April 17th,2016
0900 GMT
Nikolai’s Safehouse
Peshawar,Pakistan
Captain John ‘Soap’ MacTavish
Task Force 141
Chasing him to his secret base is absolute suicide.What Abbas said yesterday was true.With the strength of an entire company and fully equipped with the latest gadget and weapons from United States,infiltrating the base is almost impossible.After receiving confirmation from Abbas,at least we know ‘Kingfish’ wasn’t lying over Shepherd’s location.Perhaps,he realized his only chance to survive is by eliminating Shepherd and with both of us gunning to get him,it fits our needs perfectly.Allowing us to get back on Shepherd while Makarov eliminates another loose ends that tie him back to the massacre.
Then Nikolai’s mobile ringing while we conducting full inventory on our equipment.As the old man check the number,it’s from Abbas.’Still worrying about us,old man?’He ask.It turns out the caller is none other than Colonel MacMillan.As Price put it on speaker,it’s my turn to ask,’Why you’re calling us using Abbas’s mobile?’He calmly explain,’To avoid detection at least for now.Listen,at the moment,Abbas is presenting his reports to everyone.With those reports,I believe you’ll be exonerated in no time.’Then,the old man ask about Shepherd,’What about ‘Caterpillar’,sir?Our government’s stand on him?’After a few moments,he reply,’Our government’s stand is clear.They want Shepherd to be prosecuted in the Hague for his crimes against humanity.’Then,he stop briefly,probably receives a new order from the Circus.’It seems like the government want to take him down.Since you’re the closest to his location,the Circus want Shepherd to be capture alive or dead.That depends on you now,boys.’
1430 GMT
Site Hotel Bravo
Kandahar,Afghanistan
Nikolai dropped us several clicks from the base.With sandstorm hitting the area,the condition suited us perfectly to infiltrate the base.Still,before Nikolai departs,he makes an offer to us,’I’ll wait for you at the exfil point.Three hours.’But the old man politely decline his offer,’Don’t bother.This was a one-way flight,mate.’Realizing there’s nothing he can do to change our mind,he wishes us best of luck and leaves.
We remove our desert camos and slowly heading to a ridge,overlooking Site Hotel Bravo.’Sir,I picking up a thermal spike ahead.Looks like we’re closer than we anticipate.’The old man nodded and continue,’Looks like he’s not ripping us after all.’Down the ridge,we spotted a large group of mercenaries patrolling the area.After several minutes,some of them decided to split up and headed to another direction.With opportunity present itself,we hit the first group hard.As for the dogs,’Nap time.’We slide down the ridge and do the same thing with another patrol.
As we prepared ourselves to rappel down the cliff,a familiar voice echo through our comms.’Soap,if you want to grab Shepherd,better do it fast.It looks like his associates have send several operatives to grab him as well.Probably want to shut him up.’As we rappel down the cliff,the old man ask,’Why exactly he’s so important to them?’Abbas reply,’Sir,at the moment,Shepherd’s possessing the DSM.Inside that bloody intel,there’s hundreds of names,enough to bring down a government or crippling the entire nation.Both MI-6 and MI-5 are looking on it right now.’It looks like people will do whatever means necessary to ensure their skeleton remain undiscovered.We pull out our knives and swiftly killed the sentries immediately.And to buy us more time,we throw their bodies into the river before entering the cave.
Inside,more activities are conducted by these mercenaries.To avoid any detection,we use narrow alleys and dark corners as our cover.These covers allow us to eliminate anyone of them easily as well as allowing us to move forward.As we reach the steam room,it looks like we running out of luck.’Looks like they know we’re here.’I whisper on that.But the old man calms me down and said,’Let them come,Soap.We can do this,son.’Shadow Company operatives,as they called,breaching the room,triggering a firefight between us and them.Despite their numbers against us,using grenade launcher on our assault rifle,in matter of minutes,they’ve all gone in no time.
We can hear Shepherd’s tone inside the tunnel.We know he’s anxious and worried.If not,why he orders his men to backup priority items and burn the rest of it.He knows,we getting closer to his location.He can throw his men all he wants but no one will stand between us and our revenge.Fortunately,MI-6 is helping us to fulfil our desire.’Sir,this is Mustapha.Shepherd’s in the control room.If you want to find him,he should be there.’Firefight continues as we closing in to the control room.After half an hour,we made it to the room.Unfortunately,they slam the door shut,forcing us to breach.After eliminating more elements inside the room,we enter the room with Shepherd is nowhere to be seen.
‘Soap,grab the DSM and help me override the doors.’At first,I don’t understand on the need to override the doors until I realized that room is rigged with explosives.As we continue overriding the doors,we can hear Shepherd’s annoucement through PA system,’All units be advised this is Gold Eagle.The site has been compromised.I am executing directive one-one-six bravo.If you’re still inside,your service will be honored.Shepherd out.’With time to spare,we immediately leave as the cave explodes.
As I still shell shock from that explosion,another news strike fear to us.’Sir,incoming artillery shells from the north!Get down!Get down!’We duck as artillery shells hitting Site Hotel Bravo hard,killing every Shadow Company’s operatives.As we duck,we see another cave,probably to an undeground river.But between us and it,more operatives swarming the area,trying to buy their leader some time.But an unlikely help comes in form of several SAS operatives led by Leftenant John Wallcroft.’I thought you’re back in Credenhill.’I exclaim as SAS operatives detain the remaining survivors.’Well,Captain Abbas said you might need a hand on this.Go get him,sir.’He reply.With renewed spirits,we enter the cave and started pursuing Shepherd using the Zodiac.
We chase Shepherd and his entourages throughout the river with me maneuvering the boat while Price providing suppressing fire.At times,I have to use a Mini-Uzi to return fire towards other boats,commandeered by Company’s operatives.To make things even more difficult,to increase his chance to escape,he even enlisted several Little Birds to eliminate us from his heels.This predicament force Price to shout directions to me in order to avoid its deadly minigun.Then,as we closing in on Shepherd,Price exclaim,’Rapids up ahead!It’s going to get rough,hang on!’On the way down,more operatives closing in on our position,forcing me and the old man to return fire.As the rapid settles,we can see a Pave Low flying low,probably to pick him up.As we getting closer to him,I realized we’re actually closer to the waterfall.Still,the old man point his sniper rifle to the Pave Low,forcing it to crash.I tried to reverse but the current is too strong,dragging us down as well.
As I regain my consciousness,I cough several times to remove water out from my lungs.Despite my bad conditions,my resolute to kill Shepherd remains the same.As I headed to the crash site,I can hear the old man coughing as well.I assume his condition much the same as me.There,I find several survivors and decided to leave them.They’re not my target.I still have the sense of honor,taught by my best friend in the past.I’m sure he’ll be proud on that.As I search around the wreckage,I see a figure running in this sandstorm.I know it’s him.With that injury,I know he will not run very far.My assumption is correct.In the midst of the storm,I find him resting on the car,probably treating his wounds.
He’s not surprised to see me with that knife.It seems he’s waiting for my reaction on that.After a few moments,I decided to ask,’Why you’re doing this,Shepherd?Why?!’He cynically reply,’Why don’t you come a bit closer and I will tell you everything!’I try to stab him but despite with his injuries,he has no problem knocking me down on the ground.Then,I can see him removing his knife and stab me with it,blacking me out for a moment.When I awake,I see him filling his Magnum with bullets and arrogantly answer my question,’Five years ago,I lost 30,000 men in the blink of an eye.And the world watching helplessly as they meet their demise.’As he ready to take an aim,he continue,’Tomorrow there will be no shortage of volunteers,no shortage of patriots.I know you understand.’
Then all of a sudden,the old man tackling him down,allowing me to crawl and grab his Magnum.But the old man is easily beaten with Shepherd manage to grab his gun back and kicks me on the face.As my vision fades in and out,I can see him and Price engage in a brutal fistfight.But Shepherd overpowers him easily and begins to punch him repeatedly in the face.I thought that’s it but I realized Shepherd’s knife in my chest.What if…?That moment,I use every single ounce of my strength to pull it out and aim towards his face.One word I mutter to him as the knife hit straight to his face.As he look up,it hits his left eye,killing him instantly.With Price still lying motionless,it looks as though my fate is sealed.But then,the old man wakes and cough several times while Shepherd’s corpse of his body.He then move to my position,trying to patch that wound.’Glad you’re still alive,old man.’No words could describe him.But he tells me to be quiet as he continues patching the wound.Then,as he monitoring my wounds,Nikolai arrives along with other SAS operatives.’I told you this was a one way trip.Never expecting you to bring some friends along.’He reply,’I will never abandoned my comrades,Captain Price.’Then,I can hear a SAS officer telling us some news,’Captain,you have to leave now.Shepherd’s men and Inner Circle are closing in on this location.Don’t worry about Shepherd.We take it from here.’Both Price and Nikolai carries me to the Little Bird as the old man said,’Nikolai,we need to get Soap out of here.’He assures both of us that he knows a safe place for us.Finally,a huge sigh of relief.Before we leave the area,the old man remove the DSM out from my uniform and give it to them.He tells them,’That’s an evidence that you cannot trade with anything in this world.’