Operation 001: 'King Crab' (Pt II)


(Queue 'Black Op' by Avery Alexander)


Skrrrch.

The truck finally arrived at the foot of the village- A rather small gathering of wooden cabins and stone pathways, with a general commons area in the center of the hamlet. All six agents jumped down from the truck -their boots crunching in the lightly-packed snow- unshouldering their rifles and taking them off safety.

The team created a tight circular perimeter around the vehicle, securing the immediate area of any threats, as Clef brought out the small EM near-field scanner in his hand, moving it around to detect any unnatural activity.

Beep.

"Clear."

Clef narrowed his eyes, taking in his surroundings and coming up with an entry plan.

"Charlie," He said, tapping the side of the driver's window, waiting for it to roll down. "Pahk the truck on the side of the road, near the foliage. Make sure you throw the camo net over it- we don't need a repeat of last time."

Charlie nodded shamefully, rolling the window up and quietly finding a small clearing to park in. Alpha Six came over their radios once more.

"Alpha Six here. Pioneer Actual, what is your status? Over."

Clef took a moment to breathe- despite the high probability of this being yet another flop, he still felt that exciting anticipation before an operation.

He pushed down on the radio receiver.

"Pioneer Actual, standing by- Over."

"Copy that. Mobile Task Force 001, 'The Pioneers'-"

Clef openly cringed upon hearing those words- for some insufferable reason, Alpha Six felt it necessary to recite this drivel before every mission.

"-It is our time to provide protection for humanity. Your work is invaluable, your skills unrivaled-"

Doubt it, Clef thought to himself.

"-Begin the mission, out."


(Queue 'Threat Assessment' by Sarah Schachner)


Immediately, the MTF agents flowed with precision and confidence instilled in them from the past year of intense military training, finding cover within the brush as the truck drove off; Vale unshouldered her backpack, removing the aerial drone from inside and unfolding it. She then whisked it into the air, watching it sail off into the sky for a moment as she turned on the control pad. Dack found a place to nest himself, propping his sniper rifle in between a tree and a bush while throwing a ghillie suit over himself; Clef, Haiman, Polly and Griz formed a fireteam, spacing themselves out as they silently moved through the brush, staying close within the treeline so as to survey the village and its surrounding clearings.

"Pioneer Actual, this is Pioneer-2, drone recon reads nothing unusual- just rabbits and shit, over." Vale whispered through her headset.

"Copy, skirting around the left side of the village, out." Clef whispered in response, bringing one hand up and signaling for the fireteam to move forward. "Turn on your spectacles, lads."

"God, you are insufferably British." Polly muttered. "They're called NVGs, you tool."

"Bloody hell, do you all have a bone to pick with me today, is that it?"

The agents pulled down the helmet night-vision goggles onto their eyes, turning them on, and continuing forward. Meanwhile, Dack sighted in his scope, at the same time monitoring the surrounding and inner area of the village for any movement.

"Pioneer Actual, this is Pioneer-3, Village commons is empty," Dack whispered into the radio. "Nearby clearings are also lacking any movement. My thermals aren't picking up any heat sigs either, over."

"Copy, out."

The forward team continued onward, this time branching out from the brush after confirming the lack of hostile presence; They slowly exited the forest and headed into the village, using the walls of buildings to move around the inner area.

"Alpha Six," Clef radioed in. "We have a few one-story cabins scattered around the AO, how do you want us to proceed? Over."

"Pioneer Actual, disregard the cabins, continue monitoring EM frequencies, and locate the source of distress, over."

"Copy, out."

The fireteam skirted around the rear wall of the cabins, Clef continuing to monitor for an EM pulse; And then, suddenly-

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!


(Queue 'Danger Close' by Sarah Schachner)


Clef felt his heartbeat spike rapidly as the EM sensor suddenly capped out; His nerves were on edge- the target was right around this corner.

"We got a hit!" Clef radioed in, trying his best to contain his panic. "Pioneer-2, any updates?"

"Pioneer Actual, be advised there is a very small heat signature just behind that wall- no visible movement!" Vale responded nervously. "I can't make out the silhouette!"

Clef clenched his teeth- Something that small, emitting this kind of energy…

"Pioneer-3, do you have visual on the target? Over."

"Negative, Pioneer Actual. You are just outside of my line of sight. I'll begin relocating, over."

"Copy, out."

He waited a few painstaking moments as Dack silently moved through the shrub and forestry, finding a more observable position relevant to the fireteam's location.

"Pioneer Actual, Pioneer-3 here, I'm in your line of sight, but I don't see any activity or presence. The snow is obstructing my full view of the target- it's too small, over."

"Shit!" Clef cursed- without any visual confirmation on the target, he could very well be gambling his life on the turn around this corner. Trying to still his shaking hands, he pushed down on the radio button again.

"Pioneer-3, keep your line of sight on us as we check this corner. If this goes FUBAR, don't let the rest of the fireteam suffer- Shoot that fucker between the eyes. Over."

"Solid copy, out."

As the transmission cut, Clef steeled his nerves, dismissing the worries and doubts from his mind. Shielding the fear underlying in his face, he looked back at the fireteam stacked on him. He brought two fingers up and split them apart; The fireteam immediately understood his signal.

Polly and Griz split off and headed towards the opposite wall end, intending to flank the unseen target. Haiman unshouldered the ballistic shield that had been sitting on his back, heading to the front of the two-man formation and holding the shield forward, placing his pistol on one of the indents for resting his weapon. He glanced back at Clef, a faint dread in his eyes.

"Standing by, Pioneer Actual."

"You know, you can call me by my nickname when it's not over the radio."

Haiman nodded fervently, still incredibly anxious as they were moments away from whatever lay beyond the wall. Seeing the fear etched into Haiman's expression, Clef raised his rifle, readying to move.

"On my mark, you're gonna turn this corner sharply." Clef told him. "Do not shoot unless I give the order. You got that?"

"Hai."

"Good. Then ready yourself."

As Haiman braced, Clef glanced back to ensure the other team was stacked at the opposite wall end. After confirming it, he thumbed his radio button, his heartbeat rising exponentially in the seconds before contact.

"Move in."

On that order, both teams quickly turned the corner, aiming their rifle barrels towards-

A crab.

"Pioneer Actual, what is your status?!" Dack said worriedly over the radio. "Do you have a sight on the target?"

Clef stared into the beady eyes of the very mundane-looking crab sitting in the snow, almost as if content with its spot. In bewilderment, he brought up his EM sensor over the crab.

Beep.

Nothing.

"Pioneer Actual, how copy?! Over!" Vale asked with biting anxiety- The lack of response was nerve-wracking for them.

For them.

"Haiman, throw a… a net over the… the target." Clef mumbled in deep shame.

"Hai!"

Clef could only watch depressingly as Haiman pathetically tossed the leaded net over the comfortable crustacean. Clef had hoped something would happen as the net was thrown on, just so he could be spared of the humiliation he felt at this moment.

To his deep misfortune, nothing of consequence happened. Haiman tightened the strap on the net, and began carrying the now-displaced crab around his shoulder. He turned to look back at Clef, his face dead-serious.

"Target is secured!"

I'm gonna shoot myself, Clef thought miserably.

"Pioneer Actual, awaiting a status update, over."

Goddamnit! Clef thought irritably, facepalming before pressing down on the button again. This motherfucker...

"...Pioneer Actual here. Target was... a red-shelled crab… of unknown origin. It was… successfully captured… over."

"Great news, Pioneer Actual."

I hate this bastard with all my heart, Clef thought wrathfully, squeezing his fist tightly.

"Mission Success. I'll catalogue it for the archives, over."

Please, for the love of God, don't catalogue it, Clef wanted to cry out badly.

"Well done, team. Return to base and submit our first Anomaly to one of the containment chambers."

Griz and Polly joined Clef and Haiman, having heard the news over the radio. Polly raised an eyebrow as she peered at the crustacean chilling in the net.

"Do crabs like cold climates?" She asked aloud. That question marked the end of Clef's patience with this ordeal.

"Fahk it. Let's just go home."

However, before he could drag his boots to the truck, he was interrupted by Polly, who grabbed his arm lightly.

"Er, Clef…" She said, letting her sentence wander off. Just then, Dack headed over, having gathered up his supplies. A mischievous grin sat on his face.

"Hey, Clef." He said hurriedly. "You know, we haven't searched these cabins. Maybe we could…"

Clef knew exactly what Dack was referring to. For the past few missions, most members of the squad had an immoral habit of looting the sites they were sent to during or after the operation. It was to be expected of these criminal scumbags, but it was not a habit that Clef put up with.

Despite cracking down on this, his leadership wavered with each mundane mission that passed. The others began to take each mission less seriously than the last. And Clef was slowly feeling his authority slip from his grasp.

It didn't matter if they had all received military training- At the end of the day, they were criminals and urchins; Their motivation stemmed from material wealth and the prospect of greater gain.

And after this mission, Clef was feeling especially not like a leader.

"Whatever you sods do, just don't bust the fahkin' doors open." Clef grumbled, waving his hand dismissively and heading back to the truck. As he hopped into the bed of the military truck and sidled onto one of the benches, he glanced back to see Polly, Dack and Haiman heading into the village, while Vale and Griz trudged back towards the truck, their faces filled with disappointment and irritation.

Clack.

Budding against the half-empty six-pack lying on the floor, Clef looked down and sighed. After a moment of thought, he leaned down and reached into the six-pack, taking out one of the beers and popping the bottle cap off against the truck's side.