Task Force

Disclaimer: Same as before.

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Captain Fetterman stood before General Hawk in his office, "Sir, my eight guys and your troops, even with the coalition of the Misfits and the X-men can only do so much. Now I've been pushing my chain of command for reinforcements, because between rest breaks and training we haven't been able to pull of as many missions as I've been thinking we could pull off. And the Heartless appear to be very deeply rooted in your dimension."

"How many?" Hawk sighed

"Maybe twenty or so operators from my squadron." Fetterman replied, "I would have overall command of the Gamma detachment, but we'd have more operators to help your forces out."

"Are you sure further interdiction is required?" Hawk asked.

"Sir, with the increased activity by both the Heartless and COBRA, we're gonna be hard pressed to keep hitting and hurting them hard and often." Fetterman replied.

"When is the reinforcement due to arrive?" Hawk asked.

Fetterman glanced at his watch, "In about eight hours."

The phone rang just then, "General Hawk. Captain Fetterman, it's for you, it's General Metzger."

"Metzger?" Fetterman paled for a bit, "He's the CO of Task Force Romeo, our reinforcement should Heartless activity become too great for my team to handle. We're talking a 450 man task force and associated hardware.

Hawk dialed a number on another phone, this time he was directing a working party with Beach Head's supervision to clean out one of the unused hangars, Hangar 15, for the Task Force.

Fetterman talked to his commanding officer, "Yes sir. We'll have spaces ready for the unit when it gets here."

"Fetterman, what does this force consist of?" Hawk asked.

"We're talking one company of 120 men from the 75th Ranger Regiment, all one hundred men of C Squadron, Gamma Unit, plus a four man Air Force spec ops unit and a four man SEAL detachment from SEAL Team Six. Round this out with support troops and men from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and that's the Emergency Response Task Force. Whenever a Gamma Unit encounters more than it can handle, we have a task force come in, plus a Quick Reaction Force of a division's worth of Malaysian, Pakistani, Indian, and Saudi troops on standby alert." Fetterman replied, "Ever since the Titan mission, we've had these ERTFs standing by at all times whenever Gamma Unit personnel go on missions. They're properly trained, armed, and equipped, all they need are missions."

Hawk paled as well, "The Heartless infestation is that bad?"

"Apparently if they've sent ERTF in plus have a division on standby, yes it is." Fetterman replied.

"The quarters will be cleared for them. But let's get the ground rules laid out, this is my dimension, and my base, I am not permitting hordes of troops running roughshod around here." Hawk said.

"Rest assured sir, we'll work with your men but not attempt to commandeer or try to run your operations for you." Fetterman replied.

"As long as we understand one another this should work out just fine. Just things on base are gonna be a tad crowded..." Hawk groaned.

~ ~ ~ ~

"So the whole squadron's coming?" Bilby said, over his walkie talkie.

"That's affirmative Aussie." David Falk said.

"You mean Grinch, Cavendish, that whole bunch are on their way?" Bilby asked.

"Yep." Falk replied, "That and a whole company's worth of Rangers, four SEALs, and four Air Force spec ops guys."

"Great, sharing a hangar with the zoomies, and the squids all because Army aviation wants to commandeer Shipwreck's place." Bilby replied.

"Hey, General Metzger considers well rested pilots a priority." Falk replied, "Besides he's rotating watches over Lance between us, the SEALs, the Air Force guys and plus he's stationing a squad of Rangers on hot standby at all times together with Law's MPs."

"Yeah, me Stoney and Link are getting the place ready to receive all the equipment and men." Falk replied.

"You mean those new guys Hawk briefed us about." Cover Girl said, coming down the stairs in sweat pants and a t-shirt, her hair still damp from a recent shower, "I heard that we're getting nine wide bodied Humvees and three five ton trucks. More work for the poor harassed folks in the motor pool?"

"Not exactly Courtney." Bilby said. Cover Girl had insisted that all the Gamma operators call her Courtney when they were off duty, "We've got some support troops."

"Good. I hope they brought plenty of spare parts." Cover Girl replied.

"That happens to be my t-shirt you borrowed last week, I might add." Bilby replied, referring to the well worn Phil Collins concert t-shirt Bilby always carried around. It was sand brown like his desert camouflage, but it had a huge Phil Collins Concert Tour 2000 on the front.

"I'll give it back after I put it through the wash." Cover Girl replied.

"That's what you said last week." Bilby replied.

"So who's this Grinch guy I keep hearing about?" Cover Girl asked.

"We go way back." Bilby began.

"Really?" Cover Girl asked.

"Master Sergeant "Grinch" Goldman, he's over forty years old and has fought in every conflict, open and secret since the Heartless came into our dimension nearly thirty years ago." Bilby replied, "He's a half Apache Indian who's senses are sharper than a K-bar knife."

"Will you quit talking about me like I'm not in the room you Australian koala." Said a familiar voice that had the slight Southern tinge inherent to many a career soldier.

"Grinch!" Bilby shouted excitedly. Both Cover Girl and Bilby turned to see a forty-ish man, a hulking, fairly muscular fellow with plenty of Native American in his family tree.

"How are you doing? I heard you picked up Sergeant. Congratulations Sergeant Bilby. You didn't think this was gonna go by good old me without an initiation." Grinch smiled.

"Oh great." Leroy Hoffman shouted from outside, "One of Grinch's little initiation schemes."

"Oh really. I heard Hedaya got Staff, so I've got something special planned for him." Grinch said, with a mischievous grin.

"Madre de Dios Grinch." Hedaya replied, "I was hoping until this operation ended that you wouldn't pull one of your initiation stunts."

"And you, since you're wearing one of the 2000 Phil Collins t-shirts specially made for the Gamma operators that performed the security detail for Phil during his USO tour are also to be part of the festivities." Grinch said to Cover Girl, "Unlike those two, you have a choice in this matter. I usually don't run these Gamma type initiations on women. So if you'd like to participate you're welcome to do so."

"I can take whatever you dish out." Cover Girl replied.

"Please reconsider. Grinch's initiations are not for the faint of heart." Hedaya warned from upstairs.

"I've been through the GI Joe indoc training, and not to mention all of Dusty and Cross Country's crazy little motor pool initiations. I'm not afraid of this one." Cover Girl replied.

"I'm afraid you might wanna reconsider." Hedaya replied.

"OK, how about we have a bet. If you throw up, faint, or fall asleep first the loser has to go up to Hawk dressed as Madonna and sing Material Girl in front of him." Cover Girl replied.

"Deal." Hedaya replied, "I must warn you to reconsider though..." Hedaya replied.

"Trust me, I'm holding nothing back. You volunteered for this. You asked for it. You're going through everything Bilby and Hedaya are going through." Grinch said with a evil grin.

"Why because she made sergeant last week?" Pietro said, zipping by.

"Traitor." Cover Girl said.

"What are you doing here so early?" Bilby asked Grinch.

"We're the advance party. We got flown in ahead of the original group on the C-130s. Our plane has all the helicopters and aircrew aboard. We were able to get four extra seats. So me, Leroy Hoffman, Cass Garner, and Mark Lazio are all here." Grinch replied.

"Great." Bilby replied.

"So about those Phil Collins t-shirts, do you have any extras lying around?" Cover Girl asked.

"I can always make another one, with an I Survived Grinch Night 2003." Grinch replied.

"Grinch Night?" Cover Girl asked.

"He has all kinds of names for his Initiation ceremonies for newly promoted sergeants." Bilby replied.

"Not to mention the pool sharks are here." Hedaya replied, "I've lost enough money playing pool against you clowns."

Leroy Hoffman grinned evilly, "Well prepare to lose more my friend."

"Pool sharks eh?" Shipwreck called from upstairs, "Well let me introduce myself. I am Hector Delgato, also called Shipwreck. I am the Great White Shark of the Pool Sharks."

Cover Girl rolled her eyes, "Please, what about yesterday when you lost to Ace."

"Hon, that was one isolated incident." Shipwreck protested.

"That's what you said last time. And the time Alpine beat you. And the time Bazooka beat you. So you're turning into the Nurse Shark of all Pool Sharks." Althea replied.

"I don't believe this, double teamed by my own daughter and my girlfriend." Shipwreck groaned.

"Well, let's see if the old Nurse Shark of all Pool Sharks still has some game left in him?" Leroy Hoffman grinned.

"Enlisted club at 1900." Shipwreck replied.

"You're on." Leroy Hoffman replied.

"Hector." Cover Girl said, "Do try not to lose too badly."

"You watch me, I'll show these three how sailors play pool." Shipwreck replied.

"Badly." Cover Girl replied.

"Courtney!" Shipwreck shouted from upstairs.

"So these are the new guys were working with?" Cover Girl asked Bilby.

"Just a fraction. The Rangers I don't know very many of them." Bilby replied.

"They're from K Company, 75th Ranger Regiment." Grinch replied.

"Holy Shit!" Bilby shouted, "You mean two of my old friends are coming by here?"

"Yep." Grinch replied, "Two guys you knew since you were a boy soldier with the 25th Infantry Division."

"Corporal Hector Illario and Sergeant Dominic Rossalvo?" Bilby asked.

"The Gruesome Twosome themselves." Grinch replied, remembering Cass Garner's tale about the two hell raisers he had been the platoon sergeant for before he joined the Gamma Unit.

"They were my best friends since I first finished ILJB." Bilby added.

"What's ILJB?" Cover Girl asked.

"All recruits from the ages of 16-18 are required to go through the Infantry Junior Leadership Battalion before we go on to our unit. It's a six week course after Basic training." Bilby added.

"When you were sixteen?" Cover Girl said, "Oh I forgot, different dimension, different rules. Man, when I was sixteen the biggest concern I had was wondering if the boy I had a crush on knew I was even alive."

"Having your home destroyed by the Heartless will have that effect on you." Bilby replied. Cover Girl, as well as all of Charlie Squadron, knew that Bilby had lied about his age to join the Army to avenge his family against the Heartless.

"That's why we have a vast majority of our boy soldiers in our Army." Grinch replied, "Many come from homes where their families were destroyed by the Heartless."

"That's why we have to stop them." Cover Girl said, "So no other boy soldiers have to die."

"That's what we hope to do. Provide a future that doesn't consist of constant vigilance and fighting Heartless for our children." Grinch replied, "I just hope myself and the rest of the task force can be that successful."

"Now, there's an initiation for two newly promoted sergeants and one staff sergeant we need to get ready for at midnight tonight." Leroy Hoffman said, with a wide grin.

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Next: The rest of the task force moves in, more missions, and more fights against the Heartless...And more X-men/Misfit brawls....