30th October 2022, Las Almas, Mexico
"Finally! Thought we'd never arrive, steamin' jesus." Soap called as we landed in the military base of the Mexican Special Forces.
I couldn't agree more.
Waltzing out of the aircraft, cool, damp air hit my senses, causing my skin to break out in goose bumps and my hands to involuntarily slide over my long-sleeved turtleneck. Taking a long, deep breath, I held the air in my lungs for just a moment longer, before letting it go again. It felt freeing, being on solid ground again. Turning my head lightly in several directions, I inspected the base we had landed in. I had already seen over how many square meters it unfolded while we were in the sky, but now, as I stood right in the middle of it, it was even more impressive than before. I was surprised, as I really did not have any idea what to expect whatsoever, but I knew for a fact, that the equipment Shadow Company will bring with them, shall fit in here like a glove. Ultimately turning my head towards to man that was walking towards us, I took him in.
Eyes roaming from his shoes up to the ends of his hair, I deducted that this was Alejandro Vergas. Shamefully, the first thing I paid attention to, was his hairline. I had not noted it before, from the picture I had seen of him, but his hairline was impressive. His luscious black hair was styled back, giving space to his broad forehead. Slightly lower, thick dark eyebrows sat above two sets of dark brown, nearly black eyes. His beard was well groomed, fuller than the Sergeants beside me and several nuances darker. It gave him a gruff look, while his eyes portrayed him in a stern manner.
Momentarily taking my eyes off of him, I came to a halt between my teammates.
"Alejandro…" Soap called to the man that stepped up to us.
"Sergeant MacTavish." He called back, taking the Sergeants hand in his own and shaking it only once.
"Call me Soap."
His eyes moved from Soap to me, and he nodded my way, eyes quickly taking me in the same way I had done to him before. "You must be Corporal Morrison." He exclaimed, as he extended his hand towards mine.
"Ascii is fine… Pleasure's all mine!" I introduced myself with a firm handshake.
"Lieutenant…" He turned towards Ghost. "Laswell says they call you Ghost."
Soap, the usual menace he was, intervened. "Actually, I believe he prefers to be-"
Ghost's head snapped towards the Sergeant. "That'll do!" He shouted over my head at him. His gruff voice rumbled through my body, and I automatically straightened, shooting a surprised look from a pouting Soap to a riled-up Ghost.
What was Soap about to call him?
"Welcome to the "City of Souls"." Alejandro broke the silence and nodded for us to follow him.
"I've never been to Mexico." Soap blurted out.
"This isn't México… This is Las Almas." Alejandro gestured with wide open arms.
"Shepherd's contractors are inbound to reinforce. They're bringing in hardware, they'll need room." Ghost spoke next.
Hardware. I snorted under my mask. They are bringing the bloody army with them! Soap looked at me and I shrugged.
"My base is your base." Alejandro informed us.
"Good. Now, where's Hassan?" Ghost asked the question we all have been awaiting the answer to.
"Cartel safe-house, ten clicks from here." We walked up to a line of jeeps. Peeking inside one, I saw the seat distribution. "Get in." Alejandro called.
"I'll be in the back." I called out and hopped onto a seat in the far back of the vehicle. Soap and Ghost took their own seats behind the driver and co-driver.
"¡Ya, muévanse!" ("C'mon. Let's move!") Alejandro yelled to his crew and sat inside. "This is my second in command, Sergeant Major Rodolfo Parra." He introduced us to the driver who turned towards us momentarily.
"Tengo miedo de los fantasmas..." ("I'm afraid of Ghosts…") Rodolfo mumbled, but I couldn't understand him, and Alejandro did not translate it either.
"Do you know Spanish?" Alejandro asked us instead.
Soap and I answered both with a no, while Ghost stayed silent.
"You will…" Alejandro said, lips pulled into a self-assured smirk.
The convoy began to move, and I leaned back to effortlessly look out the window. The scenery was breath-taking. Contrary to believe, I always thought Mexico would be brown and dry. How wrong I was, to get fooled by movies. The landscape was luscious. Tall trees build up an impenetrable border along the road we drove on. The road seemed as if it was splitting the dense forest in half. I leaned forward, pushing my head between Ghosts and Soaps seat and stared out in fascination. Rodolfo glanced at me through the mirror and saw me staring.
"First time, eh?" He asked.
"Yeah." I mumbled.
The green scenery got soon replaced by stone and concrete, as we drove into a city. The architecture and structural construction of it, was so different from what I have seen before. And I have seen a lot in my lifetime. The different coloured facades, buildings standing tightly side by side, seemingly impersonating a wall that only had minor alleys giving way to even more structures in the back. People littered the run-down streets, kids running around, mothers carrying fresh food, grandmas gossiping.
Where I went to university, I could not imagine just sitting on the side of the road and talking to one another, even less parking my car on the sidewalk. The only thing I'd get from it, was a hefty fine. Back then, people walked around with determination and purpose, going to school, work, university. But here? Everything seemed more laid back, less strict.
At a closer inspection though, the easy-going attitude, was soon replaced by the harsh reality. The houses often times looked worn out, missing windows, broken gates, crumbling walls. Trash laid at the side of the road; rubbish littered the stony streets. Even the people who lived here, seemed to have seen better days. Dirty shoes, torn shirts, pants which were too big for the individual kids, obviously being passed along between the siblings. My heart bled for them, but deep down I was in awe at their strength, at their ability to make the best out of their situation. This was their life after all.
My attention suddenly got swayed away by a white truck that drove past us. On the back sat four men armed to the teeth.
"White truck, four armed in the back." Soap spoke the words I had just thought in my head and discreetly went for his rifle.
"Hey hey- tranqiuilo. Easy… That's normal here." Alejandro spoke up.
Normal?
"Guns on the street is jurisdiction of the police." He continued.
"Where are the police?" Ghost asked.
I saw Alejandro's eyebrow shoot up; lips pressed into a thin line. "Well… Las Almas has a very serious problem. There are few here to uphold the law. And many of those who resist corruption…"
Die. It's always the same, isn't it?
"Disappear." Alejandro concluded.
"What about the military?" Soap asked.
What about them? People need to realize that the military is not filled with saints. They are human beings. Beings, that can be bought, if the money is right.
"Well, because we are well trained, soldiers are recruited by the Narcos…"
"Why not you?" Ghost shot back.
Solid question, and still, put in perspective, very one-sided. Would I turn down any amount of money if I knew my family was in danger if I declined? Absolutely not. In the eye of evil, I would choose the lesser one. In this case, I would protect my family and act accordingly to the corruptors wishes. It may seem selfish, but for a lot of people, family means everything. And having family blood on your hands, destroys a man more than having strangers' blood on it. What is a stranger compared to a family member? Nothing.
"I believe there are still men out there, who have their heart in the right place. The question isn't why they didn't get recruited; the question is what they did to keep the upper hand and their families safe. Leverage is a hell of a motivator." I answered, although the question wasn't meant for me. Both Rodolfo and Alejandro looked at me, one through the mirror and the latter simply turned his head. Embarrassed, I avoided eye contact.
"Indeed. But for us, growing up here meant seeing both sides… they call us Los Vaqueros- Cowboys." I hid behind Ghost's seat. "We love this place. And we will die fighting for it." Alejandro explained.
I wondered what the conditions were to join the Los Vaqueros but did not ask any further. I was back to staring out the window and observing the street life. Driving past a man giving out balloons and popcorn to a kid, I felt anger spring forth, when I saw men standing with weapons beside them. Soap noticed it too, looking back over his shoulder until they were out of sight. He turned towards Ghost.
"Kids, guns n' balloons… That's a new one."
"Narcos use generosity to win over the people." Alejandro elaborated.
"Even the children?"
"Especially the children…" Rodolfo said.
What a sick world.
We continued on and I got lost in my thoughts. When the car came to a still stand, I looked up, confused. We haven't driven far enough yet to be at our designated location.
"What's on those sheets?" Soap asked, looking past the Lieutenant and through the window. Furrowing my brows, I turned my body around and looked out of the side window. I was startled when I saw the two bodies on the ground, blood coating the pavement bellow them.
"Jesus, any child can see them…" I whispered in disbelief. Taking in the scene I now understood what Soap was referring to. The sheets that were carelessly draped over the remains, were scrawled with words, words a non-Spanish speaker could never understand.
"Narcomantas…" Alejandro mumbled.
"Cartel cloths." Rodolfo added.
"Messages from El Sin Nombre. Warnings, marking territory." Alejandro shook his head in disgust. "Our streets are laced with death."
"Who's Sin Nombre?" Ghost asked.
"El Sin Nombre. The Nameless… The leader of the Las Almas Cartel."
How can a man be capable of doing such treacherous things? What inspires such gruesome acts? If he had no respect for the dead… What did he consider life to be?
"Where can we find 'em? Soap asked, venom lacing his every word.
"You can't. No one knows who he is." As Alejandro spoke, we drove past a mural. El Sin Nombre was written in big black letters. Above, was the symbol of the Las Almas cartel; swords impaling a red rose. On each side, was a woman, praying. If I had to guess, I would say it was supposed to be saint Mary. Further the mural was decorated with even more roses and, of course, guns. Lovely. "But he is everywhere… And this is a challenge." He smirked. "But Los Vaqueros like challenges."
"With your mask, you will fit in well here, Ghost." Rodolfo spoke. Soap signalled Rodolfo with his hand to cut it out and I tensed while I sat behind the man in question.
"Oye, cálmate…" ("Hey, easy…") Alejandro arbitrated.
Ghost didn't react whatsoever, and the drive took us further into the city, until Rodolfo slowed down and took a sharp turn.
"Checkpoint. It's the army. Turn right, we'll go around." Alejandro signalled Rodolfo.
"Why?" Soap asked.
Has he not listened for the past, what, ten minutes? I wanted to answer the question again but refrained from it.
"Some troops are in the pocket of El Sin Nombre. Like I told you, he is everywhere…" Alejandro clarified.
I tuned out the conversations and prepared myself for the upcoming battle. Checking my gear over, fixing my hood and mask, turning on my small communication device I used for Laswell and checking my small tablet I would use in case there was any technology I could hack into. Everything seemed to be in its designated place and ready to be used.
Shortly, we arrived at our destination. A smaller village outside of the main city. Stepping out of the car, weapons ready, we circled up on Alejandro.
"Where are they holding Hassan?" Soap requested to know.
"White two-story building. Back of town." Alejandro announced.
We followed him to a black, steel gate while Rudy commanded his own small troop through a different opening. Ghost positioned himself on the left side of the gate while I stood behind him and watched his six. Alejandro was on the right side, with Soap glued to his back.
"Todos los Victor, estén listos." ("All Victors, stand by…") Alejandro called in Spanish. "3, 2, 1… Entra, Entra!" ("3, 2, 1… Execute, execute!")
Ghost nudged the door open. Alejandro pushed in, followed by Soap, then Ghost and at last me. Aiming my rifle controlled through the area, I checked every corner, every door, and every window I laid my eyes upon. It was quiet, too quiet and I wondered-
"Civilians?" Soap asked.
"Gone. Cartel took over. It's a hideout now." Alejandro replied.
Ah, that explains the silence.
Moving through a second set of gates we encountered our first enemies. Taking them out, I bit down on my tongue. I did not enjoy taking lives. But I also would not enjoy mine being taken. In every battle I stepped, I stepped in with the thought of surviving. It helped me push through, accept that there are people who would not hesitate to take my life. This profession came at a cost which I have learned to live with rather quickly. Nevertheless, I felt it slowly chipping away at my mental state.
"Secure this house, then we go for Hassan." Alejandro murmured.
Somewhere in the distance a Cartel member yelled, "Quiet- Shut the fuck up! They're here…"
We were now fighting against time as well.
"Cartel will move him fast." Ghost declared.
"Watch all the windows and doors… They're coming in…" Another Cartel member roared.
"Then we move faster." I couldn't agree more with Alejandro.
This time Soap took the lead and pushed into the small house.
"No sign of Hassan." Soap yelled from the last room. "What happened to the families here?"
"The Cartel brings violence, so they leave." Alejandro explained.
When everyone was in the kitchen, the Sergeant stepped up to the veranda door and unlocked it. His hand reached for the doorknob when Alejandro stopped him.
"Stand by…" Getting on his knee beside the window, he talked into his comm. "Victor-2, soy 1-1. Desplieguen humo. Salimos al exterior." ("Victor-2, this is 1-1. Deploy smoke. We're moving external.") Outside, several smoke bombs went off, shielding us from the windows of the two-story building Hassan was supposedly in.
"Where's your family, Alejandro?" Soap asked, curious.
"I keep that a secret, hermano… To protect them." Smart man, and exactly what I had said before in the car. Keeping the families safe, was of upmost importance.
"We have concealment." Ghost announced.
Alejandro was the first to leave the bungalow and run to the targets house. A soldier shot the doorknob off of the side entrance and kicked the door open. There was small resistance, but nothing we couldn't handle. Moving up the stairs Alejandro nearly got his head blown off by a man with a shotgun. The crouch he did in the last second, may very well have saved his life and offered me the opportunity to aim past him and catch the attacker by surprise.
Our eyes met after I had taken out the assailant, a silent conversation ensued, before we pushed further. On the second floor, we stood before the last closed door. If Hassan was here, he would be in this exact room. With a tight grip on my weapon, a quickening pulse in my chest, I leaned against the door, and peeked through the opening I had created by softly pushing it open beforehand. A bullet wheezed past my head, and I pulled back in shock.
In my peripheral vision, I could see exactly where the bullet had come from. There was a man, hiding behind the couch, a rifle in his hands. Signalling to Alejandro where the enemy was, the Colonel pulled out a flash grenade and looked at me. Understanding what the plan was in an instant, I readied myself. Hands on my rifle, legs ready to move at the right moment, I waited for Alejandro to throw the grenade into the room. When he did, I waited for a split second allowing the flash to set off without blinding myself in the process and pulled around the corner. Without missing a beat, the aggressor, whose arm was shielding his blinded eyesight, got struck by a precise bullet in his head.
Pushing into the room, I checked out the rest.
"Clear, no Hassan!" I reported after I had broken down the last door that led to a small bathroom.
With my weapon on standby, I took a look at the desk in the main room, but there was nothing of any importance there. Irritated I rummaged through the backpack that laid next to the files that littered the desk. There was nothing there either. I was annoyed. Ghost walked up to me and flicked through the documents I had ignored previously.
Alejandro sighed in defeat. "They must've moved him."
"When?" Soap was clearly as fed up, as the rest of us.
"Recently."
Above the desk hung a dark blue flag with a yellow symbol. Quds Force symbol, which means Hassan was here. Ghost also commented on it.
"Your intel was good, Alejandro." I mused when I heard the distant sound of vehicles closing in on our position. Moving to the windows, I looked outside.
"Shit, it's the army. I doubt they are on our side." I said as I looked up at Alejandro.
He pressed his lips into a thin line and barked into his comms. "0-3, retrocedan! Ahora!" ("0-3, fall back! Fall back, now!")
That did indeed not sound good, I thought.
"What are we doin'?" Soap asked puzzled.
"Covering my men. Once they are clear, we fall back."
"You want us to engage the fucking Mexican Army?" Soap expressed disturbed.
"They ain't Mexican anymore. There would be no reason for them to be here, no, the Cartel send them for back up." I quickly replied and kneeled under the window, not taking my eyes off of the vehicles approaching. I counted at least four, armed to the teeth with weapons and men wearing heavy armour. Armour that would be hard to penetrate with bullets and even harder to achieve a headshot, as they wore heavy duty helmets.
"Hold your fire. We'll dig in until my men are clear." Alejandro commanded.
Finger on the trigger, I watched the army deploy smoke bombs and jump out of their cars.
"Weapons free!" Alejandro yelled over our heads.
Firing the first shot, the glass broke in a million pieces. Seeing heavily armoured soldiers with shields closing in on us, I pulled the grenades off my vest. The cool metal bit through my gloves and the past flashed before my eyes. Biting down hard, I pulled the pin, letting it fall to the ground and chucked the devil's fruit out of the window. Refusing to see the men get shredded to pieces, I instead focused on the ones shooting at us from up the road. When those were dealt with, I switched to the soldiers bellow us.
"Comandante, todo en orden!" ("Commander, we're clear!") Rodolfo announced via our shared comms.
"Entendido! Hacia el refugio!" ("Copy! Rally at the safehouse!") Alejandro spoke to him. "Okay! My men are clear!"
A heavy burden rolled of my shoulders, knowing Rodolfo and the rest were safe and sound.
"Then we need to move!" Soap yelled over the loud noises.
Suddenly, some type of smoke went off right before our eyes and restricted our view. My eyes stung, inhaling the unknown substance I began to cough.
"Fall back! This way!" Alejandro wailed between his own coughs.
Pulling away from the window, I rushed to the opposite side, one eye closed, the other was already filled with tears that rolled down my cheek and vanished bellow my mask. Ghost broke the window and Alejandro pushed the shutters out of the way. Waiting for everyone to jump out, the Lieutenant pulled me by my vest and pushed me towards the window. Stumbling outside, he was one step behind me. We both jumped down the small roof. On the ground, Ghost nudged me forward, without missing a beat, I began sprinting towards the rest of our team. Still one eye closed, I rubbed the tears away and ripped my eye open again, slightly annoyed by the manhandling I just endured.
I looked over my shoulder, confirming that Ghost was indeed still behind me, and pushed forward. Trekking down a mountain was not on my agenda today, and I hoped it would not get any worse than it already was.
"Army's right behind us! Alejandro declared. "Down the hill! We'll lose them in the mountains!"
I jumped down the small ledge and pressed on when I heard, and moments later, saw shots fly past me. Sliding over the ground, I pressed myself against a tree and held my breath. I could not move; bullets barely missing me left and right.
"Cover! Cover!" Alejandro called out.
"Get to cover and return fire!" Ghost chirped in with a booming voice.
I was still pressing myself against the tree, afraid to take a quick look and lose my head in the process. Closing my eyes momentarily, I swallowed harshly and thought feverishly.
"Ascii!" Soap called after me.
"I'm pinned down!" I screamed back, shots hitting the ground dangerously close to my feet. I had trained for these moments several times in my military career, but nothing, nothing compares to the real deal. The hammering of one's heart in the chest, the small and short breaths, thoughts going one hundred kilometres per hour, adrenaline pumping through the veins. And the fear, the fear of taking one's last breath.
"Stay there!" Soap yelled.
I pushed myself as far as I could against the tree and stayed rooted bellow it, checking my immediate surroundings for any stray attackers that could come too close to my liking. My eyes were roaming calculatedly, while I wondered what would happen if I would get shot right now. I shook my head. I have no time for these kinds of thoughts. But as so often, I wasn't the sole owner and ruler over my own mind.
Perhaps I could bribe the Captain in giving me a firm hug. I imagine the smell of his cigars rolling down his clothes and into my nose… Would I cough? Regardless of if I would or not, surely, he wouldn't mind giving me a hug, right? He said I can ask him anything I want. He wouldn't deny a dying soldier's wish. I know he wouldn't. But what about another compelling story from Gaz? I could listen forever, even as I would pass onto the next realm, I could listen to him on and on. He was- no, he is an amazing storyteller... I'd hope he would tell Kate about all the things we talked about. I'd turn in my grave in embarrassment. Kate... Sweet Kate. I would miss her and her brilliant wife-
"Are we clear?!" Soap shouted.
Keep it professional, Ascii!
"For now. We gotta move! Go!" Alejandro answered.
I breathed out the breath I had been holding onto and pushed myself off the tree. Looking behind me, all I saw were fallen soldiers laying on the ground. Tearing my eyes from them, I jogged behind the team. I saw Ghost checking me out in the corner of my eye, but as I turned my head towards him, he was already looking straight ahead.
"You know these trails, Alejandro?" Soap asked.
"Very well. But so does the army…"
Shit.
I begged no one in particular to keep us safe and in one piece. I merely wished I did not have to jump off a cliff, I did not need to climb down a steep wall, and I especially longed I wasn't about to see anyone die. It was silly thinking, I knew that, but I kept on clinging to the hope that refused to go out. For once, I knew only our abilities may not be enough for us, thus I dreamed luck was on our side.
"We can't hold off an army. We need extraction." Ghost growled.
"Rodriguez, solicita extraccion." ("Rodriguez, call for extract.") Alejandro translated to his teammate who answered in confirmation.
My legs burned as I followed them further down the slope, keeping up with their speed, when shots resonated through the air. Hiding behind cover yet again, I was able to fight for myself this time.
"Ghost, Soap. Get behind the rocks!" Alejandro called out. "Ascii, to your left!"
Peeking from the side, I shot an attacker directly into his chest. Reloading quickly, I took another shot, making sure the soldier will not get up from it. In the meantime, Ghost took out the two heavies that walked towards us. Behind me Rodriguez was trying to get in contact with Rodolfo.
"Clear?" I called out.
"For now, they'll be more. Vamos." Came Alejandro's silky voice. It was soothing to know that Alejandro knew these mountains on the back of his hand and at the same time upsetting the military was in possession of the same knowledge.
Rodriguez then mumbled something I couldn't understand to Alejandro, who cursed in return. "Puta… Let's keep it moving. Through here."
We jumped down another small ledge, slithered our ways between trees until we slid down a slope.
"The mountain's blocking comms."
Then it hit me.
"I can try and reach out to Laswell." I exclaimed, breathing heavily.
"Your comm?" Ghost asked.
"Yeah, but I won't be able to give fire support." I explained.
"Rog that. Soap, cover her six." Ghost ordered.
"Where is the extraction supposed to be at, Alejandro?" I called out.
"There's a bridge crossing the river. Extraction should be there." He answered.
Clutching the weapon against my chest with my right hand, my left shot up to the small device and I began pressing the buttons when an RPG shot wheezed past our heads and crashed into a rock behind us.
"Fuck!" I exclaimed. There was another RPG shot, and I hid behind a large boulder.
01001000 01100101 01101100 01110000 - H E L P
I was whispering the numbers to myself, helping me concentrate on the task at hand, instead of the gunfire that rang through the air, shots that seemed to come closer and closer to me. I pressed my knees to my chest, making me as small as possible. If anyone would spot me here, I'd be dead before I can even lift my weapon.
01000101 01111000 01110100 01110010 01100001- A… I bullet hit the rock I was hiding behind, splinters falling over my head making me automatically duck. The next shot missed my feet by a few centimetres. Gasping, I jerked my head up. Looking directly at a loaded barrel, I did not have time to react when a bullet flew over my head and hit the men in his head. Bullseye. Tumbling to the ground, Soap stood beside me, finger on the trigger, eyes wide. "Shite, you good?!"
"Yea." I squeaked. The Sergeant took position in front of me, caging me in between him and the boulder behind my back. Crouching, he was leaning on one knee whilst the other leg was bent at my other side. My own legs were between his, my knees occasionally scraping his chest armour as he moved and eliminated the threads. Getting a grip on myself again, I continued mumbling the numbers and pressing the buttons… 01100011 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 - N
"Did you get the call out?" Ghost asked but I bowed my head further down and furrowed my brows in concentration.
01000010 01110010 01101001 01100100 01100111 01100101 – E
"Ascii?!" It was the first time I had heard Ghost say my name. I held my breath as I stared at the small red light, waiting for it to turn green… It went through.
"Yes! It went through!" I yelled.
"You had codes ready for that?!" Soap yelled, bewildered.
"No. I just typed the words, that's why it took so long." I declared, pulling myself from under him and gripping my weapon with both hands.
"Anyone hit?!" Alejandro requested to know.
"Negative." Ghost replied.
"Good to go!" Soap called out as well after checking me over.
"Copy. On me!
It wasn't long, until we arrived at a cleft. It was at least one and a half if not two meters wide, and I gulped.
"We'll have to jump here." Alejandro announced.
"Can we make that?" Soap questioned.
"Es eso o morir, hermano." ("Do or die, brother.")
Taking a deep breath, I sprinted forward and jumped over the abyss. Landing ungracefully on the slippery slope, I slid further down until I hit the grassy ground on the next platform. Glancing to my side, I noticed we were still hundreds of meters above sea level, and my breath caught in my throat. Shaking my head, I stayed as far away from the edge as possible. There was one more cliff we had to jump across, and any time I didn't manage to hold my gaze on the wall to my right, I could feel my stomach drop, my hands became sweaty, and I felt the unnatural pull to jump off the mountain to my death.
Following the team, we arrived at a small clearing. Looking around, Alejandro showed us the way and we followed him again, when a chopper could be heard in the distance. Taking position behind some solid cover, we waited for the army to arrive. Our positions weren't the best, as the enemy had the high ground and we were at the bottom of the upcoming slope, but the army would be caught off guard, nonetheless. Taking a deep steadying breath, I counted down in my head to keep myself calm and collected.
I saw the back of the aircraft as it flew away and men began charging our way, several over the dirt path leading directly to our hiding spots or jumping down the rocky side of the hill to our right. Taking shots, the light armoured soldiers fell like flies.
"Clear." Ghost and Rodriguez yelled in unison.
"Up the hill! The bridge isn't far!" Alejandro commanded again.
"Ascii, got an answer?" Soap asked as he jogged beside me.
"Not yet…" I answered.
Arriving at the top of the hill, the area opened up and I could see as far as the eye reached. Somewhere in the distance, I identified the bridge Alejandro had been talking about. Realizing how far and high we still were, all the colour drained from my face. The sweat that had accumulated above my brows slid down the side of my face and under my mask, which felt uncomfortable against my jaw and cheeks. As much as it shielded the most sensitive parts of my face, it was driving me up against the wall with the stickiness. In combination with the hair that clung to my forehead and back of my neck, I felt like crawling into a hole.
Taking several steps away from the cliff, I hid my fear behind fake interest for the hillside. I felt the small tug of panic emerging from within and quickly pushed it back down. Pulling slightly at my mask, fresh air swirled through the gap I had created, and I took deep breaths. Moving a couple of meters further, Alejandro pointed to the cliff that was a small distance beneath us. He wanted us to jump down there too.
Mustering all the confidence I had, I took the step and fell down, landing weirdly on my feet and knees as I rolled forward to ease the pressure on my legs. Pulling myself back up, we had to take another risky jump. Not thinking twice, I just sprinted and flew over the gap, this time landing slightly better. I had not been the last to do the jumps, because when I looked over my shoulder to check out the path we had come from, I flinched, a quiet curse escaping me as I did not expect anyone behind me, let alone Ghost.
Heart hammering in my chest, I nearly got another heart attack, when I saw the ledge Soap and Alejandro had already climbed over. It was a small cliff at the side of the mountain, barely wide enough for our feet to find footing. If I wanted to conquer this trial, I would have to move over it sideways, with my back against the wall, which would mean if I accidentally leaned forward too much I would- I refused to finish my line of thought and stared at Rodriguez who was waiting for me to come closer.
When I was, he turned around and began side stepping over the ledge. Pressing my back flush to the hard wall, I followed his example. Taking one step at a time, my eyes bore into Rodriguez's back. I was afraid of letting them strife unsupervised, les I wanted to end up falling. The pull to take a look down, to imagine what would happen if I slipped, was sickening.
A bullet suddenly hit the wall above our heads. Stone cracking from the impact, pieces falling and landing on us, I blinked. Ghost was yelling behind us, as another shot hit the wall, but this time it went right through Rodriguez. Blood splattered over my clothes and face, and I instinctively reached out to grab Rodriguez. My fingers missed him by a hair's breadth when Ghost's arm shot forward and pressed me back against the wall. I watched in horror as Rodriguez body went limp, falling down the cliffside, Alejandro screaming his name.
"Oh, my fucking god." I blurted out, as I pushed forward, panic evident in my hurried movements. There were more shots hitting the wall around us and I prayed for our safety. Landing on firm ground at last, I could have dropped to my knees and kissed the dirt and grass underneath my boots. Bloody mountains.
In the meantime, Alejandro had taken out the sniper that was after our lives.
Rubbing the blood and sweat off my eyes and forehead, I stopped beside Soap who went down on one knee, signalling for me to step on his thigh. I carefully did so and pushed myself up the tall wall I would have had problems conquering otherwise, to reach the next elevation. Back on my feet, I turned on my heels to help Soap, but to my surprise, he had already climbed the wall with ease and stood behind me. Moving onward, the hillside seemed to narrow in width again. The yelling of enemy men behind us, gave me enough motivation to ignore my fears. I would not die here today, not on the side of a hill nor in the valley below.
Jumping and running along the path, I slid down another slant halting beside Alejandro and Ghost.
"You led us to a dead end, mate!" Ghost called out to Alejandro and my heart fell.
A dead end?
I felt my breath come short, eyes blown wide as I watched Alejandro, who called out for us to follow his example, and soon after Soap, jump off the cliff into the lake bellow. I could not move; I would not move. The fall would be at least twenty meters deep. I couldn't do it. Fear holding me in its tight embrace like a long-lost lover reunited with its other half, I nearly began to cry. Eyes glazing over, as I blamed myself for being scared, blamed myself for holding back my team. What would Soap think of me? What would Price think of me? What does Ghost think of me? Gaz? They all must dislike me, question the authorities for allowing me to join them. Laswell made a mistake, she had to. There was no way I was ready for everything Task Force 141 did. Why didn't Price stop her?
I felt a hand slither over my lower back and grip my hip over my pants. A warm body pressed against my left side and yanked me out of my frozen state. Legs moving on their own to keep me upright, I jerked my head towards the Lieutenant and looked directly into his eyes. They were a dark brown colour with specs of black where the light hit the iris. I expected his gaze to be cold, calculated, that I could read the distaste for me in them, but instead I saw something much softer. It took my breath away. He took my breath away.
"Hold your breath." He told me as we ran towards the cliff. Ironic.
My muscles tensed as I grasped his intentions. I tried to stop him, tried to pull myself away, but his grip on me was relentless. Flying over the cliff the panic swallowed me whole. I could not cry out nor scream. Tears spilled down my face quickly being whisked away by the air that rushed past me. I barely took in a ragged breath when we hit the ice-cold water. My mouth opened and I gasped, water quickly slithering beneath my mask and entering my mouth that was open in a wide scream. Panicked, I began swimming to the surface.
Emerging from the depths of the lake, I was unable to take the much-needed breath. Fearfully, I pushed the mask away from my chin. I felt the water drain from it, but it still did nothing, as I was gasping for air like a fish. I began hyperventilating, unable to yell for help, within seconds my heart threatened to jump out of my chest, and my blood pressure spiked. Two painful hits on my back, made me cough up the water that had been stuck in my throat.
"You mint?" Ghost asked.
"Y- yes… Thanks." I croaked; voice painful as I was catching my breath unable to look him in the eyes. Not waiting for a reaction from him, I swam towards Soap and Alejandro, following them to some nearby rocks when the small communication device on my chest came to life while army reinforcements were rolling in.
"Getting an answer in, need cover." I rasped. Pathetic.
I took it in my hand and felt the vibrations under my fingers. Head leaning back, I had my eyes closed as I caught my breath and listened to the message.
01000111 01110010 01100101 01100101 01101110 "Green." I murmured.
01000010 01110010 01101111 01110111 01101110 "Brown." I whispered.
Positive. Target spotted. "Help inbound." I declared and cleared my throat.
"Good." Ghost answered.
I checked my weapon and joined in on the fight. When it was clear again, we swam further down the river. Another wave of enemies approached us. We took them out not long after when all our communication devices came to life, cut off words filling our ears.
"Radio's picking up somethin'." Soap chirped in.
"Sounds American." Ghost commented.
We were now nearly at the bridge when multiple vehicles drove on it.
"Vehicles on the bridge!" Ghost called out.
"They are not ours!" Alejandro howled.
Crap.
"Fuck-! It's the army!" He yelled.
"Get to cover!" Ghost called out.
The water thankfully became shallow, allowing us to sprint to cover. Hiding behind one boulder with four people, was not an easy task. Ghost stood at the far-left side, shooting at the enemies on the bridge, I was beside him, aiming in the same direction, Alejandro, and Soap stood to my right.
"This is Shadow-1! Engaging the bridge north of your position. Danger close!" I felt relief wash over me.
"Who the hell is that?" Alejandro asked.
"Commander Graves, Shadow Company. They're with us." I explained.
Commander Phillip Graves. The CEO and founder of Shadow Company; a private military company. If there is a predicament, Shepherd sends out his right-hand man Graves, and his PMC. I had worked for the company before, or rather, for Graves directly. At first via Laswell, but later, when I joined the army, as myself. They had needed someone with quick fingers, and as my successes were bearing fruit and gaining me recognition, Price introduced me to him.
I have yet to warm up to the Commander. He had been rubbing me the wrong way since we crossed paths, mostly because we were polar opposites. He is the centre of attention and has powerful impact on his immediate surrounding, while I tended to stay in the background and watch from afar. He could set the mood in the room with just a couple of well-spoken words. The kind of guy, that otherwise let's his actions talk instead of his words. He leaps before he looks and fixes mistakes as he goes. Many might find it controversial, but Graves has built an empire in less than two years with this tactic.
For now, I kept him at an arm's length, but in a hairy situation, I'd accept any help I could get.
Focusing on the sky above, I watched as several rockets came flying down and crashed into the bridge. The steel creaked before the whole thing collapsed into the river below, with everyone that had been stationed on it.
"Shadow-1, Bravo 0-7! Good shots! Fire for effect!" Ghost spoke into the comm.
"All stations, no enemy movement detected. You're clear." Graves informed us, as the smoke and dust settled. "It's good to see you boys. Ascii, nice call there!"
"Told you it would come in handy!" I rubbed it in his face.
He once called my small handy dandy gadget out, and since then, I had been waiting for a payback opportunity. The "small piece of plastic", as he called it, had some neat functions stuffed into it, most Graves does not even know about.
"Atta girl." I furrowed my brows in irritation and uneasiness. This man was a handful. He knew exactly how much I disliked it when he used sweet nicknames or expressions for me, yet he did it any time he had the chance. Perhaps because he knew how much it irked me.
Finally pulling myself out of the river, I dismissed the disgust and tried to get rid of as much excess water as possible. Squeezing my sleeves and the loose fabric of my shirt, I heard my boots make a squishing sound anytime I pressed my foot into the ground. Continuing to walk, to keep up with my team, I squeezed my pants and hood as well. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was something.
"Graves, we've located a vehicle for exfil." The Lieutenant declared.
"Roger that. Be advised, we got a possible hit on Hassan, two klicks north of your position." Graves informed us.
"That's Cartel land. They have a compound there." Alejandro stated.
Walking up to the car, I quickly noticed that it wasn't just any civilian car, it was military. The odds, that the keys were still in the ignition, were high. Alejandro was the first to arrive at the vehicle and rip the door open, sliding in as the driver. Soap followed and sat shotgun, I slid in behind him and Ghost beside me. Sitting on my wet gear, was uncomfortable to say the least. But what was even worse, was the cold that slowly seeped through the wet clothing, the dampness surrounding my toes and the occasional drops of water that slid from my wet hair and down my damp back. It was agitating me and soon I found myself being overstimulated and upset again.
On a whim, I ripped down my hood and tackled at least one of the many problems I faced. Making sure I had only taken off my hood and not the supporting fabric that hid the back of my neck and kept my mask in place, I pulled my hair away from my cold skin. Removing the hair tie, I ruffled through it and wringed as much moisture out of it as I could. Turning my head towards Ghost, I let my hair fall over my right shoulder and squeezed it again, when I involuntarily glanced around myself. The Lieutenant was looking out the window without a word, Alejandro was focusing on the road, although I was certain he had been looking at me beforehand... Soap was looking out the window, well-behaved.
I was surprised by their refined social behaviour. Looking at this situation from a different perspective, I wouldn't be sure if I could say the same about myself. Imagining someone else would take off their mask to wring out their hair, I'd be curious to see the person behind it. As much as I would force myself to be polite, I'd be burning on the inside to get a peek, maybe I would even dare to steal a small, innocent glance. Isn't that one of the appeals masks have? There was so much unoccupied space for my imagination to run wild…
How do I tell them that it's okay to look? Do I even say anything?
Then I caught Soaps eyes in the side-view mirror. Like a bat out of hell, he averted them, and I couldn't contain the smile forming on my face.
"It's okay. You can look." I spoke softly.
There was no reaction. Did I misinterpreted the situation?
"You sure lass? Ain't ya hair important to ya?" Soap asked, still keeping his eyes away from me.
I chuckled. "Nah. I could colour it red or brown and you wouldn't recognize me on the street. Hair is just an accessory." I explained. I used to worship my hair once, a long time ago. But since I cut it relatively short and kept colouring it, depending on my mood, my hair evolved to my personal canvas. As long as my mask and face paint were intact, I was comfortable enough in my skin. Hair can be changed effortlessly after all, a face not so much.
Scrappily combing through it, I pulled it back into a tight ponytail and pushed my hood back over my head. I contemplated tackling my shoes next, but the laces would take up too much time to manage it the short span we had. Accepting my defeat, I stared back out the window.
"Ghost, this is Shadow-1, orbiting the compound now. Standing by for visual…" Graves announced his presence.
"Shadow-1, Bravo 7-0. We'll mark our position with IR laser, over."
The car stopped at a small barn, and we jumped out of it, examining the area with keen eyes.
"How do we find Hassan?" Soap was the first to speak again.
"He'll have an armed guard. Cartel protection." Alejandro remarked.
The compound was gigantic. Several buildings were scattered over the land, fields littering the areas in between. Numerous cars were parked here and there and in the distance was, what seemed to be, a water silo. Behind it, I distinguished some cobblestone walls surrounding some sort of villa or residence. If I would have to guess where Hassan was, I'd point my finger directly at the mansion.
"Lotta places to hide…" Soap spoke as he hid behind a stack of pallets.
"Graves covers with close air. We clear the buildings." Ghost declared.
"Copy that." I said, crouching behind Alejandro next to a small jeep loaded with wooden crates and sacks filled with wheat.
Ghost ordered Soap to mark us with the laser and spoke into the comms to convey Graves our location, which Graves confirmed later on.
"Shadow-1, be advised, Hassan is moving with an armed guard. You cover external, we'll clear the buildings. How copy?" Ghost continued talking.
"0-7, good copy. Armed guard. We'll secure the area so you can move in. Stand by."
"Roger that."
Waiting for further instructions, I spotted two men walking towards a car. Checking them out, they did not seem to possess any fire weapons. Civilians. At closer inspection, I stumbled upon a woman. She walked out of the building closest to us and walked towards a child who was climbing on the small wooden fence. Just a mother and her child.
"Shadow-1, there's a truck leaving the stables, moving west." Ghost called out.
I continued scoping out the area when my eyes fell upon a glass building, where I could see men sporting weapons.
"Shadow-1, we've got targets at the greenhouse to our northwest. Roping now." The Lieutenant had clearly seen the people in the building I had been looking at and reported it to Graves. They exchanged more information with one another until Graves commanded us to stand by, as his operator would begin to take down hostiles in the greenhouse.
When the first bullets hit the targets, all hell broke loose. Civilians ran to cover, men were running for their lives or searching for a way to hopefully be able to shoot back, but no one knew where the shots had come from as we stayed hidden and let Shadow Company do the work.
When the bullet storm had died down, Ghost beckoned for us to push forward to the next cover, only a couple meters away from the stables. Once there, Soap pointed the laser towards the building, signalling Graves our next target. He confirmed our intentions and Ghost ordered for Soap and me to freeze down the right side, after their breech was successful. We both stayed outside as Alejandro and Ghost penetrated through the side door into the building. I could hear screaming and shots being taken from the inside and clutched the weapon tighter in my hands.
The woman I had seen previously, ran with her child towards me, right behind her a man with an assault rifle. I took the shot, eliminating the thread without further ado. On the other side of the building, more enemies mixed with civilians ran outside, Graves's operator, taking care of them.
"Graves, negative on Hassan! It's a dry hole!"
"Ghost, copy that. I need you out of the building. Move north right now." Graves voice called out, his calm demeanour slowly turning tense.
"Copy. Moving!"
I looked at Soap and we both sprinted away the moment we saw Ghost and Alejandro run out of the building. Moving north with rocked speed, Soap took cover behind a tree and the rest behind a small hill. It wasn't the best, most of our bodies were still visible, but it was better than nothing. Crouching on the ground, I watched as Graves levelled the whole building along with any Cartel members that were still in it. Anyone who survived was shot down by us.
"We're pushing west to the greenhouse." Alejandro called and I chirped in. "There's armed personnel in there."
"Copy that."
"Contact!" Ghost exclaimed as an armed guard walked out.
"Check fire! Hassan could be inside!" Soap responded.
The way in which we took in every building, was much the same until we had cleared them all and the compound was the only area left to check. Graves ordered us to stand by, while his men cleared the flock of enemies swarming out of the building. The amount of Cartel members running our way was overwhelming and we were forced to retreat to a safer spot. Running towards a small shed, I took cover behind it with Ghost, while Alejandro and Soap hid behind a car.
There were several shots raining on us, when I saw Ghost get hit in the corner of my eye. It happened so fast I couldn't even blink. He was crouching behind the wooden planks, when a shot went through it and hit him straight in the chest. He fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"Ghost!" I screamed his name. Abandoning my position, it took me just a couple of steps to reach him. Heart hammering in my chest, I could barely breathe, when I crouched beside him. His eyes were pressed shut. Fearing the worst, I let out a shaky breath. Bullets were still flying our way and I had to act quickly. Moving behind him, I pushed his upper body off the ground and hooked my arms under his armpits. I pulled with all the strength I could muster. "God... you're… heavy… Soap!" I yelled for the Sergeant, but before Soap could even think about repositioning, the Lieutenant had come back to his senses and supported his own weight. With that, I managed to drag him behind the hut and press him against the wall.
"How is he?!" Soap yelled; a concerned glance sent our way.
I crouched down and checked the area he was presumably hit. Fingers gliding over the armour he wore; my fingers caught the bullet that was lodged into the plate. I held the small demon up in the air.
"You lucky man." I whispered, while I inspected the disformed bullet between my fingers. Focusing past the metallic pellet, I caught Ghost's eyes opening. Backing away quickly, I put the shell in my back pocket and picked up my weapon, leaving him to his own devices while I concentrated back on the enemies surrounding us.
"Ghost, no movement detected. What's your status?" Graves called.
"He'll be alright. Round hit the plate." Soap informed Graves.
"Affirm. Proper air-support, mate." Ghost chirped in, with his usual stoic voice.
"Roger that, 0-7. Be advised, you're clear up to the compound, but the gate is blocked at this time."
"Copy. Give us a way in, yeah?" Despite seeing and hearing Ghost act as usual, I kept a watchful eye on him. If not for him, then for my own peace of mind.
"We'll open the door for you. Stand by…"
There was a short pause when a massive rocket flew into the metal frame, that had up until now stood between us and Hassan. When the dust settled, the wall had crumbled under the controlled explosion, with the gate blown wide open, barely holding onto its hinges.
"Ghost, door is open. You're clear to proceed."
"Copy that. Moving in."
We quickly filtered through and with the help of the Shadow company cleared the area of any opponents. At the house, Ghost informed Graves of his plan before we proceeded.
Breaching the door, the Lieutenant was the first to step inside, while the rest of us followed suite. At last, when I walked into the entrance area, I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who were scattering around the place. Women ran away chaotically, fear chiselled into their pale faces, calling out for mercy, or searching for their son or daughter. Men screamed for their brother in arms, urging them to help eliminate the intruders, but what caught all of our attention, was the man at the top of the stairs. Hassan.
"Shadow-1! Positive ID on Hassan!" Ghost shouted into our ears and simultaneously into the comm that was attached to his neck.
"He's moving upstairs!" Soap called out, while Alejandro and I were occupied with the foes storming our way. Shots were being fired, blood was splattering against the pristine walls of the mansion, yelling, and screaming ensued through the whole building. It was a massacre, a nasty business.
"Graves, he's exiting the second floor! North-west side!" Ghost's yell echoed through the house.
The Lieutenant ordered for Soap and me to stay behind with a few simple yet effective gestures. Nodding in confirmation, both men stormed up the stairs to the second floor and through the door Hassan escaped just a few seconds ago. Concentrating back on the doors and Cartel members on our floor, the Sergeant and I glanced at each other and proceeded to go to work. Our movements were in sync, our shots hit their marks with precision and our minds worked as one. It felt surreal, unreal, yet artistic and wonderful. Was it not for the bodies littering the ground, the blood clinging to my skin, the smell of death penetrating my sensitive nose, I would consider this to be a masterpiece. A well-executed dance between partners in arms.
When the last man fell, I stood rooted in the middle of the room and listened closely. The compound was dead silent.
Nodding towards Soap, both of us started running after our teammates. Taking the stairs two at a time, I forcibly pushed the door open with my shoulder, allowing us to run straight onto the roof. The "roof", with one swift glance, turned out to be a terrace connecting the two buildings with one another. Stopping short again, both of us listened for any indications that would reveal Ghost's and Alejandro's location, when a shot rang through the air. Our heads whipped to an open door at the opposite end.
Dashing towards it, we came to a still stand in the door, weapons firm in our hands, ready to eliminate anyone threatening our members. What we saw, was an angry Alejandro pinning a fuming Hassan to the ground, while Ghost kneeled off to the side, looking over the body that was leaning against the bloodied wall. Stepping closer, I ignored Hassan's fuming and demands to know who we are, deciding to check out who Ghost was inspecting so thoroughly. Stepping up beside him, I peeked past the Lieutenants broad shoulders, when my eyes spotted one clean entry shot right in the centre of the man's forehead. I could finally distinguish who this man was; it was the bodyguard, who had been by Hassan's side this whole time. Glance involuntarily skipping from the collapsed body to Ghost's face, our eyes met. I was impressed by the precision the shot was made, and I didn't shy away from nodding my head in astonishment.
"Shadow-1, Bravo 0-7. Jackpot. I say again, jackpot. Target is secure." Ghost called out; eyes boring into mine.
"0-7, solid copy. What's the status of your exfil?"
"This is Victor 1-1, exfil is two minutes out!" Alejandro estimated.
I ripped my eyes away from his hypnotizing ones and looked over my gear. Two minutes. Those two minutes were enough for the army convoy, who had been following us for quite some time now, to catch up with us. I checked out the people in the room, taking in their forms and expressions. Alejandro was self-assured, ready to strike, Soap was checking his own gear with determination etched into his stoic face while Ghost rose to his own height again and walked towards the rest of us, weapons ready in his hands.
Meanwhile Hassan, sat on the ground, his arms locked behind his back, his face contorted into a deadly glare. If looks could kill, we would all be dead by now. Suddenly, I could hear several vehicles approach us. Stepping beside the door, to take a glimpse outside, the scenery of multiple army vehicles driving towards us, made my skin crawl.
"It's the army." I called out, flexing my jaw as I bit down on my teeth nervously.
Alejandro stepped beside me, put a hand on my shoulder and declared firmly into the comms, that we were all free to engage. Graves, smelling the opportunity of a lifetime, hadn't needed to be told twice. Ordering for us to stay put just for a while longer, his operator fired rounds after rounds into the oncoming swarm of enemies. The explosions outside were prove of his actions, that spoke louder than any words could.
"All stations, visible targets are down. You're clear to proceed." Graves announced with a smirk in his voice, visibly satisfied with the work of his shadows.
Scampering out of the compound, I barely had enough time to look at the mess the Shadows created. It looked apocalyptic; cars laid on their roofs, oil dripping down the side of the green coloured metal, while the fire devoured everything it could put its greedy hands on. Men laid on the ground and against the walls, their bodies bloodied and mangled. It was a terrifying sight, which was quickly erased from my mind, when Rodolfo drove up to us and halted with a screeching sound that made my ears ring.
Alejandro was quick to jump into the front, entangling him in a conversation. Soap pushed a cursing Hassan in the middle seat, stepping in right beside him, while Ghost blocked his possible escape with his own body from the other side. I went swiftly in the back, sitting down on the worn seats and analysing our surroundings.
When the jeep began to move, and my alarmed state seemed to calm down slightly, I leaned back and took a long, deep breath. Steadily I felt how drained I actually was, from making a fool of myself and allowing my fears to take control of me, to Ghost getting shot and Hassan nearly slipping through our fingers, I was beat. The muscles aching anytime I moved, the still damp clothes sticking to my body in close proximity to all the blood and sweat that accumulated over time, I was exhausted. In my state of self-analysation, I was abruptly thrown out of my line of thought and into overdrive when the jeep suddenly stopped.
"What's going on?" I called from the back, unable to see what the reason for our abrupt halt was.
"All stations, what's the hold-up down there?" Graves confused voice found our ears.
"Shadow-1, there's movement at the fuel station ahead. Possible Cartel. Roping now." Alejandro announced loudly.
I felt goose bumps run down my arms. Not good, not good at all.
Peeling my eyes from my hands, I hastily checked every corner I could lay my eyes on, while the Shadows scouted the area from above. Following up with an update that made my gut twist in fear. This felt like a trap. I could feel the teeth closing all around us and taking our breaths. Would the Cartel be confident enough to order an organized counterattack in such short amount of time? In this moment, Rodolfo pressed down the accelerator and we began moving again.
Faintly I began to remember a saying I have read once. What was it again about? Corner a dog-
Suddenly, a man pushed a small food cart onto the street we were driving on.
Corner a dog in a dead-end street and it will turn and bite. I felt the trap close firmly around us. There was nothing I could have done differently, nothing I could have said that would have changed the outcome of the play. Rodolfo's cursing found my strained ears, followed by a highly strung Alejandro yelling for him to drive past the man. Holding tightly to the sides of the jeep, we flew past the nuisance that announced our fall.
Eyes locking into his, the smug look made my heart jump out of my chest. Turning my head, I barely caught sight of the car that smashed into our side, right at the side I was seated at. A pained cry left my otherwise tightly sealed lips as I was pushed off my seat. My head banged against the inner body of the car, bouncing off the metal walls. I tried to shield my head as much as I could, but everything happened so fast.
I had trouble opening my eyes after the vehicles came to a stop. I had difficulties figuring what was up and what was down, what was left and what right. My mind was hazy, my motor skills were thrown out the window, as I laid like a ragged doll in the back, unable to pull myself from the rubble.
I screamed in my head, yelled for my arms and legs to move to my will. At first, I only heard the crackling of the fire, but soon, I felt the warmth coming closer and closer to me. With a shout, I pushed myself off the ground far enough to crawl towards the back door that laid somewhere I wouldn't dare look. Squeezing through the broken bits and pieces, I felt pain blooming around my ribs and taking momentarily my breath away. Biting down harshly, I tried to ignore it. I had bigger problems at hand than the pain and blood dripping down my face and onto the ground… Blood?
Stumbling, I barely caught myself before I fell face first onto the concrete floor. Swiping a hand over my face, I felt another wave of fear and nausea hit me when I saw the amount of blood that clung to my sleeve. The shots that rang through the pandemonium, caused me to look up. I saw Alejandro hand out orders, an angry Soap dragging a defenceless Hassan behind him towards the nearest building for protection and a slightly beat Rodolfo watching out for them.
A smile formed on my face. They are alright. But that smile quickly faded. I needed to move as well and join them. It wasn't done yet. Hassan wasn't in our hands yet and we were surrounded by enemies all over again. Shakily, I tried to pull myself to a sitting position, repeating what I had learned in the past years over and over in my head. I pushed a leg in front of me, and slowly but powerfully stepped on it, pushing myself off the ground and onto my unsteady legs, just to slip and fall back to the ground. C'mon, move, move, move! I have to move! They need me. I need them!
Instantaneously Ghost appeared beside me and pulled me off the ground.
"All stations, we're engaging danger close. Give me a sitrep when able." Graves spoke to us.
"Shadow-1, we're up! One injured, Hassan secure!" Ghost maintained a steady voice throughout the call out.
I was leaning heavily against his side while we hastily made our way towards the rest of the group and into the building. The whole time, I was barely taking note of everything that was happening. Instead, I was occupied with the agony I felt at every step I took, the warm blood dripping down the side of my head and the smell of war numbing my heightened senses. Eventually inside and out of the immediate danger, I slipped from Ghosts grip for a split second before he caught me and readjusted his clasp on me.
"Fucking hell, Ascii, are you alright?" Soap seized me up and down with worry filled eyes.
"Peachy." I mustered.
"Fuck, chan eil sin math Lt." Soap commented, but I was unable to ask what he meant.
I felt nauseous, my head was spinning, and I had a mild headache, beside the pulsing pain driving my senses over the edge. Clumsily climbing up the stairs, biting away the tears that were threatening to spill, I took a deep breath when we stepped foot on the roof, only for me to bend over and wheeze from the discomfort. Ghost carefully propped me against the wall and let me slide to the ground.
"Status report." He said while he pulled my hood down and checked out the source of the blood spilling from beneath my hood.
"Probably bruised ribs, maybe even fractured-" Ghost momentarily halted and physically examined the mentioned areas. "- fuck!" I whisper-yelled under my breath.
"Only bruised." Not missing a beat, he went back to the injury on my head and narrowed his eyes.
"Still hurts like a bitch… Okay-" I cleared my throat, "-minor cuts on my knees and arms. Typical soreness and tenderness…" I closed my eyes momentarily before I opened them again. "How's the head?" I asked, slightly afraid of the answer I might get.
"Cut, about ten centimetres long. Not deep enough for stitching." He answered as he wrapped my head in a bandage. I didn't even know he had any on him. "Will leave a scar."
"Another free accessory then. Soon I'll be as badass as you Ghost!" I said softly, a sweet smile gracing my chapped lips while my eyes were slightly closed to portray the smile beyond the mask's limitations.
He pulled the hood back over my head, keeping his hand slightly longer on the side that wasn't injured, pressing down lightly as if he was patting me. "There's better things than being me." He answered, although I had not asked for his opinion.
A second passed before I managed to give a retort. "I'll be the judge of that."
He clicked his tongue. "You broken?"
"Never." I called out, already moving my tired limbs to give it my all, one last time.
"Good." Ghost commented and pressed an assault rifle into my chest. "Wouldn't want you any other way."
Heat shot to my face, while the Lieutenant leisurely stepped away from me. This cheeky bastard. Checking over the gun, making sure nothing was stuck, I noted the ammunition that was slowly but surely dwindling.
"All stations, extract birds are inbound. Five minutes!" I heard Alejandro announce.
A myriad of minutes that could potentially turn into a well-earned victory or utter defeat. Dragging myself from the solace of the wall to the roofs edge, I swung my weapon over the edge and joined in on the bloodbath as best as I could. Halfway through the announced time, more vehicles approached our location.
"Be advised. Resupplies are low. Conserve your ammo… Sergeant, sitrep?" Ghost demanded.
"Hassan is secure. He's still a prick." Soap reported.
"And you are as mindless as your weapon of war!" Hassan bickered back at us.
Sympathisch (pleasant), I thought.
"Bravo 7-1, you are cleared hot to shut Hassan the hell up." Graves expressed his frustration openly.
The number of opponents filtering through the cities buildings and roads leading towards us, was unbelievable.
"Alejandro, where's extraction? We're burning through rounds, here!" Ghost roared.
"One minute out!" He shouted back.
One minute left.
I felt for the mags on my pouch and had to admit with a startling realization, that I had not many left. "One mag left!" I called out, hoping the others were better off than me. To no avail. Soap had barely three mags left, Rodolfo two and Alejandro stated he was low as well. Flexing my jaw, Ghost reminded us of the knives we all were equipped with.
I was the first to change to my combat knife. Pulling it out of its satchel I stalked my way back to the only door that led to the roof and positioned myself beside it. Glued to the wall, I listened for any noises that would indicate we were getting guests.
My hands were already shaky when I heard steps closing in on us. Pressing myself further into the wall, I prepared myself to jump anyone who dared step through the door. I watched with a held breath, as the metal door slowly swung open. Not missing a beat, I jumped around the corner and stabbed the knife in the man's chest before trying to pull it back out to impale him again. But he was faster. He dropped the AK he was holding, leaving it to clatter to the ground, causing several heads to turn. He enclosed one hand around my own that was trying to pull the knife out of him, while the other snaked to my neck and squeezed, pulling me off the ground.
Struggling to breathe, I refused to go down so easily. Instead, I slammed my leg into his crown jewels and forced the palm of my free hand to connect with his nose, causing a nasty crack to cut through the tense air. He staggered back, missing the step entirely and dooming both of us to fall. Still holding tightly on the knife, my drop was cushioned by the body bellow me. Quickly shifting from him and rolling off his body, I picked myself up and came face to face with a dead man.
I heard Soap call out my name.
My hands were trembling as the realization of what I had just done hit me straight in my chest. "I'm fine!" I yelled back and pulled the knife sloppily out of the man's chest. Staring him down a second longer, making sure he wouldn't get up again and watching the blood drip down the knifes tip, I dismissed the worry settling into my bones and stood up. Tugging myself painfully slow up the stairs, I picked up the man's rifle, while looking over my shoulder ever so often. I feared the Cartel member wasn't dead yet, and I didn't want to get surprised by anyone else that might dare and wander up the stairs towards us.
"Extraction in 30 seconds!" Alejandro shouted when I stepped back on the roof and closed the door behind me, after making sure for the tenth time, that the man was still laying there motionless. Leaning against the exit, I cleaned my knife messily against the leg of my pants and slipped it back into its designated place.
Soaps eyes found mine, and without uttering a word, I knew he was worried. Sending him a thumbs up, I squeezed my eyes shut as another painful wave crashed into me. Pressing a hand on my ribs, I tilted my head back and tried to ease the irritation.
The sound of rotor blades turning in the distance, made my heart jump.
Our ticket to freedom, was closing in. Sliding away from the door, this time, I had the honour to lean against Alejandro while we walked down the stairs. Stumbling over the victim's body, his dead eyes were burned into my memory. Shaking my head, I looked over my shoulder in time, to see everyone glancing at him as well. The murder did not bring forth any pleasing feelings. It was a necessary step to keep my team and myself safe.
"You did good hermana." Alejandro complimented me and I decided to squeeze his hand in return, instead of uttering a word.
When we all sat firmly and securely in the chopper, I allowed myself to finally relax. Leaving my head to fall back against the firm seating, I closed my eyes and loosened up my stiff muscles. We made it.
"This should send a message to the Cartel, yeah?" Soap asked.
"It will, hermano. They lost something more than just soldiers today." Alejandro spoke.
"What's that?" The Sergeant questioned.
"Reputation." I stated simply.
Apologies for the delay and I hope I have not offended anyone by my naïve description of the city and my usage of Spanish and Scots language. I sadly, do not speak either, which means mistakes may happen, and I am sorry for that. If, at any given point, the mistakes occur to be too much, do please let me know. I don't mind fixing them at all.