INFERNAL WORLD » kyle GAZ garrick

52 - losing my breath

Elena's footsteps echoed ominously off the cold, concrete walls. Her eyes scanned every shadow for threats. Her senses were heightened. The oppressive atmosphere of the plant seemed to close in on them. Beside her, Price moved silently, his presence a constant reassurance despite the uncertainty of their mission.

Soon, gunfire erupted from ahead, followed by shouts in Russian. Konni's forces—alerted to their presence—had engaged. The mission had just gone loud.

"Need to destroy that chopper!" Elena called out over the comms, ducking behind a metal crate as bullets ricocheted off the walls around her.

"I see it," Price replied, his voice grim. "No choice but to fight our way through. Let's move!"

Elena peeked over her cover, spotting several Konni soldiers advancing. She squeezed the trigger, her shots precise, taking down two of them. Price was already ahead, his rifle barking as he led the charge. The place became a battleground, the once-still air now thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder and the metallic tang of blood.

They pushed forward, systematically clearing corners. The deeper they went, the louder the chaos grew. Finally, they reached the massive doors to the reactor room, and Price wasted no time breaching it.

Konni operatives were in the midst of extracting chemical containers—large, ominous drums marked with hazard symbols. Elena's heart skipped a beat. This wasn't nuclear material; it was far worse.

"Barkov's chemicals," Price growled. "They're planning to weaponize them."

Without hesitation, Price and Elena opened fire, catching the operatives off guard. The room erupted into chaos, bullets flying, shouts echoing off the steel walls. Elena's movements were swift, almost instinctual, as she provided cover for Price. Her shots were true, taking down Konni soldiers as they scrambled to defend their operation.

"Airlock's open!" Price shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of gunfire.

Elena nodded, her focus narrowing. She spotted a group of operatives attempting to load a drum onto a waiting helicopter. With a quick adjustment, she fired, hitting one of the men in the shoulder. The drum slipped, crashing to the floor and spilling its toxic contents. A thick, greenish gas began to seep into the air.

"All stations, Konni's extracting canisters from the reactor!" Price ordered, grabbing Elena's arm and pulling her towards the extraction point.

''Konni's taking the gas out on that helo! We're gonna lose 'em!'' Gaz added.

But the gas spread fast, too fast. The remaining Konni forces had set off explosives, intending to cover their escape. The room filled with noxious fumes, choking and burning.

"Elena, on your six!" Price shouted, his voice strained as he coughed against the gas.

Elena spun around, barely catching sight of a soldier emerging from the shadows, his rifle aimed at Price. Without hesitation, she fired, dropping the soldier before he could pull the trigger. But the effort cost her—she inhaled a lungful of the gas, and a violent cough wracked her body.

Price, seeing her struggle, returned the favour. He took out another soldier who had crept up behind her, his own breath laboured as the gas began to take its toll. The air was thick with toxic fumes, and every breath felt like fire.

"We need to move, now!" Price rasped, his voice rough from the gas.

They reached the extraction point—a large hole in the ceiling with ropes dangling down for a quick ascent. Price went first, scaling the rope with practised ease, but even he couldn't suppress a harsh cough as he climbed. Elena followed, her lungs burning as the gas crept into her system. She could feel it—her vision blurring, her limbs growing weak.

She felt her own grip falter, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The gas was everywhere, searing her throat and lungs. She could barely see Price next to her.

"Elena, come on!" he shouted, desperation in his voice.

With every ounce of strength she had left, Elena reached for the rope, her fingers slipping on the rough surface. The gas swirled around her, suffocating, and her vision darkened. But she pushed through, driven by sheer willpower and the need to survive.

She finally grasped Gaz's hand as he pulled her up, out of the reactor room and into the cool air above. They collapsed onto the roof of the plant, gasping for breath. The gas still clung to her, making her cough violently. Price was the same.

Soap turned to her, concern etched on his face.

"Elena, are you okay?"

She nodded weakly, but it was a lie. Her head spun, and her chest ached with every breath. The gas had done more damage than she wanted to admit.

"You're not okay," Gaz said, his voice stern but laced with worry. "We need to get you to medevac, now."

Elena wanted to protest, to say she could keep going, but the world around her swayed dangerously. She clutched Price's arm, trying to steady herself.

"Just...need a minute," she managed to say, though her voice was barely a whisper.

But there was no time. The helicopter that Konni had been loading earlier was lifting off, carrying the stolen chemical materials. Gaz watched it go, frustration and helplessness flashing in his eyes.

"We'll stop them," he promised, more to himself than to Elena.

''Gaz-'' she pushed out with one last breath before passing out. She could still see the green gas around her and feel it in her chest.

Gaz stood there, his heart pounding as he watched Elena collapse. Instinctively, he reached out to help her, but before he could make a move, Ghost's voice cut through the chaos with a command.

"Gaz, Soap, get Price onto the plane. I'll take care of Morgan,"

There was a moment of hesitation before Gaz nodded. He and Soap moved swiftly, carefully lifting the injured Price between them, and began to navigate him towards the waiting plane where the medics were ready to take over. As they moved, Gaz couldn't help but glance back at Ghost.

Ghost, usually so composed and unreadable, was cradling Elena with a surprising tenderness. He gently placed her on a medical bed as it arrived, his eyes never leaving her. Gaz noticed the way Ghost was almost counting her breaths, his usually steely gaze softened with something Gaz couldn't quite place.

It made something twist in Gaz's chest—a flicker of jealousy that he quickly suppressed. It was stupid, irrational even, but seeing Ghost so focused on Elena, so concerned... it bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

The medics worked quickly, attending to Price and Elena with practised efficiency. Gaz watched, feeling an unspoken tension between him and Ghost, though neither said a word. When Ghost finally spoke, his voice was rough, almost as if he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

"She'll be okay,"

Gaz wanted to believe it, too, but he could hear the uncertainty in Ghost's voice. It was like a promise Ghost was desperate to keep, even if it was out of his control. Gaz just nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself, but the image of Ghost's concern for Elena stayed with him, a silent reminder of the complicated emotions that were slowly surfacing within him.

***

Hiyaa! Sorry for the long-awaited update, but life's been hectic! I'll be honest - MW3 (2023) sucks ass as a campaign so I'll take the liberty to make changes and not focus so much on the open-combat missions as much as in the actual game. As you can see... we have something else going on hehe. See you in the next update! :))