A Dragon's Tale #Watty's2015

Lost City

10 Hours Later
Operators: Tyro Serelath, Greyson Conrad
Location: New York City, New York
Assignment: Overwatch

I was peering out the window of the 62nd floor of one of NYC's many skyscrapers. I had LiVE sat up and running on a laptop in the corner and several flares popped on a tiled surface to allow me to see. My buddy Greyson was sitting beside me starring through the scope of a Barrett Firearms M83. We were both covered by blankets to make us seem like pieces of debris rather than silent killers. The suppressor on my 105 stood out a bit, but if you were on the ground you'd never see it before the shell came down on your skull.

New York was completely different from the last time I had visited, which was back in the 90's. Large amounts of vegetation had grown up around the buildings, street poles and old cars. Some of the traffic lights were swaying in the wind there masses of birds flying over head. It came on as a mix of I Am Legend and a Apocalypse Now.

“Our own little apocalypse”, Greyson said.

“Yeah”, I sighed.

All I could think about was Hunter. No matter how hard I tried to focus on the mission at hand, he crept right back into my mind. I couldn't help but wonder how he had died. If he had gone out like a solider or if he had been shot in the face while he was laying on his back and unable to defend himself. Why does it matter how he died? I should have been asking myself what I was going to tell Mnerloth and Adelind, but I wasn't. Didn't know why. The worst part about it was I never got to say goodbye and would never get the chance. Hunter was in my life pretty much from the time I was born. What was beyond this life, weather it was eternal or literally a rebirth and a second chance, like what HDR gave me so many years ago, I'd see him again, that I could be sure of. It was the crack of Taro's voice over the coms that brought me back to reality.

“Whatca got Shadow?”, he asked.

“Just the normal”, Shadow answered, “rocks, trees and ruins.”

“Got ya”, Taro replied him.

I sighed as I watched the events unfold in front of me. Taro's death note seemed to be going exactly how he'd written it. I still thought he was insane, but everytime I thought about it, it brought me back to that one name.

“Prisoner 0.”

What could this guy know that was worth Taro getting himself and possibly his son and Nina killed for? I didn't know, but I did know this. If it was that important to Taro, then I was going to turn the Earth inside out before I gave up. I made him a promise and I was sure going to keep it.

“Halt”, Taro said over the radio. I zoomed in and began looking for them. He and Nina were crouched behind a few old trucks and directly in front of them was a huge deer. I felt a bit of a hunting instinct kick in.

“Just a deer”, Shadow called, “your clear.”

“Gotcha”, Taro said, “we'll out in thirty minutes tops. Until then stay hidden alright?”

“Got it”, Shadow said as Taro and Nina disappeared into the tunnel.

Greyson set his hands on the scope of his rifle and placed his head on them. There was an annoyed look on his face.

“Spit it out”, I said.

“I think this is a stupid fucking idea”, Greyson said, “the old man knows he's gonna die and goes anyway?”

I sighed and nodded, “he's dying anyway. Guess he'd rather go by a bullet than a decaying heart.”

Greyson shook his head, “that's a stupid way of looking at it. If he'd rather go by a bullet, why not shoot yourself in the face? He's committing suicide anyways.”