Endless War

XIX

"rescue_2."

-Command to start Operation Rabbit Hole

Hilda looked back at Shepherd before finally sighing and gesturing for him to come closer.

"The truth is that I have two informants within the Yiga Clan who have gone silent."

No reaction from the man, only a gesture to get on with it.

"They were churning out excellent information. They were ideological agents, joining us when they were ordered to carry out the bombings in your homeland."

The man did not move, but a flash of anger crossed his face.

The Princess flinched before she continued. "I can only assume they were captured about a month ago, for that is when their information stopped flowing to us. I have sent Team Metal twice and a secondary Special Forces team after they failed."

The commander shifted slightly, his hand subtly hovering over his holstered revolver. "You're telling me that you knew your informants' location and didn't tell me? We've been floundering out in the wastelands looking for intel, and you had it all along?" A dangerous tone in his voice.

She flinched even harder than last time as she hurriedly said, "I didn't know where they were! I only authorized the operations! If there's anybody who knows, it'd be my Hidden, but they, ah, prefer not to talk to strangers. They report directly to me. I requested that the leader speak to you directly, but she refused."

There was a moment of silence before Shepherd spoke again, this time with authority and force.

"No. No longer. Now, your Hidden report to me. I will see all their documents and reports and decide on this war. You are dismissed, Princess. Get out of my sight."

Hilda scampered out of the room and to her quarters, where she had to calm her nerves with a chocolate kiss. She didn't want that disapproving gaze on her ever again.

....................................................................................................

"Link, we lost the girl and her father. If I'm right, this old diamond mine is one of the Yiga's hideouts."

Link looked at Sandman as both spun their revolvers before holstering them and drawing bows. 

"Hope you can keep up, old man."

A snort from Sandman. "Alright, team, ensure you know exactly where you're shooting. I don't want any dead hostages. From what little the Hidden told us, the people we're after are two informants in the Yiga Clan. It looks like our red friends found out their loyalties were not to that demon pig and are taking them somewhere."

Truck: "What's the score, boss?"

"Anybody in red is hostile."

"Ain't that the truth."

Task Force 141 kept moving until they reached the stairs, and almost immediately, they were ambushed by the laughing demons.

"Ambush!" somebody cried.

Yuri witnessed his teammates fighting back, but that was because he was on his back, having been knocked out by a sickle before a foot soldier rested his big foot on his throat.

"Yuri," the man hissed. "Long time no see, old friend."

The former Yiga member tried to control his breathing, but he couldn't help but start to breathe faster. He couldn't, not with that man pressing his boot into his throat, somehow getting through the armor plating. He thought his windpipe would collapse. His thought processes slowed down as he realized this was where he might die.

I am so blue I'm greener than purple. On a scale from one to ten, what is my favorite color of the alphabet? Every day a grape licks a friendly cow. Clothes are yum like paper. The building is falling.

Oh, wait...the building is falling! I think I'll be fine here.

"Snap out of it, Yuri!"

Just like that, the dread was lifted off him, and he immediately took in the air—dirty, dingy, nasty air, but air nonetheless. And while coughing, he failed to notice that a giant piece of rock was falling on top of him.

Sandman saw immediately, and after a short struggle with the big Yiga that had been on top of Yuri, he put a bullet in the big man's gut before pitching him over the side, hopefully to his death. And then he tossed a coughing Yuri onto his back and started running away from the rock before it crushed them all.

He couldn't see where the rest of the team was, but he prayed they were safe. No time to worry about that right now. He had to focus on getting Yuri out of there before both died. 

They had to go down, so he did the only logical thing: he rode the rock to the bottom with Yuri screaming his lungs out.

They seemed to fall forever, but when it did stop, the landing was so rough that Sandman shouted, "Damn, my legs!" Which would only get worse if they didn't get out of the way of the second rock heading down toward them. And because Yuri was still alternately coughing and screaming, Sandman threw Yuri down onto the floor five feet down before jumping after him himself.

This time, Yuri had fully recovered and was about to voice his gratitude when the Metal leader roared.

"Do you see wings on me, Yuri?"

"Um...no."

"That's because I'm not your fairy fucking godmother!" He drew an arrow before lightly kicking the man. "Now hurry up, and let's find the rest of the squad!"

....................................................................................................

Luckily the rest of the team was still okay, which was good since it took two hours with everybody searching to find the father-daughter informants. They had seen the daughter first, beaten but not injured, who had guided them to her father in the dark.

"Again!?!" Sandman yelled as he finished cutting off the ropes binding the father.

The Yiga was displeased that TF 141 had found the informants and was setting explosive charges to bring everybody down. And this time, Yuri was not so lucky, as the explosions left him nearly unconscious.

What he did remember was getting dragged out of the mine.

"Yuri! Yuri!" Mason.

"Hang in there, Yuri! I got ya." Sandman.

"Link! You have to go! Get on those Yiga horses and get out of here!" Sandman.

"...in this together!"

"...daughter and get on the horse! ...cover you!"

"You...behind me!"

"Just go! Get out of here!"

"Just go! Go!"

"Turn the horse around, Mason! We can't leave them!"

"We go back, we all die!"

"Sandman, do you read me?! Sandman, come in! Sandman, do you copy? Sandman, are you still there?"

The sounds of explosions. Rocks are falling. The underground falling. The screams of those trapped inside. Team Metal trapped inside, cursing and firing bows and guns and throwing knives and swinging blades and throwing punches.

Yet, all those sounds seemed to be whispering next to his leader's sobs.