"Zackary, I need your team ready to go. We're being attacked!"
Ajay was slightly stunned by Commander Uragirimono's urgent tone but quickly
collected himself. He spoke in a calm voice:
"I'll get everyone equipped and ready, Sir."
After getting a nod of approval from the Commander, Ajay placed the phone down and looked behind him. There was an electronic screen hanging on the wall, it had different buttons, all of which were different colors. Each color defines different codes for different scenarios. He stepped forward and proceeded to press the code red button. Red sirens started flashing on every ceiling of each room in the military base.
Back in the lobby, the rest of Ajay's squad were sitting and chatting in the living space. They were interrupted by an annoying noise, followed by the whole room drowned in red light. The jolly expressions the group previously had on their faces, transformed solemn almost instantaneously.
They immediately ran inside the hallway and split into each of their rooms.
Each one unloaded their military armor and donned it over their skin-tight suits in an orderly and practiced manner.
All of them exited their rooms at approximately the same time and sprinted to the other end of the long hallway. They arrived at a door with several security measures like a passcode and fingerprint to be able to open it. Heading inside the group halted when they saw a man fully equipped with state-of-the-art military equipment.
Squad Chief #09, Ajay Lucius Zackary was standing with his arms crossed and facing the huge screen on the opposite wall. His face was cold and indifferent, looking like a veteran soldier ready for battle.
The others quickly got in line behind him and also faced the big screen, maintaining the tense silence.
A moment later, the black screen disappeared and instead showed the live footage of a dusty, barren landscape passing by. The moving picture stopped a litter of dry trees that looked like they would fall over at any moment. But the main thing that stood out was a structure in the middle, it looked like some kind of ruins left by an older civilization. Ajay looked at the scene in concentrated silence as he observed the scene in front ofhim. The images switched up and instead showed people. Troops to be exact, troops ofthe opposition and our enemy.
Ajay's gaze sharpened when he looked at them. They were wearing green military suits, contrasting with Ajay's squad's black. Another difference and the most significant one, was the insignia near their chest region.
It was rare, and it was the shape of a crescent moon. That was it, but it caused unrest, anger, and a sliver of fear among the group.
The symbol represented the Republic of Garza's worst enemy, The Makki Federation.
The nation was located north of Garza, across expanses of canyons and fields of previous battles and conflicts. The war between these two nations had been going on for years, and both sides were getting desperate. They were running out of resources and capable people to fight. But neither side was willing to sign a peace treaty.
Ajay looked at the opposition soldiers darkly, as they marched through the sandy dunes.
After all, these people were on the same side that had killed his parents. He gritted his teeth but quickly composed himself like the professional that he was.
The rest of the squad behind Ajay on the other hand, struggled to keep their composer.
Their hands were clenched into tight balls, and their looks of pure hatred never left the screen. Everyone here had lost someone to the opposition and couldn't wait to prove themselves.
Suddenly, a loud noise came out from the large screen.
Craabang!
One of the Makkian soldiers had seen the drone that was filming the scene and shot it down. Ajay memorized the soldier's ugly, sweaty face which had a grin on it.
After the video footage was cut, silence fell upon the group as they stared at the black screen. The silence was quickly broken when the light returned to the screen and showed a different scene. In the video, there was a long, wooden table with cushioned seats on each side, lined up in rows, and a bigger, more exquisite chair at the end of the table. People started pouring in from the sides and sitting in each of the chairs.
Ajay recognized all these people, they were very important. They were his higher-ups and previous veterans who have been promoted to seats of power. And sitting at the end, in the fancy chair was none other than Commander Uragirimono. Ajay looked directly at him as the commander started to speak:
"Thank you all for gathering here today. As always anytime we are in this meeting room, it's never good. Today, …is extremely dire. The enemy has breached our borders and is aiming to hurt our nation."
Everyone drew in a cold breath and awaited the commander's next words.
"As you can see in the video feed you all just witnessed, Makki Federation soldiers are marching towards our south-east borders. This footage was just an hour ago, but our intel tells us that they are closing in fast. And that's where your squad comes in, Chief Zackary."
Everyone on the screen turned towards Ajay. He walked up closer to the screen, unnerved, and spoke up:
"My team is ready for action Sir, just give us the command and we will annihilate every one of those vermin."
Getting nods of approval from his higher-ups and smiles from his team, He awaited for more information on what he and his team were about to face.
"Good, good, Zackary. Now I want to warn you that we have very little info on the opposition, so do be careful out there."
'He said that for my safety, but why does it feel more ominous than that?'
Ajay shook his head as if to get the silly thoughts out of his head and signaled the commander to continue.
"Alright, here is all the information we have so far on them. They are wearing 3 military-grade equipment and I'm sure you all know how hard that is to penetrate. So, Ajay, have your team use the fifth standard bullets for this mission."After Commander Uragirimono saw Ajay nod his head in understanding, he continued:
"Next, they will be using the same standard rifles and grenades as us. But, that doesn't mean don't take them seriously because it seems they have something else under their sleeve. They have a new weapon that was in the process of being made. We don't have any info about if they have it with them or not right now, so be cautious."
This prompted many on the screen to frown and Ajay's team to turn slightly anxious.
Ajay looked unfazed on the outside and inside, he only thought of one thing.
'Let the bastards bring all the toys they want, we'll still annihilate each one of them.'
"Next, we have intel on where they are most likely to camp for the night. It looks to be an abandoned outpost town. This is good for us because the debris provides great cover and your squad can launch a surprise attack."
The meeting went on for a few more minutes before Commander Uragirimono said his finishing words.
"Remember, your squad is the last line of defense before the invaders can infiltrate our border city. We're counting on your squad to eliminate the threat to the Great Garza.
Ajay Lucius Zackary, Auggie Clement, Angel Bosquets, Maya Brown, and Lux Knight, do your best!"
"Yes Sir!"
Everyone on the screen got up and saluted, to which Ajay and his squad responded with their solutes. Then the video ended, but Ajay felt the weird feeling creep back into his mind.
'Why am I getting bad vibes from this? Also, the Commander never says, "Do your best".
It sounded kinda like a …'
'No, no, stop. Just focus on the mission.'
Ajay turned around and faced his teammates, taking in all of their expressions. Just like any other mission they had, they looked ready to go.
Nodding, he stepped forward, the others following him with confident looks. Ajay's expression, on the other hand, was complicated …'I have a bad feeling about this.'
***
The heat from the sun glared upon the expanse of bare, dry fields that never seemed to end. The prairie-like land was scattered with tumbleweeds and dehydrated scrubs. This was the outlands, an area beyond the main populous of Garza and has been the battlefield with Makki for years.
Somewhere in the middle of this vast expanse, a vehicle could be seen rushing past. It was an armored military jeep, it was made out of an extremely durable metal. It was tan in color and extremely dull to blend in with the sandy environment. The number 09 could be seen on the side of its hull.
Inside, Ajay and his squad were sitting in solemn silence, all of them preparing for what was about to come. The goofy and cheerful mood from this morning was nowhere to be
seen.
Ajay looked out the bulletproof windshield with a cold face, his eyes scanning the road ahead. He was sitting in the passenger seat, while Aussie was in front of the wheel.
The silence continued for a bit longer before Maya suddenly spoke, well more like was murmuring to herself.
"Please god, have mercy on me and my friends. Watch over us and let no harm befall us."
This was a similar scene that occurred before each mission. Religion was extremely scarce in this time period, Maya and her family were one of the few people who still practiced. Ajay himself disliked the idea of putting faith in a presumptuous higher being.
All he needed was to believe in himself and his skill, which had been honed for years.
But he never voiced out his thoughts to Maya as praying seemed to give her some hope of returning safely. And anything that gave his team confidence, he approved and encouraged.
If one has something to come back to, they make rational, calculated decisions, sometimes even saving their lives. Ajay has no relatives, so it might seem he has nothing to fight for, but that couldn't be more wrong. While they may not be blood-related or childhood friends, Ajay cares for the people in this car immensely. While he may not show it, definitely doesn't tell them, but he's learned to treasure every moment he spends with his team.
His family.
Ajay looked at all the faces in solemnity, soldiers are not supposed to have people they care about.
'It's a weakness.'
At least that had been what he was taught his whole life. Sighing, he focused on his attention back on the road.
A little while later, they arrived on the outskirts of the dry, sparse forest. They had to go by foot from here so as not to alert the terrorists. Ajay's squad stealthily crept in a line through the forest. According to the intel they got, the ruins should be half a mile or so from their current location.
The march felt longer than it should've been, but eventually, they saw the start of the ruin ahead. Ajay signaled to the rest of the team, they split into three groups: Maya and Lux, Angel Aussie, and Ajay by himself.
They moved with caution and practiced precision. Maya and Lux were the first ones to approach the first piece of debris. They cautiously looked behind it checking for movement. Seeing no one they gave the all-clear signal to let the others know it was. safe to proceed.
Then they stepped forward to go to the next column and crept along. Ajay was feeling more unrest than he usually did. While anything could go wrong during a mission, this time it just felt different. He could hear no noise indicating anyone was in the ruins. They should've heard or seen something by now, yet he only hears the wind and the sands shifting.
He was on full alert, then he saw it. A small glimmer behind an eroded wall of debris.
But before he could alert the rest of the team or even register what it was, a loud noise rang out, disturbing the silence.It was a gunshot.
It all happened so fast, that before Ajay could react, he saw a trail red coming from in front of him.
A bullet had hit …
Maya. Right in the middle of her forehead.
"STAY LOW"
Ajay yelled at the top of his lungs as soon as he heard Maya's body hit the ground.
There was no point in staying stealthy anymore, so Ajay would rather the rest of his team die like … like Maya.
Ajay couldn't even process Maya's death, his mind went blank and his body went into autopilot. Aussie and Angel stood in shock, but after hearing Ajay's voice they dove beside some rubble, their faces unreadable. Lux on the other hand didn't seem to even register Ajay's voice, he was just staring at Maya's body in horror while leaning on the debris.
Gritting his teeth, Ajay crawled over to Lux before he got shot. He stayed under the cover of the ruin's walls and reached out for Lux. Then he saw it.
A small hole where his heart should've been and blood pouring out. His lifeless eyes staring at the last thing he witnessed, his comrade's death.
Something inside Ajay changed, his calm and calculating mind cracked after witnessing the two deaths of his teammates. It … was too sudden. But that's life, if you don't enjoy the good things, they can be gone from your life without any warning, just like that.
He looked at his remaining two companions, they were hiding between the crevices of the rubble. Angel was crying and Aussie tried to put on a tough face but the teardrops on the corner of his eyes betrayed it. Ajay kept his anger and sadness back inside him and put on a cold face. He signaled the other two to retreat.
Angel and Aussie were shocked, how could they retreat? They just saw their two best friends die in front of their eyes, they wanted revenge. But before they could argue, everyone heard a vehicle in the distance.
Ajay got his gun ready and looked around to see if he could spot anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a foot in the distance. Without wasting any time, he used his years of experience and honed shooting skill and shot. It was perfect. But …
It would've been right on the mark if Ajay's gun had shot. But it didn't, his gun didn't work, almost like this was supposed to happen. Then Ajay realized it.
'We have been set up.'
The lack of info, the silence, and finally the guns. He looked out at Angel and Aussie who were also trying to shoot the men who were getting out of a massive jeep looking vehicle, they were fully armed with the familiar red crescent moon on the chest.
There are a lot of them, way more than their intel showed. At least triple and all with way more advanced gear. While Ajay and his teams looked like a joke trying to hide behind
the rubble.
Ajay had to do something, he couldn't just watch them kill his other teammates too.
Looking next to him at the ruins that looked unstable, he pushed with all his might. Dust flew everywhere as the debris collapsed, blocking the view of the approaching enemies.
Ajay ran across to where Aussie and Angel were hiding, pulling them out of shock. He pulled them towards him and started running, only to feel a tug. Gritting his teeth he looked back at the Aussie and told him that they had no choice.
But, it wasn't Aussie, it was Angel. She looked up and gazed at Ajay with her teary grief stricken eyes.
"They're alright right? What I just saw wasn't real …right?"
"Angel, we don't have time–"
"RIGHT?"
She had a crazed look in her eyes. Before Ajay could stop her, she ran back at the enemy.
"ANGEL NOOO!"
Jumping over debris, she tried to frantically shoot at the enemy. Bullets were fired, but it wasn't hers.Ajay looked in horror as Angel's bullet filled body fell on the ground with a thump. Her lifeless eyes rolled back to look at Ajay.
Ajay felt like he was looking at the scene for hours, only to be broken by the shouting of
Aussie.
"Chief, watch out!"
Aussie ran in front of Ajay towards a small metal looking object coming towards them. It was a grenade.
'No, no, no. Stop.'
"STOP!"
BOOM!
Ajay felt dizzy.
'Stop. This can't be happening.'
His legs gave up and he fell on the ground. His whole body shaking, his calm attitude nowhere to be seen. He just sat there looking at the blood pool in front of him that used to be Aussie.
He was broken out of his stupor by someone intensely shaking his shoulder. Ajay looked up to see the Makki soldiers looking at him, their faces unreadable because of their masks. But Ajay could imagine their grins.
Still, he couldn't find the energy to get up and fight them, also he couldn't with the numerous guns pointed in his direction. It was like he didn't even care if they killed him, not after what happened to his teammates, his friends.
"Well, well, what a pathetic situation you're in Chief Zackary."
Ajay recognized the raspy voice he heard for most of his life. He looked up, regaining some alertness and looked around for the source of the voice. His eyes stopped at a soldier, in his hands was a phone with a face on it, a very familiar face.
Commander Uragirimono.Everything made sense now, but at the same time it didn't.
'Why.'
"I'm sure you're thinking why."
Commander Uragirimono had a smirk on his face and his eyes filled with greed.
"Why else? For the money of course. HAHA."
Ajay looked at him in disbelief. This was the most patriotic man he knew, the man who would do anything for his country, or as he thought he would.
"Oh, come on, don't look at me like that Zackary. I'm getting old and tired. My whole life has been for my country, and I'm sick of it. They brainwash the people to think only about the country above anything else."
Ajay felt all of his beliefs and his life shattering.
"I was also like you, Zackary. All patriotic and noble. But the moment my wife and kids were kidnapped as hostages for information, and the country didn't do shit for them. I lost all loyalty, I only wanted revenge. And for that revenge to happen, you're just an obstacle Zackary. I really wish it didn't have to end this way."
Ajay took in Commander Uragirimono's words with an unreadable expression. His whole world had just fallen and this old man was yapping about some sob story. He grew more and more furious.
"Why'd you kill my team, you could've just gone for me. Why?"
"Because it was more simple this way, making it look like an accident."
Ajay could take it anymore, he furiously got up trying to snatch the phone out of the soldiers hands. But he was quickly brought down when a bullet hit his shoulder.
"Haa, this has gone on long enough, you can kill him. Maybe even test out that new weapon you guys have."The Makkian soldiers left Ajay pathetically trying to clumsily pick himself back up. Ajay leaned against a pillar of rubble in his own pool of blood. His thoughts are chaotic and full of hatred. He yelled at the top of his lungs:
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
When Ajay had no energy left to yell, he tried to get up again as a last ditch effort, but he stopped his actions. He saw something, a flower.
It stood alone, pristine and undisturbed by the chaos around it. It was the one light in the darkness, the life surrounded by death, and the lone star shining in the abyss.
Ajay's hand went down to pick up that flower, carefully making sure that none of the blood on his hand got on the beautiful, milk white petals. Ajay brought it close to his nostrils and took a small whiff,... tears started pouring from his face.
"It has a pleasant smell, even with all the blood and death around it."
His voice was gruff and sore from yelling at the cruel world. He lowered the flower and brought it closer to his heart. And thought about his comrades.
'Maya, Lux, Angel, Aussie. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you.'
Ajay looked back at the flower. He wished from the bottom of his heart that he could be this flower, standing tall and full of life as destruction overwhelmed everything around it.
"Bang!"
Ajay Lucius Zackary died that day.