Free Web NovelChapter 33: 33: Project Desert Storm
The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.
~ Ernest Hemingway
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The plan for Project Desert Shield was simple: secretly inject Compound V in the Middle East to create pro-American supe soldiers and protect U.S. interests in the region. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Vought calls this "upholding justice."
Farid was one of the first test subjects.
He was only twenty at the time.
The experiment worked on him. He gained powerful geokinetic abilities.
But Vought underestimated one thing.
They figured a twenty-year-old kid from the region would fall in line once he had superpowers and become a handy tool for America.
They overlooked the obvious: Farid’s father died in a U.S. airstrike. His mother got killed in the bloody chaos that followed.
Even worse, his two younger brothers were pumped full of Compound V too. The experiments failed, so Vought tossed them out like defective trash.
Vought gave him power, but they also handed him a damn good reason to hate them. frёeωebɳovel.com
In 2005, Farid broke free from Vought’s grip and vanished into the deserts of the Middle East.
For the next twenty years, under the codename Sandstorm, he built a supe terrorist outfit right there in the region.
The group specialized in hitting American military bases, blowing up oil pipelines, and taking out politicians who sucked up to the U.S.
America sent special forces after him again and again. Every time they got their asses handed to them.
That was because his underground tunnel network stretched across the whole Syria-Iraq border. Some sections went over two hundred meters deep and spread out like a small city.
On his home ground, he was a god.
Hillel closed the folder.
"So Vought made a monster, and now you want me to clean up your shit?"
Edgar’s face stayed blank as ever, like the dangerous bastard sitting across from him was no big deal.
"Your summary is spot on. Farid is one of Vought’s fuck-ups, same as all the defective garbage we have stateside."
"I’m curious. The guy’s been running wild for twenty years. Why the sudden urge to deal with him now?" Hillel could tell there was more to it.
"Before, he was just stirring shit in the Middle East. Didn’t touch our domestic market, so we didn’t give a fuck. But now things are different."
Edgar slid a photo out from the bottom of the folder.
It was a screenshot from a video. Sandstorm stood in front of some ruins, talking straight to the camera.
"Three weeks ago he dropped this video. Said he’s bringing the fight to the American mainland."
"The Pentagon is breathing down our necks..."
"They want Vought to fix this problem. After all, Vought created it in the first place."
Hillel leaned back in his chair, already thinking about dumping this mess on Homelander.
"You could send Homelander."
"Homelander is a solid pick, but we’re building a persona for The Guardian. Taking down terrorists fits perfectly for a hero who stands for justice." Edgar laid out a reason that was hard to shoot down.
"No! No! No!" Hillel shook his head hard. "America bringing justice to the Middle East? Don’t make me laugh. I won’t be your fucking pawn."
Edgar had clearly seen this coming. He pushed over another stack of photos.
They showed locals killed in gruesome ways.
"To us, Farid is a terrorist. But he’s no saint to the people there either. He doesn’t give a shit about civilian lives. Every operation of his leaves a trail of dead innocents."
"We know this type of supe inside out. They start at the bottom of the pile, then get real power and suddenly they don’t just forget their own kind..."
"They treat the weak even worse. Bottom line, he’s a full-blown supe supremacist. A real piece of shit about it."
Hillel looked at the photos and cracked a grin.
"Edgar, you’re a natural bullshitter."
He scooped up the photos and accepted the job.
"We’ll send helicopters with live cameras. Your heroic moves will give hope to people everywhere," Edgar said.
"Sounds good."
Hillel smashed through Edgar’s window and flew straight back to the meeting room from the top floor.
Edgar stayed behind alone, taking the full blast of cold wind.
His female secretary shivered from the chill that swept in.
Hillel knew exactly what was going on. Sure, Edgar wanted him to handle the counter-terrorism op, but mostly they were testing his power and how easy he was to control.
When you make a product, you check how dangerous it can be.
Hillel didn’t give a fuck.
There were barely any supes in this world who could touch him. Hell, he could use this to boost his public image.
Might as well bring Cate and Jordan along this time.
"You want to drag two interns into a counter-terrorism mission?" Ashley asked, looking concerned.
She was scared that if the kids got killed it would fuck up The Guardian’s reputation.
"They need real field experience. I’ll keep them safe."
Ashley shook her head. "Sandstorm has owned the Middle East for twenty years. Vought has sent supes after him before. They all died. Only Homelander ever can pull it off..."
A notification popped up on his panel.
[Side Quest Triggered: Desert Storm]
[Mission Objective: Eliminate the supe terrorist ’Sandstorm’ Farid Al-Rashid]
[Mission Reward: Ability Points: 15,000, Global Reputation Boost]
[Bonus Objective: Protect team members Cate Dunlap and Jordan]
[Bonus Reward: Team Loyalty Boost, Ability Points: 3,000]
The rewards for this trip looked pretty damn good.
Hillel pulled out his phone and fired off a message to Cate and Jordan.
[The Guardian: Tighten up, get back here quick!]
[The Guardian: Big job incoming!]
[Jordan: Is it a big burger this time?]
[The Guardian: Sure, we’ll grab it and eat it in the Middle East.]
[Cate: Middle East?]
After the messages went out, the door to Hillel’s office got kicked wide open.
Jordan and Cate burst in, both buzzing with excitement.
"We’re heading to the Middle East for a mission?"
"A terrorist hunt?"
"The Guardian, you really are a hero for justice!"
"I like you so much I wanna zap everything for you..."
...
Ten minutes later, Middle East.
Hillel carried one in each hand and dropped down from high altitude straight into the desert.
The second Cate and Jordan hit the ground they started puking their guts out.
Everything they ate that morning came right back up.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh-ugh!"
Only after they emptied their stomachs did the two wipe their mouths and wobble back to their feet.
"The... The Guardian, help me, my legs are jelly."
Cate grabbed Hillel’s arm, eyes spinning.
Jordan cleared his throat. "Feels like I downed a hundred beers and got fucked raw all night."
Hillel: "..."
Cate: "..."
Bro’s metaphor was something else.
"Jordan, I swear, every time I think you’ve hit peak degeneracy you still manage to surprise me." Hillel gave him a thumbs up.
His team had officially reached its limit.
The fragile Cate, the Jordan who fantasized about getting railed, and the unstoppable him!
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