It was the dead of night in the Caspian region of Iran and Maverick's team was poised and ready to strike. They stood on a hill overlooking the White Mask safe house. Glaz and Valkyrie had taken the previous day to scope the place out, satisfied that their night raid could take place the very next day. Though Ash was not satisfied that she would be stuck on overwatch duty with Glaz. Assigning her any role that didn't include her rushing into the thick of battle always put her into a grumpy mood. But she relented, slightly, when Maverick pointed out that if shit did hit the fan, having someone with a high amount of mobility to draw away the fire would increase the group's chance of survival; if absolutely everything went wrong. Glaz had joked that because Kade wasn't here, "Nothing can possibly go wrong!". That had earned him an unimpressed glare from Ela at Maverick's debriefing.
"Place is lit like American Christmas tree! We go in shooting, yes?" Tachanka whispered excitedly, the others only chuckling silently at his joke. He always tried to make everyone at ease just before a mission, even if he'd never admit that it was his motive. Tachanka and Valkyrie both sat upon sleek, jet-black military grade ATV's, Finka and Ela riding in the back of them respectively. They were all outfitted in black tactical gear, what little could be see of their faces and eyes were the only visible parts of them in the cloak of night. Clouds had decided to cover the moon that night, as if God was hiding his light from the atrocities that were about to occur. He was right to. They were going to come down on them like a sledgehammer to a nail. The night was surprisingly cool for the Caspian region, making Ela feel comfortable in her night-raid garb. She adjusted her mask and pulled her normally pink-tinted goggles-tinted black for the raid- over her eyes. She tapped Valkyrie on the shoulder. She was ready. Maverick looked side to side, nodding at each driver as well as Kapkan, Ash and Glaz.
"Go." Maverick's voice whispered into their earpieces. Glaz immediately began popping off shots, patrolling White Mask falling at an astonishing rate. Maverick and Kapkan began making their descent, Maverick slinging shots down the hill with his AR-15 while Kapkan shot out short burst of his submachine-gun, the White Mask scrambling to mount a counter-offensive. One White Mask went for the alarm, only for Maverick to take him down. Glaz then shot out the power box. The team had already scoped the place for miles around. No one would be coming.
Valkyrie and Tachanka started their engines, beginning their fast descent down the hill. There were shouts and cries as the White Mask attempted to organize themselves, though team Rainbow was making it anything but easy. As soon as they hit the bottom of the hill, Ela and Finka began firing off their weapons. Ela's shotgun tore through the White Mask's armor while Finka's LMG mowed down what little organized resistance the White Mask could amount. Even still, the White Mask poured out of the building like a horde of rats; when one fell, three more took their place. A White Mask captain attempted to rally his troops behind a storage container, shouting orders to man after man, only for his head to explode into a red, brainy mess.
"15!" Glaz yelled out with glee. Tachanka made a disapproving sound,
"Shoot better, Comrade Finka! Glaz must not win! He gloats too much!" Tachanka yelled over the roar of Finka's gunfire.
"Shut up and let me shoot, you stupid man!" Finka yelled back. Tachanka only let out one of his hearty laughs. The crazy bastard was having far too much fun. Ela supposed she should've seen it coming with the introduction of the ATV's. Tachanka practically jumped for joy when Maverick unveiled them. Ela felt a bullet scrape her shoulder pad. She growled. She threw her shotgun to the wayside, unhitching the M32 grenade launcher from her back.
"Prepping bombs!" she advised, Tachanka and Finka immediately beginning to circle the base in order to draw White Mask fire away. Maverick and Kapkan paused their advance, taking cover behind thick trees.
"Alright El, blow em' to high heaven!" Valkyrie yelled, speeding up and making a wide circle, narrowly avoiding a heavy stream of bullets. Ela let the grenades loose, targeting any and all points of cover the White Mask were cowering behind. Shouts and screams filled the once still night ambiance. Body parts, blood and brain matter flew through the air. An arm catapulted towards her in a bloody spin, narrowly missing her face as she emptied the chambers. At the top of the building a man attempted to mount MG but was immediately shot down.
"17!" Glaz chirped into their earpieces.
"Stop stealing my marks!" they could hear Ash growl
"I not stealing. Just hitting shots you can't." the sniper teased, making Ash grumble and curse further as she let out single burst of her R4.
It wasn't long before Ela had run out of ammo, Glaz, Maverick and Kapkan making quick work of the remaining forces scrambling from Ela's Milkor MGL. Gunfire finally ceased, the safe house standing before them ominously in the darkness. Now all that was left was to clear the inside. Maverick and Kapkan systematically worked their way around the outside, making sure all the White Mask were truly dead. One man had his arm blown off and his chest cavity exposed, blood leaking out of almost every orifice. The man's mask had been blown off, a look of pure terror forever petrified stared up at him. He didn't react to the horrific sight. Afghanistan had nearly shrouded him in darkness. Nothing horrified him anymore.
It smelled putrid, the newly dead bodies smelling purely of sweat and feces. Ela's nose wrinkled as she got off the ATV, Valkyrie mockingly swept the air to her nose; like an Italian chef savoring the sweet aroma of his newly made risotto. Ela struggled to giggle silently, the last thing she wanted was to taste the smell. She retrieved her shotgun and formed up with the rest of the group; all operators pointing their weapons at any and all entrances the White Mask could come from.
"Just like we discussed, people. We'll clear it room by room. Watch your partner's back and for traps. For all we know this whole damn thing is rigged to blow." Maverick said, getting an affirmative nod from all his teammates. Maverick had read through the reports of Operation Sweep. He hoped to god they didn't run into the same problem Kade's team had faced. Maverick's face hardened.
"Go slow, check your corners and keep your fingers on your triggers. I'm not having anyone die on my watch." he reminded once again, looking pointedly at Tachanka. It wasn't that he didn't like the guy, but the bear of a man was far too boisterous for his own good.
"Bah, you worry too much, comrade! I kill all who stand in way." the Russian said confidently, making Maverick and Finka roll their eyes almost in sync. Ela held back a giggle. Tachanka was always a guiding light of sorts. His humor didn't meld well with Maverick's more, no nonsense, by the numbers leadership style but she found she liked it none the less. He was certainly one hell of a planner when it came to constructing blitz attacks. The White Mask didn't even know what hit them. The piles of dead, bleeding bodies at their feet could attest to that fact.
"Glaz, Ash, keep us posted. Let's try not to make Charlie have to save us again. Move it." Maverick said, the group advancing with practiced efficiency. Ela and Valkyrie posted up on the second level, Finka and Tachanka taking the third while Maverick and Kapkan took the first.
"Placing breaching charge." Ela whispered, flattening herself against the adjacent concrete wall and waiting for Maverick's signal.
"On 3." Maverick whispered. Ela held her breath, holding the detonator at the ready.
"1."
Ela adjusted her footing, ready to spring into action.
"2."
She adjusted her grip on her FO-12. She looked to Valkyrie. Her friend nodded.
"3."
Three consecutive blast rocked the building. The operators rushed in, weapons ready. To Ela's left and right there were what appeared to be dorm rooms. Valkyrie took the right and Ela the left. She turned the light on, only for a White Mask to leap out at her from the corner with a combat knife. With a roar her FO-12 made him into mincemeat, blasting his body back through the previously closed-and unbroken- window. Glaz laughed,
"Down with White Mask!. That is number 10 for you, little dikobraz" (translation: porcupine) he said cheerfully. Ela had always forgotten to ask him how he was able to keep track of so many details at once. She'd have to learn it one day.
"Hostile down. Room clear." she growled into her earpiece. She hated sneaky cowards. Like Caveira.
"Room Clear." Valkyrie called out. The two women continued along the level, finding no more White Mask or anything of interest. They heard the occasional shot or two come from below and above them, their teammates apparently also running into stragglers. Ela was beginning to suspect they'd raided a low-ranking outpost. Poor security, poor counter offensive measures, little to nothing of value, and their only strategy was seemingly to overwhelm with sheer numbers. At the very least, the White Mask certainly hadn't expected them. After all three levels were clear they met up together in what Ela assumed was some sort of Ops center. There were computers, communications equipment, projectors showing maps of certain parts of Iran as well as boxes upon boxes of files. Valkyrie whistled,
"Jackpot, baby." she said.
"I doubt it. Their defenses were too piss-poor for this to be anything big. Still, I imagine it'll be better than the pile of jack shit we have now." Maverick said, echoing Ela's thoughts perfectly. He set his gun on the wall and put his finger to his ear.
"Ash, move in and assist with data collection. Glaz, keep steady at your post. Report any changes."
"Copy that, Team Leader. I'm on the move." Ash responded, sounding relieved. No doubt Glaz had spent the entire time lording over her his superior number of kills.
"I copy, TL. No changes." Glaz whispered. When Glaz was put on guard duty he preferred to stay as quiet as possible and become one with his environment. No operator could claim they'd spotted him once he'd found his hiding place. Maverick turned his attention to Ela and Valkyrie.
"You two go clear the basement. I doubt there's any White Mask left but be on your toes. If you find any more computers or files bring them up here." he ordered. The two nodded resolutely, readying their weapons and beginning the descent. There hadn't been much protest when Maverick was made leader. He was straight forward in his leadership, not lording it over his fellows like some others were known to do. He was also very good at making every member of the team feel like they were heard, something that more egotistical leaders in Rainbow had a hard time doing. The man simply didn't showboat. He had skills and didn't need to prove to anyone why he was there. It reminded Ela of Zofia in a way. Though Maverick was more relaxed by a long shot.
The first thing Ela noticed about the basement was how dark it was. She held up her hand and couldn't see it until it was mere inches from her face. Ela clicked on the flashlight attachment on her side barrel. Valkyrie did the same. Then the stench hit her. It smelled like piss, rot, human feces and rotting garbage. She nearly gagged but her mask protected her from the worst of it. Valkyrie retched, holding her scarf to her nose and mouth.
"Christ that reeks!" she exclaimed in disgust. This definitely ranked in her top ten of worst smells. She only dreaded finding the source of the awful stench. They walked slowly and checked every corner, Ela nearly hallucinating White Mask jumping her from the shadows. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. The air felt dead.
"I see nothing of value." Ela decided, after they cleared the third room filled with ordinary ordnance. Valkyrie visibly shivered.
"Yeah. This basement is giving me the creeps." she agreed. Before they moved to leave, Ela saw one last door at the end of the hall. It looked different from the others. It was a heavy looking metal door with a wheel lock, similar to ones she'd seen on battleships. She had a sinking feeling. Every instinct told her not to approach the door. But duty called. A Bosak never shirked her duty.
"Valk. We have to go in there." Ela said, motioning to the sinister door. Valkyrie didn't look thrilled, but her face hardened. They were Rainbow. The most elite fighting force in the world. Why was a dumbass door scaring them so much?
"Find anything, you two? Could use your help sifting through stuff up here." Maverick's voice crackling in their ears nearly made the two women jump.
"B-be right up, Mav. One more room." Ela reported.
"Good. Keep me posted and come up quick, we might have more useful intel up here than I thought." Maverick said. The basement once again filled with silence like a pool, slowly rising to suffocate them. Ela felt claustrophobic and filled with anxiety the closer the two got to the door. Not to mention the stench grew sickeningly more pungent with every step. Ela let her shotgun hang by its strap, grabbing the wheel firmly. With all her strength she slowly twisted it, the door groaning and screeching in protest. The sound was grating to Ela's ears and made her long for her treasured headphones that she'd left back at their base of operations. The wave of putrid air spurned on a feeling of nausea that Ela had never felt before. It was what they already smelled but magnified several times over. Ela's mask was the only thing preventing her from emptying her stomach but Valkyrie wasn't so lucky. She ran to the nearest corner and immediately let loose, Ela coughing and gagging as she backed away from the entrance.
"What....the....fuck." Valkyrie muttered weakly. Ela managed to recover relatively quickly, daring to peer in with her FO-12 lighting up the inky blackness. What she saw would be burned into her brain for the rest of her life. She had seen devastation, mangled bodies and bloody battlefields. What she hadn't seen was what could be described only as a kill room. Countless bodies littered the floor and even shored up against the walls like human sandbags. Blood, guts, bone, every body part was splayed and splashed over the walls like a twisted art piece. Some bodies hung in chains, others were pinned to the wall. There were even cages with bodies rotting inside them. Men and Women of all ages and professions seemed to be the victims from what was left of their faces and tattered clothes. What disturbed Ela the most was that the bodies looked...mauled. They were completely torn apart, not consistent at all with wounds sustained from bullets or explosives. No, these bodies had been annihilated. Devoured. Squashed. Beaten. Ela wouldn't be surprised if they found intel describing the White Mask setting a leap of Leopards loose onto the unfortunate locals. Though, what Ela definitely couldn't explain was the strange red, glowing stalagmites that had grown all over the room. Valkyrie finally spat out the last of it, composing herself and peering in the room. She gasped in shock when she saw what had rooted Ela to the spot, a horrified expression hidden behind her mask and goggles.
"Jesus H Christ!" Valkyrie exclaimed in utter revulsion.
"Get the others. They need to see this." Ela managed to choke out, nausea and repugnance constraining her speech. Valkyrie turned away before she felt the urge to get sick again.
"Mav. Get everyone the hell down here. We've...got something." Valkyrie said.
Everyone's reactions were fairly similar to Ela and Valkyrie, though Maverick seemed less repulsed and more curious. It was the same with Finka, who had taken great interest in the strange stalagmites.
"Any idea what those are, doc?" Maverick asked, eyeing them suspiciously. Finka had a pair of tweezers out and with great precision picked off a very small piece, putting it into a thin test-tube.
"Visually? It looks like nothing I've ever seen. Yet, whatever this is it isn't strictly a mineral or organic. It strikes me as a mix of both. I would need a full lab to make a conclusive identification." Finka summarized. Tachanka was oddly silent, slowly looking around the room, whatever on his face was obscured by his helmet. Kapkan was carefully observing the room, going from corner to corner and carefully studying the walls.
"Comrades. There is door." he said, pointing to north end of the room. While covered by a pile of bodies and stalagmite growths, Ela could see a part of the frame identical to the iron door she had opened. Maverick's frown seemed to only deepen.
"Finka. What's your absolute first thought when you consider this entire situation, with context? Where we are, what we found upstairs, and where we're currently standing." Maverick said with an intense tone. Ela was confused. What had they found upstairs? Finka stopped for a moment, going through a mental checklist. Then her face blanched to an almost sickly grey.
"Bio...terror." she almost whispered.
"What?! Nonsense! Strange, horrible room does not mean bioweapon!" Tachanka exclaimed. Maverick fixed him with a serious glare,
"Think about it. Their base is in the middle of nowhere. Perfect for testing such a weapon. Their defenses and counter offensive were laughable at best. Most of them looked like it was the first time they'd ever held a gun. The one interesting piece of intel we found upstairs mentioned experiments and now we have...this." he said, gesturing to the grizzly scene around them. Ela came to a sudden realization.
"Most of them were scientist. They sent them out to die so they wouldn't talk." she said.
"But if they were scientist where is their research? Their labs?" Ash asked skeptically.
"My guess? All our answers lie beyond that door." Maverick said grimly.
"Something must have happened, then. I mean, that door looks like it hasn't been opened in a long time. The one to this room smelt like it hadn't been opened in months." Valkyrie mentioned. Finka still looked deathly pale, a 1,000 yard stare directed at no one in particular.
"Something went very, very wrong here. You can almost feel it." she said fearfully. They stood in silence, all wrapped up in their own thoughts when the most inhuman, terrifying roar shook them to their core and out of their respective bubbles. Every operator reached for their weapons and pointed them at the source of the noise; beyond the nearly concealed metal door.
"That....sound worse than Russian bear." Tachanka said in a whispery tone. Finka looked absolutely petrified. How could she not? With all her knowledge and expertise, her mind was most likely running through all the worse case scenarios of just what that roar could've came from. Maverick had a set look of determination on his face.
"Alright people. This is how we're doing this."
They had Tachanka with his turret positioned in front of the original door Ela and Valkyrie opened, bodies stacked in front of it like makeshift sandbags. No one was happy with desecrating the dead in such a way but all agreed it was a necessary evil. Maverick and Kapkan stood at the door, in position and ready to open it. One of Valkyrie's blackeyes blinked at them from the corner of the room and she had several more, one in the stairwell, one just before the main entrance on the first level, and one on a particularly tall tree with a nice view of the compound outside. Valkyrie herself sat on the roof of the building, watching her cams by the mounted MG. Finka was perched behind a rock on an incline that gave her a direct line of sight to the main entrance, her 6P41 pointed directly towards the door. Meanwhile, Ela was driving the ATV in slow loops around the building, Ash standing on the back with her R4C at the ready. Glaz, was hidden in nondescript shrubbery and-as usual- no one knew exactly where he was, but rest assured he would shoot lead into anything that wasn't a friendly operator. It should also be noted that every operator save for Glaz had a gas mask on. Glaz had stubbornly refused to get out of his hidey hole despite Maverick's direct orders. Finka refused one, seeing as she already had a suit that was more than capable of shielding her from biological threats.
"Alright, is everyone in position?" Maverick asked, his 50. cal rifle pointed directly at the door Kapkan now had his hands on. He paused, waiting to get affirmatives from all his operators.
"Tac, we're gonna dive right behind you as soon as we open this door. Keep your finger on the trigger. Everyone else, don't look away from the main entrance for a second. We have no idea what's in there." he said, shouldering his rifle and nodding at Kapkan. Kapkan nodded back and with a grunt, began to turn the wheel. It made an equally hideous noise as the first one had made, screeching in protest as the rusted bolts and hinges slowly gave way. With one final heave, Kapkan swung the door open, the two immediately backing away in a rapid pace with their guns pointed into the dark abyss before them. Red flares they'd found in one of the rooms lit the kill room in a menacing, eerie glow that made every shadow jump and dance on the bloody walls. As soon as they were close enough they dived over the "sandbags" and ran to the stairwell where they'd constructed a makeshift barricade out of deployable shields and whatever furniture they could find. Any other entrance and exit had been cut off by placement of desk, beds, filing cabinets, whatever they could use plugged up every single escape route except for one; the main entrance. At first, nothing happened. Tachanka gripped his beloved Degtyaryov with stout preparation but there was no sound, no movement. Nothing.
"What do you see, guys?" Maverick asked.
"Nothing yet, comrades." Tachanka responded.
"Nada. Black eye isn't picking up anything." Valkyrie said. Maverick grimaced. Was he wrong to plan things this way? Kade would've known what to do right away. He shook his head. This was his first op with Rainbow. As Team Leader, he couldn't afford to have any doubts. There was silence for moments that stretched endlessly. Maverick swallowed his anxiety, only to find his mouth completely dry. He wanted to think he was being overly cautious. Perhaps a doped-up monkey would come scampering out of the doorway and all of this was for nothing. But the unearthly howl still rang in his ears. There was no way it was a monkey, no matter how much wishful thinking he applied to it.
"Uh...I see, two glowing...objects?" Valkyrie said in an unsure voice.
"I see them too. Red...lights? Wait, objects are moving. No lights! Eyes." Tachanka said with realization heavy in his voice. Then another soul-shuddering shriek pierced the air and their earpieces.
"Fucking der'mo." (translation: shit) Glaz whispered. Then the entire building began to shake as whatever was in the room began furiously throwing itself against the metal frame of the door.
"I-it's fucking huge!" Valkyrie called out.
"Die grebanyy monstr!" (translation: fucking monster) he cried as they could hear is turret begin to unload on the creature.
"What are you seeing?" Maverick demanded.
"I don't know! All I know is that its huge and Tac's turret is doing fuck all!" Valkyrie answered back. Shit. As if on cue, the thing roared once again, its fury clearly evidenced by the pounding against the frame. Maverick and Kapkan could hear the metal screech in protest. It wouldn't last much longer.
"Get out of there Tachanka!" Maverick ordered.
"Bah! Spetsnaz does not run!" Tachanka protested over his turret fire. The frame gave one final groan.
"Oh no." Valkyrie whispered. She watched as the behemoth of a monster burst out of the door they'd opened, charging straight towards the defiant SAS operative.
"Get out of there you upryamyy idiot! Adrenaline Boost incoming!" (translation: stubborn idiot) Finka yelled. Tachanka roared defiantly before his radio went silent, the beast continuing to roar and pound upon the next frame. Kapkan instinctively began to climb over the barricade to go to his comrade but Maverick shook his head. Kapkan gave him a pained look before settling back down. He of all people understood being patient. He just had to have faith Tachanka got to safety before the hulk of a beast got to him.
"Eyes Valkryie!" Maverick shouted. It was only a matter of time before it was upon them.
"I've got shit! It took out the blackeye!" Valkyrie responded frantically. Double shit. Maverick put down his gun, taking out all his tanks for his blow torch and setting them strategically along their barricade. Kapkan immediately knew what he was doing and nodded at him when Maverick caught his eye. The two began to slowly back up as the pounding only grew in volume and ferocity.
"Did we unleash the fucking hulk?!" Valkyrie demanded, making Maverick wonder just how close to reality the joke was.
"My bullets will pop its head like melon." Glaz said dangerously. He didn't take kindly to injuring his comrades. No one did. The frame was on its last legs, the roaring and growling only growing in intensity with every hit. It had to have armor. Tachanka buried two mags of his turret into the damn thing and it shrugged it off like it was nothing.
"Ash! Get your breaching rounds ready. I have a sinking feeling we're gonna need 'em." Maverick warned.
"Copy that." Ash said. Ela revved up the ATV's engine. The anticipation was making her stomach queasy.
The thing sounded like a damn pinball in a pinball machine as they could hear it flailing against the walls coming closer and closer. Maverick only saw it for a moment before it was hurling itself against the barricades. He could tell it had a similar texture to the stalagmites, cracks glowing red and an almost rock-like texture to the exterior. That must be the armor. Maverick and Kapkan immediately began firing at the creature while also attempting to hit the small propane tanks he'd left sitting on it. Maverick hit the money shot, the entire barricade exploding in a small, fiery boom. The two operators immediately made a mad dash for the entrance. They knew the explosion hadn't killed it but by its pained cries they were certain they'd at least slowed it down. They burst out of the main entrance as they could hear Kapkan's traps going off, one after the other. Maverick veered to the left as Kapkan went to the right.
"Let's make this a fucking kill box, safeties off! Valkyrie, how armored!?" Maverick ordered. Finka aimed down at the door as Ela sped up the ATV, doing loops only in the front as to give Ash a decent shot at the monster.
"Heavily but your explosives made it hurt!" Valkyrie reported, putting down her tablet and mounting the MG. Maverick took cover behind their other ATV while Kapkan had found a storage container, both with sight lines to the door. They would have the creature effectively surrounded as soon as it exited the building.
"Aim for any exposed bits. I don't know what damage we managed to do but just hit what you can. Ash, put those rounds to good use. You can't afford to miss." Maverick said. Ash snorted,
"I never miss."
For just a moment there was silence. The thing-whatever it was-had finally stopped its horrifying noises. Glaz noticed that even the forest around them had gone silent. That was never a good sign. Ela felt like her stomach would simply bottom out, the only noise being her ATV as she made methodical loops and turns, circling the entrance. Finka worried dearly for Tachanka but was careful not to let it show. Maverick could feel sweat pouring out of his every pore. This was by far the most intense operation he'd ever been a part of. If they were going to keep running into shit like this, Afghanistan was going to look like Candyland in comparison. Then, almost like out of the scene of a movie, the hulking beast burst out of the entrance, bloody, screaming and glowing red. The thought that a film crew would pop out of the trees and it would be instantly revealed they were on the set of a new Godzilla movie briefly crossed Maverick's mind. To say that the thing looked like it came straight out of hell was an understatement. It was a massive and hideous demon, covered in spikes that were strikingly similar to the stalagmite the group had found. Ela didn't even have words to describe how horrendous the creature was. Nothing could describe it. Her first thought was like some sort of corrupt knight from hell. It's dark, glowing, spiked armor reminded her of hellscapes she'd only seen in the portraits created by the tortured souls of demented artist. Nothing fully based in reality could describe what it was she was seeing in front of her. Valkyrie immediately opened fire with her MG, the thing letting out a howl as the bullet's sprayed blood from its exposed wounds. As much as Maverick wanted to blind fire he steeled his nerves and took controlled shots at its weak points, making it more agitated with every successful shot. Ash zeroed in on the beast, Ela speeding up considerably before pushing the brake and accelerator at the same time; drifting in a perfect angle right towards it. Ash shot off her first round, hitting it square in the chest. As soon as Ela confirmed the hit was successful she sped away, a sizeable chunk of armor flying off the thing's chest as Ash's breach round exploded. It roared in rage, picking up and hurling the chunk at Ela and Ash at near blinding speed. The stalagmite chunk landed just in the front of the ATV, making Ela and Ash go flying over the handlebars and into the mud as the ATV collided with the projectile. Maverick swore, emerging from cover and beginning to blind fire in hopes of getting its attention. Glaz was furiously emptying shot after shot into the things face, which seemed only to irritate it more than anything.
"Adrenaline boost in coming!" Finka called out, her nanobots breathing new life into Ela. She scrambled off the ground, unhooking a grzmot mine and throwing it directly at the beast. It exploded in a white flash, which made it begin to cry out in pain and anger, flailing its arms wildly in hopes of catching one of the operators in its path. The boost brought Ash out of her stupor as well and she immediately loaded another breaching round into the chamber.
"Reloading!" Finka called out, throwing the spent box to the side in favor of one with a full belt.
"I will cover!" Glaz declared, starting to come down from his rage and carefully plugging shots into its exposed wounds. Valkyrie's MG suddenly hiccupped and let out a resounding click. All out. She grabbed her tablet, stowed it away, and jumped down to the third level. Her trusty SPAS was sitting up against the wall and she couldn't help but grin as she picked it up. She didn't get to use it nearly enough. She cocked it before unloading several rounds into its exposed back just as the monstrosity was recovering from Ela's mine. It roared in anger, preparing to charge her but was interrupted by the impact of yet another breaching round. It looked down at its exposed chest, frantically clawing at the round but it was too late. It had dug in. It exploded, spraying the battlefield with a near sea of blood, organs, and stalagmite pieces. The thing began staggering towards Ash and Ela but it was clearly on its last legs. Everyone raised their weapons, firing upon it with all they had.
"Don't stop firing!" Maverick screamed. He was fairly sure he hadn't seen anything-man or machine-take this much punishment in his entire military career. Valkyrie's SPAS and Glaz's sniper went back and forth, nearly drowning out the sound of the other's gunfire and enveloping all other sounds of the night. Maverick stopped firing once the gargantuan figure stopped its advance. The others eventually followed suit, observing it warily and praying to their respective deities that the thing was finally dead. It took one more step. Then another. Then it sunk to its knees, making the ground shake. Its grotesque, bullet ridden face looked dazed as its body swayed. Once. Twice. Finally, with a resounding boom the juggernaut of a creature landed face down in the mud. It was dead. None of them cheered or reacted in any way. They all just silently stared at the body, breathing hard and heavy from the extreme endeavor they'd just been through. Valkyrie ripped off her gas mask and threw it to the side, her face red and sweaty.
"So, any theories on what the fuck this thing is?" Valkyrie proposed.
"Whatever it is, I don't wish to meet parents." Kapkan said. Glaz materialized out of the trees. He too stared down at the body balefully before his eyes suddenly widened.
"Alexandr!"he gasped. The whole team froze. They'd been so caught up in the aftermath they'd nearly forgotten about their fallen friend. Finka ran with lightning quick speed towards the building, the others following close behind her. They all called his name in panicked tones, fearing the worst. Finka shushed them as they got down to the basement. The place was absolutely trashed, to say the least. The walls were broken and busted, the floor covered in blood and god knew what else and it generally looked like a massive tornado had come spinning through; which they supposed wasn't a far too description. They heard a voice call weakly from one of the ordinance rooms. Finka was there in an instant, fretting over a prone Tachanka slumped up against a wall and bleeding from several places.
"I told you to-" Finka began. Tachanka made dismissive sounds.
"Ah ah yes. Chew me out when head and body hurt less. Many broken bones. Could use mountain of Vodka. Beluga...Ahh, give me Beluga." he said before passing out in Finka's arms. She let out a sigh of relief.
"He will live. Broken bones and abrasions from what I can observe but otherwise fine. Stupid will kill him before monster any does." she reported. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Maverick turned to his teammates.
"You all did well. Amazing, even. Catch a breather, find any food, water or meds that haven't been blown to shit and get yourselves patched up. Finka, get Tac to an empty room and make it a temporary quarantine. If he's got open wounds and some of that...thing's blood or tissue made its way in there...we just need to be safe. We don't know what we're dealing with here." Maverick ordered. Finka nodded and Kapkan wordlessly went over to her side, ready to help her transport their stubborn de-facto leader.
"What will you do?" Ela asked Maverick.
"I'm calling Six. We're in way over our fucking heads. So much for a routine first op, huh?" he said bitterly, slowly making his way to the stairwell. Ela frowned as she watched him go. She couldn't help but pity him. His first operation with a new outfit and they find a nearly ten foot tall behemoth that, in all likelihood, is a bio weapon in the hands of the greatest threat currently known to the free world. No pressure, right?
Six rubbed her temples as she set down her phone. She stared down at the files in front of her. She avoided looking at her computer screen, Valkyrie's footage of the abomination playing over and over in a continuous loop. She almost let out a laugh at the absurdity of it all. Of course they were dabbling in bio weapons. She could only thank her lucky stars she had the foresight to welcome Finka and Lion to team Rainbow. Of course, a whole slew of things were in order. She'd need to send more operators; any with relevant experience; Lion, Doc, Smoke and perhaps Lesion if he was done wrapping up his small op. A detachment of recruits would be needed to guard the ground zero and protect the scientist she'd be sending on the off chance the White Mask was informed of their presence. She'd need to contact any relevant political bodies in the Iranian government and inform them of the situation and underline in no uncertain terms that she was in control. She got up and stared out the window at the setting sun, it's fading, glorious rays giving the dark oak of the window frame a golden glow. There was still far too much she didn't know. That they didn't know about the White Mask. How far they were capable of reaching, what their primary objectives were, what their leadership and ranking system consisted of, the full scope of how they were funding their international operations and so much more. This was only the very tip of the iceberg and the mere thought sickened her. She really needed a drink. Or a smoke. Or both. What was it Kade had said? "Reality is nothing but an illusion created by a lack of alcohol"? She chuckled to herself. She could certainly use a little less reality right now.
____________________________OPERATION BLITZ
ERROR, DIRECTIVES HAVE CHANGED
RESTARTING
________________OPERATION SCORCHED EARTH BEGINS
ATTENTION: SPECIAL DIRECTIVE
Raze and Burn. Scorch Everything. Nothing Survives. Leave Only Ashes and Embers.