Wildlands (rskde & BurningWillows)

[Risky]

"You'll be coming with us, you'll sit up at a sniper peak with Al." He explains to the redhead.

When the team comes in he motions for them to follow him outside, where their helicopter was still parked.

He gets into the drivers seat before turning it on, waiting for the team to get inside before flying off towards the mansion.

 

[BurningWillows]

She nodded, slipping out to find some gear, wanting to be protected. She was the last to return to the mess hall, and the only one who looked petrified. Serena fell in line beside Al, trying to hide her shaking hands.

 

[Risky]

Alex grabs her hand and nods to her as they load into the helicopter.

The bird takes off, flying towards the mansion.

It only takes them about half an hour to reach the landing zone, Al leads Serena up to his sniper perch while the rest of the team moves down to the exterior walls of the compound.

Shrake had told them that the plan consisted of going in there and killing everyone that had a weapon or was a target, so all's they would need to do is walk in through the front door.

 

[BurningWillows]

Serena finds a spot beside Al's hips, sitting cross legged with a pair of binoculars and a radio. In her lap is another radio, connected to the team. The radio in her hand is connected to a whole other frequency. Taking a deep breath she tried to prep herself for the next two minutes of the best acting her life. But there wasn't much she could do to really prep, and she could see the team with her binoculars getting close.

"Oi," she snapped into the radio, her Spanish flawless, "Abran las puertas!"

She was barking at them to open the gates and after only a moment one of them snapped back, "¿Quién demonios es esto? ¿Y por qué?"

"No me pregunta idiota! Es Katerina! Perra del Narco! Ahora abra esa puerta antes de que la perdemos!" Serena snapped in her angriest voice, setting Katerina up for bait.

Seconds later the radio buzzed as someone grumbled but accepted. Muting that radio she grabbed the other.

"They're opening the front gate," she called through to the team, "You're in."

If she was bait, she was going to play it up well. She pretended to be sneaking up to the door, but she kept making this noise and that, making it obvious she was there. The men on the otherside of the gated entrance could hear her curse loudly, then hush herself.

Sure enough, Serena's voice pipped through her radio that they had bought it and were opening the gate. Sure they probably expected she had back up, but who cared? They just needed to get in, then the bullets could fly.

 

[Risky]

Shrake and all of the men of team team, minus Al move around to the back of the mansion where they throw grappling hooks on to the second story balcony of the mansion, quickly ascending as they climb on to it.

They find the door unlocked and easily move through the room out into the hallway of the mansion, their suppressed weapons aiming around corners as they walk.

One of the rooms they approach is guarded, Kyle fires a single shot, both guards are taken out by it, falling and hitting the floor. Shrake approaches and grabs a Snake camera from his side and slips it under the door, motioning for them to prepare a breach.

Lion approaches the door and places a little square of C2 on the door before setting up a detonator for it, he then stacks up on the rest of the team. Lion is in the front, Kyle second, Winters third, and Shrake last.

Shrake nods to him and he pulls the switch, causing the door to be blown up. Lion flips around the corner, bullets fly out of the room and connect with him all over, his legs and arms and chest, causing blood to fly out from behind him in a spray.

The gunfire stops and the sound of Narcos laughing is heard.

Lion raises his AUG and fires a single shot before collapsing, hyperventilating badly with blood beginning to pool around him.

Winters kneels down and drags him away from the door while Kyle leans around the corner to see what was still inside.

What he finds is the dead body of Pablo Narcos, a grin plastered on to the bastards face, blood dripping down from a hole in his forehead.

 

[BurningWillows]

The doors open and even as Katerina pretends to raise her hands in surrender bullets whiz around her, hitting the three guards opening the door-like gate. With liquid fast reflexes Kat has her own gun unholstered and the two lay waste on the guards at the door before proceeding in. They're relying on Al to cover the wall and the guard towers, and Serena to help in any way she can.

Past the walls is the courtyard, full of various buildings to pack, ship, and distribute cocaine. Thugs file out of them quickly, and Katerina and Arya are forced to make their stand at the gate, unable to go in any further.

"Grenade!" Kat yells, yanking one out of her belt and pulling the clip with her teeth before tossing it into a throng of thugs. The courtyard lights up as blood and bodies fly everywhere, diminishing their numbers by a few, but not by many.

"There are more men then I've seen in one compound before," Arya snapped, ducking behind the wall to reload.

"Looks like he was expecting this than," Kat replied loudly, "Let's just hope someone gets to him before he runs off."

In truth, she still harbored a loathing hate for the man, and if she got the chance to put a bullet in his head she would. But the mission was to clear the whole compound out.

"Grenade!" Arya yelled, tossing another one in and calling through her radio, "Al there's reinforcements coming down the south east wall!"

It took a while but eventually the numbers diminished to only a few, the girls and the sniper taking on most of the courtyard while the men had snuck around back to take that side and whoever they found inside Narco's mansion of a hideout.

"I got these assholes," Arya called over to Kat about the three men hiding in the factory on their right, both of the ghosts unharmed other than a few scratches from bullets, "I'll plant the C4 if you want to canvas the other buildings.

Kat nodded and ran ahead, ducking in and out of buildings making sure no one was left as she made her way towards the main building. When she got to it she blew the brains out of the two guards at the front door, before going inside.

All was deathly quiet.

There was no one here. She toured the main floor and found no one, then snuck up the stairs to the second floor, looking down the left hall and then the right...

"Shit Lion!" her breath stuck as she rushed down the hall, dropping to her knees beside him, and the group "Is he alive?"

Alex was amazing.

She watched him in fascination, taking down men miles away on that roof top. Using her binoculars she could see them fall, each shot hitting its target.

But a rustle in the bushes behind her made Serena's attention turn, as her head swiveled. She knew Al had to be completely focused on his task, or any of their team mates could suffer from a missed shot.

"It's probably just a rabbit or deer," Serena shrugged off, leaving Al to focus as her brown eyes stared into the jungle behind them.

She knew better than to think rabbit or deer lived in Bolivia. Sure, there was the chance it was a small animal, but it could also be a number of predators. She didn't have long to wonder as the bushes rustled again and she caught sight of metal amongst the leaves and a hand before she dove.

The bullet barely missed her leg as she rolled sideways and jumped up, trying to find the assailant in the trees again. Her heart pounded and she could barely breath, adrenaline and terror rapidly filling her.

"Al there's reinforcements coming down the south east wall!" Arya's voice buzzed through the radio Serena had dropped by his hip.

She knew then and there Al would be torn, between doing his one duty to the mission and protecting them from both ending up dead. And they'd left him with a partner who had no training and could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

In a split second decision Serena yelled, "I got it!" while lunging away from another shot her knees digging into the dirt as she slid up beside Alex. She grabbed his hand gun from his hip, not sure how to use it, but ready to try.

Another shot fired and just missed her shoulder as she rushed towards the trees, and by pure luck tackled him. Both of them tumbled into the bush, disappearing from sight as they wrestled for the upperhand, the assailant wanting one last death for the cartel, and Serena fighting for not just her life but her boyfriend's too. Too quickly though she lost the gun in her hand, watching it fly away and back onto the cliff ledge, meters from where she struggled with the man trying to kill her. Now there was only one gun, and they both fought for it, Serena clawing and kicking at him while he continued to jab her sides as use his strength against her. They tumbled and tossed, rolling deeper into the trees as she tried to scramble away and he caught her, only to be kicked in the stomach as she turned and threw all her weight into her legs. She couldn't see Alex anymore of the cliff ledge, all she could see was colors of green and brown. Serena knew her strength was outmatched, as well as her aim with a gun. But adrenaline drove her to continue fighting, letting the fear push her to the limits.

Suddenly the gun loosened from his grip and she sent her elbow into his nose, trying to gain possession of the weapon. It slipped from her fingers though and he kneed her in the hip, shattering the bone as she screamed, both in pain and fury, the gun dropping down beside them. Her fist hit dead center into his nose, breaking it as he also yelped and grabbed at his now bleeding nose. His eyes shot right towards the gun as did hers and they scrambled for it, each reaching in hopes they'd get it first........

BAM!

A single shot fired, and the trees went silent.

 

[Risky]

Kyle is left covering the body of Lion, who is still struggling to breathe, the only thing they could do for him was lessen the pain or put him out of his misery, there was no way he'd survive.

Kyle looks to Katerina and nods. "If you wanna say goodbye, now would be the time, he's not got much longer." The soldier admits to her.

Alex trusts her to take care of the threat behind them as he squeezes off several more shots, taking out the reinforcments coming into the compound. A helicopter flies over them, he takes aim and fires, watching blood splatter against the windshield as the pilot is killed.

The helicopter sails towards the ground, Cartel thugs desperate to save themselves jump from the sides or stay in holding on for dear life as they crash into the mansion, taking out the eastern wall.

He hears a gunshot behind him and he jumps up, grabbing his Karambit knife from his side and slipping into the tree line, moving as if hunting down whoever was shooting.

 

[BurningWillows]

She gripped his hand, murmuring a Spanish phrase she'd heard only once, when her mother died. A single tear rolled down her cheek, saying her heartfelt goodbye to him.

As Lion slipped away she got up, looking into the room where Narcos lay dead. She strolled up, pulling the glock she had gotten from him from her belt. Every last bullet embedded itself in his head, till it was a pile of blood and brains.

"Enjoy hell," she spat, turning and striding out.

Serena was alive.

Although she couldn't move, and there was blood covering her face. The shot had been so close with such a powerful rifle that she couldn't hear a thing, her hearing shot. Her eyes were blurry, so she just lay there beside the dead body, eyes closed as she barely breathed, as if holding her breath for something else to come, unable to hear even if it did.

 

[Risky]

Alex spots her and rushes over to her, putting his knife back into its holster before kneeling down next to her, his hands physically searching her for any wounds or any injuries she may have acquired.

He knows that she wasn't wearing ear plugs, he whispers into her ear, doubtful that she can hear him. "I'm proud of you." Before he picks her up wedding style and jogs her back towards the helicopter.

"I'm evacuating Serena, her hearing is shot." He says over the radio as he goes towards the chopper.

 

[BurningWillows]

She opened her eyes when she felt hands on her, relieved to see Alex. It was like she could let go of the fight and as she did the full force of the pain he'd inflicted during the fight. At once she passed out, knowing she was safe in his arms.

 

[Risky]

Alex places her into the chopper before sitting down on one of the benches, taking his sidearm and watching around for any approaching enemies around them.

 

[BurningWillows]

Finishing up with the C4 she meets up with the team just as Katerina takes the dog tags from their fallen comrade, pulling them over her head so they rested with hers.

"Everything is in place to blow this whole compound up," she states to Shrake, "Are we done?"

"I'm not having Lion left to burn with Narcos and his cocaine," Kat piped up, "Someone please give me a hand. He's too heavy to carry alone. Please."

 

[Risky]

Kyle walks over and helps her with Lion's body, getting him out of the compound before it explodes, massive columns of fire erupting from what once was Skull Face's mansion.

They fly back to the base and pack up, orders come in for them to go home, back to the United States, they would be flown into Reagan National Airport in Wasington DC.

When everything was packed they get into their helicopter and fly to Bolivia's airport before boarding a C-17 and flying towards America.

 

[BurningWillows]

They had built a shallow grave for Emberly, and with the prospect of going home unburied her, putting her body in a body bag, along with Lion's, so that they could be buried on home soil.

When they got to the plane their were two caskets and Serena, Arya, and Kat helped load their fallen comrades before taking off, excited to get back home, and somber for losing another teammate before the fight was over.

 

[Risky]

When the team exits the plane, they are greeted on the airfield by a firing line of Secret Service officers, each one aiming a weapon at each team member as they get out of the plane. The officers order the team to get on the ground and remove any weapons from their bodies as an important looking man in a suit approaches them.

"We're here for a Commander Shrake, if he could step forward that would be good." He says.

On the fence behind them sits a crowd of protesters, probably here to welcome the team home by asking them questions about the war and all of that.

 

[BurningWillows]

Serena had woken on the plane ride home, confused and in pain. Her hip was shattered, there were bruises covering her body, and her hearing was still shot, blood clotting her ear canals.

When they landed she wasn't even able to walk with the hip injury, instead using crutches to make it down the stairs, promised a wheel chair when she got out. Instead she got a gun pointed at her chest, and her eyes shot to Alex, unable to hear what was going on. She watched as each ghost got down on the ground, dropping their weapons in front of them.

The man with the gun said something and gestured, probably telling her to get down.

"I can't...my crutches-" she tried, talking much too loudly as two men strolled up to her, patting her down for weapons.

"Al? What's going on?" she called, looking at him, confused and worried.

 

[Risky]

Alex carefully stands, motioning to Serena so that the officers know he isn't trying anything. He supports her while a wheelchair is run out from the ATC in front of them. He helps her sit down before he returns to his position belly first on the ground.

Shrake stands up and raises his hands in the air. "That's me, what do you want?" He asks them. "My team just got home, and I'd personally like to get some R&R time." He says to the officers.

They move towards him carefully before cracking him upside the head with the butt of their rifles, grabbing his arms and smacking his head into the ground, pressing his cheek against the runway.

They zip tie his hands together before dragging him to his feet and dragging him to the secret service SUV's parked outside of the airfield lot. The protesters start to shout at the zip tied soldier, news reporters yelling questions to the man, watching blood drip down his head.

 

[BurningWillows]

She took the help, getting more comfortable in a wheelchair even though her hip stung like hell. What she needed was a hospital.

No one knew what was going on it seemed. Shrake was pulled away, beaten and bleeding as they dragged him to an unmarked car, protesters against the fence watching with interest. For Serena though all was silent.

Katerina lay with her nose pressed into the ashpalt, waiting for her name to be called next. She wasn't sure what Shrake had done, but that fear of being sent back to Bolivia was eminent, causing her to stress the entire plane ride back. Now that they were all face down on the ground, Kat worried they'd dispose of her, wanting nothing to do with the ex-CIA.

 

[Risky]

The agents all lower their weapons from the team before stepping away, falling back to the SUV's before speeding off with their captive in tow. A military bus waits for the team in order to take them to an assigned hotel just up the street from the White House, where they would all be staying until the President awarded them for their actions, and then they'd be on standby for more missions unless they leave the team.

Alex gets Serena to the local hospital for treatment before he leaves her there with the promise that he would be back in no time. He rents them a room that the Military would be paying for, he then places his duffel bag and other items on the floor. While they had been able to keep their armor and knives, their weapons were stripped from them.

On each bed was a note from the Secret Service, it reads: 'Do not attempt to make contact with your families.'

 

[BurningWillows]

When they reach the hotel, Kat is quick to jump in the shower, wanting to clean herself up before crashing for sleep, needing to rest. She invites Winters to join, happy its all over and they are still together.

Arya offers to share a room with Kyle, getting one with two double beds. Lately she's felt safer with them around her, and with the way Shrake was taken so abruptly everyone is a little nervous. It doesn't help when they find the notes on the bed, and Arya feels better knowing she can keep an eye on Kyle and Max.

"Sleep?" she asks, staring at the note, knowing she can never go home - never see her parents again.

Serena's eyes stayed wide open, afraid at being alone. She couldn't hear, and the drugs were kicking in, making her loopy. It terrified her more, every time she closed her eyes she could see the face of the man she killed.

Finally the drugs took over and she fell asleep, although her dreams were nothing but nightmares. She was being chased by the dead assaliant, his eyes vibrant green like her sisters, as he screamed a sound so high it rung in her ears as she ran for her life. Suddenly the ground broke away and she was falling, falling and screaming.

Serena woke with a start, two nurses on either side of her, restraining her as she flailed, screaming madly. The drugs had made the night terrors only worse, and without Alex there was no one to comfort her.

"Call him!" she gasped, "Please! Alex! I need Alex!"

"The man who dropped her off," one of the nurses spoke to the other, "Go call him. I will stay here. Try to calm her."

"Alex!" she cried, shaking and crying, flailing despite her injuries, unable to hear anything they were saying, "Where's Alex?!"

 

[Risky]

Winters nods to her and climbs into bed next to her, burying his face into the crook of her neck before kissing the sensitive flesh lovingly. "I'm so glad it's over." He whispers.

Kyle nods and looks Max in the eye before clicking his tongue and motioning to the double bed on the other side of the room, closest to the door. The dog excitedly jumps on to the bed before staring at the door, his head in his paws.

He grabs Arya's hand and leads her into bed before wrapping his arms around her.

Alex rushes into the hospital after getting called by the nurse, he was already on his way back but the call gave him more incentive to get there as soon as possible. He walks into her room and sits down next to her bed, clasping one of her hands between his and watching her.

"It's okay.." He says to her softly.

 

[BurningWillows]

Serena's panic attack didn't slow until the nurses rushed Alex in and she could see him, her hands shaking as she reached for him.

"She just started screaming and tossing," one of the nurses explained, "She can't hear us though with her ear damage. We did all we could to calm her, but she kept asking for you."

"Alex," she gulped in air, tears in her face, "Alex I'm scared."

 

[Risky]

He nods and mouths. "I know." To her while continuing to hold her hands, he shoo's the nurses away, wanting to be alone with her. He is concerned by her ear damage, terrified that she will be deaf for life.

 

[BurningWillows]

Serena gripped his hands iron tight, her eyes never leaving his face.

"I don't like the drugs," she told him, her voice a notch too loud, unable to hear her own volume, "My nightmares...I was having awful nightmares. And you weren't here when I woke. Alex I don't like this. I can't hear. Please, baby what's going to happen to me?"

 

[Risky]

He lets one of his hands move away before he holds up his index finger, he grabs a pen and writes on one of her bedsheets. "I don't know, but I am here for you." Before showing it to her, looking her in the eyes while she reads.