HROT: Spawn of War

Chapter 11: Blood

Alex Katz breathed heavily as he reached his forty-seventh jumping jack.  Sweat poured down his face and body and started rusting his braces.  He gasped for air as he completed three more, and then sat on a stump in the midst of the vast plain.

He swigged from his canteen and tapped his foot impatiently. He couldn't sit still after what had happened. Watching Cuntessa pop and thinking about what Kyle might be going through tore his heart to shreds. He wanted his dear friend and fatherly figure back, and he prayed Jhonny and Knight hadn't caught him.

"Gather round, ladies and gentlemen, gather round," Scott announced as he returned from washing himself by the creek. "Today's the big day.  David's contacts have confirmed that Kyle has been recaptured, and we're going in."  It had been four days since the attack, and they were almost there.  Pore's castle was merely two miles away.

"Are we sure we're all ready?" Tony asked.

"Cheesecawk," Cheesecawk grunted in determination.

Alex leapt into the midst of the group.  "I've been ready since you recruited me," he replied.

"Oh, you're not going," Tony said coldly.

Alex was taken aback.  "What the hell do you mean I'm not going?"

"Tony and I have already devised the best plan we can think of, and it's going to require stealth and a minimal task force," Scott stated.

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"Pore's castle is filled to the brim with mercenaries who do her bidding," Scott explained.  "Taking them on and destroying them is the ultimate goal, but it's safer to wait until Kyle is back with us to launch a full-scale attack.  So we're going to send a team of four in to handle getting him out."

"And who might those four be?" David asked.

Scott pointed at his designated operators.  "TF, Crunk, Cheesecawk, and Kieran."

"No!  Not my Kieran!" Leon exclaimed.

"He's the key to the whole operation," Tony said with a roll of the eyes.

"How's that?" Shannon questioned.

"He could easily slip past enemy lines.  We're thinking he could pass as some sort of prostitute to trick the guards."

Kieran giggled.  "This sounds delightful!  Can I play dress up?"

Scott looked disgusted.  "Sure."

Kieran chirped and dove into the tent to change.

"What're we there for?" Crunk asked.

"Cover," Tony replied.  "Clear out the guards on the perimeter and await at the gate for Kieran to come back with Kyle."

TF began to say, "Well that sounds like a solid pla—"

"This is bullshit!  I'm going with you!" Alex cried as he stamped his feet.  "He's like a dad to me, and I'm going to play a part in his rescue, not stay at camp and wait!"

"You'd be a liability," Scott replied.  "You haven't had mashed potatoes in a very long time, and you're visibly weakened."

"I can still help!  I won't stay back here!"

"We'll take him with us," Crunk stated.  "I know what it's like to want to save the ones you care about."

"You sure about this?" TF asked skeptically.  Crunk nodded to reassure him, and TF tried his best to trust his friend's judgment.

"As for the rest of us, we'll hang back, but if something goes wrong and you need backup, use this flare," Scott said as he handed TF a flare gun.

"Cheesecawk," Cheesecawk scoffed.