Hotel Six: A Call of Duty Fanfiction

Chapter 39: The Hornet's Nest

MacTavish was puffing a cigar from inside the house, keeping his eyes trained on the commotion outside. Ghost aggressively ended a call on his phone, but there was a clear expression of distress on his face. "Can't get anyone on the horn," he said.

Roach was watching a newsreel on a tablet, hand over his mouth and the shimmer of horrified tears in his eyes. "The Russians..." He swallowed hard and took a breath to steady the crack in his voice. "The Russians just invaded America."

Galaxy's head jerked up from its place on the floor where she was laying. "... What?"

Ghost stroked her head. "Easy, Gal..."

"No, Roach," she whimpered. "... Y-you can't be serious, they're in America?"

"All over the east coast, it looks like."

MacTavish grunted forlornly to himself. "The Russians must've copied the ACS module. Got the key to every lock in America."

"And they're killing a thousand Americans for every dead civilian in Moscow," said Ghost, softening his tone when he saw the wolf beside him flinch. "Looks like we're all out of friends."

Galaxy stood and walked around the room, her legs shaking. That was her first home... The place she trained to become the soldier she was... Was it all gone?

Another hand passed over her head and she shook out her ears, turning her gaze up to the Captain. "I know a guy," he said, his voice oddly optimistic. "Let's find a payphone... Do those even still exist?" he chuckled.

Ghost shrugged and let a few beats of quiet go by before taking the tablet out of Roach's hand and clearing his throat. "The only thing we got out of Rojas is that the only man Makarov hates more than Americans is locked up in a Gulag."

"Odd," thought Sasha. "I would think he'd have something like that in his office somewhere. Maybe with more sticky notes or red writing saying 'I HATE HIM SO F%#&ING MUCH' or something..."

"You're so juvenile, Sasha," replied Galaxy. "We've hated some people pretty vehemently, and I don't recall us having printouts with their face so we could write about how much we hate them."

MacTavish smiled, taking another puff of his cigar. "It's all we got. If this con's the bait to catch that psychopath, let's hang him from a tree."

Gal passed her tongue over her nose and sniffed. "Well, we best make that call and get on it. Looks like we've got militia looking for us," she said, perching herself on the window to look outside.

The Captain nodded. "On it. Gal, you and Ghost keep an eye on the militia, everyone else, check your gear, and get ready to roll on my order." He pulled a phone out of his pocket and turned it on, impatiently tapping his finger on the screen waiting for it to boot up.

Ghost kept an easy pace at MacTavish's side. "What're we gonna do about Rojas, sir?"

"Leave him," replied the Captain. "The streets will take care of him." Before he had quite finished his sentence, he heard a retort of a sidearm behind him, and the team looked back to see Roach holding the barrel of his pistol level with Rojas' now bloodied head.

The Sergeant looked up, holstering the weapon. "Sorry, sir, felt like he deserved it."

Gal snorted. "Nice, mate."

"Come on," Ghost said. "We need to conserve our ammo; this fight to the LZ ain't gonna be easy."

"Nikolai," said MacTavish. "We're on the upper level of the favela, surrounded by militia. Bring the chopper to the market, do you copy? Over."

Nikolai responded. "Copy, I am on my way! Good luck, Captain."

Ghost smiled, snapping a fresh mag into his rifle. "Let's do this."

They crested the hill to the market when the whole scene erupted with gunfire. Jessica took cover against a car and fired into the fray. "Holy hell, Captain!" she roared over the commotion. "Couldn't have picked a better route!"

"Shut up, Lone!" MacTavish spat back. "Bravo Team, spread out and cut through the market! Go, go, go!" He threw a grenade ahead of him and charged headlong into the mass of bullets and militia with Ghost taking his flank. Jessica shifted and leaped up for a rooftop, snatching a soldier by his knee in a moment of panic when he caught her by surprise. She threw him into the market below and ran along the rooftop, only leaping back down when she felt the tin boards quaking under her feet. "Hot damn," she muttered, looking back up. "How the hell do they fight from up there without falling through?" She shook her head and shared through the alleys, biting into any soldier who ventured too close to her. She shifted at the sight of an open square just outside the market, swarming with militia like a disturbed hornet's nest.

"I see Nikolai's Pave Low!" said MacTavish into the com. "Let's go! Nikolai, ETA 20 seconds, get ready for immediate dustoff!"

Nikolai's voice sounded tense. "That may not be fast enough, I see more militia closing in on the market!"

The Captain felt a cold streak of panic cut through his body. "Pick up the pace!" he ordered, slapping Gal on the backside as she ran past him. "Go! Go!"

Before they could get to Nikolai, he pulled up on the controls and veered away. "LZ is too hot; militia with RPGs all around. We will not survive this landing!" he said.

Gal came to a stop and shifted, picking off a couple of RPGs. Ghost yanked on her vest. "Come on, we're gonna have to get to the secondary LZ, keep up with me!" he said in her ear.

The Captain took the lead and climbed up onto a rooftop. "Come on, everyone up! Let's go, let's go!" He looked over his shoulder and ducked just as an RPG whistled over their heads.

Nikolai laughed into the com. "My friend, from up here, it looks like the whole village is trying to kill you."

"Tell me somethin' I don't know," growled MacTavish. "Just get ready to pick us up!"

Gal pelted faster and faster, trying to keep her steps light. Quickly, they were running out of rooftop, and her heart lurched. "Nikolai, hurry your ass up, we can't run for much longer!" she yapped.

Relief. Nikolai appeared just in time, and they leaped for the door.

As Galaxy's feet left the tin roof, she heard boards giveaway. She looked back and Roach disappeared into the street below. Her mouth went dry and her stomach rolled as if she were about to throw up. She jumped back toward the door, Ghost catching her by the scruff. "ROACH!"

Ghost shoved her back and leaned out, looking for any sign of the Sergeant. "Roach... Roach!" he cried desperately.

"Roach, do you copy?!" MacTavish exclaimed.

A weak but definitely still alive Roach copied. "Yes, sir, I copy. The damn roof gave out under me!"

The Captain sighed, and Ghost looked like his legs were about to give out. "Bloody hell, mate, you can't leave us hangin' like that." MacTavish heaved another breath. "Roach, we can see them, they're comin' for you, dozens of them! Get the hell out of there and find a way to the rooftops!"

Nikolai circled around, and everyone on board held their breath. Muted fire and the whirring of the chopper's blades were the only sound, and it felt eerie. Gal's ears were twitching, straining for anything that sounded like the Sergeant. Damn. He had to make it.

MacTavish shoved Ghost's shoulder and pointed. "I see him! Quick, someone, throw out a ladder for him!" As the ladder was pushed out the door, Roach was making it to the last inches of the rooftop. "Jump for it!" he bellowed.

Gal shifted and almost fainted as Roach grabbed ahold of the ladder. "Oh my God... Pull him up! Pull him up!" she urged, yanking Roach closer to safety.

"Nikolai, we got him," said the Captain. Get us out of here!"

Roach climbed into the bird and Jessica pulled him into a hug, the rest of the team slapping his back and ruffling his dirty-brown hair. "Damn, mate, you scared the hell out of me!" she said.

He chuckled and shakily dragged himself to a seat. "Yeah... Me, too." He rest his head against the wall and sighed. "Let's just get to the sub. I think I need a minute to recoup."