Chapter 14.
FIRST MISSION
Reunited once more in Langley a few days later, the team found that a new member had been assigned to their midst: Doctor Claire Peters, an Afro-American woman with shoulder long jet-black hair who would not only serve as their personal surgeon but also replace Katrina Dabrowski in Phalanx.
She had an a Ph.D in family medicine and was an expert medic and physician as well as an aerial recon specialist.
She was a bit anxious about joining a team that had been molded together for so long, but everyone was very welcoming, feeling that they had actually missed out on someone with her expertise.
As she made her first flight in Phalanx, Matt couldn't help but feel a little bit uneasy as he remembered all too well the last time he had seen that jet glider in action when it had crashed and killed Katrina Dabrowski. However, Andy and his team had checked it thoroughly and it was cleared for duty.
Claire was a natural behind the controls and even though she had less training than the others, Matt didn't feel that she was that far behind and would catch up in just a few weeks.
To his surprise, Hugh Heyman arrived at the training field just a few days after the team had reassembled.
"Good morning, sir." Matt greeted.
H.H. snorted in disgust.
"Cut out the 'sir'. Good damn it, why can't you ever call me Hugh?"
Matt smirked.
"Apologies, sir… Hugh. What can I do for you?"
H.H. sat down.
"A few days ago, a Reconnaissance aircraft on a routine flight in the Pacific Ocean went down several nautical miles South-west of the American coastline. The crew ejected, while the plane itself crashed on a small atoll. I want your team to go in and retrieve the black box."
"Yes, I read the report." Matt said. "But why do you want us to go in? Wouldn't this be a job for the marines?"
"So far there hasn't been any interest in the crashed jet, simply because we haven't given anyone reason to suspect that there is anything important to salvage." H.H. explained. "However, if the marines would scramble in order to go and fine comb the island, it would soon be swarming with agents and it would be impossible to find the black box."
Matt nodded. That was an argument that he could understand.
"Why is this black box so important?"
"The box is the latest in hush-hush gizmos. It is a receiver/decoder/datalink, capable of reading every signal from every spy satellite we have. I believe that you realize that any 'hostile' would give both arms to get a grip on that piece of micro-circuitry."
"Aren't those boxes fitted with an anti-tamper device?"
"Well, they are." H.H. admitted. "But that really doesn't make any difference. The honchos at the Pentagon will chop some heads if the box goes missing. We will provide you with anything you require to get your squad out to the atoll in order to search for the downed jet and get its special cargo away before any 'hostiles' can get their hands on it."
Matt brought out an atlas from the shelf behind him and searched up a map that covered the south-western part of the country
"What can you tell me about the atoll?" He wondered.
"The plane broke up when it crashed, and pieces of the aircraft is spread over a rather big area." H.H. opened his suitcase and handed over a dossier that included several aerial photographs.
"The air force has taken pictures of the atoll, but they have revealed very little."
Matt studied the photos for details.
"Those beaches should make great landing zones." He suggested. "If you can supply us with a hydrofoil or some kind of landing craft, we can land our forces, secure a beach head and conduct an extensive search over the atoll."
H.H. smiled.
"It seems to me that you are already on top of things." He got up from the chair. "I'll make sure that a hydrofoil will be standing by when you arrive at the marine base. If there is anything else that you require, just let me know."
Early the next morning the team mobilized and drove down to the landing field to be picked up by a transport that would fly them to San Diego. The crew was in good mood, eager to go out on what was to be their first official mission.
The transport, already waiting for them was one of the largest aircrafts any of them had ever seen. It had a flat nose with a cargo door that could open the full width and height of the cargo compartment to permit faster and easier loading. The fuselage thinned out aft in two bows and the tailfins were linked with a large wing between them. The wings had two turbofan engines mounted underneath them. High flotation landing gear with 28 wheels shared the weight of the transport and was fitted with a kneeling system that permitted lowering of the parked aircraft, so the cargo floor is at truck-bed height or to facilitate vehicle loading and unloading.
"I've never seen a plane like this before." Matt noted.
"It is an experimental plane." Explained the pilot. "It is operated by a minimum crew of three: Pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster. It has been fitted with thrust reverses to operate from runways as short as 3000 feet."
He extended his hand.
"You must be Matt Trakker? I'm Stephen Riker, and I will be your captain on this trip."
The vehicles rolled aboard in double rows and were secured so they wouldn't start rolling. As soon as the take-off procedures was complete, the pilot slowly taxied out on the runway before increasing the throttle and let the machine run forward. Once it had acquired enough speed, he pulled the helm towards him and lifted the plane into the air.
Their destination was the naval air station on the northern island of San Diego, home to the Third fleet, located in the southwestern corner of the state of California and responsible for naval activity in the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean.
The runway on the base was not assembled to receive such a large aircraft as the transport. When the machine came to a stop, it blocked the entire runway. Stephen Riker used the 'kneeing' landing gear system to lower the craft. He then lowered the ramps allowing all vehicles to exit.
"How was your flight?" Riker asked as he supervised the unloading procedures.
"Bumpy." Complained Hondo.
"And no first-class accommodation!" Moaned Bishop.
"There's no pleasing some people." Matt winked.
Riker laughed heartily. He wasn't offended at all.
"I'll see you soon." He said and closed the ramps.
Within just two minutes after he had set down, the transport was taxing out on the runway to take off again.
As promised, a hydrofoil was awaiting them. Matt ordered the others to begin to load the vehicles on it, while he reported to the base commander.
The team quickly got ready for their mission; each member was provided with a set of battledress utilities, two-piece, light polycotton coveralls with pockets secured by silent fasteners. Over these they wore special body armor that provided protection to the head, torso, and shins. The armor was made up of composite layers of Kevlar, providing ballistic protection against most small arms and fragmentation. The helmet was designed with the same fragment protection capabilities as the armor. It also contained a tactical camera, audio microphone and a transmitter/receiver system.
Matt strode back and forth among his people, doing his own unobtrusive check, even though he knew it was unnecessary.
Bishop slid behind the control console in the tactical operations center in Juggernauts mobile command base. His fingers brought readouts and monitor screens to life. The high-tech computer lab consisted of double rows of tactical screens, each one name-labelled, that relayed the view from each soldier's com-set that was built in his or her helmet. It was also equipped with audio and video linkup with the troopers.
"Looking good." He murmured to himself, as much as to Hondo who would function as mission leader, who observed the screens over the operator's shoulder. "Everyone on line."
He played around for a moment, panning a remote camera, and zoomed in on Gloria who was just adjusting her shin guard.
"Be careful with those things." Hondo admonished. "That's no toy."
"That's all right," Bishop replied crisply. "This isn't Christmas."
Once the vehicles had been loaded aboard the hydrofoil it left port and soon it skimmed over the ocean.
Together with Bruce and Bishop, Matt had devised a plan of operation.
Matt and Claire should remain at the base in their respective fighters and only go out in case of an emergency. Dusty Hayes in the submarine Gator and Calhoun Burns in the hovercraft Raven was released into the water, assigned to guard the perimeter. Calhoun drove his car off the edge and engaged its transformation sequence: both set of wheels folded in from their upright orientation to a horizontal one under the chassis. The hood flipped around so the airstream would go underneath and help push the vehicle off the surface. The doors in the meantime had leveled in an outwards position as stabilizing wings. It worked just as well on land as in the sea. Dusty sat down in his SUV, which then opened up horizontally to launch a mini-sub.
The hydrofoil then continued to the atoll where it found a wide bank where it let off the remaining vehicles.
Hondo, who was in charge, ordered Jacques LaFleur in Volcano, Morten Øygard in Rattler and Buddie Hawks in Firecracker to position themselves under the tree line.
"Your primary orders are to lay out cover fire if we are under attack during our retreat of the atoll." He explained. "Your secondary orders are to support our comrades in the water if they are attacked. Report in every five minutes."
"Understood." Buddie confirmed.
Hondo got in behind the wheel on his 4x4 Ranger and using the vehicles optic scanner set on metal detection, he took the lead with Scout following him and Brad Turner hovering just above them in Condor, who had transformed from its motorcycle form into a single rotor gyrocopter with an open cockpit with windshield, tricycle landing gear where the aft pair was the single back wheel that had split. The rear chassis extended outwards to free a three-bladed propeller in pusher configuration and formed the tailplane.
On the other side of the atoll Gator and Raven floated silently in the water a few hundred meters away from the atoll, carefully monitoring the sea line.
Leaned back comfortably in the driving seat in Gator, Dusty was happily typing away on his phone, sending text messages to his girlfriend in Lakewood.
Calhoun moved Raven closer to Gator.
"You're supposed to be monitoring the sea line, not chatting with your girlfriend!" he lectured.
Dusty angrily turned to Calhoun.
"I learned that the best way to guard the perimeter is to occasionally divert your attention, so you don't get the thousand-yard stare."
"Occasionally divert your attention?" Calhoun echoed. "You have clearly defined orders, Dusty. Those orders are to monitor the perimeter in case any hostile forces come in from the sea and the whole team depends on you to be alert!"
"Lay off will you, Cal? If any 'hostiles' show up, we'll spot them with the radar and blow them out of the water."
"If they are running on full ECM-jamming they will be on top of us before we spot them." Calhoun reminded. "So you better pick up your visual scanning!"
"You're quite fast in lecturing others!" Dusty said. "But right now, I'm noticing a blur in the horizon, and picking up five blips on the radar. And they're coming in from the sector you were supposed to watch!"
Calhoun's face turned red with embarrassment and anger. Quickly the two formed up in a defensive line to take on the incoming targets.
The 'hostiles' turned out to be five Fast Attack Boats. They were armed with four short-range anti-armor missiles and a tower with a double barrel gun. Each boat had an insignia of a cobra coiled up to strike, a symbol none of the agents of the Special Missions Force were familiar with.
The boats deployed and moved out to flank the defending crafts, locking on with their missiles.
"Engage the missile suppression systems!" Calhoun yelled.
"Raise Hondo on the radio," Dusty suggested. "There might be a second wave of 'hostiles' approaching the atoll!"
The Special Missions Force slowly made their way through the untamed forest of the atoll. It wasn't always easy, because at some parts the vegetation was so thick that it was impossible to get through with the vehicles, and they constantly had to take detours to advance.
Hondo was in the lead, scanning the terrain in front of him with the optical sensors located in the grill of Ranger.
They had great help from Brad who not only guided them from the air, but who also located some important parts from the crashed Reconnaissance aircraft faster than the computer on Ranger could isolate it from other debris.
"This is definitely a part of the fuselage." Brad concluded as he regarded the wreckage. One engine was detached from its attachment, half-buried in the soft earth. One cylinder had shattered and lay in a burned shrubbery a bit from the fuselage. "But didn't Heyman tell Matt that the plane just went down, not that it crashed and burned?"
"Well, I wasn't part of the briefing," Hondo said. "But that is what Matt told me."
"This part is severely burned." Brad continued. "It's difficult to tell if its recent or not. Maybe you have a better luck with your instruments."
Paul sniffed the air.
"The scent is still very acrid. I would believe that this fire is very recent, possibly a cover up."
"If this is a cover up, then someone must have been on the atoll before us, and they could probably still be." Brad said, as he looked around from his higher vantage point. "They could be setting us up!"
Before Hondo got a chance to reply, the radio came to life.
"Hondo, this is Calhoun. We are under attack by five armed speedboats. They are not carrying any known insignias, and we believe that more enemy crafts might be coming your way!"
Calhoun's voice was replaced by Bishop.
"This is Juggernaut. I overheard Calhoun's call, and I can confirm his warning. We have several unidentified flying aircrafts coming in from Southeast. Some of them appear to be attack helicopters, the others are troop carriers. I suggest a fast withdrawal from the area. The hydrofoil will circle around to pick you up."
"Fall back to the landing site!" Hondo ordered his squad. "We're breaking through!"
At the beachhead, Rattler, Volcano and Firecracker moved out from their covers under the tree line. All three of them converted into their respective battle modes.
Rattlers cab rose straight up and formed an elevated gun tower as the ramps in the back of the car spun around to reveal their deadly secret - Missile launchers.
Firecracker ascended on hydraulics to raise the chassis to become a high platformed recon truck with two front-mounted guns in the grill, rear-angled freeze guns and an ejectable, explosive spare tire.
And lastly Volcano turned into its high-rise tracker configuration.
"I've got the lead craft lit up with a tracking beam," Morten said as he moved into position and fired a missile.
The lead helicopter responded by dispensing chaff and infra-red flares, while the transports and equipment initiated evasive action.
Two more helicopters moved in; seated in the gun tower on Volcano, Jacques tried his best to traverse the guns fast enough to hit his targets.
"They're coming in to fast," he shouted. "I can't get a lock on them!"
"Try to lead them with short bursts!" Morten advised.
Out in the water the Special Missions Force was pouring it on. Calhoun fired repeated salvos with his frontal guns. He had managed to take out the ski on one of the boats, making it capsize. However, the 'hostiles' weapons were still operational, and he did his best to run interference for Raven.
One of the boats had circled around and lined up Raven for his gunner. But just as he was getting close enough to fire, another vehicle arrived on the scene, coming up from the ocean. It was Dusty Hayes in the Gator. He had submerged when the sea battle had started, not to escape from it, but to gain an offensive position.
With Gator coming straight at him, the pilot of the Fast Attack Boat panicked. Not risking a chicken game, he swerved hard, ruining the shot for his gunner.
Dusty remained on his target, selecting the homing torpedoes from the weapons systems.
"Laser-lock on target!"
The torpedo was spring launched into the water; solid rocket boosters then carried the warhead to its target, blowing it up.
The helicopters found an unprotected area where they sat down the equipment and the troops they had been carrying. The troops quickly set up the cannons for use against the hydrofoil once it came around the atoll.
Brad Turner on Condor circled nearby, he spotted the troopers and reported over to Morten.
"How is the area between us and the landing party?" Morten asked. "Can we drive over?"
"I wouldn't recommend it, big guy!" Brad responded. "You would be charging blindly into their field of fire, and there's enough troopers there to blast you into next Wednesday. Try to get a radar lock!"
"Negative on that!" Hondo's voice came back over the tac-net. "No need to give them anything they can track back to us!"
"Suggestion?"
"Unpack the laser targeting designator," Hondo advised. "Try to get as close to the landing party you can without getting spotted, then light up their heavy guns with the laser spotting beam so the long-range missiles on Rattler can home in on them!"
A few moments later, Brad hid in the bushes near the sand bank where the invading soldiers were positioned. In his hand he held what looked like a tube with sighting and handle. He aimed it toward a Mobile Missile System, which he judged as the most dangerous one. None of the enemy troopers spotted the red spotting beam that focused on the MMS, and in the next moment an anti-tank missile flew in a high arc over the tree lines before it impacted on the MMS.
"We're under attack!" an officer yelled. "Suppress that missile launcher!"
"How?" a soldier asked. "We don't know where it is!"
In the confusion that followed with the destruction of the MMS, Brad lined up a Lightweight Multiple Launcher, guiding yet another missile to its target.
Over the noise from the explosions, the sound of powerful jet engines was heard, and suddenly the Thunderhawk swept in over the atoll to join the fray. A turbofan gunship trailed just behind.
Matt watched the helicopters as he lined them up. They were of a configuration that was totally unknown to him, two-seaters with intermeshing rotors – and well loaded with weaponry.
The attack helicopter and Thunderhawk fired simultaneously. But in the next instant, Matt banked hard, positioning his craft sideways and both missiles missed him. The enemy pilot was so surprised by this fact, that he hesitated a moment too long before taking any evasive measures, and Matt's blasts hit him midship.
In an attempt to light up a second LMS for Morten, Brad forgot that Rattler only carried two anti-tank missiles and that it took some time for the automatic re-loading to commence. This time one of the soldiers noticed the spotting beam and where it originated. He opened fire and Brad quickly fled back into the woods.
But he had done enough damage, and the hydrofoil could pass without getting fired on. It stranded on the beachhead, allowing the vehicles waiting for it to roll aboard.
A squadron of attack helicopters noticed that the hovercraft was picking up their intended target and changed course to correct their mistake before they could leave the atoll.
"Incoming attack choppers!" Buddie called out.
"I got them covered." Matt calmly said. "Just keep going."
He came around in a wide turn then allowed his multi-warhead missile launcher to come into play. The missile found its target, hitting the helicopter bad.
The pilot decided to disengage and try to limp home, but his machine answered slowly, and his turn took him into the flight path of one of the other helicopters.
The two helicopters smashed into each other. For a moment, the two machines hanged in the air, entangled. Then they came apart and started to break up. All four men ejected before their respective machines crashed into the water.
The hostile speedboats had turned around in an attempt to sink the hydrofoil before it could withdraw from the atoll. Intercepting them in Raven, Calhoun punched several buttons on the console and launched several depth chargers. They flew in a high arc in the air, before splashing down into the water where they quickly sank out of sight. The disturbances in the water caused by the approaching attack boats detonated them and sent shockwaves that rocked the boats around violently.
Coming out of an inside turn, Claire threw a look over her shoulder and spotted an attack helicopter close on his tail, high velocity bullets trying to tag her. She banked slightly but the tormentor was still on her, closing in, showing no sign of relinquishing pursuit.
"A little aggressive, isn't he?" Claire muttered.
She sent Phalanx into a steep dive toward the ground, then cut sharply up to avoid a burst of bullets from his trailing assailant. As she levelled up, she noticed that the helicopter had gained several meters and were now almost directly behind her. It let loose a burst of bullets. Claire stomped on the rudder pedal and while the bullets zoomed dangerously close to the fuselage, she pulled the stick toward her stomach. In the top of the loop, she made a half-roll and looked around for her opponent.
She had managed to come up a bit higher than the 'hostile'. Claire pushed the stick forward and dove like a meteor straight down at the helicopters nose, then swept straight up in a vertical Immelmann turn. It was an expertly performed maneuver and in the next moment the turbofan jet glider was behind its enemy. Claire fired a missile from the left glove pylon - it hit the helicopter in the tail. The helicopter started to roll, the drag chute deployed, and the pilot and his gunner immediately ejected.
"The hydrofoil is coming our way!" Calhoun reported, looking over at the atoll. "We have two more boats to dispose of before we can be brought aboard!"
"I'll handle them." Dusty assured.
Both boats came at Gator. He doubted that he was their target this time, they were probably aiming for the hydrofoil, but since they intended to pass him, he still had a perfect opportunity to take them out. He fired a long shot with his freeze cannons, dousing the water, freezing it instantly. This left a big area of ice floating in the path of the surprised 'hostiles' who was too close to evade them. They rammed the ice chunks head on, and their crafts capsized.
A few moments later the hovercraft maneuvered up next to the two boats and brought them aboard.
"Not so shabby for our first time in a real battle!" Jacques said, as they steered for San Diego.
"No." Matt agreed over the radio. He and Claire were circling around high above the hydrofoil, acting as a protective umbrella in case more hostile forces would arrive. "I would say that we did quite okay. But what I want to know now, is what this mission was really all about."
"It wouldn't surprise me if ol´ Heyman is waiting for us at the pier, telling us that this was just another battle scenario he wanted us to go through." Hondo said, his voice betraying his frustration.
"No, this was more than a battle scenario." Matt replied slowly. "I believe that we just had our first run in with the organization we have been assembled to battle. And we were maneuvered into a meticulously prepared ambush, positively to wipe us all out in one swift stroke."
"But that means that someone within the World Unification Alliance must have leaked information to the Syndicate." Morten gasped.
"Even more than that." Buddie pointed out. "That person, whoever it might be, set this up together with the Syndicate. These men were on the atoll in advance and retrieved the thingamee, then they waited for us to come out in the open where we would be vulnerable."
"This proves that the Syndicate has military resources greater than we could have imagined." Paul said. "One of the questions that we just have to find out is: Who finances them? This is not just secondary equipment and homemade explosives that they are using. This is state-of-the-art weaponry and equipment."
"We need to analyze the battle and forward all information to the crew at the World Consultation Building." Matt concluded. "I'll ask H.H. to fly over from New Orleans for a debriefing when I get back to the base."
He fired the afterburners, and with Claire still flying at his side it didn't take long until the fields in San Diego appeared below them.
Matt walked over to Juggernaut who stood nearby with Bishop, Bruce, Marvin, and Gloria waiting for him.
"We monitored your radio conversations." Bruce explained. "It sounded like quite a skirmish. Sorry we weren't out there to help."
"There wasn't anything either of you could have done in your vehicles." Matt dismissed. "But unfortunately, I got the feeling that you will soon get the opportunity to be tested in battle as well."
"Do you believe this force was part of the Syndicate?" Marvin asked. "It doesn't sound like their standard course of action. In fact, we haven't heard any proof indicating that they should have a military force backing them up."
"If we have two organizations to fight, then we will really have our hands full." Matt said. "I must get in contact with H.H. and fill him in on the latest incidents."
The sleeping cap of Rhino housed a small computer lab. Matt sat down and begun to type in an 8-digit code. In a moment he had a dial tone, then static as it hit its connection.
There was a brief pause, and then Matt heard the familiar voice of Hugh Heyman answering.
"This is Heyman."
"Go secure." Matt instructed.
A series of clicks commenced on the line, then he got a message on the screen that said: "Secure."
"Go ahead." H.H. said.
"The object is gone." Matt begun. "Hostile forces arrived on the atoll before we did and retrieved the box. They waited for us."
Matt could hear H.H. gasp on the other side of the line.
"You mean you actually had a live encounter with Syndicate soldiers?" H.H. could not believe his ears. "You have to give me a detailed description on everything that happened out there. We need to know what kind of equipment they use, the guns, the looks of their uniforms…"
"Hold your horses, Hugh." Matt cut him off. "I promise that I will give you a report, but first I need to collect all available information, so we can make a full analysis. Could you fly down to San Diego for a full debriefing tomorrow?"
"I'll come down." H.H. promised as he begun to pull himself together once more. "Did you say that you failed to retrieve the box?"
"They knew that we were coming." Matt explained. "We need to plug this leak somehow. Which people within your own organization knew about this operation?"
"Only my own staff."
"In other words; you, Helena, Lisa and Wolf."
"No, Lisa was not involved in this. And Wolf has been reassigned. Some of the top brass in the World Unification Alliance was impressed with Wolf's way of handling the Cold Store incident. He's been given command of the second contingency program I briefed you about earlier."
Matt realized that it was not likely that the spilled information had originated from the World Consultation Building this time. Only time would tell if H.H. had managed to eliminate the mole by the re-organization.
"The security breach goes deeper than we realized. We already know that the Syndicate has a capacity for anonymity and corrupting susceptible agents. And this time they got to someone on the inside."
"And that mole is someone we better expose soon." H.H. said wearily. "If this continues, he will soon be able to supply his masters with the precise location of our radar stations and border defense units. Up for grabs to the highest bidders, third world terrorists, arms dealers and everybody who'd love to get rid of us."
Matt was interrupted by Bishop who stepped up next to him.
"Matt. An orderly Officer is here to pick you up. The base CO wants to see you."
Matt quickly broke the connection with Hugh, then followed the orderly officer over to the officer of the base CO – Admiral Canfield.
Canfield was not happy to see him at all.
"You do realize that the task of this fleet is to maintain peace in an area covering approximately fifty million square miles in the south-eastern Pacific?" He informed angrily. "I have been informed that you were here to investigate the crash of the Reconnaissance aircraft, not start a good-damn war!"
Matt dug up his ID-Card from the World Unification Alliance and showed it to the Admiral.
"I will need all sat system images covering the crash site during the last seventy-two hours." Matt ordered. "I will also require the reports made by the crew as well as all recordings of conversations between cockpit and the control tower."
Admiral Canfield looked at him with surprise.
"That's not a small request." He noted. "I will need to know what is going on before I can even begin to consider handing over any materials."
"National security has been breached and our bureaucrats are fumbling around in panic." Matt informed. "My job is to expose that enemy and I need that information to find out precisely just how your security system was compromised."
"Just what are you insinuating?"
Matt looked straight into the face of the Admiral.
"You were ordered by the World Unification Alliance not to send any troops to the atoll, so you wouldn't attract any attention of hostile agents."
"And those orders were followed to the point." Canfield explained. "No one under my command has set foot on the atoll."
"That may be true. But the atoll was to remain under your supervision, and that is where you failed to do your duty which brings us back to why I'm here and the information I demanded."
All color faded from Canfields face.
"Are you telling me that someone has made landfall on the atoll and stolen the box?"
Matt nodded slowly.
"The fact that their landfall slipped you by indicates that our adversaries has agents located at strategically places across our nation. I don't think that I have to tell you what kind of damage they can cause unless we uncover them?"
Canfield immediately called for his aide and instructed him to hand over all information Matt required and to cooperate fully.
"Share this with no one." Matt instructed as he left. "My team will analyze all data and bring back to the World Unification Alliance Security Department. We will have a preliminary report finished tomorrow when the chief of security arrives."