The horizon was dimming into darkness as Steel Wolf rides down the road, his headlights blazing the road ahead. The books he read back at the hospital gave him insight of things, including the way to Managua Central hospital. The motorcycle had a lot of kick to it, but it was enough for him to handle. There was a man who would answer his questions. Anton Silverio. Wolf.
As he was approaching the hospital, he noticed something. Truck and vehicles heading in the same direction. Steel Wolf decided to park the bike up road, out of sight, where people passing wouldn't see it. As he turned off the engine, he took a swig of his canteen before spitting it out. Month old water was useless to him. Wolf turned around to see more trucks passing by, and saw the hospital was in sight. Wolf thought that running wouldn't be useless to him. He began to jog, staggering and almost tripping, before getting back into it. As he approached the northwest side of the hospital, he slowed to a full stop, just short of breath.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small tool and proceeded to tighten a screw and the ankle joint of his prosthetic leg, to make sure it wouldn't move as much. He looked up just to see a nurse lock the doors to the hospital. He cursed to himself, but looked to the side to see a few windows open. He went on his hunkers, to the window and looked inside. Seeing no doctors or nurses in the room, he jumped in, noticing the clank he made. His muscles contracted slightly as he tried to make as little sound as possible.
He turned and looked around to see the room completely empty of nurses and doctors. He stood up and started searching, not finding who he was looking for. He turned to see a small map of the hospital, with many points and interconnecting lines through it. Wolf slid his hand along the list, landing his hand on intensive care. He glanced slowly walked down the lonely corridor. With a few steps towards the room, he quickly slid around the corner as a doctor stepped past him, looking at a clipboard. Wolf stepped and immediately saw Anton. He slowly stepped towards him, the beeps of EKG machines pounding in his head. He pulled up a clipboard at the end of his bed, which read:
Patient name: Unknown Status: Comatose Doctor's notes: Patient transferred from different hospital, with multiple shrapnel wounds to upper torso. Patient's Right lung has collapsed, if patient does not recover soon, will be forced to terminate life support.
Horrified, wolf slowly puts the clipboard on the bed, thinking about what to do. Then, something glints across Wolf's eye, he turns to see a photograph at the bedside table. He picks it up to see a group of people, soldiers, kids and 5 people, each with a shiny gold pendant on their lapel, with a man in the centre wearing a black beret, suddenly it came back. Painfully.
Tom Kraus. Adrian Samsonov. Claudio Florian. Shao Quan. Thomas Barratt.
Wolf struggled to keep his balance and placed his hand on the table. He turned to Anton, staring at the bandages on his chest, seeped in deep red and the beat of the oxygen pump. All he could do was clasp his arm and sit there. Suddenly, the power went out. He eyes darted as the oxygen pump by the bed grinded to a halt. "No, no!" He quickly darted to the bedside as Anton jerked back and forth, struggling to breath. A loud crash came as men stormed through the door, flashlights darting from left to right. Wolf sank down beside the bed, unable to stop Anton from flailing. In one swing, a light swung over Anton and without hesitation, a loud bang filled the room, as Anton sank back into the bed. Blood sprayed across the side of the bed and onto the back of Wolf's head. His fingers reach to wipe the blood of his hair as the dim lights finally came on.
The men seeped into the room checking beds. Wolf slowly went under the bed and crawled around them, waiting as the men started shooting patients. As they past, he got up and quickly made it to the door before falling around the corner. He turned to see a burst IV bag on the floor. Wary, he dashed and slid around the corridor just before the gunmen came out of the room. Wolf went to check his gear, all he had was a knife and a C96 Mauser pistol. Having thought that the pistol would be too loud, he pulled his knife out and slowly walked down the corridor.
Stopping at a corner, He peeked to see one of the gunmen pegging down the hallway. Wolf took step after step before lunging at him and wildly stabbed, getting the gunman in the back of the head. He pulled the knife out of his head and continued forward. The hospital became a blood bath, as all Wolf could hear was screaming and gunshots.
As he walked into the reception area, now in ruins, with blood on the walls and a busted front door. Then, he saw a recognisable face. Kraus, with two guards. Kraus was a stocky man, with a strong jawline, still wearing the tacked on pendant on his lapel. Wolf, swallowing his pride, decided not to engage him. Though not paying attention, he bumped and knocked over a chair, immediately catching the attention of the two guards. "Hey!" on of Kraus' guards screamed as bullet started flying. Wolf tried to flee before a bullet broke through his prosthetic leg, making him fall and bang his head on the wall. Hitting the ground hard, Wolf pulled himself against the wall, pain surging through his head. The guards walked up to him, he couldn't see the other guard, as blood fled from his eye, in fact his entire right eye began to blur in a hue of dark red. The guard took out his pistol and aimed it at his head...
Instincts kick in.
Wolf sunk his knife into the guard's soft flesh and pulled his gun out, firing twice in the chest. He lunged at the other guard, slicing the thin tendons in his arm. The guard yelled in pain as his arm lowered, before he lifted his arm back and made him pull the trigger on himself. As the bodies dropped to the floor, pain dripped through his mind as he regained hissenses. Wolf wiped the blood of his face as he stared at the bodies.
He began to hear steps thudding towards him. He staggered back to the wall as Kraus passed to see the dead guards, whipping out his radio to tell the others. Wolf lowered his pistol to the back of Kraus's head. "Don't move." Wolf whispered. Kraus turned around and stood back, looking at his enemy with piercing eyes.
"You…"
"Kraus, I presume."
"You survived?"
"I wouldn't be here otherwise. Outside. Now."
Kraus turned his back and is ushered out of the broken door. Wolf sways his gun and points to a jeep sitting just a few metres away.
"You want me dead?"
"Eventually. I wanna know what shit your commander is up to. You drive."
"I remember when I gave you that pistol. Its amazing how quick sides change on the battlefield…"
They both hop in the jeep, Wolf feeling the creek of his plastic leg, as if it was going to break. The engine revved as it began to drive down the road.
"… You won't find him."
"What?"
"The Commander. He's too wrapped up in his plan. Even if you find him, you'll be too late."
"I'll find him, I'll be sure to put a bullet in that son of a –"
White light blinded him. He looked up to see a helicopter flying across as bullets started flying. Wolf jumped out as the bullets riddled the jeep and Kraus. He hit the ground as the jeep swerved into a ditch. Wolf scrambled to get up and turned as the attack helicopter fired a barrage of missiles that bombed the hospital. Wolf stared at the inferno taking place. He turned to the jeep to check Kraus.
Kraus was pulled back by his head, as blood dripped from his mouth. Dead. Wolf looked in disgust before ripping the pendant off his jacket. He dropped Kraus and began walking back to the bike. He stared at the pendant. He was angry, still looking for answers. The commander was still afoot and he wanted him dead.
So Wolf started running. Running into gunfire.