Shadows of Hope
Chapter 11: 11. The Unusual Normal
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Specter had been looking at the current events that was happening in the places that they had been in, checking to see if any news involving what they had been doing had been released. So far, the government has been able to keep their missions secret, but it was still safe to make sure. He looked over and saw Twilight, who was in the seat beside him, fast asleep, a blue blanket covering her. The book on U.S. history she had been reading was set down on her chest. Specter smiled, glad that she could find some kind of peace in this. She had fallen asleep over the Atlantic, which was about an hour into the trip.
He looked at the U.S. passports that he and Twilight had gotten, wondering how the girls would pass U.S. customs. He remembered that when he had asked that question, the administrators said that it had been, "Already taken care of". He could the pilots communicating with an airport control tower. They started to descend, and Specter could see the Willis Tower of the city he loved so much. He softly nudged Twilight, who took in a breath of air as she woke up.
"Yes? How long was I asleep?" Twilight asked, rubbing her eyes.
"About 2 hours. I figured you'd want to see Chicago." He said, pointing out the window. Twilight crawled over to the window, and looked in awe of the architecture. It may have not been like some of the towers that she had seen in the middle east and Asia, but she was always amazed at the structures that the humans were capable of creating. It was about another 5 minutes before they landed. As they got off, Twilight stayed close to Specter.
"Just remember, Your name is "Teresa Sparkle." He whispered to her.
"What about the last name?" Twilight asked.
"It's not as important, many people have unique last names." Specter said. As they walked through the airport, after being checked and going through an x-ray, they came to what Specter had thought about the trip here: the passport checker. The woman behind the desk checked his, gave him the O.K., and he walked on and waited at the door for Twilight.
"Teresa Sparkle.." The woman read, looking at the picture. Before they had all left, the girls had their pictures taken, and they gave it the check over before approving it. Twilight smiled, like she had in the picture.
"O.K." The woman said, handing it back to her. Twilight walked on, catching up to Specter. They both breathed a sigh of relief as they exited the airport.
"So how are we getting to your house?" Twilight asked.
"I had a friend of mine bring our car. He owned an old tow truck so he brought it over here. I just hope he didn't scratch it while parking it. They continued walking until they came to a blue 2000 Ford Mustang GT. They got in, and Specter found the keys in the hidden compartment, just as he told his friend. He started it, the revving of the engine reminding him of the days he had it in college, he was thankful he decided to pay his friend to take care of it instead of selling it before leaving for boot camp.
They both put their seatbelts on and Specter backed up, and they left the airport, heading for inner Chicago.
"So where are we going first?" Twilight asked.
"I have some money saved up, I'm going to pull enough out to buy you some new clothes." Specter said.
"Ooh, I read about these, "Malls" you guys have here." Twilight said. Specter chuckled as they rode down the road.
"This is it." Scarecrow said, pulling into the driveway with his Bassline model, the same car he had drove in their mission in Japan. He was glad his associate in Japan could get the car to come into the U.S. and get it at the airport for when they arrived. Applejack had already been taking in the sights of downtown Atlanta, and she had a great time shopping for clothing with Scarecrow, even though it was mainly just for her. Scarecrow did buy some new black DC shoes though, but everything else in the back was pretty much for Applejack. They got out of the car when they got to the outskirts of Atlanta, looking over the farm that was in the behind Scarecrow's house.
"It's very nice of ya to let me stay here with ya." Applejack said, observing the extravagant looking two story brick house. They parked.
"It's not a problem at all. Now I hate to ask, but think you could help a little carrying some of these bags?" Scarecrow modestly asked her. She turned around and saw Scarecrow with his arms full of bags, some more in the car.
"Sure thing," Applejack said, chuckling. She grabbed some other bags as Scarecrow unlocked the house and went in. Scarecrow sat the bags down, and sat on the couch he had. While they were at the mall, Scarecrow got his hair cut and styled different, he now had a David Beckham style Faux hawk instead of the "Zac Effron" look the others would joke sometimes joke about.
Scarecrow remembered one time when they were on break that Specter, Jester, and Ghost threw a prank and started singing a song from High school musical when Scarecrow entered the bunker. It pissed him off at first, but he chuckled about it now. He went into his room and changed clothes, putting on a pair of light gray denim Jeans with a faded red shirt, then putting on his pair of Georgia boots he had in his closet. He walked back into the living room and turned on the T.V. showing Auction Kings was on. Applejack sat down beside him.
"So this is what the regular life is like for your kind?" A.J. asked.
"I guess. But it's weird though, I've been fighting for so long, I've almost forgotten what it's like. It's like an Unusual Normal." He said, putting his arm around Applejack. Applejack rested her head on his shoulder, the two resting while they watched T.V.
"Not much, but this is it." Soap said as they arrived at his house. It was a one story brick house. Soap had lived alone for a while, so it wasn't that big. It was on the outskirts of Aberdeen, in a small field.
"Oh, It's very nice. The field reminds me of my home." Fluttershy said, smiling. They went in, Soap putting the few bags of clothing he bought for Fluttershy on the table.
"I have one guest room, you can stay in there." Soap said, showing her to her room. It was a small room with a standard single size bed with a navy blue bed sheet and pillow. Fluttershy smiled.
"Oh, it's perfect." Fluttershy politely said. Soap knew it wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
"I'm glad you like it. If there's anything you need, I'll be making supper." Soap said. He first went into his room and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a short sleeve underarmour sports shirt. He looked at himself in the mirror, seeing how much more muscular he had become since he first joined the military. He walked out and went into the kitchen, getting things ready for supper. He learned that the girls were vegetarians, so he would just make a fruit salad for Fluttershy, and cook some spaghetti for himself.
Rainbow had been looking all over the place in amazement as Ghost drove his 07' Ford focus through the city of Fulham. She stared in awe as they passed Stamford Bridge. They had already stopped at a shop to buy her (you guessed it.) clothes for their stay. She was wearing a new pair of sunglasses, taking pictures with the phone she had gotten. Ghost quietly chuckled.
"She's just like one of those bloody tourists." He kept going until they pulled to his home, a small two story house. It belonged to his parents before they gave it to him in their will. He had done all he could to take care of it, and it still looked in pretty good shape. It was pretty much a sort of a vacation home, they would go whenever they were bored of Manchester. After his parents died, he moved to Fulham, where he lived shortly before leaving to join the military. They pulled up, Ghost getting the bags as Dash opened the door for him. Ghost set the bags on the counter near the kitchen. He took off his sunglasses and sat down on the sofa, laying down and resting. He turned on the T.V. and could see that Chelsea were playing a league match against Newcastle. He layed there watching the game until Dash got his attention.
"What do you think?" She asked, coming out with one of the outfits she bought. It was a cyan blue off shoulder shirt with a pair of small shorts, combined with a blue set of vans shoes.
"Looks nice." Ghost said, smiling. Rainbow Dash lay down on top of Ghost, and they lay together talking to each other and watching the game.
"I'm still so excited we're getting to go to your hometown! Maybe we can throw a welcome home party, invite your neighbors over, and then we can throw a welcome home after party! And maybe an after party FOR the after party! An then we can…" Pinkie had been going on and on ever since they landed.
"Jester still liked her and cared about her, but it seemed like she hadn't stopped talking ever since they left the airport. He kept his focus on the road as he drove his 2013 Dodge Challenger down the highways of Oklahoma City. He finally got to his old home, the 1 story brick house looking just as good as it had been when he left it. He pulled up, and Pinkie was still talking.
"Yeah, I could tell, how about we go inside for something to eat?" Jester said, not looking back. He opened the door to find Pinkie already standing there, which almost gave him a heart attack.
"Great! I can start baking now!" Pinkie said, running to the kitchen. Jester sighed, maybe he could rest. Pinkie reminded him of himself when he was a teenager, his dad saying he would never shut up.
"Guess I'm reaping what I sow." Jester said, changing into a pair of old blue jeans with a rip on the left knee, and putting on a white muscle shirt and a pair of Nike sneakers. He went outside to work on his car until Pinkie called saying the food was ready.
"It isn't the most etiquette lifestyle I have seen, but It is still very good an I'm glad you could shelter me." Rarity said as her and Price went through Manchester. Price chuckled.
"Well, I'm the kind of guy that is use to working with what's handed to me." Price said, seeing the sights of his hometown while driving. They pulled to his house, a 2 story house on the edge of Manchester.
"My, it sure does look nice." Rarity said, complimenting the house.
"Thanks.' Price said, trying to make sure he had a hold on all the bags of clothing Rarity just had to buy. The walked in, and Rarity sat in a chair near a T.V. Price sat in the sofa beside it. He could tell Rarity was looking at a painting that was hanging on the wall.
"My mother bought that in France, cost her 4,000 it did. I'm not even a fan of art but she insisted on hanging it there where everyone had to see it." Price said.
"I think it looks quite nice, the combination of colors gives it a unique look." Rarity commented.
"And when did you become the art expert?" he jokingly asked, smiling. Rarity chuckled.
"I think one should keep up with art." Rarity replied.
"I think I'll get dinner started." Price said, heading to the kitchen.
"I guess I'll watch the tele then." Rarity said, jokingly mocking prices accent. Price chuckled and went into the kitchen.
Applejack was watching a wild west show starring Matt Dillon, her and Scarecrow had finished eating.
"I'm going out, I'll be in the back if you need me." Scarecrow said, getting up, A.J. nodded, and lay down on the couch, continuing to watch the movie. Scarecrow went outside, viewing the grass covered land that he had worked hard on before he left. He was glad that one of his cousins agreed to stay there and take care of the place with her family. It looked in good shape for a animal-less farm. He passed the barn, and in the back he gazed upon a set of doors that led to an underground shed.
Him and his brother built the shed after a tornado that blew through Atlanta many years ago, just incase another one happened to appear. He opened the doors, closing them behind him. He went down the stairs and looked upon what he had done with it. Ever since his brother died, he built on an extra room that held his family's military possessions. His dad had joined the Marines, but he was killed fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom. He had a glass case with the military uniform his dad wore in that battle, a M16 on a rack beside it.
His brother's uniform, the one he had after completing boot camp was beside his dad's, an M16A4 on the rack beside it. A small box containing the Medal of Honor was in a display case, the name "Mark Walker" engraved on a small gold plank. Scarecrow's phone then began to ring, and when he looked at the number, it was A.J.
"What is it?" he asked answering the phone.
"Someone's at the door. I don't know who it is, but it's sounds like a guy." Scarecrow heard Applejack on the phone say.
"Alright, I'll be there." he said, hanging up. He left the shelter, went back into the house, and saw Applejack leaning against a wall away from the door.
"It'll be alright." Scarecrow reassured her. He went to the door and opened it, and who he saw was a surprise to him. He was wrapped in a hug by a man that looked to be in his mid 30's , one Scarecrow hadn't seen in years.
"Mason? How did you get here?!" Scarecrow happily asked, returning the hug. The bald headed man smiled as he answered his question.
"When I had heard that ol' Nick Walker was back in the states, I knew I'd have to see him!" Mason said. Scarecrow laughed, letting him in. Mason was using crutches, and he made his way to a chair.
"Hey, Ap-" Scarecrow started to call, before remembering the name that they had made up for her.
"Allyson, This is a friend of mine, Mason. Come on out." Scarecrow said. Applejack slowly turned the corner, walking towards them, suddenly seeming a little shy. Mason looked at Scarecrow.
"Howdy." Applejack then said, offering her hand to Mason. Mason shook hands with her gently.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Mason Estrada." Mason said.
"Name's Allyson Davis." Applejack said
"Mason comes from Texas, just like you Allyson," Scarecrow said. He was mentally hitting himself for being a convincing liar, but he knew it was for the best.
"Really now?" Applejack asked.
"Yep, San Antonio, born and raised. What about you?" Mason said.
"Well, I come from Fort Worth." Applejack replied, immediately looking at Scarecrow. She knew how terrible a liar she was.
"Yeah, met her before I left for Pakistan." Scarecrow said, helping her out.
"Really?" Mason asked, seeming a little impressed. He then looked at Applejack. "Well Allyson, You've got one good guy." he said, smiling.
"Thanks, I know he is." Applejack said. She then gave Scarecrow a quick kiss on the cheek, Scarecrow smiling and blushing a bit. Mason couldn't help but laugh.
"So how's life been treating you after the injury?" Scarecrow asked as he got up and went to the fridge to get drinks for the trio.
"It's been alright I guess, I've still been able to make a living with the compensation checks I've got." Mason said. Scarecrow came back with three cans of cold Coca-Cola. Mason and Applejack gladly took one, thanking him.
"Yeah, I still question about what happened that day." Scarecrow said.
"Same here. Sometimes I still get nightmares about what happened in that cave…" Mason said, shuttering.
"A cave?" Applejack asked. Mason and Scarecrow looked at her.
"You never mentioned it to her?" Mason asked.
"I hoped I wouldn't have had to." Scarecrow said. Applejack gave them a questionable look.
"Well, she might as well know, she'll find out sooner or later." Mason said.
"I guess." Scarecrow replied. He then turned to Applejack, grabbing her hands. "Honey, What we're about to tell you, you may or may not believe it, but it happened and it haunts us." Scarecrow said. She looked and paid attention very seriously.
"It started on a mission inside a cave near Afghanistan…"
"Hunter 2-1, check head cams before entering the cave, over." a radio officer said. Three U.S. Army Rangers, one by one, activated a small camera attached to their helmets.
"Sgt. Barnes, online." the radio officer said.
"Sgt. Estrada, online." he then said.
"Cpl. Walker, online." the radio officer then said. "Alright, all head cams are online, mission is a go."
"Copy that command, Hunter 2-1 moving in." Sgt. Barnes said. Sgt. Barnes was a 5'11 Caucasian man gripped his M16A4 and began to enter the cave, followed by Sgt. Estrada and Cpl Walker.
"Walker, Estrada, watch corners, I'll take point." Barnes said. The three men went into the cave as far as they could with night vision.
"It's too dark beyond this point, we're going to have to use our lights sir." Walker said.
"Right." Barnes said, flipping a small switch on a light that was also attached to his helmet. Walker and Estrada did the same thing. They looked around with the lights, looking out for any corners or sudden drop offs.
"Sir, My radio's gone to static." Estrada said. Barnes tried his, and it wasn't working as well.
"Mines out also. So much for command." Walker said.
"You guys still know the mission. It must be some sort of jammer that the insurgents have down here." Barnes said. "Keep it tight." the three continued deeper into the cave, looking around.
"What's this stuff on the walls?" Estrada asked.
"Chiroptera feces." Barnes replied.
"Uh, English please?" Estrada asked.
"Bat Shit." Barnes blankly replied. Estrada shuttered.
"I fucking hate bats." Estrada muttered As they went deeper, they stopped as Walker suddenly spoke.
"Sir, I found something." Walker said. Estrada and Barnes walked over the where Walker was, and they could see a body dressed in insurgent clothing.
"How deep are we?" Barnes asked Estrada.
"About 700 meters sir." Estrada reported. Walker turned the body over, and jumped back.
"Jesus Christ!" Walker said in shock. The three men saw that the body's eyes were missing, multiple large claw marks covered it, and some pieces of skin were missing. They could also see some bite marks.
"What the hell…." Estrada murmured.
"Wait, signal is getting stronger…" Barnes muttered. They three looked around, keeping a tight grip on their weapons. Estrada then jumped back.
"I just saw movement!" Estrada muttered to the others.
"Insurgents?" Walker asked, aiming his weapon in the direction Estrada was looking.
"No, It looked like some kind of woman, but she was moving fast…" Estrada said.
"The fuck are you talking about?" Barnes asked.
"I swear to god, it looked like a flying woman!" Estrada replied. Barnes's sound wave meter was beeping faster, a sign that what ever was here was getting closer.
"keep weapons ready, whatever is here is coming fa-" Barnes said before getting suddenly jolted into the air, being carried by a force unseen by Estrada and Walker.
"Barnes!" Estrada yelled. Walker and Estrada went in the direction he had went, which was deeper into the cave. The found Barnes on the ground, moaning in pain with claw marks on his shoulders, similar to the ones on the dead insurgent.
"I can't feel my back!" Barnes exclaimed.
"What was that?!" Walker frantically asked, aiming his rifle in different directions.
"It was- was like Estrada said, some kind of giant bat!" Barnes said, groaning in pain.
"There's no such things as giant bats!" Walker yelled, looking for any movement. Estrada tried his radio.
"Command, Sgt. Barnes is injured, we've got to pull out!" Estrada said. He only got static back as a response.
"Sir, that signal is getting stronger again…" Walker said, looking at his own sound wave tracker.
"Mason, You and Nick get out of here. What ever here is big and it must be hungry." Barnes said.
"I won't leave you!" Estrada replied.
"I can't move, my back's broken. Go, I'll cover you with fire while you get out." Barnes said, slowly readying his M16A4.
"Sir, we can't leave you." Walker said, regrouping.
"You have no choice, that signal is getting even stronger, there must be more of them. Now go before they get here and-" Barnes was suddenly grabbed again out of Mason's grip, multiple bat like noises could be heard and Barnes screaming.
"BARNES!" Estrada yelled. He saw a pair of giant wings in only a flash of a second before Barnes was swept away.
"Sir, we have to get out of here now. I'm sorry." Walker said, putting his hand on Mason's shoulder. Mason knew Walker was right, and he got up, the bat noises getting louder.
"Lets go. Hurry!" Estrada said. The two started running back towards the way they came from, not knowing what could jump at them from the dark, cold, black cave. As deep as they were the cave was almost freezing to the men, but adrenaline of the events kept them going.
"What the hell is in this cave!?" Estrada yelled as they were running.
"Who cares, we've got to get out of here before it gets us!" Walker replied. They came to a stopping point that led two different ways.
"Which way did we come from?" Estrada asked.
"I'm.. I'm not sure." Walker said. The two looked around, trying to figure out which path to take.
"We'll take the right." Mason finally said. Walker didn't respond. "Walker?" he asked. He turned around and saw Walker looking at the ceiling, a look of shock plastered on his face. "Nick?" he looked up and could saw a opening in the roof of the cave, and they could see multiple flying humanoid-bat like creatures flying towards them.
"INCOMING!" Nick yelled. The two aimed their weapons and fired at the speeding demons, yelling and screaming for their lives as they fought to survive.
Applejack had a look of horror and somewhat excitement on her face as the two men told the story. "Well how in tarnation did ya get out?" She asked.
"We had to fight until we could see sunlight coming from the outside, so we followed it. One of those things got my leg, crippling me. If it wasn't for Nick, I wouldn't be here." Mason said.
"I did what needed to be done." Scarecrow said. "Anyway, we got out and we found another Ranger squad coming towards the entrance. They took us back to command and tended to our wounds as best as they could. When the officer asked what happened, he couldn't believe what we had told him. We haven't sent any more soldiers to the cave since." Scarecrow finished. Applejack was in shock and relief of this.
"That's awful…" Applejack said, hugging Scarecrow. Scarecrow embrace the hug, playing with her hair to calm her.
"Hey, it's okay, we thought the same thing." he said, doing his best calm her down. Mason sighed.
"My wife was just glad I made it home alive." Mason said. After some more talking, Mason had to leave, so they said their goodbyes, and after Mason had left, Applejack and Scarecrow saw how late it was and started to go to their bedrooms.
"So you were able to fight off those things while having to carry Mason?" Applejack said, holding Scarecrow's hand.
"With the help of God, somehow I did." Scarecrow said. They stopped in Scarecrow's room.. They looked at the moon through a window that was near the door. Applejack's green eyes seemed to glisten like an emerald in the moonlight. Scarecrow and Applejack got closer.
"You sure can handle yourself.." Applejack said, a small smirk coming across her face. Scarecrow chuckled.
"Well, I guess you could say so, but there is one person that always surprises me.." Scarecrow said, looking into her eyes.
"Really now?" Applejack said, giggling a little, knowing who he meant.
"Yeah, and she's a certain girl that knows how to take care of herself as well…" He said. The two put their faces closer together, and connected their lips, embracing in the romantic moment. Applejack could Feel Scarecrow's tongue enter into her mouth, but she welcomed it with her own. When they finally pulled away they both looked at each other in a romantic awe.
"Well then sugercube, lets see how we can handle each other…" Applejack seductively said. They kissed again, and Scarecrow turned to where his back faced the door, and he closed it as the sound of the two falling on the bed was heard.