RAINBOW SIX SIEGE : REDEMPTION
DISCLAIMER : I do not own Rainbow Six Siege, characters etc etc etc... Ubisoft owns that. Nor do I own the characters of Scott Mitchell, Nomad or Weaver, they are also owned by Ubisoft. I do not own the Vapid Dominator GTX nor the Annis Elegy RH8, Rockstar has them.
All I own are my original characters.
{Line Break}
Chapter Four
THE loud muscle car pulled up alongside the verge as the driver shut it down and got out. Running a hand through his hair, Greg Mitchell slowly walked up the stairs of the apartment building he lived in, nodding to some of the other tenants as he climbed up the stairs to the fifth floor. As he drew the keys to his door, his neighbor exited her apartment and smiled at him, a smile which turned into a concerned look as she noticed the look on his face.
"Greg..? You look terrible."
With a dry snort, he looked at her and sighed.
"Just... Just been a bad day Rina... " he paused as he looked at her "Busy night out with the girls?"
Wearing attire that would make any goth/punk envious, the young woman chuckled as she rested her hand on her hip and smiled.
"Yeah... Mara wants to head out to the usual haunts, celebrate Linn and Maya's promotion at work. Cat's just gonna tag along and watch what shit goes down."
Greg nodded. When he spoke, it was in a tone that conveyed sadness.
"Just be careful... Plenty of idiots in this town."
Raising an eyebrow, she walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"... I don't have to go out, you know? If you need someone to talk to about..."
He shook his head and put on a fake smile.
"No, no... it's ok." He reached out and hugged her "Go out and have some fun, we'll catch up later."
Rina nodded as she returned the hug, then they broke apart. The look of concern on her face was genuine.
"Are you sure? We may've broken up, but I do care for you still..."
Greg nodded and waved her off.
"I'll be fine. Just gonna go have a beer and watch TV. Go, have fun."
Unconvinced, Rina nodded and took a step or two back.
"Call me, anytime Greg. Maybe... we could go have a coffee or something sometime?"
Opening his door, he looked back at her and smiled softly.
"I'd like that. Take care out there Rin."
She nodded as he entered his apartment and closed the door. Reaching out, she placed the palm of her hand against the surface of the door and whispered to herself.
"I made a mistake..."
Turning, Rina hurried towards the staircase as a few tears came to her eyes. Inside his apartment, Greg was leaning against the door and sighed. He wondered briefly if it had been a wise decision to move not only into the same apartment block as his ex girlfriend, but also the next door apartment to hers. Looking around the darkened apartment, he walked over to the refrigerator, opened and grabbed a beer. Opening the can and taking a deep mouthful, he looked at the can in his hand... before a surge of rage ran through his body and he hurled the can against the wall.
He brought his closed fist down onto the counter with his head bowed. Grief ran through his entire body as the events of the day came rushing back to him. Finding his little sister's body, twisted and contorted in it's death throes hit him hard, but he managed to compartmentalize his grief to finish the mission. He had to admit, he didn't expect the first thing he saw after rappelling down from the helicopter, was to find his sibling's corpse. Looking back in hindsight, he knew how he handled the mission was wrong and that 'Ash' had been right to criticize his technique.
Which brought another thought to him : Eliza 'Ash' Cohen. She was skilled, no doubt about that and had concern for her team-mates, to get the job done with as little or zero damage to her subordinates as possible. Her leadership skills on the battlefield, left no doubt in his mind as to why she was the team leader of her unit. The thing which scared him the most... was how she was almost identical to how he himself was... before...
Absentmindedly his right hand touched the scar on his face. That was a result of a major fuck up with military intelligence. He growled to himself, those were two words which were never meant to be used together : Military and Intelligence. Due to some no name in Washington, probably one who never set foot on the battlefield, his unit had been tasked with disposal of some unknown chemical agent, which had been found within a renegade faction's compound. It was the first time, where he had been placed in overall command of not just his unit but also that of a another squad of Rangers.
Upon retrieval, he had found some papers indicating that this group were in negotiations to sell said chemical to members of a radical group based somewhere in the US. Gathering everything he could find, his unit left the compound and were two hours away from the disposal site, when the convoy of twelve Rangers was attacked by a unknown group. Their attackers wore the garb of regional militants, but wore masks to cover their faces. He witnessed the deaths of his unit, the men and women under his command who he had trained and fought alongside and if it wasn't for a piece of shrapnel striking him in the face rendering him unconscious, he would've died there. Unfortunately, he and three others had been captured and taken by the hostiles.
He should've died there with the convoy... or at least when Corporal Jones did. Their captors tried to break him and forced him to watch the repeated torture of Candace Jones and when he refused to give them the information they wanted, their leader slit Jones's throat and left her to bleed out in front of him. The bastard repeated the process with Privates Eugene Mahoney and Carey Tackleberry, but he didn't break. For days afterwards, he was electrocuted by the enemy... Until the sound of automatic gunfire tore through the compound, distracting his torturer long enough for him to wrap his legs around the man's neck and the resounding snap of the neck echoed throughout the small torture room.
Knocking on his door, shook Greg out of his woolgathering as he turned his gaze towards it. Hearing the knock again, he sighed and walked over to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side, still wearing her combat attire, stood Eliza Cohen. In one hand she held a folder and her other was raised to knock on the door again. Recovering quickly, her other hand moved up further and removed her sunglasses, as she cleared her throat.
"Commander, I..."
Greg turned and walked off into his apartment, leaving the Operator stunned for a few seconds, before she nodded and followed him. Closing the door behind her, she turned and looked around, taking note of how spartan the room looked. As she walked further into the apartment, she nudged something with her foot. Looking down, she saw the near empty can of beer on the floor, it's contents spilled forth onto the carpet and as she looked at the dent in the wall and more of the cans contents spilled on the surface.
Turning she noticed how Greg was sitting in a armchair, placed in the corner of the lounge area and facing her, the look on his face was emotionless. She looked at the nearby couch then back at him, raising her eyebrow. He shrugged at her, while she nodded and then sat down, leaving an awkward silence in the air. A slight frown came on Eliza's face, as she once again thought over what Six wanted her to do.
'You are to go and inform Commander Mitchell of his new posting and escort him to the airfield for transport back to base. I heard of the... 'altercation'... during the mission, so you are to be on your best behavior, understand?'
Eliza remembered hearing the soft chuckling from her squad, but it was Meghan who spoke to her quietly, before she left the scene.
'I heard some of what happened to him on that mission... Remember Nomad and Weaver? They were apart of a team that rescued him from the hellhole he was trapped in and it wasn't pleasant. Just... stay calm and not let your emotions get the better of you when you speak to him, not like... before.'
Reaching up, Eliza rubbed the back of her neck as Greg sat in his chair, watching her. She sighed, then placed the folder on the small table in front of her. He glanced at it from the corner of his eye, then returned his gaze back to her.
"... what do you want 'Ash'?"
She looked at him, immediately taking note of the tired tone to his voice. Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees and looked at him.
"Not what I want Commander... but what my boss wants, and what she wants you on Team RAINBOW."
There was more silence and then... a mocking laugh. Looking at the laughing man, Eliza could feel her anger start to rise. Being recruited for Team RAINBOW was something almost every Counter Terrorist Operator around the world dreamed of joining. Yet here was one, making a joke out if. She narrowed her eyes as Greg continued to chuckle outloud, then he stopped and stared straight into her eyes, which made her pause.
"What makes you think I'd join you or your team?"
Reaching towards the folder, Eliza opened it and tapped the first page which drew his attention. Glancing at the top page, he let a low growl escape his lips as he turned his attention back to her.
"... You think... by recruiting my twin, you can force me to join?"
Hearing the tone in his voice, Eliza leaned back with her hands held up in a placating gesture.
"I didn't know, I swear!"
Studying the woman's face, he kept the stony gaze on her for a period of time... before sighing and picked up the open folder, looking over the papers within. He noticed his father's signature on the bottom of the top page, a frown on his face before he looked over at the redhead.
"... I believe you." he looked back over the folder, moving the papers and studying their contents. Inside were in depth profiles, psychological reports, weapon loadout and more, all of his twin and himself.
With a sigh he leaned back, head resting against the back of the chair he was sitting. After a few moments, he glanced at the redhead, who was sitting patiently on the couch opposite him.
"You've read my file... you know my story, what I can do and all that..." he paused as he watched Eliza "Be honest... what would you decide?"
Eliza paused and looked him straight in the eyes... she HAD read his file. Skilled in CQC, he could give Caveria a run for her money in being stealthy. He also had a similar... authority issue as the BOPE operator, who had only just returned from Bolivia with Twitch, after a incident involving the Santa Blanca Drug cartel and a team of GHOSTS. Gathering her thoughts, she cleared her throat to speak.
"If it was me, I'd weigh all options carefully." Glancing around the apartment with her eyes, she refocused on him "On one hand, you can stay here. Wallow in self pity and remorse over what happened in Afghanistan... "
A tight look appeared on his face, one which Eliza took note of immediately. A placating look appeared on her face as she leaned back slightly on the couch.
"On the other hand..." she paused and looked at the folder, then back at Greg "This is a second chance, one which you might not get again here in the US, except maybe a suicide mission. On the plus side, you'll have your sister with you... and people who you can trust will have your back. Another chance... not many people get one like this Greg..."
Silence filled the room, the sound of cars passing in the street outside the apartment seemed to echo in the room, as Greg studied Eliza's face. The Operator frowned internally, she wished that Six had sent someone else, someone who knows Greg better than her. Unfortunately, as she was the Team Leader, Six entrusted her with this task and it was one she wasn't going to fail in.
The man opposite her leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he looked at her, his head tilted slightly to the side as he continued to study her.
"... you didn't answer my question... What would YOU do Eliza? What choice would you make?"
Put on the spot again, she cursed inwardly. She wasn't used to handling people in this manner, rather she preferred to rush into things and solve them quickly and decisively. Here, she was being given all the time in the world to think her answers through... and all it did was make her think of herself. What would she do, if she was in Greg's situation?
"If it was my decision?" she looked him squarely in the eyes "I would take this chance and find redemption."
Silence once again filled the room and Eliza knew that he was on the edge of a decision. During her reading of the file, the chemical analysis of the stolen compound was detailed within. While she didn't know much about the components themselves, she did know that it was the chemical used in the attack earlier that day, was the same chemical which was stolen from the convoy Greg had been in charge of in Afghanistan. Thinking to herself, she made a decision... and prayed it was the right one.
"Listen... the chemical which was used earlier today, the one which," she paused, taking note of how Greg's body went stiff "... which claimed your younger sister's life and the lives of others there, was the same chemical stolen from your convoy back in..."
A fist slammed into the table, shattering the surface and causing Eliza to shut her mouth. Anger was flaring in Greg's eyes, as he stared into hers and she felt a emotion she hasn't experienced in some time : Fear.
"Is this... how you try to get me to agree with you Ash? To join you and your merry team?!" he stood up, his form towering over her as her eyes remained locked with his "Reminding me of what I lost? Of the lives I lost under my command?! What would you know, hiding behind your sunglasses, yelling at others for not following YOUR plans?! You should be behind a desk, supervising and NOT in the field!"
Inside Eliza, her fear turned into something else. In one motion, she was on her feet, eyes locked and with anger on her face.
"How dare... You presume to judge me?! You don't even know me!"
Greg glared at her, eyes narrowed.
"Nor you I! All you have on me are words on paper!"
Not backing down, Eliza stepped forward and returned his glare.
"I've seen you in action! I saw how you were at the college! You are reckless, undisciplined and DO NOT FOLLOW ORDERS!" Her gaze was as fiery as her red hair "Personally, I have no idea WHY Six wants YOU on Team RAINBOW! YOU DO NOT BELONG ON RAINBOW!"
Greg threw his head back and laughed outloud for a short period of time, before he turned back to her, his gaze cold. Eliza paused slightly, but stood her ground, her gaze defiant.
"I will say this once and only once... I don't care if Six wants you. I don't care if Craig and Meghan will back you up." she took a step forward, jabbing her finger into his chest "I do NOT want you with us!"
Before either of them could comment, the sound of a phone ringing echoed out. A frown appeared on Eliza's face, as she turned to the side and removed from a pocket on her vest the ringing phone. Pressing the Call button, she brought it to her ear while holding her hand up, index finger extended in the 'One Moment' gesture.
"Hello? ... Yes, I'm here now. We... I... Can I just..." she frowned and sighed "I... Understood Six. Yes but... He doesn't..."
Greg turned and walked off into his bedroom, while Eliza was talking to her boss. Entering the room, he walked over to the wardrobe and slid the door open. Inside was only a couple of shirts and a pair of shoes. Grabbing them, he threw them into the open duffel bag on the floor of the wardrobe. Picking it up, he put it on his bed and opened the top drawer of the bedside table, pulling out a locked box. He held it in his hands for a moment, before putting it in the duffel bag as well as the few remaining pieces of clothing he had.
He then looked on top of the bedside table, picking up the framed picture. The smiling faces of his sisters and himself looked out of the picture at him. Memories came over him of happier times, when he was younger with his siblings. Eliza was standing in the doorway, looking at him. She cleared her throat and drew his attention.
"Look... I just want to..."
Placing the picture frame into his bag, Greg walked past her into the kitchen, closing the laptop and putting it and the charger into the bag. In a matter of a few minutes, all of his few belongings were in the bag. He picked up a sealed envelope off of the nearby mantle and looked over at Eliza, walking towards the door and grabbing his trenchcoat which was on the single coat hook on the wall nearby.
"Don't say anything." he grabbed his bag and walked over to the door, grabbing his phone along the way. Opening the front door, he walked over to the next door apartment, standing in front of the door and staring at the envelope in his hand. With a sigh, he leaned down and slid the envelope under the door. Standing up, he walked back to the door of his apartment and looked in at Eliza "... You coming?"
Eyes wide, Eliza nodded and grabbed the papers on the table, shoving them into the folder and hurried over. Stepping pass him, she looked back as he closed and locked the door. He walked by her and headed down the stairs, the FBI Operator following behind. In silence, the two walked down the stairs, only stopping when Greg walked over and knocked on the door of the building superintendent. After a few words, he walked out of the building towards the footpath, waiting for Eliza.
Adjusting her glasses, Eliza stepped down and stood next to him. Before she could respond, he spoke.
"Which is yours?"
Pausing, she drew the keys to the rental car from her pocket and walked over towards a blue Prius... which made Greg stop in his steps.
"Oh Hell no..."
Before she could respond, he walked across the street to where his car was waiting, opening the driver's door and putting his bag on the back seat. He looked at her over the roof of the car.
"Get in."
Looking at the muscle car and then back to the Prius, Eliza hurried over and got in the passenger's seat. She couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face, as the engine roared to life.
"Have to admit..." she looked at him from the corner of her eye "Nice ride."
Greg smirked, as he pulled the car out and roared down the street.
{Line Break}
21:40 Zulu, Dulles International Airport
A unmarked C-130 transport was waiting on the tarmac, with Sara Mitchell looking over her car being secured for transit. It was a remarkable gesture on behalf of Six, that space had been made for her vehicle and her brother's to be brought along with them and she was grateful.
Walking up to the silver and black Annis Elegy RH8, memories of Tracey and her going out in it came to her mind. Good times... and good memories hit her hard, but then the image of her younger sister's pain wracked and twisted body came to her. Anger and rage started to build in her, toward the monsters that committed the attack... to the idiots who weren't doing their jobs in customs and allowed them onto US soil... to the morons in the capital who sent a small unit to dispose of this chemical in Afghanistan... even to her brother for not doing his job back then and their father... for being as distant and aloof as he was towards them.
A hand grasped her shoulder, startling her... and her emotions were gone as she looked onto the face of the Commander of Team RAINBOW, Six. With just a simple look, the older woman had diffused Sara of her anger. Her shoulders sagging, she allowed Six to lead over to one of the seats lining the inside of the plane. The other operators glanced over at her, then went back to what they were doing, while Six sat next to Sara.
"I'm not going to say I know what you're going through. I don't. What I will advise..." she looked at Sara "Do not let the grief take control. Confront it... make it your own. Once you face and accept it, you can do anything."
With that said, Six stood and walked towards the cockpit, leaving Sara to think to herself. Craig looked over to Miles.
"Gotta pity her... finding her little sister like that..."
Double checking that the gear was stowed properly for the journey, Miles grunted as he sat next to him.
"Yeah man... I mean, finding the body like that... " he shook his head sadly "No one should have to see that man..."
Jordan walked over with a bottle of water for Sara, as Meghan sat next to Craig.
"Just imagine how her brother is doing..." she paused "I feel sorry that Eliza had to go speak to him on her own. Think she convinced him to come?"
While they talked, Jordan had sat next to Sara, looking straight ahead as she sipped from the bottle.
"Never gets easy..." he glanced at her "The loss..."
Sara lowered the bottle and nodded slowly.
"I... I saw her... yesterday. We had met for a early lunch... which ended up lasting a couple of hours... heh." a sad smile came to her face "She left to head to the library... had a last cram sessions before exams... I told her... to take it easy and not burn out. She just... just... just smiled and chuckled, the way she always did... If I had of only thought..."
Turning to look at her, his goggles hanging around his neck and a look of sympathy on his face.
"I wouldn't. Second guessing yourself about 'what ifs' and such... all it will do is make you feel worse. I've... seen what grief can do to someone and their resolution..." he looked over to the locked weapon's locker, Sara's gaze following his "That isn't the answer. Ask yourself this one question : What would SHE want you to do? Once you know the answer and accept it, that's the hard part... after that, it does get easier. Trust me, I know."
Sara looked at the man sitting next to her and she could see a faint haunted look in his eyes. As she was about to say something, the engines of the C-130 came to life and the voice of a fellow operator and pilot, Jäger, came over the P.A.
"Secure all stations and yourselves. Prepare for take off upon arrival of our second asset."
Before any of them could respond, the roar of a loud car could be heard, drawing their attention. On the other side of the airfield, a sleek black muscle car, roared past the checkpoint, power sliding around corners as the driver kept the vehicle on course for the runway the transport was on. As the operators and load crew looked on the car jumped a embankment and landed on the runway, wheels screeching as it almost spun out of control, but the driver brought the car under control and it sped towards the open ramp of the C-130.
Miles's eyes went wide as he saw the car, it's headlights on full, roaring towards them.
"Oh man... is..."
The two Navy SEALS next to him, wore big grins as they recognized the car and a slight smile appeared on Sara's face, as the car came closer to the open ramp. The load crew scrambled to the side, as the muscle car had slowed down and drove up the ramp, coming to a stop next to Sara's car. The engine was revved a few times before the ignition was switched off, as the ramp started to close and the load crew hurried to secure the vehicle. The passenger door opened, as Eliza stepped out and closed the door, right when Jäger's voice spoke again.
"Hurry up and get secure back there... take off in sixty seconds."
Sara looked at her brother, as he calmly walked over and sat next to her, Eliza sitting next to him. As they secured themselves, she spoke to him.
"I'm glad you accepted..."
He nodded to her, leaning his head back against the side of the plane. Eliza looked at him from the corner of her eye.
"Greg, for what it's worth... you made the right decision."
He spoke softly, in a tone that only the three operators could hear.
"I'm doing this for one thing..."
The plane shook as it left the tarmac and lifted up into the sky. Sara spoke up.
"... for?"
He closed his eyes as he replied.
"Redemption."
{Line Break}
Deaths-Head : Apologies for the wait... but took awhile to figure out how I wanted this chapter to go. That and a case of writer's block... Also, I only found out AFTER the last chapter was posted, that Bartlett College is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts... NOT Washington DC. Sorry about that and future chapters will reflect the locations as shown in the game.
The next chapter will be a non combat one, as the Mitchell twins meet the rest of Team RAINBOW and interact. I HOPE to have it done and posted online by the end of the month. Any opinions, criticisms etc... more than welcome to share. Just no abusive ones thanks.