The SUV's headlights illuminated the highway in front of them. Rain showers hit the windshield with a splatter. Cobalt team's medic, Reyes was at the wheel as Hernandez was on the tablet on the seat next to him. At the back, Ward was analysing a map of Croatia and Zagreb on her tablet, marking specific highways and roads. Reynolds, on the other hand, fixed her gaze on their guest, Dr Elena Novak.
It beats her how they ended up with her again. Last she remembered Matthews told Shepherd that it was all his. Yet here they were, escorting Novak to a safehouse in the middle of Zagreb.
To make matters worse, Bianchi's skills were needed elsewhere so they were working with one less man.
"Spectre, this is Hammer, sitrep?" asked Billy through comms.
"Hammer, all clear. Light civilian traffic but we're making good time. ETA 30 minutes," responded Hernandez.
"Roger that Spectre."
"This is all useless," spluttered Novak.
"Shut it," snapped Ward.
"They're going to kill me anyway!"
"You keep talking, I'll hand you in to them myself," glared Reynolds.
"Reyes, we might need to change up the route. There is a roadblock being advertised online," informed Ward.
"Roger that," he replied lazily.
"Ward, you said there's a roadblock?" asked Hernandez, sounding uneasy.
"News portals have been reporting it, why?"
"Everyone, eyes up. Traffic should not vanish like this especially with a supposed roadblock."
"Copy," they all replied, checking their weapons.
"Lock and load and stay frosty," ordered Hernandez.
"Spectre, Hammer. Be advised, we have detected a breach in our system. We have been compromised. I repeat-"
"Spike strip!" roared Hernandez.
Reyes slammed on the breaks, but it was too late. With a loud pop, the strip punctured the front tires of the SUV, rubber shredding underneath the weight. The steering wheel jerked sideways, and Reyes lost control of the vehicle sending it rolling on the tarmac across the highway. Sparks flew from the undercarriage and a high screeching sounded in the dead of night. The SUV clipped the guardrail, lifted, and rolled over. It flipped twice, until the night fell silent once more as it came to rest on its side.
A horn blared and steaming, hissing noise sounded from the engine. Everyone was thrown around, concussed, dizzy, and totally out of it. Disorientated, Reynolds tried to gauge her surroundings, voices sounding from very far away, her vision blurred from the sides. Ward was groaning and clutching her head, Hernandez and Reyes stood still in the front. Novak's eyes stirred and whimpered.
The door of the SUV creaked open, and Reynolds looked up. A shadow appeared blocking the moonlight. He looked like the angel of death descending towards them to gather them in his embrace.
Reynolds saw the end of the barrel pointed at her. Time seemed to slow down as the rain pattered against her face. Her breath caught in her throat waiting for her final moment until the gun shifted elsewhere. Numerous pops echoed inside, bursting her eardrums.
"NO!"
Ward screamed and got in front of Novak, falling limp on top of her. With a deafening cry, Reynolds pressed the trigger on her MP5, but it was all in vain. The shadow was long gone. Glancing to her side, Novak had two clean shots in her chest and Ward caught one in her neck. Gurgling sounds echoed in the SUV as Ward suffocated slowly on her own blood.
"Fuck, fuck! Ward is hit!"
She slammed her palms against the gunshot wound, pressing firmly ignoring her muscles aching.
"Hernandez? Reyes?! Answer me!"
She looked over at Novak, her eyes still, fixating into the nothingness. She cursed and went for her comms.
"Hammer, this is Raven, are you receiving?" stuttered Reynolds, her voice quavering.
"Raven, what the hell is going on?!"
"HVT is KIA. They killed her. Novak's gone. The mission failed."
"Raven, RTB immediately. We need you here ASAP."
The last message was sent by Matthews, not Billy. His voice frantic with a certain unrest.
"We have multiple WIAs here. We need medevac!"
"Who?"
"I-I don't know!" she stammered.
Ward's eyes fluttered and with great effort settled on Reynolds. She told her she was going to be fine, though her shaking hands betrayed her. She patched her up, but Ward drifted in and out of consciousness.
"What the fuck just happened?" grumbled Hernandez from the front, slurring her words.
Thank God!
"Gen, Ward is hit, we need to get her out of here. What's Reyes's status?"
She saw her extend her arm, pressing two fingers against his carotid artery.
"That's a negative on Reyes..."
Reynolds struggled to get out of the SUV, too feeble to haul their weight from the overhead door but she managed. Outside, Hernandez gave her a hand, and both dragged Ward on to the tarmac. Hernandez cupped Ward's face, mumbling something in her ear.
When Hernandez switched her attention to Reynolds, she felt dizzy, her vision turning white at the edges. Her forehead sported a deep gash that gushed blood and was possibly suffering from a severe concussion. She patched the lieutenant up the best she could while observing Ward.
"Hammer, Spectre; we need exfil at the following coordinates," garbled Hernandez.
"Spectre, SITREP."
"It was an ambush. HVT dead, one KIA..."
"Enemy?"
"Unsure."
"A helo will be there shortly," said Matthews sombre.
"Reyes -"
"We'll be sending a cleanup crew."
"Roger that. Out."
Hernandez and Reynolds exchanged looks, strained and pained by what had just unfolded. They had lost one of their teammates in the span of minutes.
"They were waiting for us," uttered Hernandez, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible on the tarmac.
"How?"
"I would like to know that too," she replied, bitter.
The helicopter descended fast, rotors chopping the air into a deafening roar. Dust and debris whipped across the landing zone as the skids touched down hard, rocking once before settling. The side door slid open before the blades had even slowed. Inside, Reynolds and Hernandez removed their headset and waited for the groundcrew to put the chocks on the helicopter's wheels before exiting.
Ward was hauled by another helicopter, escorting her to the nearest hospital but Reynolds and Hernandez were ordered to return to base.
Reynolds held her side whilst Hernandez clutched her head. She winced as she nimbly touched the bandage. The mission took an exhausting toll on them. It drained them physically and mentally. Ward was supposed to make it in spite of suffering from shock but at least she was stable.
The scene presented at them on the other side of the landing area was unexpected. A whole squad was waiting for them. Reynolds and Hernandez exchanged a worried look as they exited the aircraft. Matthews and Billy were there with MacTavish and Ghost by their side, pistols seated in their leg holsters. Roach and Ozone were unarmed but looked on high alert.
"Matthews, what the hell is this?" demanded Hernandez.
"Listen to me, don't panic," explained Matthews. "We found a breach in Cobalt's cybersecurity system. Someone managed to access the briefing to the operation."
"Did the Ultranationalists managed to get access?" asked Reynolds, still confused by the whole ordeal.
"You misunderstand," said Matthews, his upper lip twitching. "The breach came from the inside."
"Excuse me?" said Hernandez in disbelief.
"One of our own hacked the system. Hence..." Matthews pointed towards the 141, his tone sombre, "I need outsiders taking care of this. I can't trust any of our own at the moment."
Reynolds's brow furrowed and gazed at Billy. He looked quite preoccupied for a chill tech guy.
"I uncovered the breach while you were already through the mission," said Billy, in a small voice. "If I was quicker, maybe Reyes -"
"Let's not do this," interrupted Matthews. "We lost an asset alongside one of our best. Fuck it. It is what it is."
"What's with the muscle?" Hernandez pressed on, her head jerking towards the 141's direction.
"They're here to escort you to the brig."
"What the fuck are you an about?" spat Reynolds, visibly livid.
"I cannot trust any of the members of Cobalt!" barked Matthews. "Give your kit to Roach and Ozone."
They hesitated for a moment. Hernandez nodded at Reynolds and the latter growled. She handed her rifle, pistol, and vest to Roach. He gave her an apologetic look but carried on with the task.
"Reynolds, knife."
She groaned and tucked underneath her pant leg. Sheathed in her right combat boot was a knife small enough to fit the palm of your hand but sharp enough to slit anyone's throat with ease.
"Be advised," said Matthews dryly, "your rooms will be searched. Do you oppose?"
"Do we have a damn choice?" said Reynolds, pissed.
Matthews turned to MacTavish and Ghost, ignoring her snide remark.
"I want them separated. Hernandez is to be contained in the medical centre, where they will tend to her injuries."
He turned to Reynolds and observed the dried blood smeared on her face and neck.
"Are you injured?"
"Negative. It's not mine."
"Reynolds is to be kept at the brig. We'll get them out once we get the all clear from the analysts."
MacTavish guided Hernandez to the medical centre while Ghost nudged Reynolds to walk.
"C'mon, let's go Sergeant."
The brig was a tiny building at the back of the barracks. Gravel crunching underneath their boots, Reynolds was hoping for a hot shower and good scrub to remove Ward's and Novak's blood off her. Now, she was looking to spend, God knows how long, in a stingy cell for something she had nothing to do with.
Entering the building, the reception area was vacant. A row of small cells standing next to each other. Reynolds stopped in her steps, her chest tightened, breath faltering for a moment. The cells looked the same as the ones she was held at when being kept as a POW in Afghanistan. She took a couple of steps back and bumped into Ghost.
"You're going the wrong way Sergeant," he snickered.
"Is this the brig?" she mumbled.
"A brig is a military prison where you will usually find cells like these in them," he answered sarcastically, pointing at them in an exaggerated manner.
"You don't need to be a dick about it!" she snarled.
"Ask stupid questions, get stupid answers. Get in."
Her feet felt cemented to the floor as she made an extra effort to get inside. With a loud metal clang, Ghost locked the door behind her.
"I didn't see anyone out there. What if I need something?"
"Here's to hoping that you won't be needing anything then," he shrugged and left, without a care.
This was going to be a long night...