Dancing in the Desert (Black Angel Origins)

(2007)

Staging Area West of Jijiga, Jijiga, Ethiopia: The brutal conflict in the Horn of Africa, which pitted Ethiopia against Djibouti and Somalia, was in its second year, with still no real end in sight. What started as Djibouti cutting Ethiopian access to her ports, had now grown into a regional war with widespread international consequences due to the nations close proximity to the Red Sea's vital waterway. The Ethiopian Army was the early heavy favorite, however let down by poor leadership, logistics, and morale, the Ethiopian's quickly found themselves in what looked to be brutal stalemate with Djibouti's and Somalia's Islamic militia's, who were lightly armed, but certainly spirited, and there was certainly no short supply of courage. Ethiopian armor was stopped cold in the Somalian countryside along the border, as the Islamic militia's used the terrain and a healthy dosage of RPG's, and more advanced systems supplied by wealthy Arabic benefactors. The Ethiopian's needed a breakthrough, as Djibouti's ports were vital to Ethiopia's economic well being, and that was where Merchants of Menace came in....

Solider of Fortune (AKA The Black Angel) sat on a folding chair outside a tent in the dusty, flee infested base camp, in Jijiga Ethiopia, along Ethiopia's long border with Somalia. She was busy cleaning her FN Fal assault rifle, which was no small task in this hot, dusty environment, which was brutal on metal. She'd already seen a few of her fellow operatives make the switch to the more rugged AK-74, which was the weapon of choice for both the Ethiopian Army, as well as the Islamic militia's they were fighting. Soldier of Fortune preferred the Fal however, it was just rugged enough, and more importantly, among the most accurate assault rifles in the world. Of course she carried several backup weapons into combat, dual Glock 9 mm's, and an M4 carbine on her back, and if the mission required sniping, she would use either an M 21 or Dragunov sniper rifle. She then of course had the usual explosive, knives, and even a few eastern weapons, such as ninja stars, just in case all else failed, as it was important to have something like a knife, because the Merchants of Menace preferred to live off the land, rather then rely on dropped supplies. It was more reliable, but required every operative to have the skills of a hunter and a butcher, and Soldier of Fortune was no different.

Her time in Ethiopia had been mostly uneventful, as she'd been in the country for nearly six weeks, and her and the rest of the MOM Operatives had yet to be sent on a major offensive, instead they spent most of their time training the Ethiopian's. It was a task that some of her fellow operatives embraced, but one that didn't suit Soldier of Fortune, who preferred to work alongside highly trained professional soldiers, or no one at all, as poorly trained "Amateur's" were as likely to get everyone killed as much as themselves. Unimpressed by the Ethiopian's, she was certainly glad she wasn't going to be leading them into battle, that job was going to fall on Lieutenant General Pascual Pistarini, an Argentine who sold his services to the Ethiopian's, and was promising a breakthrough. MOM Operatives were supposed to be the tip of the spear when Pistarini's offensive got underway, quite literally blasting a hole through the militia's line, from which Ethiopian armor could role through. It was a simple plan, which Soldier of Fortune was happy about, seeing as the Ethiopian's seemed capable of little more "That's if it ever gets underway...." Soldier of Fortune reminded herself. Three times Pistarini had canceled the planned offensive, sighting the Ethiopian Army not being ready to undertake "Such an audacious offensive" as he put it.

Soldier of Fortune threw the rag she'd been using into the corner of the ten, then took a bottle of water and dumped it on her shoulder length black hair, which practically sizzled in the oppressive heat. She was wearing a gray tank top, camo pants, and black leather boots, while a black tactical vest sat alongside her chair, loaded with several clips for her Fal Assault Rifle, basic survival gear, and a flashlight, the vest was designed to stop a knife, maybe even a small calibre round, which Soldier of Fortune surely didn't want to find out firsthand. Several flies buzzed around her, no doubt looking to feed on whatever rations she had for the day, which increasingly seemed only fit for flies. Soldier of Fortune had fought in the desert before, but their as a marked difference between fighting and sitting, and in the desert sitting was far worse the fighting, at least it got your mind off how hot you were....

Stepping back into her tent, Soldier of Fortune looked over what was in her tent, clips of ammunition were strewn about, their was of course a thermal sleeping bag, as the temperature dropped significantly at night, their were several unopened cans of various food resting on a chest, which had Soldier of Fortunes more expensive items of clothes, just in case their was an occasion that called for it (Whatever that might be in the Ethiopian desert), her laptop, a box of plastic explosives, and a pair of black Fendi leather boots, which Soldier of Fortune just noticed were damaged by the dry heat. Throwing her assault rifle on her sleeping bag, Soldier of Fortune raced to them, kneeling down and saying "Shit!!! I knew I should leave these out....". Then turning her rage to the fact she'd been sitting in the desert training the untrainable for nearly two months, Soldier of Fortune quickly drew her tactical knife from her belt and heaved it out the entrance of her tent, the blade crashing into a pole across the way.

Standing only a few inches from where the knife had made its impact was Merchants of Menace's Commanding Officer in Ethiopia, a Belgian Colonel named Hans Hallenstein, who turned towards Soldier of Fortune, saying "That could have been a headache.... Watch where you throw the fucking things!!!". Turning a bit red in the face, Soldier of Fortune said "Sorry Colonel..... It's all this sitting.... It's killing me...", then pointing to her boots said "And my gear....", the Colonel nodded, saying "I don't think ten thousand dollar Italian boots qualify as gear.... Do you?". Picking up the boots, and throwing them into a garbage bag, a very sad looking Soldier of Fortune said "You'd be surprised.... More comfortable then anything stock....", the Colonel laughed, saying "I'll never understand you.... Anyway.... Pistarini has come calling, we finally have a worthwhile mission, pack up, meet me at my tent in fifteen....". Soldier of Fortune smiled, saying "Yes sir!" giving her commanding officer a respectful salute, as he turned to leave. Stopping quickly, the Colonel then said "Ohh.... And do pack light... I don't think you'll need your formal wear..." with a smile. Soldier of Fortune brushed her pretty shoulder length black hair from her face, saying "You know me...", to which the Colonel smirked as he left.

(Fifteen minutes later)

Soldier of Fortune was standing outside Colonel Hans Hallenstein tent, with the rest of her squad of MOM Operatives. It was a truly international mix, Soldier of Fortune was from Hong Kong, the Colonel Belgium, Greg Taylor was a former marine sniper from the States, their was also two former SAS operatives, a handful of Eastern Europeans, and a Spaniard. Together they were as dangerous a group of individuals in the world, and they were about to be brought to bear against the Somali militia's for the first time, which had all the operatives buzzing as they hadn't in their short stint in Ethiopia so far. All of them of course wanted to know their mission, and their were already rumors they were heading behind Somali lines, for some kind of search and rescue. Taylor had said he thought it was a SAR for a downed Ethiopian Su-27 pilot, though the squads heavy weapons expert, a Russian named Kirilenko argued it couldn't be, because the Somali's lack an air force, and their surface to air missiles were far to inferior to shoot down an Su-27. Whatever the case, all the men went silent when the Colonel appeared before them to issue their orders.

The Colonel wearing his usual desert fatigue, along with a ceramic bulletproof vest, and holding a AK-47, came across in his usual, serious, stern manner, as he said "Men! We've been give a mission of the utmost importance.... Yesterday.... Somali and Dji militants raided Axum to the north, and stole very important articles and treasures of the Ethiopian people.... They've made their through Djibouti, and now are traveling to Borama Somalia, where they'll rest, and we believe travel again to give whatever it is exactly that they've stolen to Mahdi in Mogadishu. We're to intercept them outside of Borama once they leave the city headed towards Mogadishu, kill them, and return the objects to Axum in the north... It's not exactly what we've been waiting for, but this comes straight from the top, and it sure as hell beats waiting around in this dusty desert....". As the Colonel began finishing his speech, the thundering sound of helicopters could be heard, and the Colonel yelled "We're getting dropped outside Borama on the route we know they'll be taking.... Alright lets get this mission done!!! Follow me to the choppers....".

"Musical Styling"

With that, the MOM Operatives all smiled at one another, all of them thinking the same thing "Finally a mission!!!", and many cheered as they followed their running Colonel to the small airstrip at one of the Ethiopian Armies many staging areas in the region. Racing past a sea of tents, rolling T-72's, two ton trucks, BTR-60's, and several Sa-7 missile launchers, the squad of elite mercenaries finally came to the airstrip, where two Mi-24 attack helicopters circled overhead, guarding an awaiting Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter, which looked more like a flying bus. It was a slow helicopter, but it could transport the entire squad, as well as their heavy weapons, even three dirt bikes, so it was certainly worth it despite how exposed you were flying on something so big and slow. The Mi-24's would certainly provide enough security in any event, these flying tanks truly lived up to their name, and could level an enemy formation if one attacked them.

Stepping in through the open troop bay, Soldier of Fortune and the rest of the MOM Operatives stowed their weapons, and began to buckle up. Soldier of Fortune took a seat right in the center of the Mi-8, sitting next to her was Kirilenko, who placed his massive SAW Support Weapon under the seat, before buckling himself. Then looking at Soldier of Fortune, the massively muscled Russian said "I don't like this...." in his thick accent. Soldier of Fortune shrugged, saying "What's not to like??", the burly Russian then said "We don't even know what we're going after.... Axum's a pretty well defended city, they had to have a lot of firepower to raid it, and we haven't even been told how many militants their are.... I don't like it....". Soldier of Fortune sighed, saying "Well if you want to shovel shit at the staging area.... You can always stay....", just as she finished say that, the hydraulic doors to the troop bay began to close, and with a loud grinding noise shut. Soldier of Fortune then said "Guess you're stuck with us...". The Russian muttered something in his native language under his breath, then said "I'm not afraid to die.... But I don't do this job to get killed....", Soldier of Fortune nodded as the helicopter began to take off, then fly east towards the border with Somalia.

The three helicopters thundered across the early afternoon sky, blowing small desert shrubs nearly over as they kicked up dust across Africa's dusty Horn. The Mi-24's hung low to the ground, training their YaKB Machine Guns at herders grazing their cattle and sheep along the flight path. It was a short ride into Somali, and the helicopters passed over what was the front lines in the Somali theater, Ethiopian soldiers cheered, but were quickly dashed as they realized the air support wasn't for them, and several audacious Somali's took pot shots at the helicopters, prompting one of the Mi-24's to turn away, blasting the militants possession with several bursts from the YaKB machine gun.

After what seemed like an hour, a red buzzer went off, and the Colonel said "Alright.... We're over the LZ.... Everyone prepare to move out once this thing lands!". Soldier of Fortune grabbed her FN Fal, ready for whatever awaited them, as they were now well behind enemy lines....

Near the Somali Border with Ethiopia, Borama, Somalia: As the creaky doors to the Mil Mi-8 transport helicopter slowly swung open, the MOM Operatives unbuckled themselves, grabbed their kits, and their firearms, looked out through the opening door upon what could only be described as a living hell. Borama was a dusty little shit hole, which had a foul odor surrounding it, was to dusty for anything to grow, and was mostly abandoned due to the proximity of the fighting with Ethiopia. Those who remained looked like they were starving, and probably were. It wasn't Soldier of Fortunes first descent into such a hellish enviornment, and it certainly wouldn't be her last. She looked out into Borama with cold indifference, looking only for a possible rebel with an RPG. 

Once the door to the troop bay was fully open, the squads sniper/scout, the former Navy Seal Greg Taylor jumped from the hovering Mi-8, his M-21 rifle held firmly in his hand. He made it no more then a few steps before he was hit from somewhere in the village, and went down like a lump. The rest of the squad was shocked, as the landing zone was supposed to be free of militia, it seemed yet again they were let down by faulty Ethiopian officers. One of the Mi-24 attack helicopters turned to engage the village, and began lighting up the small wood huts with its powerful cannon, the huts literally splintering into tiny pieces as they exploded from the helicopter gunship. This however was no simple firefight, the Somali's had planned an ambush, and no sooner had the helicopter gunship engaged the village, then a vapor trail from a stinger missile came from a field adjacent to the village, blotting the Mi-24 from the sky.

As the massive "Flying Tank" fell from the sky, a burning fireball, the MOM Operatives all knew they were a sitting duck aboard the slow, unprotected Mi-8, and all quickly jumped from the troop bay. Recovering quickly from the ten foot drop, just in time to see another vapor trail head for the Mi-8, which was far to slow to avoid the supersonic missile. Exploding just above their heads, the Mi-8 spun in a violent dance of death, crashing in a heap not more then forty feet from where the squad had jumped. A brilliant explosion followed, as the fuel tanks no doubt ruptured from the impact and the flames, and a brilliant fireball lit up this dusty town, causing some nearby brush to catch on fire.

Quickly taking control of the situation, Colonel Hallenstein yelled   "Along that ridgeline!!! Open fire!!!", at which point the elite MOM Operatives unleashed a murderous amount of fire from their diverse selection of weapons. The squads medic, a former Spetsnaz Operative from the Ukraine tended to Taylor, however it was to late for the American sniper, who'd been cut down by a perfect shot. Which from watching the Somali's in action, could have only been a thing of luck, as they seemed to simply spray their bullets, then duck for cover. The first casulties of the day had certainly been the heavy favorites, the Somali's had spilled first blood, and had cornered these elite warriors on open ground, however they weren't elite for nothing.

Noticing they were surrounded by at least 30 heavily armed militiamen, Col.Hallenstein quickly radioed for air support, which would likely be slow in coming, he just hoped it wasn't to late. Firing his AK-74 at several Somali militiamen, one of the former SAS Operatives, a tough, middle aged, brit, yelled out to Soldier of Fortune, saying "That's what we get for trusting the skinnys (Slang for Ethiopian's) intelligence!!! Supposed to be clear my ass!!!". Soldier of Fortune simply nodded as she loaded another clip into her FN Fal, then took aim down range at several reinforcing militiamen, who she dropped with relative ease. Things were growing desperate however, as it seemed they'd stumbled upon a Somali militia stronghold, as it seemed they were faced by an ever increasing number of angry militia, which by now had to be in the hundreds. Several of the squads Eastern European members on the flank opposite Soldier of Fortune, and closest to the village of Borama fell, hit by sprayed Somali firepower. The Somali's were closing now, taking muderous losses from the trained firepower of Soldier of Fortune and the rest of the MOM Operatives, but having enough men to take such losses. 

It was at this time, when it seemed their lines would all but collapse, that Soldier of Fortune snapped into action, picking up a fallen Somali's AK-47, while holding her Fal in the other, and simply blasting the hell out of the approaching Somali Militi. Everywhere the Somali's seemed to come from everywhere, yelling ""Allahu Akbar!!", charging forward, preparing themselves to die for what they viewed as Allah's sacred cause. Keeping up steady fire, Soldier of Fortune downed at least ten militiamen before a bullet slammed into her thigh, Soldier of Fortune screamed in pain and faltered, however regain her footing and continued fighting. On their rear flank, facing the village of Borama, the fighting had gotten hand to hand, and of the six operatives watching the rear, only two were capable of fighting. As things became increasingly desperate, Soldier of Fortune threw down the AK-47, instead tossing hand grenades into the brush, the blasts killing scores of hiding militia. One of the Brits tried to do the same, however was cut down with a shot through the chest, and fell dead as the grenade rolled from his hand, exploding and killing another operative as well as several Somali's. 

Just as Soldier of Fortune had healed from one bullet strike, she was hit again, this time in the arm, which spun her around just as another crashed through her back.Desperate Col.Hallenstein grabbed his radio, yelling "Broken Arrow.... Broken Arrow....", the call sign which meant he was desperately close to being overrun, and for all air support to be directed his way. Soldier of Fortune fired her Fal with her good arm, while retreating to the Colonels position, just as a pair of Ethiopian Su-27's raced over the battlefield, each dropping two cannisters of napalm on the Somali's to devastating effect, next came two more Mi-24's which peppered the Somali's with rocket fire, finally 4 Mig-21's engaged the militia with their cannons, the result being a huge dust storm, as well as huge Somali losses.

When the dust settled, it revealed the true carnage of the battle, as Col. Hallenstein gasped "Their is only four of us left...." to Soldier of Fortune, who grimly nodded, while saying "And at least a hundred Somali dead..... So much for this place being deserted.... I came here to get paid, not killed....". Hallenstein nodded, then said "How's your arm?", Soldier of Fortune touched the bloodstain on her grey longsleeve shirt, saying  only "I'm a quick healer....". The Colonel nodded, saying "Good.... We're pressing on... All you... Come on!!". Soldier of Fortune nodded, as the other two remaining men, a Brit, and a Russian followed the Colonel into the African brush.

Near the Somali Border with Ethiopia, Borama, Somalia: Colonel Hans Hallenstein looked at his now very rag tag group of only 12 MOM Operatives, realizing things couldn't get much worse. The dirt bikes they were going to use to scout ahead for their target were in the helicopter, certainly destroyed in the blast. His scout/sniper was dead, the first to fall this bloody day. They'd bled the Islamic militiamen they'd stumbled upon, but now he was left with only the middle aged, former SAS Operative, former Spetsnaz warrior Kirilenko, and the Black Angel, who quite literally was a "Quick Healer". She even appeared to have Metahuman abilities.... It mattered little though, in a few short hours they'd all be dead, and he'd be a very rich man. "In time...." he thought to himself, not wanting to get ahead of himself. This was going to be his retirement present to himself, from which he'd never have to step into some flee bitten, shit hole again.

The Black Angel, Rogers -The Brit-, and Kirilenko all looked like they wanted to head back, but she knew as they all did, the helicopters were shot down, and they were expendable.... They'd have to fight their way out of this one way or another, so they might as well complete the mission, it wasn't like their alternatives were any better.... This was why the Black Angel went about collecting ammunition of the dead, if the resistance was like this the whole way through, they'd need it... The MOM Operatives certainly had several advantages however, as they were far better quality then their adversaries, and could truly disappear in the vast African "Brush" which laid out all before what was left of the squad.

Colonel Hallenstein trained his eyes on the thick brush before them, thinking to himself I'll use them to through the brush, kill the Wahabis scum, then kill them.... Then it'll be all white sand beaches, relaxation, and life spent in leisure.... The Colonel lifted his Ak-74 towards the brush, which was mostly scrub trees, shrubs, and tall grass, and waved to the remnants of his squad, yelling "Alright.... Nothing more we can do for our comrades... Now we have to look after ourselves! Lets get what the Ethiopians want, then get the fuck out of here!". Rogers looked at Kirilenko and the Black Angel, saying "Truer words never fucking spoken!", the other two could not agree more. They certainly weren't enamored with the fact they were leaving their comrades in arms in the brush, where the elements would no doubt be unkind to them, but they all knew the risk.... As did the four MOM Operatives now heading into the deep African brush, where many dangers lurked, and not just human danger.

Walking through the tough, narrow, natural trails, the Black Angel came alongside Colonel Hallenstein, asking "From what I remember... We're 20 clicks from the ambush point, at least... We going to make in time to ambush the skinny's? This hasn't exactly been a time saving operation so far....". "Now that would really suck wouldn't it... I give our landing coordinates to the enemy to thin the herd, only to have it make me miss my opportunity. Colonel Hallenstein thought to himself. He turned to the Black Angel after his self contemplation, saying "We built in some time for things to go wrong. It should be enough...". The Black Angel simply nodded, then fell back into line behind the Colonel, as the foot paths were really only wide enough for one person. The Colonel would almost lament killing her, she was beautiful, smart, his type.... But nothing would get in his way, certainly not a woman.

(4 hours later)

Brushy Foothills Near the Somali Border with Ethiopia, Borama, Somalia: It was dark now, however it never was totally dark in Africa. The lack of cities meaning the night sky was filled with bright stars, which were otherwise lost on more developed continents. The sounds of insects, the animals of the night, and bats filled the night sky. Something wasn't right however, the Black Angel could feel it.... Something was hunting them, and she didn't think it was human. Her Metahuman senses, which the Black Angel had little control over, but seemed to give her some type of intuition, made her feel as if their was danger in the dark night brush. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking in the starlight darkness. The other three didn't seem to notice any imminent danger, as they trudged through the rugged foothill path, which they all hoped would bring them to the ambush site. It was harder by dark, but gave them the advantage, as the Islamist's would have no means of seeing them until they fired. The MOM Operatives also had night vision scopes, which certainly would come in handy in a situation like this.

The Black Angel looked through the scope that she'd attached to her FN Fal just as darkness began to fall, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever was stalking them out there. As she looked through the scope and came up with nothing, the Black Angel felt like maybe it was all in her head, as everyone was no doubt jittery from the ambush. However just as she began to scan the right side of the trail, a massive, bight light jumped out at her, it's growl piercing the stillness of the night. The mass hit the Black Angel like a ton of bricks, and a razor sharp claw struck towards her face, which she was able to mostly block with the butt of her rifle, though its tip grazed her left cheek.

The commotion startled the other three operatives, who frantically began to search for whatever had attacked the Black Angel. The animal still on top of her, the Black Angel could feel it's main, thinking to herself "Great... More then half our team gets killed in an ambush... Now I get attacked by a fucking lion.". Using her powerful legs and meta strength, the Black Angel kicked the animal off of her, the beast flying through the air, landing in a scrub bush 10-15 feet away. As the lion roared again, preparing to charge the Black Angel, both she and her three compatriots opened fire into the beast. The lion cried out in anger, but in a few seconds it was all over, as the lion slumped to the ground dead.

Rogers reached the Black Angel first, saying "Fucking hell! You alright?", as he took a flashlight out and shined it on the Black Angel. Standing a few feet away, Colonel Hallenstein's assumptions were shown correct, as he watched the large cut on the Black Angels cheek disappear, as if nothing had happened at all. The Russian, Kirilenko said "I don't think a worlds strongest man could kick something that heavy, that far... You're...."... "Not normal..." the Black Angel said, finishing Kirilenko's statement, as the other three startled men were just starting to take in what had just happened. The Black Angel left little time for them to process this new information, as she continued by saying "I always knew I was different... Even when I was a child.... I've always had trouble accepting what I am, or what I'm not... That's until I became a soldier, and that's all I want to be thought of... No different then any of you...". The three men stood in silence for a moment, before Kirilenko broke the silence, grabbing the Black Angels forearm, saying "Well I'm proud to fight alongside someone who can take an attack from a lion.... You're twice the soldier any of us are...". The Black Angel smiled and said "Thanks....".

After collecting themselves, they pressed on into the night again, time not allowing them any respite.... They only hoped there were no more lions hiding in the darkness, and they'd be the ones executing the next ambush.....