We Who Serve

Chapter Twenty-Four

The first rule of being an Assassin is not to be seen. Blending in is key to avoiding detection from the enemy. Shadows and dark spots are your friends. Shrubs and crowds are also handy in a pinch. Keeping the high ground to stay out of sight from those on the ground.

Grimes slid her hand along the wall, keeping in its shadow as she walked along it. A Shadow standing guard was at the end of the small alleyway.

Grimes picked up speed in her walk before getting into a run. She jumped up and kicked off the wall on her left with her left foot to gain height over the Shadow. Bringing her right hand back while extending her hidden blade. She landed with her feet on his back, bringing her blade forward as he fell forward. Digging it into his neck before standing up and pulling his body off to the side to be more discreet. 

"Soap, eyes up," Grimes asked down her comms asking Soap to check if there was any enemy ahead of her position. 

"Two Shadows on your left. Facing away." Soap told her as she could hear them talking, "They are alone." 

"Rog," Grimes muttered as she stood up and casually walked over to the. The two Shadows didn't notice she was there until she stood between them. They both turned in to look at her just as she lifted her hands and slid her hidden blades into their necks simultaneously before pulling them down to the ground quickly. 

"Grimes! One incoming gate to your right!" Soap yelled down her comms as Grimes rushed over to stand against the wall at the gate, waiting for the Shadow. She waited to step out before the Shadow was directly in front of the entrance facing her. She punches his throat to damage his vocal cords and then his nose to disorientate him before grabbing and pulling him around the gate, so his back is against the wall. She pulled out a dagger and lodged it into his lower neck on his right side. Grimes guided his dying body down to the ground to keep noise to a minimum. 

"Remind me never to piss you off." Rudy chuckled down the comms. 

"Truck on you four, good place for a charge." Ghost spoke to Grimes, who turned her head slightly and saw the truck he was talking about. 

"Affirm, moving," Grimes told them as she made her way quickly over and pulled off the daysack. She took out one charge and primed it before placing it on the truck's underside. "Charge planted, Moving."

"Courtyard with five Shadows seen. One high."Soap told her as she stayed low in the shadows. 

"On my go, move to the power and switch it off." Ghost instructed her as she waited for his go; it was only a few seconds before she was clear. Grimes moved quickly and quietly towards the power to shut it off. "One coming to you." 

"Rog," Grimes spoke as she waited for the Shadow to appear behind a create. When she caught a glimpse of him, she stepped out and drove her dagger into his neck before pulling him forward and behind the crate to hide him. 

"One high has gone inside. Leaves you with three left." Soap told her as she moved from cover to cover. She stopped when one patrolling Shadow walked over to her position, perfectly placed for her to step out of the shadows and snap his neck from behind. She quickly moved closer to the last two, but they stood still.  

"They aren't moving; I need to get their attention," Grimes said before she got behind a create again and let off a small whistle. 

"What was that?" The closest Shadow called out, 

"I don't know! Go have a look." The last Shadow told him as the first one nodded and moved closer to where Grimes was. She was crouched down behind an ammo crate waiting for him to appear. Grimes acted quickly and stabbed her right hidden blade into the inside of his right leg; he let out a pained grunt as Grimes pulled out her blade while swinging her left hidden blade up to meet his chin as he dropped down. 

She swiftly pulled her blade out and stood up to throw herself over the create to catch the Shadow on the other side off guard. She landed on his chest as he hit the ground while driving her right hidden blade into the front of his throat. She stood up from the now-dead Shadow and began to walk forward. 

"Grimes, you have a truck just ahead. One Shadow." Soap informed her as she quickly spotted the truck. Grabbing a dagger from her belt, she lined it up and threw it at the Shadow. It landed directly in his right eye, killing him instantly. Grimes made her way over to the truck, pulling her dagger out of the Shadow as she passed. 

"Charge planted, moving," Grimes confirmed once she had planted the second charge.

"You have one ahead, not sighted by others." Ghost called her as she moved low across the road towards the Shadow. Grimes rushed up behind him and kicked the back of his knees, causing him to hit the ground. She reached out and quickly snapped his neck before guiding him to the ground again. 

"Tango down," Grimes muttered as she moved into another courtyard. 

"Three tangos, one up high." Soap informed her, "Suggest you take out one high first." 

"Rog," Grimes called as she climbed a ladder to the roof. Once up, she snuck over to the guard facing away from her. She rushed up to him and jumped to wrap her legs around his waist before digging a dagger into the side of her neck. She twisted herself, so the Shadow fell backwards and lay between her feet.

"You guys will like this one," Grimes called down the comms as she looked at two shadows talking just below her. She lined herself up and stepped off the ledge as she flicked out her hidden blades. Grimes landed on the two men driving her blades into their necks from above. 

"Death from above," Soap chuckled, impressed at her move. 

"There is a truck behind you; plant a charge there." Ghost called to her as she turned and saw a truck. Rushing over to plant the second last charge quickly. Once planted, she made her way to the next courtyard. 

"Three in front," Soap told her as she peered over the concrete barriers; two moved to stand next to each other at a truck in the middle of the ground. She grabbed two daggers from her belt and quickly threw them at the two Shadows, hitting them both in the head. 

"Planting last charge." She muttered before pushing the charge under the truck. "Have we located Alejandro?" She asked as she moved around the truck to see the last shadow. 

"Perfect timing, I found him." Rudy answered as Grimes casually walked over to the last shadow. She bends down to pick up a loose piece of rope just over a meter long. She made a small knot on one end to make a counterweight before giving a small whistle to the shadow, who turned around. The Shadow acted right away, dropping his rifle and pulling a knife to try and strict from above her. Grimes pulled the rope at either end, causing it to snap up and hit just under the shadow's elbow of the arm holding the knife. She stepped behind him enough to hit his knee into the back of his right, causing it to collapse. She punched down into his hip to force his body downward more as she lifted the rope and twisted it around his neck. She pulled him back simultaneously, bringing her boot up to meet his spine with force, pulling back to let him fall to the ground, removing the rope and swinging it hard into his face. 

"Steaming Jesus, Grimes. That was fucking brutal." Soap spoke, stunned over the comms.

"Had to blow off a little steam." She muttered as she dropped the rope to the ground and walked away from the battered Shadow.

"Grimes, we got him. He's alone. Two shadows on guard." Ghost's voice echoed through the comms.

"Not for long, RV outside the cellblock; we'll pry him loose," Grimes spoke as she turned and began to make her way back to meet the other three before their main assault.