The Heart Darkens

Looking High

In the rocky desert, there was nothing but dust and echoes for the lone warrior. Sand blew from the ground due to the rough winds at noon of the day. And there was absolutely nothing in between him and his goal. Only the occupied base he was heading to alone. There was but one problem. 

Matthew's head was blaring out more than ever. Flashes of the Dark Room were bleeding into his reality, and the previous battle with Tenac and Diva had made it uncomfortably worse. It wouldn't be long until his own guilt consumed him. The only way he could surpass it and learn to live with himself is if he killed Kovic, or so he thought. He owed it to his family, his town, and anyone else suffered to be a victim of the terrorist's schemes. He'd begin to see that if there was anyone watching over him, they were bolstering his spirit to push on for one last mission. He'd likely take this objective to the grave. And that wasn't even the part that bothered him. 

"Sam... I swear to god, I will pull you from hell itself... I'm coming, please just hold on." Matthew prayed to himself. He feared losing her more than any else. He had nothing without her. Above anything else, he'd give it all to save her. "Come on... Come on!"

The base was just ahead. He could see the Taliban inside watching him, and lining up to fire on him. This was an outpost that housed a platoon of troopers, including his best friend. And it was that reason he'd spare no mercy. Before he left the refinery, Matthew had armed himself with a true war machine. An XM556 Microgun, or as someone else would put it... A minigun. It was connect to a large ammo case Matthew wore on his back like a backpack, filled to the brim with ammo. The six barrels could put a bullet straight through tank armor. The Taliban deserve nothing less from him.

The 10 soldiers in front of the base aimed and began to fire at Matthew in the distance, the shots whizzing past him. He remained headstrong and focused, letting the minigun wind up before lifting it up at the soldiers in front of the base. As he pressed the trigger, the whole front of the 6 barrels would light up like a candle, making an extremely loud and constant screeching sound with the hundreds of bullets being fired. Every 5th bullet was a red tracer, so one could imagine he was literally firing a laser at the base. Hundreds of shells laid bare behind him, expended every second. And the recoil jolting through his arms was almost too much to bear. Almost.

It was worse for the Taliban. Some had tried to flee from the minigun's hellfire, but were shredded down just as easily as the ones that were caught in the main line of fire like deers in the headlights. Additionally, the humvee behind the soldiers in the base had exploded, causing a major racket, making more soldiers inside the base fall out into attention to try and fire at Matthew. As Matthew walked through the gate, he'd aim to the side and fire through the barracks, the bullets penetrating through the soldiers taking cover inside. A couple of snipers would position themselves atop a building at the very far end of the base. Matthew would aim up at them as they did and fire, ripping through them and managing to combust a fuel tank behind them into exploding. Matthew would not stop for any soldier in his way as he walked down the courtyard in the base, the ammo case on his back getting lighter with each passing moment. He wasn't even worried about the bullets being fired past him-- only the direction they were being fired, so that Matthew could instantly snap to them and fire. No fear was in his heart, no remorse. Just a burning rage that matched the power of the weapon he wielded, and a passion for justice that drove him forward. He didn't take pleasure in it, nor would he until he finally stopped the devil in charge. However... As he saw red, He felt unstoppable.

The black hawk was just ahead on the base's helipad, just as Charles had reported. Seemingly untouched by the Taliban ever since they got into the base, since they just occupied it. However, they did make an endeavor to protect it, as two barrack transportation trucks pulled from either side of the outpost in front of them and parked in front of it. Matthew immediately began to fire at the trucks in his way, tearing through the engines and the dozens of soldiers filing out. Needless to say, even they were caught off guard by the minigun's destructive power. Matthew absolutely demolished the first of the two trucks, causing it to explode in a fiery blaze while the other was simply shredded. All but one of the soldiers was left standing, wounded and clutching a bullet wound while standing up while Matthew moved forwards towards him. He screamed while aiming up a handgun at Matthew, wanting it to be his last dying wish to defy Matt. It almost certainly was, as he screamed in rage while lifting the man up with the minigun, impaling him on the 6 barrels and firing the rest of his rounds up in the air, the man's corpse spinning around until all Matthew heard left were clicks.