Chapter 8

Russian MIGs in the airspace.

The scream in the air had David look up. He spotted the Russian MIGs in the air as they dropped ordinance on the Wolf's men. He gave a slight shrug of his shoulders at that. He asked, "Did you send them?"

No. Barkov is on the warpath for what you and LF did earlier. He sees you all as terrorists.

"No shit, S64," David said as he peered and checked his corners. He saw a few Al Qatala stragglers and took them out with his sniper rifle. "AQ were the fools for using mortars."

Barkov will be there soon.

"Can't speed it up, S64," David said as he shifted position. He got behind a building and spotted the white smoke. "Shit."

Armored vehicles advancing. It's the Russians.

"No shit," David countered. He barked orders at Yusef to drop his weapon and leave. In the meantime, he moved to give himself a tactical advantage while keeping an eye on the armored vehicles. He didn't want to get into another fight with the Russians, but that was the risk when they set it up to capture the Wolf.

They are going to advance and pop smoke for cover. Recommended you switch to thermals if you have it.

"Not in the military anymore," he muttered. He could hear Alex shooting his rifle and he saw the tires blow off on several of the vehicles. It would be enough to slow them down but not necessarily to stop them.

No, but you know how they will advance. Use the smoke to take them out S47.

David twitched his lip before moving. As soon as the Russians popped smoke to cover their advance, he moved forward. He had flanked them and came up behind the advancing troops. He took advantage of the fact that they were paying attention to what was in front of them and moved in. He mostly used his knife and pistol since he was so close.

David was not fluent in Russian, but he could hear the shouts of confusion since they were being picked off from behind and from different areas. He was going to drive them to where he knew Hadir and Farah would have set up IEDs. Drive them in and then take them out. It sounded like it wasn't fair, but it was effective, and it wasn't like they were meeting on a battlefield. This was guerrilla tactics, and he had no qualms using them. He just had to make sure to watch the high ground.

He did underestimate the maneuverability of the Russian forces. He almost missed that they had gotten past the gunfire Farah and her group were giving and were going to flank them. He took position and pulled out his sniper rifle and aimed down the scope. He waited until they were in his sights. He fired, taking the head off one just as he spotted Alex turning ad firing the AK he had been given. He chuckled, "Seems we think alike, CIA."

Seems like it. Think you can pick of a few more Russians?

David responded by utilizing his sniper position to take out a few more Russians. "I've got you covered, CIA. Use the explosives when you see the opening."

No need to remind me.

Are you going to turn this into a pissing match?

"Just a friendly reminder, S64," David replied as he shifted again. He stumbled across a couple of Russians and didn't hesitate to take them out after narrowly missing getting his head blown off.

We need help! Where is Captain Price?!

David finished off the Russian he killed and glanced at his shoulder. The bullet actually grazed his arm when he ducked to avoid getting hit. It stung but it was better than actually getting hit. Getting shot was a pain in the rear. He could attest to that and had the scars to prove it. Not that he showed it to anyone save Jensen when he was recuperating.

Price is en route. ETA four mikes.

"Thanks for that," David said. He cued his comm and asked for the status from one of the other Liberation Force members. He could hear the shouting and the intensity of the gunfire and couldn't hear the sitrep. He growled in frustration and started moving up. "Can you let him know we are in trouble?"

You assume quite a bit.

"Don't fuck with me right now."

Language, S47. I contacted him and apprised him of the situation.

"Good," David replied as he took shelter behind a wall. He had been spotted by Russians and they were taking the opportunity to fire on him.

It startled him when they fired an RPG at him, forcing him to move and find cover. He wasn't going to let it pass and countered their fire, taking out the RPG gunner. "Fucking RPG," he muttered. He stood up and continued to fire to clear out the Russians firing at him.

S47, something isn't right here.

"Nothing ever is. The Russians appeared sooner than expected and we're outnumbered," David said as he moved closer to regroup with Farah and provide support.

Not that. I just got additional intel on the gas.

"Not really the time or place."

It wasn't the Wolf. I repeat, it wasn't the Wolf.

David barely heard it and paused when he heard a truck engine and saw it. His eyes widened as Hadir's truck came barreling towards him. He dived out of the way and ended up falling down a hole caused from the way how the damaged building collapsed. He covered his head the moment he heard the explosion from the grenade.

He heard the hissing and it dawned on him what S64 was telling him. It also hit him with a terrible truth. He knew Farah would never use chemical warfare. After seeing what it did to her people when the war began when she was a child, she vowed never to use such a thing. Hadir was a different story. He knew Hadir wanted to use any means necessary when it came to fighting the Russians. He cursed himself as he quickly soaked his keffiyeh with water and tied it over his mouth and nose.

With a surge of anger at Hadir, he charged up the hilltop and caught sight of the man entering the bunker. Alex wasn't that far behind. So, you put Alex in an awkward position. What the hell, Hadir?

David tried to run and hold his breath. Chlorine gas was effective at suffocating people. It wasn't pretty and he didn't want to die that way. If he was going to go, he'd rather go on his terms and that was going down swinging. He stumbled as he made his way in the direction that he saw Hadir and Alex go.

He stumbled and found that he had tripped over a Russian that was trying to put on a gas mask. David was not normally cruel, but in this case, he needed to get to Alex and Farah and make sure they were okay. He liked Alex and if they had met in another lifetime, they could have been friends. Farah… he would never forgive himself if he didn't do everything that he could to make sure she was okay. He grabbed the mask from the Russian and put it one and looked down at the man and watched him suffocate to death.

David knew he would need medical attention since he had been exposed. He coughed while inside the mask and stumbled, looking for Farah and Alex. He came across LF members choking and dying from suffocation. He gritted his teeth at the waste of life. Hadir could not be forgiven for this. He used the gas without serious thought to the consequences. He was going to have serious words with the man when he caught up with him.

He paused to listen and thought about where Hadir would go. While what Hadir did was despicable, he would not let his sister die. He would take her to a place where she would be found and taken care of. He tried to remember the layout of the destroyed village and took a labored breath and moved forward. He had breathed in gas, and it was starting to affect him, but he wasn't going to give in.

He managed to find the bunker and took in the situation. Alex was on the ground, and he looked like he was going to pass out. Farah was fighting with Hadir and the toll from breathing in the gas took over and she collapsed. David was well aware that his rationality was flying out the window. He walked in ad grabbed Hadir by his gear straps and slammed him against the wall and demanded, "What the hell did you do?"

Hadir replied, almost sounding like a desperate man, "I did what I had to, David. All bets are off."

David wasn't hearing it. He slammed Hadir against the wall, "That was fucking stupid! Our people are dying out there because of you."

Hadir glared at David and retorted, "I did what you would have done… Aquila. Yes. I know who you are. I told my sister she should have killed you or sent you away, but she didn't."

David gritted his teeth. The gas was starting to take its toll on him now, "You know nothing about me. I would never have used gas. And I wouldn't have put my own people in danger."

"No. You just kill them in cold blood."

David had enough and threw a punch across Hadir's face. The action, along with the gas exposure weakened his grip. Hadir took advantage and punched David in return. David stumbled from the repeated punches. He managed to swing and hit Hadir a couple of times before Hadir landed a punch that knocked him to the ground. By that time, David was coughing and trying to breathe and counter that it became too much that when he hit the dirt, he couldn't get up. He did manage to spit, "This is unforgiveable."

"And so is what you did Aquila," Hadir said, "But you earned your place with us. It is why I won't kill you. That and because of my sister. Take care of her."

David coughed and groaned as he tried to move. He saw Hadir move towards Alex and his first thoughts were that he was going to kill him. It didn't make sense since Hadir made sure Alex was okay, but he was pissed. He was angrier with himself for not seeing the signs. The Wolf had denied taking the gas. He should have fucking listened to that.

"Alex. Listen to me. I stole the gas from the Russians to help us. Only to help us. Tell Farah. Tell her, Alex."

David growled as Hadir stood up and left them there. He growled out, "Hadir!" He tried crawling in an attempt to follow but the effort was too much. His cough got worse, and he tried to breathe, but he struggled.

S47. Come in S47.

David grunted when he heard his comm. He reached for his comm button and cued in, "Need… help… gas… missing gas…" He passed out.

S47? David? David!

Alex had been in the spy game for quite some time. He gave up his life in the military to work with Kate in the Special Activities Division. A lot of what he did was considered illegal and he had learned to not always trust assets that could potentially betray him. He had to anticipate that possibility otherwise he was a dead man. And it worked for him for the most part. This was different.

He knew that they had a small window to capture the Wolf on his escape. After what they did to the Russians, it was safe to say that they were on high alert and out for blood. That much was clear when the MIGs fired on Al Qatala forces without mercy. It took care of the mortars, but it cleared the path for Russian armored vehicles.

They did what they could to slow them down but even he knew that they were outnumbered and that was with the help of David's guerilla tactics. Alex had to admit that he didn't anticipate the man to move as quickly as he did and turn Al Qatala and Russian forces into a panic because he made it seem like he was attacking from all sides or rather making it like LF was attacking from all sides. Whatever he did, it helped where it could, but in the end, they were in danger of being overrun and they had no idea when Price was going to arrive.

Alex thought it was more C4 explosives in the back of Hadir's truck. He didn't anticipate seeing the chemical symbols. He had played it over and over in his mind on whether he could have acted fast enough and stop Hadir before he used them. He had that luxury now. At the time, it came as a shock and the result was near suffocation from chlorine gas.

It had puzzled him that Hadir saved him when his own people were dying from the gas. Farah, he understood. Him… The only thing he could think of was the fact that Hadir saw him as a comrade in arms, a brother. Then there was David.

Alex could only remember a few parts, but he recalled how David stormed in with a gas mask that he must have found off some Russian and grabbed Hadir and demanded what he was doing. It was spotty, but he distinctly remembered hearing a name and seeing the two of them exchange blows until David was worn down. It occurred to him that David had been exposed like they had, and it had taken its toll on him. Then there was Hadir trying to justify everything before he blacked out completely.

Alex had no idea how long they were passed out when he woke up and struggled to take full breaths just as Farah came to. Price and Garrick came in asking after them, but… Alex stared hard at the ground as he recalled David just lying there on the ground, not moving. Farah was in a panic and trying to get him to wake up. Alex shook his head.

Some footsteps approached him, and he looked up to see Price walking towards him. Alex didn't know much about David, but he didn't forget how he looked out for him. If they weren't tangled up in the shit, they could be friends. He wanted David to be alright, if only for Farah's sake. Looking a Price, he asked, "How's David?"

"Breathing on his own. Doc says no lasting damage," Price said with a shrug. "Head injury is another story."

"Bad?"

"He's a hard bastard," Price asserted as he crossed his arms. "Should be, given his reputation, and he has knack for survival." His lip twitched, "Even when we met, never gave a sign." Price couldn't help but chuckled, "And Jensen had him hiding in plain sight all this time."

"So, he really is Aquila," Alex stated more than asked.

Price gave a nod. "Best you have a guerilla tactics. Its why he did a lot of wet work as well. Always knew what was right and wrong, and it killed him."

Alex knew David wasn't dead, but he had to look at Price, "Killed him?"

"The beating should have given you the clue. Man doesn't waste lives. He found out what his command intended and protested. They sidelined him and he fought against him." Price looked at Alex, "They marked him a traitor and for death. As far as they know, they succeeded."

"And now he works with the Liberation Force," Alex filled in the blanks. He shook his head. David had given him the clues through his actions and words, but he didn't put the pieces together. "Karim know?"

"Who do you think help free her ten years ago?"

It sounded like a whole bunch of coincidences to a point that it was unbelievable. Maybe David was counting on that to help stay hidden. That made sense to Alex. If people didn't believe he survived his execution, then David could start again as anyone he wanted. Except he went to work doing what he did before. Alex shook his head trying to wrap his head around it, "Sounds…"

"Like a crock of shite," Price finished, "I know. The proof is with Jensen."

"Who is that?"

"Someone who works where Kate can't if only to make things right." Price adjusted his stance as he leaned against the wall.

"He knows Laswell?"

"Seems to know most everyone. His reach is just about everywhere, and it seems to keep the rest of the world out of trouble."

"Well, we're sure in trouble now." Alex couldn't help but sound bitter. Betrayal was bitter in the sense that it shattered the reassurance and confidence you once had. "I'd call it a fail on that one."

"Could've been worse," Price replied. He meant it as saying that nothing was perfect, but that he also understood the reason for Alex sounding like he was. "David could have said to hell with it and worked with our enemies. What he knows could certainly have changed things."

Alex thought about it. He didn't know much about Aquila, what David had been before. He knew what he had heard from reports when he was in the field. Some of them were like ghost stories in the sense that men trained in combat were afraid to come across him in a fight. If David was that good, it certainly would not have gone well if he decided to turn his back on his morals and joined someone like the Russians. It was a good point Price had made and he nodded in agreement, "Alright, I agree with you there."

Price didn't say anything but waited with Alex. He was certain David would be alright in the end. The man didn't survive death only to take a back seat because of a bump on the head. He also wanted the man to pull through for Farah's sake. He hadn't failed to notice the way how they interacted, especially when Farah asked him to do the things he did from his previous life. He didn't doubt she knew David had a past. How much, he wasn't sure, but it was enough that she still trusted him.

"You know, he kept the heaviest of the fight off us. It's a wonder no one hit him," Alex mused. "Few times I had him in my sights taking out AQ I was targeting."

Price made a sound to acknowledge that he heard Alex. That was impressive, but he was also inclined to think a little reckless. That wasn't what he heard about David. That kind of thing would earn the accusation of being a showoff and David was not like that. At least he was certain of that based on what he had observed.

"You know I've seen more emotion at a funeral."

Price looked up to see the one person that just walked in and out of situations like he was going for a stroll. He studied the newcomer and replied, "And don't try to tell me that you are making a social call, Jensen."

Alex blinked when he heard the name addressed to the newcomer. He didn't know what to think about it since he was certain the man just walked onto base like it was nothing. He straightened up and looked at the man as Jensen replied to Price, "I was in the neighborhood when I heard a wolf hunt was going down and on top of that, I get a frantic call from one of my assets that another asset may have had a chlorine gas exposure. So, my being here in a fortuitous timing is what it is: fortuitous."

Price eyed Jensen. He remembered when he first met the man. Jensen had been assigned to help his team out with a mission that was rather tricky. The man gave the impression that everything was all fun and games. It took Price the entire mission to figure out that Jensen's humor was a mask for the tension and anxiety of a few ops that went sideways, and they nearly lost men. He also learned that Jensen was in a unique position that was different from dealing with MI6 or the Yanks like Kate. It was why he was never surprised when intel came to him from unlikely sources and in an unlikely manner.

Jensen was well aware that Price was thinking about their time together in ops. Their business, while working for their respective governments was to make friends. In the end, when you had an objective in a country not your own or with tenuous relationships, it paid to be friends with the ones who had an in when you needed it. Information was the biggest currency and Jensen never failed to stress that to his operatives. How they ran with the mantra was up to them. Leaving Price to think about a possible retort, he turned his attention to Alex and surveyed him before making the assessment, "I don't quite see what S64 sees, but seems you did good. Still standing."

Alex took a moment to process what was said. "What?"

"I know S64 talked to you, and she talked to me. She is convinced that you will play a key part in what happens next," Jensen explained. "She usually sees things where others don't."

"Don't think about recruiting him, Jensen," Price said.

"Oh, I'm not. Echo 3-1 is useful in his current designation."

Alex was feeling annoyed at the way they were talking about him, "I am right here. Don't talk about me like I'm not."

Jensen looked at Alex and said, "And that is why I wouldn't recruit you. You'd have a hard time with detachment. S47 has a similar issue, but much more disciplined. Its why I took a chance when I rescued him."

"Why are you here, Jensen?" Price decided to change the subject. Jensen could start arguments even with straight facts and it was usually the manner in which he delivered it. It was best to deal with him in small doses.

"Like I said. I have intel for Kate and then I heard what happened."

Price nodded, "Doc said he hasn't gained consciousness. Worried about a concussion or something."

Jensen chuckled at that, "Not going to happen, Price. He didn't die when I found him half drowned and he's lasted through quite a bit. He'll be fine."

No sooner than he had spoken than a loud crash happened followed by a few shouts. There were some colorful curses that followed. Jensen raised his brow and looked at Price and Alex. They looked shocked at such language, and it wasn't in English. Jensen chuckled and said, "See? Told you so."

A/N: The Russians arrived and... Hadir was the one that stole the gas! Stay tuned for more...