His eyes slowly fluttered to life as he felt his body as heavy as stone. He sat silent for a moment, lying in emptiness as his mind slowly came to life. Pushing himself up with great struggle, he leaned up and took a glance at the room around him. A bland view awaiting him, a basic gray wall and roof with minimal decorations. To his side laid a work desk, whereas a sleeping computer resided. In front of it several papers sat, a mission report about their recent ambush. He sat in silence for another few minutes before finally stepping onto the carpeted concrete beneath him. Slowly pacing to the other end of the room he swung open a cabinet door and took out a basic gray camouflaged uniform, wearing it over his casual clothing. Snatching and holstering a pistol on the desk, he finishes his morning preparation by grabbing a radio, turning it on and placing it on his body. Though basic, the room he resided in was considered a luxury for officers as compared to the barracks their juniors and recruits slept in. His stomach empty and his mind blurred, he leaves his quarters and first starts pacing towards the facility's canteens. He grabbed a quick meal and took a quick scan around the canteen, to his slight dismay, he sees one of his squad mates sitting in a corner with a pack of cards.
"Aye, chief! Fancy another game of cards?"
Flashbacks of surrendering the previous week's dessert ration comes flooding to Crystal-1's mind, though what hurt can a single game do?
" *sigh* Just one more time," he takes a seat next to the conniving operative, who begins to shuffle the deck.
"Y'know, wasn't that what you said last time?"
"Gah, it was just a stroke of luck for you, just a game of chance."
"Game of chance, huh?" He'd muttered as he set the deck down. He takes a few cards and passes them to himself and Crystal-1. Nothing seemed unusual about his acts, but he'd learned to remain alert from what he knew of the man. He was playing a game with their resident infiltrator and spy, the Specter. He wore an innocent smirk, but possesses a silver tongue and a handful of tricks.
"Something the matter, Crystal? Anything bothering your mind?"
"No, no. Just the previous day's operation. Who do you reckon were helping them?" He told the truth, but left out his concern of Specter. A simple omission of fact, something he'd picked up from the spy. He looked back up to see a small pile of cards in front of him. Picking them up, he's disappointed to see nothing special. No face cards or anything of the matter.
"Got anything over there, Crystal."
Trying to salvage the situation somewhat, he bluffs, "Hah, you have no idea what you've just given me."
"Is that so? Would that mean you'd be fine tellin' me what's in your hand?"
"Of course ... "
Specter's eyes shift, "Of course you don't," he lays down his hand and throws the cards down at the table. To Crystal's shock, it's entirely made up of various face cards, a stark contrast to his own hand.
"The fuck- How'd you manage to get that? I saw you shuffle that shit."
Specter reaches out and takes a few bills Crystal had laid out for their bet, smirking at his success, "You know, a clever mind always has a few tricks."
"This is rigged, isn't it?"
"Absolutely, what kind of infiltrator doesn't rig everything in their favor? Lot more tense than being on the frontlines, no?"
Crystal remains silent, choosing instead to take a bite out of his meal to remedy the loss of his pride and money.
"Hey guys, what's up?" He quickly turns to his side to see a woman dressed in a black camouflaged uniform and a green cloak covering her upper half. Wraith-1, their resident sniper.
Specter turns to the Wraith, "Ah, greetings. We were simply conversing over a friendly game of cards. How would you like to join in? I reckon you could win something extra."
"Ah, that sounds nice. Finally unwinding after a long week."
Already having been weaseled out of several bills, he decides watch the tragedy unfold. Might as well inflict the pain and loss of pride onto someone else, no?
"I've already played enough, I think I'll just spectate."
"Mhm, what a shame." She giggled, blissfully innocent and unaware of what's to come.
He watched Specter's hands carefully as he shuffled the cards, trying to see how he rigged it in his favor. Though his hands seemed to be a blur as he methodically shuffled the cards, seemingly undectable to anyone unaware of his tricks. He looked to his side once more to see Wraith waiting patiently, one of her hands resting upon her cheek.
"Here you are, may the odds be ever in your favor."
"Thanks-, huh." She stops as she realizes her hand. Nearly identical to the same hand Crystal held minutes earlier. Crystal could see her visibly shifting and trying to come up with something, looking past her cards for a moment at the poker-faced Specter. He wonders if he himself was just as obvious.
"Something the matter, Wraith? Anything bothering your mind." He repeated the same lines he did with Crystal.
"I-, uh. No?"
"Mhm, alright."
He lays down his cards and looks expectantly at the shocked Wraith, "I reckon I've secured this win."
"God damn it," She slides over a few bills begrudgingly, "I'll get lucky another time."
"I'm sure you will. Soon enough, my friend, soon enough."
"Well, enough of that mishap, any particular reason you came to see us? Or?" Crystal inquired.
A realization strikes Wraith, "Ah, right, of course. Some of our engineers managed to crack those boxes open and we've found some *special* objects."
"Hmm, special how?"
"Well, they were in possession of the MCD if that's to say anything."
"Naturally, what are we working with here?"
"We still haven't figured that out. If we're not able to use it for anything, it'll probably just go into storage until we find some sort of use or a buyer."
"Alright, alright, any other news-"
Crystal-1 is interrupted as his radio crackles to life, the voice of their local commander coming through, "This overwatch to Crystal-1, your presence is requested in the briefing room."
"Crystal-1 copies, over and out," he turns back to his two colleagues, "I'll leave you two to your game, standby for deployment, we might be heading on another job."
"Again?"
"Must be something important, I'll be seeing you two."
Crystal-1 steps away as he hears Specter persuading Wraith to play another rigged game of cards. He smirks as he escapes the Specter's trickery all whilst leading another to the same fate. The halls were busy as usual, now in overdrive following the treasure trove that was the MCD supply depot. Passing through a checkpoint he steps into the facility's command sector, whereas their directors and commanders oversaw operations.
A guard greets him as he swipes his keycard across the briefing room's door, whereas he was greeted by several of his superiors. Though, standing out from all of them was a man he didn't recognize. Wearing a suit and combed back hair, his eyes widen at an insignia on the man's shoulder. A golden ampersand across a purple background, a representative of the McD.
One Day Later
"Our mission today is simple, due to a recent string of attacks on McD resources by Igneous convoys, we have been contracted to ensure the safe facilitating of McD resources in the Canadian region. We'll be travelling along a 241 kilometer stretch of road in some of Canada's flattest regions. Treat the McD agents as your own and you'll make it out alive. You'll be free to engage any confirmed Igneous threats. Good luck."
Several men labored away as they loaded multiple trucks with various pallets and lock boxes, each containing valuable anomalous materials. Seemingly leaving the Canadian region following the recent attacks of which he had in no way partook in. A man wearing tactical gear over a suit approached him, a PDW in his hand, "You are the commander of this squad, yes?"
"Affirmative, callsign Crystal-1."
"As a 'security company', I assume you know how important this cargo is? We can't let any outside GoI take control over our resources, and I do hope you have a good plan for transporting this."
"We'll be fine. We've got multiple UAVs prepared to scout ahead and helicopters on standby for evac. Just entrust things to us and you'll live to barter another day."
"Hmph, I hope your security company is as good as they say."
"You won't lose a single package to Igneous."
The suited man nods as he turns back to his men, ordering them to board various armored vehicles and trucks. Seeing the MCD's men are just about ready to depart, he turns to his own squad and calls out to them, "Departing in 15 minutes! Check your gear and get ready to move!"
As the squadron went to work, he sat quietly in one of the various MRAPs and Humvees they'd bought from questionable sources for operation. Of course, he didn't bat an eye in such a line of work. If it could withstand bullets and off-roading, it was enough for him. Setting up his gear for the long trip, he places a pair of surplus M22 binoculars in front of him and lays his rifle by him. Gazing off into the endless plains, he's brought back to attention as Wraith takes the driver seat.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
"Didn't you crash a jeep into the forests that one time?"
"Considering the fact that we were down three wheels, the windows were completely shot out, and we were quite literally under fire, I'd say I did a good job."
"Fair, fair. We'll be taking vanguard duty, lead ahead of the main convoy."
"You know we're going to be the first to get hit in an ambush, right?"
"That is a sacrifice I am willing to make."
"You concern me sometimes, your valor and bravery is questionable."
"We're moving, just start driving."
As they began departing, he began to gaze out at the slowly passing hills and forests. The forests a dark void of danger in the moonlight. He stays alert for the first few hours of the road trip, but eventually calmed down and assumed a state of relaxation as he grew tired of looking at the same endless plains.
"Wait. I think I see movement ahead!"
"Huh?" Crystal-1 looks forwards and scans for any of Wraith's presumed hostiles. To his great dismay, yet relief, he sees it's just some of Canada's wildlife, "Calm down, Wraith. It's just a deer."
"Oh, bugger just jumped on the road."
Crystal sighs, "You're too paranoid for your own good."
"As I rightfully should, whoever the hell helped Igneous raid that depot is going to be pissed at us."
"And they won't know it's us, after all, the MCD didn't. Almost nothing gets past their money hungry eyes."
"But they might want their pound of flesh back. What are the chances they try to pull the same trick we did?"
"We had the element of surprise and advanced intel that time, we have UAVs scouting this time and I doubt they know we're even moving."
"I guess so."
"Just keep your hands steady and your eyes sharp. We don't want another collision incident."
"Three blown out tires ... "
Crystal-1 laughs to himself for a moment before returning to his watch duty. Occasionally checking in with the convoy they're scouting ahead for and the UAVs flying high above. The wind blowing against his hair as they sped by rapidly and the calming quiet of the night put him at ease. Peaceful moments like this were rare, but gladly accepted by the squadron. A moment of calm during the daily life of a PMC operative. Though not even Crystal-1 would fully settle in, there was always a calm before the storm. He'd keep his FN FAL close and ready for engagement.
Several hours would go by as they begin to near the final double digits of their trip, the attrition of sitting in the same position and repeating the same monotonous task taking hold.
"Crystal-1 to all vehicles, check in."
To his expectations, 7 call signs would check in, 3 of their own, 2 from the supply trucks, and 2 from the MCD's various agents. Satisfied, he calls in their UAV.
"Crystal-1 to overwatch, have we got anything on our UAVs?"
"Scanning the area, standby for reports."
"Affirmative, continuing pace."
He turns off the radio's mic and awaits an answer patiently. Though, patiently may be a stretch as he grows restless from the 8 hours they've spent on the road now. An inquiry slows come to his mind as he turns to Wraith to confirm his suspicions.
"You're also getting bored of this."
Wraith visibly snaps out of a trance of monotonous driving, "Yeah, yeah. ... How come they put us on Convoy Duty anyways? We could be put to so much better use assaulting a compound or something."
"The MCD is a valuable ally, their resources are wanted by many and we might as well get a head start."
"Imagine getting our hands on some of those cult scripts, how much easier our jobs would be. Say, how long have we got left on this trip?'
"Shouldn't be too long, half an hour at most?"
"Gonna get back at that Specter when we return."
"Sure, buddy," he reaches for his radio and checks in with their command, "Crystal-1 to overwatch, what's the hold up?"
"Shit, shit- Crystal-1, we have visuals on enemy armor headed straight for your position!
"I'm sorry, what?"
"You have tanks and armored vehicles headed to intercept you!"
"Shit indeed, do we have support in our area? Artillery, reinforcements, air support?"
"Negative, Crystal-1. You're on your own."
Crystal-1 deliberates with himself for a moment. There was absolutely no way they'd be able to make it if they tried to run through a hostile armor column. But, they did have a job to complete.
"All callsigns, ditch the vehicles."
A familiar voice from the MCD's commander rings through the radio, "I beg your pardon?"
"We've enemy armor coming in. Ditch the vehicles and leave them to the side as bait, our chance to survive is to set up an ambush."
"Squad leader, are you fucking insane? You expect us to leave our packages unattended when they're bringing in tanks?"
"I won't, you MCD agents guard the supply trucks, we'll take out their armor."
"I hope you know how risky this stunt is."
"We've tried worse. Crystal-1 to overwatch, contact the MCD outpost and get them to send some help over here."
"Affirmative Crystal-1, over and out."
Sitting dead quiet in the forest laid several operatives waiting for the rumbling of tank treads. Grenades and molotovs cocktails stand ready to wipe out armored transports and infantry. Prometheus units standby with a sturdy grip on their rocket launchers, ready to strike a tank where it hurts most. In the distant skies, birds fly away as the rapid skipping of gentle wildlife escape a mechanized threat. His ears pick up on a distant engine as the ground beneath them trembles lightly. HIs eyes narrow in as he sees a few small blurs in the distance, no where big enough to be tank or jeep.
"Must be some motorbikes or ATVs scouting ahead, let them pass," he clicks his radio, "MCD teams, we're letting some motorbikes pass, I trust you can deal with four hostiles."
"I hope you're not getting us all killed."
He disregards the remark as he sits in wait for the bulk of the convoy. The signature rumble of a tank's tread upon the Earth could be heard closing in. Crystal-1 begins to feel his heart beat against his body and bulletproof vest, just one chance to salvage the potential clusterfuck of a situation. The path covered in foliage slowly began to clear away as an armored war machine emerged from the distance, maintaining a steady pace through the Canadian wilderness.
"Wait until the tank passes, we need a clear shot at their personnel."
The tank draws nearer, its cannon becoming clearer and in deafening range. From the path Crystal-1's team came, gun shots could be heard as the MCD agents began to skirmish. Much to his relief, the vehicles began to speed up. Seconds pass as the tracks are no more than 10 meters from their positions.
"Grenades and AT ready."
He pauses as they ready their firearms and explosives, " ... RUN THEIR SHIT IN!"
A rocket flies above their heads as it impacts the rear of the tank's top. He was taken aback from the sudden knockback and light as he pulls his strength in his arm to toss a grenade into the tank's tracks with hopes of immobilizing it. The glorious sight of seeing many grenades and bottles being thrown at the column of armored vehicles served as a warning for him to get down, as to avoid being struck by shrapnel and the force of god's wrath. Another rocket flies over their head as a greater shockwave shook Crystal-1, he barely remains in a crouched position. The brunt of their initial assault over, he quickly raises his FN FAL and scans the burning wreckage of the various vehicles. Burning both from the explosives and molotovs. A man climbs out of the inferno death trap, scorched and disorientated by the heat. An FN FAL round striking his head was more than enough to terminate him. Gunfire erupted from his sides as they swept the wreckage. Anyone who remained in the vehicles were most likely crippled or dead, those who were unfortunate enough to jump out were met with a hail of gun fire.
"Hold on, we've missed a jeep, to your right!" Crystal-1 called out as he noted several armed operatives dismounting a somewhat unscathed vehicle.
He quickly turns his FN FAL, but quickly ducks as the remaining men attempt one final act of resistance, firing wildly at the hills. And to some success as a few of their stray bullets meet their mark, "Shit, Hephaeteus-1's hit."
"Jesus Christ, something hit my vest!"
Instinctively reaching for his grenade, he pulls the pin and tosses it over their cover. He rises hastily to fire a few more shots, one of which meets its mark of an agent's arm, before ducking as the grenade explodes. Rising once more, he begins to flag the entire wreckage with his rifle, seeing no more movement of shadows nor bodies anywhere.
"That might have been all of them, sweep the area for any survivors and let's move out."
He reaches for his radio and contacts their MCD counterparts, "This is Crystal-1, armor destroyed, what's your situation, over?"
"Those four hostiles went down easily, though they got off a shot at one of my men. Other than that, all clear."
"Affirmative, we're sweeping the area to confirm the absence of anymore threats, over and out," he switches channels, "Crystal-1 to overwatch, are we all clear over here?"
"Negative! You've still got another tank coming-" He would not hear the last of what their commander had to say before being struck with the shrapnel of a tank's shell impacting fairly close by.
"Shit! AT! AT!"
The tank's turret would turn to face the forests whereas the majority of Crystal-1's forces sat, their Prometheus AT units included. Before a single rocket or grenade could be thrown at the tank, its machine gun erupted fire and devastated their lines.
"They got Prometheus-2, second AT down! Someone grab it!"
He instinctively reached for a grenade, but to no avail as he realizes he'd use the only two grenades he'd brought on the tank treads and jeep.
"Draw its fire, I can't strike it with a rocket."
Several operatives began to crawl away from the tank's firing line, a grenade being tossed to further redirect its attention. It does minimal damage to the tank, but leaves the crew startled for a moment. To his relief, the MG stops for a moment as the tank's turret begins to turn. It does not continue firing as it flags multiple operatives. Realizing it was about to fire another shell, he ducked into cover as scrap and debris went flying from the shell's impact.
"Firing!"
He hears another rocket fire as it strikes the tank, albeit in an ineffective spot. It shrugs off the majority of the damage whilst beginning to reverse.
"I got it, firing another rocket" Wraith's voice came over the radio. With a sniper's deadeye and precision, he'd hope she had better chances of destroying the tank. He watched as another rocket flew out and struck the tank in its side rear, significantly damaging it, but not destroying it.
"Damn it, it's already crippled. Throw everything you have at it!"
Another grenade went out as it fell near the tank's rear, but still the tank continued its rampage, the grenade doing minimal damage to the tank's armor.
"Last rocket, make it count, Wraith."
"Here we go."
Crystal-1 waited in deep anxiousness as Wraith aimed her last rocket. He waited a moment before hearing one final rocket fly out, striking the tank in its rear. ...
"Full effect on target, tank down."
The tank was engulfed in a small explosion as its turret popped off. He slowly came out of cover as the fire began to calm down. His FN FAL remained raised, skeptical of the safety of the road and looking for any unknown movements. But nothing came.
"Crystal-1 to all units, check in."
A series of radios came in as every the squad recovered themselves. All apart from Prometheus-2, who had been struck several times in the head and body by MG fire.
"This is Crystal-1 to overwatch, confirm presence of hostile signatures?"
"All clear, Crystal-1, regroup with the MCD convoy and continue."
"Understood, over and out."
He turns back to his squadron, "Retreat back to the Humvees and let's continue.
Hopping back into the vehicle, he reloads his FN FAL and lays it back down. Wraith jumping into the driver's seat shortly after.
"Hah, that was a fuckin' close one. Now let's see ... just drive around the wrecks, should have enough space."
Wraith starts up the engine and beings to slowly drive towards the wreck, the rest of the convoy following suit, "Hell, we took out two tanks, oughta cripple Igneous."
"No, that wasn't Igneous."
"Huh?"
"Igneous uses lighter tanks, it would've been destroyed by a single rocket if it was so. Much cheaper and easier to supply when you're in a shadow war involving anomalies."
"So, if it wasn't Igneous. Who were these guys?
"It must be whoever were working with them in the MCD depot raid."
"Command's going to have a field day with a new party in this war."
"Uh huh, let's just get our paycheck and get the fuck out of dodge."
Debrief
Operation Status: Success | Convoy successfully escorted
Casualties: 1 | Prometheus-2
Summary: Squad was operational from 1721 hours to 0257 hours. Operation was mostly uneventful until being the presence of a hostile convoy being reported through a UAV at 0013 hours. Operatives abandoned convoy and set up an ambush, leaving MCD agents back as guard. Enemy armored column was struck at 0031 hours. 1 casualty suffered through enemy armor, several injured. Package was successfully delivered following ambush.
"Due to the involvement of a new outside party during the MCD depot raid and the interception party, I have reason to believe Igneous is being supported by a new ally. The use of heavier tanks and sheer combat efficiency displayed in the depot suggests this ally possesses greater power and influence than either of our organizations. I suggest we begin further use of Intelligence Agency to find any lead related to this new faction." - Crystal-1, in his operational report to High Command.