Chapter Six: Foxtrot India Golf Hotel Tango
I applied the safety to my weapon. I sighed. There was always a moment of silence before any contact. I left everything but my weapon and 8 mags. That should be enough. The sun was setting now there was a red glow in the sky. We made a basic plan. We would split down into groups of two; six of us would go down and two would stay up and on sniping. We made our way down to the building slipping past doors and windows quite gracefully. Weapon at the bear. Finger on the trigger. Tight in my shoulder. Waiting for a target.
There was a noise. I stopped dead and put my shoulder against the wall crouched down on one knee, making the smallest, lowest profile target I could make. I could hear teams telling me they were ready to go and they were in position. Everyone would go if there was any shots fired anyway, so I waited to see where the noise came from. I undid the safety catch with a click. An eight ft elite came dawdling around the corner, I lept up and let loose a good three to four rounds into its head from almost point blank. I ran around the corner ran through the door. My shield went due to running through the steel door. I emptied a mag down the hall knocking at least three elites off their feet. I took a step out the building and pressed my back against the door where Andy took my place taking an aimed shot at their heads. There was a weak spot on their heads, in the temple; very easy to hit if you aim. He cleared the hall, by which time I had a new mag on and I took his place, I swept down the hallway, Andy following me. I could hear other shots echoing through the building.
"God someone is gonna hear us, we need to hurry up and get the hell out of here and hurry up."
"I know Andy, I know."
I could hear voices in my ear piece.
"Dave Charges are in place"
I could hear rocket launchers going off, Hunters groaning, elites screaming… I don't have a clue where the grunts were.
"Two hunters left..." The gasping voice whispered, I thought it sounded like Gary.
"Elites are gone" Mike Grinned down the mic, I could tell by the sound of his voice he was grinning.
I heard the sound of a Fuel cannon rocketing off and the sound of it slamming into the ground. I could hear Austin pissing himself laughing in shock and awe.
"ITS NOT FUCKING FUNNY" I heard Lee screaming and coughing.
"What's the crack lads?" I enquired.
"Hunter took me off my feet mate I'm….ok" The sound of a M19 letting loose before saying ok followed by the impact of the rocket and the second impact of a heavy body on the ground. I was if I were to move to the other side of the room I could probably see the action through the open window frame.
"All good"
"Sorted"
"history"
"Fucking A Sorted boys"
"All Clear"
"All clear? What are you the Televisions American counter terrorists?" Kiwi joked. We all laughed.
Austin stood posing on the hunter he had killed.
"What's he posing about?"
"That jammy git? You should have seen him… his weapon ran out so he lobbed it at the Hunter ran up whipped out his M6D, grabbed the hunter by the front of his armour pulled it down rammed the barrel of his weapon into its neck and fired continuously." "Stupidest but coolest thing ive ever seen"
"Yeah that's right granddad, the younger generation will dominate." Austin Joked. I laughed at what I heard. There was a flash. I looked back and mike was stood there with his camera. We looked at the photo. Me and Gary were stood chatting with Austin in the back ground, one foot on the hunters head, fists on hip looking at the sky.
"Look at that lads, isn't that a fucking good picture of me" We all laughed, but it was time to get real.
"Come on lads lets get the hell back up to our waddie get our kit together, blow these Rafes to hell and fuck the hell off out of here."
They all seemed to like that idea. I applied the safety, took off the magazine and checked the chamber for any rounds. I pulled out a round from the chamber with my fore-finger and thumb and slotted it back into the magazine, and applied a fresh magazine and stashed the other one in my webbing pockets so I can regroup my munitions into fresh mags later. I held the weapon in my armpit and with my right hand on the pistol grip and the barrel at the floor as I used my left arm to run with.
"Well get everything sorted and we'll head that way" Extending my arm out in an almost karate chop in the direction I wanted to go. No one answered but I knew they all knew. They were all just a bit exhausted. Puffs.
We got to the top and grabbed any Bergen close to us. We needed to get moving. We would all sort out who's kit Is who's when were not in great danger. We all clambered aboard the Warthogs and got them moving. Austin swung the warthog down and started racing down the hill in the direction I wanted. We had to get round this rocky hill to get back on path to where we wanted to go. The sand was being kicked up beneath the vehicle almost in a watery wave kind of way. I looked down at my feet, kicking them like a child does when he hangs his legs of the side of a bridge.
I opened up the Bergen I had and looked for the GPS, all the bergens were packed exactly the same incase someone needs to get to some kit fast. Like a first aid kit. You always use the casualties first aid kit, because you might need your own if you stop a round. I handed it forward to Andy who then started directing Austin where to go.
"Yeah kid I got it, no worries."
"Gimmie a break Austin I'm the same age as you so fuck off."
"Sure thing kid"
Andy shook his head in despair obviously giving up on him.
I could hear Gary in my headset.
"What the fuck is that!" I looked over to see what he was on about. He was pointing directly ahead. I looked back in the direction we were going. It looked like the entire fucking Rafe Battalion.
"Fuck the plan lads, Go right everyone, turn right."
Austin lurched the vehicle right, racing towards Gary as he did the same.
"Fucking lunatic" Gary cursed.
"I can hear you yanno dick head!" he protested in a jokey manner.
"Less of the chit-chat lads" I Asked.
I looked to my right at the Line of Rafes and Elites linning the skyline.
"Were gonna get the slot lads" I laughed. I wasn't sure if I was right or wrong, but I thought id make a joke of it; maybe to cover up being frightened. But I found it hilarious. Austin swerved a hard left, I grabbed hold of the vehicle to steady myself and stop me falling off the end. I looked up from my feet as a huge blue sun like ball flew into the ground kicking up dust, rocks and sand.
"FUCK ME! FUCKING DRIVE THIS THING ALREADY" I didn't find it so funny now.
Gary was slowly catching us up, coming online with us. I looked across to him and his vehicle had launched itself in the air and turned itself on its side. He had hit a large rock, which sent the vehicle reeling.
"STOP THE TRUCK, STOP THE FUCKING TRUCK!" I screamed at him over the noise, probably in panic as well but I couldn't help it.
He did as I ordered. I jumped off the back and sprinted 10 steps in the direction of the enemy zig zagging as I ran to make a harder target. I hit the floor and stared down my sights, moving from side to side on my stomach every 30 seconds to create a harder target. Lee had mounted himself on the gautlin gun and was pounding away in the direction of the enemy; the constant beating of the weapon in my ears. I started firing short bursts of the weapon. Taking aimed shots at the enemy. Gary had flipped the warthog on its wheels and was now mounting the rocket launcher. He began firing at the Rafes. I could hear a screetch and then a deep Explosion as a Rafe in the distance lit up with a flash. I fired my weapon and watch an elite fly off his feet and hit the ground, his mates progressing running around him. I fired again.
"PREPARE TO MOVE!" I shouted. I could hear magazines being replaced and pouches being slapped. I waited a few seconds.
"MOVE!" My left flank got up and ran forward a few steps.
"PREPARE TO MOVE!" I did the same for myself and my other flank. Again I waited a few seconds.
"MOVE!" I got up and sprinted forward past my left flank and hit the floor as the flank put down covering fire.
"PEEL OFF TO THE RIGHT!" "PREPARE TO MOVE!" I waited a few seconds.
"MOVE!" On the command the end man got up legged it behind us as we put down cover fire and lay down on the other end.
"DOWN!" he screamed, and instantly the end man on the left got up and legged it to other end. We did this until we came to some cover, which was 100m to our right. Gary and Lee had moved a few times to prevent getting swatted by the Rafes and were now dismounting and getting behind the wheel to move to our position. I gasped in every ounce of air I could. I thought I was fitter than this. My heart was screaming and my legs were pounding, and my elbows were burning. I replaced my magazine and ordered everyone onto the vehicles. Austin jumped on the back and started reloading the Gautlin gun and Kiwi did the same with the rocket launcher, cocking the weapons with their foot on their Bergen so it didn't fly off the truck.
"Carry on going forward about two miles then go back towards the building six, then take the same route we've just done." "Hopefully we can loose them and make our way to our FRV." "LETS GOOOOO!"