Chapter 8 New Plans

the C-5 Galaxy finally reached Basswood City and everyone was excited for their hero to come back into town, it has a soft ceremony in which Zane received a Medal of Bravery and a Purple Heart, even a rank jump of Staff Sergeant to Lieutenant Zane McBride, also a brand new stealth robes that look like it came from Assassin's Creed but advance. the company that made was the same company that produced Reconnaissance Ghillie Suits of the 15th Foxtrot Sniper Division.

a week later, Zane went on vacation in Ruby Hill along with his family. his old friends from Detroit was worried sick about the war from Basswood but he said he was alright and alive, which he also suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, thankfully he received a drug to alleviate the traumatic episodes that every people and soldier suffered the same cause as he does.

a phone call interrupted their meal as General Styles called the assassin. the burnt oak wood table was filled with Grilled Beef Brisket with Shepherds Pie, a Bowl of Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Salmon Steaks with Garlic Butter Sauce, and a hearty Ratatouille. all of them cooked by the Assassin and former Lieutenant now Captain Jacob Deacon. he brought a three-story house in Ruby Hill with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, a balcony, swimming pool, an indoor pool, garage, wine cellar, and a well-protected bunker which supplied food and water with complete amenities that was enough for a year

"I'm sorry if I interrupt your family gathering but there's a mission for you and Jacob in the next 24 hours."

"yes sir, me and Jacob will be right there, from which location sir?

"Sapphire Grove, don't be late, have a good day Lieutenant McBride"

Zane hung up while Jacob approach him with a cup of Lemonade and asked.

"What did General Styles say?"

"He wants us back in Sapphire Grove, it could be urgent" Zane replied

"no rest for the wicked, but for now, let's enjoy the meal," Jacob said

the two came back to the table and started to pray before eating and commenced. the house had a Fraternity atmosphere as the former owners of the place are the Xi Kappa Omricon of Krypton University, it was closed down due to a drug bust that arrested their frat leader while the others were expelled from the University of Krypton, the students who joined the said organization who were out at the time of the incident were transferred to another university to avoid the certain incident of stigma, the house was renovated and refurbished to make it habitable again after three years of plants and graffiti sprawled out of the walls.

the next morning, Captain Jacob Deacon and Lieutenant Zane McBride reported for duty after eating breakfast and bid farewell to his family. the General and Zane's bunkmates during their training days were also present: Staff Sergeant Chester Cormac, 2nd Lieutenant Adrian Kenway, Master Sergeant Sandeep Singh, and 2nd Sergeant Rachel Miles. However, Nathan and Jessica were not present due to combat sustained injuries, and Victor had his arm amputated to avoid infection. which his hand was replaced by a mechanical arm, for Jessica meanwhile, had a comatose due to an explosive Anti-Tank mine during the city's rehabilitation

"Lieutenant Zane! thank God you're alive, I thought you were a goner from Vietnam to Canada." Chester said surprisingly

"I had thought of it too, but it's good to be back" he replied

"do you get the memo why are we gathered here?" General Styles added

"another day to beat the Ghosts?" Jacob asked

"affirmative but there's another reason why I called you all here"

the meeting room went dark as the lights turned off while a white light emerged from a tiny hole on the wall, the General started to talk about the recent invasion of Basswood City

"a couple of weeks ago, we received new Intel from the Grim Reapers after Lieutenant Zane's mission from Canada, along with additional information from Dr. Park Yoon Bae, their cloning factories were located in Australia, the United States, Mexico, Russia, and Brazil. some of which are heavily guarded with state of the art tech and weapons that looked exactly what we're armed for" General Styles said

"the cloning facility that Zane found in Canada was recently built but they were sidetracked by the Grim Reapers as a sign of retaliation," Victor added

"correct, Victor. we're gonna send you all to those locations with the Grim Reapers: Sandeep and Victor, Rio De Janeiro, Chester and Giorga, Mexico City, Abdul Haleem, and Lucille, St. Petersburg, and lastly, Jacob and Zane, California USA," he announced

the soldiers looked at their portfolios that lead to their mission, on the other hand, Zane's portfolio said he's going to Detroit, Michigan instead of Los Angeles, turns out that the portfolio he received had a typo error before the meeting started. each of the soldiers that were mentioned by their location meets up at the airfield to take flight with The AP-90 Strategic Airlifter.

the plane resembled the infamous Ilyushin 76 aircraft from the former Soviet Union which Airspace Aviation bought the rights to build due to its efficiency of flight. they are planning to replace it with the Boeing C-17 Globe Master III and the C-5 Galaxy as the recent battle of Basswood took up the loss of 100 out of 1,500 units as Forts Caligula and Nero, housed a lot of the said planes took it all like a champ while some are damaged from the AA Guns from before.

the Maine Armored Personnel Carrier was fueled up and ready to go while applying cables to keep them stable a stable flight, along with the defected Ghost Army that is willing enough to take down their former superiors. each of the planes took off to their destination.

the assassin meanwhile, was prepared for this mission after around in his arsenal. the blades are sharpened while the hidden pistol of the Identity Ripper was checked for jamming as the recent upgrade can fire up to ten rounds.38 caliber. the Sharp Shooter had a titanium aluminum alloy frame while the arrows are either tipped with the venom of the Greater Blue Ring Octopus or the Black Mamba from Africa, the vials that held the said venom are tucked away in his jacket while the antidote to stop the venom to take effect, then he was armed with a standard issued Glock 17 pistol and the FAMAS F1 Assault Rifle with accessories fitted for this operation.

the GR's were armed with

Sig Sauer MCX Assault Rifles while some were armed with FN SCAR-L, some of which were taken by the armories from the captured Ghost's FireBase, only five divisions and two mechanized infantry regiments are willing to defect from the Ghost to join forces with the Grim Reapers and the Phantoms.

the flight took longer as the planes lift off one hour after another plane did, making it too obvious for the Novergrad Army to do so. both planes had reached their destination and caused havoc upon the enemy, however, Strike Team Alpha took armored vehicles to the Favelas as their armored personnel carriers can't fit through the narrow streets of Brazil. their insignia of the Ghost Army was scratched off to make it unrecognizable while their insignia of the Grim Reapers are applied on their right shoulder pad

in Los Angeles, General Styles already informed the US Army and Marines about their mission, they were obliged to send back up if they're pinned down, they went past to the target building while the plane's compartment opened

"prepare for landing! three... two... one!" the pilot said while flipping the switch

the APCs took off with jet boosters cushioning the fall and drove off, the vehicle was unfazed by incoming bullet fire until they ran over by the armored vehicle, the building was set 6500 meters northwest of Anaheim California. Three Armoured Personnel Carriers crashed inside the building and parked inside the reception area, dozen soldiers came out and group up until another group waved their signal to another, as they crept silently, the elevator revealed the Ghost Army Patrol. which they were gunned down by their defected counterparts. each by each, the enemy side took heavy damage while Grim Reapers never lose a single Soldier.

the Grim Reapers took cover as the Ghosts take revenge on the defectors, then Zane came out with a Katana on his hands. the Reapers looked at him like he's going to do something good, at the enemy side, the specialist pulled out an advance looking rocket launcher and aimed at the Assassin, but the projectile was cut in half and exploded. then he crouched and dashed to the mercenaries and kicked them out while slamming the face of the unfortunate mercenary to the floor, he dashed once again as the specialist with the rocket launcher tried to take him down one more time, his friend didn't react on time as Zane punched him down while the rocket launcher set off.

everyone was shocked at how agile is the assassin was until Zane was seen unhurt by the blast, the truth was, he snagged the grenade to the Ghost and pushed him to the elevator. which is the reason why the elevator and its radius blew up.

"let's get moving before they sent more backup," Zane said

"holy shit man" the one soldier added

Strike Team Delta moved up to the next level to find something that will add up to find the cloning factory inside the building. both Strike Team's Bravo and Charlie did their best to take down the cloning factories in Mexico and Russia. Strike Team Foxtrot managed to overrun the cloning factory in Mexico despite a gang war that occurred near the area, Brazil was a complete shit show for Strike Team Alpha due to the alliance of The Cavalcante Cartel, however, they were collaborated with the Brazilian Military to safely navigate to the alleys with extreme caution. Strike Team Golf almost didn't make it in Australia due to staggering numbers of clones but they managed to take it down

back in Los Angeles, everyone split into groups to search for additional information whilst taking down the remaining guards, Zane opened up a computer from an office room with a sticky note saying "For Zane McBride and his cronies". he played the video while Sergeants Cody Richards and Andrew Simpson look after him

"if you're watching this, you've messed the wrong army, Zane McBride! the way you did in Vietnam and South Korea are ruined because of you and your buddies meddling in our plans, for revenge. we are sending the big guns to take you and your friends here and abroad. wish your luck McBride and see you in hell"

the video ended with the insignia of the Ghost Army and then, three attack helicopters that look like Kamov KA-50 and the Apache AH-1 attack helicopter had a love child, poured bullets on the office of the CEO, killing Cody and Andrew in a flash while Zane made it out alive in time, he encountered another line of soldiers with the same rocket launcher from ground floor started to lock on target with the Assassin. a smoke bomb covered the area while their RPG's couldn't find the target until each of every mercenary armed with it was killed by him, Zane wasn't alone but Marvin and his crew found him.

"what took you so long?" Marvin asked

"Cody and Andrew were annihilated, this place is a trap" Zane replied

"Sir, we found the Intel, we're moving out!" the soldier said on the intercom

"copy that, let's go, everyone and Zane, pick that shit up. time to clean this mess up" Marvin said

Zane picked up the rocket launcher and paced forward to the open area where the attack helicopters are open, at first it was heavier than the FGM Javelin but it has a similar use to the Japanese Type 91 launcher, he aimed at the helicopter and pressed fire as the target locked, Corporal Nathan May and Sergeant Kelvin Schweppes helped him out with the same launchers as he spent on the first attack heli, it's guns fired from above to kill them but they were short-lived by the US Air Force.

"woohoo!" Kelvin yelled

"hoorah!" Nathan yelled

"that's more like it!" Zane said boomed

The Grim Reapers took shelter in Camp Pemberton in San Diego, California until they were transported back home in Basswood. as they are in the sky, multiple fighter jets from the Ghost Army took it down but the US Air Force repelled it on time and while the plane forced landed in Colorado.

everyone survived the crash but some don't, their weapons are intact while their radios were busted from the crash, their two-way radios still work but no one was answering but they do. they set up shop on the dry spot of the forest, they gathered wood while the others salvage at the crash site for MRE's, which they already have with US Army standard issued MRE's. luckily it withstands the cold weather of the mountain, the medic of the Reapers patched up the wounded while Zane started the fire

"looks like we're on our own. man, where the fuck are we?" Nathan signed

"Redwood, Colorado. that town right there is Aspen, part of Pitkin County. I've been here before moving to Basswood"

"I thought you were from Detroit like Troy," Kelvin added

"I was, I've been here before, last time I took a diamond slope and landed on a different town from another side of the mountain, and then I was sent back to the resort and the rest was history" Zane replied

"Does someone have a satellite phone?" he murmured

"I have one, but it's busted from the crash," Marvin said

"damn it, we have flare guns and flare sticks recovered from the site, however lighting them up would get us caught." one soldier said

"crap, okay. who's volunteer to head out to town and called backup?" Marvin asked

no one raised their hands but Zane, Nathan, and Kelvin did. the three volunteered to venture out to the small town, armed with their current armory and flares. Nathan was armed with a SCAR-L while Kelvin was armed with a Sig Sauer MCX. the road was empty as the population never went out due to snowed-up streets from the past snowstorm. the two Reapers shivered as they didn't bring anything warm during their trip back home while Zane was comfortable with it.

"What did you guys see down there?" Marvin said on the radio

"just cars with snow must have been a snowstorm right before we crashed, estimated around three hours ago," Zane replied

"can I set the flares on? It's cold as fuck around here" Nathan complained

"quit being a pussy, Nat. it'll be an easy mission for us," Kelvin said while shivering

"contact, multiple vehicles inbound"

Nathan, Kelvin, and Zane moved up to the nearest alley and checked out who it was. until a bunch of vehicles passed by which make a fool out of the three soldiers

"shit, false alarm." Kelvin panted

"thanks a lot, Captain Obvious" Nathan fired back

"spare the bickering, where's the nearest car rental place. the only thing to pay off was this" Zane said while raising a gold coin

the coin that the Assassin has was the standard currency of the Keepers, it's called the Shills, kinda like John Wick with the mix of Bitcoin, as the Shills can be also used to purchase and pay, only for essential spending. which Zane is going to use to "rent" three vehicles. Nathan deactivated the electricity of the Car Rental Place while Zane looked for the keys, Kelvin looked out for possible police presence while Zane snagged the keys from the cabinet.

Nathan removed each sale sticker from the 2019 Toyota Land Cruiser, then the 2021 Ram TRX, and lastly the Honda Ridgeline of the same year. however, it wasn't capable of sustaining incoming bullet fire but it can climb through the snowy terrain to muddy roads. the convoy of off-road SUVs rolled out, the Assassin plugged in the music of the Ridgeline to blast Highway To Hell by AC/DC.

at the mountain, Marvin was making himself warm by the campfire along with the Grim Reapers, the used vehicles surprised them but no one was allowed to holler if they wanted an avalanche, Marvin and the rest went inside of the SUVs while Zane switched AC/DC's Highway To Hell to Datsuns' MF To Hell for an adrenaline rush on their chase against the Ghost Army, which they drove Mercedes Benz G-Class Wagons with black and white camouflage with red strikes on the front.

they tried to tip them over but the Reapers suppressed them back with firepower. gripping the steering wheel, Zane told Marvin to drive while he brought him some time. the drivers of the pursuing vehicles were terminated by the Assassin armed with a French Assault Rifle. the vehicles (covered with bullet holes) made their stop at the gas station, almost 10km to Buckley Air Force Base, to avoid suspicion of the locals, they concealed their rifles and decided to be armed with their Pistols for possible threat, even Grenades too.

they grabbed something to eat and drink while Marvin grabbed everything needed for first aid, then left the gas station. the clerk collected a few bills to add to the cash register until a gold coin beamed at his left eye and chewed on it after picking it up. it's pure gold, he said while reluctantly put the coin in his pocket while wondering how much it might cost. Zane and the Reapers reached Buckley Air Base at gunpoint until a Private informed the guards about their identity and let them through due to orders of their superiors.

Zane called General Styles about their situation in Colorado while the Air Force Medics mended the wounds of the Reapers, unfortunately, Corporal Jayson Henderson passed away from the inflicted Gunshot wound on the gut during their escape to Aspen, Staff Sergeant Luke Evans lost his left eye from the said gunfight. he's going to have a prosthetic eye as they reached back to Basswood with no fuss at all.

Approximately around 0730 A.M, the AC-130 Hercules took them off to Basswood City while leaving the Air Force Base. along they have their fallen comrade's body in a coffin to have it a proper burial with full military honors. the Assassin was reassigned to the Grim Reapers due to the familiarity with Marvin and Zane, he was also going to receive a group of specialists tomorrow morning.

right now, he was also preparing to have shut-eye in his apartment until the yelling doesn't stop for ten minutes, the former tenants next door moved to Ruby Hill after the war. luckily Zane dealt with the situation with a pre-recorded gunshot from his phone that sound so real, they stopped fighting. and went to bed after drinking warm milk.