[] "Article 5" []
[] 14:00 []
[] Eliza "Ash" Cohen []
[] Bravo Team: Bravo-1 []
[] Bartlett University - Cambridge, Massachusetts []
The tent was dead silent as the team of operators crowded around the briefing table. Tensions were high as mixed emotions filled up everyone's heads. Most were angered by what the terrorists had done to the poor kids in the university. Others felt sad, as if those caught in the crossfire consisted of young innocents students and police officers simply trying to protect everyone in the campus. There was one thing everybody could agree on though. What this unknown group of monsters did was pure evil. These terrorists call themselves the White Masks. They were going to pay. Eliza, a.k.a. Ash, would make sure of it.
After a sigh, Eliza was ready to brief her team. She gently slapped her palms on her cheeks before speaking to the rest of her team. "Okay team. Thatcher and the rest of Alpha Team will deploy from a helicopter onto the courtyard" she laid out an overview of a map of Bartlett University. It was placed neatly on the table and had several markings marked with black sharpie. The location of Alpha's deployment included. The three other operators in the tent would enter the huddle and look at the marked position of Alpha Team's deployment. When everybody appeared on board, Eliza went over the plan. Everyone already knew the basics of it, but it was best they were all reminded before officially entering the fray.
"They will breach and clear the upper floors, eliminate every tango in every room before finally locating one of the bombs and defusing it. Once their assault begins" Eliza paused before marking another position on the map. She continued by drawing an arrow towards the front door. "While the enemy is distracted, we will advance on the front door, entering the campus through the front gate. Understood?" She asked the rest of her team.
Everybody was fine with the currently plan, giving her a nod as confirmation. They all would then follow up with a simple "Yes Ma'am." Well except for the two Spetsnaz soldiers that answered in their own native language.
"Good, now lets go over formation" she'd begin a new topic of the plan.
[] "Article 5" []
[] 14:30 []
[] Mike "Thatcher" Baker []
[] Alpha Team: Alpha-1 []
[] Bartlett University - Cambridge, Massachusetts []
The mission has started. Mike was at first worried that his squad members nerves would interfere, but the old S.A.S. operator figured that he was thinking too much. It's been a while since Rainbow has seen some actions after all. The team was only recently reactivated when terrorism rose up again. Surely everyone would be fine, for they were all experienced and have seen action before. Some of them however, had different methods in the previous employment. With Rainbow, things had to be different for some.
The helicopter would position itself over the courtyard, allowing Mike to stand and give a quick motivating speech. "Alright team. These damn bastards thought that they could prey on the innocent and get away with it. Well lemme tell you something. Unlike many other foes I've fought during my service, these pricks are unworthy of my kindness. Now stick to the bloody plan, and fall in" the old man finished up before beginning to rappel down onto the ground. Once his boots touched the stained grass, he felt the weight of the MOPP gear kick in. It was good that the old man chose this outfit compared to his normal one. The MOPP was definitely going to repel away the poisonous Compound-Z gas. James also lent a hand in modifications, so the suits were definitely reliable. The only downside was how heavy and large it was. The operators would have to rely on the yellow smoke to conceal them, otherwise they need to hide behind bigger cover unless they want to get picked off.
Mike motioned for everyone to follow him. Once he started moving, he heard the Blackhawk helicopter fly off, just as planned. As his vision adjusted to the toxic gas, Mike noticed a body with a maroon sweatshirt come into view. It was an immediate notice for the maroon color stood out. Mike quickly threw his fist out, halting the advancement of his team. "Civilian body. Alpha-Three, check it out" he ordered the squad medic.
"Copy that" the male operator responded with a French accent. He followed orders and approached the body with caution. Once besides it, the Frenchman crouched down to check the pulse on the contact's neck. "Female, brunette, late adolescence. She's breathing, but it's very faint" the Frenchman notified the rest of the team.
"Copy that Alpha-Three" Mike responded. He then tapped into his comes. "Blackhawk-One, do you read?"
There was a bit of a static in the radio, but eventually a respond came. "This is Blackhawk-One. I copy."
"Alpha-One here. We found our first civilian casualty" Mike informed.
He heard a curse from the radio, like the pilot couldn't believe that somebody survived the gas. "Copy that Alpha-One, we're rerouting back to your position."
Mike tapped out of the COMMS before approaching the squad medic. "Doc, treat the poor lass until the heli arrives. Alpha-Five, you remain by his side" Mike turned and ordered the American squad member before pointing at his second-in-command and the operator right next to her. "I want you two on me" Mike would tell the remaining members of Alpha squad. After commissioning his orders, the three members of Alpha approached the back of the building. "Get your ass in gear and rappel up there" Mike ordered the three while throwing the grappling hook towards the roof. The other two members of Alpha Team quickly repeated Mike's actions. Time was of the essence. If there was one student that survived, there was a chance that there were more.
The three made their way up to the top floor and rendezvous at a single window. Alpha-Two had pulled out her wrist-mounted phone in order to check whether there'd be electronics inside. "Thatcher, multiple explosives in the room" she warned the team leader, her German accent as clear as day through the radio COMMS.
"I guess you live up to your name" the remaining soldier light-heartedly commented. The accent belonged to a Russian. The German didn't want to respond. She already had to deal with a sarcastic asshole in the GSG-9, and with the dire situation, she wasn't in the mood for jokes..
"Enough" Mike stopped the banter. "Kapkan, bash me a hole, will ya?" he said to the Russian while pulling out his good ole' EMP grenade.
"Da. On it" Kapkan nodded before using the butt of his submachine gun to break a piece of the barricaded window off. Mike followed up by activating his signature EMP grenade and tossing it into the room. A couple seconds later, the sound of electronic static filled the room, disabling the dangers inside.
"Bloody love that sound" Mike laughed before activating and throwing one of his drones inside. Meanwhile, his second-in-command kept her eyes on the screen of her electronic sensor. Supposedly, there were the chances of encountering suicide bombers. Her sensor would definitely pick up one of those big guys.
"I don't see anything" she announced.
"Heh. Well I do" Mike replied. "We got a bomber."
"He's out of my range. I don't see him through the sensor."
"That'll be fine" Mike assured before putting his phone away. "Ready those traps Kapkan. You'll be using them."
Behind the gas mask, Kapkan's eyes lit up. "I can't wait."
[] "Article 5" []
[] 14:40 []
[] Elias "Blitz" Kötz []
[] Bravo Team: Bravo-2 []
[] Bartlett University - Cambridge, Massachusetts []
Alpha was already in action. Meanwhile, Bravo only recently got into their MOPP suits and were ready to begin their mission. This was Eliza's first time leading a squad for Rainbow, so the nerves were definitely getting to her whether the FBI agent wanted to admit it or not. She wasn't inexperienced as a squad leader, but chemistry with her Rainbow comrades were not yet developed. They will all have to figure it out throughout the mission. Though, having Old Man Thatcher around helped put the team at ease. While everyone was considered elite, Thatcher and the Spetsnaz operator Tachanka were on a different level due to experience. While their age slowed them down physically, their mental and technical abilities makes up for it. Unfortunately for Rainbow, Tachanka is not here for this mission.
With these more experienced operators in mind, some questioned why Eliza was picked to lead a team for this mission. Six made the final choice, and there was no questioning it. Eliza does need the experience though. Her equipment and abilities would prove very useful for this operation too. Her nerves were beginning to reveal themselves though, and Elias was the first to notice. He felt the need to calm his leader down. After all, they were one less operator down compared to Alpha which would put them at a disadvantage.
"Boss" he called her out.
Eliza turned around, facing her second-in-command. "What is it Blitz?"
If this were a different situation, Elias would have made a stupid joke. However, these White Masks pushed the wrong button of his. "You can do this" he ended up reassuring her. Eliza alongside the two Russians were a bit surprised. They all expected a some silly banter to cheer everyone up, but this was also fine. After all, Elias' normal remarks isn't appropriate right now.
To his surprise, the former GSG-9 operator could have sworn he heard a laugh from underneath Eliza's gas mask. "Right, well let's get started. Thatcher probably breached by now." Eliza would take in a deep breath before taking initiation. "Alright everyone, on me" she commanded before heading towards the front door of the campus. "Blitz, take point" she ordered halfway through. Elias nodded and got right in front of his team leader, his shield ready to protect those behind him. "Everybody standby" she ordered as she pulls out a drone. While everybody remained crouched behind Elias, Eliza threw her drone towards the door. Once it activated upon landing, she drove it under the barricade in order to search the lobby. She frowned underneath the gas mask. Apparently there were quite a number of hostiles inside. She made a mental note on their number and positioning before driving the drone back outside to her. She picked it up and stared at the Russian with a Kalashnikov rifle. "Fuze" she called his callsign and motioned for him to advance.
Fuze nodded, understanding Eliza's idea. The Russian couldn't help but smile underneath his mask as he made his way towards the front door. At the same time, he'd pull out his go-to gadget. The Russian could hear gun fire coming from the other side of the building. He would normally have jumped, but knowing about Alpha Team's position, Fuze would make the assumption that it was their doing.
"Looks like Thatcher started the party" Elias remarked. Even a small portion of his personality remained despite the situation.
The Russian Spetsnaz was quick to set the device up against the barricades. Once he was all done, he notified the team through COMMS. "Cluster charge set." Eliza gave the order to detonate it when Fuze was safe behind Elias and his shield.
"Blow them all to hell" Elias motivated the Russian rifleman.
"Hehe" Fuze chuckled underneath his gas mask as he made his way back behind the German. Once in a safe distance, the Spetsnaz operative pressed a button on his detonator. There was silence for a moment before Bravo heard several thumping noises entering through the front door. One by one, explosions occurred within the Bartlett lobby. Faint screams were heard, every single one of them muffled by the explosives and barricades.
"Back up!" Eliza ordered before shooting a breaching round into the barricade. By the time the round pierced into the door, the Russian sniper had his eyes on his scope. Another explosion occurred, busting down the door. The White Masks in the lobby were already startled by Fuze's charges. The explosion of the front door was just a complete nightmare. Add the fact that their bodies were highlighted by the sniper's infrared scope, and their lives flashed before their eyes before even realizing. For the Russian sniper, they were easy pickings. "Nice job, Glaz" Eliza complimented. The entire lobby was now silent and littered with corpses. It should be safe until reinforcements come. "Blitz, take point."
"On me!" Elias immediately responded to the command. The German advanced with his shield raised, but was quickly met with gunshots from the hallways. They all made impact with Elias' shield which immediately startling the German. "Shit! They came quickly!" he cursed in his native tongue. "I could use a hand!" he requested for assistance.
"I see them!" the sniper called out before firing a round into the terrorist's head. Both Eliza and Fuze were able to spot their targets to fire at. The two immediately started to suppress fire towards their separate locations, attempting to ease the burden of their shield operative. Due to his teammate's assistance, Elias didn't have to focus much on firing. He did what somebody with a shield was suppose to do after all, protect his comrades.
"Cease fire!" Eliza shouted through their COMMS channel. Everyone halted their firing, but kept their guns raised. Elias would also raise his pistol, for there were no more shots hitting his shield. "Glaz, see anybody?" she asked their sniper.
After thoroughly looking through the entire room, the Russian sniper couldn't find a single highlight of a hostile's body. They were all dead. "Negative" Glaz confirmed before lowering his rifle and moving up behind Elias. "Thatcher and his squad stopped firing" Glaz pointed out, a bit concern as to why.
Eliza felt pressured and wanted to check on the rest of Alpha squad. At first, she thought that interrupting them might jeopardize them in a way, but in the end, it was better to be safe than sorry. "Alpha-One, do you read?" she contacted the old S.A.S. trooper.
Thatcher answered almost immediately. "Yeah, I'm here" he confirmed his safety, followed by a cough. "Damn buggers are about ready to breach."
"Wait, Thatcher what do you me-" Eliza was interrupted by the sound of a explosion larger than Fuze's charges. It had to definitely be around Thatcher's position since she heard it through his radio and real time. Gunshots quickly followed up the breach charge, causing the entire squad of Bravo to react with a startle. "Shit!" she cursed.
"They should be defusing the bomb by now" Elias assumed which Eliza ended up nodding in agreement. "Let's focus on our priority Boss. Alpha will be fine" he assured her. "With Thatcher on our side, those terrorists should be worried" he reassured the FBI agent.
Either way, Eliza couldn't help but worry. The mission was still ongoing though, so the only thing Bravo can do is hope for the best.
"Blitz, take point" she ordered.
[] "Article 5" []
[] 14:55 []
[] Jack "Pulse" Estrada[]
[] Alpha Team: Alpha-5 []
[] Bartlett University - Cambridge, Massachusetts []
Another explosion struck. Jack was starting to feel a bit restless with all the action going on. He and Doc just finished patching up the civilian that Alpha Squad found. Now their new objective was to enter and rendezvous with the rest of their squad. They can take the same route the three others through the window they breached on the upper floor, but considering how much action had happened on both sides of the building since then, it was best that wasn't the best idea. The enemy of course had definitely moved around a lot since then. Pulse took point and made his way towards one of the windows on the ground floor.
"Let's see here" he mutters as he pulls out his heartbeat sensor. It was slow to scan, but it did it's job at revealing the enemy position. "Hostiles behind this window" he turned his head to notify Doc before putting the gadget away. "Hey, Gustav" he called out the medic's name before tossing a detonator towards him. "Blow it on my mark" he tells his squad mate before deploying the nitro cell on the window. The FBI agent would then back up against the stone wall next to the window, his UMP submachine gun aimed and ready to rain down a parade.
Doc stacked up behind his ally and got his MP5 ready. "Let's go" the French man said as he detonated the explosive. Jack, knowing the location of the terrorists immediately aimed through the window, shooting his weapon as it's set on burst fire mode. Jack was able to conserve ammo and control his gun's recoil this way. Jack managed to clear the area pretty easily with this method. The FBI operative vaulted over the window with his French teammate following behind him, making sure to cover the American's back.
"It looks like you've cleared it" Doc notified. "We should make our way to the library. Do you remember the route on the map" he asked.
Jack thought about the briefing his squad had before deployment. Their original route was changed due to the encounter with the civilian casualty. He was a little embarrassed, but Jack was still willing to admit that he couldn't recall a separate route to the location. "Sorry, but the memory's vague. Perhaps you should take point" he tells the GIGN operator.
Doc didn't seem to mind. "Okay. Keep on me" he tells Jack before cautiously leaving the room. Jack made sure to keep Doc's back covered while following his partner. There were gunshots definitely coming from their destination, making it easier for Doc to relocate the two towards their squad.
"Alpha-Three, do you copy!?" IQ suddenly entered the COMMS.
"I'm here. What's wrong?" Doc responded, noticing a frightening tone coming from the German's voice.
"Maxim is down, I repeat. Maxim is down!" she frantically repeated. "I'm keeping him from bleeding out, but Thatcher can't hold them all off alone." Another explosion.
"I hope that was Kapkan's trap" Jack mumbled while he and Doc began to increase their pace towards their squad. Thankfully that explosion was a lot closer to them than they though. They were immediately led to a library littered with bodies of the White Mask. Thatcher was seen on a balcony firing at hostiles below. Their backs were unfortunate enough to face Jack and Doc. The two used that advantage to flank the poor buggers.
"Go! I got you covered!" Jack hollers, suppressing fire at incoming White Mask reinforcements after finishing off the ones firing at Thatcher. With the Brit's assistance, Doc felt secure enough to move to a different point. He had to quickly make his way to his injured squad mate, otherwise the poor lad might die.
The French medic sprinted up the staircase to the second floor, then towards IQ and Maxim. The Russian laid their, losing blood quickly. He was still conscious, but was letting out painful groans and moans. Doc needed to act quick if he didn't want the Compound-Z gas can entering through the suit. "Keep him still" he told IQ. A shot from his stim-gun was able to stabilize the Russian, but there was more needed to be done than that. "Go assist the others, I got this covered" he assures the German.
IQ nodded before moving away to assist Jack and Thatcher with the defenses. They've already started the defuser before Maxim got injured. Time has already passed, so just a few seconds longer and their part of the mission would be complete. What's next is extraction, along with the hope that Bravo can get the second bomb defused.
[] "Article 5" []
[] 14:55 []
[] Timur "Glaz" Glazkov[]
[] Bravo Team: Bravo-4 []
[] Bartlett University - Cambridge, Massachusetts []
"They must have not expected two strike teams" Blitz assumed. "Makes the job a lot easier" he added on.
"Keep your eyes peered. We still don't know their numbers" Ash responded.
"From what we know, it's a lot" the German shield user replied back.
Meanwhile, the two Russians kept silent. Timur was very focused. Watching out for any highlighted detail through his scope. His Spetsnaz comrade, Shuhrat, expected this type of behavior from his friend, so he'd watch his back while Timur stays focused on watching the front. The four operators continued, all managing to stay calm and alert despite the ongoing firefight in the building. Ash apparently wanted to stay away from the hot zone. The second bomb would most likely be held in an entirely separate area. Thatcher and his squad should be able to hold out, so Bravo was willing to risk leaving them on their own.
"Stack up" Ash suddenly ordered the three of them upon approaching a doorway. As requested, they all hugged the wall, Timur being at the end of the line. "Blitz, take point" the American added another order. Blitz as ordered, entered the room but with haste. Timur heard a flash, now understanding the German's tactic. Ash quickly breached the room with her G36 rifle and fired off shots after shots before Shuhrat followed to assist.
Timur got his sniper ready. He crouched down and peeked the corner, remaining outside of the room. Disoriented hostiles were out in the open through the smoke. They were nothing but easy prey for the Spetsnaz sniper. One by one, Timur landed a shot. He was no longer aiming for headshot. Right now, Timur prefers the higher hit percentage. Less ammo would be wasted with this method. "Hostiles eliminated" he notified the rest of his squad through COMMS.
"Nice shooting, Comrade" Shuhrat complimented before approaching the bomb. It appears that Bravo made the right call in avoiding Alpha Squad and their engagement. The room was a pretty small lounge with tables and couches the White Fang terrorists used as cover. Shuhrat planned on using the furniture the same way their enemies did when they come in to halt the defusing process. The larger Russian crouched down behind some cover and would await his orders from Ash.
"Get to cover Glaz" Ash ordered as she brought out her defuser. "We'll need you aiming at the doorway" she points at the one they entered through.
As she began to set it up, pistol shots were fired off. Behind her, Blitz had began to engage some enemies through a different doorway. With the help of his shield, he'd be able to prevent the enemy forces from entering the room. Flashes from the shields would also help out. Despite needing to cover his doorway, Timur took the opportunity to assist the German. He quickly moved his aim over towards the terrorists in front of Blitz and popped off a few shots. Although those men were quickly downed, there were more approaching footsteps. The sniper glanced over and noticed that Ash was already in cover besides Shuhrat. He felt relieved that nobody entered the moment he took his eyes off of his assigned doorway. Now that Blitz was able to readjust, Timur pointed his rifle back towards its previous assignment. He took in a deep breath, bracing himself for what was about to come.
"Light them up!" Ash hollers.
[] "Article 5" []
[] 15:20 []
[] Team Rainbow []
[] Bartlett University - Cambridge, Massachusetts []
It was hard to call the mission a success. All the operators, except Kapkan, stood at a debriefing tent with each other. Thatcher went through the reports as everybody stood and listened in. It was hard to focus for some of them though. Ash's first time leading a team didn't go as well as expected. More like it didn't go the way she wanted. Jack attempted to assure her that everything would be fine, but he was only able to do so much. So many innocent kids and officers died today. All because an unknown group of terrorists wanted to instill fear into people for a reason the operatives don't know. This couldn't possibly be good for Rainbow. Especially with the media roaming nearby outside of the campus.
"IQ, Doc. You two are to remain here with me by the orders of Six herself" Thatcher announced. "Doc, you are to assist the medical teams with those that were injured. IQ, Six wants you to study the Compound-Z bombs. We'll get a team to help you extract them out of the building" Thatcher would turn towards the rest to finish up. "As for the rest of you, await for a heli extract. Head back to base and get some R&R. Dismissed."