Chapter 10: Let the Tower Fall and Evil Crumble - Part 2

It was a dry day. The air was thick with heat and distant terrain was obscured by the heatwaves that rose from the sweltering, arid ground. Price and Ricochet found themselves sitting quietly and dangerously still while they waited patiently for their target to appear within a small town eastward of Kondoz, Afghanistan. Their desert camo kept them hidden within the surrounding colors of the tan-hued dirt around them. The two of them watched over a prominent and from an upper incline of a steep hill. Price kept his watchful eye stuck within the visibility of his binoculars and on the far-off buildings and beige environment. Next to him, laying on her stomach, was Ricochet who laid silent with her vision peering through the scope of her APR338.

Price slowly lowered the binoculars, and without moving his eyes away from the distant town, he spoke with his gruff voice. "Our target should be arriving soon. Meeting with his group of trusted Taliban to discuss regional issues with another unit of terrorists. Remember his appearance?"

"Affirmative. Saleh Nasir. About 32 years-old, 175 cm, 72 kg, and has a deep scar on the right-side of his jaw."

"Most likely will have his right-hand man next to him as he converses with the other local Taliban. That will be Bishr Hana. He'll be the taller wanker with a beard and a gut. Prominent example of a sick man. The two of them just participated and organized the mass homicide of several women and children. Trying to 'convey a message'; typical sociopath terrorist for you. Afghani government wants Saleh out of the picture."

She glanced at the old man in the corner of her vision. "We only have clearance to kill Saleh?"

"Right."

Her eyes moved back towards the scope. "A shame."

"Never said we wouldn't be taking Bishr out as well." The man's voice sounded perilous. "That muppet deserves a bullet through his skull." He adjusted the M21 sniper rifle near his side.

She had to blink at him with concern, and was unaware of how to respond. Having spent the last day and a half with the old man, she had come to learn a lot. He was a bit...off. The man had definitely seen his fair share of violence, battles, blood, death, and survival. But the sense of survival Price possessed wasn't like Soap's, she got the impression that Price housed an internal ability to exhibit street and prison survival instincts, whereas Soap merely displayed the survival skills of a professional soldier. She viewed Price as unpredictable, and potentially very dangerous. Not wanting to speak against his possible upcoming actions, she remained oddly quiet.

Eventually, an hour passed and a convoy of some older model sedans and an SUV came into sights. Price lowered himself and kept his eyes focused through his binoculars. "This may be them."

They both waited calmly as the vehicles came to a sudden stop. A few moments had passed of zero movement, it was rather eerie. Suddenly, several men removed themselves from the cars they were contained in as another set of men emerged from surrounding buildings. They all approached each other, each gripping a range of weaponry, and eventually began to speak to one another. They gesticulated with emotion and displayed an air of assertiveness. Despite neither knowing what the tradeback pertained to, they kept their observant eyes locked onto the distant group of Taliban members.

Price's voice abruptly emitted. "There. Got a positive I.D. Our eleven. He's in the off-white shirt and olive cargo pants." He paused briefly. "As predicted, Bishr is next to him. See him?"

"Affirmative." She tightened her grip around the trigger. "Signal the shot."

"Today is lacking breeze. You won't have to take that into consideration. Only the distance and the drop of the bullet after firing." He brought his M21 scope to his right eye. Ricochet had no idea he was now aiming down his sights with his crosshairs honed in on the space slightly above Bishr's head.

She moved her crosshairs and kept it locked on Saleh, who gestured with wide palms and lively expressions.

"On my go." Price announced with a raspy voice. "On three," Ricochet held her breath. "3...2...1…"

Releasing their breath, both took a shot. There was a brief moment of stillness before the distant targets burst into an array of blood and exploding flesh. Bishr's head simply became a mass of broken facial bones and bright red, as Saleh's neck received a fatal blow to the neck. The blood splattered out and hit nearby men. The cracks of their rifles emitted off of the hills and landscaping around them. The group of Taliban immediately dispersed and scattered for nearby shelter. Their mouths and lips moving fervently.

Ricochet's eyes widened as she peered over at Price at a loss of words. He had a faint smirk on his face and bore a satisfied expression. Without looking at her, he said, "Good shot."

She took a second to allow her mind to run over the potential outcomes of having taken out a man they were not given kill clearance on. Feeling somewhat anxious, she replied. "Let's move out."

He nodded as they began to slip away and out of the immediate proximity.

Shards and dust of ice shot out from the picks and spiked boots that dug and scraped against its surface. Soap planted a wedge and nut into the sheet of ice after finding a strong enough cranny. The three men remained quiet as the only sound that emitted from around them was the harsh wind and the digging and dragging of their boots. They moved along quickly, as Trevor and Shawn followed Soap's lead and the rope and safeties he planted along the way. Shawn had the tedious task of removing a wedge once Soap had set up a new one further ahead, and eventually, the three of them would pull the rope back up where it ended up within Soap's possession once again.

Several hours had passed and the sun had already begun its journey behind the distant mountain peaks and ice-cold horizon. Their breath blew out of their mouths in a frozen stream of mist. During their journey up, the amount of pines and firs had greatly decreased and only a few mountain goats had been seen further down the mountain. The men had ACRs thrown over their backs, but were unsure if the weapons were going to be utilized or not. After all, there was no knowledge of the radio tower actually being guarded, and the chances were slim considering the distance from sea level.

Soap's picks suddenly reached the upper edge of the cliff as they slammed down into the ice. Using the leverage and his strength, he pulled himself up onto a somewhat flat surface. He rose up and turned around to wait for Trevor and Shawn to pop their heads up. Shortly after, Trevor's head became visible as he lifted himself up onto his feet. After him, came his brother who brought the rope and the last wedge up with him. They all turned to peer at each other before Soap's eyes darted away and scanned the area.

"The sun is starting to set. Now would be a good time to find some shelter for the night. Keep your eyes peeled for any overhanging cliffs or jutting rocks that we can all fit under." Soap found the brothers again who nodded at him with understanding.

Rounding on his heels, Soap trudged through the ice and snow, tossing a rope over his shoulder. The two brothers ambled after him, both falling into their deep thoughts, pondering over recent and upcoming events. The wind was picking up, and despite there being little to no snowfall, the snow the gust blew up caused a cloud of white dust to shower over them and obscure their views.

The ground was hardening with a sheet of ice and the weight of their feet broke through the surface and emitted muffled cracks. The ice that was forming on the tops of the land around them reflected and blared white and yellow light back into their determined eyes and rugged faces. Soap and Trevor were stuck in a state of displaying permanent 5 o'clock shadow, and it was more prominent as a thin layer of ice built up along their faces and grabbed onto the stubble. Shawn bore a more "innocent" look and the hair along his jawline was less noticeable despite having had a head full of almost solid ebony locks. He was an ex-Ranger that steered far away from the typical appearance of an ex-special force soldier, but he was ambitious and dangerous if cornered.

Shawn's eyes, tinted green like a forest of lively vegetation, darted upwards and peered through a cloud of swirling mist and snow. Through the break in the dancing snow, he spotted an overhanging set of reliable looking rocks.

He brought his free hand up to point. "How about that spot? At our 2."

Trevor and Soap's eyes followed his directions and promptly locked onto the jutting rocks.

Soap nodded with approval. "It'll work. Let's set up there."

The three men paced through the snow, chins up with their bodies leaning forward over their centers of gravity. Finding themselves under the protruding shelter of the bluff, their hands found the straps of their packs, and any additional gear they lugged around, and tossed it all to the ground with a muffled 'thump'. Their breaths hovered around their frozen faces as they exhaled heavily.

Eventually, Soap placed his hands on his waist and looked over towards the brothers. "Remember those downed pines we saw earlier? Down the end of the last incline?"

"Yeah?" Shawn's eyes found Soap's stubble covered face.

"Go gather up some wood. Trevor, you should go with him. Safety in numbers."

Trevor crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the Scotsman. "What will you do?"

On cue, Soap peered over at the bags. "I'll start setting up here." His reflective eyes, which were glowing with an icy hue, found Trevor once again. "Sound good?"

Trevor nodded and rolled an imaginary object around his mouth while Shawn agreed before glancing off towards the distant peaks and drop-offs.

"Perfect. We have about an hour of decent daylight. Let's get a move-on." Soap ordered, gesturing with his right hand for the brothers to get in motion. He turned his body and began to rummage through the bags, pulling out the necessities for their encampment.

Shawn looked to Trevor, who merely grunted and turned away to lead them back down the hill. Trevor moved quickly with an air of disinterest as Shawn hastily approached his backside.

Once out of earshot, Shawn opened his mouth to speak. "What do you think of Soap? He's a completely different person when he's in a leadership role."

Without pulling his attention from the path before him, Trevor replied. "He was a former captain. It's obviously apparent." He paused momentarily to ponder over the images in his head. "Why do you ask?"

Shawn shrugged. "Not the Soap I've gotten accustomed to. Way bossier. Seems more intolerant." His eyes peered over his shoulder before continuing. "But, I guess your point makes sense."

"Not only that, but I'm sure the guy has seen a fair share of death. And I would imagine as a captain, that'd be much more disturbing considering one would feel more responsible for the loss of others. Probably wants to make sure everything stays orderly and flawless. You know how it is."

"What? Seeing friends die? Losing the people around you? Trying to constantly manage stress and chaos?"

Trevor nodded.

"Of course I do. I'm not insulting the guy. It's just obvious a different persona has come out." Shawn responded with an even tone.

"It sounded as if you were implying he's become an asshole now. I was merely trying to defend him."

Shawn shook his head. "No. That's not what I was getting at." He raised an eyebrow. "And why did you feel obligated to defend him?"

Trevor remained silent for a brief moment as he blinked at the nearing frostbitten trees. "Soap's like us, that's why."

Shawn looked at the backside of his brother's head.

Trevor had to heave a sigh. "I'm sensing that you're confused again."

"Um, kind of, yeah."

Trevor finally peered back at his brother. "All of us. We're broken, we're unwanted, and we're incredibly expendable. Yet, we still care about our roles and the people around us." His metallic eyes moved away from Shawn's face. "There's a reason we all ended up where we are today."

"We're the leftovers."

"Right."

Silence immediately fell over them, as unfortunate memories returned to them. It had been a dark time ever since the war started, and after their unit had been near obliterated, the brothers had always found a way to be friends with death and a sense of despair always loomed. Trevor recognized the look on Soap's face when he joined their little Darkhorse family. The way he stared off at irrelevant distant objects, deep in thought constantly, and always seeming to be having an internal battle with himself, the look reminded Trevor of himself and his brothers. Reggie could hide it better, but it was there. But it was a look everyone had possessed. If a smile faded or bright eyes disappeared, it was immediately replaced by this sad and empty look, as if their former selves had been repossessed by the soldiers of death they each held inside them. Oddly enough, Price was far different than the rest, somehow always managing to keep a stoic and unfazed expression. It was eerily inhuman. Despite Soap being Price's right-hand man, they were vastly different. Perhaps that was why they were drawn to each other, the two needed each other more than they completely realized.

The brothers finally found themselves amongst the fallen over trees. Trevor released a thick exhale as he looked over the dried branches and trunks. Reaching for his hatchet, he moved for the closest set of fallen firs.

"Let's get this over with." He mumbled.

Eventually, the task of gathering up some wood for the night was complete and they ambled back up the incline in the direction of their new found place of rest. Once to the top of the hill, they were met with a sharp-eyed glance from Soap who was finishing up the assignment of hammering stakes into the ground and planting them deep into the frosty earth. He swiftly peered back down at his hands as he sent one final blow to the head of the metal spike before tossing the mallet towards the bags. Trevor dropped the wood out before him as Shawn carefully placed the splintered pieces of wood into an orderly pile. They all looked at each other as the space around them became still.

The sun was near out of sight, and the environment around the three men was beginning to lose it's pink and yellow hues and fade into an abyss of blues and dark-greys.

"Well, fire? Yeah?" Trevor inquired with his typical furrowed brow expression.

Soap nodded at him. "Aye."

Trevor's eyes stayed on Soap's face before peering off towards the bags; his legs guided him towards the gear as he lowered down to browse the packs' contents. His mind wandered, but his main thoughts were on Soap. He got a good vibe from him, but it was somewhat outlandish. The large Scotsman gave off an approachable aura majority of the time, but on a few occasions it was a very intimidating force; one could tell he would become stuck on haunting thoughts, and it was obvious he was experiencing them now. Soap was the moody type, usually going back and forth between being kind and enjoyable, to shut-down and intolerant. The feeling was mutual though, which was also why both men respected each other. Soap saw that Trevor had a dark side that he kept very close and quiet, but nonetheless, was a mighty fine soldier with the willpower and diligence of a professional.

Shawn on the other hand, was having difficulty reading Soap. Wanting to converse on several occasions, he had discovered that there were times it was best to let Soap dwell in his own thoughts and mind himself. The difference was the way he'd reply or the shifts in facial expressions. Usually keeping a relaxed expression by default, it was always initially complicated for Shawn to read him before approaching. He had learned it was best to look through the windows of Soap's light eyes. That's where the emotion was. If he wasn't in the mood for conversation, his replies were terribly shorter than usual and his brows were lowered, but if he was open to human interaction he usually kept his brow even and his eyes wide with character. Rarely smiling, he still had a way to warm a heart through his simple, deep words and relaxing eyes.

After some time had passed and the sun was near nonexistent, the three of them found themselves sitting quietly, food in hand, and eyes on the fire. The hovering smoke and the light of their fire remained hidden and obscured by the overhanging cliff and the veil of their makeshift tent. All of this, the experience, the mountain, the cold, reminded Soap of his time in Kazakhstan. Having all of these unexpected emotions now seeping into his mind and body, Soap could feel his body tensing and his brow furrow with a sudden burden of trauma and stress. His eyes glowed in the warm light as Trevor found them from over the flames and through the smoke. Immediately, Trevor noticed the drastic change in mannerisms.

Getting some food out of the back of his mouth with his tongue, Trevor began to speak. "So, Soap," immediately, Soap met his stare. "I had heard about your previous experience as a captain. Led a task force, right?"

Soap blinked at him momentarily before responding. "Aye."

Shawn peered up towards his brother before finding Soap's tired face. Trevor nodded slowly. "Task Force 141?" Soap nodded his head at Trevor. "How long were you with them before getting the honors of leading them?"

Shifting, Soap replied with a deep voice. "Joined in 2013. Became captain almost three years later."

"Pretty fast progression. How old were you when you joined?"

Soap took a moment to ponder. "Let's see...probably nearing 26."

Trevor looked mildly impressed. "Not bad. So you were a captain by 29. Pretty young."

Soap shrugged. "Sure."

"You know, some of our Ranger unit had been assigned to that task force for a short time."

"Oh, yeah?"

"You should of had Jacobs and Millers join the task force. I fought alongside of them on occasion." Trevor replied as he took a bite of dried food.

"I knew them. They were present for only one of the missions I was assigned to. Price was running the team at the time."

"No shit?" Shawn raised his eyebrows.

A very faint smirk pulled at Trevor's mouth. "Small world, isn't it?"

"And now here we are...climbing a frozen mountain to knock down a Taliban radio tower." Shawn shook his head. "I feel like I'm being mind-fucked right now."

"You do get confused easily." Trevor glanced at his brother.

"There's a glitch in the Matrix. I swear." Shawn's eyes were wide.

Trevor could only snicker at Shawn's awe. "It's not that uncommon. International elite forces joint-operating together. That's kind of what happens during wars."

"Yeah, yeah. Typical Trevor. Always gotta shoot down my miniscule episodes of entertainment." Shawn rolled his eyes while drinking from his canteen.

"Your turn." Soap sat up. "Price said all of you were Rangers."

"Well, except Reggie. He was Navy." Shawn commented.

"Right. But you other three. Must have been close to be that determined to stay together." Soap addressed with a smooth voice.

Trevor nodded slowly as he jutted a finger in Shawn's direction. "He followed in about four years after me and Samson. I was surprised he even passed selection. That was two years ago."

Shawn lowered his brow and peered over at his brother. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Means you surprised me. That's all."

"...Uh huh…"

"Well, anyways, to answer your question, the best way to put it is that we'd all probably would have been pretty dysfunctional had it not been for our dedication to one another." Trevor lowered his head towards the ground.

"Yeah, you probably would have been shot on the streets had it not been for Samson convincing you to join the Army." Shawn claimed. Trevor quickly shot a disapproving stare over towards Shawn, who quickly recognized it and became quiet.

Trevor looked back towards Soap after staring his brother down. He could see Soap's curious eyes, but he knew the man wouldn't push for more information. Trevor sniffed and rolled his tongue within his mouth. "We were all escaping our previous lives. Or at least, that's what a person is doing when they choose to be enlisted. Following a passion, trying to find a purpose, searching for validity...escaping a life style. We all have our reasons for joining." His metallic eyes returned to Shawn. "And some of us like to keep that private."

Shawn looked to his hands as he chewed. He shrugged and mumbled, "No one here judges each other for certain choices. At the end of the day, we're all imperfect, sinful humans."

"Right. And we might as well live up to that expectation."

Shawn started to poke at his food. "Such is life."

Then, silence fell over the camp. Trevor had to rub his brow after placing his food down. He reached for the pocket on his bag as he pulled out a cigarette. Lighting it, he brought it to his mouth and inhaled on it. As he exhaled with a stressed sigh, a stream of haze poured out from between his lips. Soap's eyes fell back onto the fire as images from the past began to pour into his mind. Even he could feel depression beginning to creep up on him, it was something he had learned to fight off, and in the healthiest way he could muster. And that was done through his determination, willpower, and his ability to find comfort in something that made him remember the times before it got rough, and brought back the pleasant memories of his interactions with Price; he did that by picking up the habit of smoking cigars. Feeling those old, but all too familiar, emotions climbing up his spine and into his head, the urge to light one up as well began to grow inside.

He was planning on saving the one cigar he had packed up for the next day before they brought the tower down, but he decided against it as he retrieved the cigar from his bag. Trevor immediately tossed him a lighter. Flicking open the metal lighter and igniting the end of the cigar, he returned the lighter to its original owner by lobbing it over the flames.

"Thanks." Soap said. He received a simple nod in return. As he smoked on the cigar, he began to feel some of the tension disappear as he narrowed his eyes in thought. Pulling the smoke from his mouth, he began to speak. "Let's make a point to keep this fire lit tonight. It's the only thing preventing us from completely freezing our balls off."

"Take turns feeding the fire, then?" Shawn asked.

"Not like we're going to get much rest anyways," Trevor murmured through his cigarette.

Soap confirmed the question with a steady nod, and with that, they were ready to rest for the night.

Once morning time came, the men quickly ate, packed up their things, threw snow onto the fire to suppress the smoke, and began to return to climbing. Soap glanced at his wristwatch before returning his eyes to the approaching cliffside.

"We're getting close. Not much longer." As he neared the new found wall of ice, he began to dig his picks in and scrap and climb his way up. Trevor and Shawn followed shortly behind as the Scotsman led them along at a moderate pace.

Once elevated enough, he found an appropriate spot for a wedge and sunk it into the cranny. Creeping along the 40m wall of ice, the three of them kept their serious expressions plastered onto their faces.

Suddenly, the ice abruptly split and gave-in as Trevor planted a pick in. The ice cracked and shattered, sending a large shard of ice in Shawn's direction.

"Look out!" Trevor shouted, causing Shawn to look up with wide eyes.

"Shit!" He grunted as he pushed off the wall to his right and just barely avoided the collision. As he swayed, he panted heavily. Soap looked down, from in between his armpit and chest, as his feet and picks dug strongly into the ice. Trevor struggled to regain control, but quickly managed to dig his left pick back in after having dangling from one arm.

"You two alright down there?" Soap questioned through the whistling wind.

Trevor just returned the stare as Shawn released a heavy sigh. "Affirmative."

Soap watched as Shawn clamped back down to the surface again, and eventually returned to scaling the wall. Soap's pick hit the top layer and sent shards of ice shooting out. It was a soft spot. He furrowed his brow and reached further up to find a better support. He tugged on his pick verifying its safety before lifting himself further up.

"Careful up here. A few weak spots." He warned down towards the brothers as he panted. "We're a kilometer away. We need to keep our senses."

Trevor looked some ways up, only to be met with a few small particles of ice which immediately melted on his cheeks. The recent moment of potential bad luck was still lingering around them, and although neither said anything, they were all aware of the gloom that randomly loomed amongst them. Soap was beginning to grow agitated with the lack of strength within the ice. He pulled his attention up towards his upper left and reached out to place a pick into the frozen surface in that area.

Tugging it free carelessly, he had to lower his brow with frustration. "What the bloody hell is going on with this ice all of the sudden?" He grunted as he reached up to his right and finally secured a better grip.

From down below, Shawn removed the last wedge once Soap implanted another safety. Trevor blew air out of his mouth as he began to realize the sudden change in difficulty.

"You aren't fucking joking." He said with annoyance. "You'd think all of the way up here would mean stronger ice."

Just as Trevor finished his sentence, Soap's foot slipped and forced him to hang from one arm. Bringing his legs back up, his spiked boots landed into the side of the ice and found zero to no footing. He cursed as he launched his other pick into the ice, providing more support. Trevor watched him with alertness as Soap fumbled to regain control.

Soap bit his lip as he slammed the sharp points on his boots into the ice finally allowing him to attain his footing. Eventually realizing he was back in the game, Soap resumed to scaling the wall where Trevor and Shawn returned to following.

The next 20m were a cakewalk compared to the 15m before. They were finally getting the top of the cliff into their sights. Soap allowed an exasperated sigh to escape through his nostrils as the edge grew closer and closer. After another 15 minutes, Soap's picks finally reached the top.

But then without warning, a weight forcefully pulled back at him as the sound of shattering ice and a panicked shout emitted from below him. The sheet of ice from underneath Shawn had given-in and crumbled, forcing him to release his only hold and sway freely in the air. The amount of extra weight caused Trevor to flinch and Soap to grit his teeth as he strengthened his grip around the handles of the two ice picks. Shawn quickly moved his eyes downwards towards the sheet of ice that was now plummeting towards the surface below as it disappeared through the clouds of haze. It was easily 3m in diameter. His frozen breath poured out from his mouth in a series of pants.

Trevor growled and looked over his shoulder. "Fuck, Shawn!"

Shawn quickly shot his attention up towards Trevor's disapproving stare. "What, Trevor? I didn't fucking do it on purpose!"

"Quit yelling!" Soap ordered from his position up top. He lowered his voice more as he allowed a low rumble to emit from the back of his throat. "We don't need the rest of the mountain to fall on our heads."

Trevor watched Shawn swing in the wind. "Come on, bro. Start climbing up."

Shawn shifted his body as he reached for the top layer of the mountain wall. At the moment, his picks were almost useless, for now the only surface to cling to was the base surface of slate-grey stone that had once clung to the ice.

"Ugh, don't think I ice is gone." Shawn replied as his eyes darted around.

Soap looked up towards the edge of the crag that was near the ends of his picks. "Trevor," he spoke, causing Trevor to peer up at him. "Just start climbing again. I'm almost to the top. We'll have to pull Shawn up until he can reach some ice to grab."

Trevor nodded at him as he struggled to pull his weight, and now Shawn's added weight, along. Soap was able to swipe an arm back and implant the final blow of his pick into the top of the cliff before him and managed to bring himself up onto the surface. He heaved before turning around to snag the ropes and begin the start of the tedious task of pulling the brothers along. Once Soap's strength was added to the mix, Trevor was able to speed along at a better pace, allowing Shawn to near a new sheet of ice. Eventually, Shawn was able to continue his climb with a heavy exhale as Trevor finally made it to the top.

Once all three were on a solid landing, they quickly moved on and continued their journey through the snow on foot. After what seemed to be centuries, a red blinking light became visible through the dancing snow and icy air. Soap's eyes locked onto it before lowering his brow with determination.

"That's probably it. But let's get a confirmation on it first." Soap stated as he quickened his pace.

The sight of the tip of the radio tower was relieving. Trevor and Shawn accelerated and were now running alongside Soap as they trudged through the frozen layer of earth. Finally, the base of the radio tower was now standing monumentally over them. They looked over the four supports and observed the thick metal beams that held it in place.

Shawn pulled his head back and looked up towards the top. "Bigger than I expected."

Soap moved passed him as he began to check the signals and frequencies. Getting the reading he wanted, he nodded with approval. "Positive ID. Let's bring this shite down."

Shawn let loose a 'whoop' as the three of them began removing C4 from their bags and securing it all safely onto the metal and concrete base of the supports. Soap pointed at one of the legs. "Put two charges on this back supports here. Gravity should do the rest."

With that order now in the air, they all hastily fastened the C4 onto the designated areas and once satisfaction was reached, they removed themselves from the area and to a distant location. Trevor held the remote in his hand as Soap gave him a nod of confirmation. With the command signaled, Trevor's finger pushed down on the button and triggered the C4 to explode. The men sat in silence as the world around them reverberated and the echo of the mass explosion sounded off of the many peaks and pinnacles. They watched from their elevated position with content as a ball of smoke began to form in the sky.