Operation: Crimson Space

Hunting

Arkady's pov
      I sat quietly before I heard Nøkk "Kasper" I glanced over and nodded as she continued "why do you care about protecting my identity?" I replied "you're part of Rainbow, this squad is a family. We're all here, we're all protecting each other. I trust each and every one of you with my life, even Glaz. You trust us with your secrets, it's only right we protect them as you would." She paused before nodding. I heard Archer, our resident ISR predator drone operator, "Ghosteyes 1-1, come in" I heard Caveira "Go for cav" Archer replied "I've got a force of about 10-15 heat signatures in the forest, about a klick out from your current position. Same track the secondary team came in, I see no strobes. Looks like Grim and his hunters." I heard Cav "acknowledged. Maverick, you have a copy?" Maverick keyed his radio "yeah I got you boss, clean copy." Cav responded "take your team and intercept. Grim is stopped here." I smirked under my half mask as Maverick looked at Iana and I and said "affirm, solid copy." I saw a Warden and Vigil run from the building they were in to our building as Maverick said "Vigil, lead us out. We're going to loop wide and catch them on the overlook, we go out the back door and immediately into the forest."
We all nodded before Caveira was heard on our comms once more "do what's necessary" Maverick replied explaining our plan as Caveira said "we'll set up the diversion." I chuckled softly as Iana said "yeah, gunfights are diversions now." I replied with "they're pretty effective as one. It's hard to focus on too much when rounds are snapping past your head." She replied "touché." We formed up on the back door as Nøkk got ready to move to one of the other buildings our teams were holding. I saw maverick squeeze Vigil's shoulder as both door flew open and we started running across the open expanses to the tree line. Once we got into the thick part of the woods our stack order changed, Maverick ordered "Kasper, you're point. Vigil you're 2 man, Warden is 3 man, Iana is 4 and I'm 5, check?" We wordlessly shifted our order before maverick ordered "we take this slow and steady, we can't be at the overlook before them and we can't let them hear us coming."
I nodded and slowly started walking, my mind replayed memories from my time fighting both the Russians and the White Mask, I kept my 416 tight to my body so nothing got caught on any of the sharp edges. It had been pouring which acted as a double edged sword, we could move slightly faster, the rain would cover our movements, but our tracks would be far more apparent. I opted to slow down especially given Maverick wanted to come in from behind Grim's squad. I heard Vigil whisper "what is it?" I whispered back "Grim's gonna be moving slowly if he's tracking us, I want to give him time to work past us." I checked the map and figured where we were before crouching. I felt a presence next to me, I glanced over and saw Maverick "what're you thinking?" I replied "in my opinion, I think we should hang tight, wait for Archer to update us on Grim and his squads location and go from there. If we hear a gunfight I know the fastest way back to the overlook." He nodded and said "I'll trust your judgement." I saw him sit back on his haunches as we all held our position.
We sat quietly listening to the birds as they started singing and chirping again, getting used to our presence. I listened to the rain pelt down waiting patiently until I heard Archer "Maverick, be advised, Grim and his squad are 300 meters from the overlook, how copy?" I saw his hand move to his chest to key his radio as I threw my hand out and stopped him, he looked at me in surprise before I pulled my hand away and lifted it to my mouth extending my finger in the 'shhh' motion. He stared at me in question before I saw his eyes start wandering the forest. I returned my right hand to my 416s pistol grip as I jerked my head up towards the thicker part of the forest as Archer asked "Maverick, how copy?" He stared at me in question as we sat for another 30 seconds and I whispered "you're good, just be quiet about it." He replied "solid copy." Maverick asked me in whispers "what was it?" I stared at the forest as rain ran down my helmet before saying "the birds went quiet."
      He stared at me before shaking his head as I said "I think it's time we get going." I glanced behind me and saw Vigil, Warden and Iana looking miserable, I chuckled softly as I started moving towards the overlook. I heard Archer "Be advised Grim and his hunters are moving fast. 200 meters to overlook." I commented "he must be getting impatient, or worried about his boss." As we moved and started closing to the area, 130 meters out I heard gunshots, I muttered "Well that's rude, kicking the dance off without us." Iana asked "shouldn't we be moving faster to get there fast?" I heard Vigil "Grim is a Hunter, if we want him in a box, we have to be ready for traps." I nodded as we slowly moved, I keyed my radio and warned "when we get a visual on these guys, it's gonna be point blank. This will get ugly." The rest of the team keyed their radios twice letting me know they heard it. I paused when we hit the edge of the treeline, I could see the muzzle flashes as I gave our hand signal to spread out. We all found thick enough trees and hunkered down as Maverick pulled out his binoculars and started searching before he goes "there you are."
I heard over TeamNet "PID on Grim, prosecute." I smirked as I lifted my 416 and started shooting at the Hunter closest to me. I heard a surprised "What the fuck?! Who's shooting at us?!" Followed by "where are we getting hit from?!" Iana took cover and said over TeamNet "Stepping into Gemini" I glanced over and saw her replicator go off into the forest. I fired a few more rounds as Grim and his team figured out where we had started shooting at them. I watched one of Grim's hunters get impatient and lean out of cover a bit too far, I commented "overcommitted" as I fired a couple rounds and watched him fall dead. I heard Iana next to me "Grim is trying to slip away!" I heard Maverick "Vigil! Warden! Break off and cut him off! Kasper! Iana! We finish the rest of them!" I heard Caveira on the TroopNet "Primary Team is moving to cut off escape route." I watched Vigil and Warden tear off into the forest as Iana and I started engaging the Hunters. We leaned around the corners of our trees firing a couple rounds ducking back into cover as rounds snapped by.
I pulled a frag grenade off my battle belt and yelled "You guys want a souvenir?! Here! It's a gift from Ghosteyes!" As I pulled the pin and threw it, I watched it bounce before it blew up as I fired some more rounds, I watched one of the Hunter's fall after the grenade hit him causing Iana and I to both shoot him a couple times. I looked at Maverick as I reloaded and yelled "let me flank! They're dug in!" He yelled back "We can take em!" I yelled back "Let me get around them! We need to make this fast!" He sighed before yelling back, the roar of gunfire and heavy rain making it hard to hear "Go!" I nodded as I tore into the forest. I heard lightning crack as I shoved my way through the forest, I heard Caveira "Maverick, I'm sending Nøkk and Solis to assist your men." He replied "Solid copy, Kasper is flanking the cover force." I radioed "activating my jammer. Cutting the noise." As I switched it on and started towards the sounds of the gunfight.
      I slowed down and creeped through the forest until I got to a thinner section of forest and saw the hunters struggling to withstand the accurate fire from Maverick and Iana. I whistled and saw the nearest Hunter look over just to yell "Oh sh-!" As I cut him off by firing. The rest of the hunters started to look around as I continued to engage and kill Hunters, eventually their nerve broke and they started running only to be hit by Caveira's squad. I turned off my jammer and heard Maverick radio "all clear on our side." Caveira replied "set on ours." Zofia said "let's get in on this chase, we have to take out Grim." Just for Vigil to reply "No need, Warden and I are on our way with him." Mozzie asked "is he dead?" Vigil didn't reply causing warden to reply for him "yeah, we got him." I sighed in exhaustion. We all worked our way from cover and to each other. We all checked each other for wounds until Archer was heard "be advised I'm catching glimpses of heat sigs in the forest south east." We all looked around in confusion before maverick asked "our teams went north west didn't they?"
      I sighed before rounds snapped by over head causing us to scramble for cover, I grabbed Iana and pulled her into cover as I yelled "Contact! Contact 4 o'clock!" As the team started engaging, I heard a branch break behind me, I spun and aimed as Vigil and Warden pushed through dragging Grim by his ankles. Nøkk and Solis followed closely behind causing me to relax before turning and firing my magazine at the muzzle flashes in the distance. I heard Zero on the radio "Your extract is 30 mikes out, you need to start moving to make it on time." I looked around and saw the rest of the team contemplating how we were gonna make this work. I yelled "Іди! Іди! I'll cover the retreat!" Maverick yelled back "you know you won't survive!" I pulled down my half mask and smiled "It will be a death well worth it! You need to go!" Iana yelled over the gunfire "I'll stay with him!" Maverick looked torn for a second before yelling "Cav! Take your team and go! My team is Rear guard! We'll fight a delaying action and find a boat to get out!"
      She yelled back "no! We all leave together!" I sighed before Zero was heard "You're running out of time to make the extract window!" Caveira radioed back "we can't leave half my team! The helicopter can't carry all of us!" He said "I've already got a second helicopter en route. Now one of your teams need to be there when that helicopter lands." I yelled "Go! Іди до біса! I've got rear guard!" As Caveira and her team grabbed Kali and Grim and started through the forest Vigil, Warden, Maverick, Iana and I actively started engaging the Nighthaven forces. I laughed as Warden yelled "And Harry says we're not at war!" Before firing a long burst from his mpx. I looked at Iana as she struggled with her magazine. I yelled over "Iana! Breathe! I've got you covered!" She nodded as I could almost see the adrenaline flooding her system, she took a deep breath as if she was going to say something before she let it go. I didn't dwell on it as I got back into the gunfight just to see a Nighthaven contractor with a smaw, I yelled "RPG!" as we all started to fall back away from our cover. I glanced behind me and saw the rocket streaking towards Iana and I causing me to grab Iana and pull her down just for the rocket to streak over her back, just infront of me and just behind Maverick.