Chapter 9- Back in Business
September 18, 2551
Mutt sat on his bed and continued to inspect his helmet, until there was a knock on his door. When he looked up he found Shadow wearing Multi-Cam fatigues with the M25B.
"We're hitting the road. Get a move on." Shadow reminded the rookie as he left the doorway. The rookie put his helmet on the bed. He then stood up and went over to his locker and grabbed his M25B along with his CH252 helmet. He inspected it before donning it and then went over to his rifle locker. He put in the combination and opened it, grabbing his DMR. He walked out into the hallway toward the nearest stairs to the flight deck. The USS Houston's flight deck was filled with Pelicans being loaded with Marines and soldiers. The WA Council had approved the action to set up garrisons in key cities and to retake Rio. The 3rd MEU was charged with Rio, the 1st ID was to defend Paris, and the 15th ID had Berlin. The 2nd MEU would assist the British in defending London. But, Zulu had a different mission. Mutt found the team waiting for him at a Pelican near the end of the deck.
"Okay, now that Mutt's here I can explain the mission. Collins says there is an informant in Belarus, somewhere in the town of Mogilev. He goes by the codename "Taurus" and our objective is to get him out of the city since it was recently taken over by a combination of Chinese and Russian units." Shadow explained as the team got on the Pelican and found their seats. They were the only four in the cabin and they lowered their harnesses. It seemed the pilot was in a hurry since he started to take off before the ramp was fully raised.
"Any idea why?" questioned Ute.
Once the cabin settled, everyone released their harnesses and began prepping their gear. They all attached silencers to their DMRs.
"He has information on two Russian generals who are pretty high up on the most wanted list." responded Shadow as he grabbed a parachute pack and strapped it on. The rest of the team followed his lead as Shadow walked to the cockpit to talk to the pilot. "Get some altitude so the Commie radars won't see us."
"Yes, sir." responded the airman as he tilted the controls back slightly. "By the way, I'm A1C David Murray." He offered his hand to Shadow, which Shadow shook as he walked away.
"Don't get us killed, kid." Shadow said as he re-entered the cabin to be greeted by a team ready for action. He grabbed his DMR and held it in his right arm. "Chill out guys, we got some time." The team let out a sigh of relief as they sat down and let the weight off their shoulders.
About one hour later
4,000 meters over Mogilev
A red light illuminated the dark cabin and informed the passengers the ramp was about to be lowered.
"Masks on!" ordered Shadow as he strapped the black oxygen mask over his mouth. A hose attached to the mask led to a small tank behind the parachute pack. The rest of the team began doing the same as Shadow called over his radio. "Okay Murray, we're ready back here." A shrill alarm announced that the ramp was lowering. Mutt felt a tug as the ramp lowered but the harness kept him in place. Soon, the pressure in the cabin was stabilized and the operators stood up and approached the ramp. Shadow took the lead and looked back at his teammates. "Check yourselves!" he screamed over the radio. Everyone began looking over their gear and one by one they each signaled okay. When Shadow gave the thumbs up, Mutt stared at the red light. He was behind Bear and Ute, yet he still anticipated the signal. Finally, the green light was illuminated and the operators began moving for the edge of the ramp. Mutt watched as the other two were sucked gracefully into the night. He felt Shadow's hand slap him on the back and then there was a loud noise sounding like waves at the beach. Below him he could see the lights of Mogilev getting closer. He glanced at his altimeter on his HUD to make sure he didn't pull his parachute too low. He saw a parachute open below him followed by a second, Ute and Bear were safe for now. Suddenly, Mutt's altimeter began flashing red. He pulled a cord, which opened and brought Mutt to a sudden halt. He slowly glided down to the ground and looked around for his teammates. When Mutt landed, he quickly took off the parachute pack, raised his weapon, and scanned the area. He heard the grass rustle near him, causing him to aim around looking for the disturbance.
"Flash." Bear whispered
"Thunder." answered Mutt as Bear approached the operator from the left. He kneeled beside Mutt and raised his DMR.
"Is your night vision working?" Bear asked.
"Let me check." responded Mutt as he reached up to the back of his helmet and pressed a small button. His HUD then took on a green tint, lighting up the world around him. He spotted two people around 30 yards away. Bear noticed the rookie's goggles had a green glow around the edges.
"I'll take that as a yes. Twitch messed something up on mine. Maybe the wiring." complained Bear as he continued to press his helmet's button.
"Twitch doesn't mess up." Mutt retorted as he continued to watch the two figures. "I think I found Ute and Shadow." He got onto his radio. "Ute, Shadow I think I have visual on you guys."
Shadow responded "Yeah, I see you and Bear. We are moving over to you guys." The two figures began to walk over to Bear and Mutt. When they arrived, Shadow glanced at his comrades. "You guys alright?" he asked.
"Night vision isn't working, Boss." Bear replied. Shadow gave Bear a quick slap to the back of the head, causing Bear to wince. "What the fuck? Ow!" Bear yelled in protest. His goggles finally flickered on.
"Better?" asked Shadow sarcastically.
"Go fuck yourself." responded Bear. Shadow pulled out a map from his pack and laid it flat on the ground for everyone to see. Mutt instantly recognized the town of Mogilev and the surrounding areas.
"Okay, judging from the surroundings I think we landed southwest of the October District. We are right about right here." Shadow explained as he pointed to a grassy area of the map. The last transmission 'Taurus' sent out was located here." he pointed to another area on the map in the October District. "We are not too far from it. That's the good news. Bad news is our exfil is on the other side of the Lieninski District."
"So?" asked Ute.
"So we have to go through the city, which recently fell into Communist hands. Also, we are not the only ones looking for this guy. Russian and Chinese forces patrol the city looking for him and when they see us as well they won't be happy at all." responded Shadow. "Now let's get moving. ROE is to only engage when being engaged. We don't want to alert anyone." He folded the map and put it back in his pack. When the group reached the city limits, they had to deactivate their night vision because of the street lights. Signs had been posted everywhere explaining a curfew had been emplaced on the city, explaining why the streets were so empty. As they approached the last known position of 'Taurus', Mutt began to feel a little uneasy about the situation. They had run into no guards or any resistance at all. The building they approached appeared to be a bakery with a second floor apartment. Shadow tried to open the door but found it had been locked. He reached down and began to pick the lock, but stopped when a noise was heard. The team prepared for resistance and almost opened fire when an alarm sounded. But they calmed down as they watched two teenagers carrying bags of stolen groceries being chased by a guard wielding a nightstick.
"Xiǎotōu! Zǔzhǐ tāmen!" yelled the guard as he chased the teens.
"Great, gotta deal with the fucking Chinese." cursed Mutt under his breath. Shadow quickly shushed as he resumed the lock picking. Soon after, he opened the door slowly and turned on his night vision since there were no lights on in the store. The rest of the team followed suit. The stairs creaked under the operators' footsteps as they reached the apartment door. They could see under the door a very faint light. Shadow slowly opened the door and glanced around inside. Suddenly, Shadow was hit on the top of the helmet by a blunt metal object.
"What the shit?" yelled Shadow. Bear aimed at the assailant, but the assailant quickly threw up his hands.
"Are you Americans?" he asked in a thick European accent.
Shadow straightened up before responding. "Yes we are. Are you the informant known as Taurus?"
"I am." responded Taurus as he put the cooking pan down. "But, I have to say you people are fools for coming tonight."
Bear began to question him. "Why's that?"
"They knew you were coming. Someone tipped them off from inside your command structure." replied Taurus. As if planned, spotlights began to illuminate the building. Shadow took cover by a nearby window.
"Grab your stuff now. We are getting you out of here." ordered Shadow as the others took defensive positions. Taurus complied, ran into another room, and began grabbing papers.
"Měiguó rén! Kuài xiàlái, hépíng tóuxiáng, wǒmen bù huì shānghài nǐ de! Wǒmen yǒu nǐ bāowéi. Méiyǒu yuèyù!" yelled a soldier over a loudspeaker.
Shadow looked over to the others "You guys ready?"
Bear responded for everyone. "Hell yeah, boss."
Author's note: I did not anticipate "Chronicles of Zulu" to be as promising as it is now. I will try my best to get chapters out quickly. But being in school means schoolwork comes first. I would also like to announce I'm planning a second book which will follow an operator in the Spetznaz during the same time period. I am more than willing to take suggestions. If you have any questions, send me a message or put it into my forum. Thank you.
