16:00:11, M.O.B. Wild West, Los Zetas, Mexico, Ghost and Soap rearm and enjoy themselves with Roach, Foley, Allen and Ramirez's weapons. Just as Captain Price gets a video call from Shepherd.
Soap: *inspects Ramirez's DD M4A1* Nice piece. *inspects Allen's Intervention* You Yanks always have the best toys, mate.
Sandman: Our weapons should be used by the best of the best only. And I honestly can't consider USSOCOM the best.
Ghost: Welcome to the team, Sandman.
Sandman: Thanks, sir.
Ghost: *inspects Roach's L86 LSW SOCOM* Guess the Staff Sergeant is good for something, after all. *inspects Roach's Five-seveN USG* I've always wanted one of these. Fucking S.B.S. wankers.
Kyle: Talk about being a wannabe Yank.
[doors open]
Soap: What's the word, Captain, hermano?
Alejandro: General fucking Shepherd. He wants to speak with us.
Captain Price: Quiet down. Let's hear what he has to say. You hid this. Why?
Shepherd: I truly have no idea what you and Laswell are implying. If anything, it's Halsey-Brixton who is hiding things from us.
Captain Price: Lying. Laswell told us everything you've hidden, and Halsey-Brixton is about to clean up your mess. Not for you, but to save lives.
Shepherd: Shit. Listen to me very carefully, Joint Task Force 141/Los Vaqueros. Special Agent Kate Laswell CANNOT be trusted. No matter what she tells you. No matter what she says—
Soap: I can smell your shite from a mile away, "sir". Laswell kept us from getting killed by you, your Shadows, your Canucks, your Aussies, and your Rangers. She led us to YOUR missiles.
Shepherd: Laswell's not who you think she is—
Captain Price: *scoffs* Sorry, General. But we know Laswell. We don't know you. And trust doesn't work with people we don't know.
Shepherd: FORGET LASWELL! LOOK AROUND, TEAM! READ BETWEEN THE LINES, PRICE! WE ARE OUT OF FUCKING TIME! THE WORLD IS ON THE FUCKING BRINK OF WAR!
Captain Price: Whose war?! The United States of bloody fucking America's?! If so, then I think it's finally time for Uncle Sam to get a taste of his own medicine!
Sandman: And I'm willing to bet that your intelligence leak is just a way to save your own ass. How long did it take for you and your Shadows to come up with that narrative, "General"?
Shepherd: Sandman? *sighs* Frost was right. You are too far gone. Battle Captain's gonna kick your fucking ass if you dare show your face in Fort Bragg again.
Sandman: Then it's a good thing Task Force 141 is my home now. And I am never coming back.
Captain Price: Why don't you look around yourself, General? It seems you're running low on friends who can stand half a chance against us. So call off your Shadow, your Yanks, your Canucks and your Aussies. This is your last chance to change your mind.
Shepherd: I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm a patriot protecting my country now that you've told me that it can go to Hell. But if you really want to come after me, then I'm in Nuevo Laredo as we speak. You already know why there. Shadow Company and I have a score to settle with all of you. Have fun dying. *hangs up*
With Gold Eagle's location revealed, confirmed and reachable, Joint Task Force 141/Los Vaqueros forms up and plans to kill him.
Alejandro: *whistles* (Spanish) All Vaqueros! Pay attention.
Captain Price: Alright, listen. General Shepherd and Shadow Company have just moved back into Nuevo Laredo to go to war with us. So we are taking back your city. We are kicking the Americans, Canadians and Australians out of Los Zetas. We are killing General Shepherd.
Rodolfo: When?
Captain Price: Now. This is a fight against our own. We are not 141 and Los Vaqueros on this. We're a team.
[Ghost opens a bag full of Classic Ghost Masks]
Captain Price: Ghost Team.
[Ghost removes his Modern Ghost Mask]
Captain Price: Good to see you again, Simon. *takes Classic Bucket Hat off* If you're in, take a mask. If you're not, don't.
[Joint Task Force 141/Los Vaqueros Operators put all of the Classic Ghost Masks on]
[Ghost adds his Oakley Sunglasses and Earmor Tactical M32 Headset to his look]
Alejandro: My troops and I know Nuevo Laredo better than Shepherd and Shadow. So we'll have the advantage. All of its civilian inhabitants are still in our refugee camp. We can rebuild once the fighting is done, so let's give the gringos a proper Los Zetas welcome. We'll attack them with two Ghost Teams. Ghost Team 1 is Captain Price, Kyle, me and one pilot. Ghost Team 2 is Ghost, Soap, Rudy, Sandman and Los Vaqueros. Ghost Team 1 will use Hunter Team 2's gunship to rain down the same hellfire that Mexican/American maricón Ramirez brought upon our people. Ghost Team 2 will stand by outside the city limits until Price, Kyle and I fire on the enemy's positions and let them in to fight their way to Shepherd. I suspect he'll be in city hall defended by his best shooters. Once we confirm his location, Ghost Team 2 will find him... and kill him.
--
Ghost Team
4th November, 2022 - 16:30:17
Cpt. John Price
Joint Task Force Ghost Team
Los Zetas, Mexico
--
Before taking off in Hunter Team 2's MH-60L DAP, with Alejandro and his pilot in the cockpit, Kyle has a word with Victor 1 about the Americans, Canadians, Australians and Roach. While Captain Price gets the two M134 Miniguns ready and lets Laswell, who is in M.O.B. Wild West's command building getting C.I.A. sponsored ISR on station, know that the operation to kill Shepherd is a go.
Captain Price: I got the right, Leftenant. You take the left.
Kyle: Got it.
Alejandro: Well-maintained. Thank you for the ride, Western pendejos.
Kyle: You have any clue the Yanks, Canucks, Aussies and Roach were up to no good, Colonel?
Alejandro: I always keep my eyes on the gringos. But no, I trusted them.
Kyle: Bad men can do good things.
Alejandro: Good men can do bad, too.
Kyle: For real. What does "gringo" actually mean?
Alejandro: In the Mexican-American War, the Americans wore green coats.
Kyle: When was this?
Alejandro: 1847. Mexicans wanted them to leave. "Green go home." Gringo.
Kyle: Huh. Never knew that.
Alejandro: If we make it out of here alive, I'll teach you some good Mexican curse words.
Kyle: Fuck yeah you will.
Alejandro: *chuckles* All system checks are complete. Lifting off.
Captain Price: Laswell, Operation Eagle Hunt is a go.
Laswell: Copy. Go get that bastard, John.
Alejandro: Ghost 2-3, what's your status?
Rodolfo: All over the alleyways with Soap, Ghost and Sandman.
Alejandro: Copy, we're about to commence the airstrike. Out.
[Hydra 70s launch]
[explosions]
[Shadow Company Mercenaries painfully scream]
Captain Price: Let 'em have it, Kyle!
[Minigun fire]
Kyle: Gladly!
[Minigun fire]
[L86 LSW SOCOM fire]
[Intervention fire]
[LVOA-C fire]
[M4A1 fire]
[M249 SAW fire]
[Barrett M82A3 fire]
Ghost Team 1 kicks the hunt off and pulverizes squads of Shadow Company Mercenaries in the process. While Alejandro and his pilot may have control of the Hydra 70 rockets, Captain Price and Kyle replaced their Miniguns' standard ammo with high explosive rounds.
Bad news first, Shadow Company is getting a good body count of their own as they have lots of C4 Explosive Charge traps and fortified ambush and flanking spots all over Nuevo Laredo. It shows that they are serious with getting revenge for their imprisonment even though the effort will result in plenty of them dead.
But the good news is that Ghost Team 1's close air support and Watcher's ISR keep the mission from failing and allow Ghost Team 2 to counter-attack. Five minutes, give or take, of heavy fighting later, the city is almost Shadow free, and all that is left is Presidencia Municipal, Nuevo Laredo's city hall.
However, Gold Eagle will not go down that easily as he shoots the Direct Action Penetrator down with his Browning M2A1 heavy machine gun from the roof. And Ghost, Soap, Rodolfo and Sandman witness it all unfold just as they advance to Presidencia Municipal.
[Task Force Los Vaqueros Operators cheer]
Alejandro: My men are cheering. That means the streets of Nuevo Laredo are Shadow free!
Kyle: Hell yes!
Captain Price: Alright! More good news. I see Shepherd on the roof of city hall. Turn. I'll wipe the—
[M2A1 fire]
Alejandro: Taking heavy fire!
Captain Price: *grunts* I'm pinned!
Alejandro: We've sustained heavy damage! We're going down!
Kyle: I got you, Captain!
Captain Price: Brace!
[MH-60L crashes]
[M2A1 clicks]
Shepherd: Reloading!
Perry: *lowers Shepherd's head* Get down, sir!
[MK18 fire]
[P90 USG fire]
[DD M4A1 fire]
[M240B fire]
[SR-25 ECC fire]
Helen: They're pinned! Continue reloading, Gold Eagle!
--
Ghost Team
4th November, 2022 - 16:40:14
Lt. Simon 'Ghost' Riley
Joint Task Force Ghost Team
Los Zetas, Mexico
--
Ghost: Bloody Hell!
Soap: Ghost 1-1, come in!
[static]
Soap: Ghost 1-1, do you copy?!
[static]
[M2A1 fire]
[Task Force Los Vaqueros Operators painfully grunt]
Sandman: Shepherd and his men are tearing us apart! We need to take city hall now!
Rodolfo: They have good lines of sight over there! Flanking will just be a waste of time!
Ghost: Then we take it head on!
Soap: What about Captain Price?!
Ghost: If we know Price, he would've survived that! But before him, we need to finish the mission! We need you, sir!
Soap: You're right! I'll suppress Shepherd and his men! You, Rodolfo and Sandman advance cover to cover!
Sandman: We'll do the same for you!
[Intervention fire]
Ghost: We gotta get to city hall! Sandman, Rodolfo, come on!
Three-fourths of Ghost Team 2 move up first and then pin Shepherd and his men down so that their team leader can press on with them. While laying down suppressive fire is the name of the game, kills are bonuses.
[L86 LSW SOCOM fire]
[M4A1 fire]
[LVOA-C fire]
Ghost: Soap, we got you covered! Go! Go!
[M203A2 fire]
[explosion]
[DD M4A1 fire]
Soap: Get the city hall! Keep moving!
[M203A2 fire]
[explosion]
[LVOA-C fire]
[Lightweight Desert Eagle fire]
[M4A1 fire]
[SCAR-H fire]
Ghost: I'll cover you! Move!
Soap: This is it! *tries to open door* It's locked. Rudy, what do you got?
Rodolfo: Breacher charge.
Soap: Nice.
Ghost: Clear to engage all threats inside. If you see Shepherd, drop him.
Soap: Hey, Rudy, sorry about your city.
Rodolfo: (Spanish) Me too, friend.
Ghost: Hit it.
Rodolfo: Three. Two. One. Execute!
[C6 Breaching Charge detonation]
Ghost, Soap, Rodolfo, Sandman and the other surviving members of their team make it to city hall and begin breaching and clearing their way to the rooftop for Gold Eagle's assassination. Once he hears Overlord's report and the M18 Claymores go off, Shepherd orders all of his Shadow Company support to return to base without him.
Overlord: We got what we need from Valeria. See you on the other side, Herschel.
Shepherd: See you up there. You're on your own in Washington, Benson. Gold Eagle, out.
[M18 Claymore detonation]
[Task Force Los Vaqueros Operators painfully scream]
Shepherd: They're almost here. Lennox, Ridgefield, it's time to RTB. I'm gonna make it look like I'm trying to kill them. That should distract them enough. Go on.
Perry: Good luck, Gold Eagle.
Helen: Hit 'em with your best shot, Gold Eagle.
He then equips his Hi Power and MTech USA MT-575 Fixed Blade Knife, gets beside the door, and starts fighting with everything he has the moment Ghost Team 2 makes entry. But only to divert attention and not kill because he knows that they are still good but terribly misdirected people.
With Sandman the point man, Gold Eagle stabs him in his right arm and right shoulder. Then, while using Ghost 2-4 as a human shield, he forces Soap into cover and gets Ghost and Rodolfo in their plate carriers with his sidearm.
Ghost: Get cover— ARGH!
Soap: GHOST! *drags Ghost to cover*
Rodolfo: (Spanish) Shit!
Shepherd: Beat it, cowboy!
[Hi Power fire]
[bullets hit]
[Rodolfo painfully grunts and falls down the stairs]
[Shepherd disarms Sandman, knee strikes, his groin, powerslams him, and right crosses him in the face]
Shepherd: Stay there! *takes Sandman's MTech USA XTREME MX-8054 Tactical Fixed Field Blade Knife*
With Ghost 2-3 and Sandman non-lethally dealt with, Shepherd empties his magazine just to lure Ghost 2-1 into a false sense of security, disarm him, and slash his thighs. Ghost 2-2 tries to go for the kill with Roach's Five-seveN USG but ends up friendly fire-ing his TL in the back of his vest and getting punt kicked by Gold Eagle instead after the pistol gets knocked aside.
Shepherd then lifts Soap's plate carrier up a bit and sticks Ghost 2-4's MTech USA XTREME MX-8054 Tactical Fixed Field Blade Knife in his solar plexus.
Shepherd: Stay down and keep the blade in if you wanna live. *reloads Hi Power*
[Ghost equips his S.A.S. Dagger]
Shepherd: Ghost, don't do anything stupid. Ghost—
[Ghost yells and tackles Shepherd to the ground]
After seeing his best friend get dangerously wounded, Ghost goes ballistic on Gold Eagle as he swats his Hi Power away, catches and cuts his right arm in half, and impales him again and again in lightning-quick fashion while yelling at the top of his lungs. With Shepherd no longer a threat, Ghost 2-2 tends to his TL's injuries.
Just as Rodolfo comes up and helps Sandman with his.
Ghost: Hang in there, Johnny. I got you.
Rodolfo: I have you, hermano. Stay with us.
Soap: *painfully grunts* Mm-hmm!
Sandman: I ain't dying today. Don't worry.
Shepherd: *coughs* Oh, I wish I could help you all. Believe me, I do. But if Laswell has driven you this far, then it has gone way beyond your control. Now, if you don't mind, I'd rather die than live in a world at war created by Captain John Price's bitch girlfriend.
[S.A.S. Dagger hit]
Rodolfo: Nice throw.
Ghost finishes General Herschel 'Gold Eagle' Shepherd off by throwing his S.A.S. Dagger in his right eye, subsequently piercing his brain. And then, Captain Price, Kyle, Alejandro and the pilot arrive to help extract the wounded and confirm Ghost 2-2's kill.
Captain Price: Soap?! Sandman?! How are they?
Ghost: Soap will live.
Rodolfo: Sandman, too.
Sandman: Hey, old man. Lieutenant. Colonel.
Soap: Nothing that a bottle of Scotch and some sexy nurses can't fix.
Captain Price: (off comms) Thank God. Come on, get 'em back to base. Chop-chop. Nobody fucks with my Kate Laswell, you cunt. *spits on Shepherd* (on comms) Ghost 1-1 to Watcher, Gold Eagle is K.I.A. I say again, Gold Eagle is dead and on his way to Hell, over.
Laswell: Outstanding, John! Whoo! Medical teams are already waiting to save Soap and Sandman over here. Bag Shepherd up and come back to me, over.
Captain Price: With pleasure, Kate. See you there. Ghost 1-1, out.
Alejandro: My God. I didn't know you and Laswell were that close.
Captain Price: Fuck off.
[Alejandro and Captain Price laugh at each other]
17:00:19, M.O.B. Wild West, Victor 1, Victor 2 and a squad of Task Force Los Vaqueros Operators mobilize to move Valeria out and bring her to justice with Bravo 6 and Bravo 7 helping out. All while being on high alert because all of the guards who were protecting her have been tranquilized.
[door opens]
Kyle: Jesus Christ!
Captain Price: Fuckin' Hell!
Alejandro: Fuck. FUCK! Valeria is supposed to get justice! This is NOT justice! This is mercy!
Rodolfo: What is this? *takes attached newspaper front page* All I see here are a few underlined letters. Must be some kind of code.
Captain Price: I'll have Laswell take a look at it.
Kyle: Hey. At least Los Zetas is a much safer place without her, right?
Alejandro: Yes. You're right, hermano. Men, get her out of here.
But it turns out that Lieutenant Colonel Valeria Garza is dead, possibly tortured and raped before getting excruciatingly killed by a hanging meat hook. Attached to her chest via machete is the front page of a USA Today newspaper with the headline about The Western Hemisphere Standoff and Special Agent Kate Laswell's Dirty Laundry.
Close inspection shows a few underlined letters all over the news clipping. When decoded, the arrangement of letters reads: "Your times are up, Alejandro, Rodolfo. See you real soon."
In real time, Laswell has not decrypted it yet because she and Task Force 141 are about to return home now that Soap and Metal 0-1 are stable and the tour is over for them.
Alejandro: How are you feeling?
Soap: Good, mate. Thanks to the finest female nurses in Mexico.
Sandman: Damn straight.
Rodolfo: *chuckles* It was our pleasure. Go. Your job here is done.
Soap: Keep fighting the good fight, hermano.
Alejandro: To the bitter end, my brother.
Rodolfo: Good luck, amigos.
Captain Price: Likewise, amigos.
Laswell: Thank you for everything, Alejandro, Rodolfo. I owe you one.
Alejandro: Please. All you can do to repay us is look after Captain Price. *chuckles*
Laswell: *laughs* I'll see you soon.
Kyle: Thanks for the curse words, Colonel.
Alejandro: (English) Anytime, my brother. Ghost. (Spanish) Don't get lost, brother.
Ghost: (Spanish) Of course.
[Alejandro laughs]