Chapter 1: The only normal day was yesterday
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“Just for fucking once I'd like something to go as planned.” Gaz hissed as he ducked into cover again, the muzzle of his rifle red-hot. With a speed born from the finest training, years of experience as well as simple talent he reloaded the rifle in a second flat as he moved towards the other edge of the low wall they were ducking behind. Soap and Yuri were both busy firing back at the swarm of hostiles approaching and he passed them with a glance up at the two. Soap got winged by a bullet just as Gaz passed by and the Scotsman ducked into a cover with a curse.
“These сукины дети mean business!” Yuri yelled as he was driven into cover as well. Gaz would have to ask him what that meant some time later, when they weren't shot upon.
“Roach!” Soap yelled into his headset. “What's the status on that UGV, we're in bit o' a pickle here!”
“Working on it captain!” Roach yelled over the comms.
“Work faster!” Soap told him and popped up to fire a few more rounds. Gaz, at this point, had reached the other end of the wall where Ghost sat down, rapidly reloading his grenade launcher.
“Take your sweet time darling,” Gaz told him as he pulled out a grenade, primed it and tossed it in one motion. “Not like we're getting swarmed or anything.”
“Less gabbing, more shooting Gaz,” Price's voice said over the comms right before the sound of a sniper rifle being fired reverberated both over the comms and the area. The old captain's accurate shots came at a steady and lethal pace, dropping hostile after hostile. “Prepare to fall back to the cave on my go, the UGV will cover you.”
“Not a second too late,” Ghost said as he got up now and let the launcher thump six times at a steady pace. Gaz shot up as well to cover him and watched how the grenades reaped a horrifying toll upon their assailants yet at the same time they just kept coming. Especially...
“Oh fuck me sideways,” Gaz exclaimed after a few moments, “Juggernaut!” he yelled, emptying his magazine in the direction of the ridiculously well-armored man that came striding out of the smoke and dust, clutching a machine gun in his hand. The rounds did little more than piss him off, and Gaz only barely got back into cover before he unleashed a hailstorm of lead against them.
“Don't they ever run out of those wankers?!” Soap yelled from further away, clutching a bleeding arm. “Any time now Roach!” a thunderous crack of a .50 caliber rifle rang out over the area and a second later Roach's voice came over the comms.
“UGV online!” the man cheered triumphantly. “Heads down people! This will be messy!” Gaz looked to behind them to see how, out of the cave behind them, the treadmill-carried heavily armed robot rolled with the barrels of its minigun already rotating. There was something special about being in front of a firing minigun really. The sheer amount of firepower it unleashed made the entire area vibrate and if you were in front of it it made you shiver down to the very bones merely from the roaring muzzle flashes and thunderous bangs of countless bullets shooting out of the barrels.
“Fall back!” Soap yelled and Gaz wasn't late to obey, throwing himself out from behind cover and dashing up the slope towards the cave with Ghost only a few feet behind him. A rope came sailing down from the cliff above now and Price came abseiling down at a speed Gaz remembered him chewing out Soap back for reaching when the man was just an FNG, calling it “stupidly reckless”. Whatever, this was one hell of a jam either way and Price landed heavily but upright. Gaz instead spun around to cover Yuri and Soap. The former was helping the latter up the slope and Gaz raised his rifle to cover them along with Ghost and Price. First now though Gaz got a better overlook and what he saw made him wish he had taken up professional football instead of military service all those years ago.
There wasn't just a few squads coming at them. He could see a veritable army coming up towards them. Trucks still unloaded further down the slope, dozens of soldiers spilling up the mountain towards them. APCs were doing their best to climb towards their position as well and even effing attack helis were coming in! Roach's UGV turned its attention skywards and while it rapidly blew two of the helis out of the air the third managed to fire a rocket towards them and the now disavowed members of Task Force 141 ended up throwing themselves headfirst down into the cave to avoid the shockwave. Roach's snarled “shit!” was barely audible over the detonation and the subsequent rumble of collapsing stone.
Gaz could get to his feet and moved deeper into the cave to avoid getting crushed, making sure to help a dazed Ghost along with him. The earth moved under his feet and he barely remained upright as he stumbled deeper into the cave. When everything finally calmed down after what felt like an eternity he could stop and focus on breathing.
“Right,” Price's gruff voice said in the darkness as he lit up a signal flare, becoming visible in the darkness. “Everyone not dead, sound off.”
“I'm okay,” Gaz said.
“I will be...” Ghost said slowly, shaking his head to clear it.
“I got winged,” Soap said, “Yuri, mind helpin' me with seeing tae it?”
“You got it,” the ex-Spetsnaz said. Gaz silently pondered the man's quiet and almost withdrawn nature. He had put it down to the man being aloof but after the revelations of his old ties to Makarov and how Soap almost had gotten killed he was more ready to bet on self-loathing. Yuri had the blood of tens of thousands of innocents on his hands. Probably didn't seem like a wise move to risk his one chance of doing good after acquiring that kinda shitload of bad karma.
“UGV's down,” Roach said as he came out from deeper inside the cave. “Entrance collapsed. This where we start crying?”
“Shut up Roach,” Soap said as Yuri was applying disinfectant to the large gash across his arm. Roach shrugged.
“Why is this happening anyway?” Ghost asked. “Shepard's dead, Makarov too. We pretty much cleared all the loose ends up. Why the hell did we end up here?”
“Because there's one loose end left,” Price grunted as he pulled out a cigar and lit it against the flare. “Us. Shepard's betrayal made the US lose about all of its face in the world and Makarov did the same for Russia. If they can't even claim to have dealt with them themselves but that a bunch of rogue spec ops did it they'll look like even bigger tits.”
“That's it then?” Gaz asked, “We bailed out half the world and now we might as well die because we're inconvenient?!” he was exhausted and the only anger he could muster was a slow, sizzling one.
“Welcome to the world of politics Gaz,” Price muttered. “Politicians like black ops teams for this very reason.”
“So what do we do?” Roach asked as he wiped his hands on an oily rag.
“Right now?” Yuri asked as he finished bandaging Soap's arm and looked up. “Our best bet is faking our deaths and go to ground for the coming decade.”
“Shit!” Gaz snapped, “Are you fucking kidding me?!”
“Makes you see why Makarov did what he did...” Ghost growled from his position by the cave wall.
“Politicians being politicians make you see the sense in murdering thousands of innocents?” Price asked with a low growl of his own. Ghost looked back at the man. Even in here the balaclava-wearing man wore his sunglasses and Gaz wondered just what kind of bat-vision the man operated on.
“No one,” he growled, “Not a fucking one has paid their dues more than us! We dragged the world back from the brink again and again! And now that world wants us dead!”
“Ghost!” Soap thundered, making the man fall silent. “Not the world. Those people were Makarov's old wankers looking fer revenge. The US and Russia just need tae sit this one oot. An' knowin' what yeh know, what we all know... if yeh were responsible fer managin' tha US, would yeh want the shit we know oot in the open?”
“And do you believe they can take the chance either way?” Yuri added with a melancholy voice.
“So what then?” Ghost asked, “We just sit here waiting for the inevitable?”
“This flare's dying.” Price said, making them all reach for their night-vision goggles. “We move deeper into the cave, see if we can find a way out. And with that the flare he held started to sputter. Within moments it had died, leaving them all in darkness for a few seconds before they had donned their night-vision gear. “I don't care about the back-story of the people outside. We find our way the hell out of here and can talk details when we get to safety.”
“Where?” Yuri asked, “Nikolai's gone, your contact with the SAS burned his last bridge informing us about this ambush. We're persona non grata globally.”
“So then we just keep going until we reach the country of flying unicorn princesses!” Price hissed. “Get moving!” With that he started down the path deeper into the cavern and the others set off after him. Set off, however, was something else also. Something heard Price's statement and remembered someplace somewhere that was like that.
Why did it do what it did? Hard to say, it had never spoken to any other being, only listened to the world around it. Yet perhaps one could say it did what it did in a sincere, yet probably misguided attempt to help. It did it subtly, very much so, and when it had done it it went to sleep again, content that it had managed to help.
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“Fantastic,” Gaz growled as he slapped the side of his night-vision goggles, “How the hell did they get EMP down here?!” About three seconds ago their night-vision equipment had all failed, leaving then even deeper in a pickle now that they didn't see squat.
“I don't think it was EMP,” Ghost said, “It was too gradual. It could be some natural field.”
“Whatever it is, we seem to be on flat ground,” Price said, “Too flat...” They could all feel it. The ground under their feet was no longer rocky and covered with debris. Rather it was smooth and clear of rocks and gravel. It was like walking over a floor almost.
“Everyone still here?” Soap asked. “Keep close, we don't need tae lose people down here.”
“I'm still here,” Gaz said.
“Me too,” Ghost muttered sourly.
“As am I,” Yuri finished. For a couple of seconds things were quiet and Soap eventually spoke up again. This time his voice was tense.
“Roach?!” he yelled, his yell echoing in the cavern.
“Yeah yeah I'm here,” Roach said, his voice revealing he had something in his mouth. Gaz couldn't help but chuckle at this. Soap's voice had been terrified there for a moment.
“Don't do that tae me Roach,” Soap growled, “I'm not losing yeh, any of yeh, down here of all places.”
“I ain't on fire here am I?” Roach said. “I just wanted something to eat. Oh for the...!” he suddenly exclaimed.
“What now?” Ghost asked tiredly.
“I dropped my energy bar!” Roach said, “It just slipped out of my hand. Like I couldn't grab it...”
“How smooth,” Gaz said with a chuckle, “Should we tie up now before you trip over your own feet?”
“Up yours lieutenant,” Roach said, “seriously though... must have been greasy or something. My fingers' feeling a bit stiff.”
“I can see light up ahead!” Yuri said. The others looked up and caught it as well. A faint, slightly blueish light came from further ahead. It was the light of day without any doubt.
“That doesn't make sense,” Ghost said warily, “We've been heading downwards for an hour, we should be far below surface level.”
“Well there's something over there,” Price said, “We're checking it out. Come on everypony.”
“What?” Roach asked now, his voice perplexed.
“What did you just say?” Ghost added with a disbelieving voice.
“Body!” Price snapped, “EveryBODY. Slip of tongue, get moving!”
“Yeh heard him,” Soap said, backing his old captain instantly. It was obvious who ran this team and had done so ever since that gulag. The last squad of the disavowed Task Force 141 moved forward carefully yet swiftly.
“Daylight, no doubt about it,” Yuri said silently, his voice only barely audible even to the others. As the cave floor began to rise more and more they ended up climbing towards the distant light and in the very end they were moving on all fours as they climbed up towards the daylight after what felt like an eternity down in these caverns. The light stung their eyes in its brightness and they squinted as they carefully got to the mouth, Roach taking point.
“What do yeh see?” Soap asked as he kept climbing up and rubbed his eyes to adjust to the light. Roach didn't answer the first time so Soap was left addressing him again. “Roach!” this made Roach startle and he looked back at them, all of them only barely being able to see how his head turned.
“I think... paradise...” he said with a disbelieving voice. The others began to reach the mouth as well now and could look outside. None of them, not even Price, was able to say anything as they saw what Roach had meant.
A landscape so verdant as any could be stretched out in front of them. A landscape of softly rolling hills that sparkled green and impossibly blue where rivers snaked through it. Orchards could be seen in the distance with countless trees that stood in straight lines that went on for miles. The heaven above them was equally much sky blue and pearly white where clouds could be seen lazily resting. And beyond this immense valley, so full of life and beauty that it made the weary soldiers' hearts ache, giant peaks, proud and snow-tipped, clawed against the sky and though the horizon was jagged because of it, it was no less clearly-defined. Also, far away in the valley a small village could be seen, picturesque enough that even the most untouched alp village could compare.
Perhaps even in the most cynical of soldier's heart there is some small piece that believes that what he does is for something greater, something better. That his service means something. That after it is all said and done, after all the death, the anger and the horror there's something better left unspoilt because of what he did. They seemed all to gaze at this something now. A paradise, unspoilt and untouched by the horrors of war or indeed any such things. It wasn't something that could be defined, pointed out or explained, but they felt like tired shepherds who, after such an incredibly long and difficult night fending off predators and scavengers, finally came home again, to a warm bed and hearth, a rich meal and a soft and loving touch praising them for their vigilance. Fulfillment, happiness, peace. All of it so richly that their souls overflowed.
“Sweet mother of god...” Price's breathless voice quivered at the sight.
“This ain't Pakistan,” Ghost said after a while, his voice a whisper.
“We died when the cave collapsed,” Yuri eventually could muster enough strength to say. “We died, and this is... heaven?”
“Ain't no place for us there,” Price eventually said, bitterly, “Keep on your toes people, there still-WHAT THE HAY?!” he eventually yelled, the others looking to see what was the matter.
Quite a lot was the matter. One of these things was that Price had a panicked expression on his face and was currently madly recoiling away from them. To see the grizzled, twenty-year veteran act like that was shocking enough, but it paled to say the least to the fact that, in spite of everything sensible, he had somehow turned into a unicorn. A gray, white-maned unicorn still wearing Price's beloved boonie-hat and exotic moustache to be more precise.
This sent a shock through all of them and they looked around, all of them being just as utterly spooked as the captain had become. Each and every last one of these deadly covert ops agents, some of the finest soldiers mankind had produced, were left freaking out completely at the slope at what they saw.
Like Price, Roach had become a unicorn, only he was deep black and his mane light blue. His goggles remained on yet that was all. Gaz had not gained a horn but wings along with his pony-form, standing green and brown-maned with his cap still on. The Pegasus theme remained in place with Ghost, who in an eerie similarity to his code-name was almost as white as snow. It was only his mane that held another colour, being light gray. The balaclava and sunglasses remained in place, as did the headset. Finally Yuri and Soap seemed to be the most “normal” in that they had neither horns nor wings. Soap, even though he stood almost a head (pony-head!) higher than them all, was brown and black-maned. The only thing really separating him from a normal horse was the black mohawk. Yuri, finally, stood blue and white-maned with his scarf still around his neck.
“Buck me!” Gaz yelled, stumbling and flailing in half-panic. His wings flailed as well, leaving him getting thrown almost six feet to the side. “What the hay, what is this!?” The reactions of the others were about as well-balanced. Yuri launched into a storm of Russian expletives and Soap was frantically touching himself with his hands, or well hooves, to check that he wasn't imagining things. After a good while, however, Price restored order.
“That's enough soldiers!” he thundered, making the freakout come to a stop. “Stop yelling like little fillies, I mean kids, and get your hooves.... feet! Back on the bucking ground!”
“What the hay is this captain,” Roach said with a panicked voice, “What the hay's happened, and why can't I even say hay! Hay damn it!”
“I said shut up!” Price snarled, lowering his head, “I've got several inches of sharpened bone here and I'm going to introduce you to it unless you shut, up, and, sit, down!”
It took some more work but within twenty seconds the team of special ops ponies had managed to collect their wits enough to sit down while Price stood towering above them with his eyes blazing out his intent if they didn't obey.
“Right people,” he growled as he paced back and forth in front of them. His boonie hat was somewhat obscuring his eyes and his teeth were bared. Even though he had been reduced to a pony, and a remarkably cute variant of one too boot, he was still scary. “Whatever happened here we're not going to freak out like a bunch of rookies. You were picked for Task Force 141 since you were the best, now act like it. We're going to recon that valley and establish where we are. Avoid contact with the locals at all costs. We do it by the book this time. Yes?!” he asked now, watching as Gaz had raised a... hoof.
“Can't we just turn around?” Gaz asked apprehensively, Price looking at him with narrowed eyes.
“Look behind you soldier,” he growled and Gaz did so. He and the others did this almost simultaneously. There was hardly any cave behind them any more, just a small, perhaps five foot deep crevice in the mountain.
“Oh hay no...” Roach said in despair. Soap got up now, the mighty stallion darting towards the crevice and reaching the wall. Rising up on his hind legs, he smashed the front hooves into it and began to furiously dig.
“I'm not staying in this bucking place!” he snarled, smashing his hooves against the rocks for the better part of ten seconds. Yuri and Roach came up to his side, doing their best to help. To no avail however, the rock remained firmly in place.
“Soap!” Price said now, coming up and moving in to push the burly stallion away. Soap was left flat on his back, struggling for a second to get up in his new form.
“Buck, buck, buck, buck...” Ghost said, pacing back and forth some distance away. “And what's with this!?” he said, pointing at his mouth with one hoof before he stumbled and had to put it down to get even again.
“I don't know, and I don't care,” Price growled. “Yuri, you're sneaking up on the village with me. Soap and Ghost, you head towards the river. Gaz and Roach head for the orchards. Avoid contact with the locals at all costs and keep as low a profile as you can, got it?!”
“Yes sir!” Yuri snapped, still shivering but at least collected. Bit by bit the other soldiers got their hooves back on the ground and could move out as well. In teams of two the ponified last members of Task Force 141 moved out, trying to not let their minds break from the absurdity of the situation.