Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners: Marvel, Respawn Entertainment, etc.
Alright, time for part 2 of my intial upload, this time focused on the other main character, who's got a bit of trouble of his own to deal with.
I didn't mention it in the previous chapter, but the title was a Warbley Jets track that played at the opening of the first Insomniac Game and I never did fit into the first story, but it felt like the best way to kick this one off.
The song for this chapter is Iron Maiden, a good track off 'Piece of Mind' that was inspired by, and shares a title with, a classic Clint Eastwood movie. The kind of movie that is just good old fashioned fun Hollywood doesn't seem to make anymore. Sadly, despite my best efforts I couldn't manage to fit in an "I'm an American, I don't even know why the hell I'm here!"
Authority Without Asking - Chapter 2: Where Eagles Dare
The panicking cries
The roaring of guns are echoing all around the valley
The mission complete
They make to escape away from the Eagles Nest
They dared to go
Where no one would try
They chose to fly
Where eagles dare
BOOT SEQUENCE COMPLETE. USER RECOGNIZED.
FIRST NAME: MATTHEW
LAST NAME: COOPER
SERIAL NUMBER: 291314727
BLOOD TYPE: A
BIRTH DATE: ERROR
AGE: 27 YEARS 2 MONTHS 13 DAYS
UNIT: SRS – MCOR
RANK: MAJOR
INTIALIZING PILOT COMBAT SYSTEMS:
A – WALL… OK
GRAPPLING HOOK… OK
HOLOGRAPHIC PILOT DECOY… OK
PERSONAL CLOAK… OK
PHASE SHIFT… OK
PULSE BLADE… OK
STIMULANT PACKAGE… OK
EXOSKELETON… OK
ORNANACE… OK
FIREARMS… OK
- PILOT IS READY FOR COMBAT -
After reading the words rolling up the display inside his helmet, Matthew Cooper went through a series of quick motions, testing that the armor and exoskeleton he wore didn't impair his movement. Satisfied, the Marauder jumped and felt the small pack nestled in his lower back activate, spitting out two jets of hot blue flame to propel him up just a bit higher before he fell back to the floor. Hands ran over the multitude of pouches on his belt, the chest rig draped over his ceramic lattice armored cuirass, and on his thighs, each carrying ammunition, gadgets, his data knife, combat axe or other equipment.
At the end of the day, however, in the middle of that cocoon of futuristic tech and advanced gear was a normal man.
"Hey Cowboy," came a sensual purr prompting Cooper to look up across the armory, "How do I look?" A platinum blonde woman, 5' 10" and 150 pounds of sensual curves and firm muscle filling out her hourglass frame emerged, wearing a bulked up white catsuit that clung tightly to her body. Giving him a smile, the woman spun around so he could see how it looked on all of her.
"Looks good, Darlin,'" Cooper answered, his Texas drawl coming through, "Then again, you look good in everything."
"And really good in nothing," quipped back Felicia Hardy, a knowing smirk visible under the green lensed mask covering her eyes. The heiress and cat burglar was equipped with her own unique gear. A rappelling system with integrated grappling hook of her own design, gadgets and tools that enabled her to get into anywhere and cover her tracks while doing it made up most of her kit, but the Black Cat had helped herself to a FN Five-seveN handgun and P90 PDW, both suppressed, just in case the claws built into her gloves weren't sufficient for the kinds of problems that shot back.
When it came to shooting back, Cooper was the better prepared, with a tricked-out R-201 Assault Rifle, adorned with his preferred optic, laser, tactical light, and an underslung 40mm electromagnetic launcher, he could take on most anything and, with the affixed suppressor and subsonic 8.19mm ammunition, do so quietly. Backing up the Special Operations Assault Rifle was the pistol tucked into the holster he had on his chest rig, tanker style, a MK6 Smart Pistol, firing lock-on, fire and forget 9x21mm ammunition. The future handgun from the Frontier made up for its bulk and ugliness with sheer unmatched lethality.
An orange light pulsed in the armory as a siren filled the room, a signal that both Cooper and Hardy knew, "There's the music, time to dance," intoned the Texan. The pair made their way through to the narrow passage outside the armory and towards a room labeled 'BRIEFING.' Waiting for them inside was a screen covered table surrounded by the other three members of the team.
"There's been a development," informed the teams leader, as blunt as ever. Even with her thick eastern European accent, there was no mistaking when Silver Sablinova meant business. The 39 year old had spent the better part of two decades as a mercenary, leading the company bearing her name: Sable International. Even after winning a war to reclaim her homeland, and seating herself on the throne that was once her father's, the silver haired woman was still 125 pounds of solid muscle, in fighting shape as much as she had ever been in her career. Despite her diminutive 5' 5" height, Sable had a commanding presence and confidence to rival Coopers as she addressed the members of her team. With a few swipes on the table, the Symkarian mercenary brought up a set of images showing a man getting out from a vehicle, but the focus on all of them was his briefcase. "These photographs were captured outside our target approximately 2 hours ago. In them is our new priority."
Everyone gathered around the table looked over the pictures before a deep, gruff voice spoke, "Kill or capture?" The straight to the point question was the type that always came from the groups oldest member. At 43, Frank Castle had seen more than most, and he saw things in the same black and white as the skull emblem that covered the ballistic vest he wore. A Marine Force Recon NCO turned vigilante after the loss of his family, the infamous Punisher never minced words.
"Irrelevant, the man is not the mission," replied Sablinova coolly, drawing a circle on the table, "The case is."
"And what's inside it?" asked the teams fifth member, a 36-year-old woman with Asian features and analytical eyes named Yuriko 'Yuri' Watanabe. The former NYPD Captain wore a kit given to her by Cooper and, while not entirely dissimilar to his own, was focused more on stealth than direct action. With its lighter armor and form fitting look, the more powerful tactical cloaking would allow Yuri to hide in plain sight while the battery of optical and electronic sensors made her the team's best reconnaissance asset. Her equipment and experience allowing her to live up to the moniker the Maggia had given her: the Wraith.
"Fury did not say," said Sablinova, causing a wave of groans from the group. When they subsided, Silver continued, "But my own sources tell me that there was a data breach at a secure facility in Brussels, yesterday. It is said that the information taken was from the JAPA server."
The Joint Armaments Production Agreement was a NATO framework for the sharing of production details for various pieces of equipment used by the alliance's militaries. In wartime, this information could be used so the members could produce equipment for each other's armed services, should the need arise. If this was the data in that case, then it's importance was obvious to the Marauder.
And from a look around the table, he wasn't the only one who held that position.
"It is imperative," stressed Sablinova as she leaned forward, "That HYDRA does not have access to this information. The rest of our mission has not changed, but we must ensure that we locate and recover the hard drives contained in that case. Once our first primary has been completed, we will stay in our teams and search the base. Section One secures these structures, these here are the responsibility of Section Two. Overwatch does not change. Rules of engagement remain the same. Questions?"
Cooper worked his jaw inside the confines of his helmet, expression completely obscured by the blue glow of the x-shaped visor and breather. "Our backup? Can we bring him in?" asked the Marauder.
Sablinova called up more images, satellite photos this time. "ISR confirms the presence of active air defense systems. Until these are disabled, it will just be us. What else?" she asked, but received no reply. "Objections?" she asked, but to Cooper's eye, nobody was keen to back out. "Very well, make your final preparations and prepare for insertion," ordered the Symkarian before keying button on the table. "Skytrain, this is Silver Bird, you have Execute authority. I repeat, you have Execute authority. Begin your approach now."
"Roger that ma'am, ETA to insertion is six minutes," answered the pilot of the C-17 Globemaster III before Cooper felt the floor shift beneath his boots as the 200-ton jet began a gentle banking turn. Now on the clock, the group made their way towards the rear of the Boeing strategic airlifter turned mobile command center, past the communications room and to the cargo bay.
A jumpmaster was busy conducting his checks. Like the rest of the aircraft's crew, he was from Sable International, the Private Military Contractor was still under Sablinova's command and had been instrumental in the retaking of her native Symkaria the year prior. This highly competent and battle hardened force was still made up of volunteers from around the world and served both as the expeditionary arm of the Symkarian military and mercenaries for hire in both combat and non-combat missions.
But only the most critical missions were taken on by Silver Sablinova herself, and fewer still would see her call for the services of the Sable International Long Range Strategic Strike Group.
This mission was one of them.
The LRSSG was a five-person team comprised of unique individuals with equally unique skillsets, all unconventional, meant to take on unconventional missions. While the official name of the group was LRSSG, and that was what appeared in all the Sable International records, the members of the team had a different name for it: The Wild Pack.
In the cargo bay, each member of the LRSSG made their final preparations, readying their respective equipment, as varied as the members of the team, with one exception. All five had small packs on their lower backs in lieu of parachutes, Cooper's contribution to the group, even if most members weren't well versed the Jump Kit's more exotic functions. "Kit check!" called the jumpmaster.
"Check me out, Cowboy?" asked Felicia with a flirtatious lilt as she turned around. Despite the tone, and temptation, Cooper's hands merely tugged on the kit to ensure it was fastened around her waist.
"You're good, Felicia," he informed.
"Yes, I am good, I'm very good," she purred back, as the lighting in the cargo bay went from white to yellow.
"1 minute!" called the jumpmaster, prompting the LRSSG to assemble at their jump positions, Sablinova in front, as Airborne tradition dictated. With a hydraulic whine, the door lowered to reveal the dark night, a crescent moon illuminating the tops of the Alps poking through the clouds below. The bay lights went from yellow to red, and the jumpmaster held up a hand, thumb and index finger held close together, "Thirty seconds!"
Matthew ran his hands over his gear in one last check and, satisfied, shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet, eyes up on the light by the door. When that light switched from red to green, Silver Sable was the first out of the plane, and after a quiet declaration of "Yippy ki yay," Cooper followed her into the night.
Bursting through the low clouds, Felicia Hardy spied their target below, a compound hidden in the Austrian Alps, comprised of several camouflaged buildings and supporting heliport. Wrapped around it, she knew, were various security devices, sensors, cameras, and a good old-fashioned fence, not to mention the armed guards and surface-to-air missiles that were assuredly on the premises. She would have preferred to case the place herself, as she tended to do with her burglaries, but the remote location and nature of the facility prevented that from happening.
But she was the Black Cat, she loved a challenge, loved the thrill, and it didn't get much more challenging or thrilling than this.
Instead of overflying the compound, the preprogrammed flight plan loaded into the groups jump kits kicked in, licks of blue flame flared from the backs of her teammates as she felt her own shove her into line with the rest. Tearing her eyes from the prize, Felicia focused on the ground below, watching as it leveled out and became less rocky the further, and lower, they went. "Prepare for landing," informed Sablinova over the encrypted communications channel, "3… 2… 1… pull!"
Tucking her legs in, Felicia felt herself plummet for a second until she was vaguely upright and the jump kit threw out two long licks of fire, kicking up snow as it slowed her fall until her boots kissed the ground. Sticking the landing with feline grace, something the thief noticed the rest of the group lacked as they picked themselves up out of the snow, the Black Cat unslung her P90 and casually held the weapon at her hip. Curious, Hardy wandered to the edge of the landing site and peeked out over the base, her night vision casting the scene in monochromatic white. "What do you see?" asked Sablinova as the rest of the group formed up.
With a discerning eye, she was easily able to pick out the unhidden defenses, and even the more obscured ones. "Guard towers with searchlights at each corner, I'd wager there are guards about… there they are, pairs, west and southeast sides." Toggling her goggles, Felicia used the advanced tech to look for anything not immediately visible to the naked eye. "Seeing disturbances in the snow where proximity sensors, maybe mines, were buried. See? They keep the snow clear, so they work."
"Shoddy fieldcraft," commented Sablinova, tone part disapproval, part relief, "Do you see a way through?"
The Cat's gaze roved across the perimeter until her head came to a stop, a small smile growing on her lips. "Ask, and you shall receive. Just down to our right, on the east side."
"That is where we will breach," returned the Symkarian Queen as she shouldered her bullpup rifle, "Along the ridge, on me." Shrouded in darkness, the grey-white winter camouflage gear the infiltrators all wore ensured they blended in to the snow around them as they drew nearer to the base without a word, only heavy breaths that condensed on the freezing air and snow crunching beneath their boots disturbed the silent night. When Sablinova came to an abrupt halt, clenched fist held aloft, the rest of the group stopped. "There is a gate here, and trail leading down the mountain, through the trees."
"Camouflage netting strung up between them," observed the Punisher from behind his belt fed machine gun, "Trying to keep it hidden."
"I'm seeing tracks in the snow, vehicles. Maybe snowmobiles or snowcats," added Watanabe, the Wraith peering through the scope of her suppressed sharpshooter's rifle. "Got heat signatures in those structures, vehicles maybe? Could've just gotten back from a patrol?"
Felicia frowned; their intelligence had been lacking, and their well thought out plans, and alternatives, had just been rendered useless. She could see the same tension on the exposed faces of Sablinova and Castle, and knew her boyfriend well enough to pick up the way his hand tapped on his rifle, a dead giveaway that the gears in his head were turning. But getting into places without raising the alarm was what she did, and she was damn good at it.
Eyes glued to the guards that were slowly ambling their way, Felicia noted that there weren't any footprints in the snow near the buried sensors, and it became obvious why. When they reached the trail, they shouted something, the words inaudible to her, and the searchlight swung over to shine on them. A moment and a few more words later, the pair of guards ambled through the gap in the fence and into the compound. "Yuri, c'mon, follow me," whispered the Thief abruptly, sliding down the slope before she could get an answer.
By the time she had shaken the snow off herself, she heard the former policewoman slide down behind her. "Glad you decided to join me," said Felicia with a small smirk.
"I just hope you know what you're doing," answered Watanabe flatly, "I don't think these guys have been collecting your toy cats…."
The memory brought a smile back to the Black Cats face, "I don't need them, this place isn't nearly as secure as your evidence lock-up." With that remark, the Thief scampered forwards, a quick but quiet pace towards the vehicle tracks on the trail before turning to follow them in. It was a trivial matter for her to time the sweep of the searchlight over the ground in front of her and wait until it passed by before she said, "Keep up," and dashed forwards.
Bounding through the ankle-deep powder, Hardy easily got under the light's path by the time it came back, she crouched at the fence and began unwinding her grappling hook. Looking back to Watanabe, and seeing the woman nod through her night vision, Felicia slipped through the gap in the chainlink fence. Crouched low, the Black Cat stuck to the shadows, quickly veering off the trail to get in amongst the structures, taking care not to disturb the crates and oil drums in the gaps between them. "What's the plan here, exactly?" asked Yuri.
"That tower, it'll handle comms for this place, I get over there and find the server it's linked to, and give it just the right touch, it'll knock out all those sensors they have," explained Felicia before firing her grappling hook up onto the roof of the building, giving it a tug to ensure it held fast, before quickly ascending. Coming up onto the roof, the Black Cat got her bearings before setting off towards the tower.
Pattering along the rooftop with light footsteps, Felicia leaped the gap to the stack of shipping containers before running their length close on a building where there was activity. Light came from the frosted windows and the racket of powertools reverberated through the walls. The racket covered the Thief's movements as she slipped along the catwalk on the building's edge.
Looking out, Felicia picked out the shimmering of Wraith's advanced cloak as she scaled a neighboring building, and waited for the ex-cop to get settled into position before making her next move. With her grapple line secure to her harness, Felicia loosed the hook at the control tower before swinging through the night, activating the motor to reel herself in, shifting her weight to circle around the control tower, its warning lights blinking on the aerials above. Dangling from the tower, Felicia's radio came to life. "Darlin,' we're seeing lots of activity down there, stay frosty," intoned her boyfriend.
Before Felicia could ask for details, the lights came on, bathing the helipads in light so bright that it blinded her through the night vision goggles. With a quick tap, the Black Cat disabled the gadget and saw the helicopter that was being tended to, a big, bulky thing, stubby wings coming off its hefty body, and an array of weapons slung under them. It's rotors quickly began to spin, kicking up a flurry of snow as Felicia swung around to the other side of the tower. She could hear the rotor spin up behind her as she turned around, hanging inverted and walking down the side of the control tower.
Below, light suddenly poured out of the tower, causing Felicia to come to an abrupt halt and watch as a man ambled out onto the platform outside. "Cat, I can take him," informed Yuri, the sharpshooter no doubt perched somewhere with her sights set on the man.
The helicopter went up, a searchlight under its nose sweeping across the base as it flew off into the night. With that gone, the Thief could focus on the problem smoking a cigarette right beneath her. "Don't bother, a girl's gotta have a little fun," replied Felicia as she crept down until she loomed above the man. "Meow," she purred aloud, startling the man as he spun around just as Felicia pushed off the wall and slammed her knee into his nose. Her momentum carried her past the man as he stumbled back into the railing and she acrobatically twisted around on her line so she came back and planted both boots on his back, driving him into the hardened wall with all her momentum. With a groan, the man slumped to the ground, and Felicia disconnected her line to land beside him, drawing her suppressed handgun before slipping through the open door.
Once inside, Felicia slipped under the railing and jumped at the far wall, claws in her gloves digging in to slow her descent until she was able to fall the rest of the way to the ground. Slinking through the hallways, the Black Cat proceeded until she heard a door open up ahead and she saw a cracked open door offering refuge. Ducking out of sight as the guard wandered past, none the wiser, Felicia realized this was some sort of mechanical room and noticed the thick water pipes passing through it.
"Hello babies," purred Felicia, hand running along the pipes and feeling the chilled fluid inside them. "Where do you lead?" she wondered before kicking her feet up and locking her ankles around the thick PVC and shimmying through the oversized hole in the wall. Crawling through the plenum, Felicia came upon a reinforced grating that she couldn't hope to cut through without an acetylene torch, but she knew where it led. She spotted another grate in the roof above her, and crawled to it. Pressing up, Felicia coaxed the floor grate off and emerged from the dingy plenum right next to a door labeled 'SERVER ROOM' alongside a sign in list, the monitor of this important facility.
Knocking on the door, Felicia jumped, planting a foot on the wall of the narrow corridor to propel herself up to the ceiling, planting a boot on each wall, and doing the splits as she looked down at the hallway below. After a moment, the door to the server room opened and Felicia seized the opportunity, dropping down and wrapping her fingers on the doorframe, swinging her feet around in a kick that sent the man who opened the door tumbling inside. Coming down, Felicia threw the door shut behind her, Hardy smirked as she watched the man recover with a wild punch she easily ducked before surging forwards. Wrapping an arm around the man's shoulder, Felicia jumped up and planted a foot on the wall, taking two steps up to get the leverage needed to swing her legs around and wrap one around the man's neck and slowly squeeze the consciousness out of him. "Sleep tight," she whispered as he finally gave up and collapsed from lack of oxygen, with Felicia rolling off and onto her knees.
"Black Cat, say status," came the queen of seriousness over the comms channel.
Strutting through the room until she came upon a terminal, the platinum blonde plugged in one of her specialized gadgets and let it work. "Aw, it's sweet of you to care," she purred back, watching the progress bar fill, "Don't let Matt hear you get protective of me, not that he should feel threatened… much," she teased.
Instead of her boyfriend's drawl answering, the Symkarian's stern tones chastised her, "Ms. Hardy."
Feeling the woman's disapproval, and since Silver Sablinova was one of the few people that even Felicia didn't want to piss off, the Thief let out a small sigh and said, "I'm in the server room, copying the streams from the perimeter sensors and looping them into the link. And… that's finished. Come on and join the fun."
Cooper couldn't suppress a smile as he flicked the safety off on his rifle, "Damn fine job, Darlin," he said as the rest of the Wild Pack, twitchy after being relegated to the sidelines, got moving.
"Team, on me," ordered Sable, circling a hand as she led them down the slope and across the snow, through the now harmless defenses and right to the fence. "Cover," came the command, sending Castle and Cooper to a crouch, scanning their surroundings. Sable set to work on the fence, running a thin cable through the links and plugging it into a small pack, "Fire in the hole!"
Electric current pumped through the wire, the heat melting through the chain link in a few short seconds, allowing Sablinova to yank that section free with a stiff tug. She was the first one through, with Cooper quick to follow and Castle covering the rear as they snuck into the base. "Castle, move to your position. Wraith, cover him. Cat, begin searching the control tower for those drives."
The Marine peeled off towards the base's barracks, leaving Cooper to travel alongside Sable, the pair staying low as they crept towards their first target, the heliport's fueling station. Coming up to a corner, Cooper reached into his gear and drew a kuni like blade, sidearming the knife into the night until it buried itself into a crate, an orange pulse emanating from it, highlighting the pair of patrolling guards walking towards the pair. "Two coming, I'll get the one on the left," drawled the Marauder as he took aim.
Sable shouldered her bullpup A-91 rifle, "On my shot, Major," whispered the woman, words as cold as the ice around them. The Pilot's gloved finger pressed down on the trigger of his carbine until it ran up against the wall, and he took a breath and waited. There was a slight cough as Sable's weapon fired a single shot, with Cooper pulling back that last millimeter it took to send his own 8.19mm slug downrange. Both men twitched and slumped to the ground, and Sable was already up and moving, crossing a stretch of open ground as the searchlights swept across the ground.
An approaching growl caused Cooper's head to swing around, "Truck coming."
"Take cover," was the instant response, the unflappable Sablinova sprinting towards the nearest building. The Marauder tore after her, keying the STIM pack that overclocked his exoskeleton and sent a cocktail of drugs into his bloodstream, giving him a short burst of speed exceeding an Olympic sprinter, even through the snow in full gear, allowing him to overtake the Symkarian and reach the building first.
Watching the headlight beams, the pair waited for them to pass before creeping around the corner and coming upon a door. "Cover me," instructed Sable tersely as the Symkarian mercenary slung her rifle back and drew a snake cam from her belt, feeding the end of the gadget under the gap of the door. Cooper's rifle swept over the heliport as he waited for Silver to finish her sweep, and when she withdrew the camera in favor of her rifle, she tapped him on his shoulder pauldron, "Major, get to the roof, prepare to engage on my mark."
"Copy," drawled the Marauder as he raised his left arm and loosed his own grappling hook, quickly ascending to the snow covered roof. A quick glance revealed a glass skylight in the middle, Cooper crouched alongside it and looked in, seeing that this was a garage for a half dozen snowmobiles, along with a large window that looked out to the heliport and the fuel system they planned to sabotage. "In position," transmitted the Pilot.
"The group at the table are mine. Do you have eyes on the pair by the window?" asked Sable.
"Rog," acknowledged Cooper, shifting his position and flicking his rifle's fire selector to automatic, drawing a bead on one. "Ready."
Sablinova didn't hesitate, "Three… two… one… mark!" Cooper squeezed the trigger, firing a burst that cut the first down before swinging his gun around to the second and cutting loose a second quick burst, the guard twitching as blood painted the wall behind him. By the time he had finished, Sable had thrown the door open and stormed into the room, her rifle trained on the table three more men were gathered around, engrossed in a card game. Suppressed shots from her bullpup rifle killed all three before they were able to react. Cooper watched Sable sweep the rest of the building from his vantage point on the roof. "Clear," announced Sable, "Major, see to the refueling station. Castle, say status."
Cooper didn't dawdle, jumping off the edge of the garage and sprinting to the mass of tanks and pumps that held thousands of gallons of AV gas. Drawing a specialized explosive charge to ensure the whole thing ignited, Cooper armed it before tucking the block of plastique deep in the bowels of the machinery. "In position," answered the Punisher, "Ran into some trouble on the way, they won't be troubling anyone else."
Sablinova seemed unbothered by that addendum, "Silver Bird copies all. Stand by. Black Cat, have you located the case?"
"No luck on that, but I hate to disappoint. I managed to take a peek at the security systems. The case and drives are being held in hanger four, the southern most one," returned Felicia, and Cooper could hear the smirk in his girlfriend's voice.
"Understood," said Sablinova, "Black Cat, plant charges to disable the base air defenses. Wraith, cover her and continue to provide overwatch. Marauder, meet me at that hanger."
With that, a new waypoint marker appeared on Cooper's Heads Up Display, and the Pilot began moving. The patrolling guards were few, and he was able to work his way around, weaving between the other buildings and crates until he drew near to a hanger with the numerals '04' painted on the side. Still, there was an unbidden thought that Cooper couldn't quite shake, "This is too easy."
But the Marauder wasn't one to interrupt his enemies when they were making a mistake, so he dropped down into a narrow trench when he noticed a humanoid shape in his peripheral and swung his rifle around before lowering the muzzle, "Take it you didn't have much trouble, Sable?"
"Nyet," she answered, and even if the opaque visor on her helmet obscured her face, Cooper could tell the Symkarian's brow was furrowed, "You?" The Pilot merely shook his head, and Sable responded by swapping a fresh magazine into her rifle and checking that the underslung grenade launcher was ready. "Prepare for that to change. My point." The Symkarian Regent tried the door handle, finding this side entrance unlocked, and she eased the door open before stepping inside, Cooper in tight formation behind her. There were lights emanating from a bend up ahead, and when the shadow of a man was cast, the pair of infiltrators pressed themselves against the wall. A single armed soldier emerged around the corner, but before Cooper could raise his rifle, Sablinova surged forwards, slamming into the bigger man with all the momentum she could muster, knocking him off balance enough for her to get an opening to thrust her gleaming combat knife into his sternum, slamming a gloved hand down on his mouth to muffle the screams. Before the guard could recover, Sable had withdrawn her blade and used it to slash the man across his throat as he fell to the ground, blood pooling around him.
Cooper swept forwards, stepping over the corpse and into the main hanger, rifle sweeping over the pair of parked SUVs before Sablinova joined him. "Marauder, search the vehicles, I will sweep the upstairs," intoned the Symkarian, her words coming through her helmet and not over the radio.
"Will do," replied Cooper, slinging his rifle back and drawing his Smart Pistol while approaching the closer vehicle. Sablinova's boots clinked up the sheet metal stairs while Cooper opened the door of the first and started to search. A quick check turned up nothing, and the Marauder quickly took his search to the other car. Opening the passenger side door, Cooper's gun snapped up before he realized it was a corpse, shot in the head, sitting in the passenger seat. Holstering his weapon on his chest rig and taking a moment, the Marauder recognized the man and keyed his radio, "Nothing in the cars except the courier, dead. HYDRA didn't want any loose ends it seems."
"We make new one then. Drives secured, team, move towards exfiltration point," ordered Sablinova, but no sooner were the words out of her mouth then the situation changed.
"Don't be so sure," interjected Yuri, her tone tense, "One of the other hangers just opened up, counting… a shitload of bad guys coming your way."
"We've been compromised," realized the Symkarian Mercenary, "Cooper, stay calm, prepare for contingency, acknowledge."
"Rah," answered Castle, curt and gruff.
Yuri came in next, "Copy Silver Bird."
"Don't tire yourself out Cowboy," quipped Felicia, bringing a smile to Cooper's face before the hanger doors began to open.
HYDRA clearly took things seriously, there were a good fifty men arrayed against the lone Pilot, all armed, their weapons trained on him. "Put your hands, UP!" shouted one, and Cooper complied, though he kept his hands just barely at shoulder height. "Attention, infiltrators!" began the one with the loudspeaker, "We have captured one of your comrades, come out with your hands in the air! You have five seconds to comply!" The man paused a beat, and Cooper merely glared at him, whole body wound tight as his jump kit hissed in anticipation. "Five! Four! Thr…."
The ultimatum was cut off by the deafening explosions that rocked the base, fireballs erupting outside the hanger as the fuel system and air defenses went up with the press of a button. To add to the confusion, Cooper saw the head of the man with the loudspeaker explode, no doubt the work of Yuri, the report of her suppressed rifle drowned out by the explosion. Cooper wasn't idle, moving in a way he had planned in the few short seconds he'd been given.
First, he activated his holo pilot, sending his projected facsimile charging forwards while, in the same motion, Cooper engaged his tactical cloak and felt the kick of his jump kit throw him into a slide behind one of the parked SUVs. The Pilot drew his Smart Pistol, stepping up and watching the array of sensors built into the gun and his helmet mark targets and lock on before he pulled the trigger. The MK6 chattered in his hand, loosing six shots in rapid succession, each guided bullet curving to seek out its designated destination, burying themselves in the skulls of the HYDRA goons in front.
The ones behind were tossed about when a grenade erupted in their midst, followed by a stream of automatic gunfire as Silver Sable jumped down from the second floor, bullpup bucking in her hands as she hosed down the HYDRA goons. Cooper swiftly switched magazines for his sidearm before holstering the pistol and unslinging his Carbine, shouldering the R-201 and letting loose aimed bursts at the fleeing HYDRA goons as they scattered and fled.
"Wild Pack, move towards the garage, we will commandeer transport to reach our extraction!" called Sablinova as Cooper cut loose, covering her as she reloaded her A-91. "Move!" The pair sprinted out of the hanger, tearing across the snow covered field to a concrete barrier, bullets tearing off chunks as the duo returned fire on the group of HYDRA goons pinning them down. Cooper watched one of them snap over, dead, causing the rest of the group to let up for a second, allowing Cooper and Sable to stand and shoot before dashing to the next piece of cover. A second one fell soon after, then a third, and finally the remaining HYDRA soldiers turned and sprayed indiscriminately at the rooftops behind them.
Cooper pulled a fragmentation grenade from his belt and yanked the pin, "Frag out!" he called, hurling the ordnance before taking off towards the garage. Rushing up along the next hanger, the pair came around the corner and up to another group right before a stream of tracers cut through the night, originating from the Punisher. Sustained fire from Castle's belt fed FN EVOLYS chewed through the HYDRA goons and allowing the pair to dash forwards, Cooper sliding towards a wall as he loosed a pulse blade, highlighting the group of HYDRA fighters on the other side. Keying his jump kit, the Marauder jumped up, planting a boot on the top of the wall and throwing himself up and clenching his left fist to activate his Phase Shift.
His body was torn into the space between dimensions, the world around the Pilot cast in a harsh monochrome that he moved through before he was ripped back to reality. The three men he was surrounded by were caught off guard, and Cooper's R-201 came up as he stitched a burst into the chest of the closest one, swinging it around to cut down the second, but when a drew a bead on the third, a single, reverberating gunshot sounded, as the man's throat was shredded by the bullet. Yuri then uncloaked, smoking revolver in hand. Cooper tossed the mag aside and slammed in a fresh one before the augmented group resumed their run for the garage. Looking back, Cooper saw the Punisher emerge, lugging his heavy gun towards the rally point when the headlights of an SUV washed across the field.
The Marauder slid to a halt, turning and tossing out a small circular object that hit the ground and sprang to life, projecting an orange particle wall in front of him right before bullets whizzed through the air. Rippling from the impacts, the A-Wall withstood the incoming shots as Cooper took aim with his Carbine and returned fire, peppering the vehicle with 8.19mm slugs that shattered the glass and mangled the engine until steam poured from the bullet ridden hood and the vehicle careened out of control. As the A-Wall flickered out of existence, Cooper swapped mags again as he turned to sprint for the garage, activating his STIM pack to carry him those last hundred yards, sliding across the ground to let his jump kit add to his momentum until he reached his destination.
Coming around the corner, Cooper came face to face with a waiting HYDRA soldier, the man's weapon already trained on him, but before he could fire, a white blur came down from above and pounced on the goon. The Black Cat's claws slashed across the back of his legs before she sent a kick into his back that caused the man to tumble towards Cooper, who threw a punch, the piece of his exoskeleton wrapped around his knuckles flickering with artificial lightning as the blow struck home. Looking up from the knocked out goon at a smirking Felicia, he saw the woman give a cheshire grin, "Took the scenic route, eh?" she asked while he threw up the garage door and followed her to a snowmobile. The Thief took her spot on the back seat and said, "Hop on Cowboy, and take me for a ride."
Throwing a leg over the seat of the vehicle, Cooper twisted the key and yanked the pull cord, the Snowmobile thrummed to life, spurred on by how the Marauder goosed the throttle. The rest of the Wild Pack mounted the other vehicles, the Punisher driving Watanabe and Sablinova on her own, and leading the group out of the garage. With a throaty rev, Cooper's snowmobile shot forward; once out of the garage and on snow, the track at the back dug in and the vehicle accelerated, catching up to Sablinova, Frank and Yuri close behind.
Rocketing across the base on their commandeered vehicles, throwing up a curtain of white powder in their wakes, the Wild Pack ignored the errant bullets chasing them out the base's main gate. "Baseplate, this is Silver Bird," called Sablinova over the radio, "Primary exfil is compromised. We are en route to the backup extraction point using enemy transport. Over."
"Silver Bird, Baseplate, secondary extraction has been notified, they are Oscar Mike. ETA unknown at this time," the controller's smooth, unflustered voice replied as the Wild Pack streaked down the tree lined path, throttles wide open.
Rounding a bend, Cooper's eyes widened and Felicia shouted, "Look out!" as a group of headlights came around the bend back at them. The Marauder squeezed the brake and twisted the handlebars of the snowmobile, dodging the oncoming HYDRA snowmobiles before mashing the throttle, coaxing the vehicle around the corner while the HYDRA guards wheeled about to give chase.
When Sablinova steered her snowmobile off the trail and down the mountain, Cooper whipped his own vehicle around, Felicia's arms squeezing his waist as they went off road. Grinding his teeth as the snowmobile bounced across the terrain, the Pilot was focused on weaving the vehicle through the rocks and trees littering the slope even as bullets flew errantly over his head.
Feeling a tug on his back, Cooper looked over his shoulder to see that Felicia had his Carbine tucked under her arm and was half turned around on her seat, pressing her back to his before she pulled the trigger. The Black Cat loosed long bursts at their pursuers, but instead of warding them off, only prompted another barrage of return fire to snap past the fleeing Wild Pack. "I've had enough of this shit," snarled the Marauder, white knuckling the brake of the snowmobile. The Yamaha responded smartly, skidding to a halt across the thick layer of white powder while the Marauder drew the Smart Pistol MK6 from the holster on his chest and leveled it at the trio of HYDRA snowmobiles that shot past.
The sensors on his helmet and weapon quickly locked onto the heads of the HYDRA riders flying past him, and when the Marauder pulled the trigger, the gun loosed a string of rapid shots with deadly precision. He watched the now riderless vehicles veer off into the tress as he holstered his gun and went back to the throttle, pouring it on to catch back up with the team. Sablinova led them around the mountain and down across a section of flat ground when a beam of light cut through the air up ahead. Craning his head up, Cooper saw the Hind attack helicopter that had taken off from the base looming far overhead. "Do not stop!" ordered Sablinova, undaunted.
A stream of tracers came down from the hovering craft, throwing up snow as the Wild Pack steered away, skirting the danger as they reached another steep slope, and followed the snaking track down to a collection of buildings surrounding a railroad line. The three snowmobiles came to a skidding halt near the buildings. "Go! Cover!" snapped Silver as the Hind looped around and strafed them again.
Cooper threw himself against one of the buildings with a grunt, his eyes looking back up the hill and the enormous procession of headlights approaching them. "I'm counting twelve, no, thirteen vehicles. Utility trucks hauling gunmen," informed Yuri, her goggles pressed to the scope of her rifle.
"Got any markings?" asked Castle as he finished inserting a fresh belt into his machine gun. Yuri shook her head, and Cooper could see the Punisher grimace, "Trouble."
"Prepare to receive them. Castle, lay down a field of fire, keep their heads down. Yuri, see if you can find a vantage point," rattled off Sablinova before pressing a hand to the side of her helmet. "Baseplate, Silver Bird, we are at the secondary extraction point, this will be a hot extraction. How copy?"
The other members of the Wild Pack took cover at different points along the train platform, with Castle and Yuri on either flank. "Baseplate copies all Silver Bird. Be advised, ETA to extraction is 11 minutes," answered the controller.
"Didiskoya," cursed Sablinova hotly, her thoughts not far removed from those of her team. With what must've been 100 HYDRA troopers bearing down on them, holding out that long, while tied to a fixed position, 11 minutes was an absolute eternity.
The Marauder had found a position under a small overhang, crouched behind a concrete barrier, from which he looked across the open ground and towards the oncoming vehicles. "Sable! Now'd be a good time to call in the cavalry!" called Cooper as the distant burble of diesel engines faded.
A moment of silence was shattered by staccato bursts of gunfire coming down from the hill above, and Sable got back on the radio. "Baseplate, Silver Bird. Status of enemy air defense?"
"Silver Bird, we have no active enemy air defense radars, ISR confirms destruction of all known SAM sites," Baseplate rattled off as more bullets hissed overhead. Cooper squeezed his Carbine tighter, scanning the slope for any sign of a clear target, but he coolly kept his finger lightly resting against the trigger, waiting for any of the HYDRA troopers to expose themselves, and he didn't have to wait long.
The rumble of diesels carried through the mountains as more headlights came down the winding road and out into the clearing. "Wild Pack, open fire!" called Sablinova, and Castle was the first to respond. His belt-fed gun spat out a mix of ball, armor piercing, and tracer rounds that arced into the approaching trucks, the report muffled by the weapon's affixed suppressor. As the bullet ridden lead truck, belching smoke and shattered windows splattered with blood, came to a stop, the others ground to a halt and the occupants disembarked, right into the sights of the rest of the group. Yuri's rifle dispensed aimed, precise shots that picked off exposed enemies, and any that tried to advance were met with accurate fire from Cooper, Felicia, and Sable.
But even as the first wave ground to a halt, a second advanced on them, and yet more headlights illuminated the train station from further up the slope. Cooper slung out a pulse blade, illuminating a pair of HYDRA troopers making a bold move to advance on the Wild Pack that were swiftly cut down by a long burst from his Carbine. Dropping the empty magazine and shoving a fresh one into the magwell, Cooper tugged the charging handle back to release the bolt before he heard Sable's accented voice on the radio. "Baseplate, notify Kilo Six-Four to deliver the package to our position, soonest!"
The explosion of a hand grenade threw up a wall of snow ahead of the Pilot, but with his freshly reloaded rifle, he took aim at the man who' thrown it, visible in his helmet's night vision. Through the muffled shots of the R-201, Cooper heard the controller's reply. "Roger that Silver Bird, Kilo Six-One is en route. ETA of package is 90 seconds. Wild Pack: Stand by for Titanfall."
Those words brought no small amount of relief to Felicia Hardy, hunkered down behind a stone pillar with bullets passing by all too close for her comfort. She was a thief, getting seen, much less shot at, meant something had gone terribly wrong for her, and the Black Cat wasn't one to make mistakes often. But in the two years she had been with Matthew, she had learned that the Pilot was as adept at getting out of trouble as he was at getting into it, usually meaning that when his back was to a wall, he went on the attack.
Peeking out at the snow-covered slope, Felicia saw a group of men shooting at her lover from behind their SUV, and decided she would make her move. Slipping out from behind cover, her white suit rendering her unnoticeable against the snow, the Black Cat stalked her way to a ticket booth and took aim with her P90. Aiming with the IR laser visible through the night vision of her mask, Felicia triggered a long burst, spent brass raining down on her boots as heavy, subsonic 5.7x28mm slugs tore through the HYDRA troopers.
"Felicia!" came a sudden call over the radio, causing her to duck down and see the bulky form of a wheeled armored car come barreling down the hill at her, the gun mounted on the roof slewing around to face her. The Thief turned to flee, but before she made it two steps, big, bright tracers the size of golf balls snapped past her head, prompting her to plant a foot and dodge to one side. Rolling through the snow, the agile cat burglar leapt away, sprinting for a stone building, heart racing in time with the report of the machine gun.
A flash of blue in the corner of her eye caught Felicia's attention, and she turned just in time to see the Marauder sprinting towards her, STIM overdrive propelling him faster as he charged past, wrapping an arm around her waist and taking her off her feet as he slid the rest of the distance with her pulled close. The rapid acceleration was enough to knock the wind out of Black Cat, and it was only when the pair came to a stop behind the solid stone walls that she regained his bearings. Looking up at the blue x visor of her lover, she gave him a flirty grin, "I do love when you sweep me off my feet, Matt," she said breathlessly.
Even if she couldn't see it, she knew Matthew was smiling under his helmet, "Anything for you, darlin," he drawled before she put a peck on his helmet and rolled off him. Replacing the top loading magazine on her P90, Felicia was tempted to take a peek when a chunk of stone was ripped away by the sustained fire of the APCs gun, giving her second thoughts. "As far as dates go, I've had worse," drawled Cooper as he too reloaded his gun.
Felicia turned to look at Cooper and couldn't help but give him a grin, "The night's still young, I can think of a few ways to turn it around." A distant rumble prompted the Thief's gaze skywards, where she saw a shape burst through the clouds, plummeting towards them at 150 miles an hour. It slammed into the ground at speed, throwing up snow and rocks, the earth trembling from the impact as the acrobat fought to keep her balance. The obscuring debris settled to reveal a black and grey shape, with orange highlights scattered about its 24 foot tall height. It had a vaguely humanoid form: a torso, two arms, and two legs that connected to metal hips supporting the torso. Thick armored plates 4 inches thick gave the machine it's boxy shape, at least where the articulating joints broke up the slab sides. Through the gaps, the intricacies of the machine were visible, actuating cylinders, fiber-optic cabling, sensors of every fathomable variety, and the pipes that fed the thruster nozzles on its back, tucked between a pair of pods mounted on articulating arms. "There's one right there," quipped Felicia before adding, "Give 'em hell, Cowboy."
Cooper didn't wait, firing his grapple up at the roof line to slingshot himself over the building, Felicia slipping around to the other side to watch him hit the ground sliding, only popping up to sprint the last dozen yards towards the machine. When he drew near, the mechanical goliath came to life, standing up and spreading its legs, through which Matthew promptly slid and straight into the waiting mechanical hand that wrapped around him. Felicia watched as the Pilot was hoisted up and the entire front of the machine's torso opened, revealing a cockpit into which Cooper was deposited.
Now reunited with its Pilot, the Titan, BT-7274, stood to its full height, the 40 ton behemoth looming over the battlefield as the blue glow its torso-mounted sensor scanned the snowy slope. The remaining HYDRA troopers recognized the scale of this new threat, and the rest of the Wild Pack was summarily forgotten as bullets rained down on the Titan, pinging uselessly off the thick armor. Felicia watched the machine's left arm come up, the gauntlet on that appendage flaring as a circle of light emanated from its open palm, swirling as it caught every incoming bullet meant for the Titan itself.
With a flick of its wrist, BT dispelled the accumulated ordnance back at a group of exposed HYDRA men before turning to face the APC. The thrusters on its back flared to life, propelling the 40 ton Titan forwards and closing the gap with the armored vehicle. A closed metal fist swung down on its roof, crushing the gun turret as the Titan's four fingered metal hands found purchase on its hull, even as the APCs wheels spun in a furious attempt to wrench itself free. The wheels stopped throwing up snow and mud when the Titan lifted the vehicle from the ground, and it only escaped BTs grasp when the vehicle was hurled into a collection of trucks around which the remaining HYDRA soldiers were gathered. Crashing back to earth, the APC tumbled end over end, rolling through the parked SUVs until it came to a stop in their midst.
The pods on BTs back rose on their articulating arms until they poked over the Titan's shoulders and swiveled to face the HYDRA vehicles before they erupted in smoke and fire. A barrage of a dozen guided missiles were propelled skywards by their rocket motors, zig zagging through the night sky before diving down on the HYDRA vehicles like a swarm of angry red hornets. The resulting fireballs were bright enough that Felicia's eyes were forced closed from the harsh glare, and when she opened them again, all that remained were twisted, burning wrecks littered on the snow.
"Wild Pack, our extraction has arrived!" called Sablinova over the radio. Felicia looked back to see a diesel electric locomotive trundling into the train station, "We are leaving!"
The train's arrival didn't go unnoticed by the remaining HYDRA forces either, tracers arced through the night as Felicia watched BT reach back and grab the belt fed 20mm automatic rifle strapped to its lower back. Leveling the weapon, the Titan loosed a stream of shells back at the HYDRA troopers while backpeddaling away, heavy footsteps shaking the ground. Felicia took aim with her grapple gun and loosed the hook at the Titan, feeling it fight purchase on its hull before she reeled herself in. The 20mm cannon's report hammered at her ears as the Thief clambered her way across the hull of the behemoth. When the gun fell silent, it's thunderous roar was replaced by the staccato pings of bullets ricocheting off the thick plate of the Titan, at least until her radio crackled in her ear. "That you hitchin' a ride, Fel?" asked Cooper from within BT, no doubt working the controls as the machine loaded a fresh magazine into the chain gun.
Clinging on tight as the Titan bobbed with each step, Felicia still managed a flirty retort, "You know how much I like being on top. Now giddy up, Cowboy." She could feel the 40 ton bulk shifting beneath her, working with each stride of its massive legs, vibrating from the recoil of the automatic cannon in its hands, but held on as she watched the approaching train come to a halt and the rest of the Wild Pack board the specially made armored cars it pulled. A series of pops sounded as smoke grenades were discharged from the Titan, cloaking the machine in thick clouds of white that began to crackle ominously.
Just as the artificial lighting began to prick at her through her suit, Felicia felt the sudden lurch of the Titan as it dashed from its thrusters, getting clear while the Black Cat watched the blue bolts arc through the smoke. Turning, BT then went into a full sprint, heavy footfalls from long strides carrying it to the rail line where it stepped up onto the reinforced flat car. "Sable, we're aboard!" called Cooper over the radio, and no sooner were the words out of the Pilot's mouth than the train lurched forward along the tracks, rapidly picking up speed and disappearing around the bend, out of harm's way.
The Titan crouched down, and Felicia leapt down from her perch and slipped around its armored leg to the front of the machine, smiling at the pinup artwork that bore her likeness before the hatch opened. Emerging from the ejection seat crammed into the cockpit, Cooper looked down at her through his glowing visor, and Felicia couldn't help but put a hand on an outthrust hip as he leapt down beside her. "Not my favorite way to get the blood flowing, but you always know how to show a girl a good time," she greeted.
Cooper reached up and removed his helmet, revealing his cocky grin and bright blue eyes, "I aim to please, Darlin'" he called over the wind rushing past them. She took a step towards him, and that was all the invitation he needed to wrap and arm around her and pull her up into a kiss, one she hungrily returned.
When it broke, the Thief turned to the Titan, "Thanks for bringing my man back to me in one piece, BT."
The single blue eye swiveled on its mount, spinning as it scanned her before the machine replied in a deep, warbling mechanical monotone. "Major Cooper is my Pilot, Ms. Hardy," deadpanned the Titan, "I will uphold Protocol 3: Protect the Pilot."
"Thanks for the save buddy," replied Cooper, giving the machine a thumbs up, "I'll give you a once over tomorrow, once we're back home." With that, the couple strode towards the next carriage forwards to rejoin the team and, more importantly, get out of the elements.
Once inside, Felicia pulled her hood down and goggles off, dusting the snow off her suit when Sablinova's accented voice echoed through the modified car. "Well done, all of you," she began, "I shall keep this short. It is obvious that this mission did not go as expected, when I have answers as to why, they will be relayed to you all with due haste. Now, are there any pressing issues?"
A momentary silence was only measured by the clicking of the car over the railroad tracks before Cooper chuckled lowly. "I was just thinking," he drawled, "Maybe it'd be more fitting if we called ourselves 'The Wild Bunch.'"
It took a second, but the pieces quickly fell into place, "I remember that movie Cowboy, it ended very differently for them."
"Yeah, cause we got better guns," grunted Frank.
"I think the giant robot had something to do with it too," interjected Yuri with a laugh.
The lighthearted banter even managed to get Sable to crack a smile, "Then relax, rest, this was the last mission for some time. I have matters of state to attend to in the coming weeks. Dismissed."
Each of the team went to a different corner of the car, Matt unslung his rifle and put it on a table, beginning to disassemble it. Felicia, still wanting his attention, lifted herself up and sitting on the table, crossing her legs coquettishly when she spoke, "You excited, handsome?"
Her query brought his hands to a stop, and he looked up from his rifle. "Anxious," he finally answered before turning to face her, and after a moment, he elaborated, "It's been a long time. You?"
"Trust me, Matthew," she assured, grabbing him by his armored vest and pulling him into a quick kiss, "We're going to have a great time."
Cooper's Logbook - Titanfall
The ultimate display of Shock and Awe, 40 tons of Titan, loaded for bear, making a hot drop onto a battlefield is a way to force a paradigm shift in any fight. If the bad guys don't have AT (Anti-Tank or in this case, Anti-Titan), they're going to be in for a hell of a time until they can find some, and those few precious minutes, though they feel like hours, are more than enough to turn the tide, and it's not like BT doesn't have enough firepower to do a lot of work in those few short minutes.
But the devil, as always, is in the details, specifically the details involved in getting 40 tons of metal up above the spot where I am in close contact with the bad guys. It was something I never would have had the resources to do, but being friends with someone who has their own private security force, and country, has helped solve that problem. Silver Sable did allow for one of her strategic transports to be modified to carry and deploy BT-7274, and now I just need to wait for the time to use it.
The only thing that would be better is getting to see the looks on the bad guys' faces.
Closing Notes: That will do it for the second half of this two part story debut, this time checking in on the other half of the main cast. I went ahead and took inspiration from, if you couldn't tell, Cliffhanger from MW2, the good one. I know that this version of the Wild Pack is out of line with its typical comic counterparts, but it was the one that felt like the logical progression for everything I set up in the first story.
But if you have arguments or comments, feel free to leave them in a review and I will respond to them when I post the next chapter in a few weeks. I am still trying to settle on an upload schedule I like so it might be a bit spotty for these first few chapters.
Until then, Stay Frosty, Misfit Delta out.