NOVEL WEB ~18~
Jervis and his team wasted no time getting a strike team ready. With the Crux still handling business, it would be up to MI-6 and the Royal Marines to bring some justification back into this country. Alongside the Stygian Society roundtable named Cerberus, was enough fire power. But with NYPD Captain Christopher Mercy brought along his Royal Purple Winged Diara unit of ten, was overkill in any situation.
However, the threat was immense.
Those who didn’t have wings and fly, they were using the NH90 stealth helicopters; a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter.
The coordinates that were given would put them in Lancashire at the forest of Bowland also known as the Bowland Fells and formerly the Chase of Bowland, is an area of gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England, with a small part in North Yorkshire (however roughly half of the area falls into the area of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire). It is a western outlier of the Pennines.
Bowland is dominated by a central upland landform (generally above 370 meters and rising to 520 meters of deeply incised gritstone fells covered with tracts of heather-covered peat moorland and blanket bog. The lower slopes of the fells are dotted with stone-built farms and small villages and are criss-crossed by drystone walls enclosing reclaimed moorland pasture. Steep-sided wooded valleys link the upland and lowland landscapes. In the north-east of the area are extensive coniferous plantations and the eastern limestone areas support high-quality species-rich meadows.
Caves in the area include Hell Hole, Whitewell Cave and Whitewell Pot. It is surrounded by the Yorkshire Dales and South Pennines, from which the fells are separated by the Aire Gap and Ribble Valley.
The southern part of the Forest of Bowland is divided by the valley of the River Hodder. West of the river lies a tract of lowland dotted by limestone hills, such as the New Laund and Long Knott. East of the Hodder is a low-lying area known as the Lees. Nearby, higher up, are Browsholme Moor and Burholme Moor.
In this vast land at night, finding anything would be impossible. It was fortunate to has some like Beta Crucis to scan the area.
She was in one of the NH90 with Jervis and Leiko Aoibara.
“Mad Hatter to Cerberus, we are at our destination. Keep out of air space. The angels are overhead.” Jervis speaking into his headset, while flying.
“Copy that, we are deploying. In shadows.” Dante responded.
“I can’t believe no one ever questioned a big mansion being built in the middle of nowhere,” Beta Crucis being curious. “Famed 18th-century English landscape architect Capability Brown laid out the parkland avenues and 26-acre man-made lake. Created using traditional ideas of water traps, shell grottos, a mirror maze and southern courtyard in a 21st-century style.”
“When you have money, people tend to look the other way.” Leiko said.
“Entry Team to Mad Hatter. We have touched down. In position.” The squad captain informed.
Jervis looking at his monitor, “Mad Hatter to Archangel. Cerberus and Entry is in position.”
“Archangel to Mad Hatter, waiting for greenlight,” Christopher responded.
“Cerberus to Mad Hatter, waiting for greenlight,” Dante responded.
“Entry Team to Mad Hatter, waiting for greenlight,” the squad leader responded.
“Greenlight, greenlight! Mad Hatter has eyes in the sky!” Jervis commenced.
Beta Crucis looked out her window, “It looks good out there. MI-6 is taking the west.”
“Right. Dante’s team will take east and Christopher’s teat is taking the north. Anyone tries to leave wouldn’t think twice--”
“Mad Hatter, we have another carrier! Is that one of yours?” Dante spoke.
“Negative.” Jervis staying calm.
“I’ll find out, focus on the mission.” Leiko said while getting on the radio.
“The chopper is too loud and it’s too close.”
“Everyone, hold your positions.” Jervis ordered.
“Identify. I repeat, identify.” Leiko demanded over the radio.
The mystery pilot responded, “Friendly. Friendly. World’s End, Stygian.” It was Marcus.
“Marcus, what the fuck are you doing here?!” Leiko questioned.
“Marcus, fall back. You’re giving away your position!” Jervis ordered.
“Negative, we have the south--”
You can even see and hear the flare and the smoke of the rocket launcher from the mansion when it traveled to Marcus’ chopper. He might have dodged it but the blast almost took it out of the sky.
“We have been compromised!”
“Oh, shit! Full breach! Full breach!”
It was chaotic on the radio as they rush at all sides.
“Leiko, call for support, we are going in!” Jervis said.
“Support will be available in 15,” Leiko confirmed.
“Fifteen, it is,” Javis accepted as attempted to land the helicopter nearby.
“Mad Hatter to all teams! We have the south--!”
As he was about to finish, they finally made a direct hit to Marcus’ chopper.
“I TOLD THAT STUPIDMOTHERFUCKER TO GET THE FUCK OUT THERE!” Leiko shouted.
Beta Crucis got out of her seat and jumped out of the helicopter.
Leiko saw this and was in disbelief, “SHE JUMPED! WITHOUT A SHUTE! WHAT THE FUCK?!” she shouted.
“Trust me, she will be fine! Heading south!” Jervis reassured.
The situation just gotten bad to worse.
But not as bad as Marcus’ team had to jump out of a burning helicopter. They had at least a couple of dozen on board and they all had to jump out with parachutes. They landed in the courtyard. Immediately, they got into a firefight with some were gunned down while many tried to take cover.
Marcus, on the other hand, took down a couple of guards with his service pistol. He watch his smoldering helicopter in flames slowly descend from sky. With furious anger Susanoo would turn into a Black Shulk and viciously attack the opposition. Ripping their arms and legs with her teeth. Hind kicking them in their stomachs, crushing chest cavities. Swiping and clawing them into shreds in one blow.
She would motion to her team, “WITH ME!” she roared.
As they charged up the courtyard with multiple bombs going off.
Inside was another story.
The grand entrance was approached by a specialized MI-6 military team. 50 strong, decked out with lightweight body armor with RPK16s, Glock 17s, and scorpion knives for melee combat.
The would mow down the opposition with their Kalashnikovs as their armor held up to the gunfire. As they went in, the entry team secured the area only to enter in the ballroom and run in with the guards with long swords. They chanted and got into formation. The entry team drew out their blades as they marched towards them.
It didn’t take long for the two sides to be an all-out brawl. The entry team were outnumbered, 4 to 1. But then a ban of royal purple winged angels descended from the roof and behind the guards as they were surrounded. Yes, they were ten on them but one of these diaras is like having a battalion. They might have the numbers, but not the power. Both teams wiped out the guards in seconds.
They marched together out of the ballroom as they began to sweep the area.
Outside of the countryside mansion quickly became a warzone in a matter of minutes. Inside was a blood bath.
Due to one side’s selfishness ambition.
Some of the mansion’s guards tried to regroup in the east wing hallway, only to be met up with a pack of snarling black shucks who cut off their exit. The guards had guns and swords. It made no difference if they didn’t had the nerve. They quickly retreated but the black shucks pounced on them, ripping their throats out and crushing their skulls with their jaws. Blood and tendons, splattered all over the windows and walls.
Meanwhile, Jervis was still flying his helicopter around the south courtyard while gunning down the opposition with his mounted machine guns. Even when they tried to reload or run away, they were easy targets. With his impeccable skill as a pilot and precise marksmanship, he was indeed unstoppable and untouchable.
He realized it was best to stay in the air with Leiko as his overseer, “the ops have given up the courtyard. They are going inside.”
“The hostages, where are they?” Jervis asked.
“The real question is what the fuck is Marcus up to?” Leiko wondered. “Extraction team can’t land, too much gunfire all around!”
“I’ll send drone units to comb the area! Our best bet is the north. This courtyard is fucked!” Jervis said as he go on the radio.
Then they heard the radio, “Cerberus to Mad Hatter! We discovered the hostages. We need transport and medical!” Dante’s voice informed.
“C-2, C-2! The south is on fire!” Jervis responded.
“Negative, relay extraction to World’s End. Cerberus, resecure the north,” Marcus intervened.
“Fucking asshole…” Leiko listening in.
“Sir, the north is still under heavy fire and cannot leave. We have more than 60 here that will be unattended!” Dante’s informed.
But Marcus had to be difficult as he repeated himself, “Negative, relay extraction to World’s End. Cerberus, resecure--”
“STOP FUCKING ABOUT! YOU KNOW THEY CAN’T DO IT, MARCUS! GO NORTH, CLEAR THE PATH!” Jervis snapped.
Meanwhile, Marcus, Susanoo—who now reverted back to human—and their team discovered another hidden basements. They found nothing.
“Where are the captives?!” Susanoo said.
“Dante’s team has found about 60!” Cynthia said.
“Already?” Susanoo complained.
Cynthia glared at Susanoo, “since when this was a game of stats?” she questioned her logic.
“When people stop lying to me and treat me like shit!” Susanoo shouted.
Marcus came in and address the team, “We are going north. Main Entrance.” He ordered. “Let’s go!”
They ran out of the basement and headed back to the main entrance... to see a hallway full of dead bodies. They had slit throats, severed limbs and dark purple throwing knives sticking out their heads and backs.
“The Kaurai-Uni…” Cynthia identifies.
“Hi, everyone!” Beta Crucis happily said out loud on the radio. “Sorry, I couldn’t respond earlier. I took care most of the guards.” She informed.
“Wh-where? W-we didn’t see you!” Susanoo said, carefully stepping over the dead bodies.
“It was dark, so... I guess that why they didn’t see me. But yeah, all of them bad people are dead in that house now.” Beta Crucis said with a giggle.
“By our intelligence, they had to least a thousand here...” Susanoo uttered.
“957 guards with 124 of their workers. I was surprised by that count!” Beta Crucis being amazed.
“Heaven isn’t fucking around anymore…” Marcus mumbled. He then responded to Beta Crucis, “We are on our way.”
It took them awhile to get through the piled up dead bodies but the managed to get to the main entrance as support helicopters finally landed. It was enough to bring every victim aboard as they were gradually being escorted out of mansion.
Before they would get aboard, there was an ambush with one of the remaining guards about to shoot a rocket.
Beta Crucis sensed this and threw a kunai at his head splitting it in half, but still pulled the trigger out of instinct. It was aimed and coming right at Marcus. Hastily, Susanoo pushed him out of the way and shot it down with an M2 shotgun. The blowback from the blast send her into a nearby fountain, landing in the water.
Marcus survives but he was bleeding from the ears, blinded and screaming in pain.
Panicking, they tried to clear the smoke to Marcus critically injured.
Not wasting anymore time, the teams successfully got all of the accounted surviving victims in the helicopters, but they were missing someone. Susanoo, who was shell shocked and possibly concussed and was floating in the water face up into the moon light as she saw an angel reach out to her.
“I guess it’s my time to go…” she garbled as she reached out to it.
In reality, it was Christopher pulling her out of the water, “I got her!” he yelled out.
Carrying her to the nearest helicopter, they were still met by remaining guards still trying to fight. Fortunately, Jervis took the air in his helicopter and mercilessly gunned down anyone that was left over with his mounted machine guns.
Christopher ascended and glided into the ascending helicopter, saving Susanoo.
They were flying away, Christopher looks back to the once luxurious mansion, being reduced to ruin, “for the ones who resting place are within those walls, you have been avenged.”
It was an intense for everyone involved.
The surviving members of this mission were flown to the nearest hangar and was give immediate medical attention, no exceptions.
When Jervis and Leiko landed the plane, he got out first and wasted no time chewing out Susanoo. She was still in a lot of pain, so he went easy on her. Alas, her constituents and her superiors wouldn’t.
Leiko got out to see an exhausted male black shuck that was the size of a small horse with charcoal black hair and honey brown fur, dark blue and red gradient eyes, covered with blood, walking towards them. Jervis would turn around to see and recognize him.
“Dante, are you alright?” Jervis being worried.
He was angry as he growled, “No. This is going to take time. You should have seen it, sir.” His voice was breaking. “Torture chambers, operating tables, drugs, alcohol! The whole place smelled like rotting corpses and stale sex from top to bottom! God was not present there!” he exclaimed.
“Three years working vice in Tokyo. I wouldn’t be surprised if they learned from the worst.” Leiko said with a frown.
Dante’s eyes her filled with tears, “how can I face their families after what I have seen and tell that their nightmare is over?” Dante breaking down.
Leiko rested her cold hands on his head, patting him gently, “You can’t.” Her telling the truth. “As long as know what is necessary in life, then you will be fine.” She lectured with a sad smile.
“Dante...” Jervis needed to have the young scucca refocus his emotions, “By have you ascertained the fate of Bennett?”
“No, she wasn’t there,” Dante feeling discouraged as it worried the three.