Prolouge

A secret mission on Christmas Eve that ends not as planned.

Tonight is a cold one. Winter’s chill is seeping into my bones, making movement a tedious task, but continue I must. I unhook my flask and take a silent sip. My senses return to my body, I look down and realize just how deep this canyon goes. Slowly I move along this ridge, making sure not to slip.

 My team, a highly trained group of soldiers referred only as “Alpha” , is on a suicide run. To infiltrate a Pacific Corp military headquarter and kidnap its head scientist. A member of the Eastern American Organization or E.A.O’s military, it is our job to stop the Corp from creating a prototype weapon to wipe us out. Ever since the United States divided in 2076, The Corp and the Organization have been fighting for control. The situation became even worse when the Central Plains Coilition formed dead center of the continent. Now a three way war is being fought, with no clear winner or end.

 So now here are five New Yorkers on a cliff in northern Alaska in the middle of winter, just how Christmas should be spent. Slowly we edge our way towards a sewage pipe, connecting the two cliffaces with enough room to fit a man. We make it to the pipe and the team lets me ahead. I take out my beam knife and cut a perfect circle in the metal, large enough for us to squeeze in.

“Alright men,” whispers lieutenant Rodgers, “ Single file down the pipe, Louis take point, I will follow with Yorks at my back followed by Ward and finally Paterson. As quiet as a graveyard move,”.

 We obey his orders immediately, once everybody’s in I check to see if anyone else is watching and jump in. The water looks cold, but my trousers starts emitting heat waves warming my legs. Slowly we trudge through till we reach the drain. At this point the water is just below my shoulders crouching. In my ear I hear the static of my ear piece going on.

The voice of the Lieutenant whispers, “ X-ray shows two guards left and two right, facing the door. Louis and I will cover left while York and Ward take right. Paterson will check for surveillance. On my mark,”

I ready my rifle, water flowing out of its chambers.

“ Now”, says Rodgers and Yorks knocks over the grate to the drain and goes up. I see the dark figures of my comrades follow and I do too. I leap out of the sewer and turn about, checking for windows, then I look at the corners and spot cameras in each. I take them out and eagerly wait for an alarm. We were lucky, after minutes of waiting we put the corpses in the sewer and continue on.

 Our intel shows the scientist should be in his living quarters. We’ll snag him as he sleeps and blow his wall open to base jump to the bottom of the trench. Hopefully our contact will be waiting with our ride back to base. Swiftly we traverse the maze of sparkling hallways, taking out unfortunate guards along the way. Finally we reach where the room should be. Two guarded red doors await us as we turn around the corner. Rodgers nods towards me and I roll down into the hallway, slide between the to guards and slash them both in the throat with a single, fatal swing of my blade. Not a sound was made. Ward sets up the charges while we take our position against the door, me on the right behind Rodgers. Ward joins us and counts down with his fingers. After one the charges blow and we begin our assault, I await for Rodgers to yell his commands but I hear a completely different sound. Gunfire. 

The momentum of Ward pushes me into the myriad of bullets, an unforgettable pain strikes me all over. I feel the jolt of each bullet stopping inside me. I fell hard, my vision becoming foggy, as if a cloud appeared in front of me. I make out the figures of Yorks and Louis dead on the ground. Then I catch a glimpse of the fatal shot to Rodgers’ head, followed by Ward’s dying scream. How could have this happened? The intel specifically said this was the bedroom, but instead it was the armory. Lines of troops surround us as what seems to be the ranking officer comes to inspect the bodies.

 My vision is failing now, I am wavering between this world and the next. Still, I see the officer come to me, dressed in his black armour with a blue scarf around his neck and a black helmet in his left hand. Behind him emerges a man in a white lab coat, the scientist. The officer kicks me square in the chest, knocking me to my back. I begin to cough up blood, choking. Then he kneels besides me and grabs me by my shirt, not intentionally saving my life.

“ This one is alive doctor. Before I have him dealt with, are you in need of a test subject?” smirks the officer. The scientist approaches as well and chuckles.

“ Actually, I am in the testing phase for Project Blue so perhaps I have some use for him.” replies the scientist in a very snarky voice.

“ He’s all yours.” says the officer. He pushes me back to the ground and leads his troops out. 

The scientist turns around to get something, at this point I am determined not to a a test dummy so I struggle to reach Ward’s pistol, still holstered to his body. I try to reach but my arm can barely move. With a cry of pain I raise my right arm and grab the gun, with suicide in my mind. With the gun firmly in my hand I put it to my head. But before I get the chance to pull the trigger a hulking man in a white lab coat kicked it from my hand, breaking it in the process. The pain was too great, surely I will die before they get the chance to use me.

“ You will not be dying today Mr. Paterson,” says the scientist, reading my patch, “You will be a very useful person in the days to come,” and with that he erupts in sinister laughter, holding a large needle in his hand.

 The other man grips my throat and head, exposing my forehead. My vision fails me once more, but it returns as I see the needle plundge towards my head. Darkness engulfs me.

Author's Note

This story is mostly just a way for me to gain valuable tips.