Agents Universe

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WELCOME TO THE LAND DOWN UNDER - PROJECT ZEUS PART 1
A MEETING OF THE MINDS - PROJECT ZEUS PART 2
ON THE ROAD AGAIN - PROJECT ZEUS PART 3
PENETRATION IN TORONTO - PROJECT ZEUS PART 4
STRIKE WHILE THE STEEL IS HOT - PROJECT ZEUS PART 5
LONDON IN THE SHADE - PROJECT ZEUS PART 6
AGAINST THE ODDS - PROJECT ZEUS PART 7
DAMAGE CONTROL - PROJECT ZEUS PART 8
A NEW NORMAL - PROJECT ZEUS PART 9
FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE - PROJECT ZEUS PART 10
TURNING POINT - PROJECT ZEUS PART 11
TURNING THE TABLES - PROJECT ZEUS PART 12
A FOND FAREWELL - PROJECT ZEUS PART 13
SURPRISE - PROJECT ZEUS PART 14

Farm off to the left side of the Egyptian Syndicate Base, Day 12, Late Afternoon

11:14 Alex_Braddock: Kyle can sure as shit talk some good talk. He knows how to inspire men, that’s for sure. I grin at Sam’s enthusiasm as he bursts out of the back of the van. I follow at his heels, alert, ready for trouble. Sam’s job is to get us to the barn. My job is to keep us alive on the way. This whole place was now a fucking war zone. Gunfire everywhere, explosions rocking the outskirts of the village as we ran. And there, right ahead of us a whole fucking squad of Division bully boys running for the action. I ducked behind the corner of a house, and Sam did the same. We flattened ourselves and waited for them to pass. We darted forward, staying low, and I saw out of the corner of my eye a huge muscled man darting forward, towards the front of the main farmhouse. We needed to stay low, and out of sight. As we darted, I kept my eye on that big bastard. He was trouble… was he… FUCK SHIT FUCK. That was Daniel Allen, crouching behind a wall, and tossing a grenade into the middle of a squad of Egyptian commandos. Awww fuck. But that’s not our mission. We keep running. Sam leads the way. Then, I heard a noise behind me, I turned and one of the Commandos stumbled towards us at a dead run, he was burned badly, covered in brutal wounds from the shrapnel of the frag grenade. He had that look in his eyes… that look of a man who has broken under heavy fire. He saw Sam, he took in the gear. Sam was meant to look like a Division bully boy. And that Egyptian was half-crazed with pain… Everything started to move in slow motion. He raised his rifle, stopped, sighted the back of Sam’s head. I started to shout, a thought leaping into my mind, this kid, he saved my life… twice back in London. Looks like it was time for Alex Braddock to return the favor. I leapt in the air, intending to tackle Sam down out of the path of that bullet, and then I heard the shot ring out….

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: I led the way, the path to the barn etched in my mind. Explosions rocked the area, gunfire erupting every which way. I focused on navigating the way to the barn, and trusted Alex to keep us safe in the process. We made a good team, a real fucking good team, once I could get my hormones under control. Stupid dick. Messing everything up. But now, I was in the zone. I had my mission, focused like a laser. Everything was about the now. We duck briefly beside a house to let some Division irregulars stream past. Then, we burst forward, on the trail again. I hear an explosion near the farmhouse, but I ignore it. I keep running. Then, suddenly, shockingly close as I’m running, there is the retort of a rifle going off and … something wet spattering on the back of my head? There is a thump behind me, and I turn suddenly, into a scene right out of the depths of hell. A crazed Egyptian soldier is standing not far behind us, holding a shaking rifle in his hand. He sees my face. His face suddenly turns into an expression of shock and horror. He recognizes me. He damn well should. All the Egyptian commandos have been briefed on us and what we are doing. Then, dully, I look down. It’s strange how sometimes you feel numb when you are faced with a horror your mind doesn’t want to contemplate.

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: Alex was lying face down on the ground, and the back of his head was blown away. I should cry. I should be sick. But I felt numb. Dead suddenly. Rooted to the spot. On instinct I grabbed Alex’s hands and drug him over behind a house. A medic… We needed a medic… Then shockingly, I told myself, “He doesn’t need a medic, Sam.” Oh fuck no. Then it hit me like a tidal wave. Grief, agony, and rage. Our mission… it was in shambles… a stupid accident… a freak coincidence… and just like that.. Alex was gone. Over the past few weeks, I’d come to respect him, his sharp, incisive, no nonsense bluff good nature. He’d worked with me so patiently as I struggled to polish my crappy Arabic. He’d trained with me, we’d started working as a real team, and now… this. I wanted to curl up and cry. But I couldn’t, I didn’t have the luxury of grief.

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: Me and the boys had made some good progress into the hell that this place had become. Kenworth had earned his night out on me with a great shot through one of the division squaddies chests, that took out not just him but the guy crouching behind him too. Kid was always lucky but damn! So here we were, lads had taken out a few each, I had 2 kills of my own. And now we wait. I have Swanson and Tyler on the left of this little yard we are waiting in, Kenworth and Needham on the right, with Henderson, my 2nd, and our medic/comms guys Neeson in the centre, watching through the haze. Waiting for Sam and Alex. Where the fuck are they? They should have been here by now. Hell I have seen some huge fucker race past us looking like some hulk just without the green, and heard gun battles. But now I am getting nervous. Sam was good, I have trained with him so I know how good he is, and this Alex guy just exuded skill and training. I calm myself and wait. No they should fucking be here. Something isn't right. I crawl over to Neeson and get him to contact Kyle……..nothing. Fucks sake what is going on here. Well fuck this!!!

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: I wave over Henderson. “I am going out, I need to find out what has happened to them, we are supposed to get them in, but they need to fucking be here for that. Keep trying to raise Kyle and appraise him of what is going on. And Henderson. Keep these fuckers safe.” He nods as I pat him on the shoulder and then head out. I leap over a low fence, heading in the direction I think they will be coming from. Keeping low and dodging back and forth, I hear more sporadic gunfire and off to my right an explosion. Sounds like a grenade. Sam, where are you? I dart out of cover to race across an open space and I hear a rifle sound off to my left followed by a low scream of distress. Turning to head over there and suddenly a crazed looking Egyptian soldier almost barrels into me and yells that he is sorry as he runs off again. I rush around the corner and see 2 division guys one kneeling over the other. As I am about to draw, I see Sam's face look around. Fear lends my feet wings and I rush over only to stop in my tracks as I see the mess that was Alex, on the ground in front of Sam, I see my friend, my brother, look up at me and the hurt is deep. Knowing nothing then but the need to help him I drop down next to him and pull his head into my shoulder. “Sam, buddy. Breathe man. Come on. We need you brother.” My mind is racing. What the fuck do we do now?

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: I feel paralyzed… I need to do something. I… Fuck.. Alex. I’ve lost comrades before, in Afghanistan, but not like this… not when so much was at stake, and not when I felt this way about them. My world had turned upside down. I felt some tears start to streak down my cheeks. NOT NOW. Sam, NOT NOW. Focus. Think… of how much is depending on this mission. You can’t fail. You have to go on. It doesn’t matter if your heart feels like a ball of lead, you have to keep fighting. Keep going. Alone if need be. Then, suddenly, Ryan was there. Looking down at Alex’s body. Ryan, my oldest friend from the SAS. He drops down and pulls my head into his shoulder. I realized then that I wasn’t breathing. I take a breath, and a torrent of rage and grief rips through me. I scream in pain, muffling the cry into his powerful, hard muscled body. Then, shaking, I dash the tears away from my face, and force myself to think. Gratitude wells up inside me at Ryan’s strong presence at my side. Shaking, I look down at Alex. “We … What do we do now? We have to go on… If we abort the mission now… we may not get another chance… but… oh fuck .. Alex… he… knew his cover, Yahya Dankworth, like the back of his hand. Who else…” And then suddenly, I turn to look at Ryan… my eyes going wide as I remembered Ryan had been present at those sessions with Alex where we had studied our covers and brushed up on our Arabic. His Arabic was much better than mine, and he had helped Alex coach me. Could he…. All I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and rage, but I’d have to do that later. But not much later… I started shaking violently again as I looked at Alex, the back of his head blown away, and I wanted to be sick.

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: My best friend screams into my shoulder, muffled by the flak vest, and I feel him shaking. My arms tighten around him, letting him know I am there. I just hold him for a moment before he gathers himself, wiping the tears away and gathering himself as he looks at me. His eyes suddenly wide and I cock my head to the side slightly, wondering. He shakes once more as his eyes divert back to the guy he has been training with all this time. Working on the cover stories. I had watched them getting closer and felt a growing warmth in my guts as the stoic Sam, heartbreaker, was finally letting his heart show. And now this. My hand rests on his shoulder. Gripping him to let him know he is not alone and then my own reverie hits rewind as the question comes back to what do we do now? The sessions I had spent trying to teach this log of a brain Arabic. Of sharing glances with Alex as Sam fumbled the most basic words. Here I am wondering what I can do to get the mission back on track and this is it. Be here with my SAS brother and go into the lion's den with him. I HAVE to take Alex’s place and see this through. I grab Sam's head and pull his eyes back to me. “Sam, I think you realised before I did what has to happen, but I can't have you watch this brother. I need you to focus, grab your rifle and keep watch while I get ready.” I grab his rifle from the ground next to him and lift him under his arms. “Watch my six Sam” I purposefully use mission lingo to bring his mind back as I take a breath, lift Alex’s body in my arms, and carry him into the building nearby to change into his gear

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: As I start shaking violently, Ryan grabs my head, forces me to look into his eyes. I draw on his confidence and strength, bolstering me, helping me fight back against the shock and horror of the moment. I’m a soldier, fuck it all, and this is what part of the job. Time to man up Sam. But… I don’t think I would ever be able to forget the image of Alex laying face down, dead. He saved me…. He gave his life to save me. Suddenly, as Ryan speaks to me, his words full of strength and confidence, he hands me his rifle. He slips into mission lingo, and it’s like a fire goes off in my brain. A ferocity rises up, mingling with the anguish of my loss, and I swore that I would make Alex’s sacrifice count. It would matter, it would fucking count. I turned away, knowing what Ryan would have to do, but not wanting to think about it. Instead, I crouched down low next to the small shed we were squatted next to as Ryan dragged Alex into the building to do what had to be done. My brain was on fire, battling my rising anguish with cold, fierce determination. And joining that was a bright hot fire for Ryan. Ryan… he was here when I most needed him. And now, we’d be going on the most dangerous mission of our lives, together. I couldn’t ask for a better man to have my back.

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: As I carry Alex's body into the shed I quickly look back at Sam and see his back straight and his shoulders no longer hunched. I then turn back to the shed and the horrible task ahead. I ease the door open and take a quick look inside, making sure I am going to be alone here. I lower the body to the ground and take another look at Alex. “Hey man. I am sorry that I didn't know you more, you seemed like a good man during the training and you sure stole the heart of that fella out there.” I reach down and remove the tags from around his neck and clean them off on my shirt. Reaching down I start to take the clothes off of his body and then grab a large tarp and carefully wrap him inside. I want to take the time to bury him but know that this is a luxury we can't afford right now. Cleaning the gore off the flak vest, shirt etc I slowly pulled them on and thankfully he wasn't too much bigger than me. I will have to use my boots but they are close enough to the division's style that it shouldn't be noticed. I leave the rifle I bought and take up the weapons that he had on him, taking 1 extra frag grenade and smoke grenade from my gear and hitch them onto the belt. I then remember some lessons that my Father taught me and I say a quick prayer over Alex. Tears welling up but I sniff them back. I stash his body at the back of the shed and remember that I will have to let one of the guys know somehow where it is so they can take him home.

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: Exiting the shed I walk over to Sam and kneel down next to him. Gripping his shoulder I palm him the dogtags taken from Alex and just nod at him. “So brother. I guess it is you and me now. Wow, I hope I can remember the plan properly. But at least my Arabic wont be garbled!” I then grab one of the throwing knives I always carry, write a quick note saying that I was going in Alex’s place, with basic co-ords on them and just a message of “Get him home” on, put a tie cord around the hilt and test the balance and then re-sheath it, hoping to get the chance to get it to some of our men

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: Suddenly, I hear a noise coming from the shed, I turn, rifle ready, and see that it is Ryan. He’s wearing Alex’s gear now, and though he tried to clean the gore off, there are a few spots of blood. I twist inside, but quickly ram my emotions down, fighting to get back into the zone. This is a battle Sam, grief comes later. Right now Ryan needs you as much as you need him. Get it together soldier, fucking man up. He kneels next to me, as I look down into my hand, now holding Alex’s dog tags. I feel lightheaded for a moment, as another surge of grief tries to batter through the walls I hastily try to build inside my head to keep it at bay. I sway, and a few more tears leak down my cheeks, but I keep it together, pocketing his dog tags. I stand up, and take a deep breath. Then, in the midst of chaos and death, I chuckle. Trust Ryan to lighten the heaviest shit with his corny humour. “Tell you what bro, you can speak for me using your bad-ass ventriloquism skills, and I’ll just move my mouth.” I shake my head, the map to the barn suddenly burning bright in my head. I throw one last comment over my shoulder as I begin to head off towards the pre-arranged spot. “I hope those baby cheeks of yours can grow a beard bro, otherwise you’ll never be able to pass as my older brother.” Then, I focus, and navigate through the battlefield towards the barn. More gunfire erupts around us, and more explosions. As we pass the farmhouse, I catch sight of a burning tractor, and two men locked in a brutal battle. Holy shit… that was the Spanish merc, Antonio, and … was that… fuck me… Derek Steel. I sent a silent message to Antonio, “Fuck that bastard up man!”

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: I slid into position finally, behind a bale of hay, and caught sight of the rest of Ryan’s squad in their arranged position. It was showtime. And… almost as if on schedule, there, off to the right, running up from the village, a squad of Division paramilitary bastards. Luckily for them, we were here to “save” their asses. I looked over at Ryan. I nodded. I mouthed a quick, “Thanks..” Blushing for a moment as I took in, almost for the first time, just how fucking handsome he was. Hard, strong, warm… For some reason I’d never seen him before, not really. He was, well, he was Ryan. A fucking bad-ass. A total stud. My bro. My friend, and my rival in the squad in a fun, happy as shit way. On some kind of crazy impulse, I leaned forward, and kissed him, once on his smooth cheek. Then, my head spinning, why the fuck did you do that Sam? I coughed, and turned, focusing hard, waiting for our chance to launch our rescue mission, keeping my mind laser focused. It kept wanting to stray back to Alex, memories of our short time together, how handsome he was, what a total fucking man he was, how my hormones went apeshit crazy around him, and finally how he looked lying there, at my feet, having taken a bullet meant for me.. FUCK, focus Sam. FOCUS. Think about Ryan…. Focus on Ryan…. Focus on his eyes… Focus.

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: Sam makes a quip and then stands and heads off. I stand quickly and follow “Hey you know I did that ventriloquist act as a last minute favour to my Father and it made the guys laugh way more than that shitty “comedy routine” you tried. Never have I heard a crowd of men all sigh as one! And as for the beard, you know I can grow one you cheeky little……” I trail off and hope it is having the desired effect of lightening his mood. Oh my brother, how I wish I had gotten there sooner and stopped this from happening. I would do anything to take his pain away. As we pass the burning tractor and see this death struggle of these 2 battle hardened men, I hear Sam whisper something and I suddenly realise that one of them is the guy from the truck, I have no idea who the other is, but what a fight! I wish we could go and help but that would blow all hope of the mission. Suddenly Sam stops and flashes the signal to get down, I do and crawl forward slowly and look where he points. Henderson and the men are still waiting. Pride in them wells up and I grin across at Sam and then he leans in and kisses my cheek, I grin back at him “Ok, OK I know I have a baby face and I will grow the beard out. You are just jealous that you have the skin of an old crone”

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: I look across and pull the small flashlight out of my pocket and quickly flash the ready signal over. And then I realise that this is the only chance I will have with the division troops heading towards the point where we are to jump in and save them. I crouch low and tell Sam to keep an eye out and let me know the moment they are not looking over here. A second passes and then Sam tells me now. I stand and get a bead on Henderson and then haul the blade overhand at his feet. I watch as it flies end over end and thankfully sinks into the ground at his feet. I signal a fast hand gesture and see his eyes widen.Then I point at the oncoming troops and see him nod. Turning to Sam. “This is it man. I got your back now and always. Lets fucking do this!”

11:19 Pvt_Karl_Henderson: I know Ryan can handle himself but I wish he would act more like a troop commander and not an impulsive child sometimes. But I can't fault his reasons. Him and Sam have always been inseparable, even when they are vying for top spots or sparring, or just ripping the piss out of each other. I chuckle and then Neeson barks a low gasp and I look up and see the flashing signal at the edge of the barn. They are there. At last. But wait, where the fuck is Ryan? Oh please let him not have rushed into something stupid. Suddenly I see another flash but this is metallic and a throwing knife sinks into the ground at my feet and I fall onto my arse in shock. What the fucking hell…...wait, what is that on it. I peel off the note and read it. My head snaps up and I grab a pair of binoculars from the ground next to me. What is he doing THERE? I read it again and realise that something must have happened to Alex. He must be wounded, or worse at the co-ords on the note. I watch as he signals at me and I sigh. I signal back that we are ready and look where he points, I tell the men and we all get in position. I quickly signal back “Stay Safe” and nod at him. Seeing him nod back I whisper to the men the change in plan and we wait. As we do, I get Neeson to place a call to Kyle to let him know the new situation. I have no idea if Alex is alive and injured or something else but he needs to know Ryan will be the one with Sam on the inside

11:19 Pvt_Karl_Henderson: We sit and wait for the division fuckers in our little play hit the edge of our “Kill zone” As the first of them hit the zone and come creeping round the crates and barrels that are stored there, I take careful aim through my sights and CRACK a shot rings out and the first guys head snaps back and he falls to the ground with a hole through his skull. I then gesture and the men let loose, they have been told to shoot to injure and they do well. 2 of the enemy go down fast with wounds to the legs before they get hunkered down and we keep them pinned down with fire into the crates and barrels and around the edges. I take a quick look at the barn and see Sam and Ryan watching closely. They seem to be laughing if the movement of their bodies is anything to go by.

11:11 Afonso_Lorena: I fucking hate Egypt. Why can’t the Division always operate from Portugal? Portugal is so much better. And yet, we needed to go to Egypt in order to meet with Daniel Allen, one of the high ranking officials of the Syndicate. While they were having a meeting with our bosses, we were sent to keep watch in the neighborhood. It’s usually a pretty safe zone. I really don’t understand why we need to be on alert? Even the police wouldn’t be stupid enough to attack this neighborhood. However… Something was different today. Some explosions happened … Then some men started to appear, and all of a sudden, we were stuck in the middle of the fire. I was with one Division soldier , a distant friend of mine, and a Syndicate guy, a close friend. But suddenly, the Division soldier falls to the ground while he was shot in the back of his head, and before I can react, and draw my gun to return fire, I feel a sharp pain in my leg, forcing me to fall on the ground. “Grah… Fuck… You… You piece of motherfucking SHITS…” I shout, and crawl on my butt behind a barrel. At least we are in a place where we can take cover. My eyes snap back to my Syndicate friend, Arthur, as I hear his scream, and he takes cover next to me while holding his leg. I guess they really managed to catch us off our guard.

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: I nod at Ryan as he throws the message to Henderson. Good man Henderson. Solid, reliable. He’ll get the picture. I wait tense, my emotions churning inside, boiling with anguish, pain, loss, determination, fire, rage. I stamped down hard on that soup, and used to feed my focus, to feed my energy. I looked back at Ryan as shots started to ring out pinning down the small group of division irregulars headed towards the Syndicate base. I’ve lost one friend today… I swear I won’t lose another. I will be on the top of my game. I wait until the squad is pinned down, then, as we arranged it, I suddenly break out of cover, lobbing a flashbang straight into the middle of Henderson and his squad. It won’t kill them, but they will be seeing lightning and hearing thunder for a good few minutes. Ryan has the smoke grenade, and I know he’ll use it at the right time. I charge forward, speaking in a deliberately broken English accent, drilled into me hard over the past few weeks, diving into the small ring of crates and barrels where the Division troop was ambushed. Some men were dead, and one was injured. The injured one was Portugese though, not Egyptian. I crouch down, and jabber at him, “Hurry… we must go… the dogs are stunned… but not for long… How many were injured? Let me help you”

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: Waiting is the hardest part of this job. Suddenly the air around us erupts with gunfire and I see my men, so fucking proud of them working without me, shooting into the Division troops and get them diving for cover. Moments go by as I watch Sam. “Well the lads at least know how to shoot, let's hope they know how to miss for our sake right?” I laugh to myself and think I just need to keep him focused on something else, humour, the job, anything but what happened. And then I watch him launch the Flashbang. I know what they feel like and I can only apologize to them in my head as it goes off and the gunfire halts. I follow Sam's lead and run for the cover of the crates etc with the men we are here to “save”. “Anzel, Anzel” I scream as we race over. “Get down” I called again in broken sounding english. As we get to the cover and as we leap over and land I take in the men and their state. I head over to one of them with a gunshot through his leg and pull a bandage from my pouch “Daani asaad” and then when I see him looking at me strangely I add “Me...help….yes?” And as he nods I wrap the bandage around the wound to stop the bleeding. I look over at Sam and nod as I then offer my shoulder to the same man I just patched up. “We go…….Hurry!” and with that I toss the smoke grenade over the small barrier and wait as it fills the area with dense billowing smoke and start off towards the direction of where the escape vans are supposed to be half carrying the injured man.

11:19 Pvt_Karl_Henderson: We keep the troops pinned down and there is minimal return fire. Watch as suddenly I see Sam’s arm fling back and think to myself “Ahhh shit, this ain't gonna begin the mess now is it?” I shout “GRENADE!” and we all dive for cover and still the flash and loud concussive blast has my ears ringing and just seeing flashes of light in front of me. Fuck those bastards, I am gonna give them a piece of my mind when they get back from this…...Come back safe guys. Please come back safe. Firing random shots and then a veil of smoke appears to further fuck with our vision. “Good luck” I whisper into the air

11:11 Arthur_Payne: Fuck… My leg… It’s fucking wide open… How the hell am I supposed to drag myself to the base now with Afonso? I look at him as he looks at me. Fuck… This is unbelievable. I did not come here to be killed just by some mere Egyptian amateurs. But all of a sudden, a blond guy comes, and kneels next to me after he throws a grenade towards the troops. My eyes widened in amazement. Who is he? He is blond, but he has an Arabic accent. Then another one comes, a ginger-head, and with a broken-English, he offers help. Who… They are wearing Division outfits, but I have never seen them before. I look at Afonso, and he clearly doesn’t know them either. I guess they are the locals, I am not sure. Regardless, I am very pleased they came just in time. “Than… Thanks… My friend… Afonso… He is injured as well… Can you help us to reach the base?” I mumble as I cough a bit as well. The ginger one tossing another grenade to the Egyptian soldiers. Oh… This is very good… Very good indeed…

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: I watch as Ryan launches the smoke grenade, obscuring this small spot from Henderson and his men, giving us the cover we need to ingratiate ourselves with these troops and get them out. I mutter in my broken english, leaving the Arabic to Ryan the Whizz Kid, “I’ve got Afonso…” I reach down and rip a strip of cloth off my tatty tan-colored overcoat, not to protect against the non-existent cold, but rather to provide some cheap armour, and acting quickly, I apply a makeshift bandage over his bleeding leg. Then, I squat down, and maneuver Afonso’s Portugese muscle over my shoulder, balancing him easily. Then, I heave up, my strong legs rippling with muscle as I stand in a half crouch, the wounded Portugese man, Afonso, draped over my shoulder. I exchanged a quick glance with Ryan. Then, I turn and start to leg it away, heading towards the livestock barn, where the vans were kept to provide a retreat. That intel from those captured Division men was proving very useful indeed.

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: As I finished wrapping the bandage around the wounded man's leg and binding it tightly, I looked up and caught Sam's eye. Looking at the two men we are dealing with I don’t think they understand Arabic but continue to speak in heavily accented broken english to maintain the facade. “There that better….yes? Now, we run” I crouch and get his arm around my muscled shoulders and easily stand and heave him up with me. I check over my shoulder and the smoke is sufficiently dense now. I hear some shots from Henderson and my men…...No not my men right now, cant slip out of character…...from the enemy but they are stray shots and it seems they are still recovering. “Come, we go” I mutter and check Sam is with me as we head towards where the Syndicate has the escape planned. I stay as low as I can and keep this fellow I have saved running with me. Watching Sams back and keeping with him as he is the one who knows the route. Gulp back any fear I am feeling at going into this rabbit hole and just forge ahead.

11:19 Pvt_Karl_Henderson: Me and the men recover from the Flashbang and send sporadic gunfire out towards the crates to keep them pinned down and let our men ingratiate themselves. I hold up my fist to stop them firing and listen. The groaning has stopped and I think that they have made their way out, hidden in the smoke. I whisper another silent prayer for Ryan and Sam to stay safe and come back to us. After all I am going to smack that fucker Sam for using a fucking flashbang on us. I rally the men and we slowly head out. Low and slow as we head for the coordinates that Ryan gave us. As we get to this shed on the edge of the compound I look around. Listening for anything. I push the door open slightly and call out “Alex…...Alex” When there is no reply I gesture for one of the men to follow me as backup and head in. It isn't a large shed and we quickly find the wrapped body at the back. Oh Fuck. No wonder Ryan had to go with Sam. We both Salute and carefully heft the body of our fallen comrade and head out. Keeping quiet and making our way back to the pickup point. I will make sure this brave man gets home.

Near livestock barn, off to the right side of the Egyptian Syndicate Base, Day 12, Late Afternoon

11:11 Sgt_Nazim_Hassan: I crouch, watching my brother at arms holding the pump device to the vile villains ventilation system. Knowing that this is a vital part of the overall plan. The 4 of us guarding Femi sit and cover the areas around him . A whispered exclamation from one of the other men. Something about a huge form moving. How huge can it be? Then a shot rings out and Femi screams. I look over and see him, already dead, slump to the ground, the pipe starting to come loose. “Don't let it fall” I cry out and one of the other men rushes over and pushes the end back into the vent. As I look around I see a large shadow crouching behind a hay bale and gesturing for my other 2 men to circle around, 1 to each side as I yell and let loose a few rounds to keep his attention on me. I watch as my men rush around and start to close the net on whoever it was that is aiming to spoil the divine retribution that we are here to enact…..and also who took the life of one of my men. I make sure my weapon is cocked and ready to unload at the slightest movement from this fucker.

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: Suddenly, the Commando, a Sgt, judging by his rank insignia, turns and keeps me pinned down with fire. I know how this game plays out, and I don’t hesitate, I fall back, keeping the hay bale between me and the Sgt, catching sight of two other men moving out in a pincer movement to flank me. Every muscle tensed, and rippling with power, I leap backwards suddenly, landing behind a stack of grain sacks, no doubt meant to be fodder for the livestock. I caught one of the flankers in the open, and let loose a bullet towards him.

11:11 Pvt_Jabari_Ahmed: I rush round to the left of the man Sgt Nazim pointed out and keep to the side of the building as much as possible. I manage to keep hay bales, crates, etc between me and him. I see Dawash keeping to his side and he signals to me that he is in position to move. I rush forward and see this huge mountain of a man suddenly leap back, bullets flying around him, and land behind some sacks of some kind. I alter my course to compensate as he turns as I knock over a crate and draws on me……….

11:11 Pvt_Dawash_Gamal: Trying to keep a pace with Jabari is hard, damn why can't he be careful and cautious ever. I stick close to a fence that provides some cover and use the items placed about the yard to add to that. I see Jabari crouched behind a pile of crates and make a rush past an opening in the fence and take cover behind the next section. Catching sight of the target I signal over that I am in position and Jabari barely signals back before he is moving. I take a breath and as I move the target backs up, under fire, and then I see him raise his pistol and CRACK. I watch as Jabari takes the shot right through the chest and goes down. “JABARI!! NOOOOOO” I yell out as I fire off shots towards my target and close the gap.

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I hear a loud shout off to my right, in Arabic, and swivel around the side of the bags of grain, hearing more bullets slam into the sacks. Staying on this side will keep me exposed, and that’s not going to help. I can hear footsteps as he runs towards me, so I gather myself, and leap over the stack of grain sacks, triangulating his position from his footsteps, and practically cutting him in half as 250 pounds of heavy, hard elite Spetsnaz Russian muscle spears him right in his guts before he can get a shot off. I need to conserve my ammo, I have no idea how long this fight is going to last, and I might regret using one more bullet than I needed to when it gets down to the wire.

11:11 Pvt_Dawash_Gamal: As I rush in, suddenly I feel myself pushed back and almost doubled over as this huge fucker spears his shoulder into me. “What do they feed these people?” I think to myself. Training kicks in as I fall back and I take the butt of my rifle and jam it down between where I think the shoulder blades would be in a regular sized man. I call out to my Sgt that I have engaged the target and struggle to try and push back against his sheer size and power.

11:11 Sgt_Nazim_Hassan: Shots are fired and I hear a pained scream cut through the air and then I hear Dawash screaming for Jabari. No, surely not! 2 of my men down already? I rush towards the sounds of struggle as he calls out for me. I barrel past sacks and crates and see a monster tackling my man. I look at his boots, his camo trousers and think he must be ex Spetznatz as they are the only ones who use that type of camo. Shit we are in for a fight here. I fire off a quick radio message to let anyone know that we have serious trouble on our hands here and charge into the fray.

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I gasp out as the butt of a rifle slams between my shoulder blades. But my flak vest absorbs some of the blow, and the rest of the blow… Well, pain is for later. Now it’s a battle for survival. Pain is to be ignored. I hear the sounds of someone else approaching as I spare this man in two, driving him down to the dirt, so with a grip on his flak vest, I heave my body over, pulling him on top of me to act as a human shield. Then, I snatch my blade off my belt, and with a roar of fury, look to sink it deep into the side of this Commando’s neck.

11:11 Sgt_Nazim_Hassan: I rush forward with my sidearm aimed at the side of this monstrous individual but pull back as he hauls Dawash in front of him as a shield. Damn, I can't shoot my own man. “NOOOOOO Fucking hell”, I watch as he jams a blade at the neck of my pvt and I reach forward and grab the flak vest of my soldier and heave back, hoping to break him free of the enemies grasp and save him from the blade that might end his life. I can't lose another man to this beast

11:11 Pvt_Dawash_Gamal:I hear footsteps behind me as I am flipped over and held in front of whomever this fucker is. I struggle with him and then feel myself being yanked back and see a blade, obviously aimed at my neck, I feel the air as the blade zips past my neck, opening a shallow cut. As I fly back I try to aim a kick up at this guy's chin, using the momentum of whoever is pulling me away, to aid me.

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: Suddenly, my foe is yanked off me, and my blade slices rather than stabs. Well fuck. But, I no use crying over spilt milk, I raise up my right hand, now is definitely a time where I am justified in expending some ammo. My foe kicks out at me desperately, as I smoothly roll over to my front, the kick missing my head by inches as I roll. My 9mm is aimed, and I fire a round at near point blank range into the knee of the man who saved the soldier I tackled.

11:11 Sgt_Nazim_Hassan: I get Dawash back out of the way of the blade in time and just a trickle of blood dribbles down his neck. Thank goodness. I grunt and twist as I pull him back and he hits the ground next to me. I turn, pulling my gun to bear on the enemy as he rolls and then I scream in pain as my knee is blown out from under me. I collapse next to Dawash, moaning and clutching the bloody remains of my knee. Weapon dropped as I tried to remain conscious. Look at my partner and scream “Get him”

11:11 Pvt_Dawash_Gamal: My Sarge is screaming next to me after my kick missed and whoever this man/beast/monster is, is quick and deadly. My rifle was thrown as I got pulled back but I looked quickly at the Sarge next to me, blood streaming from his leg. I draw my combat knife and lunger over his body and aim a slash at the face of the bastard that is decimating our team. Screaming at him in Arabic as I aim a second and third slash. Wild with grief, pain and fury.

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: As my foe’s would-be rescuer drops,he launches at me wildly, his knife slashing towards me. With my Russian muscle flexing and rippling with power, I surge to the side, rolling to escape his slashing blade. I can hear grief and rage in his voice, but I remain ice cold and calm, deep in the zone, every movement precise and disciplined, every sense heightened. Despite my speed though, the tip of his blade catches my cheek on his third slash, cutting a line of fire down my face. The pain is shunted off to a corner of my mind, it’s not important now. I spin on my butt, draw my legs tight to my chest, and my hard-muscled thighs explode like coiled springs, to drive deep into his gut, propelling him off me. As I kick him away, I bring my 9mm up, and fire a bullet towards his face.

11:11 Sgt_Nazim_Hassan: I lie in pain, what is left of my knee is a bloody mess. My mind reels at the fact that this one man….Who IS he anyway?.........one man has taken out almost my whole team. How? We are, some of the best commandos that the Egyptian forces have to offer and this ONE FUCKING MAN has almost destroyed us. No, NO I can't let it end like this, I won't let it. I see Dawash leap over me, slashing away at him and almost cheer as he cuts a line of glory across the fuckers cheek. I have to help him. I HAVE to. I fumble around and my hand finds the butt of my pistol. YES! I grab it, its heft and weight feels good, brings my mind to stillness, lets me put the pain aside for a moment. Then I see the man pull his sidearm and I know what he wants. NO. I draw and fire in one motion, aiming for his hand.

11:11 Pvt_Dawash_Gamal: YES. My knife scores a hit. I was starting to think this creature was untouchable. Blood on him now and I surge forward. He moves with such speed and agility for a person his size. He makes me look like a hippo from Africa as he spins and then I see the barrel of his gun aiming right at me and I flinch as a crack almost deafens me, Fire blossoms on the edge of my left ear and I open my eyes. His gun is gone and he is shaking his hand in pain. I flash a quick look around and see Sarge has his gun in hand and marvel at his willpower. To shoot like that in his condition. I feel a surge of pride and power and I shift my blade in hand to a reverse grip and once more slash it down and across as the enemy is on his behind. I do this to distract as I rush in and aim a kick forward and towards his smirking,fucking face.

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: Suddenly, just as I pull the trigger a shot rings out, and my 9mm is blown out of my hand, causing my shot to go wide. My eyes narrow. The other man who pulled my foe off me… he is a tough one. I shake my hand out, the shock causing it to tingle in pain. My mind takes in the situation, evaluating the factors at play. Two main threats, the downed man’s sidearm, and my knife-wielding foe. I can take care of both. The tough commando swings his blade down towards my face, but my right hand is free now. It is in pain, but not injured, therefore the pain is to be ignored. I lash out with my hand, and seize the wrist of his blade wielding hand, locking my heavy muscles in place to arrest his arm’s motion, as my thumb stabs deep into the soft underside of his wrist, expertly drilling into his tendons to force him to drop his blade. Now, my other knife wielding left hand shoots up, and stabs into his calf as he launches a kick at me, deflecting it away from my head. My knees drive up into my chest, and one knee sweeps out to knock the bastard’s good leg out from under him, while the other rockets up to smash into his chest, looking to blast the Egyptian commando off me, propelling him backwards to land on top of his mate, dealing with both problems at once.

11:11 Pvt_Dawash_Gamal: I slash down and yet my hand stops. What the……...How did he? I pull back, but nothing. He has my wrist in a grip of iron. Then a sharp stab of pain and I try to hold back but a strained cry leaves my lips and my serrated battle blade drops from my numb hand. As this happens, there is sudden movement from multiple angles. He is like the Serpopard beasts of legend, part snake, part lion, all power and cunning. His knees slam into me. One knocks my braced knee and knocks me off balance, the other crunching into my chest and I fall back and hear a pained scream and I realise I landed on Sarge. I scramble off, my numb hand almost giving way as I use it to propel myself off him and roll up onto my knee and then use the motion to spin on it and heave my other boot up and out at this bastard's head.

11:11 Sgt_Nazim_Hassan: I sigh as I knock this freak of nature's gun out of his grip and save Dawash. There is a blur of motion as my young protege attacks but is stopped suddenly and he falls back. AH shit!! I try to scramble back out of the way but he lands hard on my destroyed knee and for a second I see bright lights as pain rips through me. The pain eases as Dawash moves with a speed I never gave him credit for. I am so proud of him at this moment. I cannot let him do this alone. I realise that I dropped my pistol as he fell on me, so I reach down and pull a shorter throwing knife off of the bandolier across my chest and try and aim and then heave it across at this massive target. Aiming for centre mass and the hope of hitting something vital.

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I fling this double-tough Egyptian off me, on to his mate, then with a tensing of my core, I kip up, regaining my feet in an instant, my blade held out in my left hand. The Egyptian is slower, and I am well prepared for him as he flings himself up off his knee spinning on his leg to fling his boot towards my head. I catch a blur of motion from his downed mate, and duck low under the kick, surging forward, my sudden unexpected movement serving double duty, as a blade whistles through the air where my chest occupied a split second before. I drive forward, slamming hard into the Commando, seeking to drive him down on top of his mate, my left hand driving the blade towards the small gap between the heavy flak vest and his combat trousers, looking to sink it to the hilt in his obliques.

11:11 Pvt_Dawash_Gamal: I sigh as I see a flash of blackened steel spinning end over end sail over the guy in front of me after my kick missed its mark. How can this guy be human? He moves like a snake, and yet is harder than iron. I see him bunch and as he surges forward I throw myself to the side in a twisting corkscrew kind of motion and catch him as he ploughs into me, twisting him to the side with me and preventing myself from landing on the downed form of my mentor and Sargeant, As we twist in the air I grunt loudly and fire blossoms in my lower gut. I groan out and it comes out in a gurgle as I land atop him, pain flowing through my core. I reach down and grab his knife hand at the wrist to try and keep it from going deeper. I push up a little, my eyes glazed with the pain and I spit a wad of spit and blood down into his face and use some of my remaining strength to slam an elbow up at his face.

11:11 Sgt_Nazim_Hassan: My blade whistles past his head and I scream out a curse on his entire family and any progeny they might ever have. How can one man have made my entire team look so bad? It is then that Dawash spins the 2 of them and I scrabble back, moaning in pain the whole time, as I see him trying to protect me from any more injury. I hear a grunt and wheeze and I see blood leaking out around the ham sized fist of the man under Dawash. NOOOO Not another. Please NOOOO. I see my young colleague raise himself up and definitely attack the downed man but how much more does he have? I am feeling faint from blood loss and pain myself, but I think of the men I have lost this day, and one young one who is fighting for me as hard as he can, and I feel a burst of rage. I scramble forward a foot and then draw my right boot back and kick it out into the side of the hulk beneath Dawash. “Hold on lad. We will make it through this, I promise.” I croak out in pain. Tears forming in my eyes as I wonder if we can….

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: These men are tough, well trained, and determined. But there is so much at stake, my friends are in that compound, knocked out, helpless, because of these bastards. I grunt as my foe twists as I impact him, and we land beside the wounded soldier, the twisting motion causing me to land on my back. But my blade is wedged in now, his hand is on my wrist, trying to keep it from going in any deeper. I growl, as he rises up over me. I bring my right arm up to protect my head as his elbow slams down. He’s weakening though. I tighten my left arm, strength surging through my thick, powerful battle-trained left arm and with a surge of pure determination, seek to overpower him, and drive the blade to the hilt in his side. I feel a boot slam into my side at the same time, as the other wounded soldier is desperate to save his comrade. The kick rocks me, and sends an ache throbbing in my side, but my flak vest absorbs most of the force. I’ll deal with him in just a moment.

11:11 Sgt_Nazim_Hassan: Gurgles sound from the throat of my protege and I watch as he looks over at me briefly, his mouth opens as if to speak, but he just coughs up blood as his eyes glaze over and he is gone. No. FUCKING NO. I made him a promise1 Tears spring to my eyes as I let forth a terrible war cry. I twist on my ass, after kicking the behemoth in his side, and using my good leg to propel myself forward the last foot or so. I draw my own blade, 6” of cold hard revenge in my fist and I drive it down towards the chest of this vile fuck. I wont find his heart as he obviously does not have one, but I can end his miserable existence and give the souls of my men some solace as they pass from this life into the next. “DIE YOU SON OF A MOTHERLESS GOAT” I drive the blade down……

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: My blade sinks in deep, as I finally overpower him. I pull the blade out. I feel his body spasm, and he spits up blood as he dies. I hear a commotion behind me as the Sgt scrambles, motivated by rage or grief, I can see the tears spring up into his eyes. I think momentarily of Dave…. Of how his loss tore at me. But I can’t afford to dwell on that now. But some of the cold hearted brutality drained away from me in the light of this Egyptian Sgt’s grief. I shoved the dead trooper off me, as the Sgt. crawls towards me, his blade swinging down. I roll out of the way, letting the blade sink deep into the earth, then I spring on top of the Sgt’s back. It is almost with regret that I quickly sheathe my knife. He deserves a quick death, not a lingering painful one. I seize the sides of his head as I mount his back, and with a quick, efficient snap, I twist his head with perfect skill, breaking his neck. He lays down on top of his dead comrade, his final tears soaking his dead comrade’s chest.

10:18 Commando_Ivan_Usov: Then, suddenly, my earpiece crackles, and Daniel speaks to me, giving instructions for me to prepare the vans to make our escape. I nod. The livestock barn is quiet for the moment, the team gassing our men is dead. I rush to the Vans, concealed by a series of massive haystacks, and moving quickly I clear the hay away. A squad of Division irregulars stumbles in, carrying some wounded, but with a few able-bodied among them. I bark orders, deploying them to defend the escape vans, and helping load their wounded in the back. Then, I select one of them, and take a gas mask from the emergency supplies in the back of the Van, I put it on, and give the other to the Division mercenary. Then, together, we pry up the trap door between the vans, and enter the base, to bring out our men trapped inside, Davies and the other combat engineers. No way are we leaving them behind.

Truck outside Egyptian Syndicate Base, Day 12, Late Afternoon

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: The driver and I head towards a hill where we can see the right side of the base from above. It also shows the front side of the building slightly as well, but not the backside unfortunately. So I can’t help Team Alpha… But I can help The Eygptian forces that are striking from the front gate and the right side. It’s a perfect place to see what is happening. I quickly got out of the truck, and found a very good and secure position. The driver leaves after dropping me here. It may draw too much attention for the truck to sit on a bare hill like this. Besides, he knows when to come, and I can call him whenever I want with my earpiece. “Aamer… There are two squads coming around from the alley, towards the place where the livestock barn meets… Five and five, ten in total… Inform your men…” After I say my words, I position my sniper rifle, and start shooting those supporting squads. One of those 10 men falls to the ground instantly. They may be Division men, or another back-up crew from Syndicate. But that doesn’t matter. After seeing their friends fall to the ground all of a sudden, they seemed panicked and scared which will give the upper-hand for our side. But deep inside… My mind is looking for something else… A mercenary …. Tall, mid forties, dark-haired, heavy-muscled… According to the description I have heard from James and Sam, I will shoot that mercenary, the very first moment I see him if he is in this base… He won’t escape my anger, not for too long.

10:15 Infiltrator_Darren_Michaels: All hell has broken loose, explosions, gun fire, chaos and mayhem. I suppose it’s time for me to start earning my keep. Most of the guards here are contractors, Division men, but me, I’m Syndicate. Through and through. Born, bred, and raised in the Syndicate. They have treated us well, us orphans that they secured through unknown means, raised us, trained us, and employed us. My life could have been a lot worse, and this way I get three meals a day, and a guaranteed job for life. Hell, I don’t even really know what the Syndicate does. That’s for the bigwigs to worry about. Me, I just fight. And I fight well. So when Conners suddenly drops like a sack of potatoes, followed a fraction of a second later by the retort of a sniper rifle, I instantly know this is not the place to be. I scream “Scatter, get cover.” I jump beneath a low bush, and take out my field glasses, scanning the horizon. Whoever fired must be close. And they would need the advantage of height… so a building… or … a hill. The Division men are still panicking, looking terrified. They aren’t properly trained like we are. There, that hilltop… a truck just pulled away from there. That’s suspicious. And it would be perfect. I give orders to my Corporal, Robert, to pull the men together and try and guard the front of the farmhouse. Our friends were trapped in there, some kind of sleeping gas into the ventilation system, according to Daniel and the chatter on the radio. If we could get inside the front of the farmhouse, and get to the weapons locker, we’d have some heavy weaponry to fight these bastards off. There was at least one RPG in there. But first, we needed to take care of our sniper. I began to crawl in the bushes, angling up towards that hill.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: After I shot one of those 10 men, their corporal I guess, shouts at them, and everyone lowers their bodies. However, I manage to shoot another one before they can hide themselves in the bushes. Hmm… I assume they are The Syndicate since they have more crisis control. Well, after years of hurting and damaging so many lives, it should be normal for them to handle a battle like this. They are heading towards the front entrance to secure the base. “Wilson… Location 6… Secured… Now...” After my order, another explosion happened where the troops were heading. I can tell that they hesitated to go forward to their position. Yeah… When I was talking with the demolition team, I already planted mines under the ground. Now this will confuse them, and probably they will not be sure where to head. I can see 3 bodies lying on the ground after the explosion. So I guess there are only 5 left. If I can clear this side, I can help the other pretty quickly.

10:15 Infiltrator_Darren_Michaels: I think calmly, forcing myself not to panic, recalling the small gully that heads up the side of the hill. I hear another shot, and the scream of another man down. And this time, my eyes catch the muzzle flash coming from the top of the hill. I know I’m on the right track now. He won’t be able to see me from that gully. I rush forward, keeping low behind the bushes, reaching the gully, when I hear another explosion. FUCK… how the hell? I hear more screams, and realize more of my men have fallen. I’ll make these bastards pay. I focus my rage, and work my way up the gully with all due speed, staying quiet, which is not difficult on the hard packed soil, with few branches to make any noise. I reach the top of the gully, and peek out, but there is a bush between me and the spot where the sniper is operating from. I will have to charge out blindly. I gather myself, preparing to rush out of the gully, through the bushes and tackle him from behind. I have to keep my men alive.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: After I prevented the back-up squads from reaching the front gate, I contacted Sam and Alex’s earpieces, but there was no response. Good… That means they are already in the fight, and they are going to be embraced by the Syndicate soon. I aim my rifle once again, and shoot another man while they are trying to hide themselves. I start hearing some noises from my earpiece. I was about to focus, and respond to whatever the issue it was. However, all of a sudden, I start hearing some footsteps behind me, and without any hesitation, I drop my sniper, and spin around on my back while taking out my dual pistols. Someone is charging at me, and he is coming fast. How did he see me that quick? Still, I need to take him out. I need to focus on the plan. He is getting closer and very quick, so I can’t aim for his head all of a sudden, but I still fire both of my guns, hoping to shoot at least from his body’s midsection. Then I toss my guns aside, and prepare myself for what is on it’s way.

10:15 Infiltrator_Darren_Michaels: I surge forward, running at my full strength towards the sniper’s position. I know he can hear my footsteps, the time for stealth is past, I have to hope speed will be enough. I have my combat knife out, but I holster my own Glock. I don’t know where he is exactly, and I won’t have time to aim and fire. I’ll have to trust my close-combat skills for this. I leap out of the bushes, spy is position, he’s close, and I leap towards him, my powerful legs coiling like springs to propel myself at him as he’s laid out. But he’s fast, and has two pistols in his hand. He fires, twice, one misses, but one slams into my chest, knocking the wind out of me as I’m midair. It feels like a horse kicked me, there will be a savage bruise after this, but he can’t stop me now, as I land on top of him like a ton of bricks, my knife slashing down, going for his face. I have to protect my troops from this deadly sniper.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: I can see I made the right choice when I tossed my pistols aside. This guy is jumping on me like a tiger. His body lands on me, and I grunt in pain hard. But at least I had already raised my elbow to stop his arm in the air that was trying to slash my face. Our elbows collided in the air, and I am trying my best to push his arm away from me. His knife is inches away from my face. I close my eyes, focus on my body’s muscles, and suddenly, raise my left knee to hit his balls harshly with a knee kick. This would help me to gain enough time to think about. With my left hand, I reach down to my own small dagger, and try to stab it under his armpit, forcing myself to find the nerve cluster point in there, so that he can’t use his arm.

10:15 Infiltrator_Darren_Michaels: The sniper throws away his pistols, and suddenly, his elbow comes up to block my descending blade. FUCK. I raise up on my knees, planted on either side of his body, to bear my body weight down on him, when suddenly my balls explode with agony. AWWWWWWWWWWWWFf.. I feel sick in my stomach, and the pain is excruciating. I see his hand moving, as I’m gasping, fighting to control my nausea. Fear spikes through me, I can’t hesitate now. His arm comes up with a dagger, and I roll off him in desperation, making some space. I can’t give him time though, or I’ll be dead. I kick out at him, turning towards him, looking to desperately drive my combat boot into his ribs.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: I can tell I hurt this man when I kicked his balls. But apparently, it is not enough to throw him off me. However, as soon as he realizes I draw my knife out, he rolls on his side, and without any hesitation, I roll towards the other side as well, unintentionally dodging his kick. Then I rise on my knees, then on my feet while holding my knife in my hand carefully, checking his moves carefully. Grah… I can’t waste my time with this guy… I need to take him out quickly. I start with a quick low-roundhouse kick to distract and paralyze him for a second, then jump on him to restrain him, trying to be the one who is on top this time. As soon as I fall to the ground with this guy under me, I will stab his heart, so he won’t have to be a threat for the world anymore.

10:15 Infiltrator_Darren_Michaels: My kick misses, and I fight hard to control the nausea, my balls throbbing. I hold my blade low in my right hand, I have to take him out. He’s endangering my comrades. A fierce surge of determination floods through me, knowing how vital it is for me to take him down. My friends and comrades depend on me. Suddenly, his foot is sweeping towards me in a kick. I grunt, and leap up, allowing that kick to pass underneath my feet, but then faster than I thought possible, he is leaping at me, before I can re-establish my guard. He’s so fast!! He slams into me, and I fall down to the ground, with him on top. Gasping, the wind knocked out of me, I barely have time to reach up with my left and grab his wrist before he plunges his knife into my heart. My muscles are shaking, flexing and bulging with power to hold him back. I swing my right hand up, desperately aiming to slash his right bicep and tricep to force him off me.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: The fact that this guy managed to dodge my kick didn’t help him avoid being trapped under my body. He manages to stop my knife just in time though. These guys are trained to fight, aren’t they? With his other hand, he tries to slash my bicep, and in response, I hold his wrist as well. Now both of us are trying to stab each other, our muscles fighting against each other. I grit my teeth, reminding myself that I have responsibilities. Suddenly, I swing my head down, going for a brutal headbutt to this guy’s exposed face. This may distract him, and weaken his muscles, so that I can finish him off quickly. This fight is extending longer than it should. I need to turn back to the mission. I need to help our Eygptian allies locate the enemy. I continue to apply the pressure after my headbutt, trying to stab the The Syndicate troop in his heart.

10:15 Infiltrator_Darren_Michaels: He catches my other wrist, and now we are both straining to overpower each other, I’m strong, determined, bigger than he is, but .. he is on top. I groan with effort, so many men depend on me, I can’t fail. I start to overpower him slightly, forcing my blade closer to his arm, when suddenly, his head angles down, and smashes me hard between my eyes. A spasm jolts through my body, disrupting my concentration. My arm falters, and suddenly that blade is driving directly into my flak vest…. It drives down, with all the sniper’s weight behind it, penetrating the armour. Desperately, I try to fight off the pain ringing in my ears, but it’s too little, too late. With a sense of horror, the blade penetrates the last protection offered by my vest, and plunges down into my body. My final thought is that I hope I bought enough time for my comrades to escape.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: I take deep breaths as the struggles of the soldier weaken, weaken, and finally stop. I remember the time when I killed Dave with James. It was… It was either him or us… And… I… Oh fuck… In a fucking combat situation like this, I hear Ivan’s voice again: “You see Kyle, with a murderer like you, it is natural for the friends of the victim, our friend Dave, to want to punish you. But I will protect you from that whenever I can. I’ll keep you safe. You can trust me.” Ivan Usov… The man who screwed up my whole system. I… I hate… I don’t… Suddenly, I shook my head. Now it’s not the time. Go back to the position Kyle... I put my dagger in its place, and take my dual pistols. Lastly, I take my sniper rifle once again, and drop down to my position. It seems like Aamer’s men already arrived at the position, and handled the last 4 guys. Now the front gate side is generally secured, let me check the Livestock Barn.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: Suddenly, I realize someone is trying to reach me once again, and I manage to respond this time. It’s Henderson, one of the members from Team Beta, Ryan’s squad. “Yes, Henderson… I’m responding, what is it?” Then a chill goes down from my spine as I hear his response. We have come this far… Please don’t let anything go wrong… I worked so hard for it. I take deep breaths, trying to preserve my calmness, then respond. “Alright… Inform me as soon as you learn what happened Henderson…” Then I focus on the map again. It’s time to secure the Livestock Barn side, the right wing. It’s… It doesn’t seem as good as I was expecting… There are bodies of Egyptian Troops everywhere… How did they manage to kill all of them so quickly? Then, for the second time, I froze… Is… OH… It’s… I can’t believe my eyes. Of course I prepared myself for it, but I.... Ivan… Ivan is there… Fuck… I… I can see him… I… I can shoot him… FUCK… I… I suddenly don’t know what to do… What… What should I do… With a tense tone, I talk to my earpiece again. “Henderson… We… Should go… Did Sam and Alex manage to get inside?”

11:21 Commando_Ivan_Usov: With the Division guard’s help, we manage to load the engineering team and a few other men into the back of the vans. We won’t leave anyone behind. Now, it’s time to open the gates to the livestock barn so the vans can make their escape. I clap my hand on the shoulder of the Division man who helped me load up our men. Then, I turn and surge towards the gates, leaving the cover of the livestock barn. It was risky, being in the open, but someone had to get those gates open. I scan my surroundings as I rush out, this would be a stupid time to get myself shot. One of the first places I look towards is the small hill nearby. A perfect spot for a sniper. Then, I freeze. I catch the glint of sun off the edge of a rifle barrel, which draws my eye directly to it. But that’s not why I froze. I’m close enough to just make out the features of the man sighting me at the end of his sniper scope. It’s Kyle. My heart freezes, and my stomach ties up in knots. It was Kyle. The memory of everything that happened back in Des Moines and Minneaopolis came rushing back, to hit me like a sledgehammer. Dave’s death… the escape from the Police station, the capture and torture of Kyle… and how I fell in love with him. My heart ached for him, and the pain of seeing him set every nerve on fire. I was frozen. I wasn’t angry at him for being a part of this attack. It wasn’t personal. It was just another battle in the ongoing war between the Syndicate and MI6. No, I wasn’t angry. What was personal was how much I loved him and how much it tore at my heart to be so close and yet so far away from him. The emotion building in me was agony. Maybe he would shoot me … maybe he would end it. I stared up at him, catching his eye, and for a moment I felt connected to him. Oh fuck, I loved him so much. That would be fitting… if it was Kyle’s bullet that ended me, after everything I put him through. It would be justice. I stood stock still, frozen in time, my eyes locked onto Kyle’s gaze.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: Then Ivan sees me too… I… could have shot him… I can still shoot him, he just looks at me. Why don’t you shoot him, Kyle? Didn’t you say to yourself you just hate Ivan? That feeling was not love, but hate? Were you lying to yourself? I lower the sniper, and look at his face to see his face properly. I… Suddenly, his voice rings in my ears again, but this time, a tender, loveful, and definitively short one: “I love you Kyle…” What… What would you feel if you hurt Ivan, right here, right now? Then I hear Henderson’s voice, and I nod, sending everyone the same message. “Mission accomplished… We are returning home… Leave whatever you are dealing with… Go to location C… Now...” I… Suddenly I feel so tired. I just want to hug Ivan again. Touch him again… I feel… Weak… I remember how he defeated me, how he tortured me, how he humiliated me… Why don’t you shoot him, Kyle? I feel two tears rolling down from my cheeks, and I break eye contact with him. I… I can’t… I can’t do this. I suddenly turn around, and start running behind, trying to reach the place I told my men to arrive. I can’t risk Ivan following me, and I… I… I can’t look at him… I… I am such a disaster...

11:21 Commando_Ivan_Usov: Even from this distance, I can clearly see Kyle’s eyes. Those beautiful eyes. How I miss those eyes. What I would give to be with him again. He speaks into his shoulder radio, never breaking eye contact with me. I wonder… if he will kill me. I deserve it. I tortured and tried to kill a man whom I loved. I should be killed. I never would have tortured Dave. Never. I should be killed. Do it Kyle. Do what is right. Then, suddenly his eyes fill with tears, and he looks away. My heart is in my mouth… he turns and runs. For a moment, I almost ran after him… needing to see him again. But then, I remember that I have a duty. A responsibility. Towards the men in those vans. Towards Derek, a man I love like my own brother. Towards Daniel. Towards the Brotherhood of Steel. My heart breaking in two, grief and love churning deep inside me, I turn and run towards the vans, dashing tears from my eyes as I make the final preparations. I shout orders, my grief and emotion coloring my voice, “Secure everyone… As soon as Daniel and Derek arrive, we go. DRIVERS… to your vans, now! Start the engines.” I slide into one of the driver’s seats. I turn over the engine, and wait, wrestling with the hurricane of emotions roiling about in my soul.

11:21 Inspector_Kyle_Byrne: Ivan… Why do you love me? Just why? What did you see inside me? Why did you NOT just fucking finish me when you had me, when I begged you to kill me? With these thoughts going through my mind, I finally arrived at the place where the van driver was waiting for us. I can see everyone is here except Antonio and his crew. That is a good sign… But it doesn’t take too much time for me to realize that Ryan is also not here. I turn to Henderson to wait for an explanation, but before he can say something more, I see the body of Alex Braddock. I… After seeing Ivan, and now this… I feel like I actually achieved nothing. I… But why? I tried my best to make sure that they were getting inside very securely. They should have been the ones who were the safest.Then I hear what happened, and how Ryan took the place of Alex. I mean… I know he also knows the rough outline of the plan, but I wasn’t sure if he could pull it off. Once I receive a phone call from them, I will tell him everything. And Sam… Fuck… He will be so devastated now. I take the front seat, and close my eyes as I mumble to the driver. “Port Alexander… A helicopter will take us the rest of the way… We are going home… Make sure Alex returns home safely as well…”

10:17 Spy_Daniel_Allen: I managed to enter the front gate finally. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST … This was a low blow. And they were going to regret everything. But right now, the safety of my men is what’s important. I meet with Arthur and that Division trooper, Afonso, while entering the vans. There were two different guys with them, wearing Division outfits. I don’t recognize them. Hmm… Maybe they transferred from somewhere else, I don’t know. But at the moment, it is the least of my concerns. DEREK IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. I look inside the truck, checking who is here and who is not. Considering our dead are outside now, it seems like we are almost full. At least my remaining men listened to my words: Should a crisis occur, reach the base as soon as possible. And before more security forces arrives, we should get the fuck out of here. BUT… Where is Derek? I can’t leave without him… I mean… I can… It’s something we may have to do … But I FUCKING CAN’T… My right arm spasms again as I tense my body, then quickly find Ivan. He… Fuck… He seems devastated. What the fuck is wrong? “Ivan… We need to find Derek, and get the hell out of here… Where is he?”

11:21 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I sit in the van, staring out the window, needing, wanting to leave this place behind. Kyle… Oh Kyle… why didn’t you pull the trigger? I deserved it. I realized in that moment that my love for Kyle had not diminished one bit in the months since we had parted. And Shade, for all his ability to blow my mind, his strength, and his deep passion, I could not give him all of me… he wanted me to love him more than Kyle, but my heart could not do that. Again and again I pulled myself back from the maelstrom of emotions that threatened to consume me. I had to focus. We were in a combat zone. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. Must focus. Suddenly, Daniel was there, that meant that Derek was close by. Daniel’s arm, it was bleeding, he needed a medic. Then, he asks me where Derek is. I look stunned, “WHAT? Derek isn’t with you? I haven’t seen him, Daniel.” Suddenly, my inner turmoil was replaced by a deep fear for Derek. “We have to find him!! BUT FUCK DANIEL… the security forces could be reinforced at any moment… We… FUCK. I… “ I couldn’t say it… I couldn’t make myself say that we didn’t have time to look for him. This was Derek we were talking about. This was Derek, for fuck’s sake.

11:12 Corporal_Sam_Mason: There, right where we knew they would be, the escape vans. I make my way to the back of one of them, through the chaos of running men, gunfire and orders being shouted. I carefully laid out Afonso in the back of the nearest Van, checking that Ryan was with me. Then, I settled back. I look up once, when I see Daniel Allen stride by. He had been shot in the arm, fuck yeah, but I kept my expression totally neutral as he glanced at us, not allowing any hint of my glee to show, then he moved on. He seemed really upset and distracted about something. But at least it wasn’t Ivan. This was the risky part… if Ivan Usov saw me… the game was up. I had to avoid him at all costs. I couldn’t wait to find some private Whattime to be alone with Ryan. Ryan…. Ryan was with me… and not Alex. The horror of that moment was pounding on the front door of my mind. But I couldn’t think about it. I couldn’t. Focus. Focus. Refocus my mind over and over to the present, stay alert, stay focused. I caught his glance once, nodded, then looked away. We were in. Now, we had to hope our cover stories would hold. We had to hope that I could hold it together. I had to. For both of us.

11:13 Cpl_Ryan_Sheperd: Following Sam through the mess that this base, and war in general, has become, carrying a man who should be my enemy and yet I hold him with the gentleness that I would a friend. I wonder for a moment why I am here in this most bizarre of situations but then, as I look at the back of one of my closest friends, it becomes clear once more. I hope that this is distracting him from the pain that must still be like a raw wound in his heart. Sam, he is the reason I am here, risking my life to try and halt the megalomaniacal schemes of this Syndicate. Not just him though. Deep down inside I want to stop them for what they did to my family. I think of my Father and hope that Henderson can convince him that this was the only way. He is going to be PISSED though, but this IS the only way. As we near the vans and I finally get to deposit this man, my enemy, into the safety of the escape vehicle and then sit and wait for these people to take us into the depths of whatever lair they have, I glance over and see Sam looking. My first thought is to make a silly face to try and distract him but that would not be right, not here where our lives are at risk every moment. Instead I wink over at him. I am going to keep him safe, get him home to his brother…….but there is something else. Something deeper. I shake my head as I touch upon it. We will go there if we do. But I can't think of it for now. Not here, not yet…...

10:17 Spy_Daniel_Allen: I grit my teeth harder as I read the confusion and fear from Ivan’s expression, before his response. FUCK ME… We… We should have left by now… But I… I can’t… Come on Daniel… Be professional… Just like you always have been. I can see the driver is just waiting for my orders, and I meet Georgie's gaze. They are not used to seeing me like that. “Mr. Allen… Our men are injured… We need to reach our safe house as soon as possible…” I was about to mention Derek once again, and was going to ask the whole group in the truck, but suddenly, the driver shouts. “Sirs… The GIS Helicopters… They are coming towards here… We HAVE TO leave… NOW…” I bite my lip in frustration, and slam my healthy left fist into the truck’s side. “ARGH.... We are leaving…” I shout in agony, and suddenly, fall on my butt to sit on the ground. FUCKING BASTARDS… Derek… Oh god… I am fucking leaving Derek behind… I… Derek would want me to do the same thing, to reach safety for our men, for our community. But… After all these years… Derek… The first guy I opened myself up… He has just vanished into the unknown. Under normal circumstances, I would feel empty, or slightly broken. But now… I am so fucking sad that I forgot I have a bullet embedded deep in my right bicep. I turn to Ivan, and ask him to find any clue that may lead me to Derek. “Did you find any clue, Ivan? Any hint that may show us who did this and who was behind this… He… May not be dead…” This …. Is so fucking new for me… I have never felt this weak, especially in front of my men. But… It’s not something I can control… I… I wasn’t ready… FUCK....

11:21 Commando_Ivan_Usov: I sit there, stunned. Derek… Derek is not here. At any time, in any engagement, any one of us might die. But not Derek. Not him. That kind of thing happened to other people, not to him. I looked up, stricken as I heard the unmistakable sound of approaching helicopters. I knew what it meant even before Georgie spoke up. It was time to go, with or without Derek. Or we’d all be killed or captured. Daniel knew that as well as I did, and the order went out, in a scream of rage and frustration. Desperate for some shred of hope, Daniel turns to me, asking if I knew anything. Mutely, I shook my head. “Daniel, I don’t have a fucking clue where Derek is. I thought he was with you. When we were ambushed, I was near the livestock barn, and killed a team of Commandos who were drugging the men inside the base. I didn’t see a sign of Derek. But…” I sigh deeply. I was almost reluctant to say anything further. It was too personal, too raw. Oh Kyle… “Kyle was involved. I saw him. On top of the hill. That means…” I swallow hard, “That means MI6 is involved. Daniel, he … had his scope on me. He had his chance… but he didn’t take it.” I turn to look out the window. Feeling so confused and full of fear. First Kyle, and now the man I love like my own brother, Derek is gone. Everything is going to hell in a handbasket. I turn then, and look at Daniel. He and Derek… they had grown close over the past few months. Derek had fallen for Daniel hard. And Daniel returned those feelings. This must be … even harder for Daniel than it was for me. Suddenly, fiercely, I looked at Daniel like he was my own brother. We both loved Derek, and we would both move heaven and earth to find out what happened to him. I reached out and grabbed Daniel’s good shoulder, and pulled him into a rough, half embrace. My voice choked up as I swore, “He’s alive Daniel. He’s got to be. And we’ll find him, FUCK YES WE WILL FIND HIM.”

Published: 2021-07-19, viewed 51 times.