Prolouge
Specialist John Smith, of the US Army, stood and listened to the briefing him, and his squad was receiving. They were tasked with capturing a High Value Target, or HVT. The Colonel was still going over the details of the mission with them.
“We have received Intel that the target is located in a known terrorist camp, and he is thought to be one of their main recruiters and trainers. He is personally responsible for the terrorist attacks on US Embassy’s in many countries, and he has personally trained others on how to shoot and kill, and also what to do if captured by US forces. Capture of this target is priority alpha. You are also tasked with gathering any, and all, Intel that you may come across when apprehending the target.”
“Due to the serious nature of the mission, you will be allowed some small choice in what weapons and equipment you are carrying. You will be dropped off of a Blackhawk at the LZ, and once you are down, you will infiltrate, capture the HVT, and get back to the LZ. In addition to your squad, three men will standby in the Blackhawk, ready to help once you are in sight. Their orders are not to enter the camp, so it’s up to you to get back. Dismissed”
As John and his squad turned to leave, he had a shimmer of pre-mission jitters. His best friend, Macdonald “Mack “ Griffin was walking beside him, and once they got out of the tent where they had been briefed, they both starting talking about the mission, and what they thought of it.
“I don’t know, I’ve been hearing talk of this guy for a week or so now, but I never thought we would be the ones sent to capture him. How are you feeling?” Mack asked.
“I’m feeling alright, just can’t wait to take this bastard out.” John replied as they walked towards the armory and got ready to choose their weapons. As he arrived at the armory, their squad leader Sergeant Brian Parker turned toward the rest of the squad and started assigning them their different roles, and told them what they would need to take.
“Alright guys, listen up. We are going to be infiltrating a heavily armed terrorist camp, so we’re going in armed to the teeth. Carry as much ammo as you can, and make sure you’re stocked up on mags and ammo. I want you all using M4’s, with the exception of Logan, who will be using a M249 for support fire, and DJ who will be using an M16 for longer range combat. Each man will be carrying at least 4 Frags on his belt, and I want three men carrying flash bangs. In addition, Logan will be carrying C4 in case we need to take out a wall. I want at the minimum 8 magazines for each of you, but everyone should be carrying more. Good luck and stock up. We have a few hours till the op begins, so try to catch some sleep”
They all started grabbing the necessary gear, and their selected side arms. When they were finished they put it into their lockers and went back to the barracks to catch some sleep. When they arrived each member climbed into their respective bunk, except for John, who paced quietly by his bunk. He was too nervous to sleep, and he paced back and forth. Before he knew it, the squad was awake and putting their gear on, getting ready.
The time finally came, and they went to the Blackhawk and boarded. John noted that the three guards were already on, and ready for a fight. The helicopter took off just before the sun went down, and soon they were racing across the desert night. The ride was quiet, each man thinking of the mission ahead, and the family they had back home. Soon enough John could see the camp, and they were roping down into a small canyon, where the helicopter would wait. John thought this was the perfect spot, and no one would find the helicopter. He was the first man out, and as soon as he hit the ground he kneeled into a crouch and shouldered his weapon, his eyes searching for any hint of movement the hinted at an ambush. Once the squad was out, they silently moved ahead, up and out of the canyon. John could just make out the outline of the camp, as they moved ahead towards it.
They reached the first wall of the camp without a hitch, and Brian raised his hand, curled into a fist. That was the signal to stop, and soon enough he indicated that there was one sentry. He pointed to John and indicated for him to take care of it. John moved ahead silently, unsheathing his K-BAR as he went. He saw the sentry now, wearing a t-shirt and camouflage jeans. When he was a few feet away, John wrapped his arm around the man’s mouth to cover his shout and slit his throat, quickly killing him. John felt remorse for the life he had just taken, but he knew doing it he had saved someone’s life possibly. John dragged the man’s body back, and they quickly hid it before moving ahead.
He could see the building where the HVT was thought to be housed, but there was a problem. A group of guards, numbering at least 15 was standing in front of it. He retreated and told the squad about the situation, and they all agreed that they would open fire on the guards. Shit was about to hit the fan big time, since the shots would alert the entire camp.
The squad moved forward, picked their targets, and opened fire. John saw as the man he shot went down, and didn’t get back up. He moved to the next man, and soon, the entire group of guards lay dead. The squad sprinted towards the building, not caring if they were seen. The time for stealth was over.
John reached the door to the building first, and in one fluid motion kicked the door down, then stepped to the side of the doorway to avoid the storm of bullets that would undoubtedly fly by. As the bullets were flying by, he unhooked a flash bang he had taken and primed it, then threw it through the doorway. It went off, and his squad entered the room, quickly taking the target hostage, then binding his hands and legs, then placing tape over his mouth to silence him and pulling a hood over his head.
As soon as this was done, he picked up the man and hoisted him over his shoulder. He knew this would make him unable to shoot, but he was confident in his squad’s ability to protect him. As a unit they moved forward, slowly making their way towards the canyon where they had left the helicopter. They made it to the wall where the first sentry’s body was stashed before the bullets really started flying. Soon enough one man shouted his pain as a bullet struck his chest, but got back up immediately. His vest had saved his life, and they made it to the canyon.
They were on the way down, and were only a football field’s length away when the one sound that would ruin this mission started. It was the sound of a .50 caliber machine gun firing and soon after three men had fallen, not to get back up. John could not believe his eyes as his entire squad was gunned down in front of his eyes. He saw his friend, Mack, fall down, and didn’t get back up. Soon enough he was the only man left, running for his life as the bullets flew by him. He was holding on to the bound man for dear life as he ran as fast as he could to the helicopter. When he was only 50 feet or so from the Blackhawk, he felt as a bullet pierced his left shoulder, and he screamed his pain, but he kept running as fast as he could. Then, he felt another bullet bury itself into his back, followed by his left knee feeling like it was on fire. He dropped to the ground, and the bound man fell beside him. His vision dimmed, and he fought to stay awake. The last thing he saw before he passed out were the three guards that were aboard the helicopter rushing towards him, weapons firing, before he lost sight and passed into the darkness.
