A Ghost in the Mist Chapter 5: The Calm during the Storm
(A/N: Heya guys, so I managed to kind of get this one out on schedule. Thank you always for reading and for your reviews. This chapter is a bit of an intermediate expose. More action coming up! ^^)
Rain wrapped around the skyline of Hong Kong enveloping the city in a shroud of water. It was already evening when Ren finished running his errands, he could already tell he had a lot more to do when he got home. He emerged from the grocery store, one hand holding groceries the other fiddling around his messenger bag for the umbrella. He got it open without too much trouble and began his walk home. He looked down at his watch, it was about 8' o clock, still plenty of time to get some brain storming before calling it a night. He stopped five minutes into his walk when he saw a bright red news bulletin flash across a large digital billboard on the other side of the street: Building explosion in Caracas kills thousands, Federation calls the incident a terrorist attack by the US… US denies involvement in Caracas Disaster… UN to Assess Future Federation Threats…
The news story had a live shot of a burning inferno in the middle of downtown Caracas, they had a couple of interview segments from witnesses and a couple of injured survivors. Ren scoffed, the Federation was pulling another publicity stunt and were once again pointing the finger of blame to the US. Not that it worked, they only succeeded in bolstering support from their own allies. There was no denying that the whole incident had US involvement written all over it. Which only piqued Ren's interest, the timing from when he got the info from San Diego and this incident seemed a bit too uncanny, a little too perfect…
-A Ghost in the Mist-
The rain had only gotten heavier by the time he reached the lobby to his apartment building. He was grateful he had thought to bring his umbrella, otherwise he'd have to take another trip back to the office to reprint his edited manuscripts. It wasn't easy, he fought really hard to try to keep the story exactly the way he had written it, but his editor had to haggle him down 5 chapters. Ren grudgingly clutched his manuscripts through his messenger bag as he balanced his groceries in an attempt to press the elevator button. The ride was quick and filled with much needed silence and solitude for Ren. The elevator bell signaled the end of his quick reprieve as he got off onto his floor. Ren's apartment was just around the corner from the elevator, not too far of a dash on his sometimes late mornings. He dug around his pockets for his key and opened the door. Ren's apartment was large and spacious. He'd like to think that he brought a little of the London flat that he had lived with his parents, hints of English and European art and pottery around the walls and on the coffee tables. The small foyer opened up into the living room which took up considerable space save for the kitchen neatly tucked in the back corner. He walked through the living room, tossing his messenger bag onto the couch as he headed toward the kitchen. Once there he set his bags onto one of the island bars he had and began storing his groceries into their appropriate places, making sure to start off with the vegetables and eggs to the fridge first. Afterwards, he headed towards his office, swinging by the living room to grab his messenger bag first. Through a hallway, next to the kitchen, past his room and the guest bedrooms was his home office. His phone was blinking, the receiver saying that he had missed two phone calls. He hit the playback button;
"Ren Ichihara! You'd better get to work on that next draft pronto! I pulled a lot of strings getting you that extension, spy or not, we have a job to do. Be sure to send me a copy tomorrow!" Beep
"Welcome back Hong Kong. I trust your ride was smooth and comfortable. The board is set to meet up next week and they would like your annual assessment. If you could please send me a copy by this weekend. But, I'd think you'd better work on your revisions first, Sherry sounded mad when we talked earlier." Ren listened as Ada's chuckles died down as the message ended. He plopped his messenger bag near the desk and took off his trench coat, neatly hanging on a coat rack near one of the bookcases. He sighed, it was sure going to be a long night. He went back to the kitchen to get a kettle going before coming back to the office. He sat down at his desk and turned on his laptop, the iconic M.I.S.T. logo materializing on the screen before his desktop appeared.
M.I.S.T. Standard Operations Report Version 10
By Ren Ichihara
It has been 10 years since the ODIN incident, 10 years in which the world has changed forever. There was no doubt that the Federation had been behind the hijacking of the ODIN satellite and the targeting of rods to major cities of the United States. The origins of the Federation can be traced to the Middle East during the Tel Aviv War. The US, coming to the defense of their allies from an invasion, intervened along with NATO to win the war. We've obtained records following the end of the war indicating that following the war, a handful of warlords were secretly sent out of the country to their allies in South America. In time, they gained the favorable opinion of the ruling dictators in bolstering deep hatred for the US and their allies. It was soon after that the Federation movement was born. At first they innocently proposed that a unified state of South America would be a wise decision economically and eventually nationally, but that was before the bloodshed of innocent civilians and the executions of any US citizens. By the time we realized their true purposes, the Federation had already unified over 75% of South America under their flag. The UN acted upon the information we provided and sent negotiators to the Federation with the threat of imposing economic sanctions and charging their leaders with war crimes. The Federation responded only with hostility, sending back their negotiators in body bags. What followed was the first campaign against the Federation, a united effort made by the US and their allies to liberate South America. M.I.S.T. worked behind the scenes. Our agents successfully infiltrated the Federation and we passed information to the US and their allies without compromising our secrecy. We were working to a quick close to resolve the Federation uprising, the US had made great progress and even a cease fire talks were in both country's agendas. That was before ODIN…
Ren stopped typing feeling a slight pressure building in his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose, yep he could use a water break. He got up and went to the kitchen and got a bottle of water from the fridge before heading back.
To say that we failed to stop the Federation from rising is an understatement. Though it is reckless to shift the blame squarely on M.I.S.T. What remains in question is how exactly did we not perceive the threat rising in South America before it was too late? Our involvement in the Tel Aviv War was extensive. The information we have obtained was crucial in tipping the balance of the war toward peace. Should have we played a more direct role? Could we have played a more direct role? As the situation stands currently, M.I.S.T. has deployed agents in Federation territory to try to hinder the spread of their ideology and influence. We've lost a number of agents in standoffs with the Federation and so the threat of compromise always looms on each of us as we attempt to gain the upper hand. After ODIN, M.I.S.T. objective changed to eliminating all threats in Europe to make the war as one-sided as possible. Federation sympathizers existed in virtually every corner of Europe, finding them all was a tremendous task, but was necessary to prevent funds and resources from entering South America. It took 10 years, but we have finally regained Europe as a stable base of operations.
Ren decided it was best to take a break here. He hadn't eaten all day, a terrible habit that he had acquired when a manuscript was almost due. First a quick dinner, then back to the report. He inherited his father's knack for cooking as well as his recipes. After taking a quick minute to organize his desk he headed to the kitchen to raid the fridge for ingredients. Tonight, he decided on making tempura calamari with fried gyoza and a side of miso soup. After dinner he went back to his office. The metal glint of the brief case he had brought back from San Diego caught Ren's glance. He had been excited with anticipation to read up on the Ghosts, he wanted to see if the reports he's heard were true or simply rumors.
"Now's a better time than any to find out about these Ghosts." He opened the brief case. He took his time organizing all of the files, matching a name with a picture before thoroughly reviewing each profile.
We cannot talk about the Federation without first discussing about the Ghosts, an elite team of special ops soldiers under direct orders from the top of US government. There about nine of them total, each gifted with their own set of extraordinary qualities. There are some key individuals who are worth a closer look. Let's start first with Elias Walker, codenamed Scarecrow. Elias is the current commander of the Ghosts and maintains his position as one of the top officials in the US army. His battle record is certainly impressive, he's fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Tel Aviv War and on top of that he is a skilled strategist. Then there's Thomas A. Merrick. According to his profile, he was one of the youngest recruits ever to the Marine Corps. He's well trained, his strength and his skills with a gun are one to watch out for, presumably he's the Ghost's second in command. Keegan P. Russ is deadly with a sniper rifle and his background in tactical ops and ambush are perhaps unmatched anywhere in the US military. On top of that, he possesses an eye for detail and can identify weaknesses that were initially overlooked. Kick, codename only, is perhaps one of the most brilliant hackers under the disposal of the US military and on top of that he's a seasoned soldier on the battlefield. Alex. V. Johnson codenamed Ajax, was one of the Marine Corp's best. He was well acquainted with Thomas Merrick and has a list of honors under his name. In my recent mission to "No Man's Land" I obtained a Federation manifest containing his name. It can be assumed that he was captured by the Federation, but his current status is unknown. Perhaps the best of the best of the Ghosts was a soldier named Gabriel T. Rorke. Distinguished and respected across all branches of the military, Rorke was the commanding officer of the Ghosts until 2015 where he was declared M.I.A.
Ren stopped typing again, his eyes focused on the files. He highlighted the entire paragraph about the Ghosts and hit the delete button. He wasn't ready to tell his boss and all of M.I.S.T. about the Ghosts. He wanted to have a little fun with them first, observe them in battle, get to know their personalities a little more. He wanted to see them in action firsthand and gauge their potential to fight the Federation. Maybe he was a bit pretentious, their battle experiences don't lie. His instincts whispered that there was a connection, an unseen connection that he couldn't fathom between the Ghosts and Federation. It would explain why the Federation was going beyond extraordinary measures to snuff them out of existence. Something else that caught his attention back in San Diego and was now glaring him back in the face was the top secret and classified seals on the Ghost's files. How had the Federation get their hands on such sensitive information? It was now undeniable that there was a breach somewhere, sometime in the past. Question is, does that breach still exist?
Ren finished typing up the rest of the report and sent off a copy to Ada. It was almost 11 and he still had a chapter to revise. He stood from his desk to fetch his messenger bag. A familiar ring from his pocket stopped him in mid motion. He saw Ada's number and quickly flipped his PDA open.
"Hey chief. It's not even five minutes and you already read the whole report? I'm guessing you're here to tell me it was too flowery or something?" Ren asked with a quirked brow.
"Very funny Hong Kong, do you think I'd call you on a private line just to critique your writing? I have another mission for you." Ada spoke.
"Well, looks like my chapter revisions will have to wait. Sorry Sherry…"
-A Ghost in the Mist-
Logan didn't enjoy the idea of nearly being crushed by a building, definitely a close call but they got what they came for. They were aboard a carrier, gaining as much distance as they could from Caracas. They were in their sleeping quarters. Logan was in his bunk trying to get some sleep. He could hear Hesh on the sleeping rack above him scribbling away in his journal. Out of the corner of his eye he could make out Keegan and Merrick in deep discussion, details about their mission reaching his ears. He couldn't sleep any more, maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through his veins so he decided to get up. It was hard to believe that Rorke, the man who was trying so hard to kill them, was a Ghost once. Not only a Ghost, but a commanding officer who held the trust of even the President. It was also hard to take in the gravity of the choice their father had made 12 years ago. If he had chose differently, then there may have not been a Ghost squad today, and he and Hesh would be mourning the 12 year anniversary of their father's death. A knock on the door didn't help, he knew that their dad had some news from the laptop they took from Victor Ramos. All the Ghosts were at attention when Elias set a folder on the table before them and opened it revealing their next mission.
"Ramos' laptop was badly damaged, but NORAD made a big find." Elias started.
"Rorke?" Hesh asked.
"He moves every twelve hours, but for the next twelve, we'll know exactly where he'll be. A floating industrial complex out in The Gulf, occupied by The Federation. They call it, "The Freeport." NORAD made the find, and they want him alive. You're getting some salvaged birds to hunt with, and I'll be in a Spectre coordinating the multiple units." Elias stated, eyeing Keegan and Merrick before shifting his gaze back unto Logan and Hesh.
"Gonna be one hell of a hunt." Elias didn't miss the hint of excitement laced with careful anticipation in Hesh's voice.
"Big game, but you know what to do." Elias said. He closed the folder and called Hesh and Merrick to follow him. Logan felt a little awkward being alone with Keegan, but he felt that he could count on the man to have his back on and off the battlefield. Keegan didn't seem to mind the company, he motioned for Logan to follow him to the armory to get their gear ready for their mission. They had to move fast, it's not an everyday opportunity to have the element of surprise on the Federation.