Capture Or Kill

Chapter 21: The Calm Before The Storm

3 Days Later

Multiple POVs

3rd Person POV

Al Mazrah. The place where every soldier found themselves at least once. The area was a mix of rundown abandoned neighborhoods, docks, shopping centers, and military bases, now overrun by AQ forces. Shadow Company had also once had a presence on Mt. Zaya, but for some unknown reason, Graves's second-in-command had called all remaining Shadows to him. Now it is being used as a smuggling route for Chimera's ultranationalists. The area provided an easy way from the port to the mountains that eventually led to the Russian border, and from there his stronghold in the mountains was located. Kate had been working around the clock since Las Almas trying to locate the base, but Chimera had kept it well hidden. But like any villain, eventually he made a mistake. That mistake came with the final and most heavily armed convoy that 141 and the remaining members of Apex Squad would face. For weeks, they had been attacking smaller groups of ultranationalists, setting Chimera's plans back by weeks. He had ordered that all remaining supplies be shipped to the fortress immediately and that any resistance met besides Y/N should be put down.

Price had called Y/N into the run-down living room of the house 141, and Apex had been using as a base. The convoy vehicles had begun loading up with supplies and munitions and would soon be ready to leave. The plan was simple: destroy as many vehicles as they could before they got too far into the mountains, hope Chimera reveals himself again, and capture him if possible. Y/N and Price were up early the morning before the planned attack. The sun wasn't even up yet, and everyone else besides Ghost were still asleep. Ghost had decided to take first watch and had been up on the roof for about an hour now while both Captains talked quietly about tomorrow's ambush.

"And from there, we pull up along side, placing charges on any vehicles we can get close enough to." Price explained dragging a finger down the old highway.

"Gaz told me you and him did this in Urzikstan when you rescued Kate." Y/N yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"Something like that."

"Mhm." Y/N mumbled while sitting down on the old sofa.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Price asked, rolling out another map.

"Don't have a choice; if Chimera shows up, he will need to be focused on me while the rest of you get to work."

"You can't risk a prolonged fight, son." Price stated looking over the photos of the different types of vehicles Chimera was using.

"I have speed and agility on my side."

"And he had physical strength; if he catches you, he will overpower you."

"He always used that to his advantage during training, but things have changed since then." Y/N was nervous about facing Chimera again, but he knew that he had to keep the manic's attention on him.

"Your new uniform looks good." Price quietly laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Y/N asked, embarrassed.

"Nothing, just funny to see Soap and Ghost putting effort into clothing."

"Never thought of it like that. I guess it is kind of funny, huh?" Y/N smiled.

Soap and Ghost had kept a close eye on Y/N in the month that followed Chimera's grand reveal. The first week was awful, with Y/N not saying much or eating well; mostly he just stayed in bed or could be found on the roof of Alejandro's HQ late at night stargazing. Soap and Ghost had gone above and beyond in helping their partner get through it. It had worked too, as the captain bounced back faster than anyone expected, and when anyone asked why, he only answered with: