Battle of Canaima National Park

Barry Maglio facing off against La Serpiente Blanca

### Result

Existence of Battalion Fantasma confirmedRevelation that La Serpiente Blanca is Danielle Terry

## Combatants

### Allied Fighters

Righteous CrusadersSupported by:

The Voice of Truth

Free Venezuelan People's Army

## Commanders

### Allies

Edward MaglioBarry Maglio

Marsha Maglio

Ava Maglio

Olivia Maglio

Natalie Maglio

Mason Davidson

Kyle Bates

Harper Michaels

Olivia Martin

Corvus

## Casualities

### Enemy Dead

About nine rebels

The **Battle of Canaima National Park** was a clash between the Righteous Crusaders and La Serpiente Blanca. This battle was one of the more traumatizing experiences for Edward Maglio, as he found out that La Serpiente Blanca was none other than a fellow Evergreen Institute student, who'd been brainwashed by Los Eternos.

## Background

During the course of the Righteous Crusaders' campaign against the Eternals, they obtained evidence that Division 9 was involved in an extensive illegal weapons trafficking network, one than ran from Bolivia to Patagonia. They also heard of a particular individual who had gone missing while investigating said weapons trafficking ring.

Meanwhile, Task Force Anubis obtained evidence of the Eternals running a human trafficking/child trafficking ring, with the intention of using the human trafficking victims/trafficked children as slave labor to mine a new rare earth mineral found in Venezuela, which the Eternals planned to use to create better weapons. They also found evidence of a possible connection between Division 9, the Eternals, and unknown Russian mercenaries, much to the shock of the Anubis operatives. After an encounter with a team of CIA operatives and discovering an inability to take out both criminal enterprises on their own, both factions agreed to work together to take out both the human trafficking ring, and the weapons trafficking network.

The operation was divided into two parts: Operation Eagle Strike and Operation Armadillo.

Operation Eagle Strike was a stealth operation coordinated by Barry Maglio and CIA officer Maritza Sparks/White Widow against a Division 9 outpost near the village of San Cristóbal, Venezuela: after speaking with fellow Anubis operative Larry Robbins, codenamed Badger, Barry, Ava, the Anubis squad, and Natalie linked up with Anubis operative, codenamed Cain. They then began stealth-killing their way through the outpost, but were eventually compromised by Division 9, but not before obtaining intelligence concerning the sale of military hovercrafts and helicopters possessing optical camouflage abilities to Division 9. Hijacking the hovercraft, Cain, Barry, Ava, and Natalie were able to successfully get the vehicles and the weapons shipment to an Anubis hideout in San Cristobal. Impressed with their skills, Badger personally complimented Barry and his nieces for their efficiency and commented that they probably saved millions of Venezuelan rebels and their families with their daring operation. They also analyzed the blueprints and discovered evidence of a conspiracy to wage cyberwarfare against the United States of America, as well as committing cyberterrorism.

Operation Armadillo was a second strike against Division 9, this time aimed at an underground Division 9 headquarters, FOB Armadillo (also the namesake of the operation), serving as a hub in the human trafficking/weapons trafficking network run by corrupt Division 9 agents and Los Eternos cartel members. With help from Barry Maglio, Edward, Mason Davidson, Kyle, Harper Michaels, and Olivia Martin infiltrated the base, only to run Arrowhead and the CIA team. As the Righteous Crusaders and the CIA operatives investigated the underground Division 9 hideout, both groups of fighters found scientists working in the facility, unconscious but alive. However, they found dozens of dead Division 9 operatives, indicating that someone had beaten both teams to the facility and had essentially massacred the Division 9 soldiers. Puzzled, both Edward and Arrowhead wondered who would be capable of doing such a thing, since the rebels were incapable of such an act and that Los Eternos members wouldn't dare launch a full-blown assault on such a carefully guarded place.

As the Righteous Crusaders continued forward, they eventually encountered Corvus, a former US Special Forces operative turned freelance hitman/vigilante warrior who was also seeking to shut down the illegal weapons trafficking ring/human trafficking ring, and Costanza Romano, also known as La Angel De Muerte, who was on a mission of her own exacting retribution against both the cartel and Division 9.

The two of them were eventually led to documentary filmmakers Kate Adams and Trevor Darvany, who were abducted by Division 9 after it was discovered Kate and Trevor were making a documentary in an attempt to expose the organization's corruption to the world.

Following this, Division 9 soldiers were heard advancing on the underground base, alerted by others about what Corvus and Costanza had done. What followed was a brutal massacre of thousands of Division 9 agents as Corvus, Trevor, Costanza, Kate, and Eddie's family escaped the underground facility.

After extracting Kate to a nearby safehouse, Kate was able to divulge information regarding the weapons smuggling, revealing that Division 9 was trafficking a cyber-weapon intended to be used against Apex Corporation, as well as captured Apex Corporation technology; Division 9 intended to reverse engineer the tech to create their own remote controlled drone weapons, which they were intending to sell to the Russians. In addition to this, Kate divulged the existence of La Battalon Fantasma, the Ghost Battalion, which formed Los Eternos' "secret police". Leading the organization was a mysterious indvidual known as La Serpiente Blanca, whom Kate also revealed to be an enforcer loyal to El Lobo. According to Kate, La Serpiente Blanca and her fellow assassins were conducting a vicious killing spree across Venezuela, covertly asssassinating anyone suspected of exposing the truth behind Los Eternos to the world, in an attempt to control the local population through fear.

## The Battle

While regrouping at a CIA safehouse in Canaima National Park, Edward Maglio and his buddies took some time to get to know Kate Adams and her partner Trevor Darvany. Suddenly, Los Eternos executed an ambush, sending in a team of Ghost Battalion assassins led by the mysterious assassin La Serpiente Blanca to attack Edward, his family, and the two journalists. In the ensuing firefight, Trevor was killed. Corvus assisted Edward in holding off the assassins while the CIA team led by Arrowhead evacuated Kate.

However, Arrowhead herself was shot by La Serpiente Blanca, stalling her. Before La Serpiente Blanca could finish her off, Edward charged in, along with his uncle and his siblings, and engaged in a hand-to-hand fight against the ruthless assassin. Although Edward and his family were able to hold their own, they were eventually overpowered thanks to La Serpiente Blanca's superior training. The assassin was moments away from killing Marsha when Edward ambushed her from behind, knocking her mask off in the process and revealing herself to be none other than Danielle Terry, a friend of Edward's who had gone missing earlier that year.

A stunned Edward wondered aloud how and why Danielle betrayed him, only for Danielle to retort that it was "nothing personal" and tried to kill Edward by shooting him in the head, but was forced to retreat when Kyle Bates fired a grenade launcher at her.

Edward was unable to speak or move for about two whole minutes before an injured Arrowhead snapped Edward out of his state of shock. Eddie and his family eventually escaped the area, before Los Eternos reinforcements arrived.

## Aftermath

After reaching another CIA safehouse in the Venezuelan Mountains, Edward took some time to assess the situation; he was both stunned and horrified to learn that his friend had turned on him. Kyle pointed out that Danielle's behavior was indicative of Stockholm Syndrome, which led Edward to realize that Los Eternos had kidnapped Danielle and brainwashed her the same way they tried to brainwash Marsha. This led to a rift between the Magliio family and the CIA team; Arrowhead argued that Danielle needed to be killed because she had become a traitor, but Edward was convinced there was a way to snap Danielle out of it and return her to her old self. Arrowhead pointed out that snapping someone out of Stockholm Syndrome was difficult and there was a possibility that, given that she was held captive for months, the Stockholm Syndrome would be permanent. Edward, however, was determined to find a way to get his friend back to her old self.