Sunday, June 9, 2013

Insert Another Classic War Story Here (part 4 of 5)

Ingrid found herself lying on sandy ground in the Afghani desert. Having a silenced Intervention sniper rifle with her, she waited for Doug to give the order.

A hand appeared to pop up from under the sand - actually it was a sheet of cloth coloured to look the same as the desert. Doug got up, wielding a silenced TDI Vector sub-machine gun with an ACOG sight attachment. It had taken them fifteen minutes to get out of the cold weather of Siberia, change into suitable desert camouflage suits, grab new weapons, and then arrive at the destination. She got up from her prone position, falling in behind him.

"Ingrid, I'm picking a thermal spike up ahead. The cave must be somewhere over the edge," he whispered as he walked to the ledge. They both went prone and looked over. They saw some guards patrolling the road deck below, with parked vehicles and a German Shepherd. The road deck overlooked a wide canyon, where Little Bird helicopters zoomed past in one of their patrols.

"Hold up. Enemy patrol. Hold your fire. I should've seen this coming," whispered Doug as he looked at the black-clad guards with desert-coloured helmets. The patrol of five men and a dog began to split up; the dog and two of the men walked further away while the other three stayed.

"Good, they're splitting up. Let them separate. I hope my cracking abilities are up to it," said Doug as he pressed a series of digits on his radio. It came to life as information from the PCMSPS' communications leaked into their headsets.

Go ahead Alpha.

Riverbed all clear, over.

Bravo?

Sandstorm. Not much to see here, over.

Zulu?

Uh... starting patrol east along the canyon. North side access road, over.

"Let's focus on the group on the right first, directly beneath us. Let's take them out first. I'll take the one on the left. On my mark," said Doug as he zeroed in on his target. Ingrid held her breath as she looked through the scope of her sniper rifle. Doug counted down.

Three.

Two.

One.

The bullets hit their targets and the soldiers died silently.

"Just like old times," remarked Doug as he slid down the ledge. Ingrid followed, to land on the road deck behind the other two patrolling guards.

"Just take the shot," whispered Doug. Ingrid aimed down her sights and took both the soldiers down with one bullet. Doug took out the dog.

"Tango down," remarked Ingrid.

"We don't have much time before they find the bodies. Let's keep moving," whispered Doug as he went to the railing and hooked a rope on it. Ingrid did the same on another railing. They both stood up on the railing, ready to jump into the canyon below.

Disciple Four, Oxide. What's your status over?

"Go" Doug jumped and rappel down the cliff face. Ingrid followed after.

Disciple Four, Oxide. Do you copy, over?

"Two guards directly beneath us," stated Ingrid.

Both of them slowly rappelled down until they were a few feet away from two other unsuspecting guards. Both of them drew out their knives.

Hey, I'm not getting anything from Disciple Four, north ridge. Could be a bad transmitter.

"Do it," said Doug. Both of them grabbed the guards by the chin, driving the knife deep into the artery. The guards gave muffled screams; their pupils dilated. Ingrid let go of her victim with a sigh, and then dragged him to some bushes where no one would see him. She drew out her silenced ACR assault rifle at the same time that Doug drew out his silenced Steyr AUG assault rifle.

"Let's go," whispered Doug as he entered the cave. Ingrid was behind him, following in his every step. A rock chipped off from the cave ceiling as a guard walked towards a standard CRT television. Doug hid behind one of the cave support struts and observed him. He then quickly came out and walked to the area on the left.

"Patrol coming our way. Go left, quickly!" whispered Doug as he entered the area. Ingrid managed to get in before the patrol walked past.

"Let them pass," said Doug, watching the patrol of ten men and three dogs walk to the cave entrance.

Butcher Seven, Oxide. We've lost contact with Disciple Five.

Probably just the sandstorm that's rollin' in or a bad transmitter. Send a team to check it out, over.

Roger that, Oxide. I'll send Viktor and Asad. Butcher Seven out.

"Take out the guard having a smoke, or wait for him to move along," whispered Doug, his attention on the guard who was facing the television. Ingrid slowly crept behind him and knifed him through the back.

"Tango down," remarked Ingrid as she kept her knife. Doug came out of hiding and hid behind a wall. There were more guards walking around, mingling and taking coffee through their balaclavas.

"Easy now," said Doug as he crawled alongside the wall. After seeing that no guard was looking, they went across to a tunnel. Crouching at a bend, they saw two guards who looked as if they were actively searching for intruders – namely, them.

"We've got two tangos with tac lights coming down the stairs under the red light, dead ahead," whispered Doug. Ingrid aimed and fired at both of the guards. The guards dropped dead without making a sound.

"Impressive. Clear. Go," remarked Doug as they headed to the stairs. Doug spotted a guard standing at the top.

Disciple Six, we've lost all contact with Disciple Five. Check it out, over.

"On top of the staircase. He's mine," whispered Doug as he slowly climbed the stairs and reached the guard. He drew out his knife and immediately stabbed him through the chest. The guard went down quietly, and they went into the steam room.

Roger that Oxide, we're on the catwalk, heading to the steam room. Standby.

Doug and Ingrid walked towards a conjoined stalagmite and stalactite and hid behind it. The room began to go dark.

Disciple Six, go dark. Breach and clear.

"Here we go – Get ready," said Doug as he aimed at a doorway. Ingrid was ready with a grenade in her hands.

Door charge planted. Ready to breach.

Hit it!

Breaching! Breaching!

BOOM!

The cave shook, spilling loose rock from the cave ceiling. The metal door was no more; replaced by a ray of light and plenty of laser designators. The soldiers herded into the room, searching for hostiles they had yet to discover.

Foxtrot Element, sweep left.

Ingrid threw her grenade at the group. A confused soldier heard the 'tink' of the grenade rolling towards him.

BOOM!

They're here! Open fire! Stay frosty, hunt them down!

Doug and Ingrid exchanged fire with the soldiers, throwing frag grenades into the mix. The soldiers were unprepared for the stinging sensation from the metal bits in the grenades. After the last of the soldiers were down, Doug and Ingrid came out of the cave from the blown-out entrance and headed to the catwalk at the edge of a very steep cliff.

Disciple Nine. Your rearguard just flatlined.

That's not possible. We've just cleared that area. Nobody's-

It's the Wanderers.

That final line scored home. Doug identified Aryan's voice, and he immediately quickened his pace.

Backup priority items and burn the rest. Fire teams, just delay 'em until we're ready to pull out.

"Ingrid, use the shield to draw their fire. I'll take care of the mooks," said Doug. Ingrid activated her ray shield as she climbed up the stairs to the open area of the catwalk. On the opposite catwalk, there were soldiers firing on their position.

Oxide, Disciple Nine, we've got hostile contact approximately 50 meters from the nest, over.

Terminate with extreme prejudice. All personnel - be advised, we have two enemy foot-mobiles on the catwalk heading to the crow's nest.

"Heavy fire here, Doug! I don't think I can hold much longer!" yelled Ingrid over the ricocheting bullets.

"Just bear with for a while! I almost got all of them!" replied Doug, peeking out behind a concrete guardrail and aimed on the soldiers.

Doug fired on the suppression team, each bullet scoring a body shot. They went across the bridge to the other side, and finally reaching the entrance of the crow's nest the soldiers were holding.

"We're clear. Move in," said Doug, entering the crow's nest. Ingrid switched to her ACR, and followed him behind.

Butcher One-Five, rendezvous at the nest and prepare to extract Gold Eagle to the LZ.

"Gold Eagle must be Aryan. We're running outta time, let's go," remarked Doug, firing at some of the soldiers that scaled down a rope. They both hid behind ammo boxes; bullets ricocheting on the ground and on their covers. Doug tossed a flashbang, blinding the soldiers. Ingrid took them out quickly, allowing them to enter another section of the cave.

More mooks scaled down another rope. Ingrid fired on the troops, and they fell dead on the ground. Doug looked across the ravine and saw smoke covering the opposite area.

"They're using thermals through the smoke! They're digging in, Aryan must be close! I'll draw their fire and you flank them from the right!" yelled Doug, firing a burst of rounds.

"Roger!" replied Ingrid as she entered a tunnel on the right. There were soldiers going into the smoke, which was hard to see through. She then spotted a SCAR-H assault rifle with a thermal scope. She picked it up and fired into the smoke from the right flank, hitting any white, glowing bodies. Once the glows dimmed and the smoke cleared, Ingrid ran towards an open doorway. A soldier peeked out and slammed the door shut. Doug joined her soon after.

Oxide, Butcher Five-Actual. I've got a severed det cord - we're gonna need ten mikes to get the trunk rigged and the EBC primed, over.

Negative. Gold Eagle wants those charges hot in less than three mikes. Get it done, out.

Ingrid planted a frame charge on the door and waited for the fuse to go.

BOOM!

Ingrid entered the room, firing headshots on all the soldiers to make sure she didn't hit the explosives lying around the area. In a second, the room was cleared and they checked it out. Doug went to one of the computer terminals and began sending data to a remote server.

All units, be advised, this is Gold Eagle. The site has been compromised. I am executing directive one-one-six bravo. If you're still inside, your service will be honoured. Aryan out.

"Override the door controls, hurry!" exclaimed Doug as he clicked through the keyboard. Ingrid went through the 'cmd' of the computer, and managed to get the door open.

"Doors opened, Doug!" exclaimed Ingrid as she rushed out. The monitors in the room began showing a countdown.

"Run! Keep moving! This place is gonna blow-" And flames engulfed them as they reached the exit.

-

Shell-shocked, Ingrid propped herself up. They were finally out; the cave entrance had caved in and Doug was behind a sandbag, firing several rounds at the attacking soldiers.

Excalibur, this is Gold Eagle. Fire mission – target package Romeo. Danger close.

But that's within a hundred metres from your position sir!

That's not a suggestion. Send it.

Roger! Fire mission, danger close!

"Incoming! Get down! Get down!" yelled Doug as he ran towards Ingrid. He grabbed her and pulled her down, facing the caved-in entrance as artillery shells screeched and bombarded their position. Doug covered Ingrid's head and body, protecting her from any shrapnel that might fly across towards them. When the barrage was over, they got up and observed the damage. The soldiers who had been attacking were completely immobilized; on fire and shell-shocked.

"Let's go! Stay close and follow me! To the west, Ingrid, go!" yelled Doug as he made his way through the bombarded weapons cache area. Two helicopters hovered over the site, dropping troops into the area. Doug and Ingrid managed to find some working AT4 rocket launchers and shot down the helicopters, bringing down all the reinforcements.

Sir, sandstorm activity is picking up here. It's too risky for flight ops.

Understood. Head for the tunnels. We'll use the Zodiacs.

Yes, sir.

Doug and Ingrid ran for another cave entrance and encountered light resistance from the PCMSPS troops. They were immediately gunned down, and both of them entered the tunnel.

"Aryan mentioned Zodiacs. There must be a river access nearby," said Doug.

-

(Start music 'Zodiac Chase & Waterfall Ending' by Hans Zimmer, MW2 OST; 0:00)

"They're just around the corner, let's go!" yelled Doug as he ran down a flight of steps. They both saw Aryan jumping into the boat in front of the jetty, then driving off with a few guards. Doug hopped into the boat at the back; Ingrid seconds later, manning the motors. The motors revved up, propelling the boat forward. Doug fired at some guards who were standing at the shoreline, trying to slow them down. Ingrid helped by firing with her Mini-Uzi sub-machine gun. Some of the guards went down; others hid behind rocks. Doug fired on one of the barrels on another jetty. The barrels blew up, setting those nearby on fire.

"Ingrid, up the bridge!" Doug yelled as troops atop a suspension bridge fired rockets in their direction. Ingrid manoeuvred the Zodiac and dodged the missiles while Doug attempted to hit the soldiers on the bridge. Ingrid then raced to the cave entrance, where Aryan's boat had entered.

"Through that cave!" yelled Doug as he launched a grenade at an army checkpoint; blowing it up. The boat raced through the cave with Doug firing at the boat in front of him. Blinding light began to enter their eyes as they came out into the open lake dotted with rock formations. More boats joined Aryan's boat, with helicopters flying above them.

"Stay clear of open areas!" yelled Doug as he fired at one of the escort boats. One of the boats flipped over and crashed into a rock formation. A helicopter in the distance was facing them and spooling their side miniguns.

"Ingrid, dodge that helicopter on our six! Take evasive manoeuvres!" yelled Doug, firing a grenade at another Zodiac. It flipped and threw its occupants out. The miniguns on the helicopter fired bullets at Doug and Ingrid.

"Left! Left!" The boat went through the gaps between the miniguns and the chopper flew above them. Water splashed on them as they reached a broken bridge filled with PCMSPS troops. They fired rockets at the incoming Wanderers.

"RPGs on the bridge!" warned Doug as the boat swerved and dodged the missiles. The missiles impacted the water as the boat went past the bridge and on towards Aryan's boat. A boat tried to steer them off, but Doug lobbed a Semtex grenade into their boat. The boat blew up as they went forward. Ingrid wiped her eyes when water splashed into their boat, and focused on driving the boat. Another helicopter far ahead was ready to make another run at the Wanderers.

"Go right! Right!" Doug yelled as the helicopter fired its miniguns at them. Ingrid manoeuvred the boat off and away from the gunfire. They went past another bridge with a series of rockets after them. They finally neared some rapids, where Aryan's boat drove into.

"Rapids up ahead! It's gonna get rough, hang on!" Doug yelled as the boat flew up and entered the rapids. The boat shook violently, trying to toss its occupants overboard. Doug ducked into the boat while Ingrid held tight to the rudder handle while trying to navigate though the rapids, the water blinding her vision. They finally reached a slow moving stream, where some of Aryan's escort boats entered the field. Doug and Ingrid fired at the boats, killing off the occupants and flipping the boats. Another bridge loaded with soldiers fired their salvo of rockets at them. Ingrid steered the boat and dodged them, passing through the bridge. Aryan's boat was within their sights. A Pave Low helicopter entered the view and flew past them.

Avatar One, gimme a sitrep, over!

I have Warhorse 5-1 standing by. Pave Low's down river, sir.

Copy that! Warhorse 5-1, be advised! We're coming in hot!

Roger – dropping hatch – keep it above 30 knots and watch for vertical clearance.

The two watched Aryan's boat enter the back end of the helicopter, then take off. Doug and Ingrid knew they were running out of river; in front of them was a 30-foot waterfall. The helicopter flew in front of them, and then turned around in response to a sandstorm heading its way.

(2:04)

"Ingrid! Hold it steady!" Doug yelled as he loaded a new clip into his rifle, with FMJ written on it. Lead bullets, encased in a cupro-nickel shell, strong enough to give the penetration power needed to destroy the chopper's engines.

"Steady!" Doug aimed through his scope, trained on the helicopter's main engines.

"Steady!" The boat dipped down and reached the end of the river. Doug immediately shifted his aim to compensate for the boat's movement against the water.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The third shot hit the helicopter's jet engine. The engine caught on fire; the main rotor began to lose power, decreasing its capability to lift. The helicopter then spun out of control, disappearing behind the waterfall. Doug looked over the edge and signalled Ingrid to put the motor in full reverse.

"Back up! Back up!" yelled Doug as he held onto the boat. The river was very unforgiving; it suddenly gave a rapid push on the boat, causing it to go over the falls. Ingrid was thrown away from the boat as she fell into the waters below. The only thing she remembered was crashing into the water head first.

(2:26)

Ingrid woke up with her vision blurred; she found herself at the edge of the river, on the shoreline. The area was under a haze of red dust; the sandstorm was hitting the place hard. She pushed herself up and coughed out water. She panted and wiped her mouth, saliva dripping from the edges. She got up and drew out her knife, turning and sighting small fires through the sand screen. She hobbled towards the flames and identified Aryan's crashed helicopter. A soldier crawled away from the crash, leaving a blood trail behind. Ingrid slashed the soldier, and he lay dead in the sand.

She continued hobbling towards the site. Another soldier was propped up on a rock face. He saw her approaching. He reached out to a gun and pointed it at her. He pulled the trigger. Nothing happened, other than the clicking sound of the hammer against the empty barrel. The soldier sighed in disappointment and laid flat on the rock face. Ingrid continued on, seeing Aryan walking out of the wreckage, coughing from the smoke of the wreckage. Ingrid came close and slashed her knife. Aryan ran off. She looked up and watched him disappear into the blanket of dust and sand. She wandered aimlessly, searching for him, her blurred vision still not getting any better.

Then she heard a cough. He was close. She went towards the sound of coughing and saw a car's wreckage, with Aryan resting on it. She lunged at Aryan, swinging her blade. But Aryan grabbed her swinging arm, yanked her forward and slammed her head on the roof of the car. She cringed in pain as she lay on the ground, disorientated. Aryan grabbed his knife and stabbed deep into her chest. Ingrid coughed blood and blacked out.

When she opened her eyes again, Aryan was emptying his revolver.

"You had to stand in the way of my revenge," Aryan spoke as he loaded two bullets into his revolver. He clicked the barrel back into the gun and pulled the hammer. Ingrid feared the worst and took a deep breath.

"Good night" The barrel turned to the chambered round just as Doug rammed into Aryan. The gunshot went off target, and both of them engaged in hand combat. Aryan tried to aim the revolver at Doug, but Doug kicked the pistol out of his hands. Ingrid watched the pistol land nearby; she mustered her strength and dragged herself across the ground, crawling to the revolver. Grunts were heard as Doug and Aryan landed punches on each other. Doug was then tossed in front of Ingrid as she reached the gun. The gun was kicked away, and Ingrid got a boot to the head courtesy of Aryan. She blacked out again.

(2:44)

When she woke up again, Doug and Aryan were still duking it out, sending each other punches and kicks. At first it seemed that Doug had the upper hand, but Aryan slowly regained control of the fight. Aryan landed a punch to Doug's gut, dropping him. He quickly came on top of him, sending punches across Doug's face. Ingrid saw the knife stuck in her chest. She grabbed onto the handle, and began pulling it out.

Aryan grunted as he punched Doug repetitively. Ingrid had the blade halfway out of her body. She used her other hand and yanked it out, blood slowly tricking out from the wound. Ingrid grit her teeth as she held in a scream of pain.

The knife was out, and Ingrid panted heavily. She twirled the knife and held it by the blade, then turned to Aryan, who was beating the snot out of Doug. Doug was already unconscious, and Ingrid yelled his name to grab his attention.

"AR – YAN!"

(4:10)

Aryan looked up, and Ingrid threw the blade at him. He didn't have any time to react; the knife went into his eye socket and directly to his brain. Blood squirted out as he fell dead on the ground, lying in his own pool of blood. Ingrid's vision began to black out again as she fought to stay awake. Then, the sound of helicopter blades hovered near her. Three heavily-equipped masked men came out from the sand storm and looked over the bodies. One of them came towards Ingrid and felt her pulse on her neck.

"She's alive. Get her to the chopper," said the masked man. Another man came to him from checking out Aryan's body to Ingrid. He immediately took some bandages from his Kevlar pocket and wrapped it around her wound, stopping the bleeding. He then reached his hands under her body and carried her to an awaiting helicopter. She turned and saw the other two men injecting adrenaline into Doug's chest, sand then pumped his chest with their hands to resuscitate him. After a while, one man punched Doug's chest in frustration. Ingrid and her saviour reached the helicopter, where another man was piloting it.

"noob_killer, when are the others coming in?" asked the pilot.

"They'll come in later, Gaz. Just get us outta here. She needs medical attention," said the man. Ingrid then blacked out again.

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