Vladimir Makarov
The Inner Circle
Mirny mine, eastern Siberia
The news that Karlštejn Castle had fallen had reached his ears too late. Alexi was killed, Anya escaped, and he had been waiting for the news of Alena Vorshevsky's capture. It had not been a good day. Prague might have been occupied by Russia, but the Americans were able to recover their Vice President in Hamburg, they were able to take back Paris with the French. It had been a stalemate that he could see no end to.
It was evident that Anya had chosen to defy him. The reports stated that she had killed one of his medical staff, as well as the two guards that he posted at her door. At that point on, he knew that there was no further need to show her mercy. He saw it in her eyes in the castle, and how she had reacted to him. Her body remembered his touch, but her mind, her heart had belonged to another. There was no need to force her into a choice that she would regret. Something had changed since Kandahar. Her fortitude had returned, and with it, the chains that fettered her to start with.
He held the phone that he had given her in his hand. She had never even held it, never even considered it. She had made a poor choice, but he would not begrudge her that. He knew that his one moment of weakness had caused him a fortress. He had thought that a person of her caliber would have wanted more than the life of a soldier, but he was wrong. By choosing to fight him, she had all but given up the greatness that she could achieve by his side. He would have given her the world, but she cast it aside for the notion of brotherhood, of the ties she shared between those of her brothers in the 141. It was not MacTavish that she had chosen, but the bonds that they had shared.
Makarov himself knew that even those bonds would one day break. Yuri had been a prime example of it. Since she had chosen, he would respect her choice. He would watch as she dealt with the consequences of her decision. It was a waste; she had been so beautiful. Those sapphire eyes with her golden hair, built like a warrior and carried herself like a queen.
There was no turning back now. Anya had chosen her path, and so had he, a long time ago. If they were not aligned, then he would have no choice but to at least see her to her death. For the last time, he looked at the picture of Anya and himself that he kept in his wallet.
He threw the photograph out of the nearest window, letting it be blown away by the howling wind.
"Sir, we have the President's daughter," reported one of his soldiers, one he had closed the window. "She is currently being transported here as we speak."
"Good," Makarov answered. "I want every available man to rally at this position. There is no doubt that our enemies would converge here to try to take the President and his daughter back."
Capt. John "Soap" MacTavish
Task Force 141 – Disavowed
En route to Mirny mine, eastern Siberia
Delta Force's Team Metal were unable to retrieve Alena Vorshevsky, but they had been able to track the location of the helicopter that took her from Berlin to the Mirny mine in eastern Siberia. It had meant that the Intel that they had provided Sandman was solid.
Thus, Price, Soap, Yuri, and Anya were picked up from the Czech countryside by Delta team, with Nikolai kept close by.
"So, let me get this straight," Sandman said to Anya on the way to the mine. "You were in a deep cover operation for the past year, but you were compromised by General Shepherd himself." He then pointed to Yuri. "You were Makarov's friend, but you defected, and you leaked the information about Allen and the airport massacre to the FSO."
Anya and Yuri nodded in response.
"However, Makarov already knew about it, and so he tried to kill you," he said, finger still pointed a Yuri. "But because he had a weird thing for you and knew that you would want Shepherd dead, so he stole you," his finger was then back to Anya, "from the FSB so that you'd work together, but he put you in the gulag with Price."
His men nodded. They were following the story so far.
"Then you," Sandman pointed to Soap, "led the 141 to Rio de Janeiro where you interrogated Makarov's weapons guy, and you discovered that Makarov had two prisoners in the gulag and sprang them out." It was Soap's turn to nod. He then pointed to Anya again. "Then you, to get Price's trust, told him that Makarov had a nuclear missile nearby, which you," he pointed to Price, "set off in the atmosphere above Virginia, which allowed the US to take back the White House and the eastern seaboard."
Price nodded. "You've got that right so far," he said.
"Then the three of you," Sandman made an arc, drawing an imaginary line that linked Anya, Price, and Soap. "Went the Boneyard in Kandahar, one of two possible locations where Makarov could have been, and were ambushed by Shepherd's contractors." The three of them nodded. "Shepherd stole the DSM with all of Makarov's plans in the Caucasus Mountains and killed the rest of the 141. So, you went to kill him at Site Hotel Bravo, but you," he pointed to Soap, "almost died."
"Aye," said Soap.
Sandman grimaced. "Eh, the story checks out."
"You forgot about the part where Yuri heroically saves MacTavish in India and Allen saved them both by changing their positions in Prague, boss."
There was a chorus of laughter. "You could write a movie with this," Sandman said. "It's so crazy that no one'll believe that it happened."
"There's nothing to it, really," Price said. "All we know is that we won't stop until Makarov is dead. Soap is the one that likes heroic rescues."
Soap looked towards Anya and asked her, "How are you feeling, love?" Her brow was furrowed, and she had that look on her face that meant that she had been in deep thought.
"I'm ok," Anya replied, reaching for his hand to lace her fingers with his discreetly. "I just wish that it can all end now." In truth, the camaraderie between Metal 01 reminded her so much of what they had with Ghost, Roach, and the others. Even as they relayed the tales of their exploits to them, Sandman and his team took in every single detail like it was gossip. Of course, Delta Force was a frequent collaborator to the 141, but it still made Anya retreat into a time when things were far simpler.
Soap put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. "It will end, Maria," he said. "We'll fight through this together." He could feel her close her eyes as she took a deep breath when their foreheads touched. When her eyes opened, he finally got a smile out of her. A small one, but one that he would forever commit to memory.
"I love you," she whispered. It was a proclamation only for his ears. Seconds later, she had left his side as the rest of the men started to get ready for the mission. Anya's love had been a winged shadow. It was there, only if one knew how to look, and when the time came for it, she would spread it so far and wide that he could only stand in awe. While she risked exposure so that he could be treated for his injuries, he could only provide her with the cold needles of a Loyalist medic without anesthesia. He saw how she fought to survive in Karlštejn Castle, how she fought to return to him, and he pledged that his love for her would never die.
"This is it!" Price exclaimed, bringing Soap back from the recesses of his mind. "We're gonna have one shot to grab the President before he gives up the launch codes and Makarov turns Europe to glass. Once we get boots on the ground, it's going to get lively down there."
"Hopefully, you can keep up, old man," Sandman chuckled.
"I know you Yanks like to take all the credit," Price returned. "So, Soap, Anya, Yuri, and I will keep the neighbors in check while we roll hard to secure the hostages."
"Ok, weapons tight," Sandman directed. "No one likes a dead hostage."
Truck, one of Sandman's teammates asked, "What's the score, boss?"
"Everyone's hostile."
Yuri
Task Force 141 – Disavowed
Mirny mine, eastern Siberia
The fighting in the mine had been the fiercest Yuri had ever seen. From the very moment they had entered the elevator that would bring them to the bottom of the mine, to the soldiers that Makarov threw at them fought as though there had been no tomorrow. It meant that they had very precious cargo on board, and it gave Yuri hope that the President was there.
"These are Inner Circle men," Anya said to him in Russian, noting the uniforms of the enemy soldiers. "Our friend is getting desperate."
Yuri nodded. There was no doubt that Makarov would only trust those closest to him to defend the last Ultranationalist stronghold. A lifetime ago, he would have been one of them. But Yuri knew that it was no longer possible.
"Yuri, Anya!" Soap exclaimed, bringing their attention back to the battlefield, "We need you guys to man the UAV. Yuri, get on the controls, Anya, cover him."
"On it, Captain," Anya replied as Yuri got ready the controls of the UAV granted to them by the Americans. A missile was launched from the UAV, eliminating several hostiles before them.
"Yuri, stay on the UAV, we need to blast open the door that leads down to the bunker," Price said. "Anya, we are cutting through the construction site."
"Providing cover fire, Captain," Anya replied, shooting an enemy soldier through the eye before they were able to get to Sandman. "Boys, you are clear to move." Once she could see everyone were at the bunker's entrance, she nodded towards Yuri, "Rain fire, Yuri."
Yuri aimed another missile at the tunnel, but before he could continue, the drone was shot down.
"Overlord, a SAM just took out our UAV, we need another way in!" Sandman shouted through the comms. Anya had explained to Yuri that Overlord was the code-name of an American command base that gave operatives new orders and support during combat.
"Solid copy, Sandman," Overlord replied. "Odin Six, payload target coordinates are as follows: 7 9 4 4."
Before long, a bomber plane descended into the mine to provide artillery fire that smashed the bunker's doors into dust.
"Everyone, inside, now!" Sandman instructed. Once they were in the bunker, they moved into the tunnels that led to the other end of the mine. "Overlord, we're in! Approaching the target now."
"Yuri, take care of the door," Price said. Yuri nodded and planted a breaching charge on the door.
Once the door was blasted open, they found Alena Vorshevsky alone in the room that they had just entered. Price went forward to untie her while Anya went forwards to speak with her with Truck.
"Metal 0-1, what is your status?" Overlord asked. "Have you secured the President?"
"Negative, Overlord," Sandman answered. "But we have the girl."
Anya sighed as they checked Alena for injuries. "Anya, stay with the daughter," Soap ordered.
"Captain?"
"You heard me," Soap replied. "You need to ensure that she's extracted to safety."
Anya relented. "Understood, sir." Yuri knew that Anya was not happy about the decision, but he also knew why Soap had made the call. They could not risk anything happening to the Vorshevskys, not when they were so close to their goal.
"Overload, we are at grid coordinate 5," said one of Sandman's men. "I need a MEDIVAC for a critical casualty, she's hurt bad. Request MH-6 Bird to RV with us at LZ Bravo. We're six minutes out. Confirm station time, over?"
"You're sure that she wouldn't kill you for that, Soap?" Yuri asked Soap as they ran further down the tunnel.
Soap harrumphed. "She can try," he replied as they entered another tunnel. When they emerged, they caught sight of their quarry – Boris Vorshevsky being moved across the bridge closest to them.
"On the catwalk!" Price indicated, running all the faster once they saw that it really was Vorshevsky.
"I see him!" roused another Delta teammate.
"Then we're not too late, keep pushing!"
As the enemy soldiers rounded Vorshevsky into an elevator, they hooked themselves onto the catwalk and rappelled down the mine. When they reached the bottom, Vorshevsky was seen being moved towards a bunker. However, they were not able to get into the bunker before the blast doors were closed.
Price observed the blast doors. "It's reinforced steel, we can't get through this!"
"Captain MacTavish, the daughter is secured," Anya's voice rang. "We are getting her out of here. See you on the other side."
"Good job, lassie," came Soap's reply.
Price then had the idea of blasting their way through the ceiling to get to Vorshevsky. Yuri planted a circle of C4 charges and detonated them. The floor collapsed and they descended into the bunker from the opening that they had created.
"Overlord, jackpot!" Sandman announced. "The President is secure!"
Even Overlord sounded pleased. "Solid copy, gather your team and proceed to the RV."
"My daughter…" Vorshevsky pleaded.
"She's alright," Price said. "She's alive. We have our girl with her." Vorshevksy nodded and stood up with Price's help.
The mine shook. It was likely that all the bombardment had caused the mine to show signs of collapse. They needed to get out immediately.
"Overlord, this place is gonna collapse any minute, the birds need to come to us!"
"Copy that, Hammer 1 is now en route. ETA: 30 seconds, standby."
When they ran out of the bunker, they could see that there were more hostiles approaching. They would have to fight their way out while they waited for the helicopters to arrive.
"Soap, get out there and cover the transports," Price instructed. "Yuri, on me."
Soon enough, they could see two helicopters descending the mine shaft, a Black Hawk, and a Little Bird. Soap was able to shoot an enemy soldier that had an RPG aimed at the Little Bird and helped Sandman to board the President onto the Black Hawk.
"The President's secure!" Sandman announced but went out of the Black Hawk.
Before Yuri even knew what was happening, he felt his body go limp. He had been shot somewhere, but he did not know where. "Hang in there, I got ya!" Truck said and dragged Yuri onto the Black Hawk next to the President.
"Soap, we can't let them do this!" Yuri protested.
Soap nodded and fired at the enemy soldiers. "Gentlemen, it's time to make a move!" he reminded everyone. "There's plenty of room to go about!"
From then on, everything was a blur to Yuri. He must have been losing a lot of blood. He saw Soap leaping out of the Black Hawk to herd Price in, but Sandman and his men remained out of the helicopters. He thought he heard another RPG destroying the Little Bird, but all he saw was Price beckoning the others to join them.
"We can't stay here, we've gotta leave!" the Black Hawk's pilot said and took off.
"No, get us back down there!" Price protested. "We can't leave them!"
"It's too hot!" the pilot returned. "If we go back, we all die!"
The worst thing was the silence that came after. When the Black Hawk exited the mine shaft, the mine collapsed. It was impossible that there was anyone left alive.
"Sandman, do you read me?" Price shouted. "Sandman, come in!"
Cpl. Maria "Anya" Allen
Task Force 141 – Disavowed
Russian Federation Hangar Bay, Siberia.
Anya ran towards the Black Hawk when it landed, with Alena Vorshevsky in tow. She already knew what had happened through the comms. They had succeeded in retrieving the Russian President. They had finally been able to stop the war that they had inadvertently had part in starting. However, they lost Sandman and the rest of Metal 01.
While the President reunited with his daughter, Anya gave Price a hug. "You did all you could, Captain," she said. Price nodded and returned the hug. "
"Anya, Yuri needs a medic!" Soap exclaimed from inside the Black Hawk. When he emerged, he had Yuri slung over his shoulders.
"Come with me," Anya nodded, and quickly ushered Soap and Yuri into the medical bay. The President and his daughter would then soon follow.
Once Yuri was being seen to by the doctors there, Vorshevsky walked towards Anya, Soap, and Price. "You are Task Force 141?" he asked.
Price nodded. "Yes, sir," he answered. "I am John Price; this is John MacTavish and…"
"Maria Allen," Vorshevsky said, looking directly at Anya. "I've seen your files, Allen. They were given to me by an informant before the attack at the airport."
"That would be Yuri's doing, sir," Anya offered, gesturing at Yuri.
Vorshevsky nodded. "I will do all I can to clear your names," he told them. "No soldier should ever have to suffer what the four of you have gone through. You have carried the weight of the world when it turned against you, and you shall be vindicated."
"Thank you, sir," Soap thanked.
"The hunt for Makarov must still continue," Vorshevsky added. "He must be brought to justice."
They all understood what the President meant. If Makarov was left alive, and to his devices, it was a certainty that he would once again try to bring the world to its knees, just to fulfill his twisted version of a glorious Russia.
Vorshevsky had no more pretty words for them. Only a reminder of their true mission. They needed to kill Makarov, no matter what it took.