Flew Too Close To The Sun

Chapter 13 and 14

Chapter Thirteen

Icarus scoped in, watching the very far distance. He watched his team and Los Vaqueros push through the buildings, clearing them swifty. Meanwhile, he took care of approaching threats so that they didn’t get trapped. He spoke into the mic that was attached to his vest, “Two armored cars approaching. Stay clear, I’ll take them out.”

“Copy.” With Price's words from through his headset, Icarus focused on the tires of the closest car. One, two, three, then four shots and the car was halted, its tires blown to smithereens. Icarus reloaded and repeated with the second car. The armored personnel climbed from the car. Lining up the shot, Icarus squeezed the trigger. It took a moment for the bullet to reach its target but when it did, the soldier dropped.

The soldiers around him ducked behind the cars, taking cover. Icarus once more spoke into the mic, his smirk being heard through his words, “If ya hear a big boom, don’t fret. Just cleaning up the outliers.” He didn’t wait for confirmation before quickly scoping out, rolling over and moving to a new spot. He learned his lesson from last time.

Replacing his standard bullets with incendiary sniper rounds, he stopped at a new spot. Scoping in, adjusting for distance once more, Icarus aimed for the engine. “Deep breath.” He reminded himself, sucking the cold air in and narrowing his eyes. Pulling the trigger, Icarus pulled back. He didn’t need to look through the scope to see this. After just a moment of waiting, the car lit on fire and subsequently exploded, taking the other one with it. He watched charred bodies fall, and instantly was pulled back to his time before becoming a sniper. Back when he was just Tobias Mayflower.

He had seen many injuries on the battlefield, many of which he could tend to. If his patient died, it wasn’t his fault. He did his job. But with burn victims, he couldn’t do anything. With a sigh, Icarus spoke into his mic, “They’re down. Keep it clean-” The sound of snow crunching beneath boots made Icarus raise his head. Instantly, he pulled the pistol that Ghost had given to him all that time ago. He held it, sliding his sniper onto his back. The boots came closer, and when no friend called out, Icarus pulled the trigger.

The thump of the body hitting the snow caused Icarus to let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. With his pistol still up, he approached the body and stomped a boot down onto the bullet wound the enemy soldier had received. Not only was he causing her pain, but he was also slowing the bleeding. He kept his pistol aimed at her head as he spoke, “Are there more coming?”

She looked up to him with a glare, not answering. Icarus just shot her in the head with a sigh. He was a trained life saver, yet also a trained killer? “What a life.” He tapped into his mic. “Moving positions. I’m compromised. Simon,” No sound came through but Icarus knew he was listening. “I won’t get captured. Promise.”

“Good.” Icarus huffed at Ghost’s reply, a smile on his face as he began his hike down to the compound. He reached into his vest and retrieved a cigarette, lighting it to warm his hands.

The wind had picked up, snow falling with it as Icarus approached the compound, clearing the rooms that the previous team had a second time. Just in case, he told himself. Comms had gone down a while ago, he suspected it was the storm's fault. But he knew exactly where everyone was by the sound of nearby gunshots. One more room and he’d be safe with his team.

Icarus pushed through the doorway, peering around the corner and seeing the backs of Ghost and the rest of the team. Sighing, he holstered his gun and called out, “Friendly.” All of 141 turned to see Icarus, who grinned slyly, “You lot ought to be more careful. Having your back turned to an entrance is guaranteed death.” He met Ghost’s eyes, sharing a silent I’m glad you’re okay with each other. Icarus turned his gaze to Price. “This is stop one of two, so we’re halfway done. Any injured?”