Ninjas, Mercenaries, and a Solitary Soldier

Chapter 2: Shit Happens

Anything can go wrong on a mission. Hell, anything can go wrong with just about everything in life. I just didn't expect something to go wrong this early.

After my little daydream, I noticed how light my load as. I then suddenly realized that my backpack wasn't on my back. I panicked, but I managed to calm myself down by keeping myself busy. I slowly got rid of my anxiety while getting rid of any signs of my intrusion into this jungle. I was able to think clearly, and I came up with three possible scenarios: one, I forgot my pack in the damn plane; two, it slipped off of me during my HALO jump; or three, it fell off my back while I was stuck in that tree. Well, the first one is highly unlikely, since I triple-checked all of my equipment before jumping out of the plane. I am 99% sure that my pack was on my back. It couldn't be the third one, because I'd probably see it immediately, despite my backpack having the same woodland camouflage pattern as my BDU(Battle Dress Uniform). So, the most likely thing that happened to my pack is number two. If that's the case…

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! My backpack could have fallen anywhere in this forest." I said. I was surprised that I didn't yell this out loud.

After a few minutes of deep breathings and more cursing inside my head, I decided that crying over spilt milk was just a waste of time. I had to make do with what I've got.

For starters, I still have my map and compass in my right breast pocket. Without them, I'd probably resort to mugging some poor traveler just for these simple navigational tools, if I could even find one, and if he or she is even carrying them. Next, I have two water canteens, which have four liters of water in total. That's good enough for at least two days. Even if I ran out of water, I also have a ton of chloride pills to purify water found in streams. My binocs also made the trip. I'll need this to look at things clearly from a distance. Finally, I had my radio, my only link to HQ, which is actually a Battle Carrier cruising around South Korea. A surveillance aircraft high up in the skies is actually the one responsible for picking up my transmissions, and acts like a relay between me and the Carrier. I also had an earphone attached to the radio and a mic to minimize noise.

As for weapons, I've got two of them: my combat knife and my Beretta. The knife is safely tucked on my left breast, and I've used it earlier to chop off the parachute strings that kept me stuck. Knives are always essential in a survival situation, since they have many uses. The Beretta M92FS is a handgun that's chambered for the 9x19mm cartridge. Each magazine contains fifteen cartridges, and I have 5 mags, not counting the one already in the firearm. It also has a silencer, since eliminating the enemy as quietly as possible will most likely keep me alive much longer than using regular firearms. The Beretta also has a flashlight attachment, but I probably won't be using it that much. Using the light will make me an instant target in the dark, but it will come in handy for thorough searching and for temporarily blinding the enemy. I held the gun in my hands, looked at it for a minute, and chambered a round into it. I was in a hostile environment after all, and this is the only firearm that I have. I might as well be prepared to shoot at anything. I then put the handgun back into the holster on my right hip.

After checking my equipment, I'd also come up with a list of missing items that were in my pack. One is my submachine gun, a firearm that was supposed to be my primary weapon. The second are extra ammunition for my firearms. The third are grenades. The fourth, rations. The fifth, the night vision goggles. And finally, the Laser Designator.

No food meant that I had to hunt for it. That's not much of a problem, it's just that hunting would be time and energy consuming, but at least I didn't have a time limit for this mission, or at least I didn't think so. But the problem is the damn laser thingy. I'd need that thing to lace the enemy base so the Navy boys piloting the jets can bomb the base. Somehow, I didn't think that jumping around frantically while yelling "The base is over there!" over the radio while hoping to be caught by one of our satellites is a good alternative. I'd have to come up with something much better if I can't find the Designator. 

The sub gun, extra ammo and grenades would make combat easier, but I can always rob the enemies' corpses. They won't need them anyway, that is, after I've taken them out.

Without the NVG, I'd be operating more carefully and slowly in the dark. Even without the goggles, I'd be able to continue my work even in darkness, but I guess being able to see in the dark clearly without alerting my presence to anyone would have been nice.

After analyzing my current situation, I fired up the radio to call HQ.

"Kahuna to HQ, Kahuna to HQ, over." I said. As always, no names were to be given on the radio. Kahuna was my handle for this mission. I've went by several "interesting" names, like Boomer, Specter, Jester, Whiskey or Pluto, but what the hell is a Kahuna anyway? I think it's some sort of animal. Next thing you know, they'll probably call me "Rainbow" or something fruity.

"This is HQ. We read you loud and clear, Kahuna. Report on your current situation." A female voice replied. I didn't know who the voice belonged to, but it's probably from a female intelligence officer from 73rd platoon, or "funny" platoon, as just about every Special Forces soldiers call them. Women still have a long way to go in the Special Forces community.

"I've made a clean insertion into hostile territory, but due to some mishap, I've lost some of my gear, and more specifically, the ability to call in the heavy artillery." I said. I wanted to keep communications as short and cryptic as possible, despite the slim chances of someone intercepting my communications with HQ due to some sort of advanced technology. I was never that keen with high-tech stuff.

"We understand. Can you still complete the mission?" She replied. Gee, I'm fine, thank you very much.

"Yes. There's still a good chance of recovering my missing gear." If the word "good" is the same thing as "slim", I probably need to read books again.

"OK. Just concentrate on one thing at a time. You're current mission is to search the western forest for enemy activity. Search and eliminate all of them." She said.

"I hear you. Kahuna out." No sense in dragging this conversation for too long. Besides, I knew what to do already. And with that, I set off for work. There's no time to enjoy the sights, I only had time for the mission. Plenty of problems kept on popping in my mind, but a little walk should help clear my head.

End of Chapter 2