Prologue: Death Wish

“Sergeant Navarro, get over here!” Lieutenant Kipper called out to Sergeant Ethan Navarro. “Take out that AT!”

Ethan Navarro shouldered the massive SG1 missile launcher and swiveled to face the auto turret hanging from the ceiling.

He squeezed the trigger, and a cumbersome arched missile shot out, leaving a large plume of smoke in its wake. The missile hit its target dead on, and the twisted remains of the turret hit the metal floor in a crunch.

“Let’s move! Quicker the better!” Kipper yelled, and got up from behind his hiding place. “Mackenzie, Olivier! Take point and move out!”

“Yes, sir!” Mackenzie yelled back, shifting to his feet and firing his M15 rifle rapidly at the guards closing in. “Ethan!”

“One more!” Navarro called. He aimed his launcher at the core of the charging enemies and fired. The hostiles disappeared in a grand explosion of flame and smoke, and little bits of flesh shot out, splattering the white walls in red.

Mackenzie and Olivier pushed forward, emptying their clips. Two other troopers, Scolare and Deacon, moved in from the rear.

“We sure stirred up a hornet’s nest!” Kipper fired at a few guards down the hallway. The alarm was blaring full on, and the entire compound was chasing after the seven-man Shadow Commando team.

The seven man team with six men, Kipper thought grimly. Private Cox had primed a high-class charge on their objective, but it detonated prematurely, engulfing the poor private in flames and triggering the compound’s alarm. What used to be a simple stealth op was now a frantic rat race to get out alive. Not only that, Kipper thought, but we failed to destroy the objective.

The Commandos’ target was a large container that held a mysterious blue liquid. Apparently, the liquid was something important, as the order to destroy it came directly from High General Miller, the top ranking official in the military. The premature explosion the Shadow Commandos made was not strong enough to blast through the container, and the Commandos were forced to abandon their mission to escape the wrath that was to come.

Kipper’s rifle spit out a few more shots at the wrath that was chasing them: highly armed, highly trained Fox guards. He dove from one wall to the other, recovering with a barrel roll. Scolare followed, S20 Sub Machine Gun tucked in his arms.

“Deacon, I’ll cover you!” Kipper reassured the only commando on the opposite side of the hallway. He spun and fired off shots into the hallway. “Go!”

Deacon got up and attempted to dive across the hallway to Kipper’s position. He never made it.

Bullets ripped into Deacon’s body and through his backpack. The commando landed in a heap right next to Kipper, his head in an unimaginable position.

“Shit!” Kipper yelled, and felt a small ounce of sadness. That feeling was soon replaced by adrenaline, however, and Kipper turned to Scolare.

“We have to move!” Kipper said. “There’s too many of them! We can’t hold them off forever! Find an exit!”

Scolare nodded, and left to join the other commandos, who were already in the next room.

“Where’s Kipper?” Navarro asked.

“He’s buying us some extra time!” Scolare replied. “Have you guys found an exit?”

“We can’t go back the way we came in,” said Mackenzie, “They sealed off the vents. The only way is through Hangar A!”

“Roger that.” Scolare said, “Sir! Let’s go!”

Kipper fired off a few more shots before getting up and joining the remaining commandos. Olivier slapped a C4 “sticky” charge to a wall and moved back, waving a detonator his hand.

“Get back!” He yelled.

Suddenly, Fox guards appeared at the door and sprayed wild bullets into the room. Olivier shook and contorted before slamming into a table behind him. The detonator slid across the room. The commandos quickly fell to the ground, firing back. One round struck the lead Fox in the faceplate, and he went down, firing his weapon in death grip.

“Scolare, grab that detonator!” Kipper managed to shout.

“Yes sir!” Scolare quickly crawled to the other end of the room and scooped up the detonator. He was now right next to the C4 charge. Scolare got up to move away. A bullet struck his leg, and he fell, clutching his leg.

“I’m hit! I’m hit!” Scolare yelped in pain. He threw the detonator to Navarro. Navarro caught it, surprised.

“Navarro, push it!” Kipper yelled.

“Wait! Wait! No!” Scolare shouted, with one hand reached out, hastily waving. Navarro saw the scared look in Scolare’s eyes; a look that was pleading to him not to activate the detonator.

A grenade exploded next to Kipper’s position.

”Press it, damnit!” Kipper yelled.

Without thinking, Navarro press the detonator. The C4 exploded, and Scolare screamed a vicious scream of anguish as his body was engulfed in the blast.

“We have to leave!” Kipper shouted.

The remaining three commandos jumped into the hole created by the explosion and entered a maintenance tunnel. Kipper was quickly cut down by gunfire. Now, the last two commandos, Navarro and Mackenzie, sprinted for the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Ethan! Hurry! I can see the light!” Mackenzie yelled.

Fox guards behind them fired. And fired. And fired again.

With each miss, Ethan Navarro felt stronger. He could make it. He would make it. He had to.

“AAAH!” Mackenzie fell. His chest started bleeding. He rolled over on his stomach, a look of pain on his face.

“Mackenzie!” Navarro yelled. He stopped and hesitated for a second, glancing down at his buddy.

“Go, Navarro. Go,” Mackenzie croaked, his voice now reduced to a rasp.

Navarro didn’t think before he continued running towards the exit. He looked back and saw Mackenzie, in his final moments, take out the handgun issued to him at boot camp, so very long ago. The weakened commando raised the handgun and aimed it at the Foxes, his hand shaking uncontrollably. The hostiles took no chances. Over twenty guns clattered, their bullets cruising for one target.

Mackenzie became still as puffs of smoke appeared all over his body. Navarro turned back forward and ran for the light. His best friend, dead. Another friend, killed by his own hands. Navarro almost made it to the light when he felt something connect with his head. His mind went blank.

--

Ethan Navarro woke up. Was I dreaming? He thought.

Then, he noticed he was strapped to a medical gurney, which was situated upright. He was in a dark, circular room. A Fox stood guard by the only door.

Oh, shit. Navarro thought. This is all real. At least I’m alive.

Then the evil menace known as Ace strode through the door with a dangerous smile, and Ethan would wish he had never survived.