"Our war is not for our faith."
"We fight to remove ALL foreign powers from our soil."
"We are Al-Qatala— we are the killers."
"WE FIGHT WITHOUT SORROW. WE WAGE WAR WITH NO SYMPATHY. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE— TO DIE. A true soldier."
The man gets out of the back of the van, and out onto the streets, his dynamite vest out in the open.
He holds up the detonator.
And pushes the button.
Earth, Verdansk: 4 Years before the Cyn Incident.
"Echo 3-1 to Charlie 2-Actual,"
"Go for actual."
"LZ is in sight, looks like our boys and the Drones are right on time, colonel." Alex says, spotting V, N, and Uzi flying just below his heli.
"Roger 3-1. Hitman teams are locked and loaded for assault. Green to go."
Somewhere in a tent, Laswell walks up to Norris, clearly nervous
"Colonel we may have a problem-"
"Too late Laswell, we're live." Norris interrupts.
"Not 'till I say so, Watcher to 3-1, how copy?"
"Station chief Laswell, send traffic." Alex says, flipping a couple switches up top.
"General Barkov has sent a new shipment of chlorine gas to his depot. But, his mercs are planning to move the chems into Urzikstan via convoy tonight. You all are clear to engage, but live fire on Russian military is PROHIBITED. This cannot be an international incident. Make sure those AI don't misbehave as well, they're experimental. Else this'll be the last time I let drones out in combat."
"No guarantee the Russians won't respond on this, Kate." Alex says, dropping a rope, as Uzi and N dive down along with V.
"Understood Alex, just locate the gas, commandeer Barkov's trucks, and get the hell out of the X 'fore the tide turns."
"Copy Watcher, we'll handle it."
"Not that sure about those AI. If they turn into liabilities-"
"They're not gonna be liabilities, Laswell, calm down." Alex interrupted, his voice casual as he attached his clip to the rope, sliding down the rope right as N and the other 2 drones land.
"Charlie-2-Actual, this is Hammer 2-1, Hitman chalks are on deck, we're RTB."
"Let's move." V said, changing her left hand to an MP5, attaching a suppressor and scope to it, as N does the same, tossing an MP5 to Uzi.
"Alright teams, push to your set point." Alex gave the order, and the team moved into the dense forest.
"Roger, on the move." N said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic, walking into the forest with the Hitman team.
"We need to keep this on a tight loop. Barkov's men are moving the gas tonight."
"Any chance we'll run into Barkov?" N asks.
"Russian General wouldn't be caught dead out here." Hitman 7-1 says, walking past a faded out gas barrel stuck in foliage.
Uzi brings up her left forearm, shutting them all up, and making them freeze in place.
"Heads up." She whispered, crouching in the foliage.
"Scanners pick up 2. Looking for us." She added, her neon eyes scanning around for the enemy.
"2 mercs, no uniforms." 7-1 points out.
N raised up his gun hand, tracking the merc until he was completely alone.
"They're game, drop 'em." 7-1 says, and N fires, hitting the two men right in the head.
"We're clear." V declared.
"Copy. Post up on the ridge, get a lay of the land." 7-2 replied, walking forward to a railing overlooking a factory.
"Echo 3-1 to Blue Viking 5-1, call for lighting and thunder, stand by for target confirmation."
"Copy 3-1, Blue Viking standing by." Alex takes out a spotter scope, looking through it, as N leans back on a tree.
"Vehicle coming in, main gate, one in the tower, left side high, not Army." Alex noted, watching the factory like a hawk watching it's prey.
"Copy, checkpoint, that's the entry." 7-1 says, as the truck heads through the now-open gate.
"Truck's on the move, think we may have found our gas." Uzi muttered.
"Patrol cars, contractors." Alex pointed out.
"Security. Good targets." N adds.
"No Russian military presence, call it in CIA. Blue Viking 5-1, this is Echo 3-1. Troops in the open, south gate, you're cleared hot."
"Roger 3-1, target acquired, weapons free in 5." Blue Viking radioed.
"5 seconds people." Alex called, and sure enough a missile volley came down.
"Lighting and Thunder, heads up!" 7-2 said, as the missiles impacted, completely blazing the factory in a blinding light.
"Echo 3-1, good effect on target, Viking is RTB. Good huntin'." Viking radioed.
"Much obliged, Viking. We'll take it from here." Alex replied, as N retracted his free hand in lieu for claw, ripping the door off of it's hinges, making it fly off into some foliage; coming to rest near a tree bark.
"N!" V whisper-shouts at him.
"Sorry, sorry." N whispers back nervously, retracting his claws and changing them back into a regular hand, walking in, rifles trained along with the others, ducking under, and jumping from a hole in the wall, near a fence.
"Heads up, multiple guns, on foot." V says, slowly advancing down the forest line with the Hitman team, finding cover near a tree.
"Hold up, let 'em approach." Alex says, staying completely still as 3 of the mercenaries advance up to where they are, shining their flashlights everywhere.
"[Spread out! If you see something, shoot it!]" One of the men call in Russian, as they all go in different directions, aiming to flush out and exterminate the unknown threat.
"Smoke 'em, now!" 7-1 gave the order, and V, N shoot the 3 men, each one of them collapsing in tandem.
"Nice aim, drones. Clear, force up." Alex says, advancing downward to the burning factory.
"Looks like someone was playing with fire." V quipped.
"Serves 'em right, AI. Hawkin' all this chem shit." 7-4 replied, as they near the flaming gates.
A burning watchtower finally gives in and falls, causing another blaze in the factory not far off.
"Timber, heh." N quipped, walking towards the gates, only to be stopped by a burning mercenary.
That scared the shit out of him.
"[HELP ME! PLEASE.... HELP ME!]" The man screamed, collapsing and writhing in pain as he burned.
"Burner. Drone, put him out of his misery." Alex said, and N's eyes on his visor were nothing short of distraught. Sure, he's seen some shit, but this takes the fucking cake. He didn't get much time to gawk at it, as V did his job for him, putting a suppressed round through the screaming mercenary. He was dead. Crimson oozed out of the wound and onto the floor below, boiling in the fire.
Trying his best to shake it off, he continued on, past the burning cars and wood, to a shed-like building.
"[Put out the flames!]" One of them shout.
"[I'm trying!]" The other shouted back.
N put a bullet in the first man's head, while Alex shoots the second twice in the body. N moves up to the door, bashing it in, dashing over to the third one, and decapitating him with his sword, then changing it back to his hand.
"Element of surprise ain't on our side. Stay frosty." 7-1 cautiously said, crowbaring a door, bending it a bit.
"We're blind on this breach, get ready." 7-1 says, opening the door, as 7-2 opens the other door a bit too much. A light shines on him.
"Contact!" He manages to yell out, before he gets shot in the head, collapsing right beside 7-1.
"Man down!" Alex yells, as 7-1 drags 7-2 away.
"MG Nest, second floor!" Uzi yells
"He dug in, lay some suppression and get up there!" V adds, as N peaks around the corner, firing at the MG. It hit the man twice in the leg.
"Force out, we need to secure the gas 'fore he moves it." Alex ordered, climbing onto a train car, and killing the 4 men below him, dropping down and running upward, barely missing the MG fire.
"Suppress the MG and push up!" 7-1 barked, supporting Alex.
"Gunner's holding the second deck!" 7-3 yells
"Drones! Get up there and shut him down!" 7-1 yells, as Uzi moves to cover, shooting a mercenary in the chest, moving up from the train car, and stealing the pistol from the dead merc's holster, quickly shooting the one that was in cover by the boxes, as V moves up to the opposite train car.
"We get up behind the gun nest, and flatten the fucker out!" V yells, running out of cover, engaging in close proximity with another mercenary that was hiding in the cargo hold of the train car, breaking the man's arm, nabbing his pistol, and shooting him 2 times in the body, then pushing him off, moving up the stairs with Uzi, shooting the merc hiding near the table in the neck, as Uzi throws a frag grenade, killing 2 others in the explosion, catapulting an arm and a head over the railway, as they move up to the gap in the railway, killing the last mercenary there with a well-placed shot to the jugular, as V scans the place.
"Got some runners! They're breaking for the warehouse!" V yells, as they drop down from the gap, next to Alex.
"Clear!" 7-3 yells, and Alex gets out of cover, walking down the steps, going to the warehouse with the remaining hitmen.
"Gas gotta be inside." Alex says.
"Unless we're too late." N adds, rushing into the left side of the warehouse alone with Uzi and Alex.
"Clear!" Alex yells.
"Clear! 7-4 shouted, clearly on edge.
"Clear!"
"Clear."
"Chems may be inside, masks up!" 7-1 noted, as Alex and the others put gas masks on, right as V rips open the metal door.
The power went out.
"The fuck?!" 7-1 screamed, distraught.
"They cut the power." Uzi said, trying to remain calm as she pressed her body to the wall of the warehouse.
"Go White-light." Alex said, flicking on his rifle flashlight, as V, Uzi and N use night vision.
"On me." 7-1 says, crouching by a box shelf.
"S'pitch black in here." 7-4 whispered, peeking around the corner of the shelf he was at, not that far from 7-1, then they hear a metal pipe falling not far off.
"Whoever killed the power's in here, I'm tellin' you." 7-3 says, nervousness oozing in his voice.
"Could've been the airstrike." N says, his tail coiling around him.
"No, they're here." 7-3 nervously stammered.