12:53:30, with a 30-40 minute trip ahead, Hesh asks Davis to handle the flying while he records the stadium rescue mission on his notebook. Turns out while evacuating the AO, Logan had ditched his SC-2010 because he emptied all of his magazines for it.
But he finds an SA-805 ACOG Scope and a bandolier full of its mags in the chopper, thus keeping him well-armed. Especially for the heavy fight that is to come.
Hesh: I'd seen soldiers recover their fallen before... but not like these men. There was a reverence to how the Ghosts treated Ajax. The exact opposite of how he must have died. If this man Rorke had killed him, he'd taken his time. And now, he was actually hunting the Ghosts. But here, once again, the Latin American Federation was attacking us, and we were headed into the chaos. And somewhere in the middle of that battle was our father. We had to find him.
After finishing up, Hesh gets back to Logan about his behavior back there.
Hesh: What the hell were you thinking, Logan? Yelling at the Ghosts like that?
Logan: They still had my rifles and they are still not theirs.
Hesh: Well, I don't think you're gonna get them back that way. Time was running thin.
Logan: They had enough time to respond to me.
Hesh: Okay, now I'm starting to take Merrick's side here. You disobeyed a direct order. Maybe you should just admit that.
Logan: *scoffs* Disarming me, even though I didn't do anything seriously wrong, in the middle of a combat zone. That's just dangerously stupid of them.
Davis: Still, you know how punitive measures work. Merrick is your commanding officer, and Keegan is your team leader. Everything they say are orders to follow without question, even though they're not perfect. They've earned that right for a reason.
Logan: Great, now you're starting to sound like Lieutenant Johns. You know what? Why don't the two of you grow a fucking pair of balls, huh?! You pussy-ass bitches!
Larson, Wilson and Taylor: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Easy! Easy!
Larson: Hey, calm down, Logan. Calm down. Look at me.
Logan: *sighs* Yeah?
Larson: I know the rifles situation has got you all worked up. And you don't want to hear Davis or Johns' high praises for Hesh and the Ghosts right now. But please, don't take it out on them or any of our own. We don't want or need to make any more enemies here. Okay?
Logan: *sighs* *tilts head* You're right. I'm cool. I'll be fine.
13:31:10, Viking Team 6 arrives at Ft. Santa Monica, with First Lieutenant Johns, the team's former commanding officer, there to bring the Army Rangers and German Shepherd in. And Logan gets indirectly reminded as to why he is glad Johns does not command him anymore.
--
Homecoming
June 7th, 2044 - 13:31:20
SFC. Logan 'Nightfall' Walker
2nd Bn., 75th Ranger Regiment
Ft. Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA
--
1LT. Johns: Hold your fire! Hold your fire! Those are our guys! Weapons down!
Larson: So this must be Operation Homecoming.
Logan: Seems like it, yeah.
1LT. Johns: Hesh! So glad you can make it!
Hesh: How can we help?!
1LT. Johns: Papa Gator needs more men on the front line!
Hesh: Okay, meet us by the Command Center! I'm gonna leave our dog with you!
1LT. Johns: You got it! Go kick some ass, Hesh! My men are at your disposal! Riley, come!
Hesh: The rest of your are with me! Let's move out!
Army Rangers: Hooah!
Logan: (quietly) Ah yes, one of the many special treatments of Hesh. Dad may be his father, but Johns is his sugar daddy.
After insulting his least favorite commander and attribute of his brother in a rather cool and quiet way, Logan gets back to work with his team. With Larson cheering him up by retrieving his Stoner LMG A1 from the team room.
All while Hesh checks in with CENTCOM.
Logan: Thanks, Larson. Definitely helps.
Larson: You know I always got your back.
Hesh: Papa Gator, this is Viking 6-1. Are you still there?
Papa Gator: Affirmative, Viking 6-1. But we're losing ground. We need you to help reinforce the beachfront, over.
Hesh: On our way. Any word from Colonel Walker's Command Post?
Papa Gator: Negative. Defensive teams were holding that position. I'm sure he made it out, son. Over.
From the command center's balcony, Viking Team 6 supports the friendly Soldiers and Marines defending the beachfront with a combination of HMG, sniper and LMG fire. But the heavy cover fire is ceased when the foreign attackers mark the Americans' positions with red smoke for an artillery strike from a Latin American Federation Destroyer.
Once the firestorm ends, Federation T-90M tanks and Mi-24 Superhind Mk.III gunships start hammering the friendly lines. Luckily, Ft. Santa Monica's two unmanned A-10PCAS (Persistent Close Air Support) Thunderbolt IIs, callsigns: Arc Light 1-1 and Arc Light 1-2, are in position to help out.
So Logan grabs the tactical pad controlling the attack aircrafts' cannons from the command center and destroys the Fed's armored and aerial support. With the base's Drone Control handling most of the work.
Logan: Drone Control, this is Viking 6-2! I have the cannons' controls! Engaging!
Drone Control: Arc Light 1's in the AO.
brrrrrrrrrrrrrr*
vehicles explode*
Logan: YEAH! Gotta love those things!
Drone Control: Enemy armor neutralized! Good shooting, 6-2! Repositioning drones to your location, standby.
Eventually, the Latin American Federation manages to bring the command center down. But Viking Team 6 survives by carefully jumping off the balcony.
On the beachfront, the Army Rangers move to keep Drone Control's tower safe from the enemy. In the trenches, Logan destroys another T-90M trying to blow up the air traffic control tower.
Wilson: Enemy tank pulling out of the hovercraft! No way that MG fire is going to chew through that armor!
Logan: Alright, I'll get on the A-10PCAS's and kill that tank!
Drone Control: Copy that, target in sight.
brrrrrrrrrrrrrr*
T-90M explodes*
Logan: T-90M's down! Move up!
Now at the doorstep of Drone Control, more tanks and Mi-24 Superhind Mk.IIIs move in for a last-ditch attempt to bring Ft. Santa Monica's air support down. However, they were not enough as Logan, Arc Light 1-1 and Arc Light 1-2 keep annihilating them with ease.
Then some Latin American Federation Soldiers with captured FIM-92 Stingers decided to crash the party.
Drone Control: Rifle, hot.
brrrrrrrrrrrrrr*
Logan: Enemy missile lock! Defend! Defend!
Drone Control: Arc Lights defending!
boom*
Drone Control: Arc Light 1-2's been hit! Shit! Arc Light 1-1's hit! They're going do—
crash crash*
Logan: NOOO!
Hesh: Drone Control, come in!
static*
Hesh: Shit! Come on, let's move!
The A-10PCAS Thunderbolt IIs crash onto Drone Control's ATC tower itself, knocking the installation's air power out at the same time. With no other options, Viking Team 6 and its fellow American squads retreat from the beach.
With Elias' command post close by, Hesh, Logan and Riley go there to see if he got out, while Larson, Davis, Wilson, Taylor and Johns move through the town to secure ground transport. Even though the building's second floor is empty and engulfed in flames, the Walker Family tries to check the third floor.
But Logan gets separated from Hesh and Riley by some falling, burning wreckage, forcing him to go upstairs and check for Elias alone. While moving up, he notices some movement inside and prepares to make entry.
He is then grabbed by a Federation Special Operations Phantom and pinned to the ground. The foreign operator pulls the SA-805's trigger and tries to kill Logan with it.
But the Sergeant First Class counter-attacks by cutting the ambusher's right arm in half, gets back on his feet, sweeps him off his legs, and aims his rifle at him, only to fire at the plate carrier with just one bullet. So while the Phantom struggles to grab his knife with his left hand, Logan bashes him in the head with his empty gun, counters his attempted knife strike, disarms him and hits him four more times.
Finally, he backs up a bit, equips his Stoner LMG A1 and fires through the enemy combatant's tinted gas mask, killing him instantly. With him out of the way, the Sergeant First Class sweeps the third floor and does not find Elias.
Hearing Riley and Hesh coming up, he meets them at the top of the staircase and confirms their father's absence. While quickly planning their next move, they get an unexpected extraction from some familiar faces.
Logan: Clear, Hesh! The only body I could find is this dead Federation operator!
Hesh: Okay! But we can never be too sure! Let's star— What is that?!
Logan: Roof breach! Could be his friends!
boom*
Hesh: Hold fire! Hold fire!
Merrick: Hesh, Riley, Logan, get over here! We're getting you boys out!
Hesh: Roger that, Merrick! Come on, guys!
Larson: What's going on up there?!
Logan: The Ghosts are extracting the three of us for some reason!
Larson: Alright! I'll take the others and get out of here!
Logan: Okay! Oh, Larson! Take this!
Logan tosses his LMG to Larson*
Larson: You sure?!
Logan: Yeah! I trust you with it more than these cheap bastards!
tremor*
Keegan: Move your fucking ass, kid! COME ON!
Logan: Gotta go! Stay safe!
Larson: Good luck!
Logan clips onto the SPIE Rig*
Merrick: Alright, get us outta here!
Inside the Ghosts' CH-47 Chinook, Hesh asks if they are going to rescue Elias too. Since no one is answering him, he gets jittery and then aggressive as he approaches Merrick and Keegan.
Hesh: Hey, we're not going anywhere!
Keegan: Calm down, Hesh!
Merrick: HEY!
Riley: *growls*
Merrick: WE JUST SAVED YOUR ASSES!
Hesh: We didn't need you help!
Merrick: The hell you didn't!
Logan: Why come for us anyway, huh?!
Then a Task Force Stalker Operator eases the tension.
TF Stalker Operator: Stow it! All of you!
Logan: Oh yeah?! Your two shitbags still owe me my rifles back! Riley—
TF Stalker Operator: Logan. Please.
Logan: *sighs* Riley, stay.
Hesh: We have to go back! Our dad might still be down there and we're not leaving without him!
TF Stalker Operator: That's real admirable of you. But your father's not there anymore.
Then the TF Stalker Operator takes his Ghosts mask off and reveals himself as Colonel Elias 'Scarecrow' Walker. A commander of Task Force Stalker, a Ghost.
Logan: I knew it!
Hesh: DAD?! THIS WHOLE TIME?! YOU— YOU WERE ONE OF THEM!? YOU— YOU'RE A GHOST!
Merrick: Try THE Ghost! That's your commanding officer!
Logan: Prick.
Elias: Easy. You boys have no idea how hard this was for me. But once I make a choice, there's no turning back. You and your brother still have a lot to learn, but you've passed all your test.
Then Elias makes Logan and Hesh official Ghosts of Task Force Stalker.
Elias: Welcome to Task Force Stalker. The Ghosts.
Hesh: We're ready. We won't let you down.
Elias: There's no way you ever could. I'm proud of you. Both of you.
Merrick: That's all well and good. But what the hell are we gonna do about Rorke?
Hesh: Rorke. That's the guy hunting the Ghosts, right?
Elias: Yeah. He's good, very good. And he knows how we operate.
Hesh: Wha— How's that possible?
Elias: He was one of us.
Logan: Of course he was.
18:01:09, Task Force Stalker HQ, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, upon entering his new room, Logan finds all of his stuff already in there. Seeing no need to rearrange his belongings to his preference, he decides to FaceTime Larson but...
knocking*
Hesh: Logan, c'mon. Dad's gonna tell us about Rorke over dinner.
So, instead, he puts on his paramedic jacket and heads out to get some food. As well as learn about Rorke's backstory from Elias.