『Command』

[We are twenty seconds away from the premeditated landing area] She announces through the comms.

I have to admit, I didn't think I'd be coming back to Russia this early. I knew it was going to come up at some point but not so soon.

[We are ten seconds away] She announces. I see her gripping her parachute. She's nervous. Makes sense. Being sent on a suicide mission with a kid that's barley sixteen years old. But I'm technically not sixteen so, she's worrying for no reason.

I breath in.

It isn't the time to be distracted. When given an assignment, my only thoughts should be dedicated towards completing the assignment.

I check my baggage one more time.

One case around thirty pounds and a bag with necessities.

The case holds a Barrett M107, a bolt-action sniper with an effective range of 6,001 ft. 11 rounds with each magazine.

Inside the case was interchangeable night and day optics.

The bag contains ear muffs as well as coats, gloves, and other necessities.

On my person was a C7 75B pistol with two extra clips in the bag. Armed with my trusty ring I am almost confident in completing the mission with no problems.

My equipment isn't really the best for covert Ops but it's a balanced pick. With the new X-ray ability, I should be able to dish out a lot of damage.

[Out in three, two, one] She says as she jumps.

I follow after a moment of hesitation. I really hate sky-diving.

We are around nine miles away from the actual destination point. Nine miles away from where the previous team lost contact. The reason we chose this specific place is because of the Vilyuy River. It leads a path straight to the Verkhoyansk Range. To where we are supposed to be.

Holding a case that weighs thirty pounds while sky-diving made the horrible experience ten times worse.

But I don't focus on that. I focus on the mission. My assignment.

I have to get the name and location of a dangerous weapons manufacturer.

That's the long term goal. Before that I have a couple small tasks to complete.

The first one is making it to the destination.

『Mini Quest – Make it to the desired location. Reward: 5 V-Coin and 5 Experience Points.』

I quickly swipe the prompt away. I can't have the system distracting me.

"Guess we're following the river huh?" I remark.

She nods and gestures for me to follow.

This is going to be a long day.

...

A little less than one hour. That's how long it took us to reach the fork in the river.

I could have already made it to the mountains in less than eighteen minutes. Even with the extra thirty pounds. This is why I should have done this alone.

[This is it] I hear her say through the comms.

I can't believe I have to deal with this.

"What do you do for fun?" I ask out of nowhere.

This takes her by surprise but being an agent she quickly regains her composure. So fast it almost looks like I was imagining it.

"Focus on the mission." She says.

I scoff.

"Come on, were two miles away from the mission location. No offense but we aren't going at ludicrous speeds. We've got time to talk."

Before she could answer we heard a twig break. A small noise that we wouldn't have normally heard if it wasn't for the unusual quiet.

We look at each other.

"So let me ask you again, what do you do for fun?" I ask as I back away. Getting closer to the noise. Acting causal.

"Umm, I guess I like eating food." She says after some thought.

I am 3 meters away from the noise.

"That's your defining hobby?" I say with a laugh.

Before she could answer I let go of my case and reach out my hand. I grab the gun pointed at my head.

I tug it and a man gets forced out.

Before he could react, I already had my arm around his throat with his gun pointed at his head.

I look at my partner and she also had her own hostage.

At least I don't have to babysit.

Instantly thirteen men come out of their hiding spot. All tactical gear with rifled scopes. When it comes to fire power, they have us beat.

But they were waiting for us. Agent 13 and I look at each other. It's clear our plan has been compromised.

I grip the man's throat until I hear a click.

That's one down.

I glance at the gun. It looks like a Beretta model. Those generally have 15-16 cartridges for each mag. That's more than enough for this situation.

I swipe down on the safety.

I look at my partner and she looks like she's in thought. Probably deciding whether to surrender or not. Lucky for her, she doesn't have to make the decision.

When three seconds have passed I let go of the body.

Right as the it's in the falling motion, I open fire at the guy farthest from me.

*Bang*

The bullet traveled to the man's chest and he started falling. I'm already aiming at the next guy.

*Bang*

*Bang*

Two shots at the guy's head and I move to the next guy.

*Bang*

I move to the next guy. Four guys of the thirteen are already dead and it's been less than two seconds.

*Bang*

*Bang*

My partner shot twice at two people. Both hitting their marks.

That makes six down.

The easy part is over. They are well trained. The momentary shock has been dealt with and they're ready to react.

I dash towards the closest threat. He raises his gun in my direction but he's too slow. I smack his gun and the bullet travels behind me.

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

I fire three shots to the exposed part of his stomach and hold his body as a human shield as the others start shooting.

That makes seven people with six cartridges left in the mag.

I could take my chances and try to fight using the gun. But I don't. I'm trained to use the most efficient methods.

I let go of the pistol and steal the armed guard's rifle.

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

The soldiers started firing in my direction. I shrink down my body and use the armored body as my meat shield.

*Bang*

A bullet penetrated my meat shield and stung my abdomen.

Sh*t.

「Activating Active Body-Check Protocol」

Not now!

I spray the battle field with bullets. Avoiding the area Agent 13 was at.

I wasn't aiming but I still hit a person in the chest. Sadly, that was the area that was most protected.

They duck for cover behind some large rocks. Usually that would be the right call. It won't stop the bullets per say but it will definitely make the bullets lose their power by the time it hits them. Sadly for them, I have a perk as well as a .50 caliber bolt action.

[Take Cover] I tell my teammate as I run to my case.

I run to some bushes and start assembling the actual sniper.

That takes fourteen seconds. I'm fast. Super fast.

I aim at the rocks.

You know what to do Guardian.

「Activating Specialized X-Ray」

The rocks turned transparent and I saw the enemy.

*BZZOU*

The recoil shifted my shoulder and my injury started bleeding faster.

The head of the enemy exploded as the bullet went through his head.

I pull the reload handle and aim again.

*BZZOU*

The dude's chest was penetrated by the bullet.

I reload and aim again.

*Bang*

*Bang*

Agent 13 shot a guy twice as they were busy looking for me.

Two left and the only casualty on our side was mine.

I use the scope to search for the men.

[On your left] I tell the Agent.

She turns around and shoots three times.

*Bang*

*Bang*

*Bang*

She hits one on the shoulder and the other one ducks for cover.

*BZZOU*

The bullet traveled through the rocks and went through his left knee cap.

I need one alive for interrogation.

I quickly pack my baggage and walk towards the last guy.

[Good work] I say to the Agent.

[Good Work? What about a heads up next time? You could have had us killed] She complained.

[What else was I supposed to do? Yell, 'Get cover, I'm going to shoot'?]

[No! We have codes for things like this! Do you even know the codes?]

I stay silent. I just woke up two days ago. I didn't think I was going to be sent to a suicide mission with another person so I didn't prioritize communication with another agent. I do espionage the best. It's in my file. So I was learning slang and jargon for the different languages I know. I was learning basic knowledge that would open and hold a conversation.

[Did you pay attention in S.H.I.E.L.D. academy?]

I stay silent. I didn't even know S.H.I.E.L.D. had an academy until two days ago.

[Did you even go to S.H.I.E.L.D. academy?]

Disbelief was written all over her face.

[Look, why don't we stay focused on the mission. That guy is about to bleed out] I say gesturing to the poor guy.

[Wait, there's one alive?] She looks surprised.

[Yeah, for interrogation. Didn't they teach you that in S.H.I.E.L.D. daycare?] I say as matter of fact.

[Do you know Russian?] She asks ignoring my remark.

[I picked up somethings from Romanov] I say.

We stand in front of the cowering soldier.

I smile. He doesn't.

"Давай сыграем в игру" I say to the soldier. [Let's play a game]

...

We were driving through the mountain on a Toyota Tacoma. The vehicle the group of soldiers came on.

The special S.H.I.E.L.D. team was captured the moment they got to the mountain. They were overpowered and killed. Not before they were interrogated.

Although they had some experience of being interrogated, Russian interrogation tactics aren't something you can prep for. It's more like torture rather than interrogation. It's kind of our specialty.

The main thing I learned is that there was foreign interference. I already assumed there was a backer because of their advance gear. A little rebel group doesn't have the resources or connections to get this kind of stuff.

I sigh.

This assignment just added a couple more variables to the equation.

"Where did you learn that?" She asks.

I don't answer her.

"Do you know First Aid?" I ask her out of the blue.

Her face got pale. Maybe it was the cold. Maybe it wasn't.

"Did you get shot?" She asks.

She takes my silence for a yes.

"I know a bit." She says.

"I have a bullet stuck in my low abdominal area. A bit won't cut it." I sigh.

Damage report.

「Scanning Vitals」

I felt a warm pulse traveling through my body.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

『Body Analysis Screen | Mutant Edition | MK I 』

『Physical Notes | Sprained Ankle, Bullet Wound | 40』

『Mental Notes | Trigger Phrase, Stockholm Syndrome, Sleep Deprivation | 70』

『Untreatable | Memory Loss, Hormonal Elevation, Trauma』

『Final Assessment | Unfit for combat』

『Short-Term Combat Recommendation | Deal with the bullet wound. Get a tetanus shot within 40 hours. Increases chances of survival by 60%』

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Well, that isn't that bad I guess.

"Do you have First Aid materials? Something to get the bullet out and something to close the wound." I say.

"Yeah, I have some in my bag." She say as she gestures.

I grab for her bag. She was driving meaning I had to deal with it myself.

I open the bag.

The first layer was clothes, underwear, and essentials. Black laces. Never judge a book by it's cover.

The second layer was the First Aid materials.

I quickly retrieve what I need.

"Keep the car steady." I order.

"I'll try my best." She says.

I take a deep breath and turn the heater up to max.

I take off my tactical vest and long sweater.

I grab the tweezers.

I could see half the bullet was exposed.

Thank god the bullet lost it's momentum. Or else I would have no idea what to do.

I slowly remove the bullet.

The pain was difficult. But I was trained to deal with it. With enough routine intense torture, anyone can deal with the pain.

I place the bullet on my lap as blood drips from the tip.

I breath out and apply pressure with a cloth.

I get the alcohol swabs and clean outside of the wound.

It stings. But the pain keeps me awake and aware.

I take the surgical staple and start at the end.

*Cling*

I let out a groan.

I don't get hurt a lot anymore. Looks like I got soft.

"You doing okay?" She asks, her attention focused on the road.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I say letting out a breath.

*Cling*

*Cling*

*Cling*

I let out a big breath as I continuously staple the wound.

I take a patch and put it on.

After that there was silence. A long comfortable silence.

"Your first bullet?" She asks.

"Not by a long shot." I say.

She looks at me. More specifically my chest.

Scars on top of scars were there. Bullet wounds. Knife wounds. Burn marks.

"Oh." She says before turning her attention back to the road.

...

"We are at the location." She announces.

"It's time to get changed." I say.

I looted the corpse of the soldiers from before.

The story is, there were six people that came for the intelligence. They caught us by surprise and killed some of our men. Luckily, we were able to fight back. But I was the only one left. The only one who survived. And I also caught a prisoner.

That's where Agent 13 comes in. She's playing the prisoner I caught.

I grab the clothes that fit me and put them on. Luckily their uniform had lots of head gear. They could only see a quarter of my face. Not enough to know that I wasn't one of theirs.

I follow the directions the interrogated soldier gave me and I arrive in front of a giant gate. Two guards guarding it fully decked out with tactical attire.

I look at them and they look back.

After a few seconds they nod and let us pass.

Inside the gates was a hallway. A very narrow hallway allowing those with less robust physiques to fight better. I look at my teammate and she looked flexible and slim enough. If worst comes to worst we had the advantage in hand to hand combat.

We look at each other before I pushed her, almost making her fall to the ground. She growls and I feint a hit with the back of my rifle.

[A/N: ✣ means that they are talking Russian aight. I know it might be confusing but it's easier to read if I do it like this]

"✣Commander Vasily, glad you made it back. And with a prisoner! I'm sure a promotion will come your way.✣" A muscular man with a heavy lisp says in Russian.

"✣Yes, the mission is successful. Sadly we lost all of our men. Was this really worth it?✣" I say with grimace clear in my voice.

"✣What's wrong? Your voice seems different! Who are you?✣" He screams as he gets into a defensive position.