Shadows of Hope
Chapter 21: 21. The Undertaker
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"Spetsnaz forces have begun to withdraw their operations from the western U.S. after a turnaround victory for the United States in the city of Los Angeles. Thanks to assistance from German and British special forces, U.S. marines were able to take back the city after a 4 week extent of fighting. Total military casualties from the battle have currently been reported at 789, while over 400 are currently M.I.A.. Civilian casualties have been reported at a total of 5,326 as of today. It is expected that soldiers on the west coast will move to the eastern coast of the U.S. to assist in recapturing major cities there. With the U.S. cleaning it's own wounds, the forces of the world may have to deal with even more injuries in the future.. I'm Lauren Johansson, BBC news." The T.V. was turned off just as the newswoman finished her report, Price the one doing so.
"Damn newswoman could've sounded a bit sympathetic." he snarled, a cigar in his mouth. Specter was cleaning his pistol, sitting on an ammo crate.
"Since when does anyone else care? If they're not in that hell, they could care less." he said, no hint of emotion in his voice. The recent attack had hit all the American soldiers hard. They had all lost either family, friends, or fellow soldiers.
"Makarov will pay for this… pay with his own blood." Price swore, clenching his fist.
"Well get in line to collect the payment." Specter commented. "So why the hell are we back in Britain?" he then asked. Price shrugged.
"The hell if I know, but it must be damn well important. Probably shipping us somewhere else." Price said. "Where are the others at so we'll know where to get them?"
Specter looked up. "Probably just walking around, they have nothing to be hopping around about."
Jester was sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall, a small piece of paper in his hand. Pinkie saw him, and skipped to where he was.
"Hi Jester! Whatcha doin'?" Pinkie asked. Jester didn't look up. "Um, Jester?" he still didn't look up. She then noticed the hand that was holding the letter was shaking, and he had tears in his eyes. Pinkie got worried, and sat by him. "I-is everything ok?" she asked.
Jester slowly turned his head to Pinkie. "The Russians… those damn bastards. They invaded Oklahoma… the fuckers killed my sister. She had just graduated college a week before they invaded…" Jester cursed, fighting to hold even more tears back, a fight he was losing. Any sign of Pinkies happiness was now long gone.
"I.. I'm sorry…" Pinkie solemnly said.
"I'm going to kill every last one of those bastards… every one…." Jester said, tears falling. Pinkie, without saying a word, hugged Jester tightly. She could feel his tears running down her arm as he held her, some of her own forming.
Scarecrow was in an on base gym, taking shots at a punching bag. He had been going for about 10 minutes, and he showed no signs of stopping. He had taken his shirt off, revealing his tan that he had gotten from his teenage years out in the Georgia sun, the Tribal Tattoo on his arm boldly showing itself, it running down from where his shoulder began, running down to his elbow. He was sweating, making him seemingly glistening in the artificial light of the room.
He had his MP3 playing, the song "Circus For a Psycho" by Skillet playing at full volume. He kept his punches clean and swift, then quickly spun, picking his right leg up, kicking the bag with his heel, sending it towards the roof. Playing soccer had helped him gain extreme muscles in his legs, for he would spend hours working out in a gym on Saturdays after a school week.
He was channeling his anger into his fists, imagining the bag as Makarov, swearing he would bring revenge for the soldiers, and his brother, whose blood was on Makarov's hands. He kept at it until eventually the chains couldn't handle it anymore, and the bag was knocked off and into the near wall. Scarecrow stopped, breathing hard, looking at his fists.
While he was punching, he did not even see that they were red, his knuckles trickling blood, the stains showing on his wraps. Scarecrow sighed, turned off his MP3, and took the wrappings off, taking care of the wounds. He looked up and saw A.J. standing in the doorway, her eyes showing that she was worried.
"How long have you been there?" Scarecrow asked.
"Long enough to see that you're hurting." Applejack said, walking in, sitting beside him. "And I don't mean your hands."
Scarecrow looked back down to the ground. "The fighting in Los Angeles… It reminded me too much of the first battles in the U.S. I had fought in Virginia, then D.C., It was refreshed in my mind, which I hate." He said, covering his face with his hands. A.J. put a hand on his back, feeling the muscles of his toned body.
"We're going to get him. He'll pay for this. We won't let the lives of those that have fallen to be in vain," A.J. said, rubbing his back. Scarecrow took one hand, grabbing hers. He looked up, his brown eyes locking onto her green ones.
"A.J., All this… this war, killing… I don't want it to change any of you. It obviously has, but be thankful that you have the mercy of a peaceful world, unlike this unholy hell." Scarecrow said. A.J. started to speak, but Scarecrow put a finger to her lips.
"I have seen it. An innocent soldier is stripped of peace, and after seeing all this, "peace" is considered a myth. I don't want that to happen to you. I love you, and I don't want you to change." He said, his eyes putting her into a trance- like state. He slowly removed his finger, but A.J. remained silent. She moved her face closer to his, and connected her soft, tender, red lips to his. Scarecrow wrapped his arms around her, as did A.J. wrapping hers around him, feeling the warmth of each other's body. They pulled away, smiling at each other, Applejack letting out a breath.
"So I heard Price was wanting us to regroup in 30," she said.
"Got it, I'm going to get a shower. I'll see you later." Scarecrow said. He took a few steps away, but then looked back at A.J. "Unless you want to join me, that is." He said with a smirk.
"Well, I reckon I could use a wash.." A.J. said with a seductive smile, catching up to Scarecrow.
Rainbow dash was leaning against a wall, messing around with a rubiks cube she had found during their time in Los Angeles. It had helped her temporarily get her mind off of the hell she had to witness in the city, so she had been concentrating on it for a while. She looked up once to see Ghost coming up to her.
"How's it going?" Ghost asked.
"Alright I guess, just tired of hoping I'll be alive to wake up in the morning." Dash muttered. Ghost chuckled.
"I know the feeling mate. Guess we just have to watch out for each other to make sure that will happened, right?" Ghost said, sitting beside her. He reached for her hand, grabbing it. Dash couldn't help but blush, but she gripped it, a warm smile coming over both of them.
About 10 minutes have passed, and the group was now getting together. Price had gotten word that someone "of a damn good importance" was going to give them some kind of briefing.
"what the hell could they possibly send us into now?" Ghost muttered. Soap simply shrugged. Everyone fell silent when a man in a black suit walked in.
"I have your next mission briefing. I'm with the C.I.A, that is all you need to know from me." this was the first sentence to come out of his mouth, some of the guys raising eyebrows.
"We believe there was a third wheel working towards the U.S. invasion. His name is Rogelio Benitez, he's a black market arms dealer from Spain. He was worked with us before, he could have stolen valuable information and gave it to the Russians. I want your team's sniper to be sent in and execute him." he then ordered.
"So you want me to go to Spain to look for some low life weapons dealer?" Scarecrow asked.
"If that's the way you look at it, yes. We also believe that KGB agents are secretly entering Spain's borders as well, getting the info from him. I want his head tagged and bagged." the agent said.
"What about the rest of us?" Twilight asked. The agent looked at her.
"As for the rest of you, we need you to capture Alexis Antonio, Benitez's right hand man. We need Antonio alive for questioning. Benitez, I'll accept him either way. You're flight leaves tomorrow, you will have information of their locations by them." And with that, the agent took two pictures out of his pocket and gave them to Price, one labeled, "Antonio", the other, "Benitez".
"Well, this is a quick change of pace, don't you think?" Jester asked Specter, who simply swore under his breath.
6:00 A.M.
Spain
Price was looking over the piece of paper the agent had given him just before they had left for Spain. It was merely info on their history, their current known locations, the usual.
"Hell, just like Rio." Ghost commented, checking his ACR.
"Save it for later Ghost. Antonio is suspected to be in Barcelona, talking with a client at a café near the football stadium." Price informed them.
"Great, that means you guys get to see the Camp Nou," Scarecrow joked.
"Oi, get me a camera and I'll take a picture for ya." Soap said, causing the men to laugh. The girls, meanwhile, were all quiet, checking their weapons. After what had happened in Los Angeles, they couldn't understand how the men could laugh after what they had been through just a couple of weeks ago.
"I know I'd just feel more comfortable with my ACR in my hands, not in some suitcase." Ghost muttered.
"I know, but we want to capture this guy, not scare the shit out of him." Specter said. They were interrupted by the landing of the chopper they were in.
"Scarecrow, this looks to be your drop-off mate." Soap said, handing him the picture of Benitez. "Info says his next deal will be in an old church called the Santo Domingo De Silos. I don't know what the bloody hell it means, but I guess that's why we have you." Soap chuckled.
"See you guys on the other side." Scarecrow said. And with that, he crept off into the darkness.
"Command, this is viper 6-1, we have just dropped off the Undertaker, over." the Pilot was then heard speaking into his radio.
"Copy that Viper 1, proceed to take the other units to their destination." A man's voice responded.
"Copy, moving out to sector 3-3." the pilot said.
"So we're going to take a couple of old SUV's that these guys had got for us… doesn't sound to good but It's better than walking on foot." Jester commented.
"When we get there, they have the civilian clothing we packed in the trunks. Get them on, leave your combat armor and rifles in the vehicles. Carry concealed weapons only." Soap instructed.
Scarecrow had been moving for about an hour and a half. He was having to make slow movements due to unexpected activity in the area. He had seen a couple of unmarked vehicles drive by, and he had been skull dragging to remain hidden. He kept his breathing and movements as stealth fully as possible, if this Benitez guy was here, he would no doubt have some guards watching the surrounding area. Scarecrow kept going, have to spit dirt out of his mouth every now and then.
He continued until he got to the top of a hill, the grass tall enough to surround him as he lay prone. He pulled up his AS50, rolling the suppressor onto the barrel. he looked around through his scope, the early sun rising over the Spanish horizon. He could see the old and grand building he recognized from his college history books as the Santo Domingo de Silos. But something was wrong.
"If I remember correctly, the Monks of the Church would March through the building, singing the Gregorian chants…" he said, inspecting the building even more, "The KGB must have taken over the church, or worse…" he knew he wouldn't have a clear shot from this range, so he connected his AS50 back to the rope connected to his foot and continued to Skull drag.
"We ever been to Barcelona before?" Ghost asked Soap, who was smoking a cigar he had just pulled out of his pocket.
"Nope, but I always figured I'd take a vacation here with my family after the war," Soap said.
"I know Scarecrow wanted to come here just because of his "Holy" FC Barcelona," Jester commented.
"Hey, don't get him wrong, he chose one of the best teams in all of football." Price said. He then chuckled. "I also give him credit for picking a sport where the name actually fit's the sport." This remark seemed to make Jester steam a little, which made Price chuckle inwardly even more.
"Now now boys, we still have a mission." Specter said, trying to ease any sense of tension.
"He's right. So where is this Antonio guy suppose to be?" Twilight asked.
"As far as we know, he's meeting with a client of his in a café near the Camp Nou," Soap answered, looking around. A.J. was driving, which seemed weird to everyone considering she didn't even have a license. They stopped at a red light, looking around.
"So how are we suppose to capture this guy?" Luna asked.
"The client he's talking to, we bought him out. His friend… not so much." Specter answered bluntly, hoping she wouldn't take the hint.
"Wait, is that him over there?" Applejack asked. She pointed to a small building with a sign that read, "Barcelona copa de campeones".
"What the bloody hell is that suppose to mean? I only studied Russian to use against them." Ghost muttered.
"Makes you wish Scarecrow was here, eh?" Rainbow Dash joked.
"Cut the shit. We don't need the name, we need the guy," Specter scolded. "You see our client?"
"There, with the latte. Brown shirt." Jester said, watching. They watched as the two shook hands, and started talking. After about 3 minutes, it seemed that their discussion was turning heated.
"This won't end well if we don't do something." Rarity commented.
"You're right, let's go." Price said, opening the door to the SUV he was in. Their target made eye contact with him. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you t-" before Price could finish, the man pulled out a Glock-17 and popped three rounds into the client's chest, then started to fire at the group.
"GET DOWN!" Specter yelled, pushing Rainbow Dashes head down below the windshield, glass shattering mere inches above her head. After the firing stopped, Price spoke over the radio.
"Everyone alright?!" he yelled.
"Yeah, we're fine! Where's Antonio?" Twilight responded.
"He's making a run down the street, we need to move on foot!" Price replied. When the others jumped out, they could see Price and Ghost halfway down the street, weapons drawn, chasing the man. People were screaming, running amuck, Cars were driving crazy, some crashing into each other, everyone had to dodge a random citizen now and then.
"He's moving down the street on the right!" Ghost yelled. "He's trying to get into an alley!"
"I'll cut him off, I see a way around!" Rainbow Dash said. Before anyone could object, she had ran through, going her way.
"Stay safe Dasher…" The thought ran through Ghost's head as soon as he had seen her enter the alley she was talking about.
The sun was now risen, Scarecrow used his shadow to see that it was about 8:43 A.M. He had been keeping low due to unexpected activity.
"Whatever this guy has, it must be pretty freaking important…" he muttered, sneaking through the country side. He was walking through a small patch of woods, his ghillie suit practically making him a ghost. He kept going until he had to suddenly drop. He could see two men, both wearing clothing you would expect citizens to wear, standing about 20 yards in front of him, both holding AK-47s.
"Must be KGB.." Scarecrow thought. He got his AS50 and quietly put the shoulder strap on to hold his Sniper rifle in place, and got out his silenced pistol. He would have to move closer and be able to take both out almost simultaneously. He crept up until he was about 10 yards away, and leaned against a tree.
He took aim with his silenced M9 pistol, aiming at the head of the one on the left. In his other hand he held his tactical knife. He than proceeded to slowly creep up to his target, his blood running as cold as ice. He gripped the trigger with his finger, keeping his aim steady. He took a deep but silent breath, and fired.
The soldier went down immediately, the other turning quickly. He was met with the shoulder of Scarecrow bull rushing him, tackling him to the ground. The Russian tried to aim his AK 47 at him, but Scarecrow knocked it away with his fist, got on top of him, then pushed the knife towards the agent's throat. The agent caught his wrist though, and began to push up, trying to keep the knife from entering his neck.
Both men were trying to use all their strength, not getting both hands on the knife. Scarecrow gritted his teeth and mustered all the strength he could, and slowly the knife entered the KGB's throat, blood leaking out of the hole made. Scarecrow held it in place until the man went limp, then slowly pulled it out. He then closed the man's eyes, and dragged his body into the shadows, then did the same with the other soldier.
"May the lord have mercy on their soul," Scarecrow muttered as he put his knife and pistol up, and proceeded.
It was now about 9:20. Scarecrow had gotten to a bush covered, hill, which was a perfect spot. After setting up his scope, he had a clear view of the inside of the church. He took his eye away from the scope long enough to prop up the picture of his target, Benitez. He looked back through his scope, scanning the church. He saw multiple armed men walking around the facility, but the ancient monks were no where to be seen.
"Maybe they were out when this happened." The hope of that thought being true sank when he saw two soldiers tossing hooded bodies into a hole. "or not…" he mumbled. He then saw the man he had crawled through dirt and forest to find.
Benitez was proudly wearing a tan suit, wearing a red beret, smoking a cigar that Scarecrow figured he must have imported from Cuba. He was holding a briefcase. A small one, but a briefcase nevertheless. He started taking calculations.
"Distance….730 meters… Wind speed… currently 5 to the east… Temperature… 30 degrees Celsius…" Scarecrow quickly jotted this information down into a small book he had set out. "Better hope I get my DOPE right…" he muttered to himself, checking other things such as Humidity and Altitude. After looking over his calculations, he adjusted the wind and elevation knobs on his scope has he needed to. After doing this, he loaded his rounds into the chamber, pulled the bolt back, flipped the safety off, and put the butt of the gun tight against his shoulder.
"Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up in my soul," Scarecrow began his "ritual" as Jester called it, of quoting the bible, praying for the Lord to guide his shot, and to guide him.
"O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me," he took aim at Benitez, who was now shaking hands with a man wearing a tuxedo, his eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses. "Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause," he quickly double checked his calculations, and made minor adjustments.
"Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my Salvation; on the do I wait all the day." He waited for Benitez to get still, and when he had taken a seat, Scarecrow's finger wrapped around the trigger.
"Good and Upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way." It was then he felt the Recoil of his rifle. He hadn't blinked, watching the trace of air the bullet's trajectory left. He watched it drop about 2 feet, hitting Benitez in his skull, knocking his beret off, blood getting in the eyes of a soldier behind him. He quickly popped off two more shots, taking down two agents that was patrolling the wall, one falling over the edge. He quickly got to his feet, and began to run back into the woods.
"Command, This is Scarecrow. The undertaker has collected his soul, I repeat, The Undertaker has collected his soul." he then disappeared into the woods.