Rainbow Six: Bloodlines

"TRUE DARK" - Chapter 14

FEBRUARY 23, 2018
CEUTA, SPAIN
The Woodlands South of Benzu

     Lieutenant Colonel Acevedo had taken evasive maneuvers, flying Gold Team's helicopter south before cutting across the Ceutan countryside, finally grounding the chopper in the woods near the town of Benzu in the northwest.

     Tensions were high.

     Taina "Caveira" Pereira paced about outside. Orange sunlight filled the sky, and in better circumstances she might have been able to appreciate the view out in the wilderness.

     The woman cast a quiet look around the clearing in the forest. The silhouette of the helicopter was a forbidding shadow against the sky. Zofia and Ela were having hushed words off near the tree line.

     Taina turned to Vigil and Dokkaebi, who were sitting on a short boulder formation in the dirt. The light from Grace's ballistic laptop glinted off her glasses while she spoke quickly in Korean. Hwa was nodding his understanding. The way he was passively slapping his face mask against his knee betrayed his impatience.

     Upon contacting Domingo Chavez in the aftermath of Ela's disobedient pursuit of Jackal and Mira near Mount Hacho, Caveira had been ordered to lay low, and not make contact with the rest of the Rainbow operators still on standby to the north in Gibraltar.

     Taina was furious with Ela Bosak. Ela knew she had disobeyed a direct order. Still, there had been no apology, nothing even resembling the faintest hint of remorse.

     In an effort to avert her mind from anger, Caveira wondered how Ash was doing, and what on earth could have caused a DEFCON 3 alert in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. She was in the middle of recalling the bewildered look on Eliza's face when Amelia called her from the helicopter cockpit.

     "Pereira? Command is on the line."

     "Thank fuck." Taina jogged to the cockpit and put on her headset. "Gold Leader reporting."

     "Gold Leader, please verify your identity," came a woman's voice.

     "Caveira. Dark Thirty-two. Operator number 01194-03F."

     "Confirm: condition green?"

     "Dark Thirty-two confirms: okay to speak."

     "Patching you through to Variable. One moment, please."

     Pereira held up two crossed fingers and mouthed Here we go. Amelia grinned and wiped her aviator sunglasses clean with her shirt.

     "Pereira, this is Variable. You read?"

     Taina recognized Ding Chavez's voice immediately. "Yes sir."

     "HQ has been updated on your situation. I've made some calls, but you're still in the shit. Stay put."

     "Affirmative." Pereira blinked away the sleepiness that tugged at her eyes. She glanced at the Bosak sisters across the way. "And what about Ela?"

     "Six will deal with her. Just concentrate on keeping your heads down. Don't make a move until you hear from me."

     "Copy that." Caveira drew a deep breath. "We'll await your orders."

     "Stay alert and stay off the air. I'll be in touch soon. Variable, out."

*               *               *

     Zofia slung her rifle over her shoulder and kicked at the dirt. "Just keep your mouth shut, Elżbieta. You're in enough trouble already."

     Ela rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid, Zo."