'Cliffhanger'

Day 2 - 07:35:55

Sgt. Gary 'Roach' Sanderson

Task Force 141

Tian Shian Range, Kazakhstan

The cold breeze of the mountain slapped against my face sharply as I took another drag from my cigarette. I looked towards the sky as a Mig roared past above us, the sonic boom causing chunks of rocks to fall and every nerve in my body to rattle. Glancing over to the Captain silently, he is still calmly enjoying his cigar. "Breaks over Roach, let's go." He mumbles before tossing his cigar down the cliff. Slowly standing, I tossed my cigarette over the side and secured my ACR. We slowly shimmy our ways across the ice edge till we stop at a sheet of ice. "Stay here and spot me. Wait for my go." Mactavish orders, producing a pair of ice picks. He reached across the ice and slammed one of the picks into the ice. Quickly, he brought the other pick with the full weight of his body into the ice. He started up the sheet, testing the ice with his crampons and pick. Honestly, you got to be nuts to do that. I won't put all my trust those things- "All right, the ice is good. Follow me." He said as he began climbing. –if I was on an ice mountain in the Sahara!

Following suit, I pulled out my ice picks and secured them with my wrist straps. "Come on Gary, no fuck ups." I quietly murmured to myself, hoping this mission wouldn't go downhill just because of my fear of heights. Just gotta not think about it. I followed after the Captain's pace as quickly as my trembling body would let me. Dammit Gary! Get it out of your head! I cursed myself as I continued climbing. All of a sudden there was a loud shriek of jet engine over head. I look up in horror to see Mactavish dangling from one pick from another Mig passing over head. Shit! If he falls what the fuck am I gonna do? The Captain quickly recovered, digging his other pick in the ice. Once he finds his footing, he continues on as if nothing had happen. I let out a pent up breath, shaking slightly. "Fucking a Captain! You scared the hell outta me!" I breathe as I let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that laddie. Are you alright?" The captain asked over his shoulder. I'm glad he can't see how much I'm trembling.

"All good sir." I shouted back trying to hide the shakiness in my voice. Shaking my fear off, I quickly resume my climb until I reached the top of the cliff.

The Captain nodded at me. "Good luck, mate. I'll see you on the far side." He said as he took off on a dead sprint into the fog. Dammit, I REALLY hope this gap isn't too wide! I thought as I found the edge. I back up to get a running start, wiping the frost off my sun glasses to get a better view. I run towards the edge as fast as my legs would carry me. Come on you got this, you got this Gary. Right as I reached the edge it felt like the ground was starting to give out from underneath me. Instantaneously, I jump with all my might. For a moment, I feel like I'm flying. But the feeling doesn't last long as I feel myself slam against the other side of the gap painfully. My heart begins to race as I slide backwards down the cliff face. I frantically try to dig my picks into the cliff side but I continue to slide. "Hold on! Don't let go!" Mactavish's voice rang out from above me. I finally caught a hold of the ice with one of my picks. My eyes glance down at the bottomless drop and I shudder. I look up towards my ice pick, knowing it wouldn't hold for much longer.

Silently I pray it to not end here. But hearing the ice crack is enough to tell me that this was it. The ice shattered but instead of falling to my death my body came to an abrupt halt. I look up to see that Mactavish had caught me by the wrist. He had a strange look on his face. Was it anger? Fear? Relief? Probably all of the above. He motioned to his left with his head and threw me with all his strength up the cliff face. Damn who was this throwing me, Captain John Mactavish or Captain Chuck Norris? He must have thrown me like ten feet in the air! I swing my ice pick and this time, thank God, it stuck in the ice. Quickly, I climb the rest of the way to the top and tried to stop my panic attack. "Roach? Are you alright lad?" Mactavish inquires as he pulled himself up over the edge I was on.

"Captain I'm so sorry! I'm such a dumb sh- " I start, feeling I had put everything in jeopardy with my idiotic fear of heights.

Mactavish helps me up, a firm hand on my quivering shoulder, "Roach! Calm down! It's OK. Now check your heartbeat sensor." He orders, starting forward along a strip of snow.

I nod rigidly. "Yes sir." I mumble as I fold out the sensor from the side of my ACR. A blue dot blinks on the screen.

"You should be able to see me on the scope. That blue dot is me. Any unrecognized contacts will show up as white dots." He states as I begin to follow him, "Oh and Roach…"

I look up at the mention of my call sign, "Yes Captain?" I reply

"Don't worry about a thing and stay frosty." He said patting me on the shoulder comfortingly.

A small smile crosses my lips under my scarf, "Way ahead of ya Big Mac." I said pointing to my frost covered Oakleys. The captain chuckles before motioning for me to follow him. I follow him through the snow till a beep from my heartbeat sensor rings out in my headset.

Looking down, I see two dots on the screen "Roach, these moppets have no idea we're here. Let's take this nice and slow." The captain mutters coolly as I look up to see two tangos several feet away from us with their backs turn, "You take the one on the left. On three…" Readying my rifle, I take aim at the back of the tango's head. "One...Two...Three." I let loose a suppressed three round burst just as another MIG took off from the runway. With that, the Russian dropped with a bloody mist flying from his head. A single shot rang out and the tango on the right fell to the ground along with his buddy, staining the once pure white snow crimson red. "Nicely done." Mactavish commented, lowering his M14 EBR.

I smirk, "Thanks. But I could do better." I reply confidently. We continue down the pathway, the force of the wind blowing hard against our fronts. Gah how can there be a base up here? We come up to a small hill and start towards it when suddenly my earpiece starts beeping again.

I look ahead and spot two more tangos "Same plan. On three." Mactavish whispers. I aimed down my sights, my red dot trained on the Russian just as he was lighting a cigarette. "One...Two...Three." Mactavish said slowly. I fire a single round right into the Russian's throat. He falls to the ground, choking on smoke and blood. "Nice work." Mactavish remarks as he starts forward and glances around. "The storm's brewing up." He said.

Rolling my eyes, I observe this too. "Yeah you're telling me." I mutter as I pull my hood over my head. We continue further down the path till we come to a ridge.

"Let's split up. I'll use the thermal scope and provide over watch from this ridge. Use the cover of the storm to enter the base." The captain informs as he secured his rifle and climbed to the top of the ridge, "You'll be a ghost in this blizzard, so the guards won't see you until you're very close. Keep an eye on your heartbeat sensor. Good luck." I checked my ACR making sure it still had plenty of ammo. Taking in a deep breath, I start towards the entrance of the base where a lone guard standing, fiddling with his AK. I raise my rifle but before my finger could even touch the trigger the guard fell with bloody mist emitting from his temple. "Got em'." Mactavish's voice mumbles through my earpiece. Just as I was about to joke with the captain about being a show off, another guard charged out from behind a parked jeep. Knife drawn, he has a look in his eyes that could make the devil flinch. I frantically raise my ACR to put a bullet in the Russian's head, but he's faster. He tackles me and holds me pinned down to the ground. He aims his knife down at my throat, a smug smile crease forming in his mask. But just as he slices down with the knife, I catch him by the wrist and swiftly punch him in the jaw. Before the Russian has time to react I reach for my tac knife and impaled him straight through the jaw. The Russian went motionless and fell backwards in a bloody mess. "Roach, are you OK!" Mactavish's voice rang out through my headset in concern.

I nod, shaking slightly from the adrenaline rush. "Yeah I'm OK. Did I alert anybody?" I asked as I retrieved my knife from the dead man's skull. I check my ACR, loading a new clip in.

"No thermal signatures on the scope. You're good to go lad." Mactavish replied. This time with my eye on my heartbeat sensor, I slowly make my way pass the fence and towards a small hut. I drop to a crouch and look to the sensor. The screen shows two tangos residing in that building. I hug the wall of the hut and peek cautiously through the doorway. One stands guard while the other sits in a metal chair, fast asleep. Shouldering my ACR, I pull out my USP and took aim at the standing tango. I put a bullet in the back of the head of the unsuspecting Russian. The one sleeping tango falls back out of his chair and made a mad grab for his weapon.

But I'm faster as I quickly put an end to him. "Captain have you got the location on the fueling station?" I asked as I holster my pistol.

"Roger that, I've tapped into their comms. Head southeast and plant your C4 at the fueling station. We may need to go to 'Plan B' if things go south." The captain orders. I make my way out of the hut in the direction of the fueling station, hoping I wouldn't run into anymore trouble. Taking a detour, I slip through another hut and start onto the Tarmac. "Hold up. I'm seeing some activity on the runway." Mactavish warns through my headset. I come to a direct stop and take cover behind a concrete barrier. "Looks like twenty plus foot-mobiles heading your way." Mactavish states grimly. Keeping my cool, I glance down at my heartbeat sensor. Seeing no dots on the screen I continue down the Tarmac until I reach a large tanker like structure. "That's the fueling station. You found it." Mactavish observes from his spot on the ridge. I pull out the C4 and attach it to the side of the tank. I sure hope these bastards light like fireworks- I think to myself as I rig the wires to the explosives. After I set the frequency, I take cover behind an enemy jeep. "I'm picking up more radio traffic about the satellite. Standby... Got it. Sounds like the satellite's in the far hangar. Race you there. Oscar Mike. Out." Mactavish said. I almost jump with excitement at the idea of beating the captain at a race.

Sprinting towards the hanger, I make sure to avoid enemy patrols along the way. I run up to the hanger and stare up at it in question. How the hell am I supposed to get in? Going around the back, I intend to look for a way in. Turning the corner, I spy a door but no Mactavish. A feeling of accomplishment hits me as I let a smug smile cross my lips. "Hey captain! Looks like I wi-" I start, talking into my head set.

But all of a sudden, Big Mac comes out from behind a dumpster near the door clutching an AK-47. "Took the scenic, eh?" He comments, humorously.

Though I didn't beat him, I don't let my dismay drip from my words. "Eh you know me, I love sight seeing." I reply. Mactavish opens the door while holding his rifle in one hand. Following suit I walk in after and look down the hall. A set of lockers sit at the end of the hallway. A lone tango walks in from the other room and turns towards one of the lockers. I aim my rifle about to shoot but in that split second the captain tackles the man against the lockers and onto the ground. The man frantically fumbled for his sidearm, only to receive a knife to the throat courtesy of captain Mactavish. Mactavish gives the man a kick to make sure he's dead before striding into the main room. I follow after, glancing once at the dead tengo. Seeing the satellite, we both make our way to the multimillion dollar piece of junk.

The captain picks up a drill and starts attempting to disassemble the satellite. "Go upstairs and look for the ACS module." Mactavish orders quietly as he starts to work on the satellite.

"Roger that." I answer back. I quickly make my way up the stairs and into the room at the top. Searching throughout the small office, I finally find what I assume to be the ACS module. I pick it up and stuff it into one of my vest pockets. Suddenly I hear the rumbling of the hangar doors opening. Wait why would the doors be opening? That can only mean... Oh shit!

I hastily run out of the room and hide behind some crates at the top of the staircase. "Roach, I've been compromised! Keep a low profile and hold your fire..". I heard Mactavish murmur into the radio. Carefully, I peek over the crates and make out the captain with his hands in the air. Only feet away from him are at least a dozen Russians with their rifles trained on him.

A man, whom I assumed was their commanding officer, held a megaphone. "This is Major Petrov! Come out with your hands up! You have five seconds to comply!" He screams through the megaphone. I watch in horror as he begins the death count. "Five!"

"Roach, go to Plan B." Mactavish orders quietly through the radio.

"Four!" I hurriedly fumble for the detonator. "Three!" My hands grasp the detonator tightly in my grasp. "Two!" I flip the switch and right as he begins to say one an explosion erupts behind them. It shakes the whole base and knocks some soldiers off their feet, while others turned to see what the ruckus was. Swiftly rising from my hiding spot, I aim down my sights and mow down Petrov and several surrounding tangos. I abruptly run out of ammo and slam in a new mag.

Mactavish made quick work of the rest of them. "Stay close and hug the wall! We'll use the Migs for cover and cross the tarmac to the southeast!" The captain shouts as he takes down several more tangos. I promptly run down the stairs just as Mactavish lobs a flash bang. It explodes, sending the Russians into a blind stumble. "Roach! Follow me! Let's go!" Mactavish barks as he ran out of the hangar. I chase after him, taking shots along the way. We both come to a concrete barrier and crouch down behind it. Taking this chance opportunity of cover, we both reload our guns. "Head for that Mig, I'll cover you!" the captain said, pointing in the parked plane's direction. I jump over the barrier and sprint towards the MIG while firing at the tangos gathered around it.

Right as I reach the plane it explodes into flames, sending shrapnel and bodies every which way. "Shit!" I swore loudly as fragments of metal bounced off my vest sharply.

"To the east, Roach! Go!" Mactavish screams as he ran past me. Ignoring the screaming pain in my legs, I follow the captain's lead, taking out tangos along the way. For a moment, I feel the shooting has died down enough for me to slam another mag into my ACR. "Snowmobiles! Take 'em out!" orders Mactavish. My heat races as I look in horror at the speeding vehicles heading in our direction. I abruptly jump behind a snowdrift out of the speeding vehicle's path. "Roach get up! I'll cover you! Come to me! Mactavish hollers, gesturing for me to follow. I stagger up and sprint to the captain's position. Spinning on my heel I turn and fire at more tangos heading our direction. "Roach! I'm heading for that hill! Let's go!" Mactavish advises me. Swiftly drop a flash bang; we dash towards an opening in the fence and slide down the hill. I turn around and fire at the tangos gathering at the top of the hill. All of a sudden more snowmobiles appear at the top and start making there way down. I look for the captain and find him crouched down behind a hut with one of his ice picks drawn. What the hell is he doing? Just as a snowmobile speeds past the hut, Mactavish slams his pick straight into the Russian's chest. The snowmobile comes to a spinning stop in front of me. Another snowmobile stops several feet away. I raise my rifle and shot both the Russians from their seats. "Roach, take that snowmobile! Let's get the hell out of here!" Mactavish barks as he runs towards the other snowmobile. Quickly, I jump on the vehicle and sped down the hill. "Kilo Six-One, the primary exit point is compromised! We're en route to the backup LZ using enemy transport! Meet us there! Over!" Mactavish's voice rang out on my headset.

"Bravo Six, this is Kilo Six-One, roger that, out." the chopper pilot replies.

Several bullets whistle pass me. "Tangos to the rear! Just outrun them! Go! Go!" Mactavish warns. A snowmobile pulls up in front of me, the man on the back aiming his AK in my direction. I pull my G18 and spray bullets into the driver's back that causes both of them to crash into a tree. "Don't slow down! Keep moving or your dead! Go! Go! Go!" Mactavish Shouts as we ramp onto a frozen lake. There were several pissed off Russians gathered on the ice firing wildly at us. A snowmobile pulls up beside me and I feel a sting in my side. But I ignore it and spray both the Russians with my G18, swerving away from them.

I look ahead and notice an enemy Hind at the end of the lake. "Um captain! I think we gotta problem!" I states, shakily.

"I see it Roach just avoid the missiles!" Mactavish replies back loudly. The helicopter fires a flurry of missiles towards my direction but I weave through the many explosions going off around me.

I feel several sharp pains in my back as an explosion erupts several feet behind me. "Fucking bastards!" I curse vociferously as I blind fire my G18 over my shoulder. Speeding up a hill, I end up getting away from the pursuing Russians. "Captain where are you!" I asked frantically.

"Right behind ya boy! Don't stop, keep going!" He cautions from behind me.

"Bravo Six, we're at bingo fuel. What's your status, over?" The pilot asked as we crested the hilltop.

We start down the hill, a bad feeling sitting on the bottom of my stomach. "Kilo Six-One, we're taking heavy fire but we're almost there! Standby!" Mactavish growls through the headset.

My stomach weakens as I look down the steep hill and notice a giant gap at the bottom. "Captain we're not gonna make it!" I shout panicky.

"Yes we are! Pin the throttle! Keep going!" Orders Mactavish. I pin the throttle as high as it would go, narrowly avoiding several trees. My snow mobile jumps and for a second I feel as if I'm flying. Fear holds me tight as I close my eyes, bracing myself for the possible fatal impact to have it not occur.

We both land roughly but in one piece on the other side and sped towards the Pave low. "Bravo Six we have you on visual. Get your ass on board! We're running on fumes here!" The pilot shouts through my headset. The captain and I swiftly board the chopper and practically fell into our seats.

I breathe heavily, running a shaky hand through my hair. Mactavish looks over at me, grinning widely. "That was fun. We should do that again!" he states.

Slowly I look at him, my eyes large with shock at this statement. I just shake my head distastefully, "Yeah…about no." I mutter, resting my head back as I feel absolutely depleted.

Author's note: Now this is a looong chapter! :) Hope you all enjoyed it.

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