aren't they."Nikolai asked Soap.
"Look who's talking." Was all Soap said as he stepped into one of the bedrooms.
NSA Safe House 6 USA
Flight Officer Sanya V. Litvyak
09:22 Local time
It went without saying that Sanya was nervous about Eila she refused to talk about whatever happened last night that woke her up. Whatever it was it clearly rattled her to her core. Sanya sat next to her watching the Global News Network on the movie screen in the common area with Minna and Mio on the other couch.
"General Tian Zhao of the People's Liberation Army had this to say after the surrender of the "rebel" Taiwanese government." The image flashed to a picture of an Asian man standing in front of a large podium with a dozen microphones on it.
"After decades of struggle against the Imperialist Americans we have finally liberated our twenty third province from the clutches of the nationalists. This is a proud day for all of China as we stand in unity against the evils of capitalism." The crowd erupted into applause at that last statement. The camera panned out to show thousands of soldiers from China shouting and cheering their general. The camera then panned back to General Zhao. "And to America do not interfere with our just and righteous civil war. Because for every Chinese soldier you murder we shall kill one million Americans." The applause was even louder than before. Clearly this man was just as crazy as Makarov or any of the other evil Russians she had encountered. A reporter then spoke up.
"General does this mean you plan on using nuclear weapons against the United States if they try to retake the island?" The reporter asked. The General frowned.
"I did not say that you are putting words into my mouth." He said to the reporter.
"But General you sai.." Suddenly the reporter was cut off by a burst of static and the video signal was lost. Then the screen was covered by an image that Sanya had seen before in DC. The Symbol for Cordis Die. Then Sanya saw a flash of images play across the screen. An angry mob burning an American flag shouting in a foreign language with subtitles saying "death to America" then she saw an American armored car driving down the road and a white civilian car driving on the opposite side of the road. When the cars were next to each other the white car exploded destroying the American military vehicle. Finally she saw a dozen U.S. soldiers lined up against a wall blindfolded. A series of gunshots rang out and the Americans slumped to the ground dead. Then the screen flashed and over their corpses written in their blood were the words "Cordis Die = Revolution". Then the images disappeared and the silhouette of a man appeared.
"Hello America you might not know who I am but I know who you are. I have watched your decadent country rise to power raping the lands of those less fortunate then you are. I have seen your soldiers brutally murder civilians and destroy their homes. I have witnessed how your greedy corporations rob our nations' blind. These companies are the worst thing that your 'great prosperous nation' has to offer and I intend to bring justice for all of those who cannot obtain it on their own." The image then transitioned to the sight of a dozen heavily armed men in uniforms similar to the Russian paratroopers she faced in DC. They had placed a breaching charge on a door and blew it open revealing a conference room on the other side. "The worst of these companies is Universal Petroleum a Texas based Energy Company that has been robbing the nations of South America out of the oil that is rightfully theirs." While the man was talking the gunmen opened fire on the dozen executives in the room. Bullets ripped into their flesh sending them to the floor in a heap of blood. They killed everyone. Everyone but a single man, who sat frozen in fear at the head of the table. "Chief among these criminals is Robert Barrington the head of UP. You see I have documents that prove that he cheated Venezuela out of its own oil. He actually got them to pay UP for their own oil. I cannot let this stand unpunished." The gunmen grabbed Robert and forcibly put a heavy looking vest on his chest. "You may call me Odysseus. Some of you will call me a monster, a terrorist but I prefer to think of myself as a humble messenger." The gunmen dragged Robert over to the window and shot three holes through it. Sanya could tell Robert was pleading for his life. Then the gunmen to Sanya's horror threw him through the glass. The Camera man panned to follow Robert on his fall to his death. "America listen well" Just then one of the gunmen pressed a detonator and an explosion ripped through the crowded street below. The image then changed to a man in a white suit his face obscured by a symbol for Cordis Die superimposed over his head. He was surrounded by dozens of soldiers in the same red and black camouflage of the gunmen. They were armed with America guns like the HK416. In the background Sanya saw that there were hundreds of armed people in civilian clothes some firing their weapons into the air. They looked like an armed mob or a militia of some kind. "To President Obama you may not know who I am; you may not know where I am. But I guarantee this you will never see me coming." The image then flashed over to a poster of an African American man in a business suit smiling at the camera with the White House in the photo's background. A dozen bullets ripped through the photo where the man's head was. Then the screen went black with the words "Stay tuned this is only the beginning."
"Who the hell was that?" Minna asked to no one in particular.
"I don't know but I got the feeling that we are going to eventually find out." Mio replied. Sanya got the feeling that it might be sooner rather than later.
Maloney's Mansion Britannia
Trevor Maloney
13:11 Local Time
Trevor Maloney forced another glass of scotch down his throat. It just wasn't fair he was one of Britannia's greatest Air Marshals and now because of some arrogant selfish little girls he had his military career finished and his pension taken away from him. To add insult to injury after the Warlock failed there had been an official hearing into Trevor Maloney's conduct; and that smug bastard Eisenhower had not only shit canned him he had placed him under house arrest. That fucking Liberion was so proud of himself that he had become the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Western Europe he lorded his position over every one of his peers. That was just like a Liberion to do such a thing that worthless shit ball across the Atlantic was so proud and foolhardy just because they had the good fortune to end up becoming the world's economic superpower they felt they could just boss other nations around. Britannia should have never let those filthy commoners have independence. Trevor Maloney was going on a mental tirade when one of his maids walked into the study he was in.
"Um Sir, Captain David Brown is here to see you." The maid said to him.
"Send him in and bring us some tea." Trevor ordered the young girl. Trevor looked over to the girl and saw that she was fidgeting a bit.
"We don't have any left." She told him. Trevor lost his temper.
"Well then go to the store and get some more you twit. Must I spell everything out to you?" Trevor growled. The maid left and David stepped into the study a few minutes later.
"Hello sir it is good to see you." David said. Trevor poured another glass of scotch and handed it to David.
"I am not your superior anymore I got shit canned remember?" Trevor stated.
"I know sir." David replied. David had been Trevor's former assistant on the Warlock project he was a genius when it came to mechanical engineering and computer science. Fortunately for him he managed to escape getting dishonorably discharged by the top brass. Trevor guessed that they thought that Barkhorn girl beating the shit out of him was punishment enough. Trevor gulped down some more scotch and picked up some papers that were lying on a nearby table and handed them to David.
"Here take a look at this." Trevor told him. David looked over them and nodded his head.
"It is a sound theory sir I have to say I agree with it." David replied. Trevor had handed him some revised schematics for the Warlock. After months of looking over the design he realized what was wrong; the computer was not nearly powerful enough to overpower the Neuroi core and bend it to their will. But if Trevor could find a way to make a stronger computer small enough and place it over the Neuroi core he could in theory have complete control over the Warlock. "The only problem sir is the amount of memory and processing power required to do this is way out of our reach it would take nearly a century for computer technology to advance enough that we could have a computer small and powerful enough to overpower the Neuroi's brain." David told him. There was the big problem to his little design no one in the world had a computer that could do what he was asking it to do. Most computers took up entire rooms and were still pitifully under powered. In fact the only reason that Trevor got a computer small enough to be placed inside the Warlock was because he cut corners in order to miniaturize it.
"I know but if we could find one and mass produce it, think of the power we could have. We could not only destroy the Neuroi but we could also wipe out all of the witches from this world and frankly I would do anything to see that happen." Trevor told David who nodded. David also shared Trevor's dream of wiping out all of the witches. Ever since that Barkhorn girl humiliated him in front of his men David had grown to hate witches.
"If only we could. Women don't belong on the battlefield they are only good for one thing." David stated Trevor nodded.
"Yes at least my daughter is doing her wifely duties." Trevor stated.
"Ah that is right didn't she get married recently?" David asked him. Trevor nodded.
"Yes to a Karlslander officer in the Afrika Korps some Hershel Von something or rather." Trevor stated.
"Ah congratulations then." David said as he raised his glass in salute. Personally Trevor didn't care about that anymore all he cared about was finding a way to prefect the Warlock and to destroy the 501st. Though sadly rumor had it that the 501st had all been killed by the Neuroi in Venizia; so it looked like Trevor would never get his chance to exact revenge on the insolent Strike Witches.
"Thank you. Now back to business how goes your research into computers?" Trevor asked David who began to tell him about his new computer designs.
NSA Safe House 6 USA
Commander Minna Dietlinde-Wilcke
14:17 local time
Minna had been on this strange device called a laptop for a while now. Minna marveled at the electronic device. How could a computer be so small the ones she had heard about back in her world took up entire rooms, yet this one could fit on her lap. Minna was doing some research on Shadow Company trying to figure out more about them and what she found surprised her. It turned out that the PMC had been formed in the early 1990s by an ex Navy SEAL and built the company up from a small organization of a few dozen people to the largest private army on the planet in just a few years. Apparently during the late 90s they had only don't small jobs like escorting company executives in dangerous countries and guarding facilities from terrorist attacks; over the years they had garnered a reputation for brutality and excessive force. Then after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and the war quickly turned south for the Americans President Bush asked them to help pick up the slack that the U.S. Military was having trouble dealing with. Shadow Company had been awarded a multi-billion dollar contract to help provide "security" in Afghanistan; however they quickly abused their power once they were in country. Hundreds if not thousands of reports were filed of Shadow Company abuse including murdering, and looting from defenseless villages in the country. They had been investigated by the United States government on more than one occasion yet they always managed to just barely get by without being shut down. Many conspiracy theorists thought that they were being protected by someone high up in the U.S. Military for some reason. Minna was now inclined to believe that the person protecting them from sanctions was none other than General Shepherd. Minna guessed that somehow he had managed to gain their loyalty and was now using them as a replacement for the Task Force in order to capture Makarov. It still didn't make sense though; why would Shepherd have to eliminate the Task Force? Couldn't he have just relieved them of duty. It seemed unnecessary for Shepherd to want and kill them. Minna wondered if somehow Shepherd's betrayal was the witches fault. Perhaps he was afraid that they were to powerful and would somehow screw over the U.S.; as farfetched as that might seem anything was possible in theory. Minna saw a window pop up on her screen. It read "News Flash hundreds of nuclear detonations have occurred in India and Pakistan, death toll estimated to be in the hundreds of millions as every major city in both countries had been struck. Information is still sketchy but it is believed that the two countries waged a nuclear war against each other." Minna wasn't sure where Pakistan was but she knew where India was. It seemed preposterous that two countries would use so many of those horrible nuclear weapons against each other. Those countries would probably be nothing but a wasteland for decades to come. Minna sighed and went back to her work; Minna then decided that she would use this computer thing to look up information about General Shepherd. She went to some information website and typed in his name. There were pages upon pages of information about him. Apparently he was well liked by members of the United States Military and had gotten a reputation of being an outspoken critic of the civilian government. He testified in front of congress saying that they didn't have the interests of the American people and military in mind when they cut spending to defense programs. And Shepherd was highly critical of how the war in Afghanistan was being handled. He claimed that the incompetence of the civilian government and their micromanaging of the armed forces had made America weak and pathetic in the face of a growing global threat. He wanted to do things like invade China after they executed the crew of a U.S. Navy plane that crash landed on Chinese soil, and he wanted to use Nuclear weapons in Afghanistan to kill Bin Laden when he made his stand in the Tora Bora Mountains. Suddenly a window popped up on the computer screen. It was a message of some kind and it said "To Minna Dietlinde-Wilcke from Isabella Marquez marked urgent." Minna raised an eyebrow, how did that South American girl know how to contact her and what could she possibly want to tell her. Minna opened up the message and read it. By the time she was finished she was speechless. It all made sense now why Shepherd had betrayed them, Why Shadow Company had been untouchable and why the Russian Military was able to sneak an entire airborne task force across the Atlantic. Minna printed the message and left the office. She had to get this information to the others.
NSA Safe House 6 USA
Captain John "Soap" Mactavish
14:37 Local Time
Minna had run into the room and assembled everyone to the living room. Soap looked and saw Frost in the corner of the room. He looked terrible but I guess given the circumstances he would feel the same way if he was in Frost's shoes.
"I just received a message from Isabella Marquez she has informed me the General Shepherd is planning to throw a coup d'état in this country. He apparently is the leader of some organization called ODESSA and has received some prototype missiles that he is planning on using to assassinate the U.S. government and the presidential candidates. Shepherd then plans on taking control of the American nuclear arsenal and using it to attack Russia, China and North Korea. Marquez says that he has some kind of anti missile system in place to prevent them from launching a counter attack. After the dusts settles he would be viewed as a hero who led America to victory and would be swept into office as the President's successor. " Minna told everyone. There were some gasps in the room and Price swore.
"I Knew I should never have trusted that kraut bastard. It figures he would be a Nazi he never did care about danger close." Price spat. Minna then continued to speak.
"It gets worse Marquez says she has evidence that Shepherd was the one who tipped Makarov off that Allen was a spy. He intentionally compromised Allen's mission because he knew Makarov would kill him and leave his body at the scene of the massacre at the airport. Shepherd and Makarov both wanted to start a war between Russia and America in order to see that their nations destroy the other. Isabella also says she has proof that the Russian didn't compromise the ACS module, Shepherd deliberately hacked it to throw off the U.S. air defense systems because he wanted the Russian ground forces to make landfall in the U.S., Marquez believes that he is doing it because he wants the America to become a military super power again and he thinks that a war with Russia is the best way to accomplish it." Minna told them. Then the Scottish looking girl named Lynnette if Soap was not mistaken asked a question.
"Wait what is this ODESSA thing?" She asked Minna, but it was Grinch who replied.
"I think I could answer that. Remember when Frost told you about the war that happened in our world in the 1940s. Well some of the German leadership who were wanted for war crimes got away from us and escaped to South America. They called themselves ODESSA and they planned on rising from the ashes to seek revenge against the Allied Powers. So throughout the 50s and 60s they spread throughout the world supporting pro fascist factions in many civil wars. Everywhere from Ireland, to Egypt, to Angola they acted as advisors and mercenaries to whatever side they supported. The CIA and Mossad tried tracking them down and killing them but they were always one step ahead of us so we never caught them. Eventually they started to die off so we began to not worry about them as much as we had bigger fish to fry. But after 9/11 NSA began getting reports that ODESSA might have gone active again; we would have pursued them but we had bigger problems chasing down Al-Qaeda cells operating within our borders. I guess we should have paid more attention to them." Grinch said to everyone. This was really bad Shepherd was planning on overthrowing the government and knowing him once he took power the entire U.S. military would be sent to hunt them down. Not to mention how many people would die because of his actions. It was official Shepherd had to be stopped.
"Alright well it looks like we are going to have to attack Shepherd sooner rather than later I am going to spend the rest of today and tomorrow coming up with our battle plans for this operation. Frost you're sitting this one out clear?" Price looked to the young American who scowled.
"No; I am going with you guys on this one. You can't cut me out on this one. Shepherd killed Roach, he killed Ghost and he killed Truck." Frost said to Price who shook his head.
"Frost I know this operation hits too close to home for you that is why you are sitting this one out." Price replied.
"That is exactly why I have to be a part of this mission." Frost replied then Hanna spoke up.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'this hits too close to home for you'." Hanna inquired.
"Because Shepherd taught me everything I know." Frost replied.
Wow alot happened that chapter didn't it. who were those guys Shepherd was talking to and what did that death tree thingy he showed them mean :0. also what did you guys think about Menendez's first appearance pretty scary huh i guess we haven't seen the last of him yet. oh and Shepherd was Frost's mentor who saw that one coming XD. anways please do R/R