Bab 77: A Path to Freedom (pt.2)
2014
S.H.I.E.L.D Jump Jet
Above The Indian Ocean
Few Hours Later
(Omniscient POV)
Flying high over the crystal blue waves of the Indian Ocean, Captain America, Natasha, and the S.T.R.I.K.E team led by Brock, watched anxiously from the cockpit as their jet flew low overhead in pursuit of the captured ship. Below them, the bright lights of the Lemurian Star illuminating the darkness provided ample visibility throughout the night sky, allowing them to track their quarry accurately.
"Coming up to the drop zone." The pilot called out over the comms as the jump jet descended swiftly towards its destination at high speeds, passing effortlessly through the cover of the clouds until it was positioned directly above the huge freighter.
"Alright, I'm gonna sweep the deck and find Batroc. Nat, you'll kill the engines and wait for instructions. Rumlow, you and S.T.R.I.K.E sweep the aft, find the hostages, and get them out safely," Cap ordered crisply, as strapped his shield into place on his back.
"You heard the Captain, S.T.R.I.K.E mount up!" Brock barked loudly.
Each member of the team suited up quickly and efficiently under the watchful eye of their commanding officers. Each person donned their parachutes in preparation for their dive off the jet.
Captain America moved toward the rear hatch of the jet as it began to lower, letting in a powerful gust of wind and revealing the vast ocean beneath.
"Let's move!" Cap ordered as he jumped gracefully from the aircraft with ease.
"Was he wearing a parachute?" Jack, the S.T.R.I.K.E team's second, asked Brock incredulously as he glanced nervously downward at the open air rushing rapidly away underneath him.
"No. No, he wasn't." Brock replied simply, shooting an amused glance at Jack.
"You boy's coming?" Black Widow quipped playfully as she leaped out of the aircraft, following behind Cap. Her long red hair flowed freely like silk in the cool breeze blowing back wildly in the rushing wind.
Brock chuckled lightly at her remark as he followed her lead, leaping elegantly down from the rampway as the rest of the S.T.R.I.K.E team did likewise.
********
Middle of the Indian Ocean
The Lemurian Star, Main Deck
After jumping from the jet, Cap dives into the cold, dark ocean waters surrounding the massive cargo carrier below. His eyes adjust automatically from lightless depths to total darkness thanks to his enhanced senses.
Swimming smoothly through the watery abyss, Cap easily hoists himself out of the water using the ladder bolted firmly to the side of the hulking liner. Climbing upward quickly to the upper decks, as Black Widow and S.T.R.I.K.E land in the water after him.
Cap moves stealthily to cover, keeping close tabs on the sounds emanating from every corner of the structure as he waits for the rest of the team to arrive.
"[In French] I told Batroc, if we want S.H.I.E.L.D to pay, we have to start sending them bodies now!" A voice drunkenly sounds from nearby, causing Cap to tense and bump against the railing behind his cover.
"[In French] Who's there?!" The voice shouts suddenly, moving closer and pointing a gun at the source of the sound as the other pirate flanks him protectively.
Cap curses silently and pulls his shield from his back as he readies himself for a fight.
"[In French] Don't mov-" One of the pirates begins, but is interrupted abruptly as a knife plunges cleanly into his throat, causing him to cough up blood as he falls lifelessly to the floorboards.
His friend on the other side meets a similar fate as a silent bullet takes his skull apart violently, spraying brains everywhere. Both bodies fell dead without uttering more than a single word between themselves.
Brock wipes his knife on his pants and moves over to Cap's side, Natasha and the rest of S.T.R.I.K.E joining them shortly thereafter.
"Thanks," Cap murmurs gratefully as they gather behind cover, peering intently around them for any other signs of trouble.
"No problem, you seemed pretty helpless without me." Brock smiles wryly as he glances at the fallen corpses.
"Ok, you boys can kiss later. For now, let's focus on the mission." Widow states bluntly as she scans the area ahead carefully.
Nodding at her words, the team begins to move out. Crouching low behind the numerous crates stacked along the deck, of the massive ship, and moving briskly onward to locate their respective targets.
They split apart and worked methodically, searching every corner of the craft systematically for signs of life amongst the dozens of armed pirates patrolling the decks.
Widow used her advanced training and skills to keep herself hidden amidst shadows and concealed locations as she scouted ahead for the engine's room, locating it almost immediately due to how many guards swarmed the halls leading to it.
Moving forward confidently nonetheless, knowing full well that none would see her coming.
As such, when two pirates emerged unexpectedly from either end of the hall and blocked her way, neither saw nor sensed her presence prior to being gunned down by her pistol deftly. Their weapons clattered harmlessly to the ground afterward, as both men dropped with gaping holes drilled perfectly straight through their skulls.
Moving past the corpses casually, Widow continued onwards undetected until reaching the engine control center located deep inside the lower deck of the ship.
*********
Middle of the Indian Ocean
The Lemurian Star, Upper Deck
Meanwhile, on the upper deck, Cap moves quickly to the control room to try and find the pirate's leader, Batroc.
Cap bounded quickly up the set of stairs and enters a door cautiously, scanning the dim interior for threats as he does so. Finding nothing threatening yet, he continues deeper into the darkened chamber, suddenly spotting three pirate guards as he rounded a bend in the passage.
Not slowing down his stride, Captain America rushed headlong at the unsuspecting group, two of which were chitchatting as the last one was leaning lazily against the railing of the ship.
Before any of them could react, Steve smashed hard into the group.
Sparta kicking the lazy one in the chest and sending him flying backward over the railing of the ship where he fell several feet into the dark sea below. Not stopping, Cap quickly unholstered his shield from his back and hurled it forcefully toward the remaining two pirates.
Striking one of them the head harshly, causing him to fall unconscious, before ricocheting off the wall and striking the third man square in the stomach, knocking him to the floor senseless.
Before he had time to recover or even comprehend what happened, Cap followed through with a swift punch to the face, breaking the unfortunate fellow's nose completely and knocking him unconscious too.
Turning briefly, Captain America scanned his surroundings, as he slammed his foot down on his shield laying on the floor beside him, flipping it upright into his hand smoothly.
Seeing no further resistance, Cap continued his stride calmly toward the control room of the large vessel.
********
Middle of the Indian Ocean
The Lemurian Star, Middle Deck
Elsewhere, Brock and his men moved through the mid-deck corridors without incident as they searched diligently for the gally, where the hostages were supposedly held.
Suddenly, something caught Brock's attention...and he stopped abruptly while signaling for his men to do likewise. Moving together closely, all five members of S.T.R.I.K.E froze momentarily as they listened intensely for whatever danger their leader had noticed.
"[In French] I'm tired of waiting!" A voice spoke loudly from around the corner of the hallway they were heading to.
Shooting each other looks, the S.T.R.I.K.E team slowly approached the location indicated. Listening intently for anything else suspicious, as they neared the spot where the voice emanated from.
"[In French] Hey, go look for Batroc! If I have to stand around another minute babysitting these hostages, I'll start to kill them!" The male voice bellowed angrily.
" [In French] Why do I have to go?" Another male voice responded, sounding equally irritated.
" [In French] Just go, dammit!!" The first speaker shouted again impatiently.
As the two pirates argued, Brock signaled quietly for his men to hold their positions as he inched forward along the wall and Peeked cautiously around the corner.
He spotted two heavily armored pirates standing guard in front of the entrance to the gally. The two pirates appear distracted by their argument.
Taking advantage of this momentary lapse in concentration, Brock pulled out his silenced handgun and aimed it squarely at the nearest pirate's forehead. Pulling the trigger instantly, silencing the quarrel within seconds as the first pirate dropped limply onto the deck floor.
He then fired once more, hitting the second enemy just across from the downed foe as he turned slightly confused, looking about frantically for the direction of the gunfire. He also collapsed instantaneously, the two pirates laying dead in a pool of their own blood as the silenced gunshots echoed quietly throughout the corridor.
After both bodies thudded softly atop each other on the wooden floorboards, Brock motioned silently for his team to continue onward, approaching the doorway previously guarded by the fallen foes.
As they neared the thick metal door, Brock noticed a small device attached to the handle doorframe.
"Looks like some kind of bomb..." Jack whispered curiously as he stepped up next to Brock and looked upon the strange contraption critically. "Surprised these guys were smart enough to set up a trap here?"
"EOD techs to the front," Brock ordered quietly. "I want this thing disabled before anyone notices our presence."
Two agents hurried forward as soon as they received orders from their commander. Working swiftly and expertly, disabling the explosive device in mere moments despite its complexity.
After removing the detonator, the EOD agent placed the entire unit neatly aside. Then proceeding to sweep the door for any additional explosives or traps. Satisfied that everything was clear, the EOD techs backed away from the blast doors, allowing the rest of the S.T.R.I.K.E team to access into the room beyond.
Taking their positions, Brock signaled for his men to breach the heavy steel door, turning the knob slowly and creaking the door just enough to peek at the situation within.
Inside stood four figures dressed in black fatigues holding automatic rifles pointed directly at the cowering hostages who were fearfully huddled near the far opposite side of the room. All of them appeared terrified of death awaiting them should they make a wrong move.
One figure among those present however caught Brock's eye, as he stared intently at a sweaty bald man wearing an expensive tailored suit sitting alone in a chair adjacent to the captives. Jasper Sitwell sat slumped in defeat, hands clasped tightly over his lap and staring blankly ahead nervously as the mercenaries menacingly eyed him.
They seemed to be interrogating him about something, probably trying desperately not to scare the poor bastard half witless. However, judging by the fact that Sitwell wasn't making much progress calming them down, it didn't seem likely to be going anywhere.
Reaching under his vest, Brock removed a smoke grenade from his belt holster. Readying his weapon, he tossed the projectile toward the four pirates' position. It landed right between the torturers' legs, causing them to jump sharply in surprise as they registered the explosive and instinctively crouched down defensively.
Dropping to the floor simultaneously, the masked gunmen shielded themselves reflexively as a plume of smoke erupted from the capsule and embedded it in the air. Instantly blinding them temporarily.
The sudden distraction allowed Brock and the others to move quickly into the room unnoticed, firing rapidly as they did so. Taking aim at different parts of the hostile party surrounding the captives, killing three of the enemies outright before they realized what hit them. Leaving only one survivor alive.
With surgical efficiency, the vigilant crewmen wasted little time dispatching the pirates guarding the hostages. Taking aim at different parts of the hostile party, killing three of the enemies outright before they realized what hit them. Leaving only one survivor alive.
Once finished disposing of the final surviving member, the unit proceeded to check on the status of the hostages, discovering most of them seemed to be uninjured, save for minor cuts and bruises sustained during capture.
"Rumlow! I never thought I'd be so happy to see your ugly mug!" Sitwell exclaimed gleefully as he stood from his chair on shaky legs.
Brock glanced over at the weasely man with distaste as he holstered his firearm and regarded him skeptically for a few brief seconds. His expression filling with disgust and ridicule as he noticed the big wet spot forming underneath his pant leg. Obviously having pissed himself because of sheer terror.
Brock scoffed coldly at the pathetic excuse for a man in front of him.
"...you're welcome." He added sarcastically after catching sight of his 'superior officer' glaring contemptuously at him.
With a quick nod of acknowledgment, Brock returned his gaze back to the prisoners gathered nearby.
Examining each captive individually, assessing whether there is any need for medical treatment or if someone needs immediate extraction. Seeing no major injuries besides superficial wounds caused by rough handling, he finally decided everyone seems fine for now.
"All targets neutralized, Sir," One of Brock's subordinates reported quietly, stepping closer to inform their Major that all hostiles are accounted for.
Brock nodded and placed his hand on the commlink in his ear. "S.T.R.I.K.E has secured all hostages successfully. Moving them out to the EVAC point, now."
**********
A/n: Hey guys, I hope you are enjoying the story so far, and as always, thanks for reading!
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