Chapter 56 - going back to the hood (Part 19) - Soro Side story - taking down Eclipse

I rode a bike with Maya, hoping Alex could handle the situation. Eclipse was our target, but I had concerns about Sierra-1, who seemed familiar. I called Maruk, and he warned me:

"Sierra-1 is suspicious. How did he get all that information? And Darrel isn't FBI, he's Homeland Security. I contacted an FBI source, and Sierra-1 doesn't exist. The report is a morse coded message, not a video."

Maya yawned. "Can we just get this over with? I want to go home and play video games.”

I offered her candy, but she declined. Then, out of nowhere, she asked:

"Can you take me to school like big brother Alex? I want to see if he's as cool as he thinks he is.”

I raised an eyebrow. "You want to see Alex in action? That's like watching paint dry.”

Maya giggled. "Hey, someone's got to keep an eye on him.”

I instructed her to be discreet and quick once we arrived. I took my Dragunov and found a spot to take down Eclipse, aka Cassius Riley, a rogue CIA agent. I saw him panicking and giving instructions.

I radioed Maya to get closer, and she left a microphone at the window. I listened in on Eclipse's conversation with a mysterious woman.

"What's going on? How are they fighting back? Aren't you professionals? What about the patriarch?" Eclipse complained.

The woman replied, "You're the one who's incompetent. We have the numbers to take down a whole city.”

Eclipse panicked. "This isn't what I expected. If Don starts talking, we're done for..."

I watched, intrigued, as the situation unfolded.

Eclipse pleaded, "Tell the patriarch how I'm supposed to escape?”

The mysterious woman responded, "Affirmative, you're the one who can't escape." I heard gunshots and looked through my scope to see Eclipse slump to the ground, unexpectedly taken out.

I refocused on the conversation, hearing the woman warn, "Target compromised. They're here, and they're not to be underestimated. That sniper took out six of our best clones, and the little girl is a wild card.”

I aimed at the woman, trying to get a clear shot through the walls. I asked Maya, "Where is she? Get away from there, now!”

Maya quickly sent me the woman's position. "She's by the table, burning files.”

I took the shot, hitting my mark with a precise headshot.

I instructed Maya to retrieve the files, and she slipped inside like a ninja. She reported back to me, "Looks like there are a bunch of dead bodies in here...and some files."

I asked Maya to take pictures of the dead bodies, and as she worked, I kept watch, my senses on high alert. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I spun around, gun drawn, and was surprised to see a blond, ruggedly handsome man with piercing eyes and a strong jawline. He was about 5'7" tall, with a lean and athletic build that spoke to his skill and agility. A small scar above his eyebrow only added to his formidable presence.

"Tom 'Specter' Saunders?" I asked, lowering my gun slightly.

"Looks like I didn't miss the fun," he said with a hint of a smile.

I presumed he was here on Maruk's orders and asked, "What's the mission, Specter?”

Specter's eyes scanned the area, taking in the dead soldiers. "This case just got a lot more interesting. I see some of the soldiers are dead, but where are the others?" He trailed off, his gaze narrowing.

Just then, Maya's voice crackled over the comms device. "Hey, big brother! I've found the captive soldiers. They're drugged, but alive. What do I do?”

I responded quickly, "Regroup and get pictures. We need evidence.”

Maya's response was cut short by the sound of gunfire and fighting. I sprang into action, heading towards her location with Specter close behind.

As we burst into the room, Maya sprang into action, her knife flashing in the dim light. She took down two black-clad soldiers with swift precision, but a third, a clone girl with a blank expression, proved a more formidable foe. The two engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat, their movements lightning-fast.

Specter took advantage of the distraction to slip behind another soldier and take him down with a swift neck snap. He then turned his attention to the clone girl, firing a precise shot that grazed her shoulder, giving Maya the opening she needed to land a decisive blow.

As the clone girl crumpled, Maya spun her knife and sheathed it with a flourish. "That was easy..." she said, a hint of pride in her voice.

Specter's praise was measured. "Impressive, young lady, but don't get too cocky. We're not out of this yet.”

I nodded in agreement, my eyes scanning the room for any other threats. "Beginner's luck, Maya. Let's move on and get the captives.”

I swapped my Dragunov for the PP-19 Bizon submachine gun, its compact design and high rate of fire making it ideal for close quarters. As we cautiously approached the captives, it became clear that most were drugged, their eyes glassy and unfocused. But one man, who looked like a high-ranking officer, showed signs of stirring.

"Huh!? We're under attack!!" he mumbled, his eyes wild with confusion.

I tried to calm him down, my voice low and urgent. "Easy, sir. We're here to extract you. What happened here?”

His gaze locked onto mine, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"That man!! He claimed to be CIA and then I was drugged, that's all I remember," the man said, his words laced with anger and confusion.

I quickly surveyed the area, my eyes scanning for any signs of danger. "Are you in command here?" I asked him, my voice firm.

The man shook his head, gesturing towards the general's office. "No, the general is...was in command. He's over there, but...he's not alive.”

I nodded grimly, my mind racing with the implications. "Looks like you're in command now, Colonel…?"

"Colonel Jackson Wilson, callsign Hawk," he replied, his eyes narrowing. "And I need to know what's happening, now.”

I briefed him quickly on the situation, and he sprang into action, waking the other men and ordering them to sound the alarm.

"Looks like we have a full-blown crisis on our hands," he muttered, his expression grim.

"Someone has breached our base, and we're caught off guard. This is a disaster.”

I nodded in agreement, my weapon at the ready. "Let's move out, Colonel. You need to regain control of the base, and fast.”

The colonel nodded, his eyes blazing with determination. "Let's go, Soro! We need to take back our base!”

We charged out of the room, weapons at the ready. The alarm blared loudly, echoing off the walls as we moved through the base. We quickly encountered the unknown assailants, dressed in black tactical gear and wielding advanced weaponry.

The battle was intense, with bullets flying and explosions rocking the base. We fought our way through the corridors, taking down assailants left and right. But there were too many of them, and we soon found ourselves pinned down behind a barricade, trying to catch our breath.

The colonel yelled out orders, directing our forces to flank the assailants and take them out. I nodded, taking point and leading the charge. We burst out from behind the barricade, weapons blazing as we took down the assailants.

But just as we thought we had the upper hand, reinforcements arrived, pouring into the base like a flood. We were outnumbered and outgunned, but we refused to give up.

The battle raged on, with us fighting for every inch of ground. But we were determined to take back the base, no matter the cost.

Maruk's voice crackled over the comms device. "I've sent in our special unit, the Tausug warriors. They'll provide backup.”

I gazed out the window, seeing paratroopers landing on the base. Our men had arrived, ready to take back the base.

One of the warriors approached me, his eyes locked on mine. "Brother, do you need help?”

I nodded, my mind racing with strategy. "We need to take down this group and disappear. Our next target is Brother Alex.”

The warrior nodded. "At your command, Soro.”

Colonel Hawk looked at me, his expression serious. "So, who are these men?”

I hesitated, ensuring Hawk wasn't playing a trick. "They're my men. We're allies for now. I respect their skills as warriors, but I'm not interested in working with the Americans long-term.”

Hawk nodded, understanding. "I trust you, Soro. We need to retake this base and restore order. Detective Tracy has requested support - LA is in chaos.”

I grimaced, recalling the chaos outside. "It's like Serbia or Somalia out there.”

Hawk's face hardened. "Jesus. Alright, boys, let's move out! We need to retake our base and restore order to this town!”

The soldiers shouted in agreement, and Maya took point, taking down enemy forces with ease. I pulled off a helmet, revealing a clone beneath. Specter did the same, and we exchanged a shocked glance.

One of the American GIs approached us, "Sir, we've managed to retrieve the Humvee and Bradley tank.”

Colonel Hawk's eyes narrowed, "And the assailants?”

The soldier hesitated, "They're retreating, sir. What do we do?”

I sprang into action, spotting a straggler escaping to a helicopter. I took aim with my Dragunov and fired at the engine, taking it down. I quickly dispatched the remaining assailants, impressing Colonel Hawk.

"That's some impressive shooting, over a kilometer away!" he exclaimed.

I explained our next move, "We need to head to Compton, regroup, and gather evidence. Detective Tracy has established it as a safe zone.”

Colonel Hawk raised an eyebrow, "Compton? That's unexpected. But we'll make it work."

Our teams reported back, "We've captured all the assailants, sir. They're secured in the base's center.”

Colonel Hawk nodded, "Well done, soldiers. Let's head out. I'll contact the Pentagon." As he made the call, Maruk contacted me.

"Soro, head to Compton and regroup. We have evidence that the De Santo gang was just a cover. They're not involved.”

Maya, looking bored, chimed in, "Big brother, can we go now? I'm bored.”

An American soldier asked, "How old is she?" Maya replied, "I'm 4." The soldiers were surprised, "She's the same age as my daughter, but she looks much older!”

I smiled, knowing our special bloodline made us appear older than we were.

Colonel Hawk's men were ready, and he offered us a ride to Compton. "Let's move out, soldiers! We're taking back our city!”

We marched towards LA, but our journey was cut short as we exited the base gate. The assailants ambushed us, armed to the teeth, including an SUV-mounted machine gun.

"Incoming!" I yelled, as bullets whizzed past our heads.

We scattered, seeking cover behind nearby vehicles. I returned fire with my Dragunov, taking out the machine gunner. Maya joined in, her small frame darting between cars, taking down assailants with her dual extended knife.

Colonel Hawk barked orders, directing his men to flank the enemy. The battle raged on, our guns blazing as we fought our way through the streets.

We managed to take out the SUV, but more assailants emerged, seemingly endless. I spotted a group attempting to outflank us and took them down with a well-placed grenade.

As we pushed forward, the enemy grew more desperate, their attacks more ferocious. But we held our ground, fighting in perfect sync.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we broke through their lines and entered Compton. The streets were chaotic, but Detective Tracy's men had established a perimeter, holding off the assailants.

We regrouped, catching our breath as we gazed out at the battered cityscape. Our mission was far from over, but we'd made it to Compton.

Looks like Alex and the gang manage to return back and bringing a van careened into Compton, its battered exterior bearing the scars of a perilous journey - bullet holes riddled the sides, windows were shattered, and the tires were blown out.