fallout equestria: Paradise

by dquiroga

ch.1 part 1: bad company/ New assignment: project G.A.T.E./ Welcome to the pack

Bad company

(old time rock and roll) sand. That’s all I ever see now. Patrolling the same roads every day, you tend to see everything it had to offer. After passing the abandoned shack, I knew we were a couple of miles from the checkpoint. Just a small excuse for a city in the middle of a desert. Since it was close to the American base, command thought it would be a great idea to maintain watch over the town. Hoping that the American presence would refrain any hostilities from the locals. Yeah, what bullsh#t. we’ve been shot at twice for the past month. ‘(sigh) god, I hate Mondays… and there’s the town.’

There isn’t much to say about it. Hell, I didn’t even bother to remember the name of it. The buildings were mostly the same. White or tan as their color scheme, one story with your occasional two, and old, like it was built during the 1900’s and stayed that way. The main road was wide enough for a tank to come through, but its linier and can easily lay IED’s or ambushes. If you want to get anywhere in this town, you need to take the narrow alleys. However, there’s no way our Humvees are fitting through there; so it’s the main road for us.
The layout of the town is one thing, but the people are another. I shouldn’t be surprised by their attitude towards us. Everywhere you turn, you just get that look. They’re always watching. You can tell most of these guys are insurgents by their looks alone, but, since none of them are carrying any weapons, we aren’t authorized to engage. I’ve already placed my concerns with command, but their response is always the same. We understand the dangers and risks, but we must follow regulations. They’ve been mostly docile for the past week, but that only puts me more on edge.

“mark one this is mark two, do you copy over.” The transmission from the Humvees radio snapped me out of my thoughts.

I reached down for the radio without tearing my gaze from the town. “mark two this is mark one, I hear you over.”

After releasing the talk switch, I momentarily looked over at the side mirror, giving me a view of mark 2’s Humvee.

“yeah, I have a driver here that has questions that I know you can answer better than me.” I groaned, having a hunch of what’s going to be asked.

“yeah what is it?” I begrudgingly asked.

“… he’s asking about Cuba.” My eye twitched, as sudden images flashed through my mind. Images that I would rather have forgotten.

“tell him that it’s a need to know basis, and, if there isn’t anything important that needs to be said, I suggest you keep radio silence from here on out.” I placed the mic back on its holster, with a bit more force then needed.

I continued to look out the window, not noticing the look my driver was giving me. ‘somebody just had to bring that up.’ I took a deep breath and returned my focus outside. At that moment, I noticed a man holding a camera and was looking right at us. Most people would have ignored it, but I’ve been in long enough to know something was up.

I quickly picked up my mic once more and announced my concern. “mark 2, this is mark 1, did you have eyes on that camera man?”

“this is mark 2, yeah I’ve seen him.” Based on the tone, I knew we had the same thought in mind.

“keep your eyes open. I think we’re about to run into some trouble.” After that I looked at my driver and told him to speed up.

Suddenly, I heard a loud crack as his head snapped back from a rifle round that went through the front window and into his head. I cursed inwardly but the gunfire from the 50 cal above me drowned it out. The Humvee drove uncontrollably over the curve and into one of the buildings.

“everyone out and around the back!” I yelled towards the other passengers in the Humvee, which was just another rifle man.

After exiting the vehicle, I quickly made my way towards the back. The sounds of gunfire and screams of bystanders clouded my ears. Once I was at the rear of the Humvee, I looked over to see the other marine on the other side, but our gunner was still shooting blindly at the sniper’s location. I tried to get his attention, but I was too late. Another loud crack was heard in the distance, as the gunner’s body jerked with a bit of blood spraying out of his back. His body then collapsed into the Humvee, leaving the 50 cal unmanned.

“damn!” I didn’t have time to linger as I looked at the other Humvee.

The occupants had followed our example and hid behind their vehicle. Their gunner wasn’t present either, probably taking refuge within.

“Nathan!” I called out to the second Humvee.

“yeah?!” he responded unenthusiastically.

“did you call command yet?” I waited for a bit before her responded.

“… yeah but they’re not responding!” I cursed under my breath after hearing that. ‘why do they even have radios if they’re not going to answer the damn phone.’

I didn’t have time to wait for command to pick up. We needed to take out that sniper before the locals get to riled up. Looking ahead of me, I see one of those two story buildings that had a side window with the view of the whole street. Nodding, I called out to Nathan again, telling him my plan.

“private, I’m going to need you to hold down the fort. Just keep your head down and you’ll be fine.” With that said, I began to count to three.

“one…two… three!” I sprinted towards the entrance, hearing bursts of gunfire behind me.

Once I got to the door, I didn’t even bother with the handle, as I smashed right through it. I brought my rifle up making sure the building was clear. Luckily for me, it seemed empty. I made my way up the stairs, and towards the room where the window was. Being careful not to be seen, I took cover next to it, giving me the view of the Humvees and the road ahead. Digging through one of my side pockets, I peeked over towards the other buildings, trying to figure out where the shooter was hiding. Once I felt what I was looking for, I pulled out an optic scope.

Giving up on my attempt to find him, I focused on attaching the scope to my rifle. Making sure it was in the right place, I fastened it and adjusted the distance. Once that was done, I looked around the room for a flat surface to steady myself on. Unfortunately, the only furniture in the room was the bed. Moving it into place, I got into position, keeping my aim down the road. However, I still had the problem of locating the sniper. As I chewed the side of my mouth, I thought about how to lure him out.

I reached for my side radio, clicking the receiver. “hey Nathan, how you holding up?”

“oh, don’t mind us, just take your sweet @ss time why won’t ya.” I rolled my eyes, hearing the impatience in his voice.

“stop your whining, I need your help.” I continued to look from window to window with no success.

“yeah, what is it?”

After explaining what I want him to do, I could tell he wasn’t liking it. “why is it that I’m always the one risking my @ss.”

“next time we’ll trade spots alright, but, right now, I need a runner.” There was a bit of a pause before he responded.

“you better not miss.” I little smirk appeared in my face after hearing that. ‘when do I ever.’

The silence only lasted for a few minutes before they began to fire at the buildings ahead of us. I then see Nathan sprinting ahead towards the fifth building. The gunfire stopped, leaving Nathan open for a free shot. ‘come on; take the bait.’ I remained vigilant, keeping an eye on as many buildings as I could. Then I see it. The flash of gunfire. Luckily, he missed Nathan by an inch, as he dived into cover. ‘gotcha.’ I took a deep breath. As I slowly let it out, I pulled the trigger.

---

New assignment: project G.A.T.E.

The trip back was met with silence. With two dead and the rest shaken, there wasn’t much to cheer for after taking out that sniper. Once we got back to base, the medics quickly took care of the deceased. The rest of us thought it was best to take a breather. Unfortunately, I wasn’t part of that group. I was ordered to go meet with the CO, which is why I’m standing in front of his door. ‘alright let’s get this over with.’ I knocked on it waiting patiently for permission to come in.

“enter!” I could already tell based on his tone, he’s not happy.

I took a deep breath and opened the door. Once I was inside, I closed it and stood at attention. Sitting at his desk was the colonel. He was “by the books” kind of guy with a knack for being a pain in the @ss. In other words, we don’t get along. Right now, he seems more intrigued by the set of documents within a vanilla folder then me. Looking at the folders insignia, it didn’t seem like the unclassified kind. It was most likely beyond my paygrade; so, I gladly kept to myself.

“staff sergeant David, reporting as requested, sir.” After announcing myself, he simply eyed me for a second then looked back at the documents.

This could only mean one of two things, either he’s mad or he never wanted to see me. As I’m thinking about it, I think it would be a little of both.

Once he put them down, he gave me a stern look.

“staff sergeant, mind explaining to me why two of my marines are being sent home in coffins, and the neighbors are crying out for our blood?” at that moment, I realized it was going to be one of those conversations. ‘this day is just getting better and better.’

“sir, during our patrol we encountered an enemy sniper within the town limits. He took down the two marines before we could get to him.” My explanation didn’t deter him from his foul mood.

Honestly, I didn’t think it would.

“why didn’t you call for support?” he asked, sounding more accusing.

“we tried sir, but no one would answer. I couldn’t wait around for things to get worse.” His stare became intense after I said that.

“that doesn’t give you the right to go guns free within town limits. We are a peace keeping force, not a hunting party.” The silence returned after that.

He leaned back into his chair, taking a deep breath to calm himself. I knew that at this point staying quiet was the best approach, even if I had plenty of things to say. ‘military baring David.’ He seemed to be eyeing the folder again, probably clearing his thoughts.

“as much as I like arguing about foreign policy, that’s not why I called you here.” I looked at him questioningly, “it seems as if god had answered our prayers. You and your team are being reassigned.”

He grabs the folder and proceeds to hand it to me. I was temporarily stunned, as the news took me by surprise. I quickly reached for the folder, taking it from his hand. I stared at the insignia on it. It was a shape of a dog’s head with the words “wolf pack” under it in bold letters. I slowly opened it, and the first thing I see is the word “classified” stamped on the front page. It was over the title which was also in bold. “project: G.A.T.E.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I entered the barracks with the folder in hand. I could feel the stress of the day taking its toll. At this point, I would rather get in my rack, but there is still one more thing I got to do. Once I got in the lounge area, I see Nathan sprawled out on the couch sleeping. On the other side, I see Vincent on his laptop.

“I see you survived another encounter.” He averted his gaze towards me, acknowledging me, “I heard it was rough out there. Sorry I couldn’t make it.”

“don’t worry about it. Just be glad you didn’t. Lost two guys on that route.” I said stifling a sigh.

“yeah Nathan told me about it. We keep telling them that area is to dangerous, but they never listen.” He went back to his laptop after that.

“well… there’s more.” I walked around to take a seat.

I smacked Nathan’s leg, startling him from his sleep. He was about to protest before I interrupted him. “you need to hear this.”

“what, their kicking us out?” I chuckled at that.

“no worse… we’re being reassigned.” I heard them groan in annoyance.

“we practically just got here and they’re already trying to get rid of us.” Vincent complained while Nathan shook his head in agreement.

“where are we going anyway?” I then pulled out the folder, and slapped it on the table.

They both eyed it for a bit before Vincent reached for it. After opening it, his eyes widen in surprise, probably from seeing the word “classified” on the front page. I decided at this point to explain.

“this assignment is coming straight from the top. We’ve been selectively chosen for this mission, which that I was told was off the records.” Nathan was taking some time to wrap his mind around what I was saying, while Vincent continued to read.

“operation: G.A.T.E.?” I took a deep breath for what I’m about to say next.

“global alliance towards the extraterrestrial.” They both looked at me in shock.

“let me get this straight, are we talking about aliens here?” Nathan looked at me skeptically.

“… I don’t know, the documents were pretty vague. For the most part, we’ll be acting as security detail for a government funded operation near the southern peninsula. The rest just state the importance of the secrecy of the operation, and the… consequence should we break it. At this very moment, we are being monitored.”

They were silent after that. Nathan practically slouched on the couch unsure of what to think, and Vincent did the same.

“listen, I know this sounds a bit much, and it’s not what we signed up for. There is no repercussion for backing down. Hell, I wouldn’t put it against you. You’ll be reassigned accordingly… I’m going.” That got their attention, looking at me like I was crazy, “I know, it’s just… I have this feeling that I need to do this. Like god is giving me this opportunity or something.”

There was nothing more I had to say after that.

The room fell deathly silent, and no one wanted to break it. I don’t blame them though. There was no obligation after all. Nathan suddenly groaned loudly, gaining my attention.

“so… when do we need to pack.” Nathan had a grin on his face while Vincent simply nodded on agreement.

I couldn’t help but crack a smile of my own.

---

Welcome to the pack

Looking out a window, a thought came to me. ‘what could have been worse than a scorching desert? How about a freezing tundra near the southern peninsula?’ After we accepted the orders, our means for transportation had been specific. We were even interviewed on the ship ride here. The questions were simple enough, but, when we asked about our orders, they told us everything will be explained on sight. They weren’t kidding about the secrecy. Hell, they won’t even tell us where we’re going. During our travel through the arctic ocean, we were told to take a helicopter to our next destination. Now that ride was questionable. ‘never again.’

After an hour of flying through what would be considered a blizzard, we ended up where we are now. traveling through this frozen hell inside a Bandvagn. I have nothing against the cold, but, transitioning from one environment to another, can be quite annoying. However, my squad mates have different opinions. If their constant complaints about the cold were any indication, they probably don’t approve. I don’t blame them though. You know what they say. Black people don’t do cold.

“hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.” I looked over at Vincent as he was eyeing both of us, “a secret operation, orders for security detail, and, on top of all of that, located in one of the most isolated regions in the world. Do any of you feel discourage about any of this?”

“trust me, I’ve been thinking about that since we got on that boat.” I said, looking back out the ice crusted window.

“I don’t know about you guys, but, if this turns out like those movies, I aint going to be the first one to go.” We both looked at Nathan with unamused stares, “what just sayin.”

We were interrupted by the sliding door that leads to the driver’s seat.

“we’re about to get there; so, I suggest you get your papers out.” Our driver said after closing the slide door.

We did as we were told and waited patiently. Looking out the window, I noticed shapes of buildings through the dense snow but I couldn’t see much else. After a while, we were angling downwards. I soon realized we’re entering an underground facility. ‘well we can cross that off our trope list.’ Once inside, it was clear that we entered a hanger bay. There were vehicles and boxes of supplies scattered all around. Based on the look of things this was a military institution.

The bandvagn suddenly came to an abrupt stop, silencing the vehicles engine. Then the driver came by and opened the door for us. (winter wonderland- Bing Crosby) as we disembarked, the first thing that came to mind was the music that played through the intercoms.

“you must be our new recruits.” I looked over to see a man wearing a green turtle neck, camo cargo pants, and a green beret with the same wolf insignia.

“the names Sargent Barnaby, European division. I’ll be your tour guide for this afternoon.” He offered a hand for a friendly shake which we all accepted in kind.

“staff Sargent David, this is Sargent Nathan and Sargent Vincent.” I said while, handing him my papers.

“keep it. I don’t do paper work. We’ll be running into those chaps later.” He began to walk away, motioning us to follow.

As we made our way through the hanger bay, I looked around at the other personnel. Some are working maintenance on some of the vehicles and others are just moving crates. There was also machinery that I didn’t recognize. So far, things seem quite normal for a secret military base. We went through a hatch door that lead us to a concrete hallway with LV lighting. I could still hear the music, echoing through the halls.

“what’s with the Christmas music?” I asked. “oh that, well the CO thought it would be a great idea to play such things to lighten up the place.” He said opening a hatch that lead to the mess room.

“but it’s the middle of October.” Nathan countered.

“yeah it does seem out of place, but it’s always snowing so who could tell the difference.” He said, chuckling a bit.

After going through other hallways, I notice that the underground system connects with all the other buildings outside. I also found out that there’s another level further underground. ‘I’m guessing what’s down there is the reason why we’re here.’ We finally made it to administration and delivered our papers. Once we were in the system, they gave us access, identification cards. After that, Barnaby took us through another set of hallways till we reached our quarters.

“blimy that took longer than I thought. Anyway, here is your home away from home.” The room was quite spacious, having bunkbeds on the side of the wall and tables with chairs on the other.

There were a few people around that are either in the racks or doing whatever at the tables.

“you can choose any rack, most are unoccupied anyway.” He explained, “while you’re at it, I could introduce you to some of the crew.”

After putting our bags on the racks that we choose, he began to walk towards one of the guys who’s at the table.

“this here is Hyousuke, Asian division. One of the great warriors japan had to offer.” He looked up from the book he was reading and gave Barnaby an unamused look.

“I see you are making yourself useful for once.” He said before looking at us, “the new recruit’s I presume?”

he proceeded to close his book and got up. We shook hands and gave him our names.

“it is an honor to meet you, and I am looking forward to working with you.” With that said, he sat back down and went back to his book.

“how come you never greeted me like that?” Barnaby protested.

“because I knew you’ll be annoying the moment I’ve seen you.” He said nonchalantly.

Barnaby simply waved him off, uttering a small insult, and moved on.

“those two over there are Borya and Lyosha from the Russian division.” He said pointing at the two in their racks, “the others may be in the gym and lieutenant Fergus may be in a meeting. He’s our commanding officer, if you were wondering.”

“how many of us are there?” I asked.

“there’s about three in each division.” He said, ‘so that makes twelve of us. That’s a lot of numbers for one squad.’ “welcome to wolf pack.”

Author's Note:

well here it goes, like usual character introduction

hope you like