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SEXUAL CONTENT WARNING

This story contains consensual sex between a male human and a female Utahraptor. Read at your own risk.

Keep track of your local laws regarding smutt and buttfuckery, because it's not my job.

+++++++++

Readers,

Thank you to everyone that has commented on the past chapters. It means so much to me that other people care to read my work. Those comments are what keeps me going, even when it seems like I run out of ideas.

Oh yeah, if you see something in here that you want added to the glossary, just let me know and it shall be done.

Well, that's all I have for now, so enjoy!!!

~Redfield +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

RSH-Deception

ASR* Leningrad, one night after Jen's death.....

"Sergeant Leniskov, continue moving forward. Your position should be established no later than daybreak." The radio crackled, earning a wave of complaints from the soldiers that continued to press onward despite two sleepless days of marching and fighting. Their last contact with an American patrol outside of Bad Moskau had taken a hard toll most of all, one that forced them to leave Captain Minlets and Senior Lieutenant Alekin in a shallow grave overlooking the gravel road where they had met their grim fate. Leaderless save for the NCOs, they moved relentlessly afterwards to reach their next objective.

"Comrade Sergeant, when will they let us rest? We will die before long if they keep up this pace." One of the lower enlisted chimed from the rear of the company formation, just within earshot of the interim leader. The veteran Russian Sergeant turned quickly, continuing to walk backwards while shooting the soldier a hard glance.

"When we reach our objective comrade, not before. We have to close the gap in our lines." He responded, facing back forward. If only it were that easy.

In truth, the Sergeant didn't want them to stop any longer than necessary. Too many of his friends had disappeared into the night, victims of teeth and claws like none ever seen by the likes of him or his countrymen. Reality really sank in when the NCO had to peel the frozen bodies of his comrades from the frosted autumn ground, split by the monsters that plagued this country.

If only he knew......

A single set of eyes watched with deliberate stillness as the Russian Sergeant handed back the handset to his Radioman, turning to reprimand a soldier that had spoken out of turn. The hazel eyes discerned tired frustration on the part of the NCO, no doubt having been on the move for days. They watched him scan back and forth, head on a swivel for anything that might endanger the company sized element. For a moment, the two sets of eyes made contact with each other, locked in a stare down that only one of the parties knew existed.

The predator moved his eyes elsewhere, acknowledging minute twitches from eleven other sources. They all knew what was to be done, and that now was the time to strike. Each set moved at once, seeming to melt in place from their natural camouflage and float through the night. Twelve pairs of clawed feet started through the dead grass on either side of the road, as quiet as the wind as it rustled through the bare treetops above them. The company on the road still didn't notice as they crouched down into attack position, each mind picking their targets at strategic points in the formation.

Durin keyed his radio after another ten meters, taking a deep breath of frigid air before uttering into the microphone.

"Go."

A sudden cascade of blood-chilling roars rattled the treetops over the nearly hundred-man front, freezing them into a panic. No shots were fired as the Utahraptors launched themselves into the formation, dropping the three soldiers on point with surgical hits from their killing claws. The Russian troops reacted after a costly delay, bringing their rifles to bear on the twisting shapes and laying down a volley of rounds.

Sergeant Leniskov jumped as a blur shot past in the darkness, so close that he could feel the air it had disturbed. His AK-74 ripped off several rounds on fully automatic, chasing the shadow with green tracers.

"Get off the road!" He shouted, grabbing the equipment harness of a young private and pulling him in the right direction. The NCO fired again as one of the creatures landed on the soldier in front of him, hitting the soldier in the head just before the monster's jaws came down on top of him. The Russian turned and ran, marshalling his troops in the same direction while listening to the sporadic screams as more and more fell victim to the attackers.

Leniskov froze in place as one of the creatures landed in front of him, walking towards him with slow, deliberate steps. The monster's eyes glowed, staring the Sergeant down with unbridled hate that seemed to seep into the core of his person. The NCO didn't bother to fire as the creature approached, instead dropping his weapon to the ground and standing straight and tall. Images of his wife back home sprung through a tired mind, followed by the feelings of love that came along with them.

"Goodbye Milla, I love you."

Durin's work was quick............. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The costly victory at Sonnet wasn't even ten hours old before the RSH teams found themselves moving again, this time to the east. They didn't hunt the disoriented but still very deadly heavy armor, but rather the supply trucks that were sure to follow in their wake, carrying the much needed fuel and spare parts to keep them alive. The second half of the armored force that hadn't been destroyed was massing in the fields only three kilometers away, refitting back to the proper numbers after the loss of two companies at Sonnet. The brigade's sister was farther south, pushing against the defensive gauntlet that had been pitched by the KSK* in the Black Forest. The only time they'd tried to bypass it had resulted in heavy losses, and the Russians had left behind dozens of burned out vehicles along the only highway out as a testament to their failure.

Back up north, the primary brigade's bravo element made their move across from the open section of the highway onto open ground, taking the slower cross country routes in an effort to swing around to the south of the American armor and hit their supply lines as well, which were left dangerously exposed. The only thing stopping them from sweeping through was the presence of ragtag Allied forces that put up a stiff coordinated resistance along their line of advance. However, their supplies were starting to dwindle in the face of the never ending Russian machine, which just threw new equipment and new men into the fray in place of those lost.

And with that, the twenty third of December was just like any other morning...

++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Keep a draw on KDZ-7, possible signal decay over Ground Forces West command for plus two hours from current."

"Exactly so Comrade, draws all set to medium. Flood set in place. Expect intermittent blanket signal for thirty minutes while we bring up secondary systems. High Precision signal will return within fifteen minutes."

For the personnel at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, today was a busy day. The command came down the line from Commander in Chief Nymev's headquarters, ringing the watch commander's phone at fifteen minutes past five in the morning. From there the Major moved with all available haste to the military operations section, handing over the data discs that he had retrieved from his secure safe. The plan was clear enough, as it was something that the staff had been training for since the war began.

"Connection established with Baikonur, antenna repositioning in progress. GLONASS* primary coming into view now."

"Send the data packet as soon as Baikonur confirms a good signal. GLONASS needs to be reprogrammed by 0545 local." The Major ordered, watching as the overlay of the earth showed on the main screens in the command center. Eighteen GLONASS GPS satellites were currently providing global coverage, a fact that only the people in that room knew that was about to change. On the flipside, eighteen identical satellites were ready to take their place, along with six more on the launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome, ready for launch within the hour.

"All GLONASS satellites reprogrammed as ordered Comrade Major. Beginning attack sequence in fifty-five seconds. Americans will be alerted in one minute, but their systems will not be able to confirm an attack for two hours." Came the head controller's robotic voice, going through the steps out loud as well as on his panel.

The Major watched as the satellite track turned from green to red as the GLONASS birds reprogrammed themselves, firing their retrorockets and breaking out from the constellation. Eighteen fresh birds burned to reform the constellation, moving themselves to regain their link with Russian forces on the ground. The soldiers noticed the lapse, but the obfuscated high precision signal came back soon enough.

"Comrade Major, all satellites are back in their Constellation. Saint Petersburg and Eniseisk are back up and running, Ternopol is reporting only thirty-five percent connectivity, as is Komsomolsk. GLONASS attack satellites are moving into position on target groups one and three in ten seconds."

Across the sea, United States Air Force personnel monitoring their computers watched as their birds failed one by one. The Officer in Charge was on his phone thirty seconds after, pushed directly up to their supervisor at Air Force Space Command.

They couldn't figure out what was happening either, and before any progress could be made, the screens went blank.

Back across the world, Colonel Nymev listened over his own phone as the satellites were blotted from the sky.

Phase three had begun without a hitch... +++++++++++++++++++++

"Looks like they're starting early today!" PFC Brian Serrew laughed from his section of the trench, cradling his M4 as Russian mortars rattled his teeth. They fell randomly, ripping chunks out of the earthworks just as they did several times every day. The infantry was surely close behind, also just as it was every morning.

"No shit!" Sergeant Spur answered back, taking a peek over the lip of earth at the field to their front. Already their infantry was starting across, pushing through the field along the perimeter of the horse farm to their northwest. It was a fight that had repeated itself for nearly seventy-two hours, with both sides trading shots to little avail. The Russians had attempted to bring up tanks, but airdropped mines had slowed their progress to no more than a crawl while minesweepers cleared the routes, much to the defender's delight.

The barrage continued for a good two minutes before abruptly coming to an end, leaving the forest in silence. Every soldier along the lines got back up, settling themselves behind entrenched heavy weapons, moved from the previous day's positions into a better setup that guaranteed tighter fields of fire.

Serrew seated himself behind the tripod mounted .50 caliber machine gun that straddled his position, kicking the sandbags with the bottoms of his boots to make sure that they were secure. He grasped the charging handle and made sure it fed with a satisfying slam, taking up a comfortable position to look down the sights. The soldier cranked the tripod around to range on the other side of the meadow, waiting for the inevitable.

"Okay! There they are!" Spur yelled from his M240B, opening up with the first burst that sent all of the attacking soldiers to ground. The machine gun's report echoed loudly, but was shamed as soon as PFC Serrew opened up with the .50 cal. Tracers ripped apart the ground around them, striking a few unlucky souls before driving the others back into the treeline.

The mortars started up again, putting the gunners back into the trench. Sergeant Spur pulled one of his dual radios up and hit transmit, hearing an ungodly sound come out from the other end. Their own mortars wouldn't fall without the call to do so! Several more tries ended with the same result.

"Serrew, take the Humvee and get those mortars up!" He instructed as the Russians began another push across the field. They had found two machineguns this time, putting down a heavy field of fire at the American lines.

Rifle fire cracked on both sides as Brian pulled himself up and out of the trench. A few rounds bounced through the trees around him as he sprinted for the parked vehicles, jumping in the first unlocked uparmored that he saw. He slammed the heavy door and kicked the ignition on, riding through the sputter of the heavy diesel engine until it finally roared to life. The Private threw his headset on, throwing the vehicle into drive and flooring the gas. The '1151 roared, sluggishly accelerating under its immense weight.

"Serrew's rolling." He keyed over the radio, met with an incomprehensible noise not unlike the noise that came through Sergeant Spur's little more than a minute earlier. Brian cut the wheel around the bend, slogging through the thick snow and mud of the countryside, aiming the truck towards the mortar pits further up the line. With a quick lean, he looked over to the faceplates on both radios, not liking what he saw.

Encryption Failure-No Signal.

"Damnit!" He said to himself, rolling to a stop right next to one of the battery's empty ammo tenders. The mortar crews were standing by, waiting for a request for fire that couldn't get through. Serrew jumped out of the truck after throwing it in park, grabbing his M4 and running as fast as possible through the deep snow.

"You definitely worked yourself into a good one this time Serrew, I don't know how you manage." He panted, doing another ten meters or so before pushing his way into the mortar's command tent. He put forth his firebox numbers to the Sergeant on duty, breathing a sigh of relief as the mortars sprang to life. There, one task complete. After thanking the duty NCO, Brian pushed himself out of the tent and headed back to the truck.

"Incoming!" One of the battery crew shouted, hitting the ground a moment later. PFC Serrew dropped where he was, hearing the first mortar land about seventy five meters away. The crackle of soil following it rattled his insides, as the dirt came back down to earth. He dug himself deeper, clutching the back of his helmet and praying that none of the rounds even came close. Though used to the shelling, it never left his mind on how dangerous it still was. One of the rounds hit a large conifer on the north side of the mortar pits, cracking it straight in half and dropping it right near the exposed crews. The concussion was harsh......

After a full minute the rounds stopped falling, changing the sounds from ground shaking explosions to the shouts of non commissioned officers checking on their people.

"All clear, get those tubes back up!"

"No casualties here! We're cool!"

Brian got back on his feet, watching the mortar crews hoist their heavy rounds before opening the door to his Humvee. He cranked the engine, letting the truck run for a bit while watching the soldiers at work. Each time the tubes fired a shockwave rippled through the snow, kicking it up and shaking it off the surrounding trees. With a second look, Brian remounted the Humvee and was about to close the door when someone called his name.

"Serrew! Hold up!" The Sergeant yelled, running out from the tent after him. A map case was in his hands.

"What's up Sergeant?"

"We need the big guns to fire on the Russian artillery, but we can't raise the TOC* on our radios. We need more ammo and the new fire set. Do yours work?" The sergeant responded, gesturing to the HMMWV's twin radios.

"No Sergeant, the signal is gone. None of our radios are working."

"If we lose this battery, it's only a matter of time before they get the rest."

"I'll take it Sergeant. I'll make sure we get those guns on target."

"Thanks, we'll keep the fire up on your coordinates until the arty starts falling."

"No problem Sergeant." He answered, slamming the 450 pound door and throwing the truck into drive.

"No problem." He laughed to himself, gunning the gas and pulling out onto the gravel maintenance road. It was only seven miles to the operations command and the quickest route was across the bypass, straight over a route used by the Russians and the Americans alike. That is the route that Brian intended to take.

He maneuvered the truck through the forest, whipping through deep-rutted turns until coming to one of the many back roads that dotted the countryside. The tires whined under the abuse of the heavy truck, righting themselves as he accelerated across the slick surface. He tried the radio again, getting nothing but the harsh toned response a second time. What the hell is going on? He thought, downshifting the truck to get through some particularly deep mud. The radio crackled, distracting Serrew for a second.

"Spe......nac......priv.....tav...." A voice that was distinctly Russian came over his set, getting clearer and clearer as the transmission went on. Another Russian voice answered, drawing out their conversation as he listened to every word.

"Oh shit!" Brian gasped, leaning over and turning up the volume. It was a mistake to do, as the road came to a steep hill down to the highway below. The Humvee caught some air, slamming down on its already taxed suspension in a shower of sparks. The truck picked up speed even as Serrew hit the brakes, screeching down towards an exposed lane of autobahn. Brian braced on the steering wheel, waiting for the jump that was the shoulder. What he didn't expect was to see was a Russian UAZ fill his field of vision, swerving to avoid him at the last second. It was an effort in vain, however, as the corner of the American truck's combat bumper connected with the back quarter panel of the Russian truck. He lost sight of the vehicle as it tipped into the ditch behind him.

Serrew couldn't do anything but ride it out as the Humvee lurched, and the sinking feeling came to the pit of his stomach as he felt the lean of the truck's suspension. He steered the wheel into the lean, righting the truck as it skidded along the iced-over road. His combat bumper went the opposite direction along with everything attached, sparking across the highway and lodging itself into the axle of a Russian Ural that rounded the bend behind the UAZ.

The truck skidded across the road behind him, riding on a blanket of yellow sparks and nearly rolling over. Brian didn't have time to celebrate though, rounding the corner just in time to come head to head with the rest of a Russian convoy.

"Fucking great!" The PFC shouted, feathering the accelerator and moving to avoid a heavy Russian transport that was loaded with ammunition as it moved to hit him. Uparmored Humvee or not, that truck would blot him off the road with little effort. The radio was blaring in his ears with Russian chatter, no doubt the convoy next to him trying to head him off. Rounds lanced from the windows of the trucks, bouncing off the sides of the HMMWV as he shot past. The sledge-hammer sounds of bullets hitting the vehicle distracted him, but so far, none had done any serious damage. One of the rounds slammed into the windshield, sending spider cracks across it that partially blocked Serrew's vision.

He hit the throttle again, cutting the wheel to tap a Russian soldier shouldering an RPG as he popped out from behind one of the trucks. The man thumped under the rear tire, not passing through Serrew's mind for a second as the turnoff came into his view. He tore on towards it at full speed, not focused on anything now, not even as a T-72 towards the rear of the convoy put a round right next to the truck. Pieces of asphalt rained down from above, and another large thump made him turn to the convoy side.

A series of eight-wheeled trucks were stopped along with the rest of the convoy, tarps covering any payload that might be secured on their beds. Brian had never seen a truck that big.

As he turned the HMMWV into the forest and away from the sights of the hunting T-72, he couldn't help but question their purpose.

It was only another two miles to the farm, and the only thing that he had to listen to was the incessant Russian pouring through his radio.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

"What the hell?" Rachel wondered, stepping up onto a raised piece of earth and training her eagle eyed vision on the Russians below. The female had been tracking them through the night, fighting the ankle deep snow on top of another fresh snowstorm. The Russians had come to a clearing where trucks were waiting, rallying temporarily before beginning to upload. No doubt she'd found one of the transit points that formed part of their reinforcement nexus.

She'd keyed up her radio to update Ade, surprised when she got three beeps in quick succession.

"Ade, you there?" She whispered, checking to make sure that her push to talk pad was pressed in all the way. Everything looked to be in working order, but no response made its way back to her. She looked up at the Russians again as they began to move, headed away.

"Shit!" The Raptoress cursed, reaching down to her belly and pulling the strong clips that held the radio unit in place. She held it in her left forepaw, sliding back down into the cover of the forest. She tapped at the liquid crystal display on the front, nearly throwing the unit in frustration when she saw the satellite signal bar blinking at zero.

Now wasn't the time for radio problems...

Rachel watched as the Russians pulled away, resetting her radio and manually plugging in the frequency. The radio was still dead.

The Raptoress resecured the unit, sliding the clips back together as she moved away from the clearing. They wouldn't make it much farther with the weather the way it was, so losing them wasn't likely.

She moved farther away from the Russian turn around to a different clearing, waiting patiently for the next flyover. It was only about ten minutes before a camouflage-painted Hind helicopter came to a stop overhead and hovered, cannon swiveling and checking the area. One of the Russian Nationalist crewmembers opened the sliding side door, guiding the helicopter down into the field. Rachel watched patiently, waiting until the bird was settled before climbing in, watching the spinning blades. She squeezed in between the bench and the wall, acknowledging the nod from the crewman that slid the door back closed.

The huge helicopter lifted into the sky, both engines roaring in an effort to climb through the dense winter air. Gray skies were rolling in, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by both the crew and Rachel as a few snowflakes drifted lazily past the machine as it sped to the rally point.

"Gorka two-five, approaching forward air bypass, request priority clearance to land."

"Affirmative Gorka two-five, look for the green markers."

"Roger control, landing now."

The pilot eased the heavy helicopter down, killing the engines almost as soon as it hit the ground. A horde of mechanics rushed to the machine, pulling open access panels and immediately setting upon getting it ready to fly again. Fresh weapons slid into the racks, ready to deal against enemy positions.

The Raptoress slid out from under the idle rotors, shivering with the initial burst of cold air that blew in from the east. Swirls of snowflakes whipped across the landing zone, straight through a group of Spetsnaz officers that were crowded around a field desk. Rachel approached them with tired footsteps, watching as the men nearly lost their map to the same gust. One of them looked up, dropping what he was doing and approaching her. He wore the single star shoulder boards of major, and was at least a good four inches taller than Jay by a quick estimate.

"Good afternoon, I am called Tashkenov, commander of Nationalist forces in this area."

"I am Rachel. Pleased to meet you Major. Have you received word from any of the other elements?"

"Comrade Sergeant Redfield informed me that he will return shortly, until then you may wait in the warming tent. There is another female waiting in there for you as well."

"Thank you Major, inform me when Sergeant Redfield arrives."

"Exactly so, Comrade."

Rachel turned with a bow and walked along a row of supply trucks to the warming tent, shying away from an old diesel generator that was roaring behind the tent. The machine hurt her ears more than usual, sending pain ripping through her temples.

"Damnit." She cursed, putting as much distance between herself and the machine as possible. The pain left a headache in its wake, earning nothing but a shrug from Rachel. There were more important matters to attend to.

As the female approached the door of the tent, she felt a cold stare run down her spine. It hit almost as hard as her headache, directing her eyes farther down the landing zone. A Utahraptor watched her as she moved, making eye contact. The female picked up on the scent, picking out male overtones but not much else. To be honest, Rachel was too worried about her headache to care, but it didn't hinder her from recognizing the newcomer's coloring either.

He sure does have dark striping..... ++++++++++++++++++++++

Meryl dashed silently through the forest as fast as her legs would carry her, dodging trees left and right with smooth leaps. The sounds that she was chasing through the woods were getting more and more pronounced, now distinctly heavy diesel engines. The trucks that she had split off from Rachel to track had disappeared with a fresh wave of snow when they headed up the bypass. From the sounds of the engines, she'd fallen upon their trail once again.

The Raptoress crested the ridge that lined the forest road, taking in several deep breaths to calm her breathing. A quick survey of the forces laid out before her caused her to go to ground immediately. The squat silhouette of a T-90 battle tank was sitting off the road to her twelve o'clock, thermal sight stalking the treeline around their position no doubt in an effort to ward off Meryl's kind. Though her thermal signature was confusing to the sight's software, Meryl didn't like taking the unnecessary risk. After all, it did happen sometimes that the Russians developed a new technique to hunt her.

She popped her head up slowly, with the finesse that only a Utahraptor could manage. Her eyes saw through the phoniness of the camouflage nets that were draped over a set of eight-wheeled trucks. The vehicles caught Meryl's eye, not common at all for this area, more so ones that didn't have the multiple rocket systems on the back. These trucks had a strange metal frame instead for the purpose that she didn't understand. Russian voices drifted into her ears, and a frantic flurry of activity sprung out around the vehicles.

What are they doing? She though, watching as the camouflage netting was torn off of the bigger transport trucks. Meryl caught a glimpse of a large cylindrical missile sitting along the wire frame she observed earlier. Her ears picked up the whirring of hydraulic pumps as the launcher rose, bringing the missile slowly erect.

"Shit."

What the hell was it? Scram, scrap, skull..... Meryl couldn't remember the name of them. Jay would surely know.

Meryl looked at the watch attached to her wrist and let forth a mental curse.

1. It would be getting dark soon.

"Hello Jay?" She called quietly over the radio, getting a strange beep in return. A quick once-over revealed nothing wrong. The flex antenna that was strung through the loops of her armor was intact, as well as all the wires for the touch pad. Perhaps he was just out of earshot.

"Any element this net, radio check."

Nothing.

"Fuck." Meryl mouthed a very human curse, immediately worried that something bad had happened. Whatever these missiles were doing out there, it would have to wait until she found her Guardian. She had neither the ability nor the firepower to deal with them herself.

She turned and resumed her breakneck pace, sliding down drifts of deep snow and launching over fallen trees in her haste. The cold air and blowing snow weren't helping in the slightest, and with each step a jolt of pain shot from her sides and lungs. The Raptoress couldn't afford to slow down, not now. With no one on the other end of her radio, it was imperative that she reached the nationalist staging area with all available haste. A scent hit her nostrils all of a sudden, bringing the female to a sliding halt.

She knew that scent, even if she didn't recognize it. It was a Utahraptor, but the little indicators were off of any that she knew to be operating in the area. Subtle hints of high-octane fuel were all that she could manage to identify off of the main odor. Alarm bells started ringing in her head even before she finished analyzing the scent.

Even Durin's group, sweeping southeast from Sonnet, shouldn't be this far east....

Meryl paused for only a few seconds longer before pushing again, losing the scent amidst thousands of others. More importantly, those trucks or the missiles on their backs weren't going to stick around forever.

++++++++++++++++++++++

Serrew slid to a stop right outside the command barn about twenty minutes after he turned onto the road to the farm, killing the humvee's stuttering engine and jumping out. Map case in hand, he pushed through the door and into the middle of a flurry of activity. Soldiers of all ranks ran to and fro, doing whatever it was TOC people were supposed to do in the event of a major breakthrough.

"Can I help you soldier?" A Colonel asked from across the room, dropping the radio that he was fiddling with and stepping over.

"Sir, the mortar battery needs counter battery artillery else they'll be destroyed. They sent me up here to send some ammo up their way as well, along with the new fires. Both my unit and the battery radios are not working."

"Our radios aren't working either, we've had nothing on the net for the past hour. I'll get our battery on those Russian guns"

"Sir, I blew past a Russian convoy right on the bypass at the bottom of the road. They were headed north at a pretty good speed. They had some strange eight wheeled trucks with them that I've never seen before. That, and I've been picking up what sounds like Russian on my truck's radio."

The Colonel did a quick double take at the last part of Brian's statement.

"You said you're hearing Russian on your radios? Show me!" He ordered, grabbing his M4 and following Serrew out of the tent. They ran to the Humvee, yanking open the doors and grabbing a headset each. A few moments of listening to the radio and the Colonel had heard enough. He stepped out of the truck, thinking for a moment.

"Sir? What is it?" Serrew asked, fresh snow starting to fall around them.

"Your radio is picking up unencrypted Russian tactical data in real time. This truck needs to stay here, I need to get someone to gather as much information before their next encryption change."

"It's not going anywhere Sir." He put forth, motioning to the bullet holes that littered the hood. A pool of oil and antifreeze was forming beneath the engine, and the left rear tire was deflating with an audible hiss.

"What is your security clearance PFC?"

"Temporary top secret Sir." Serrew answered, confused as to why he would want to know.

"Good, you're coming with me. I'll make sure someone goes to reinforce and inform your unit."

"Very well Sir." Brian said with a bit of apprehension. He resented the TOC types, and he sure as hell didn't want to be trapped here when there was fighting to be done.

"My name is Frank Estes."

"Brian Serrew Colonel." He offered his hand, getting a shake in return.

"Pleased to meet you. If you want to go inside and wait for me in the back, there is hot coffee and some chow. Eat up, it's going to be a long night."

"Yes sir."

What did he mean by that?

"Please, Frank." The Colonel disappeared behind the barn, leaving Serrew to take him up on his offer of chow.

It wasn't until his stomach was full that Brian sat down, leaning against the side of the barn and closing his eyes. Footsteps and a heavy breath echoed in his left ear, but the soldier was too tired to notice. He didn't even know that he had fallen asleep until the colonel kicked the bottom of his boot.

"Good morning."

"I apologize Sir." He offered, jumping to his feet and grabbing his rifle. He noticed that it was dark outside. Had he really slept that long?

"Don't apologize. You're the only person here that's doing anything that resembles intelligence."

"What do you mean Sir?"

"C'mon, I'll explain on the way. Do you have an FMTV license?"

"No Sir."

"You do now, and stop with the sir shit unless we're around other soldiers."

"Okay." Brian laughed quietly, following the Colonel out to an idling FMTV truck and jumping into the driver's seat. Frank jumped into the passenger seat, giving a quick shiver when the heat hit his skin.

"Take us out to the bypass and turn left, head north and take the ramp to Württemberg."

"So Colonel, where are we headed?"

"Well Brian, I'm sure you've noticed that the radio situation is effecting more than just your unit and the artillery battery. A runner came in from Army Group Europe*, the military communications net is down all over the theatre. Whatever the Russians did, it completely shut down the military communications network headquarters back in the states too, so we can't put any emergency measures in place. We don't even have an uplink through computer. Ivan is hitting us with a complete communications blackout."

"Complete? Is that even possible?"

"We had fail safe plans in place, but apparently, they managed to find a loophole. Everything that the military relies on post-OIF* needs an update from the central satellite system. They think that the Russians destroyed our satellites with hunter killers when they were in the middle of this update. They also think that the update killed the installers that are built into the radios, meaning they can't send them a new update. The three primary nodes that handle our communication have been taken off line as well."

"Sounds like the Russians are going to launch another offensive." Serrew though aloud, turning onto the bypass and accelerating across it. He noted the fresh tire tracks on it uneasily, knowing that they could belong to either side.

"That's what command thinks. So, because of this, we're going out to link up with some of my troops that can find out what they're planning."

"So why did you need me Colonel?"

"Any soldier that will drive through one of the hottest areas of the theatre to call for fire with no radio and no backup is worth keeping around. Besides, with the Russian Army coming apart at the seams, I need someone with some motivation"

"Thank you Sir."

"No problem. Just be prepared to be shocked. Some of these soldiers are definitely not normal."

"Not normal?"

"Or should I say not human." Colonel Estes laughed, indicating to the ramp approaching ahead. It was then that Serrew noticed the troop heater in the back was activated.

"Not human? What, like ninja turtles not human?" Brian asked, more confused than anything.

"No, I was thinking more along the lines of Jurassic Park." ++++++++++++++++++++++++

Meryl arrived in the Nationalist camp a half hour after the skies darkened, meeting up with Rachel and Ade. They had both reported radio problems, which helped ease Meryl's anxiety. It disappeared entirely when Jay came in, dragging his gear behind him and holding a spirited conversation with Revedov and Major Tashkenov. His eyes met hers as he walked, hovering on them for a moment before he turned. Meryl waited until they were safely under the tent and in front of a map before she began her report.

"We've got a problem."

"What is it?" Jay questioned, worry plastered all over his voice. If his Raptoress was worried, there was definitely a problem.

"I ran across a gathering of Russian trucks with missiles on their backs. They looked like they were getting ready to launch. Right here." Meryl offered, clicking a claw on the map in the exact location.

"Missiles on the back, like anti-aircraft?" Jay asked her, shooting a glance at Revedov before looking back to her.

"No, like a full sized ground launch vehicle with an upward launching missile. I cannot remember the name of them."

"Perhaps one of these?" Revedov asked, drawing a rough wedge-shaped armored vehicle with a missile on the back.

"No, this one was an eight-wheeled truck."

Revedov thought for a moment before sketching another rough with his pen.

"Yeah, that's it." Meryl confirmed, tapping a claw on the upright missile.

"An R-17. Your military calls it the Scud."

"What do we have to worry about? Aren't Scud missiles wildly inaccurate?" Ade asked from across the table.

"Any Scud that Nymev has in his inventory is a Scud D or a new Scud E. These missiles are accurate to within fifty meters of their target. As far as I know, the United States lists these missiles as 'not in service'. Well, let me assure you, they're in service, and accurate." Revedov corrected, lowering the collective mood by a few points.

"Whatever it is, Nymev is sure to be up to no good." Rachel piped in, studying the map. If anyone was going to guide them, it would have to be her. Meryl, while familiar with the area, wasn't up to speed on every little detail.

"Look here, if those scuds are right where Meryl said they are, they're well within range of our primary airstrips here at Ramstein, and our main rough airstrip here, and here. Not to mention, headquarters for Ground Forces Europe and all of their support areas."

"Can we send the helicopters after them?" Jay asked Revedov, relying on his operational knowledge on Russian equipment. The radio situation still could not be figured out, and for the time being, the only thing that they could count on was the Russian's equipment.

"The snowstorm is getting worse Sergeant, I do not think that the Gorbaches* will be able to fly much longer."

"Looks like it's settled then, we're going in on foot to destroy those launchers." Jay decided after a moment of thought, not thrilled with the idea. The last thing he wanted to do was take the pack out again in bad weather.

A Russian soldier burst through the tent flaps with no reserve, interrupting their meeting. He spoke in fast Russian to Revedov, who answered equally as fast. After a brief exchange, the soldier saluted and disappeared.

"The Nationalists just lost a Gorbach in grid 15-63. They were observing strange ground activity over thermals when contact was broken."

"Well, that's our grid. It looks like we'd better get moving. Rachel, Dave is waiting by the helicopters. Go snatch him up and meet us over by the ammo dump in ten minutes. Jordan and Jericho won't be back for another hour or so, so we'll have to leave without them. Get your shit and be ready to go. We're going to swing by the crash on our way out and grab the hard drives."

Everyone in the tent split up in different directions, going about their pre-mission rituals as if the coming task was going to be smooth and easy. Jay sat down in the corner and thought, not liking the situation that they were about to get involved in. It was an easy enough concept, but they'd be going in dark with no radio communication and no air support. The Scuds were another question all together, especially considering Nymev had his finger on the trigger. He knew, just as everyone else did, that those missiles could go Nuclear. He also didn't put it past Nymev to arm them as such.

"Oh well Jay Redfield, it's time to go at it again." The NCO said to no one, pulling himself up to his feet and grabbing his rifle. He was getting awfully tired.... +++++++++++++++++++ MSR Michigan, Baghdad, Iraq August 2008

"Shirehorse two-one, this is Baton Charlie on theater net. Be advised of red roads at fifty-one to fifty four due to high IED threat and amber medevac due to dust." The radio droned, filling Jay Redfield's ears with the disembodied voice that came along every few checkpoints.

On this side of Baghdad, the road was almost always red, so the news didn't come as a surprise to him. In truth, PFC Redfield was used to running this particular route, and it was on a rare day that the route status was any different.

"Let's go to Kadamiyah." His TC laughed from the other side of the truck, indicating at one of the bullet riddled highway signs that pointed off the ramp to their right.

"Let's not!" The gunner yelled down from his turret, tilting the joystick ever so slightly to spin. Jay didn't envy him one bit, sitting up above the M1151's air conditioned crew compartment in the burning summer sun. The temperature was 126 degrees at high noon, threatening to overheat the Humvees even with their engine cooling fans working overtime.

"I'm perfectly happy on this stretch right here. It's bad enough battalion is making us push during the day." Redfield laughed, watching as plumes of trash and oil fire smoke rose in the distance, black as coal as they drifted skyward on the wind. The entire city reeked of the pungent odor, which was thick enough in some parts to make the entire crew crinkle their noses in disgust. No matter what they did, it was nearly impossible for them to block it out.

To go along with the smoke, trash was strewn as far as the eye could see on either side of the road, providing an infinite number of places where a deadly roadside bomb could be hidden. So far, Jay and his convoy had been lucky, moving at just the right times of day or night to avoid everything but sporadic small arms fire, which was of little threat to the heavy uparmored trucks.

"Hey Gat, this is Horse, we've got a lot of civilian traffic stopped up here, but it looks like we can get around on the left."

"Roger Gat, go for it." The truck commander of Redfield's vehicle answered back, clicking the map forward on his in-truck computer system. He wasn't watching the road...

Jay watched as the ground next to the Humvee in front of him seemed to vaporize, dust and dirt moving in slow motion in a cloud that seemed to envelop the entire truck around them. The sun was blotted out by huge chunks of asphalt torn from the ground, pieces that seemed to hover in front of him as everything froze.

Redfield didn't hear the IED that hit his truck. Everything inside went black with dust that blotted out the sun, and the engine died with a painful shudder. The computer opposite him shorted in a shower of sparks that set off the halon system a second later, filling the cab with white fire retardant. Redfield's vision faded in and out, everything around him happening in silent panic.

It wasn't clear to him what was happening until that dreadful shriek came over a hotkeyed radio....

"Redfield!" Revedov called, pointing his entire hand in the direction in front of Jay. Redfield shook the image from his head and moved forward a few feet.

"I see the helicopter now; it's directly to the twelve." Jay whispered, seeing the flames through the trees. Revedov was directly over Redfield's shoulder, peeking through the scope of an acquired SVDS sniper rifle for confirmation.

The American NCO slid out of the snow with his M4 up, moving slowly towards the wreck. He could see Meryl and Rachel over the brim of his helmet, visually making sure that they were watching him as well as the crashed chopper. The red dot on Jay's M4's CCO* traced slowly back and forth, looking for any signs of opposition.

Jay continued forward, coming to the gnarled remains of a trail of trees that were disturbed by the helicopter's remains. They were still smoldering from the gunship's violent reentry, and Jay was only a tad apprehensive to approach the wreck upon smelling the chopper's high octane aviation fuel. A huge stain surrounded the wreck from the ruptured tanks, dangerously close to the sparking remains.

"Meryl, stay back!" He ordered the female as she crept to the edge of the crash site. She gave him a quick nod and slipped away silently. Jay turned to Revedov, motioning for him to keep an eye to the east. The Russian Colonel gave him the thumbs up, moving from his covering position to one behind Ade. She threw him a quick glance before getting up a good spotting position for Revedov. Rachel and Dave took up rear security.

Jay turned back to the wreck, letting his M4 fall to its slung position and wrenching open the door to the crew compartment. It squealed on twisted hinges, but slid open nonetheless. He noticed right off that the gunship's data box was missing, as was the crew. Not a single sign of blood was in the cabin, and upon further inspection, the rifle racks were empty as well. The NCO popped his head out and made eye contact with Revedov, who gave him a questioning gesture. Footprints lead in all directions from the helicopter, so Rachel would have to do the tracking if they were to be found.

Fucking radios....

"They're not here!" He whispered loudly, giving the universal 'I don't know' with an upraised palm at Revedov's confusion.

Jay was about to ask him a question when he caught the snap of Meryl's head from his right hand side. Ade caught wind a moment later as a gust rattled the tops of the trees, looking off in the same direction. Redfield looked out through the cracked bubble of the cockpit, not able to see anything. He jumped as Meryl's easily identifiable, ear-splitting roar echoed through the helicopter's fuselage.

"Redfield! Company!" Revedov shouted, three heavy claps from his Dragunov echoing through the forest. Rifle fire answered almost immediately. Redfield hopped out of the helicopter, bringing his M4 to bear on the muzzle flashes coming from the woods to the east. He pulled his trigger in rapid succession, watching the dot in his aimpoint jump with each buck of the rifle.

"Revedov, move everyone across!" Jay yelled over the roar of gunfire, pumping his fist up and down. He produced two grenades from their pouches on his vest and snapped the pins with his thumbs, giving them a solid overhand toss right over top of the wreck. They exploded with ground shaking concussions, forcing an audible lull in the fire pouring down from the Russian troops.

Meryl moved ahead of the pack, clearing the small opening in the trees with a single leap. She landed on the tail boom of the Russian helicopter only for a brief moment before launching herself on coiled leg muscles into the hostile side of the woods. Jay's female caught a tree with her claws in midair and launched off of it, coming down right in front of a soldier wielding an RPK machine gun. Meryl grabbed him with her forepaws and scythed him with a killing claw, staining dirty snow overwhites with hot red blood. She ran low towards another soldier, taking a near miss as he turned and put a round past her head. The soldier turned to late to flee, trying to get away from the monster on his heels, falling into the deep snow almost as soon as he did so. Her full weight contacted him a moment later, crushing his chest under her immense weight. She didn't bother to put him out of his misery.

A loud boom rocked the very ground on which she stood, nearly making her loose her footing. It was unlike any sound that she'd ever heard before, not so much that it was an explosion, but that a loud whooshing roar followed it. The earth trembled even harder, and a glow lit the treetops to the east. Meryl watched, frozen in place, as a giant triangle of flame came out of the horizon and shot skywards. The female could just make out the black missile at the end of the flame.

"One of the scuds just went up!" Jay yelled as he ran up behind her, blowing past at a full on run. Meryl snapped out of her frozen state and followed close behind, watching her guardian leap over deep mounds of snow.

"Yeah, I see it." She shouted as four more identical booms rocked what snow remained in the treetops down to the forest floor. She shook her snout free as a giant ball of the white powder scored a direct hit on her nose . "There's the others!" Two more booms like the others then silence.

"That's six! Get a move on!" Redfield shouted, tripping into a snowdrift and picking himself up without even slowing. Meryl looked to her left and right, not detecting any more Russian troops in the vicinity. No security meant two things. Either they were falling into an ambush, or the soldiers were already gone.

Meryl didn't have time to warn Jay of either possibility before they ran out of woods. A sudden decline sent Jay into a rolling tumble, weapon bouncing to and fro on its dummy cord. Meryl tried to stop but couldn't, sliding over the edge and following after her Guardian in a hissing jumble of feet, tail, and claws. Redfield landed on his back on flat ground, unhurt save for cold snow filling the space between his body and his armor. Meryl, however, was still falling towards him, unable to change her direction of movement no matter how hard she tried. Jay, not fast enough to get on his feet in full armor, instead went face down and crawled, trying to put as much distance between the two of them. Meryl landed right where he had been with an audible thud, looking at him with a dumb expression plastered on her face. The two didn't have time to laugh however, getting back on their feet as quick as possible and fanning out in opposite directions. Jay couldn't deny the fact that she weighed over a thousand pounds and would've squashed him like a bug.

"Clear!" They called almost in unison as they checked their corner of the space, not really able to see a ton of detail due to the weather. The pair didn't have to look for the others, as they'd already moved ahead to check the opposite treeline for interlopers just as they always did. Jay and Meryl met in the center, walking forward and studying the multitude of tracks and ruts from heavy vehicles that had exited the area with all available haste. The heavy snowfall threatened to cover up everything in the near total darkness, but dim blue lights from the human's flashlights helped to identify anything that may help them with their search before it disappeared into the darkness.

Redfield bent down in the center of a trailer-sized black spot, feeling the earth that was blackened from the heat of the Scud launch. Deep ruts where the trucks had made their escape led down a small road, no doubt headed for one of the three main roads that ran through the AO. Redfield waited for Rachel to come to him in the middle of the clearing, turning away as a harsh gust of wind whipped snow around his boots and praying in the meantime that they'd found something. It had only taken them six minutes or so to reach that spot....where had they gone?

"We found where the other launchers were, there is another clearing adjacent to this one. Their tracks disappear onto the highway, the snow is drifting so bad there that they're already gone. There are a ton of footprints throughout the woods all around here, but no sign of the soldiers that left them. "

"That's just fucking great! You're telling me they disappeared?" Jay exclaimed, taking in her subtle nod. The NCO cursed again, dropping his M4 on the sling and rubbing his eyes with a gloved hand. All of the effort that was just expended and he had nothing to show for it...

"If we could get someplace where we could look down on the highway, we might be able to spot them when they come back. I don't think Nymev is going to waste another opportunity like this to launch in foul weather. He's not dumb enough to launch from the same place, but he's going to need someplace close so that they can make their escape."

"Do you know of any places where we could observe the highway without putting ourselves at unnecessary risk?"

"I only know one that is suitable for our needs. The Chateau."

"Are you one hundred percent positive?"

"Yes." She answered resolutely, clawing the ground with her toes. Not one of them wanted to go back to that dreadful place. Redfield watched as Rachel turned and began her perimeter sweep again, more dedicated than ever to find something rather than have to return to the house on the hill. From what he could tell, she was not successful.

"Jay, check this out." Meryl called him over, crouched behind some logs that shielded her from the wind of the clearing. She poked at several footprints with a forepaw, tracing the three toed steps of a Utahraptor with a single claw.

"That's odd." Jay whispered, digging through his head to remember the ones that they had found at the beginning of the month. It was too far away for him to remember specifics.

"This isn't Rachel or Ade or even Jericho for that matter. This Utahraptor puts all of its weight on the heels of its feet, contrary to how our pack does. I haven't seen any other that's done it either."

"Should I be worried?" Jay asked her quietly, watching as Ade and Rachel met in the clearing to his left and watched the two talk. They looked concerned as well.

"I would be."

"Why?"

"The Utahraptor that made these tracks wasn't wearing armor. I couldn't imagine putting all of my weight on my heels with the armor on. I could do it, but it wouldn't make as much sense as spreading it evenly on my whole foot. I wouldn't be able to move."

"One of ours with no armor? Maybe Durin's group?"

"I don't think so. Durin's group is further north. Remember when you found those tracks a while ago around where those soldiers were slaughtered, suggesting that the Russians may have Utahraptors? Well, First the Scuds and now this? I'd be very worried."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I never wanted to step foot in this place again as long as I lived." Meryl spoke quietly as they entered through the doors of the Chateau, treating the building as a tomb instead of a spot to rest overnight.

Since their fateful encounter, RSHCOM had taken over the Chateau's operation, retrofitting it into a place for the packs to stage themselves for attacks deeper into Russian territory. It was well protected now, with remote gun systems and trip sensors strewn about in a gauntlet of security that killed indiscriminately and didn't ask questions. A jumpstart antenna was emplaced on the roof as well, but it was sitting useless with the communications blackout. The only thing that the transmitter had done was sent a message update to the non-functional Utahraptor radio packs in text form, which read:

-THERMOBARIC MISSILE STRIKES ON RAMSTEIN-AIRSTRIP DESTROYED- EXPECT NO AIR SUPPORT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE-SCUDS TO BE DESTROYED AT ALL COSTS- DAMAGE TO CIVILIAN SECTORS IMMENSE-

They stood in the entrance, looking around without the curiosity that they'd had the first time. The spot to the left of the door where Richter had met his demise was blocked off from the main corridor by a stack of ammo boxes covered in caution tape that had long since been cut away. A doorway of sorts allowed access to the sitting room, which, after a moment of hesitation, Meryl and Jay entered.

The spot where the German had fallen had been cleaned, but the floor was permanently marked by the scratches that Meryl, Jericho, and Rachel had left as a temporary remembrance. Other visiting Utahraptors had left their mark overtop of it, for they too had lost a pack member there. The sight of the impromptu memorial moved Jay nearly to the point of tears.

"I miss Richter." Meryl whispered before moving away, walking through the sitting room one last time before moving back to her Guardian. They exited back into the hallway silently, not looking back on the spot where Richter had lay broken and bloodied. She spoke nothing of Aud.

"Looks like we have the house to ourselves." Ade commented, making her way up the stairs carefully, lest she fall all the way back down. Revedov was close behind her, then Rachel and Dave.

"Make yourselves at home in the room to the left at the top of the Stairs. Meryl and I will be in the room to the right. The overwatch shift will take the third floor with the Jumpstart, it's cold, but it's high. Make sure you take enough blankets up with you." Jay muttered, climbing the stairs behind them and disappearing to the right. Meryl disappeared after him, giving a fleeting glance to the other two pairs as they likewise entered their room. It was only a moment before Rachel and Dave came back out to take the first watch on the highway, plenty of perfectly folded blankets in hand. From there, it would be another four hours before Ade and Revedov went up, then Meryl and Jay.

They quietly entered the room, with Meryl shutting the door behind and looking around in the very place they had made love on that fateful night. The pillows were still there, as most of the packs that traversed the chateau preferred the basement or the unblocked portion of the first floor. Meryl watched as Jay silently dropped his gear in the corner. It fell with heavy thuds, uncharacteristic for her Guardian.

Something was up.

"Jay?"

Redfield turned to look at Meryl, taking in the image of her big amber eyes pleading with him to talk. Talking is something he hadn't done much of with her as of late. His fear seemed to open a black hole in front of him that threatened to suck him in at any moment, preventing him from opening up to her. Still, she shouldn't worry about him.....

"Yes Meryl?" He asked, rearranging a nest of pillows to make them more comfortable. The NCO didn't even bother to look up as he spoke.

"What is the matter? You seem to not be yourself." She asked, stepping closer to him.

"I'm okay, just tired."

Meryl sniffed quietly.

"Why do you feel it necessary to lie to me?" She questioned, staring holes through Jay with her gaze.

"Meryl, please."

"Your pheromones betray you Jay. You should know that by now. Why do you distrust me with what is going on in your life? What have I done to earn such treatment?" The Raptoress questioned, voice wavering like someone whom was on the verge of tears. The truth be told, she was teetering centimeters from losing her composure.

"It's none of your goddamn business!" Jay exploded, throwing the bag he had begun rifling through to the floor and storming away from the female. He instantly regretted what he said when he watched Meryl fall into the mass of bedding. Tears streamed down the side of her snout, and a piercing whine uttered from deep within her that instantly brought Jay back to reality. What had he just done?

"Meryl, I......I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it." Jay cried, running to Meryl and dropping to his knees. He wrapped his arms around her neck, tears welling up in his own eyes as he listened to her cries.

"I swear Meryl, lest my life end right now."

She turned and nuzzled him, still sobbing and shuddering violently as she looked him in the eye.

"I promise you my love, I didn't mean it."

"So what's bothering you? Don't lie to me Jay Redfield. If you're going to lie, then kill me right here where I lay and spare us both the trouble." Meryl snarled, angry tones mixing in with her upset moans.

"I've been seeing things lately. Things from the past.....I cannot get my thoughts in check because of them."

Meryl looked at him through tear streaked eyes, an image that caused him to melt.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't be a better Guardian to you. The last week or so I've treated you terribly."

"No you have not."

"I haven't treated you like someone that I love, and that is simply not acceptable. It is my own fault and for it I have wronged you."

"Jay, we're all wrong sometimes you know."

"That is not an excuse for me to abandon you to the wolves."

"Jayson Redfield, look at me. I love you. I am your friend and your lover, and we both know that not everything in the world is perfect one hundred percent of the time. This is true especially of us, as we aren't even the same species sharing the same bed. No matter what happens between us, no matter what you say to me, I will always love you. Even in death, I will still love you. I would expect nothing less from you in return for my life and love."

"Nothing less shall be delivered." Jay whispered into her ear, gripping her neck tightly in his arms. He felt her breathing return somewhat to normalcy, though tears still flowed intermittently. Redfield could smell the sweet cinnamon of her arousal through their embrace, though he didn't mention anything about his own. He knew she already smelled his...

"Jay, when we get away from this accursed place, you are in for one hell of a ride." "Don't think you're getting away easy either." Jay laughed as he closed his eyes, listening contently to Meryl's light breathing as he drifted off into a much needed sleep. Dreams flashed through his consciousness, painting their pictures in a variety of colors and sounds that confused him more often than not.

The handmic still shrieked.......

"I see you've done alright for yourself Redfield." Sergeant Even spoke over the noise and confusion of the IED strike. Everything seemed to be happening silently in the background without Jay's participation. Bullets were flying back and forth between buildings, RPGs sailed between the trucks, all as if a part of an old fashioned movie.

"I try Sergeant." Jay responded, looking his former squad leader in his deep green eyes. Even laughed and walked towards the truck, motioning Redfield along. They walked through the firefight, which was still banging away on mute. They paused at the TC Side of the Humvee that had been hit with the IED. The sound of the shrieking handmic rose above everything again until it dominated Jay's ears, forcing him to throw his hands over them in an effort to block out the sound. The hole that the explosively formed penetrator had punched through the side of the truck and shattered the bodies of the crew filled his vision as he collapsed to his knees, but it was quickly blocked by the body of Sergeant Even.

This wasn't right, he was supposed to be in that Humvee!

"Redfield, you've got a job to do. Be bothered not by these images anymore." He smiled, the entire scene fading to black around them. The NCO placed his hand over Redfield's eyes.

"It shall be done." Jay whispered before a light touch jarred him out of his sleep.

"Jay! Wake up!" Ade shouted, startling both Jay and Meryl out of their mutual sleep. She was panting hard, barely able to speak. The sky was light outside, but the snow that was falling was blinding.

"What is it?" He yawned, climbing to his feet and looking her directly in her eyes.

"We just spotted three launch vehicles moving down the bypass with thermals, they've got four other trucks with them."

"Okay, let's go! Take only weapons and body armor and leave the rucks here. Meet downstairs in five minutes!" Ade nodded and stepped out in a hurry. Jay instructed, jumping up and throwing on his equipment. As he gave his body armor a reassuring tug to ensure its snugness, Meryl nodded her readiness.

"Let's go get these bastards."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Let's just get this done and get back, I'm freezing." One of the Russian soldiers exclaimed as he stuck his hands into his pockets, watching the pressure gauges on the fueler as they pumped the liquid nitrogen and pressurized kerosene necessary for the missile's flight. The dawn had only brought them a day grayed out by blinding snowfall, which wasn't too much different from night as they struggled to get the missile fully fueled. Already they were forty five minutes behind schedule.

"Well, if those pigfuckers in the rear would have done it correctly the first time, we wouldn't be stuck out here right now." The Sergeant exclaimed, lighting his cigarette next to the vehicle despite the numerous painted no smoking warnings. When the two corporals looked at him, he merely shrugged it off.

"It's Christmas Eve, I'm freezing my ass off, and we're in the middle of hostile territory. If I'm going to die now, I'm going to enjoy this cigarette first."

Not a second after the Russian NCO made his comment, a rifle round tore out of left field and smacked him in the side of the head, throwing him directly on top of the fuel hoses and pulling them out of their sockets. The cigarette that he had been smoking landed directly on top of them, igniting the fuel vapors instantly.

Two hundred meters away, Jay watched the man take the round to the head through the thermal scope, breathing a sigh of relief that the zero that had been made two weeks prior had held through. He noticed a small speck of heat fall from the man's lips a moment later, and realized the severity of the events about to take place.

"Everybody down!" He yelled as a blinding white flash of light erupted from the two trucks. The entire ground shook with the force of the boom, and both the tanker and Scud launch truck disintegrated. Fuel rained down around them in burning pools, miraculously missing them by mere inches. Jay looked over the log he was hiding behind, seeing the missile fall sideways and crash to the ground with a second large explosion. Thank God the warhead charge held...

"Holy shit Jay, bring down the whole fucking country why don't you!" Dave yelled as chunks of the rocket rained down, imbedding themselves in the log they used as cover. Unfortunately the Russians had gotten smart and parked the other two farther down the meadow, so they were out of range of the first explosion and the exploding fuel. Their infantry reacted like a swarm of angry hornets to the signal, putting themselves between the pack and the launch vehicles. They fanned out along the edge of the woodline and broke into a run, closing the distance between the RSH team and themselves.

"They're pushing on us! Kill them all!" Redfield yelled, raising his M4 into the face of fifteen angry Kalashnikovs. Both sides paused for a moment before opening fire, looking for one last moment at the people that they were trying to kill. Jay squeezed his trigger as the cross reticule on the thermals crossed over one of the Russian's chests, riding the recoil back as his first round left the chamber. The NCO could make out the spray as the 5.56 impacted just below the man's chin, ripping a hole through his neck.

The Utahraptors roared in unison, running along the flanks of the Russian soldiers. Instead of shirking in fear, they turned and opened fire with a massive volley of bullets. RPKs ripped on full automatic, and AN-94s stuttered in the same. Green tracers flew into both ground and sky, but the three Utahraptors ran in undaunted, catching one soldier that couldn't see them coming by surprise and literally taking off his head as they passed. Jay, Revedov, and Dave were up and moving with suppressing fire, dropping two of the soldiers as six more moved in from the opposite flank of the meadow. The three humans turned to meet them, confident that their partners had things well in check.

Well in check was the definition of the situation in Meryl's mind even as a rifle round slammed into her front armor plate. She towered over the offending soldier and slashed with both her forepaws in a downward motion, splitting him from head to groin. The man's spasming body was thrown aside as the efficient female moved on to the next soldier, ripping out his spine with her bone-crushing teeth. The rush of the hunt ran through her veins, and the sensation of warm blood on her claws kept her fighting for more. The powerful Raptoress didn't bat an eye as her packmate Rachel landed atop another Russian with athletic grace, tearing his body armor off with savage throws of her head. She delivered a killing blow directly to his chest, tossing the torn scraps of his armor aside. Ade had another soldier in her jaws, flopping him about like a rag doll and breaking his neck. A roar of victory resonated throughout the meadow, in a pitch that was distinctly Meryl's. As her call faded, Meryl finished a Russian soldier that was trying to crawl away with her killing claws, listening as his life died away in the strong wind. She pulled away from his body as a few more shots rang out from their flanks, then silence as a round went through the last Russian's skull courtesy of Revedov's SVD.

"Move on the TELs!" Jay yelled, getting up from cover before the last soldier even had time to hit the ground. The Tower Erected Launchers would fall easy enough with no security. His M4 was up and at the ready, while Dave moved up on the left, near to where Meryl, Ade, and Rachel made up the point of their formation. Revedov remained behind, tracing the triangle reticle over the silhouettes of the two launchers as they prepped to fire. A lone soldier peeked out from behind the missile itself, only to take a round through the throat by the quick-reacting Colonel. The rest of his crew remained inside the truck where bullets could not reach them, and Jay was about to give them the chance to surrender when the klaxon alarm attached to the launcher rang in a high-pitched tone. To Jay, that forfeited their right to the courtesy.

The whine of the missile preparing to launch pierced everyone's ears, and Jay wasn't about to let it get off the ground. Revedov approached from his position, killing another Russian that dared to come out of the second Scud TEL as he moved. Jay waved him off.

"Everyone get clear, I'll take care of this!" Redfield shouted, indicating to the woods to their west. Unquestioningly, the pack followed his order, increasing the distance with all available speed. Jay caught Meryl's eyes as she retreated, filled with worry. She didn't like leaving him behind when there was still work to be done.

Sergeant Redfield reached into the particular pouch on his body armor where he kept his oddments, such as the two half-bricks of plastic explosive that he produced shortly after. They were already prepped, save for the blasting cap, which was easy enough to prime as soon as he unsealed it from the vial in which it was stored. He punched in a few numbers on the digital clock face, a homemade initiator that he had felt necessary to rig onto the package. He looked through the round porthole on the door to the firing controls and saw the terrified faces of the crew aboard, gesturing with the brick of plastic explosive for them to see before sticking it to the porthole. He waved goodbye and turned away, grabbing up the rifle of the fallen soldier and making sure it found its way into the door handle of the Ural command parked not far away. The crew banged frantically on the door as Jay placed his second charge on the fuel tank of the second Tower Erected Launcher, breaking into a full out run as the missiles started to hiss. The fuel was being primed for ignition.

"C'mon Jay!" Dave yelled from the treeline, motioning to him as he ran. Redfield gestured with his hands in a matter that Stear didn't understand until it was too late. The Scud launchers and support trucks detonated just as the rockets ignited for liftoff, sending a shockwave so powerful and an explosion so large that the entire forest flashed white. Jay was knocked off of his feet and propelled forward nearly fifteen meters, landing upside down in the trench where the rest of the pack took cover. The first Scud missile fell off of its TEL, hitting the ground and unleashing a massive secondary explosion.

The second Scud, however, ignited its fuel and launched from the rack in which it was held with more-violent-than-normal speed, flying through the air for a few seconds before imbedding itself in the middle of the meadow nose down. The charred black carcass teetered where it was, but remained there, thankfully not detonating. The second TEL was obliterated by the explosion of the fallen missile, much to the pack's satisfaction. Jay recovered just in time to see the support trucks that had carried the troops become fully engulfed in flames. The rest of the pack joined Stear and Redfield in the ditch, watching as the flames burned high into the sky.

"Most impressive display Sergeant Redfield." Revedov commented, sliding a fresh magazine into the well of the SVD. He watched the missiles burn, close to Ade's side.

" I won't be able to hear for days." Dave laughed, still on the adrenaline high of combat.

Redfield pointed at the twisted remains of the second scud, buried in the frozen ground nose-first like a failed firework.

"You think I should call EOD* for that?"

" Depends if you want to ruin their day or not." Stear answered, shrugging his shoulders in mock apathy. The warhead on that thing could level quite a few city blocks, let alone any puny piece of disposal equipment that they'd bring out to poke at it.

"Now, If only I had a working radio."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The pack didn't get back to the Chateau until late that night, going back to the places that they had accompanied just hours before dawn. The wait for EOD had taken the entirety of the day once Stear had walked down to the highway and collected a route clearance team, only to wait as the explosive ordinance specialists checked each of the Scud warheads one by one. They had decided to blow them in place, a process that would take more time to ensure the complete destruction of the warhead, so EOD had let them leave. Despite no rest the night before, Ade and Revedov volunteered to take the first guard shift upon return to the Chateau. They would wake up Jay and Meryl in four hours, Rachel and Dave would then pick up the last shift.

Jay was already in the room when Meryl arrived, cradling a small object wrapped in a towel. She looked at Redfield with smiling eyes, walking up to him so they stood face to face.

"Jay, do you remember what tonight is?" She asked, hiding the object from him no matter how hard he tried to see what it was. Giving up, he looked at his watch. It read 11:58.

"Well, whatever it is, it only has about two minutes before tomorrow is here."

"You really don't remember?" Meryl whispered after a pause, questioning him with her eyes as well as her voice.

" Nope." Jay laughed as his watch beeped the hour. Meryl lit up at the sound.

"Merry Christmas Jay Redfield." She whispered into his ear, offering the object to him. He grabbed the towel and pulled it off, revealing a clear bottle of vodka.

"Learn found it on one of the soldiers in Sonnet, figured she'd save it for you. I've had Rachel carrying it around in her armor pack. She also wanted me to pass along not to worry about our guard shift tonight."

"I can't let them go with no sleep. It wouldn't be befit....."

Jay was cut off abruptly when Utahraptor lips pressed against his own, turning his speech into mumbles that eventually faded away. He lost himself, embracing tongues with Meryl and pointing with bottle in hand, trying to speak. Meryl protested, but finished of the kiss with a low hum that started in her stomach and worked its way up to her lips. It gave Jay a tickling sensation that ran all the way down his spine. Whatever it was, he'd loved it, and the words that came next stammered out of his mouth.

"Well, you make a good argument. Though, I usually don't drink vodka straight, but I think that we can make an exception on the grounds of the current situation." Jay laughed, looking quickly around the room for two glasses before soon abandoning the venture. Meryl didn't need a glass, and as for him, well, the bottle was just as refined.

"Don't I?" She smirked, undoing the quick release on her body armor and letting it fall to a heap next to Jay's equipment. Her harness stayed in place, just in case they had to run out in a hurry. Redfield liked the way she looked with it on anyways, so he was glad that it remained.

"Well, bottom's up." Jay laughed, uncapping the bottle and pouring a bit out on the floor in true solider fashion before taking a hearty swig. It was strong, probably mostly related to the fact that he hadn't had any alcoholic beverage for the better part of a year, but it went down well. He felt the warmth in his stomach edging forth and offered the bottle to Meryl, assisting her by pouring it into her mouth.

"Wow." Meryl gasped, not expecting the vodka to have a bite. She swallowed it quickly, licking her lips and studying the bottle with fully opened eyes. She snorted a bit, shaking her head from side to side to clear out the aftertaste.

"Here's to your first wartime drink." Jay laughed, mock toasting before taking another gulp. Meryl gestured for another impatiently until Redfield poured, letting it flow over her tongue before swallowing. It went down a bit easier than the first, and already her no-tolerance for alcohol was beginning to show in her own mind. The chill in the air disappeared with each drink she took, matching the swimming in her head. The room wavered as she moved her head, and it wasn't long before a step put her into the fluffy mess of mattress on the ground, staring up at Jay as he took one last drag on the bottle. She could see that his movements were as slow as hers.

"Meryl...you're drunk." Redfield stammered, discounting the fact the he was nearly as drunk as she was, if not more.

"I am not drunk." She replied, lying on her back on the makeshift bed. She waved her forepaws in front of heavy eyes, amusing herself with the triple image she saw. Meryl reached out and pulled Jay down on top of her, laughing as he tickled her sensitive belly. The female tried to push him away with her snout, making a valiant effort that was reinforced by her forepaws a second later. Her laughter echoed through the large room, cut off only long enough to deliver a long, sloppy lick up Jay's right cheek. She wasn't prepared for what happened next.

Jay unexpectedly moved south, thrusting his head between her legs and using his tongue to spread his female's tender lips. The Raptoress was getting wetter by the second, driven way down into the depths of passion by his tongue as it traced over her soft pink entrance. Redfield ran his tongue across, tasting her sweet flavor and taking pleasure in each one of her uncontrollable jolts.

The Raptoress' musk was overpowering, stinging Jay's nostrils and driving his own lust forward like a freight train that had lost its brakes. He wasn't going to disappoint her a second time this evening.

He slipped two fingers into her cunt, making her arch her back in quiet pleasure. It wasn't every day that they took the time to share this kind of contact, so Meryl intended to take full advantage of it. Her muscles were working overtime, clinching his fingers in their viselike grip. Her Guardian wiggled his fingers even more, pushing into her as deep as possible. The tongue came back for a second assault, dragging between her lips in sweet swirling patterns.

Meryl moaned quietly as she basked in the attention, feeling Jay's warm tongue caressing her hot cunt. Her juices flowed freely, coating both his lips and his fingers as the onslaught continued.

Unexpectedly, he withdrew himself from her and crawled up her stomach for a kiss. She watched him move, feeling his lips press in on hers before he had stopped the approach. Meryl could taste herself on him, a taste that was sharp and sweet at the same time. She didn't find it unpleasant as she shared in his kiss, and instead licked his face clean.

Redfield sprawled out over his female's chest, making sure that his fingers found their way back down between her spread legs. He traced her entrance with fingers soaked from her excitement, slipping one or two in every now and again to tease her even more. With each run over, Meryl shuddered. Her body, exhausted by combat and alcohol, melted before his touch.

The quivers ran from the tip of her snout to the tip of her tail, and Jay couldn't help but notice her huge killing claws flexing in lazy arcs. The Raptoress' eyes were pinned closed and she was biting her bottom lip, moaning through her teeth with every little experiment. Jay knew those warning signs, and also knew that she was getting close to climax.

He withdrew his hands from her, working on his button fly with no shortage of eagerness showing through his visage. Meryl whimpered a protest, nuzzling Jay's stomach in an effort to get his hands back on target where they belonged. She didn't realize that he wasn't done until his manhood pierced her, pushing aside muscles that were still tense from the luxury treatment that his fingers and tongue had given her. The sudden sense of fullness enveloped her, driving her arousal over the threshold. Light exploded in her eyes as an orgasm racked her body, tail swishing back and forth and back arching suddenly. Her orgasm coated his cock, milking him as he moved along with her in his smooth rhythm. It took Meryl a moment to catch her breath, coming down off of the high that her arousal had granted her.

She whimpered again, throwing her head back so they rested along the pillows. The rest of her body save for her groin was relaxed, enjoying the slow but strong pumps that hammered in and out of her. Her eyes were pressed closed as she pulled Jay closer to her, crossing her legs and arms around his smaller frame.

Meryl rocked her hips with his, riding him with all the strength left in her body. With her efforts, it didn't take long before he was on the threshold as well. She refused to let him go, gyrating faster and faster as much as their awkward position would allow.

"Meryl....you...." Jay gasped right before he came, collapsing on top of her after a few more thrusts. He shook down to his bones as jets of cum filled Meryl's cunt, giving her a few more rocks of his hips before pulling out, trailing his own seed out onto her tail.

"Yes?" She gasped, looking at him with a big amber eye.

Redfield grabbed his manhood and teased her entrance with it, giving her just a little bit of it before pulling out again. When he saw frustration flush across his female's face, he tracked even farther south.

Meryl cried out as he guided himself slowly into her tailhole, not used to it no matter her previous experience. Jay got himself all the way in and slowly began to pump, listening to Meryl's soft squeaks as he fucked her with growing intensity. His female wrapped her forepaws around his waist and interlaced her claws, flushing and painting her face with her silly Utahraptor grin. If she'd been human, Meryl would be smiling ear to ear.

She took her Guardian by surprise with another passionate kiss, trusting her tongue into his mouth to meet his. It was enough to drive both of them over the edge almost instantly, mutual orgasms hitting within seconds of each other.

Meryl roared loudly, shaking dust from the ceiling in her throes of pleasure and waking Rachel and Dave from a deep sleep in the next room. She clinched her muscles on Jay's cock, earning a moan from Redfield as he could no longer keep up with his rhythm. Jay slammed to the hilt in her, rewarding the female with another gush of hot cum, which she took eagerly. She flailed helplessly, unable to control her body's movements.

After a few moments of basking in the afterglow, they separated, holding each other in their passionate embrace. Jay listened to Meryl's heavy breathing as she slept, wasting no time after she finished to pass out.

Typical Utahraptor.....

The thought touched off of Jay's intoxicated mind as he pulled a huge comforter off of the bed next to him, shaking the dust off before draping it over her body and his. He didn't bother to get dressed, instead he pressed his naked body against his lover's, enjoying the feel of her skin against his.

It didn't take long for him to be out either, deep sleeping snores echoing through the empty room.

Rachel peeked through the door a moment later, making sure that they were sleeping safely and peacefully. She caught wind of the scents on the air, smelling Meryl's deep scented arousal over everything else.

"Well, at least someone's getting some." She laughed, leaving them at peace.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Alexander watched the entire foray at the scud battery with impunity, not feeling any sympathy for the Scud crews or their GRU security. They had failed to put a perimeter in place that would have better defended them from Utahraptor attack, and for it, they'd paid with their lives. Nymev had instructed them better than that.

The male now pondered all of the information he had gathered during the action, running it over in his head like it was a movie made for his own enjoyment. The way they moved as a pack, the way that that female had moved....

The male's trip back to Colditz was cold and uneventful, riding for several hours in the back of an Osnaz Ural command truck. It gave him plenty of time to think about his discoveries before the vehicle ground to a halt in front of Grossbothen train station, where one of the stark armored military trains was waiting, belching black clouds of diesel smoke. He cut through the crowd of soldiers as they parted for him, facing away from the train and its cargo. They didn't want to be caught even trying to get a look at what it carried, loyal GRU or not. A lieutenant approached him from the right, careful to keep his distance from the male's powerful Jaws.

"Comrade Alexander, Comrade Captain Kirsolov is waiting for you on the main platform. He has instructed for you to meet him there."

"Thank you, Comrade Lieutenant." Alexander smiled, walking slowly towards the area in question. Captain Kirsolov was waiting for him, pry bar in hand and a 6x3 crate hanging open so that only his Utahraptor could see its contents.

"I trust your trip went well Alexander. I have missed you."

"And I you, Mikhail Sergeyevich. I made plenty of interesting discoveries that could...."

Mikhail raised his hand, cutting the Utahraptor off in mid sentence.

"I shall hear about it in time. Come, I have something to show you." He spoke quietly, motioning the male over to the box. He looked inside with curiosity.

"What is it?" The male Utahraptor asked, touching it with his snout. The olive-colored metal shell was warm to the touch.

"This is the future of our motherland."

"Our future?

"Yes, dear Alexander. A future measured in megatons."

To be continued......

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Glossary of Terms-

(Note: I am too lazy to put these in alphabetical order)ASR: Auxiliary Supply Route: A route usually to be used as a secondary to a Main Supply Route. (see MSR)

T-72: The T-72 is a Russian main battle tank with a 125mm main cannon. It can be heavily modified with add on attachments such as more modern electronics, thermal scopes, countermeasures, and reactive armor (ERA). The fully modernized version in service with the Russian army is the T72M1.

ERA- Reactive Armor, basically an explosive charge sandwiched between two armor plates to be added onto the outside of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles to protect them from shaped charge and sabot rounds from tanks. Sabot- Primary heavy armor killing tank round. Usually in the form of a 40mm dart flying nearly a mile a second, creates a vacuum inside the crew compartment of any vehicle struck. Also called a kinetic energy munition.

BMP- Russian infantry fighting vehicle, can transport an infantry squad and then back them up with cannon, smoke grenade launchers, and an anti-tank missile launcher. Variants include the BMP-1 with 73mm cannon, BMP-2 with 30mm chain gun cannon, and BMP-3 with 100mm cannon and 30mm coaxial machine gun.

Coaxial machine gun 'coax'- The coaxial machine gun is a weapon that is tied in line with the main cannon, used when the main cannon is not necessary or cannot be used due to target type.

Shilka-The Shilka is a self-propelled anti aircraft vehicle capable of shooting down low flying aircraft and helicopters. It is armed with four 23mm liquid-cooled cannons and a powerful search radar. Can be linked to form AAA (anti aircraft artillery) batteries. The Shilka is also effective against tanks and dismounted troops, able to lay down a devastating swath of fire. Technical designation ZSU-23-4 Shilka

RPO-A 'Shmel'- The RPO-A 'Shmel' is a man portable thermobaric (fuel-air) explosive, which uses an air-fuel mixture for devastating effects against whatever it is shot at. Russian troops compare the damage with that of a 122mm artillery shell. These weapons are thought to be responsible for fires that killed several during the Beslan Hostage Crisis.

RPG- Rocket Propelled Grenade- a shoulder fired weapon with telescopic sight. Can be used with a variety of rockets. Powerful, light, and cheap.

BTR- An eight wheeled armored personnel carrier armed with a 14.5mm machine gun in a turret. It is extremely similar to the US Stryker. Technical name BTR-80

Mi-24 Hind- World's fastest attack helicopter, devastating against ground targets both dismounted and mounted. Has a huge psychological impact against enemies. Fun Fact: the Hind (called the Gorbach or Krokadil in Russia) set the helicopter speed record, despite its size. The crew was entirely female.

CAS- Close Air Support, airstrikes called in for fire support when a ground unit comes into heavy enemy contact. Can be anything from rotary to fixed wing aircraft.

KSK- German Special Forces

GLONASS: Russian constellation of GPS satellites, used for both military and civilian purposes. Eighteen satellites provide worldwide coverage. Nymev has a secret weapon system built in to the GLONASS system that comes into play in this chapter.

TOC- Tactical Operations Command. The headquarters of a fighting force, usually where all mission information filters down from. TOCs exist from company level on up.

FMTV- New military replacement for the deuce and a half and five ton series trucks. Can come in a variety of roles and configurations.

SCUD- Short Range Ballistic Missile, used intensively during the gulf war by the Iraqi army. The SCUD D and SCUD E are missiles employed by Nymev in this chapter. No intelligence is known about the new variants save for the basics of range and payload.

TEL- Tower Erected Launcher. Technical name for the SCUD mobile launch vehicle, usually mounted on an eight wheel heavy hauler.

IED- Improvised Explosive Device. Primary cause of casualties for Coalition Forces in Iraq. EFP- Explosively Formed Penetrator. A type of armor-piercing IED that can punch through almost any armored vehicle in existence. Can be defeated by the addition of special 'EFP Panels' to the sides of vehicles. Most feared of all the IED types.