The Tiger's Eye

The infuriating end

Lynn's POV
      I sat in the car with Meghan as we pulled up and she got ready to get out I stopped her "Meg, you see that?" She followed my finger and noticed the white van with a man in a familiar jacket. She called Harry "hey Harry, we got a possible situation in hereford. There's a van with potential masks and they look like they're gearing up" I chambered a round in my pistol and watched as Meghan spoke "we've got a team getting staged and moving to the outskirts of the city. We just need to wait for the masks to make a move" I sighed but watched, I spoke "well so much for a lovely date. Fuck I don't even have my armor" she replied keeping her eyes on the van "well have to have another one when we get back to base" I nodded as the rear door of the van opened and a couple masks jumped out. I slowly slid out of our car and walked up the sidewalk after waiting for Meghan, we kept our eyes on the masks as we saw rifles. Meghan called Harry and informed him while we continued to shadow the group.
As we followed them I slowly slid my pistol out of its holster Meghan did the same as we watched the masks slip into an alley. I asked her "Is our QRF incoming?" She nodded "they just left base" I sighed as we snuck up the street to the alley entrance the masks had walked into, I sighed as a door closed "Guess were doing CQB with 3 mags huh" she nodded as I started down the alley, once I reached the door I gripped the doorknob only to hear footsteps on the other side, I quickly pulled out my knife and waited until the door opened. I saw the signature mask uniform and stabbed the mask several times in the throat making sure I got his jugular with my stabs. I grabbed his L85 and handed it to Meghan while she pulled out some extra magazines and I continued deeper into the now known mask building. I kept walking through as another mask walked into the hallway infront of me as I grabbed him before slamming him into the wall before I ripped my blade across his stomach watching his fall as his intestines dropped to the ground.
I stepped over his corpse and continued to clear the first floor, Meghan did the same in rooms behind me until I heard heavy breathing. I sighed and muttered hatefully "so they have a bomber, life couldn't have done down the route where there fuckers didn't exist" I rallied on Meghan in the hopes our guns together would be able to put the bomber down. We waited as the blue light grew in brightness until the mask stopped in the doorway, I saw his head look in seeing Meghan and I huddled in a corner aiming at him. He smiled and turned so he was facing us while I started firing and Meghan joined in. He rushed forward yelling "I will break you comrade!" I kept firing until my 1911 cleared empty, he was getting too close for comfort as I gave a sigh of resignation before pulling out my knife and charging forward. I tackled the mask and sat on his belt of C4 before I started stabbing ruthlessly, I stabbed and stabbed until Meghan gripped my shoulder and spoke "King, KING! Relax, he's dead" I looked down and saw the inside of the masks suit where he looked through was red with his own blood.
     I released a breath before reloading my pistol and nodding to Meghan before we moved to the second floor, the top floor of the building. I slowly creator up the staircase feeling exposed until a mask appeared at the top, Meghan reacted before me and sent a burst just past my ear dropping the mask. I gripped my ear in pain as I felt blood drip out of it, I couldn't hear much out of my left ear now as Meghan looked me over "I think your ear drum is busted" I sighed as she moved past me making her our point as we continued up the steps. We reached the first door and we're about to breach when the mask Nitro Cell trap detonated. The wall crumbled as Meghan and I were thrown back, I watched the rubble fall as masks emerged from different rooms walking towards us. I tried to pull my pistol but my holster had bent locking the 1911 in place I pulled my knife stabbing the first mask several times before I positioned myself between Meghan and The masks only for them to crack me in the face with a 6p42 knocking me out.
Mike's POV
      I spoke to the team as we drove into Hereford "we're heading to Meghan's last reported position, I want the guns tight and your heads on the swivel" they nodded as we did one last check before I radioed Harry "were almost at the target area, any word from the two?" He replied simply "no, they've missed their comm windows and I'm starting to get worried. There's news reports of an explosion and van leaving the building, the masks may have captured them" I sighed and hoped they didn't, Lynn would get himself killed. Erik looked at me and asked "you don't think they actually got captured right? There's no way Lynn would let them take him unless...." I looked back and asked "unless?" Erik replied after a second "unless he was protecting someone" I caught on "Meghan, Fuck!" Yumiko looked over and asked "what's the call?" I replied "we check the building and then we return to base until We locate them" she nodded as Elias called back "we're here" he gripped his shield as we climbed out and started walking towards the building. I spoke to the officer "Thatcher, SAS with Team Rainbow." He nodded and motioned to the building "you're free to go in"
      We walked into the building and always had our hands on our guns just in case any masks had hidden, when we walked to the second deck my foot hit something causing me to look down, I saw a knife and picked it up seeing the inscription, I read it aloud "if you're reading this, fuck you. You didn't take me for free - Lynn King" Maverick spoke "heh, that's Lynn's knife. He had that inscribed, he always said an enemy would never take him alive" I sighed as Harry came over the radio "We've confirmed they were taken alive, both Lynn and Meghan" I sighed as Blitz asked "so what now?" While Maverick and Hibana had moved down to the first deck while I looked at the knife, It had blood on it I chuckled gaining Blitz's attention "What's funny?" I spoke "the inscription says if you're reading this, fuck you. You didn't take me for free. It has blood on it, he wasn't lying. He killed atleast one mask before they got him" I heard Hibana on the radio "Hey, Thatcher. Come down to the first floor, I wanna show you something"
I walked down the staircase and saw her standing in a doorway, I walked forward with Blitz behind me. We saw Maverick sitting on his legs next to a dead mask, I walked forward and saw the inside of the masks biohazard suit filled with his own blood. I spoke "I see King was busy" Hibana looked at me and asked "how do you know it was him?" I replied still looking at the body "the amount of stab wounds, Valkyrie isn't that aggressive when it comes to killing someone. She does it fast and effectively. This is violent and rage fueled, who do we know that hates the White Mask that much?" She replied with realization in her tone "Lynn, it all makes sense" blitz asked "what do you think he's doing right now?" Maverick replied "if I know King, he'll have cussed them out, threatened to kill them, attacked one and now he's probably thinking of a way to get Valkyrie and Him out of mask hands" I nodded as I radioed Harry "We're RTB, we haven't found any leads" he replied sadly "alright, I want yours and Valkyries team on standby at all times to launch a recovery op once we get their location"
     I motioned the team out as we all started walking, I paused in the doorway looking at the mask's body "I hope ye doin' well mate, don't get ye'self killed" I followed the team out to the van climbing back into it and heading back to the base. I looked at the team who looked visibly depressed at the fact we lost Lynn and Meghan to the masks, I hoped they pulled through. That kid just caught a break getting with her and they're already facing the chance of dying, I grew bored of watching the city fade in view until Blitz asked "So tell me this, how come they took them alive? The Masks have a reputation for killing anyone they come across once the rounds start flying, and Lynn killed one just before they captured them so why take them alive?" Maverick answered with a question "what if the mask commander's that were at that ambush in Cambodia, put a capture order on him? Maybe they want him since he got away?" I spoke "let's calm down with the theories, I don't like the fact that those mask commanders that were there aren't at the camp anymore but we can't assume they took them for any other reason"
      Maverick asked simply "but what if they did capture him because he escaped?" I sighed and replied "then we have to find them quickly, I doubt those commanders are pleased that he escaped. Plus if they find out him and Meghan are together, we got a shit storm of the highest extent" Hibana looked out the front window of the van and spoke "I hope they're safe, I don't want them to be casualties" I saw Hereford base appear in our windshield as I looked over at Maverick "when we get back go and tell Craig to get his team to an alert level at all times, we clear? Our teams are the QRF and if they find where Lynn and Meghan are we're wheels up in 4 mikes after the alert" he looked at me "4 mikes? Seriously?" U stared at him unamused before he shrugged "alright boss, your call. 4 mikes it is" I nodded as we came to a stop and we climbed out of the car I walked towards the TOC.
      When I walked in I saw the ISR predator drone operators working as the lead analyst walked forward "What can I do for you sir?" I spoke "I need an update on the hunt for that mask van, have you got any hits on their plates?" He replied "we got a hit as they left the city but since then we haven't gotten shit" I sighed and replied simply "keep me posted, the moment you find them I want to know and have coordinates" he nodded as I asked "how'd our drone coverage?" He replied "we've got a 50 mile by 50 mile grid just north of Hereford where we got hit, there's 5 drones covering those 10 mile sections." I nodded before turning and speaking "keep on with it, let Harry know I need to talk to him when he arrives tomorrow" he nodded as I walked out and headed to my dorm, thinking about the two MIAs we'd just gained and the chances of survival they had. I sighed the chances weren't good, the masks were brutal to anyone they came across I could only imagine how many war crimes they'd commit on two Rainbow Operators.