𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 || 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴

THE CRACKLING OF AKS FILLED THE ALLEYWAYS OF RIO, MEN SHOUTING AS THEY RAN THROUGH THE NARROW ALLEYS AMIDST THE FAVELAS. Women and their children rushed inside the buildings for safety from the cartel that handled their weapons poorly. Letting rounds fly and hit nearby buildings and some civilians.

A cloud of smoke could be seen higher up in the hills from a recent explosion. The cartel's drug operation. Their cocaine lab had been discovered only a few weeks ago from drone surveillance over the island. CIA wanted to make the first move, so they did. And now, they were beginning to see the repercussions of those actions.

"Watcher-1 to Alpha-2, what's your sitrep?" Laswell inquired, voice strained as she sat in the AC-130, providing overwatch for her agent. Able to get a clear view of Bellona's location with an enhanced camera resting in the belly of the aircraft. The muzzle flashes of gunfire fill the alleyways 26,000 feet below.

Bellona on the other hand wasn't feeling the luxury that her Commander was feeling. Currently, she was sprinting down alleyways with a dislocated arm, shot left leg, and a P226 holding 4 rounds in the magazine. She hoped to find some sort of salvation in the darkness to hide and buy her time. But the cartel was getting closer and they were posing a much bigger problem than Bellona had previously thought.

"I could be better," she grunted. "Tell me you have someone on the way to pick me up, Laswell." Bellona leaned against a dumpster, hissing in pain as she slid down to the wet and muddy pavement.

"We have someone on their way to you, but the Carnival is posing quite a problem with traffic," Laswell explained. "If possible, hunker down and wait out until extraction is possible."

A shaky sigh fell from Bellona's lips as she grasped her dislocated arm. "Tell that to the Mexicans on my ass." Her gloved hand grabbed her wrist and yanked back, the ball sliding back into place and creating a loud pop. She grunted, panting out laboured breaths as she placed a hand on her radio. "Tell them to fuckin' leg it. I'm not going to survive out here like this."

The force of the cartel, Los Diablos Blancos, was sizable. They controlled all of Rio De Janeiro and they were expanding into Mexico and most notably, Las Almas. Intel had said that with the Carnival happening, most troops would either be with their families or simply attending the yearly celebration. But arriving at the location, that had been farthest from the case. Half a dozen armed men with a few technicals that Bellona had narrowly avoided in her escape down the steep cliff side.

Laswell had tried to call the mission off, but Bellona wasn't one to back away from a challenge. Neither was she going to sit on another plane ride back to Washington with no success to be had. Right about now, the plane ride was sounding a hellova lot better than this.

"They are 2 klicks out from your location-"

Bellona flinched when the gunfire began to riddle the corner she was crouched behind. Her body tensed up and immediately curled into a ball in hope of hiding from the danger. "Get them here now, Kate!" Bellona exclaimed as she took a blind shot around the corner.

Typing rapidly across her keyboard, Laswell sighed. "Patching you through to the team now."

There was a pause. "Alpha-2, hang in there, we're on our way." Price's voice filled the coms and Bellona couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips.

"John. How was Tahiti, sir?" She joked as the man gruffly laughed on the other end.

"How about you focus on stayin' alive and I can tell you all about it, yeah?" He said.

"Rog." Standing to her feet, Bellona took a deep breath in before breaking cover. Shooting another two times as she limped to the street that was flooding with people. Music blaring loudly and people cheering. Completely unknown to the danger heading their way.

Pushing through the crowd, Bellona felt the burning pain in her leg begin to worsen. Her speed deteriorates along with the focus on her surroundings. All crumbling as the barking of guns filled the air, putting the crowd in panic and searching for the safest area for them. Bellona continued to limp as the crowd scrambled for cover whilst the cartel members continued to hunt her down.

In the AC-130, Laswell watched the gunfight from her computer ensuing below. Looking at her other monitor and seeing Bravo-6, Bravo 2-6, and Bravo 0-7 on their way. "Watcher-1 to Bravo-6, you need to hurry or else Bellona isn't walking out of here alive."

"We're almost there, Kate. We've encountered our own set of problems." From their glowing IR laser pointed to the sky, Laswell could see thermals of around 10-foot mobiles blocking them from Bellona who was facing her own 7 tangos.

A cartel member that ran up to her position was quickly disposed of by a wandering bullet from down the street. Bellona ducked behind the car and bowed her head when a bullet flew through the front and rear windows. Hearing the crackling of gunfire in the distance down the street, from where she guessed Price and the rest of the team was. Panting, she placed her hand over her radio and said, "Bravo-6, I got one in the chamber. Help would be-" Before she could finish the metallic sound of something rolling caught her attention. Looking down to see a grenade roll and hit the tip of her combat boots. Her eyes shot wide as she stumbled back, screaming, "Hijo de puta!"

Price saw the explosion of a vehicle that created a ripple effect for the vehicles besides. Drawing enough attention from their targets that they could pick them off. "Alpha-2, do you read me?" All he got was radio static. "Bellona, do you copy? Bellona!"

Sprinting down the sidewalk, using the intact vehicles as cover, Price picked cartel members off. "Gaz, take the right side. Ghost, get to Bellona, now!"

The team acted quickly, moving through the growing chaotic firefight with Ghost sprinting down the center of the road. Able to see the barely visible Bellona laying in the middle of the street, coughing and screaming in pain. Getting to her, Ghost grabbed the back of her vest and began to pull her, his other hand holding his rifle and firing shots at the vehicles cartel members were hidden behind.

Placing her behind the cover, Ghost crouched and looked at the condition Bellona was in. Her right leg was covered in shrapnel from the grenade and the bottom half of her face was burned by the flames. Her hair was singed and her body was trembling as sobs fell from her lips.

"Bellona-" Before Ghost could speak, Bellona snapped out of her pain and pointed her gun at him. And just as fast as she did so, he acted quickly by taking the gun from her grasp. Cocking it back, ejecting the bullet from the chamber, and taking the bullet from the magazine as he said, "We're going to get you out of here, 'kay?" Handing her the gun, she took it with a vice grip.

She sniffled, grunting as she let out a quiet whimper. "Could I still be a model?" She tried to joke as the faceless man she had only heard from whispers, let out a barely noticeable chuckle.

Gunfire soon seized with only the crackling of flames to be heard. Distant police sirens were able to be heard as John and Gaz rushed over. Seeing the pair made Bellona smile as she looked at the Lieutenant. "Hey there, baby face." Gaz laughed as he grabbed some bandages from his pack.

John crouched down in front of her and just telling by the look, Bellona knew what was coming. So, she quickly nodded with a choked groan. "I know, Cap. Don't get all parental with me."

The man huffed a breath before pursing his lips. "Can you walk?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" She asked with a laugh.

Nodding, John stood to his feet. "Ghost, carry her to the truck. We need to get the fuck out of here, pronto." Leading the group back to the truck, John pressed his hand to the radio. "Laswell, be prepared for exfil."

"Is Alpha-2 okay?" She inquired, failing at hiding the faintest of worried tones.

Glancing back at the barely conscious solo operator, he sighed and lowered his tone and said, "Prepare medivac. She's broken." Laswell ran a hand through her hair as she stood and stepped away from her computer.

Bellona held onto Ghost's uniform tightly as she tried to be helpful with stepping on her shot leg. Earning a disgruntled groan as the man lifted her and carried her the rest of the way. Once in the truck, he laid her in the backseat. All of them off to the LZ.