The Hunt for Rogue Mercury
Somalia. If a man ever wanted to live free from the modernized and secure world of a western nation they'll move to Bosaso, Somalia. The city was huge, over populated, and poor. Shanty huts made from sheet metal lined the deteriorating concrete buildings. During the day the population fished and traded, however at night crime flourished. Gun fire could be heard from sun down to sun rise. Yet given the dangerous environment the men of the Army's Ghost Recon team remained strangely comfortable. They were in a self-made safe house that they recently took from Al Qaeda grunts. The blood from the previous occupants still stained the bare concrete floors and walls. The team was tracking down an Al Qaeda network that was responsible for weaponizing a plutonium bomb for some South African terrorists. It didn't take long for the team to pick the links apart and start searching for the head of the snake after South African Special Forces captured the nuke and revealed its origins.
Operations team leader Derrick Parker comes from a family of heroes. Almost every man in his family has served in the Army or another Armed Forces branch. He sat on an old smelly couch and adjusted his shemagh to cover his nose in a failed attempt to block out the smell of putrid body odor from the dead terrorists and his fellow Ghosts. Hmm could be hotter, and smellier I guess. Just be glad it's not. He looked around taking in what his team mates were doing. Marcus Brown had his LMG disassembled on a table and was in the process of cleaning it. Nick Salvatore leaned against a window sill peering down the bustling city street below. He incessantly rubbed his gunshot wounds on his abdomen which he received in Mexico a few years ago. One of the newest men he's met walked past and nodded. His nickname was Pepper or old reliable. For what he could tell he's a solid soldier and a crack shot with a sniper rifle. Bravo teams second in command, K.C. Kirkland, took a seat next to him on the sofa.
"What's up Parker?" Kirkland's been in the Army for as long as he could remember. They served together plenty of times before and have developed a respected relationship between themselves.
Derrick shook his head, "nothing much K, just waiting to get the go ahead to snatch these bastards. Also wishing it was ten degrees cooler, but whatever."
K.C. nodded, "The CIA informant said she'll have the targets location by tonight." He chuckled slightly. "I still don't know how a white girl manages to survive down here man, I mean come on its Somalia."
Parker shrugged, "I've been thinking that myself, but Marcus and Nick know her. Marcus served with her in Mexico and he says she's the Army's top shot, or was the Army's top shot. And she's smart, strong, yadda yadda." He mimicked Brown who couldn't stop talking about his friend ever since he found out she was working with them again.
K.C. perked up, "She was a Ghost?"
"Yep. One of the best from what Marcus said about her, I guess she saved him a couple times before based upon how much ass he's kissing. But now she's CIA working solo on this op for some jacked up reason. You couldn't get me to work here alone."
K.C. chimed in, "Especially if you were a white chick."
Parker rolled his eyes but agreed, "Especially that."
A Ghost from K.C.s team walked by half naked drenched in sweat, but before K.C. could say anything Bones came out of nowhere and chewed him out saying how he needs to maintain mission readiness at all times. Bones could lead a squad himself along with most of these Ghosts, however Army SOCCOM wanted the best men on this mission so Bones was tagged with K.C.s team. Nuclear bombs in the hands of bad guys is a "code red". If the press got a whiff of this one the world would be in a panic.
Bones was in full battle rattle as he greeted the two men on the couch, "Howdy sirs." He marched off to join the rest of K.C.s team somewhere else in the building. The two men on the couch looked at each other and laughed subtly.
It was getting cooler and gun shots could be heard echoing throughout the city, night was approaching. Parker was jostled awake by a serious Kirkland, "It's go time baby." Parker blinked twice and once he registered the statement he nodded.
The Ghosts got geared up and met in the center room where Parker briefed them. "Our CIA informant has been tracking our next lead into finding the bomb makers all day. She has pinpointed another safe house that belongs to these Al Qaeda thugs, here." He circled the building on a map using a tablet. The tablet then transferred this information into the Ghost's Cross-Coms. "These guys are the ones who put the bomb on the ship to South Africa. These are the guys who know where it came from." He detailed the breaching and extraction methods with the men. After the briefing Parker stood there and looked the men in the eyes. "Hooah?" The Ghosts responded. "Then let's go."
The Ghosts will get acquainted with their O.G.A. friends in the next chapter. Please review and comment if you want more specific Ghost characters in the next chapter, remember K.C. has a team of his own. Thank you for reading.