Chapter 21: The Candlelight in the Dark
A/n: Without further ado. Rest in peace several of my favorite characters. 😭 I'm sorry!
(Y/n) POV:
Juan:"Rain. Fucking perfect." He cursed and stormed off. There was currently a downpour going on, and it couldn't have been anymore fitting for the current situation.
I was getting drenched, but I didn't care. Right now was my moment of silence for the fallen. Those I couldn't save.
'I've failed again, dad.' I thought silently and blinked my tears away.
In front of me were those we've managed to recover. There were other soldiers missing or their bodies were past recognizable. Even most of the dog tags were gone.
I lightly jiggled the tags of those closest to me. The people I've come to call as friends. To call as family. However, they were gone now.
Mike Bake. Codename: Thatcher. The man that fought wars before many of us were even alive. Hates fookin lazer soights. I set one of his EMP charges on top his tombstone with the British flag draped over the burial site.
Mark Chandar. Codename: Mute. A genius at a young age. Was the best person to ever talk to. I set his jammer beside his grave decorated similar to his squad mate.
Vicente Souza. Codename: Capitao. The one eyed terror against terrorists. Loves his cigars more than people. I had his cigar lit beside his grave.
Elena Maria Alvarez Del Manzano. Codename: Mira. The oldest female operator in Rainbow, but still kicked ass. Great soccer player. I rested her prized Vector against her tombstone.
After silently wishing my condolences for my fallen comrades, I turned to check on the others. They were in no better shape than I am.
Slav was consuming more alcohol than usual, and that's saying a lot. Juan was muttering Spanish cuss words and hitting random rubble. Bridge was comforting a sobbing Washington. Despite the loss of the more known operators, countless recruits paid the ultimate price.
Bridge:"Those bastards. I'm going to kill them all." He muttered with a murderous intent. One that I recognized, because I was exactly the same at one time. I looked down at my hands to see them shaking, so I clenched them tightly. Now was not a time to be weak in front of my soldiers.
"Everyone...." I called for everyone's attention. They all stopped what they were doing and looked at me. I sighed tiredly and looked at them desperately.
"I need a favor." I revealed. They all looked at me with curious and confused expressions.
Bridge:"Favor?" He questioned, and I nodded.
"I know you all want to hunt these bastards down, but the White Masks have our surviving comrades hostage." I began to explain to my teammates. They looked at me in surprise. This was news to all of them. They didn't know what happened to the rest of the members of Rainbow.
Slav:"What are we going to do?" He questioned in a desperate and drunk tone. I sighed and looked at everyone with a grave expression.
"I was getting to that. In order to free our comrades, I must give in to their demands." I continued.
Juan:"What are their demands?" He asked worriedly.
"I've got to become your enemy." I dropped the bomb. They all looked at me with confused expressions at first, until Bridge figured it out.
Bridge:"You mean...." He trailed off in a shocked tone. I nodded.
"I'm joining the White Masks." Everyone was bewildered. However, Washington didn't take it well.
Washington:"Y-You're just going to pretend to work for them, right?" She asked in an uneasy tone. I shook my head.
"No. In order to have a possibility that everyone held captive gets out alive, I must bomb the upcoming U.N. meeting." I told my team the White Mask's plan. No one uttered a word. What I was talking about was heinous and unthinkable.
Bridge:"That's a fucking international crime! You can't do that!!" He snapped in disbelief. It was my turn to not speak. There was no way I could justify that disgraceful action. However, I had people I needed to protect. If it was within my ability, I will do it.
"That brings me to the favor I wanted to ask." I quickly changed the subject. The others were unpleased of what I did, but waited to hear me out.
"Monika, or you know as IQ, is still out there somewhere. She is being hunted down by the White Masks for some reason. Whatever it may be, please...." I trailed off and dropped to my knees. The group looked down at me in shock.
"Please find her and protect her." I begged desperately. My teammates shared several surprised glances with each other. Before anyone could make a response, someone suddenly showed up.
Gus:"Well go rescue your girlfriend. Go save our comrades." The final teammate who went missing showed up. The rest of his team looked at him in disbelief.
Bridge:"You can't be serious?! You're letting him go destroy what we sacrificed so much to protect?!" He screamed at the male's face. Gus remained calm and looked at me.
Gus:"I may be smart, but I know when someone speaks the truth." He stated firmly. We all looked at him in confusion.
Gus:"(Y/n) is not going to kill innocents. That's not who he is." He finished his statement. It caught the rest of his team off guard. Including me.
Washington:"How would you know? We only trained with him for a little bit." She questioned skeptically. Gus cracked a small smile and sighed before starting to walk away.
Gus:"Let's just say he reminds me of the Grim Reaper's kid I met in Somalia." He stated ominously. Everyone looked at him without a clue, while my eyes narrowed while looking at the back of his head. Suddenly, they widened when I realized something.
'Kyle?' I internally gasped, as I recognized the similarities. Gus glanced behind his shoulder and winked at me before waving for his teammates.
Gus:"Come on everyone! Let's go on an adventure to find goldilocks!" He stated excitedly before running off. Everyone else was still dumbfounded. However, that suddenly changed.
Slav:"I guess we have no choice. I can't betray my comrades." The Russian man agreed and began to follow after Gus. Then Juan stood up as well.
Juan:"I'll go too, but you better be damn sure our teammates make it out." He demanded sternly, and I nodded in response. Finally, it was just Washington and Bridge.
Washington:"Looks like we don't have much of a choice. We'll find her Phoenix." She assured and looked at Bridge, who still seemed hesitant.
Bridge:"You know what we'll be after this. Even if you don't go through with the attack." He said grimly. I nodded in understanding, and Bridge sighed tiredly.
Bridge:"Someone's gotta look after that idiot. Just don't go dying again." He stated before turning around and walking away with Washington. I could only watch gratefully for what they're doing and sadly as well.
'No promises.' I silently thought before heading out on my own as well.
Timeskip brought to you by chibi (Y/n) boosting chibi Blitz up to six speed....
I perched on top of a hidden guardrail that overlooked the large chamber. Inside the chamber were thousands of seats and desks. Each one had a name plate for their countries' representatives of peace. It was the meeting place for the UN.
White Mask Leader:"Are you in position?" The man from the phone questioned on my radio. I grit my teeth in rage, but kept it in check. Then I replied after calming down.
"Affirmative." I responded in my calmest tone. Then the person on the radio began chuckling slightly.
White Mask Leader:"Why do you sound so upset? You should be excited. You'll get your friends back after tonight." He began teasing me. I remained in silence. If I spoke the words I wanted right now, they would throw my friend's lives in jeopardy.
White Mask:"Look, I'll even sweeten the deal. Your 'recruit' friends will even be spared. Surprisingly, they put up one heckuva fight. Even my men had some trouble." He tried to continue the small talk, much to my displeasure.
"The meeting is about to start soon. I need radio silence to work my best." I stated in a strained tone.
White Mask Leader:"Hmm...okay. Please do remember to do a good job. I will be monitoring the entire situation." He warned me before cutting off contact. I let out a sigh and stared grimly at the people shuffling into the building.
'This isn't good.' I thought to myself about the understatement. To a normal guard, my viewpoint would just show thousands of people. However, I had my scanned on, and it showed everything. The thousands of explosives planted throughout the building. They were all primed to blow, and I had the trigger.
'Am I really going to go through with this?' I questioned myself in despair.
Meanwhile....
(Ash POV):
My eyes fluttered open to see only darkness. There was pain and aching throughout my body, but mostly the back of my head. I also felt cold and exposed. Like there weren't any clothes on me.
Suddenly, a blinding light hit me when the sound of creaking metal filled the air. After I recovered and took a peek, I saw that someone had opened the door.
???:"I see you're awake." A familiar voice commented and began approaching me. I wanted to say something, but my throat felt dry and it hurt moving my jaw.
???:"Shh. Shh. Don't move. You'll just hurt yourself some more." The person whispered and tapped on something. Suddenly, my body turned around on its own. That's when I realized that I was dangling from chains.
I tried to move my wrists or arms, but they betrayed me. Then I looked down to see a pool of blood below my bare feet. It also reeked of sweat and rusty metal.
???:"Here. This should wake you up." The person stated, as they stabbed something into my arm. I croaked in pain at first, but then felt a sudden rush of energy. It was almost overwhelming that it made me gasp and cough violently.
I focused on breathing and lowering my heart rate. Eventually, things calmed down, and everything started to become clear again. I looked to see that there was a single man leaning on a desk in front of me.
The man looked familiar, but I don't recall meeting him. He looked to be around his fifties. The man wore combat clothing and was very muscular. He also had white hair and scars all over his body. The most noticeable ones were over his two eyes. He only had his left brown one open, while the right one remained closed.
???:"Feeling better?" He asked curiously. I snapped out of my thoughts and began questioning.
"Where am I?! Who are you?! Where are my teammates?!" I demanded. The man shook his head in disappointment?
???:"Those are your first questions? I thought he would have picked better." He stated in shame. I looked at him in confusion.
'He would have picked better? What on earth is he talking about?' I silently thought to myself. The muscular man then turned around and began tapping on a keyboard.
???:"Since you're so curious, I'm a man that you all have been so longingly to catch." He answered ominously. I took a few moments to figure it out before replying.
"You're the leader of the White Mask." I responded. The man nodded in confirmation.
???:"Good. You're not all brain dead like Six." He insulted our dead leader. I rattled in my chains, and the terrorist leader glanced behind his back.
???:"You really should stop doing that. Reaper would not appreciate damaged goods." He advised. I flinched at the old codename for (Y/n).
"(Y/n)? What have you done with him?!" I yelled in rage, but quickly regretted it. Immense pain shot throughout my body. I looked down to see tons of bruise and cut marks on my naked body.
???:"Done with him? Please. I would never do that to an old subordinate." He scoffed. I looked at him in confusion.
"Subordinate?" I questioned. The leader nodded and the screen in front of us suddenly turned on.
???:"Yes. He in fact, is carrying out a mission for me right now." The man revealed, and I froze in shock.
"He would never do anything for you!" I denied. The man turned around and smirked at me.
???:"I beg to differ." He disagreed and pressed a button. Suddenly, multiple live feeds of (Y/n) showed up on the screen. He seemed to be hidden in a large fancy building. I didn't know what I was looking at.
"What is this? This could be past recordings." I countered. The leader of the White Masks sighed tiredly before pressing another button.
News Reporter:"Here we are live at the annual UN meeting....." The person on the screen reported. I looked at the news feed and where (Y/n) was. The setting looked exactly the same.
"What's going on?" I asked worriedly.
???:"What we're about to see is (Y/n)'s true form. A perfect soldier." He began explaining, as I shook my head frantically.
"No...what's he doing there?" I needed to know. The man walked over and grabbed my face. He turned it towards the feed focused on (Y/n). In his hand was a trigger of some sort.
???:"His mission is to bomb this place full of political lies." He finally revealed. I stared in disbelief. There was no way he was going to do this.
"No....he won't. The (Y/n) I know-"
(Y/n):"The final ambassadors are filing in. I'm detonating at 2150." My boyfriend reported in. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and seeing. Was (Y/n) actually going to do this?
"Why?" I questioned. The terrorist chuckled in amusement before explained.
???:"Because he loooves you." He emphasized and mocked the love part. I began shivering and feeling sick.
???:"It's okay though. This may be the last romantic act he does for you before he becomes an international criminal. After all, you can't love a man that sheds innocent blood, can you?" He asked curiously. I didn't respond, so the man grabbed me by the hair and yanked my head back.
"Agh-" My cries of pain were cut off when the man shoved a cloth over my mouth.
???:"I won't be as sick as Syrius, so I won't let you watch your love commit such horrible acts. However...." He trailed off and leaned in close to me. I felt my consciousness fade. There was a drug in the cloth.
???:"Don't think that you or me will let him off easily just because we've taken a favor to him." He whispered ominously, as my eyes began to close.
'Please (Y/n)....don't......' I drifting off into a blackout.
(Ela POV):
"Ow!" I hissed in pain, as a searing blade pressed against my bullet wound.
Valkyrie:"Sorry, Ela. It's the only way to keep the wound from infecting." The blonde apologized. I nodded and continued to hold in my pain. I couldn't act selfish when others are doing worse than me.
"How is everyone else holding up?" I wanted to distract myself. Valkyrie sighed and set down the glowing piece of metal she used to cauterize my wound.
Valkyrie:"Not good. Doc is doing the best he came with what we have." She answered grimly. I nodded sadly as well.
After the attack, the White Masks had captured those they didn't slaughter. We lost so many recruits and our close friends that day. It hurt too much to think about the fallen. Plus, we needed to focus on the wounded right now.
Buck was struck by falling debris on the head. Even though Doc closed up most if the wound, without proper treatment, the Canadian may never wake up.
Echo was still unconscious as well. When the string of bombings went off. He took the full blast to the back to protect Twitch. From where things stand, when he wakes up, he won't be able to move his entire lower body.
Dokkaebi was shot in the chest. The wound may have punctured a lung. Right now, the only thing keeping her alive was a makeshift IV and ventilator.
Thermite had his left arm completely blown off. He was awake, but still in shock. His girlfriend, Hibana, was also unlucky. She lost her right leg from a random blast. Then there were the recruits.
Some were almost unrecognizable. To them, being alive was a cruel torture method. Many wanted to end it right there, but the ones who had lighter wounds kept their comrades from jumping off the edge.
'Why....why must it come to this....' I thought in misery. Then I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me, and I immediately snuggled into them.
Valkyrie:"It's going to be okay." My girlfriend assured me. I nodded and embraced her tightly. Tears streaked down my face. However, they did not compare to one specific person.
"H-How's Tiana?" I whispered. Valkyrie didn't answer and only looked to the side. I did the same and felt guilt wash throughout my body.
Caveira was sitting along in the corner. Just staring into blankness. In her hand was a single photo. It was a photo that was meant to be secret, but someone was so elated to show it to everyone.
It was Mute and Caveira in civilian clothes. The two took a day off and went to the local fair. Those two looked so happy in the picture. In fact, it was the first time I've ever seen Caveira smile so much.
Valkyrie:"I still remember the day Mark showed it to the entire base. Tiana was blushing so much that Doc actually started to think that the disease (Y/n) was suspicious about, was real." She reminisced. I nodded and remembered the smiles and teasing that went around. Nonetheless, Tiana eventually joined in the laughter. However, she reverted back to her old self now.
"Have you heard anything from Eliza?" I asked weakly. Valkyrie shook her head.
Valkyrie:"She's still missing from when we were taken in. Enough about that, you should focus on resting. You lost too much blood." The blonde advised. I nodded, but knew I could not rest. Especially with IQ still on the hunt, and how (Y/n) would fall into this situation.
'Monika, I hope at least you made it out.' I silently prayed. After that, I prayed for a miracle for everyone to make it out okay. God may have ignored the rest of my pleas, but I solemnly hope this one makes it through.
'For everyone's sake...'I trailed off and looked at my sister. She too was praying. One of the few here that had a child to return to. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by arguing going outside our cell.
???-1:"Right, what the hell kind of name is 'Soap', eh? How'd a muppet like you pass Selection?" A man with a British accent questioned. I grew curious and listened in.
???-2:"Enough about me, what the hell kind of name is Ghost?" Another British male questioned.
???-3:"Beats me, at least I'm not watermelon head." A different person countered.
Guard:"Hey! What's going on here?" The guard I recognized suddenly showed up.
???-4:"I don't know. I'm just the Rookie that was placed here." Someone with a familiar American voice replied.
Guard:"Rookie, huh? I guess that explains why you decided to paint our prized White Mask black." He questioned.
???-4:"I guess you could say that." The man replied calmly.
Guard:"Well you know better than not to piss off our boss! He hates the Black Masks!" The guard scolded. Suddenly, the sound of a shot from a silenced pistol went off. Followed by a body hitting the ground.
???-4:"Oh the irony." The man stated in amusement. Suddenly, the doors opened to reveal two men. One was wearing a fishing hat and smoked a cigar. The other had a black mask on.
???-4:"Hey Ela, long time no see." He greeted casually. I searched the corners of my memory for anything that related to this man. My eyes then widened in shock.
"Ace?" I questioned, and the male nodded in confirmation. The British man then approached me.
???-1:"Hi. How are ya? You must be the lassie Reaper knocked up." He greeted bluntly, and I began to flush red. My sister then stood up and shoved the man away. He stumbled back and fell onto his back.
Zofia:"My sister would never sleep with that pig!" She spat. The British man mumbled curse words and stood up.
???-1:"Cheeky bastard. Then where's the woman he knocked up?" He questioned impatiently.
???-2:"Oi! I think they've spotted us!" The other British male notified. The man in the room with us scratched his scraggly beard in annoyance, and I began to speak.
"She's currently on the run. However, have you found Eliza?" I questioned worriedly. The old man's eyes widened in disbelief.
???-1:"That brat is double dealing?! I've got to kick some sense into him when I find him, but for now, we need to get out of here." He stated in a hurried tone. Valkyrie helped me up, but I still had questions.
"Who are you?" I questioned. Suddenly, an explosion went off nearby. Ace sighed tiredly.
Ace:"Goddam it. I told RC to wait!" He hissed into the radio. The older man chuckled and handed me a gun.
Price:"I'm (Y/n)'s old captain, but just call me Price." He introduced and exited the cell. I glanced at everyone else, and they too were in shock at what was happening. That's when Price came back.
Price:"Well what are you cunts waiting for?! This is a prison break! Let's go!" He yelled angrily. That finally got everyone moving.
"You have to find Eliza!" I shouted desperately. Ace looked at me and nodded.
Ace:"Don't worry. We'll find her." He assured, and I looked past him. Several other Black Mask members were behind him along with other soldiers.
Price:"Ghost, Roach, Nikolai, go cover the south side." The man ordered the three of the soldiers not wearing a black mask. One of them had a white skull on his balaclava.
Ace:"Dai Kor, provide sniper cover when we make our move. Wasp, Aegis, you two will take point. Lucifer, Muro, make sure RC doesn't blow everyone up. I'm sure Nomad and his team should be able to handle themselves." The Black Mask strategist ordered. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Recruit:"We're being rescued!" One of the soldiers cried out in joy.
Everyone then began to carefully grab the wounded and make our escape. Valkyrie carried me bridal style, much to my enjoyment, out of the cell. A miracle has happened once again because of (Y/n).
'Although he may have not been directly involved....' I thought, as I watched the soldiers that have come to our aid help the wounded out.
'These people are here because (Y/n) had made an impact on them.' I thought with a small smile.
Meanwhile....
(Third Person POV):
On a small screen displayed the live feed of what was going on the White Mask base. Behind the screen was the man with the red eye. He had a disappointed look before dialing a number.
???:"Thanatos, we're going with Operation: Reaper-2." He notified the person on the other side of the phone.
Thanatos:"Are you sure? Reaper still doesn't know yet." The male that spoke had a custom 1911 in his free hand. The leader of the White Masks slightly chuckled while shaking his head.
???:"No, it's too late now. Reaper has too many stubborn friends. Don't worry. All will be well in the end. Just do it." He stated sternly before hanging up. The man then sighed, as the helicopter continued to fly towards its destination.
???:"Oh I wish how things turned out differently." He stated slightly gloomily and held an old photo in his hand. On the photo was a picture of a woman with (h/c) hair and an infant with the same hair and (s/c) skin.
Now back to (Y/n)....
(Y/n) POV:
"I'm sorry." I apologized to everyone for what I was about to do. Before I pulled the trigger, my phone began buzzing. I let out a shaky breath before answering.
???:"Goddam it Reaper! Why did you have to get all mixed up with the wrong people. And when did you plan on telling me that you're a father?!" A British voice questioned angrily.
"Wait-wha?" I was confused by the outburst. Then there was some scuffling from behind the phone.
Ela:"(Y/n)? Is that you?" I heard a familair voice and breathed out in relief.
"Ela, thank god. Are you alright? Is Eliza alright? Is everyone-"
Ela:"We're fine, (Y/n). Eliza is fine too. Thanks to your friends." She assured. My eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Friends? Who?" I asked in confusion.
???:"Aww that hurts mate. Don't tell me you forgot who your old captain was?" The British man asked in mock offense. I ransacked my memory until I realized who it was.
"No way. Price?!?!" I essentially shouted. The man himself laughed over the phone.
Price:"You bet your sorry ass, (Y/n). Don't worry, your comrades are safe." He confirmed. I sat back in shock and disbelief.
"I-I don't know what to say." I stammered.
Price:"Don't say, just do. Wait. Actually, don't do it." He corrected himself. I gulped nervously.
"You know?" I asked about the bombing.
Price:"Yep. However, we can kick your ass later. Right now, these cunts have a backup strategy in case you didn't follow through." He stated grimly. My eyes narrowed in frustration. I expected this, but didn't know what to do.
"How bad?" I questioned.
Price:"Ten thousand bad." He answered, and I knew what was about to go down.
Security:"Everyone, evacuate-" One of the security guards announced the emergency, but was cut off by an explosion from another part of the embassy. The blast was so great that it shook the entire building, and almost knocked me off my feet. Suddenly, the speakers began playing a familiar voice I loathed.
White Mask Leader:"Attention all world representatives. Start counting the last seconds of your lives because the White Masks are here. We've had enough of your government lies, so we're here to start a revolution. One that begins with your lives." The man announced, and the entire chamber erupted into mass panic.
"Maria, run a hostile scan." I ordered my helmet to scan the area.
Maria:"Scanning.....ten thousand hostiles detected." The machine reported and displayed a sea of red indicators coming from outside the embassy.
White Mask Leader:"Let's see if you can perform a miracle again, (Y/n). Long live the White Masks."
Shoutout to TheRookieGamer , StrmDominatr , SkeithData , KingKittyXOXO for their awesome OCs and please check out their stories too.
A/n: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and it made up a little for the favorite character deaths. Thank you once again for all the views and comments. You all are the best.
Leave what you all think about this chapter here, and what you're most excited about. I'm curious to know.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro