Part 3 Chapter 10
"Hey man, you got a light?"
"Yeah, here."
The two men stood in silence in front of a tent smoking their cigarettes.
"First time in country?" One man asked.
"Yeah, you?" The other said.
"Same."
Silence followed. The smell of cigarette smoke clung to the cold night air. The moon illuminated the night sky above bringing ambient light to the camp. The tent flaps at the entrance flapped freely in the cold breeze.
"Hey, thanks for the smoke brother. Have a goodnight." The one man said.
"Yeah you too." Said the other.
The one man walked away.
The other remained still standing in front of the entrance to the tent. The man looked at his watch and yawned.
A dark figure slowly took form from the darkness of the inside of the tent. It pulled out a suppressed pistol and pointed it at the back of the man's cranium from point blank range. The barrel almost tapping him in the back of his head.
"Welp, its getting la.."
His sentence was cut off the by what sounded like a tree branch snapping as brain matter flew everywhere. Some of the gory contents landing on the shadowy figure. The corpse fell backward toward the inside of the tent. The shadowy figure caught the body before it could hit the ground and make noise. The figure paused just inside of the tent concealed by the shadows with the dead body still in its arms listening and looking intently. The only noises that remained was the sound of the wind and distant conversation from other parts of the camp.
"Clear." Ela said and slowly placed the corpse down in the tent out of sight.
"Copy. I have a visual of you on cams." Meghan's voice softly whispered in her ear muffs.
Ela peered into the darkness and saw a faint blue light shining directly at her on top of a tall pile of wooden crates. She gave the blue light a friendly wave.
"Looks like most of the guys in this section of the camp are asleep. Proceed with caution." Valkyrie advised.
"Copy that. Changing positions." Ela whispered.
Valkyrie was sealed up in a different tent in the middle of the encampment watching her cameras on her phone. She scrolled through each one monitoring enemy movements as Ela moved through the encampment like a ghost. It was almost as if Ela had mastered Caveira's silent step. There was loud laughter from next to her.
Valkyrie dropped her phone and picked up her suppressed MPX and held it close to her body. She listened intently as footsteps moved past her tent. She glanced over at the pile of dead bodies she was accumulating in her tent. Both White Mask and IS of the like. She really didn't want to add any more bodies to her pile. When the footsteps subsided, she placed her MPX on her lap and went back to her cameras.
"Vanguard, sitrep."
"A lot of enemy activity on my end. I'm not going to make it to the boat launch in time, however, Captain Anderson is still in there planning God knows what. Ela, you'll have to go in alone." Vanguard whispered staring at the drone feed on his phone.
Vanguard's drone on his phone showed Captain Anderson shuffling through papers and writing things down on a notepad in a large office. After the team's 10 days of surveillance, they discovered that the White Mask were encamped around a boat launch on the lake. The White Mask used speed boats to effectively ferry large numbers of troops across the lake and up the Euphrates River into Ramadi. There was an abandoned brick Parks and Recreation building right next to the launch. Captain Anderson lived and worked on the second floor of the building.
Ela's journey toward the boat launch felt like an eternity. The camp was large, so she had a lot of ground to cover and the fact that she had to stop every couple of minutes because of White Masks walking by didn't make anything better. From the map that she had drawn, the route she was taking toward the boat launch was the safest due to the large amounts of cover she could use. After much patience and care she finally made it to the Parks and Recreation building. In front of the building pontoon speed boats were lined up on trailers ready for launch. Lights shined from the second floor of the parks building.
Captain Anderson must still be awake.
"Valkyrie I'm approaching the parks and rec building. Prepping for entry."
"Copy that. Stay frosty. Once you go inside I won't have eyes on you anymore."
Ela took cover behind one of the speed boats and observed the building, planning how she was going to get inside. People milled around the front of the building shooting the shit and smoking cigarettes.
Looks like the front isn't a viable option.
Ela stealthily moved her away around to the side of the building looking for a fire escape or window access. She hopped a fence and found herself facing the back of the building. The back section was only one story and cut off from the rest of the encampment. She saw a picnic table near the edge of the roof. She also noticed a window that was open leading to the second floor.
A light bulb went off in her head.
Ela walked to the picnic table. Once she was at the table she counted paces to the edge of the fence. She counted 15 paces.
Not much of a running start but I think I can make it.
Ela put her pistol in her thigh holster and loosened up cracking her knuckles and joints. She took a breath and dead sprinted for the picnic table.
The operators of Rainbow Six have admitted that Ela and Caveira were tied for the second fastest operators on the team. The fastest operator of the entire unit was Ash who could run like Usain Bolt. No one could ever beat her in a race.
Once Ela was in range of the picnic table she leapt on top of the picnic table and then while carrying her momentum leapt for the roof of the single-story section of the building. She reached out her hands midflight grabbing the edge of the roof. She found herself dangling in the air. With her strength she pulled herself up onto the roof.
Ela unholstered her pistol and crouch walked toward the open window.
"Valk. Vanguard. I'm in."
"Copy."
Ela peaked her head through the window looking down both ends of the hallway.
Nothing.
She lowered herself through the window into the hallway. At the end of the hallway she could see light shining through the crack of a door. She tip toed her way to the light. The door was half open and she could see Captain Anderson sitting at a desk working.
"Ela, Captain Anderson is at his desk working. He hasn't left the room yet. I'm gonna reposition my drone to the hallway and keep watch for you." She heard Vanguard say. Ela ignored the remark already one step ahead of the rest of her squad.
She twisted the dial on her radio turning it off. She didn't want her squad listening in what she was about to do the man when she interrogated him.
Ela released the magazine in her pistol checking her ammo. She slid the mag in satisfied with the number of rounds left in it.
She closed her eyes.
Took a deep breath in and exhaled.
With one quiet and smooth stride she entered the office with her pistol aimed at Captain Anderson. Anderson looked up at her smiling.
Before Ela could think, she felt sudden blunt force hit her in the back of the head knocking her to the ground. Her Scorpion Evo detached from her combat vest skittering across the floor.
Ela recovered when she hit the ground rolling onto her back and took aim with her pistol at the threat, but her weapon was immediately kicked out of her hand. A large muscular man wearing a White Mask towered over Ela blocking out the ceiling light above her. He raised his boot and stomped down on her skull knocking her out.
It felt like she was unconscious for only a brief second and suddenly she regained consciousness taking a gasping breath. Her nostrils were filled with the stench of ammonia.
The White Mask that smashed her head removed a smelling salt packet from beneath her nose. Ela struggled to her feet but couldn't find her balance. Her hands were zip tied. The White Mask picked her up by the collar of her jacket with unbelievable strength and dropped her in a chair. Ela stared at her boots trying not to make eye contact. She was in no condition to pick a fight. She noticed her thigh holster. Her weapons had been stripped of her except for the emergency grzmot mine she kept in her thigh holster.
Interesting.
She heard footsteps approach her from in front of her.
"Well, well, well. Look what the coalition forces brought in." Captain Anderson said. He had a deep slick voice.
He looked over to his muscular henchman.
"Thanks for the help by the way." He said to him.
His henchman gave a solid nod.
Captain Anderson stood over Ela.
"It's impolite to avoid eye contact." He said coldly.
Anderson smacked her baseball hat off Ela's head causing her long brown hair to fall onto her shoulders. Her radio earmuffs clattered to the ground with her hat. A small green light began to blink on one of the muffs.
Captain Anderson grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanked her head back, so she had no choice but to look at her.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you." He said angerly.
His pupils were pinpoint and wild with hatred.
He pointed a lamp into her face. Ela tried her best to squint through the light.
"Who are you?" He asked.
Ela looked at him blankly.
The White Mask henchman slugged her in the stomach making Ela double over and twist her neck in a weird way because Anderson was still gripping her hair.
"We'll try again. Who are you?"
She stared in silence holding her ground.
Anderson gave her an evil smirk and chuckled. He released her hair. He grazed his hand along her face down her shoulder to her hand feeling her smooth white skin. He picked up her fingerless gloved hand feeling her soft skin. Ela looked at him confused. The White Mask stared at him too also confused.
He tightened his grip on Ela's thumb and twist hard dislocating it. The crunching sound that came from her thumb was enough to make the muscular man gag.
Ela let out an ear-piercing scream. Tears streaked down her face as she looked at her thumb which was now severely deformed.
"Who are you?!" Anderson tried again this time shouting in her face. He already lost all of patience.
Again, Ela sat hyperventilating. Her eyes filled with a mix of pain. She felt pins and needles in her hand.
But she still kept her mouth shut.
"Stubborn." Anderson said moving to her next thumb.
Ela braced for next thumb to be dislocated.
Anderson gripped her thumb with an iron grip. Ela gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut bracing for more pain.
She began to hear crackles and pops in the distance. She waited for the violent pull in her thumb to come but it never came. She opened her eyes. The crackles and pops caught his attention too. He stood in silence listening carefully.
She heard footsteps running for the office door which had been shut. It was followed by a pounding on the door. The White Mask opened the door. Another White Mask soldier stood in the door way.
"Sir, uhhh, we have a situation." The man in the door frame said nervously.
The crackling and pops began to pick up. Ela could hear voices shouting and the distant beating of chopper blades. She thought she heard an explosion from somewhere.
That's gunfire.
"It's the military sir. It appears they've found our encampment."
"The military?"
Anderson took a second to think.
"Have the men gather whatever they can carry. Pull the division out. Retreat back to the citadel."
"Yes sir."
Anderson closed the door and returned his attention to Ela.
"You're coming with us." Anderson pointing at her. He began to desperately gather his maps and paperwork stuffing it into a black door.
"Sir how did they find us?" The large masked man asked trying to help him.
"I don't know."
There was another knock on the door.
"Answer the door will you." Anderson commanded impatiently.
The White Mask opened the door.
It was followed by a clap of thunder.
The White Mask crumpled to the ground with his rib cage blown out. Captain Anderson pulled out a pistol aiming it at Ela's head.
Valkyrie stood in the door way pointing her Desert Eagle at Captain Anderson.
"Drop it or she dies." He said to her.
Ela pulled the long white string on her grzmot mine. It exploded knocking Anderson off balance. Valkyrie pulled the trigger. Her round impacted Captain Anderson in the forehead sending him flying backward.
Valkyrie rushed over to help her friend. Her face was covered in contusions and was slightly bloodied. Her left thumb was bent at an unnatural, sickening angle.
"Valkyrie…" Ela tried to speak.
"Don't talk." She said gently as she cut her friend's hands free.
"We needed… to… interrogate him." Ela managed to say through the mass amounts of pain as she stared at the now dead Captain Anderson.
"We don't have to. We have all the intel we need right here." She said stuffing all his paperwork and maps into her duffel bag. Once she collected all the paperwork she helped Ela to her feet. Ela put her sidearm in her holster and slung her Scorpion around her back. Ela clung on to Valkyrie for balance with her one good hand.
"We have to move. The military found us somehow." Valkyrie said helping her toward the door. The gunfire had picked up to a full-blown firefight outside. She could hear engines running. The White Masks were trying to make their escape by boat.
"Where's Vanguard?" Ela asked in a daze.
"I have no idea. He disappeared. I looked everywhere for him. I tried contacting him by radio. No answers."
The two operators walked down the stairs and out the front door. People ran in all direction scrambling for the boats. A helicopter hovered above the encampment a spotlight on the fleeing boats. American soldier had the encampment surrounded and were closing the distance on the remaining White Masks trying to escape.
"Damn they got out of here in a hurry." Valkyrie said. She could see the muzzle flashes from the American's weapons as they took pot shots.
An American took aim at Valkyrie as she guided her friend out the front door toward an empty pontoon boat. Valkyrie one handed her Desert Eagle and fired. She watched the American soldier collapse to the ground. She picked up Ela and laid her on the floor of the boat. Her head injury kept her anchored to the floor unable to move.
Valkyrie dragged the boat toward the ramp with all her strength moving it inch by inch. The Americans had breached the Parks and Rec building and we're clearing it out while the others were moving toward the launch shooting at the few remaining people dragging their boats into the water.
If she didn't move quick enough they'd be captured soon.
She pulled on the boat harder leading out a yell as she pulled. She made it down the ramp the boat slid down into the water. Valkyrie kicked the boat away from the ramp throwing her duffel bag and MPX in the boat as it rapidly floated away from her into deep water.
She dove into the water and swam toward the boat. Bullets impact the water all around her as she swam. Other escaping boats went up on plane and began their escape across the lake. She watched as the passengers on an escaping speed boat get shredded by the soldiers. Their bodies feel lifeless into the water turning it a dark brown. The Blackhawk helicopter shined its light on the boat launch partially blinding her as she swam for her boat. She heard a loud hiss move past her. She watched what looked like an RPG streak up into the night sky and impact the helicopter. It erupted into a fireball, spiraled into the water, and exploded again. The top of the water began to burn from the leaking fuel. Valkyrie made it beyond the chaos and climbed into her boat.
She started the engine and put the boat up on plane watching as the encampment began to shrink behind her. Most of the White Masks were able to escape as she saw groups of boats making their way toward the Euphrates River. She kept their distance but followed. They would take her back to Ramadi.
"You're going to be okay Liz. Hang in there." Valkyrie encourage her as she lay on the floor of the boat looking up at the stars as the world spun around her. The cool lake water mist sprayed her in the face. Valkyrie's voice and the hum of the engine began to fade as her vision fell into darkness. She took one last look at her dislocated thumb. She noticed it was her right thumb that was damaged.
Gowno. That's my writing hand.