When They Became Enemy.
KOTOR AU. Colonel Norman Vickers, Commanding Officer of 19th SFGA, who prevent World War III, went missing after a year his decisive battle is over along with his group, Revanchist. They thought he disbanded the group and find himself a peaceful life until he returned only as an enemy of the state. He brought the war to their footstep.
"Norman Vickers, Colonel. Join the Army straight out of high school. One year in, sent to military academy, full ride from Army with major in system and decision sciences with minor in robotics. Top of his class. Immediately selected for Q course. Became Special Forces not long after that. All mission he completed always have lowest casualty rate than any other men we ever train. Still holds the record for handgun weapon course. Assigned as CO of 19th SF Group. He inspired loyalty among his men in his division, did everything he ordered, so much so they ready to sacrifice themselves for the good of objectives. Until three years ago, he was fighting for our side, although not always in official capacity. He was credited for bringing down hostile group Men of Dawn. Terrorist group based in Louisiana. Responsible for the bombing of FBI Headquarter in Louisiana, burning of Army Recruitment Center in Cincinnati, attack of CDC Research Center down in West Virginia. Mostly domestic stuff, making it outside our jurisdiction, until they start a 'revolutionary war' eight years ago in Southern State by starting a 'sovereign nation' in Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina, and start to invade neighboring states, starts with Texas. Able to accrue territories similar to Civil War's Confederate States. The army unable to stop them due to them using guerilla tactics that military not used to. He argued with his CO for sending him and his troops there to quell the rebellion. His request was denied, went AWOL, going there himself. Not long his battalion followed him, all the while he started to muster enough men to mount a counter offensive. Called themselves Revanchist, started called himself Revan, he called to arms to anyone who listen. And after he destroyed the group four years ago, they became stabilizing forces for a year. He– ", Francis "Frankie" Lamar, the mission coordinator got interrupted before he finished his explanation.
"Yeah we know who he is and all he exploits. What do you want us to do?", Natalie Shan, a SAD operative team leader. Fresh out of 'The Farm', wanted to prove herself.
"We want you take him off the board, quietly.", Frankie told the primary objective.
"Alive or dead?", she asked the specific.
"Bring him alive if you can. If not, make sure that he's dead."
"Yes Sir.", she left the room preparing for the mission.
A week later. At staging room.
"Are you sure he will be there?", Alesha Kowalski, team marksman, voiced her concern.
"Intel suggest he's been working at the navy port at Mayport, Florida for a month now, loading military equipment to his Atlantic fleet aircraft carrier, USS Harry S. Truman along with prepping its escort ships, one of them is USS Sampson, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which became his flagship. Wherever it is his planning to invade it'll happen soon.", Shan clarified the intel to her colleagues.
"Jesus. Who knew a man could take over this country? I mean look at this. His territories not only encompassed the entirety Southern States, from east to west. Calling it New Confederate States.", Martin Henderson admiring his mark.
"You done praising the man? We here to do a job, eliminating hostile target. Nothing else.", Shan irritated with her Comm Tech attitude.
"You gotta admit, it is pretty badass. Taking control of multiple army bases along with its equipment. Using said equipment to invade another states, so on so forth. Took over control two of our nation fleet without even losing one of those said ships. Not to mention it said here, he led all primary assault on the frontline himself. That's pretty gangsta.", Kowalski joined in the debate.
"My only question is how he able to move that many people without anybody noticed? I mean his first attack, the report said his number was at least a battalion in number, if not a regiment.", Zachariah Masters gave his takes on the matter.
"That's enough. I need all of you to focus on the mission ahead of us. We will infiltrate the vessel he's in by HALO drop to the ship. Make sure open the chute below any ships radar to avoid detection. Enter the ship undetected. We locate the target. Take him out. Got it?", Shan shut the conversation down.
"Yes Ma'am.", all them responded.
Around midnight. In transport plane. Above Atlantic Ocean.
"Are you certain this gonna work?", Henderson felt anxious.
"Certain? No. But then again, we work what we have.", Shan didn't even attempt to calm her teammate.
"Prepare to drop in five.", Carter O'Hare, plane crew shouted at the team.
"Check your gear. I don't want any of you died before we even reach the ship.", Shan ordered her team.
"Nat give us a bit of credit, okay. We professional in case you hadn't notice.", said Henderson.
"If that the case you know to check your own gear, making sure nothing is amiss.", Shan crossed with his remarks.
Atlantic Ocean, 0002 hours.
"Opening cargo hatch.", O'Hare shouted through all the noise.
"Good luck on your mission! You gonna need it!", Eric Matheson another crew shouted his support.
"Drop in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Go! Go! Go!"
One by one of the strike team left the plane through cargo hatch with full High Altitude Low Orbit drop gear, Chute, oxygen mask and tank, the whole nine. When their altimeter shows 1000 feet, one by one start released their chute and drop at the deck. Right around the ship's 5 inch/ 54 caliber Mark 45 gun. They all secured their gear and ready their weapons.
"Control, this is Matchstick Actual. In position.", Shan contacted the Control with low voice.
"Actual, this is Control. No patrol on the deck. Proceed towards the target.", Control response heard on their Comms.
"Roger that.", Shan gave her own response.
They walked away from the gun, making their way toward the bridge. If the intel to be trusted, Vickers rarely seen leaving the command deck while he's on the ship, especially if he preparing for an offence. They enter the cabin by accessing the starboard door. Inside they start feeling uncomfortable. So small of number for ship this size. They rarely see any patrol roaming the ship. Even when they near the command deck, they only met five men. Three of which they need to dispatch, to prevent raising an alarm. It's too quite. I don't like it. She thought to herself. As they open the command deck door, they witness Vickers, near a table with map and several documents on top of it. All of their weapons pointing at Vickers, fingers on the triggers.
"Hands behind your head.", Shan barked her order.
"Only four. Now that's just downright insulting.", Vickers slowly turned himself toward them. His face covered by his 'trademark' mask. Ballistic mask, with steel-grey color with red motives resembling bloodied hand across the face.
"This can only go two ways Vickers. You come with us peacefully, or we only bring your back molars to our CO.", Shan gave him the choices.
"My name is Revan. Do you even understand why you guys are here?", as he raised his hand and laced it behind his head.
"The only thing we need to know is that you are a target.", Masters snapped, clearly don't want hear anything from Revan.
"Typical. You only given snippet of information. Kept in the dark for a reason. You are nothing but a weapon.", Revan mocked his would be capturer.
"Cuff him and put a gag in his mouth. I don't want to hear any of his words."
"Yes Ma'am.", as they saw Revan rotated back against the table.
Henderson approached Revan with SIG P226 equipped with suppressor on his hands, while Kowalski with her M4 CQBR with suppressor and EOTech reflex sight and magnifier on flip-mount get into her position, making sure she has a clear line of sight, in case anything happens. As Revan within Henderson arms reach, he holstered his handgun and start to patting him down making sure Revan doesn't have any weapon on him. When he reached Revan lower back, he found a handgun tucked to his belt under his hoodie coat. A black, military issued M9 Beretta. Henderson pulled the gun from Revan and tucked it on his own belt. He continued his search with empty handed.
"A handgun? Do you really think you can't win against us just with a handgun and no additional clip?", Kowalski scoffed at Revan previous remarks.
Henderson pulled out a zip-cuff from his belt and reach for Revan right arm, preparing to restrain him.
"I might be only had a handgun, but you lot come fully equipped and that's more than enough for me.", he warned them as Henderson arms tried to put the cuff on him.
Just as the cuff about to circled his hands, Revan quickly pulled it downward and rotate it so that it placed on Henderson back, with single fluid motion he slammed Henderson head toward the steel table, knocking him unconscious. Right after Henderson head slammed against the table, Revan pulled his Beretta out of Henderson's belt. As Henderson unconscious body slump to the floor, he jumped across the table, taking cover from the fire they laid against him. After he disappeared from their sight, Revan started to relocate. Trying to get to his next target by move around the table, toward the front side of the bridge behind the console. They also tried to flank him, Shan and Masters move toward Revan from it starboard side while Kowalski from its portside. They approached the intended target, only for Kowalski to meet Revan's handgun on her chin and his free hand holding his rifle, surprising her. Unable to react, Revan pulled the trigger and red mist form on her head. Before her body hit the ground, she was tackled to next cover Revan hiding in, where he promptly took the knife on her thigh and slash the strap of her rifle, thus freeing it from her body. Revan also grabbed two STANAG magazine from her ammo carrier and put it inside his pocket. Using her M4 rifle, he started to return fire against the remaining two assailants, firing blind from his cover. Exhausted the current magazine, while moving to the next cover, changing his rifle mag with a fresh one from his pocket. As his mag was about to enter the mag well, a loud explosion happened which rocked the ship violently. He dropped the rifle out of his hands due to explosion. During all this chaos, Revan's communication device receiving incoming transmission.
"Your reign is over, Revan. You lost sight of what we trying to achieve here.", a voice came through, a familiar voice. It's Revan's second-in-command, Alec Robinson.
"The only thing you want to achieve is destruction of this nation, Alec! You shell Fort Sill just to 'prove a point'. We could use that fort as a FOB."
"Exactly. This country need to be destroyed first, for a new one to rise. Good bye, 'friend'."
"ALEEECC!", he screamed before an explosion in the bridge violently thrown him toward the window frame, knocking him out unconscious.
The bridge almost collapse, the surviving two that send for Revan tried to get back up and move toward Henderson. Henderson body are no longer giving pulse due to a metal debris the size of an iPad went through his chest, hitting him square in the heart. They make their way toward Revan now. Two shrapnel lodge on his abdomen and shoulder with small bleeding on back of his head due to hitting the frame. He was bleeding, but not dead yet.
"We need to get out before this ship is sink and bringing us down with her.", Masters informed his team leader of their situation.
"Help me carry him to the lifeboat.", Shan said to her surviving teammate.
"Why? With him dead, we finish our mission. Just leave him here.", Masters clearly don't like the idea.
"If we take him with us, we could interrogate him for information of his next attack.", she reasoned him.
"Fine. I hope you know what you doing.", he still not sure with the what happen.
Masters slung Revan over his shoulder, ready to transport him to the lifeboat. They made their way through blast and rocking boat. Again surprising them, no one but them inside the ship, making them feel that this mission is filled with set up. They able to leave the sinking ship with lifeboat, and leave the fleet range toward safety. After their lifeboat reach safe distance, they sent out a secure beacon and wait for extraction crew reach them. While waiting Masters and Shan discussing about their prisoner all the while trying to stop the bleeding and stabilizing him. She cut opened his shirt, showing medium-built and well-trained body. A body that has seen enough battle to grant him multiple scars. Multiple gunshots wound from small caliber bullet, stab wounds from all kinds of blade weapon, even wound from explosives device such as grenade.
"Have you disable the onboard GPS tracker? I don't want their 'rescue party' find us before our people did.", as she started to pull the shrapnel on his shoulder
"I have. Are you sure bringing him alive is a good choice?", settled himself next to Revan across her, pulling bullet from the round leaving the casing open.
"The mission said that bring him alive if possible. Before he starts shooting that was still the mission. And then we found him unconscious making him easier to transport alive. And with him being alive, we can interrogate anything we want from him concerning his organization.", she cauterized the wounds by pouring gunpowder on it and set it alight.
"I'd like to see what they going to do to pry anything from him. Man like him usually tough to break.", he readied another gunpowder for Revan abdomen.
"Yeah.", as she pulled the shrapnel on his abdomen, making sure nothing hit major organs.
"Let's take his mask off. I want to see his face. People said that he wore it all the time to cover gashing scar on his face.", handing her the open rounds.
"It just an old wives' tale.", she did the same procedure with his shoulder.
"Come on. Don't you wonder why he always wore that mask. The last time people seen his face was when he reached Fort Lauderdale after the attack at Naval Air Station by Man of Dawn. After that, every public appearance he made, he always wore that mask. And every surveillance picture of him also never revealed his face.", he cleaned the wound on Revan's head and dressed it.
This intrigue her. Some of her also wants to see his face. A lot of rumor going about the state of his face. Like Masters, some said he has a gash covering his face. Some said he lost an eye and leave the eye socket empty. Nothing flattering about the existing rumor, it always involved some sort of deformities.
"Fine. At least we need to make sure that this person is who he claims to be.", caved in to her own curiosity.
"Alright.", Masters excited with the possibility seeing the face of a man that managed to take control half of United States of America within two years.
Masters ready himself as his finger feel for any latch that keeping his mask over his face. He found it and promptly released it. Freeing the face from the mask that encased it. After Masters removed the mask, both of them surprised by what they seen.
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph.", Masters sounded his shock.
"My god.", Shan followed suit with almost whispering tone.
What they see is still the same man on the profile picture they received from Military Personnel Records. A strong face profile with narrow nose on it. Thin lips with square jawline. No gash or empty eye socket, although there is scar on his right temple, a scar from being hit by weapon stock. Based on his medical record that they have, he got that wound during his black ops days. Not deformities like rumor claims. Shan took this opportunity to check his consciousness by opening his eyelids and shine the light to his ivory colored eyes with light-brown irises. The bag under his eyes a clear indication his lack of sleep for who knows how long. His face looked older than he really is. His listed date of birth puts his age at late-30-ies but he looked like someone in his early-50-ies. All this war clearly took a toll on him. It also shown on his hair. His often-slick-back raven-colored hair has a few grey ones. Most of it are concentrated on temple, above his ears. His face skin tone is a bit lighter than the rest of his tan skin. Probably due to his face kept under mask for so long.
"Okay. Not really expecting that.", he still reeling with the revelation.
"Me neither.", she surprised
"He probably could hook few soccer moms with his looks.", he's making comment.
"If he's not a terrorist.", she countered his comment.
"Actually, I think it only boost his attractiveness factor. I mean don't you women like bad boys? I read it somewhere.", he tried to make a light-hearted statement.
"Shut up.", she's not amused by it.
While they're conversing, the extraction crew arrive with helicopter HH-60J Jayhawk. They're pulled from the boat to the helicopter one by one, with Masters being the last one. after all of them in helicopter secure, they flew directly to black site in New York, debriefing and medical for Shan and Masters condition, treatment and preparation for interrogation for Revan. They reach the sites within the hour. The on-site medical team quickly swarmed them to check the preliminary for their condition. Shan and Masters were sent to the facilities infirmary while Revan, strapped to gurney were sent to operating theater for surgery, making sure he's survive. After both of them were cleared by the doctor, they quickly made their way toward the debriefing room, reporting about their mission.
"What the hell happened on the ship? We got reading from satellite the ship went up in flame not half hour you guys went in. Did I forgot to specify that this is a stealth mission?", Frankie made his displeasure known by the surviving team member by shouting at the top of his lung.
"Ship exploding is not our doing Sir.", she gave him her account on the incident.
"What does that mean?", confused with the report.
"We executed the mission rather swimmingly up until we reached the bridge to capture him. As we tried to cuff him, he took us by surprise and managed to kill two of my teammates. While preparing to kill the rest of us, he got double crossed by his own second-in-command, by blowing up his ship along with everyone inside it.", she gave Frankie summary of what happened.
"Wait, are you saying that he got himself a coup? And the one who started it is Alec?"
"I think there is dissent among his rank and it is started at least after incident at Fort Sill happened. Revan said before he knocked out that Alec had disobey him when Alec shelled the fort to the ground with all the personnel and equipment in it. From the sound of it Revan really mad when Alec destroyed that fort.", she recalled her account about Revan screaming toward Alec.
"It is not a rumor then. Some intel that coming out way suggested that Revan ordered Alec to capture the fort to convert them as Forward Operating Base to capture the entire state while Revan and his team infiltrate one of NSA communication node, but Alec reneged and did what he did. This angered Revan. So much so, when he returned to their base, Revan showed his displeasure in front of his men by stabbing Alec in his face, making sure that he left a scar on Alec's face. That's the reason he always wore half mask, covering his lower face.", he confirmed Shan story.
"So what happens next?", Masters chimed in want to now the next play.
"Once he wakes up; we would interrogate the prisoner. Making him spill anything concerning the extent of his organization. How they are funded. Communication system they would use. Any engagement that may happen in near future. And any useful information.", Frankie give a bit of rundown what they need in this fight.
"Are you sure you can dig something up from him? I mean what would be his motivation to help us? He tried to take us down all these years and actually succeeding.", Masters showed his doubt.
"I was betting on he's wanting to screw against Alec would be a good motivator to helping us.", Frankie explain it further.
"You're the boss.", Masters finished his piece.
"How about his condition?"
"He's still in surgery. You guys stopped his bleeding in time. Doctor said his chance is good. Late another minute, might as well just leave him on the ship."
"Good. Really hate dragging him through all the bullshit just for him end up being a corpse."
"You guys get some R&R while waiting for him to wake up. You going to need it."
"Yes, Sir."
That all they can do right now. Waiting him to wake up. Don't know for how long. But hopefully in near future, because they need him for the information that could bring them toward victory. Just hope that the concussion he got don't damage any memories he had. Cause that would certainly suck.