UNSCDF2 Chapter 17- The Deception

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Mirwais Nikka Hospital

April 17, 2001

1700 Local Time

            “Reid, progress report.” Dimitri asked.

            “We took one Warthog down, but they managed to get away.” Reid listened to the speakers.

            “What? How did they escape?” Dimitri slammed his fist down on the table.

            “A series of well-coordinated covering fire.” Reid guessed.

            “It seems the locals here are not sufficient enough in carrying out our battle strategies…” Dimitri rubbed his chin.

            “What are you proposing?” Reid looked at Morgan as he entered the room.

            “We’ll have to devise a new way of taking out competition.” Dimitri took out a piece of paper.

            “LT, the UNSC has fully retreated out of the hot zone.” Timothy called out from his desk.

            “We were close.” Morgan replied.

            “Close…” Dimitri took out a pen.

            “Sir?” Reid asked.

            “That’s it! We’re going to let you infiltrate their base by letting them assume that you escaped from us.” Dimitri wrote down his ideas.

            “Not bad...” Reid smiled as he thought about getting Mike.

            “It’s a thought that needs more planning.” Dimitri bit on his pen.

            “I’m up for it.” Reid volunteered.

            “Hmm, I’ll send three of you over.” Dimitri closed his eyes in thought.

            “I’ll take Morgan and Mendoza.” Reid suggested.

            “Ok, sure.” Dimitri wrote the names down on the piece of paper.

            “Then it’s settled?” Morgan asked.

            “You guys get prepared and ready for tomorrow. I’ll go make it look like a prisoner transport and inform the UNSC to come rescue you.” Dimitri jotted down his plans.

            “Sounds like a good plan.” Morgan smiled in satisfaction.

            “A perfect deception and revenge…” Reid laughed as he thought about what he could do to Mike once they meet.

*          *          *

            “Thank goodness we made it back in one piece.” Schmidt breathed relief as he sat on a couch beside Hariprasad.

            “Everything was one piece except the Warthog.” Nevarez joked.

            “Good job guys. As long as we’re safe and alive, that’s all it counts.” Zyrok complimented.

            “Zyrok, you should get your head looked at.” Casey pointed at Zyrok’s face as he took off his helmet.

            “Yeah, I will.” Zyrok touched his face and saw blood on his fingers.

            “I’ll take you to the medical room.” Pruett offered.

            “Thanks Pruett, the rest of you get some rest.” Zyrok smiled.

            Pruett walked to the medical room and saw May organizing some cabinets.

            “Hi May.” Zyrok greeted.

            “Woah…get in a fight again?” May turned around and saw Zyrok’s bloody face.

            “You could say that. It was more of a firefight.” Zyrok sat down on the examination table.

            “Thank you Corporal, I can take it from here.” May thanked Pruett.

            “Ok, later Zyrok.” Pruett walked off.

            May put on her examination gloves and took a white cloth from a drawer. She soaked the cloth with water and placed the warm cloth onto Zyrok’s face. She gently dabbed the cloth and cleaned Zyrok’s face. The cloth turned red and she rinsed it under warm water. She repeated the process until she could find where the real injuries were on Zyrok’s face. Forester and Frederick walked in the medical room and looked at Zyrok.

            “Again?” Frederick joked.

            “Hey, if you were there, you could have been in the same state I am in.” Zyrok laughed.

            “I don’t know about that…” Frederick looked at Forester.

            “Hey Zyrok, tell me about the UNSC marines you guys saw.” Forester asked.

            “I didn’t see them myself, but Casey and Schmidt did.” Zyrok replied.

            “Tell me what you know.” Forester took out a notepad.

            “I heard that they seem to have some freedom walking about in the Russian base.” Zyrok answered to the best of his ability.

            “Hold still.” May took the cloth and dabbed Zyrok’s eyelids.

            “Hostages?” Frederick asked.

            “Could be, but it seems a bit odd…” Forester scratched her head.

            “How so?” Frederick asked.

            “It seems weird how the Russians wanted to kill us when we got captured, but according to Zyrok’s men, they were roaming around.” Forester looked at Zyrok with uncertain eyes.

            “Does it hurt?” May touched Zyrok’s forehead.

            “A bit…” Zyrok winced.

            “Let me put some cream on it. It would ease some of the pain.” Main opened a drawer.

            “Ok.” Zyrok nodded.

            “Seems possible…you may have a point Forester.” Frederick pointed.

            “What do you think Zyrok?” Forester looked as May spread white cream on Zyrok’s forehead.

            “What do I think? I think either the UNSC marines gave them valuable Intel or the Russians have a plan with them.” Zyrok hypothesized.

            “Hmm…” Forester thought.

            “Either scenarios are not in our favor.” Zyrok replied.

            “What can we do about it?” Frederick crossed her arms.

           “Prepare for the both.” Zyrok closed his eyes as May wiped some excess cream off his face with another clean cloth.

            “Ideas?” Frederick asked.

            “Let’s think…if you were a captured UNSC marine and wanted your life spared, what info would you give?” Zyrok asked.

            “Bases, holdouts, entrances, access points…you name it.” Forester replied.

            “What else?” Zyrok rubbed his chin.

            “Assets, communications…” Forester continued on.

            “Wait, hold on.” Zyrok stood up.

            “Yes Zyrok?” Frederick looked at Zyrok with a raised eyebrow.

            “Comms…how did they know Casey and Schmidt were at their base? My men are good at stealth.” Zyrok asked.

            “It’s a thought…” Forester looked at May blankly.

            “Zyrok, you’re all set. Get some rest.” May patted Zyrok on the shoulder.

            “We’ll look into it. Take care Zyrok.” Frederick walked off with Forester.

            Zyrok lay down on a bed and closed his eyes. He was still a bit shell-shocked from the firefight and wanted to withdraw from reality as he closed his eyes.

            “Something’s fishy going on…” Zyrok fell asleep in thought.