The Bullet's Mark (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Fanfiction)

Chapter 11

    "The LZ looks clear but that sand storm is moving in fast!" 
    Price was careful in examining the not-so-distant storm of swirling sand. "We see it. Meet you in 20 seconds!" 
    "That storm is massive," Soap commented, the uneasiness behind his voice matching the twinge of apprehension in my gut.
    "Yeah," Roach agreed, huffing. "The last thing we need is to get caught in it!" 
    "Let's move," Price ordered, remaining collected and stoic as always. 
    The group of us moved forward with Loyalists flanking and taking point. Yuri went before me as he followed Soap out a side door and down wooden steps to a secondary courtyard. The land sloped uphill as we headed right toward the billowing clouds of sand. 
    Wind slapped my shorter hairs around as I jogged next to Soap. "Was Waraabe telling the truth about Volk?" 
    Price answered for Soap instead, his voice behind us. "He was telling the truth. I'd be Makarov's life on it." 
    "Good, more leads then," I suggested. "We're one step closer to Makarov." 
    The chopper was thundering ahead, lowering as it came in facing north. Loyalists paused to make sure all remaining were accounted for and then continued to move forward. Roach pushed up next to me. 
    "We'll start making plans for Paris as soon as we get back. Then we can talk to—" Price was cut off as one of the Loyalists was shot in the head by a single round. 
    "Sniper!" Soap shouted, heading for cover. 
    Yuri and I dove into a nearby window of a building, ducking behind the bricks of it as militia started firing at the landing zone with rockets and other bullets. A chunk of debris flew over our heads and we covered then in synchronization, allowing the piece to hit the back wall. We shared a glance of remission and then swung around to begin a counterattack. 
    "You're not so bad Yuri," I commented lowly and he shot me another glance. 
    "Coming around?" 
    "Slightly," I didn't lie as I fired off a few rounds. 
    Nikolai lifted away from the heated zone, finding peace higher in the sky as he waited for direction. Price and Soap were located right, using the stone barriers by some tables in front of an abandoned restaurant. Roach returned fire from further ahead, joined by a few Loyalists still standing. 
    "On the roof tops!" Roach announced. 
    I eyed a fallen Loyalist, finding the distant look in their dead face to be a little unsettling. Yuri moved out in the open and past me as we put enough pressure on the attack to make the enemy back up. 
    "Nikolai...change of plan," Price huffed out as he hustled forward and reloaded. "Head to the secondary LZ!"
    The comms held a little static as the Russian pilot responded. "The sand storm is coming in fast. I won't be able to touchdown when it hits." 
    "Just be there!" Price had no doubt...at least externally. 
    The group took out the most present militia and I pressed up next to Roach, reloading as I examined the layout of the buildings ahead. It was a winding path through the coastal set up and the wind of the storm didn't assist with anything. 
    "Push!" I shouted. "That storm is getting closer." 
    Roach and Yuri moved up together, rounding a corner to wider part of the road. A truck zoomed forward, a technical firing at the two of them. Both soldier split and ducked for cover, initiating the others to do the same. 
    "Get a grenade out there!" I called out. 
    "I'm empty," Roach and Soap jinxed. 
    By the look of Price and Yuri, it was clear they were drained as well. I rolled my eyes, ignored the flailing Loyalist next to me, and then went for a ladder on the side of the building to my left. The technical stayed focused on the men on the ground while I took out two militia men on the roof top. 
    Sliding between them I stabbed my knife in the knee of one and shot the other at an upwards angle, allowing the bullet to slide up his jugular and into his skull. The stabbed one collapsed to the ground in time for me to fire another secondary round into the back of his head. 
    I tucked away my pistol, bringing out my rifle once more as I reached the backside of the building. I used a dumpster and stack of crates to hop from the roof. In my motions, I managed to take down another, unaware enemy. 
    "Price, the winds are getting stronger," Nikolai was struggling to keep a secure LZ. 
    Price hustled to take out a few enemies. "Just hold on, Nikolai. We're on the way!"
    Running up to the back of the truck, I stepped up onto the tailgate and then grabbed the technical gunner. He flailed as I clutched him, kicking backwards with a foot and nailing my thigh. I grunted in surprised pain and stumbled backward out of the truck. 
    My wrists stung as I caught myself and landed in a vulnerable position. The militia man in the truck spun around and drew his pistol, raising it to fire, but Yuri came up in the nick of time. He shot the foe in the chest and then closed the distance to me. He held out a hand, examining me in silence, and then easily helped me up. 
    "Thank you," I heaved, my thigh pounding in reawakened pain. 
    Yuri curtly nodded his head and then took point next to Price. Roach pressed past as I salvaged a gun from the ground and moved to join them. My leg wobbled with the first bit of weight, pondering whether to give out of not. A hand came to the back of my arm. 
    "We have to keep moving," Soap spoke firmly yet a pinch of concern hid behind his tone. 
    "Right," I sucked in a breath and continued after the others. 
    We rounded another corner, thundering up a small set of steps and into another courtyard with a building in the works at center. Price banked right, avoiding the collapse of part of the wall onto two militiamen. 
    "I don't know how much longer I can fly in this storm," Nikolai could be heard as the sand began to close in. 
    "Just a little longer Nikolai!" I managed, following Price up through the fairly open building.
    The others took out any stragglers and followed us in a rush. The second floor held a few hostiles as they took cover from the storm and still attempted to stop us. I shot at one to the right, watching him fall back and off the edge as the impact hit. 
    "Starting my approach to the LZ," Nikolai reported, the sound of his bird becoming louder. 
    "We'll meet you at the top," Price reminded, ushering to the third and final floor of the structure. 
    I kept my weapon readied as I used a barrel for support. Roach shot me a glance of concern before focusing on the empty landing zone; Nikolai had yet to appear on time. 
    "Nikolai, where are you?" Price shot a militia soldier firing from ground level. 
    "Almost there," came a huff of a reply. A few seconds later he came into the comms again. "The site is too hot! I can't land." 
    "Yuri," Price looked at the crouching soldier. "Get on the remote turret and thin them out." 
    Yuri did as directed, using the turret to make an attempt at clearing the way for Nikolai to pick the remaining team up. I fired one of my entire clips down at the persistent hostile groups. 
    One was able to fire off a rocket at Nikolai despite Yuri's best efforts and the impact was strong against the chopper's back end. Nikolai let out a grunt through the comms as Yuri backed off the turret tablet. 
    "I'm hit, I'm hit!" 
    "He's out of control!" I shouted, shifting as Nikolai's bird spun around and came closer to our position. 
    Price was already on the move. "Use the ropes! Go!" 
    I followed after him, sliding down the rough construction ropes; I was entirely thankful for my tactical gloves in that moment. Soap, Yuri, and Roach shortly followed, their forms outlined by the howling sandstorm enveloping our position. 
    "Nikolai?" I used the comms to gain the pilot's attention. "Do you copy Nikolai?" 
    Price shared a look of annoyance and concern with me as I faced him. The chopper's sounds faded out in the storm as Nikolai crash-landed somewhere west. I squinted my eyes as the sand whipped through the area, turning the world a reddish color. 
    The last sandstorm I'd been in had left off rather horribly and I hoped it wouldn't turn to that again...
    "What the bloody hell are we gonna do now?" Roach was looking at Price. 
    "Echo Team, Nikolai's bird is down and the sandstorm is on top of us! We need emergency exfil," Price reported into comms.
    As if sensing my internal, temporary panic, Soap nudged my shoulder as we began to hunt down Nikolai's crash site. I shot him a look of doubt and then remembered that this sand storm in Bosaso wasn't Afghanistan. There were five of us and times were different. 
    I let out a breath, the sand scratching my cheeks, as we moved through a gate and into another side street. Price led the way, carefully, through the area, determined to reach Nikolai before Waraabe's men did. 
    Roach coughed lowly. "I can't see two feet in front of me." 
    "Makes two of us," I murmured. 
    "Hostiles dead ahead. Take them out," Price fired the first shot to take out the small group. 
    Once through with them, we continued through the blurry streets in a more hurried manner. I tried to peer through the whirling sand, hoping to catch a glimpse of flames or smoke; everything blended together through the nasty storm. 
    "We've located Nikolai's chopper. It's a half click south of your position," Echo came into the comms. 
    As we listened, an entire entourage of Waraabe's men passed on the street. The group stopped and dropped down to less obvious positions, letting the enemy team pass. I glared after them, frustration driving the adrenaline pulsing through my veins to another level. 
    "Price, we've reached Nikolai, but we're under heavy fire," a Russian-accented voice spat through the comms, sounding out of breath. 
    "We're almost there!" Price responded, moving to another alley where a couple of hostiles searched. "Drop 'em." 
    The five of us made short work of the oblivious enemies and then we continued to close the distance to Nikolai. I coughed, the sand invading my tongue even as I pushed air out, and blinked, the storm also scratching at my vision. 
    Down a shallow slope, Nikolai's chopper was resting in flames and in a tiny crater made from impact. I stepped forward first. "There it is!" 
    "Echo Team, we're approaching your position from the south," Price announced, leading the way into the fight and unpinning the other team from enemy fire. 
    We fought an easier fight down to the chopper, reaching the other team in a matter of moments. Price questioned the team leader while I looked at Nikolai resting up against a sheet of metal. He was out of it, yet not wounded fatally. 
    "Yuri, grab Nikolai. Everyone else, suppress and fall back," Price ordered Yuri and the stronger man moved to pick up the pilot. 
    "Echo-2, we've got Nikolai! We're heading to the exfil point," Price reported and began to provide cover fire for Yuri as we quickly moved through bullets, sand, and uneven streets. 
    Yuri let out a short breath as we briskly made our way to the exfil and I made sure to flank him. "Come on Yuri...not much further!" 
    Coming up on a steeper ridge, Yuri hesitated before letting Nikolai slide down; he soon followed to pick him back up. I double checked to make sure everyone was at least sliding down before copying. 
    The jeeps were idling as we closed the gap. Yuri carefully adjusted Nikolai in one, hopping in it himself alongside Price. Soap, Roach, and I got in another, barely able to be secure before the vehicles took off away from the heat of Waraabe's men. 
    I let out a long sigh, wiping my sand-stung face, and then examined my thigh. No blood, but it hurt like it had months before. I looked to Roach, who was watching me examine my thigh, and nodded once. 
    "I'm fine." 
    "Better be."