Chapter 35 - Ashes to ashes, we all fall down...

Three weeks have passed by ever since then. And for us, things couldn’t get any better. Vilani found out she was gonna be a mother, and Jarod would be a proud father… Nicole and I were happy together… The war would be over soon and we could leave this place… And then we could finally start looking for our loved ones… After so many months, things finally started to brighten up for us. But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the idea that something big was about to happen. I didn’t know why, or what caused that feeling, but I just knew it… At first, I thought that I started to get paranoid, seeing as everything worked out so flawlessly over the weeks… But as days passed by, the feeling didn’t go away… At that point, I knew something serious was about to happen… In a few days, my suspicions became true… And it was something we never saw coming… [br]
[br]
One morning, I got summoned over to COMScann, where everyone else was already waiting. I could see by the looks on their faces that things were seriously wrong… [br]
[br]
Blain: Morning, Scyth… [br]
Scyth: Hey Blain… [br]
Blain: What’s going on? [br]
Scyth: *sighs* Well, in a nutshell… Over the past few weeks, GUN troops were falling back to the north. They probably know about Miller and Zakhaev by now… [br]
[br]
Blain: Yeah, go on…[br]
Scyth: But eh… They were falling back… But not retreating… [br]
Blain: Whadda ya mean…? [br]
Scyth: They fell back to the north to regroup… And now their on their way back… And now they are coming straight for us… They know who killed Miller and Zakhaev…[br]
[br]
Blain: … What……? [br]
Scyth: Yeah… And I bet their pretty pissed about Miller and Zakhaev being dead…[br]
Blain: But… How’s that possible…? [br]
Scyth: I don’t know… Maybe someone snitched us… That’s the only thing I can come up with right now… [br]
[br]
Blain: … You think Jones is behind this……? [br]
Scyth: … [br]
Blain: … Well……?[br]
Scyth: … No… If he went to GUN, he would be up against the wall… It can’t be Jones… Jones is with the ICA after all… [br]
[br]
Blain: … fracking hell… So now what…? [br]
Scyth: We still might have a chance… [br]
Blain: Talk to me… [br]
Scyth: *sighs* UAV showed that a small GUN reconnaissance force is scattered throughout the outskirts of Azerbaijan, trying to find our position… They probably found something, otherwise they wouldn’t hang around all night… If they locate the base, GUN will send their full military arsenal to obliterate us and everyone who’s in this base… So we need to take out the reconnaissance force before they find the base and give our position away… [br]
[br]
Blain: But why…? They wouldn’t gain anything… What is it that they’re after…? [br]
Scyth: Think… [br]
Blain: … [br]
Scyth: They’re after us, Blain… They know you’re a lifeform too… [br]
Blain: … What……? [br]
Scyth: I’m sorry…… I had no choice……[br]
[br]
Blain: … We don’t stand a chance, do we…? [br]
Scyth: No… I-I don’t know… I really don’t… [br]
Blain: *sighs* [br]
Scyth: This is risky shoot, Blain… Very risky… [br]
Blain: It always has been… When do we leave…? [br]
Scyth: Right now… [br]
[br]
The squad leaders assembled their squads in the briefing room. People were running all over the place. Six squads in total were going, including mine. We received our data and objectives from COMScann and everything was stored and displayed on our HUD… Moments later, the door of the briefing room opened up… And Jones walked in, packed up with his own weapons and gear… [br]
[br]
Blain: … The hell do you think you’re doing…? [br]
Jones: … Fighting along side with you guys… [br]
Blain: Out of the question. GUN wants you the most. If they see you out there, you’ll be dead for sure. [br]
[br]
Jones took off his glasses and wiped it clean… He puts them back on and glared at me… [br]
[br]
Jones: With all due respect “sergeant”, but I believe that this is my fight as well… I just wanna get rid of the GUN just as much as you do… Sitting around isn’t helping me… [br]
[br]
Blain: … [br]
[br]
Jones: Let me do something useful… Please… [br]
Blain: *sighs* [br]
[br]
I looked at Jones for a short moment and I nodded to him to take his seat. Jones took out his weapons and inspected them… [br]
[br]
Shifty: Those pistol rounds don’t look like standard ones… [br]
Jones: ‘Scuse me? [br]
Shifty: Those pistol rounds…[br]
Jones: Oh! Yeah, their not… Their hollow pointed .45 ACP rounds… Doesn’t inflict much damage as full cased ones… Their still deadly if you hit someone in the head though… [br]
[br]
Shifty: Hehehe… [br]
[br]
About fifteen minutes later, we were ready… Armed with our weapons, we walked through the corridors… It must have been an impressive sight… People were watching us how we left, and all we did was looking at those who were watching us. The large doors opened up and we got through the hangars… Then another one opens up ahead, and we felt the blistering cold hitting our faces… Snow flakes got blown inside, hitting our bodies… And once we got outside, every squad split up in different directions, sweeping through the streets like a ghost, the bringer of death… [br]
[br]
It didn’t take long before we found the GUN reconnaissance squad. Or at least, we thought so… The frequencies of their equipment gave away their position… We joined another squad who investigated that… But once we arrived, we didn’t see anything… No human soldiers whatsoever… I got in a building to get a good overview and to see if anyone else had identified enemy activity while Jarod, Rico, Shifty, Tavish, Scyth and Jones stayed outside… No one reported hostile activity… This was getting weirder by the minute… [br]
[br]
Blain: COMScann, this is Bravo-3, can I get a UAV at my position? Over. [br]
Radio: Copy, UAV is online and transmitting… [br]
[br]
Blain: Are you sure we’re risking our necks for something…?[br]
Radio: No contacts are visible at the moment, Bravo-3. [br]
Blain: Then where the hell is that frequency coming from?![br]
Radio: We’re working on that. Stand-By. [br]
[br]
~~~[br]
[br]
Shifty: What’s taking the sarge so long…? [br]
Jarod: I don’t know… We better sit tight… Something is definitely wrong… [br]
Shifty: *sighs and cycles through the HUD data* [br]
Jarod: Whoa, whoa, whoa, the hell just happened…? What’d I do…?![br]
Tavish: The radio and data is distorted…[br]
Shifty: That wasn’t me…![br]
Jones: We’re being jammed… [br]
Tavish: *twitches ears* [br]
Scyth: What, what is it?![br]
Tavish: Oh frack!!! INCOMING!!!! [br]
[br]
Then all of a sudden, without warning, a massive EMP hit us… Every electronically device got fried… We lost radio contact with the others and couldn’t see our HUD displays anymore, which made us very vulnerable… Disoriented by the sudden electro magnetic pulse, I tried to hold my balance… As I was staring outside the window, I could see something vague sneaking past a wall… It resembled a soap bubble in the form of a human… The sun shined on it, which revealed it… It took me a while to distinguish it and it was very hard to keep up with… But then I noticed it kneeled and took his aim… I didn’t hesitate for a second and took my aim on his head and immediately pulled the trigger… There was a big blood splatter on the wall, and the human posture started to flicker… Once he was down on the ground, I noticed he had a special suit… Active camo… shoot… [br]
[br]
Blain: IT’S AN AMBUSH!!! THEY KNOW WHERE WE ARE!!! GET OU-[br]
[br]
And then suddenly, something hit the building with a tremendous force… Debris flies all over the place and everything looked like it went in slow-motion… I got blown out of the building, and hit the ground in an unfortunate way… I only heard a noisy beep as I saw everyone standing next to me and yelling… I couldn’t hear them and everything still went in slow-motion… I was so disoriented by the blast… I noticed everyone ran away in different directions from the sudden chaos… I heard the vague machine gun fire rattling through the streets as I got pulled to safety by Jones… At that point, I blacked out… [br]
[br]
Jones: Sergeant?!! Sergeant?!!! Stay with me!! Stay with me, for fracks sake!! shoot!!! SCYYYYYYYTH!!! Take the sergeant back before we loose him!! [br]
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~~~[br]
[br]
Shifty: shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!! shoot!![br]
[br]
Jarod: Less talking, Shifty, more running!! [br]
Shifty: Where the frack are we going anyway?!! Where the hell is everybody?!! [br]
Jarod: The frack should I know, dude?!! The only way to-!![br]
Shifty: You’re left!!! Get down!!! [br]
Jarod: frack!!! [br]
Shifty: Go!! Go!! Go!! [br]
Jarod: Damn!! That was close!! [br]
Shifty: This is fracking madness, Jarod!! The hell are we doing out here?!![br]
Jarod: No idea man, just keep moving!!! [br]
[br]
Shifty: *pants*[br]
Jarod: Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Stop, stop!! [br]
Shifty: What?!![br]
Jarod: Get down!! *pulls Shifty down behind a wall* [br]
Shifty: What, what is it?!![br]
Jarod: Sssh… *twitches ear* [br]
Shifty: You hear something…? [br]
Jarod: *nods* [br]
Shifty: … [br]
Jarod: Battlewalkers… [br]
Shifty: Oh frack, we’re gonna die…! We’re gonna die…!! shoot…!! We don’t stand a chance against these fracking things…!! This is fracking suicide…!! What the hell are we supposed to do…?!! This is NOT worth fighting for, Jarod…!! Not worth to fight nor die for…!! You’re gonna be a father, Jarod…!! Think of Vilani…!! Think of you’re kid, for fracks sake, Jarod…!![br]
[br]
Jarod: I’m doing that right now, Shifty… [br]
Shifty: I’m scared shootless here, man…!! Never before was there an attack so close to the base…!! And even if we defeat these guys, they’ll just send reinforcements over and over again until there’s nothing left of us!! *wheezes* It’s no fracking use!![br]
[br]
Jarod: *grabs Shifty collar and firmly pushes him against the wall* [br]
Shifty: frack you!! frack you!! Lemme go!! Lemme go for fracks sake!! [br]
Jarod: Cool it!! You’re having a panic attack!![br]
Shifty: *gets out his pistol and firmly presses it against Jarod’s forehead* [br]
Jarod: Whoa!! What the frack?!! *let’s go off Shifty* [br]
[br]
Shifty: *stares in Jarod’s eyes while still aiming at his forehead*[br]
Jarod: Dude… It’s me…[br]
Shifty: … [br]
Jarod: *shakes head* No… Just… J-Just… No… [br]
Shifty: *Lowers gun* I-I’m sorry… I-I… [br]
Jarod: You did NOT just aim a gun against my head… *sobs* You didn’t…[br]
Shifty: I-I’m sorry man, I was tripping… I was tripping, alright…?[br]
Jarod: *shakes head* It’s me dude…[br]
Shifty: I-I’m scared, Jarod… frack… [br]
Jarod: I-I know… I know… [br]
Shifty: Oh shoot, oh shoot, oh shoot!! I can hear those fracking battlewalkers coming closer, man!! [br]
[br]
Jarod: D-Don’t panic, Shifty… Stay cool… Don’t ru- [br]
Shifty: frack!!! *runs away* [br]
Jarod: SHIFTY!!![br]
[br]
In the sudden burst of panic that Shifty felt, he ran away in the opposite direction of where the battlewalkers were coming in. It was inevitable for one of the battlewalkers to see Shifty running away… Jarod watched how Shifty ran towards a building, as it got blown up… He witnessed how Shifty got tossed up in the air like a ragdoll, and landed on the street, with severe burns as chunks of flesh was ripped off all over his body… Pieces of shattered windows penetrated Shifty’s entire body… Jarod saw how Shifty reached out for him from a distance… At that point, Jarod couldn’t care anymore if he could die… He ran as fast as he could to Shifty… [br]
[br]
Jarod: Oh shoot!! Oh shoot!!! [br]
Shifty: I-I can’t feel m-my legs, d-dude…[br]
[br]
Then all of a sudden, massive explosion after explosions occurred… Jarod looked up surprised and noticed the battlewalkers got annihilated… [br]
[br]
Jarod: Gunships!! That’ll be you’re ticket out of here!! You’re gonna be alright!! Outlaw, Outlaw, this is bravo-3, do you copy?!! Outlaw, Outlaw, this is Bravo-3, do you copy?!!![br]
[br]
Shifty: Th-Their moving a-away… E-Everyone retreated a-already…[br]
Jarod: … They forgot about us… [br]
Shifty: *breathes heavily*[br]
[br]
Jarod: shoot!!!! You’re gonna be alright!! Rico’s should be around here somewhere!! He’ll patch you up!! You’re gonna be ok!! Ricooooooo!!! RICO!!! RICOOO!!!!![br]
[br]
Shifty: P-Patch me up…?! L-Look at me, you dumb f-frack...!! [br]
[br]
Jarod: RICOOOO!!!! [br]
Shifty: N-No…! No m-medical treatment…! You’re gonna have to k-kill me…[br]
Jarod: What?!! [br]
Shifty: R-Reinforcements a-are coming in c-closer, J-Jarod… [br]
Jarod: frack no!! NO!!! I’ll carry you if I have to!![br]
Shifty: You’re g-gonna die too if y-you try s-saving me… I-It’s too la-late for that now… *starts sobbing* …J-Just put the f-fracking gun to my head an-and p-pull the trigger… N-Nobody will kn-know… Ju-Just you an-and… a-and me…[br]
[br]
Jarod: … Pull the trigger and bail…? [br]
Shifty: *nods slowly* Y-Yeah…[br]
[br]
Jarod hesitated to reach out for his pistol… He removed the buckle of his holster and slowly pulled his gun out… Gently removed the safety and clenched his teeth, hesitating…[br]
[br]
Jarod: *sobs* You did this to yourself, you stupid frack!!! You always frack things up and I get to set everything straight!! [br]
[br]
Shifty: L-Like those d-days back at b-bootcamp…? [br]
Jarod: *nods slowly* …Yeah… Like those days back at bootcamp… [br]
Shifty: *sobs* C-come on J-Jarod… Please d-do it… I’d d-do it for you… I’d do it for y-you… P-Please… D-Don’t let m-me suffer l-like this……[br]
[br]
Jarod: … I love you, you fracking shootbag… [br]
Shifty: I-I love you too… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry man… [br]
Jarod: Everything is gonna be ok now… [br]
Shifty: *nods* … Ye-Yeah… I know… …… I know……[br]
[br]
Shifty closed his eyes as Jarod firmly pressed his pistol to Shifty’s forehead. He hesitated for a short moment… Then he pulled the trigger… Jarod yelled out his agony shortly after he pulled the trigger… He stares at Shifty’s lifeless body for a short while, and then just ran while tears were flowing down his face… [br]

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