Black Rose

Prologue

***Somewhere in Afghanistan

"Raven." A hand shook her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Raven groaned, cracking open her heavy eyes.

"We've entered the hot zone." John reported.

Raven rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Roger that."

Raven rode in the lead Humvee through the valley. All the equipment given to her for the mission included a plate carrier, a Mk18, a pistol, magazines, flashbangs, and smoke grenades. She turned to John, her marksman, his eyes void of emotion, staring at something past her. On the other hand, "Męka," -which means pain in Polish- the combat engineer, tried to lighten the mood by cracking the occasional pun, which Raven found amusing. During the long road trip, the agents in the other cars seemed to enjoy the entertainment. Usually, they would tell Męka to shut up over the radio.

Badger, the Russian turret gunner, clambered down from the turret seat. Unbuckling his helmet, he shook his hand in his blonde hair, showering all of them in sweat.

Męka: "The fuck man!"

Badger (With a strong Russian accent): "My be-ad."

He turned to Raven.

Badger: "Zhe rradio is frried. We ce-an't contact zhe otherr vehicles. Should zwe stop to take a look?"

Raven: "...Let's take a break in the next town."

Badger: "Rroger that."

He disappeared back into the turret.

"Town's up ahead." The driver reported. "Rough road, brace yourself."

A few seconds later, a strong shaking jostled everyone in different directions. Raven caught a few words of indistinct Slavic coming from the turret. As the tremors subsided, she peered outside to find themselves driving through an abandoned town. The dilapidated buildings stood as a testament to past turmoil, surrounded by towering mountains that provided a natural barrier against insurgents. Cracked cement roads, lined with countless alleyways, led the way through the forgotten streets.

Sighing from the exhausting journey, Raven attempted to rest her head against the window, only to be met with the persistent vibrations that rattled her skull.

Badger: "RPG!"

In the corner of her eye, Raven saw a white streak hurtling toward her Humvee.

BOOM!

Meka: "Badger!"

John: "Hold on!"

Raven: "Ugh!"

The Humvee crashed and rolled upside down, and with a loud smash, it came to stop.

John: "Urk, everyone alright?"

Meka: "Badger's gone."

John: "Remember your training! Let's get out of here!"

Ping! Pong! Skr!

Bullets began to explode against the thin skin of the armored vehicle. Wrestling with her seat belt, Raven crashed onto the ceiling of the Humvee which was now the floor. Her surroundings were extremely disorienting. The floor was now the ceiling, the ceiling the floor, and everything was upside down. She fell over in confusion.

John: "Raven, get a hold of yourself!"

Bullets pinged and ricocheted off the Humvee's thin metal.

John: "We're leaving now!"

He grabbed her by the back of her plate carrier and assisted her to her feet. Kicking open the door, the two of them leaped outside to greet the firefight.