Chapter 2

When we arrived in Hamburg, Germany, we were greeted by solemn looking guards. Apparently, they were informed about what had happened and why we were there. The one question on everybody's mind was, "Why are we here?" Could they not have found their own elite German force? We five Americans will be risking our lives for a country that is thousands of miles away from ours. The only reason I was here was because I support my country and I'm just simply following orders.

Again, like at Fort Knox, we were led through a series of hallways into another plain conference room. There we were seated and forced to wait for their commanding officer.

"Der Gepard will be with you soon." said a German guard with a strong accent. I was learned a bit of German in college and I translated the name. It wasn't a formal name, but a nickname, which was "the leopard." If the guard was talking about an officer he would have used a more formal name.

As soon as I figured this out, a stout, well built man walked into the room. His head was completely shaved. He was in the full German army uniform including the iron cross. Der Gepard walked to the front of the room and looked at us. He was apparently not a high ranking commander. When he started speaking, I was surprised at how well he spoke English. He was pretty literate, unlike the guard stationed at the door.

"I'm sure your leaders have informed you on our crisis, although with few details. My name is Franz Kretschmann. I will be joining your fireteam."

I looked at Ebez after we learned that Franz would be joining our team. He had a look of astonishment on his face. I could tell he was already angry that he would have to deal with a new member in the team.

"I hope that there will be no conflicts between us. I will not be your commanding officer, nor will I make an attempt to be. I am just along to assist you through the German countryside. If this gas is released, it could cause major damage to anybody exposed to it. The gas is called Phosgene, also known as CG. It causes major skin, eye, and lung irritation and possibly death. It was stolen from a warehouse just outside the city limits of Hamburg. We believe the terrorist group, Abu Ansa, which is lead by Sabri Ansa"

We now knew what we were up against. I had never heard of the Abu Ansa before and I needed to know my enemy. But, with the short amount of time we had, there was no time to do research.

"All we know is that the gas has been taken to Hamburg International Airport. We still have time to get there. The airport has been forcibly taken by the Abu Ansa so that they can load the gas without problems. We will be leaving here immediately."

Again we were to be rushed to another new location. We would see our first fire fight of the war. Our fireteam was always prepared for this. In the second desert storm we were ambushed many times by the enemy forces and were always ready for an attack.

We loaded up in vans and started the ten minute drive to the airport. When we got there, there were tons of German police cars forming a blockade out of the airport. The soldiers had taken hostages so that it would deter further action by the cops outside. We all got out of the vans and loaded up. As usual I had my AWP sniper rifle and my five-seven pistol. I knew that the airport was no place for a sniper rifle. I had to go in with my pistol, but I still carried my AWP by the strap. I was always cautious about going into a raid like this one.

We all checked our weapons, armor, and grenades. We then started the slow approach to the building. The walk was slow to make sure that the enemy did not see us approaching. If they saw us, it would be the end of the hostages' lives and a disgrace to the United States. We made it to a rear entrance without being detected.

Shawty knew what she had to do. She was an expert at many things including explosives, but in this case, she had to pick the lock. If an explosion went off, the Abu Ansa would immediately shoot the hostages. Shawty was able to pick the lock in under a minute. We were ready to advance into the building. The fireteam was lead by Ebez and I brought up the rear. Shawty stood by the door and waited for the signal. Ebez took a deep breath and slowly signaled to Shawty, who opened the door silently. Ebez raised his M4A1 rifle and walked through the doorway.

Constantly scanning to make sure there were no enemies, he signaled the all clear. We entered silently and made sure to keep silent. I swung my arms left and right always looking for an enemy. We slowly made our way into the main corridor where all the hostages were being held. Our team split into different parts to make sure we aren't all hit with one lucky spray. It would also confuse the enemies if they were getting shot from five different places.

I made my way around the left hall with my pistol drawn. I knew that using the pistol meant that hostages may die. I put my back to the wall and peeked around the corner. I saw two enemies talking to each other in hushed whispers. This was a tough situation for me. I had to make my way around them or find a different route. With my back against the wall, I made my way back. I searched for a way to get into a good position to aid my fireteam. Then I saw my big break. There were ventilation shafts that lead into the ceiling via a ladder. I crawled into one and started the slow process of crawling through the vents. After five minutes, I had made my way over the enemies. I had to find a way back to the ground. I found a grate that I could drop through into a janitorial room. Although there was probably nobody in the room, I would still make a considerable amount of noise. I didn't want to raise an alarm, but it was the only way in. I pulled out my standard issue army knife, and cut the four corners so that I could get out. The room looked empty so I dropped myself down onto the floor. Luckily, it was a cement floor and didn't make as much noise as I expected.

Now with the easy part done, I opened the door slowly and quietly. The door swung inward without a sound. I peered around the corner left and right. I could see the enemies I passed over on the right. Cautiously, I walked out of the room and down the hall to my left. I made it to the main corridor and could see Ebez. Apparently, I was the only one who ran into problems because the entire team was all setup and in position.

It was my job to fire the first shot because I had the sniper rifle. I aimed at an Abu Ansa member with a black ski mask over his head. He had an IDF Defender pointed straight at a child's head. A feeling of hatred welled up inside me. I couldn't stand to see anybody threaten a child's life. I slowly squeezed the trigger until the firing pin released.

I felt the kick that the .338 magnum shell produced and the loud explosion. After the terrorist fell with a gaping hole in the left side of his face, all hell broke loose. Ak-47s were scanning the corridor. My AWP produced a considerably large smoke cloud from the gunpowder being ignited; they knew where I was at. I swung my AWP over my shoulder and upholstered my five-seven pistol ready for anything. Then I heard my fireteam open fire no the remaining terrorists. Over all the chaos I heard Franz shouting at the hostages.

"Enthalt unten der Fussboden auf!" And all the hostages stayed on the floor covering their ears from the sound of the echoing AK-47 shots.

The terrorists began to spray their weapons, hoping to get a lucky hit on one of their enemies. We kept returning fire on them. They didn't know where the shots were coming from because they spun in circles completely unloading their clips. The terrorists began to become afraid. They watched as their friends and comrades fell to the floor dead. I shot at the terrorists with my pistol in a standing position. I dropped 2 more with clean shots to the head and chest. They were not wearing body armor so it made for an easy slaughtering.

As I was reloading my pistol, I heard footsteps running towards me. I knew I had to hurry just in case it was one of the Abu Ansa. The source of the footsteps turned the corner just as I cocked the pistol. He turned and pointed his Galil at me but was shot in between the eyes before he could pull the trigger. Blood splattered the wall behind him and my face. He dropped to his knees and fell to my left. His head came to rest mere inches away from my legs.

The shooting ceased and all was quiet except for the crying hostages. The fire fight was over and the hostages were crying because they were happy to be alive. A few of them were shot because of stray bullets from the terrorist AKs hit them. We appeared out of nowhere and met in the corridor. We had to find the plane before it could take off with the gas.