AN: Hi folks, I hope you enjoyed my first instalment. This episode is more of a combat story rather than a whump story. I'm not too sure how I feel about it, let me know what you think. Again, this is taking place at the same time as the first episode of season two, replacing the Oil Platform Op.

"Knight Seven Five is going down" Those were the last words from the stricken helicopter before it slammed into the dirt road. It had been brought down by an RPG fired as the last act of a militant before he was cut down by the gunner from Knight Seven Four. The men had been guarding a T junction, from which one of the roads led to Lotè's compound, in their technical. As the helicopter was plummeting towards earth the pilot had fought to keep the bird upright, knowing that that was the only way any occupants would escape the looming crash. It slammed it the ground, 300 meters from the intersection, with a sickening thud that was heard by the nearby Blackhawk, even over the sound of their own rotors.

"Set us down now!" shouted Sonny. He had seen his brothers nearly die in a crash months ago and recognised immediately that this crash was much, much worse. The RPG could not have hit a worse area of the helicopter, it narrowly avoided the turbines and the Jesus gear, but instead severed the drive shaft that powered the tail rotor, effectively turning the multimillion-dollar helicopter into a spinning, metal coffin careening towards the ground at 200 miles an hour. All the men recognised that there was little hope of all aboard surviving that crash. The Night Stalker expertly piloted the bird low over the brown dirt road and swung it around, landing no more than 20 meters away from the downed Blackhawk. The six operators and the dog hurriedly leapt out of the helicopter, taking a knee until the helicopter had safely lifted off.

"HAVOC this is Bravo 1, we are at Knight Seven Five's crash site, it's a," Jason's voice caught in his throat. His memory of the crash in Afghanistan was still fuzzy so he was unsure of how it looked. Despite the fuzz he was able to tell that this was worse "It's a mess here, how far out is QRF"

In the HAVOC the Davis, Blackburn, and Ellis were all relieved that it had not been Bravo in the crash, they weren't sure if Bravo would have been able to pull through a second crash in six months.

"Good Copy Bravo One, Be advised, QRF is thirty seconds out"

"Copy"

"And Jason," Blackburn used his real name, which wasn't usual for an operation "keep your heads on a swivel, we aren't sure how many hostiles could still be out there"

"We will, Out"

Inside the chopper was a bloody hell, when the RPG exploded, it sent thousands of fragments tearing through the thin metal roof of the cabin and into the operators and crew. Only two occupants completely escaped the devastation of the RPG and the crash, crew chief and left hand gunner, Rick, and James, Alpha 4. In addition, those two were also one of the luckiest guys alive, they also escape the crash with out any injuries, minus a couple bruises. The left rear was not as lucky. Shrapnel had ravaged Alpha 3 and 6, they had died with out even knowing they had been hit.

"All Bravo Call Signs this is Knight Seven Six, please be advised QRF is twenty seconds out. Jason keyed his push to talk with out taking his eyes off the carnage

"Copy Knight Seven Six, 'bout fuckin time"

Seeing that Jason was in sort of trance, Trent, being the teams medic took control of the situation

"Guys we need to get these guys stabilised before we can move them, we don't know if they have any neck or spinal injuries so we can't risk moving them right away" As he said that the helos touched down about fifty metres away and unloaded their ranger platoon. They unloaded as quickly as possible, seeing the downed helicopter as they flew over on final approach.

"Oh-no-no-no-no, shit" said Davis, watching the ISR feed "All Callsigns this is HAVOC, please be advised you have a large force of militants travelling towards you at speed. 6 technicals with heavy weaponry, each carrying four to six occupants, all armed. ETA eight mikes" Davis was worried, recently she had become more attached to the members of Bravo team, most of all Sonny. On the first op that they had been on Bravo Team together, Sonny, the loud, boisterous Texan had been shy towards her. After they had loaded back onto the plane, he opened right up as the man she knew now. Davis wasn't sure what it was that warranted the sudden change of attitude towards her. Davis was even more unsure where she stood with him now, she was unsure if she had actual feelings for the man. Seeing any of them in danger scared her but seeing him in danger definitely scared her more.

After the QRF helicopters lifted off into a CAS pattern, the Ranger Platoon Commander raced over to the SEALs trying extract their brothers

"1st Lieutenant Rick Howe, US Army" He shook Jason's hand, "We heard about the approaching column of technicals, my men are setting up a defensive position at the intersection and around the bird, they won't to you, I can promise you that" That was probably the best news the operators had heard in hours. Clay suddenly felt at ease, the confidence in which the lieutenant said "They won't get to you" made Clay feel that there was no possible way the militants would reach them.

Howe Sprinted off towards the intersection. He got merely twenty steps from the crash before fire erupted from the where the rangers were dug in. they were clearly a world class fighting force, they sent so much lead down range so accurately in such a short amount of time that no one would be able to survive a pissed off ranger, never mind thirty. They had nearly cut down all the militants when the last technical burst through, being pelted with gunfire. It accelerated through the rangers defensive position careening towards the six Operators and the ten Rangers guarding the helicopter. Ray glanced up from the caring for one of the crew chiefs, he looked directly into the eyes of the driver what he got back was a crazed look, "Fuck, INCOMING He picked his hands off the mans arm where he was stifling a bleed and reached for his rifle. Lying prone on the shoulders of the road just ahead of the helicopter were four rangers. The five opened fire at once, their machine guns ripping into the truck, deflating the tires and hitting the engine, Rays well aimed shots going right for the driver. He snapped off shot after shot, the first one killing the driver, he kept shooting until he heard the definite click of the firing pin hitting nothing. As Ray had begun to open fire, overhead one of the crew chiefs on Knight Seven Seven spotted the car breaking through, but due to the angle at which his helicopter was at, he was unable to shoot the vehicle. Something that he would later regret. The technical rolled to a stop a little more than thirty yards from the downed helicopter "All clear" Ray gasped, assuming the danger had gone

BOOOM

The vehicle exploded, sending parts flying at deadly speeds, the engine block was launched with such force that it was propelled through the front of the car and took off the main rotor assembly as it passed over head.

The four rangers were killed immediately, again the blast had been so quick, they didn't even know what had happened. Brock and Sonny had been standing on the side of the wreck facing the intersection, opposite of Ray, they had turned around to fire on the vehicle. They had just turned around back towards their wounded brothers as the bomb went off. It knocked both of them out immediately, Brock caught a piece of exhaust that had caught off the engine in his unprotected side, just below the armpit. Despite how bad Brock's injuries were, Sonny were worse, he collected a piece of the alternator in his neck, his back was peppered with various shrapnel and he had a large shard of metal stuck out of his back on the left side, just above his kidney.

In the HAVOC Lisa was watching the events play out in real time. She could see the rangers defending the intersection, the vehicle breaking through, the threat seemingly having been neutralized. Then came the blast, it wasn't the explosion that got to her, she had seen plenty of those, but the complete radio silence afterwards.

"Any Bravo callsign, this is HAVOC, status report" Blackburn tried

"Any Bravo callsign, this is HAVOC, status report" Eric tried again and again, each time his voice became a little more desperate and distraught

"Any callsign, this is HAVOC, status report" Tears welled in Davis' eyes, knowing that them not responding meant no one was either alert, or even alive.

"Havoc this is Linebacker Two One," Said Howe, "All targets have been neutralized, we let a truck through, the driver appeared to have been killed, the vehicle rolled to a stop before reaching the Knight Seven Five crash site, that's were it went off" he said into his radio, he left five men guarding the intersection while the other fifteen who had been defending the point were sprinting towards the carnage.

At the crash site Clay, Ray, Jason and Cerberus where all shaking the dazed feeling from there head, they had all seen the truck coming but had never thought it would reach this far. Clay was the first to rise, picking his rifle up and throwing the sling around his head, ready for any more threats should they present themselves. Jason and Ray followed suit, getting up and collecting their thoughts. The two immediately went back to stabilising the crash survivors. Some of there efforts were hopeless though. The Blast had been the last straw for the co-pilot Ryan, he died clutching Jason's sleeve, an image he would not soon forget. It had also been the demise of Phil, Alpha five, he had survived the crash, just barely, but the blast finished him off. One crew member and three Alpha team members. All had been alive and well, with families at home, longing for their return, not thirty minutes ago.

"TOC this is Bravo Six, all of Bravo team is alive and awake, 3 and 5 look like hell, Trent and I are tending to them now. They stepped over all of the people on the floor of the helicopter, they had been able to staunch all of the bleeding on all of the wounded before they were hit. The Co-Pilot and Phil had been hanging on by a thread and the blast had finished them off. All of the others though, the two injured crew members and the two injured Alpha guys were all awake. James and Rick were getting up onto there feet, trying to help their fallen brothers. The two DEVGRU operators jumped down onto the ground where Sonny was slumped. From where Trent was standing he could see the extent of the injuries, the shrapnel embedded into his neck, the car part lodged in his back, all of the blood. Brock shifted his weight so he could see what was wrong with Sonny, and started to stand. Trent didn't even look over to him but held up his hand. "Don't you fucking dare Brock. I don't know what you have wrong with you but at this point I'm guessing it won't be helped by moving around unnecessarily."

Brock scowled and slumped so his back was against the helicopter. "I'm fine" he mumbled.

"HAVOC, this is Bravo 1 we need Medevac immediately as well as dedicated CAS, we have no idea what could still be coming but intel puts the enemy strength at around four thousand and were right in the middle of their backyard" Hayes said, realizing how dire the situation really was.

"This is turning into the fucking Mog" said one of the Rangers standing guard

"Just shut the fuck up Kyle" another responded.

"Bravo 1, we read you, PJs are spinning up as we speak and we have fighters being scrambled from George H.W. Bush the Mediterranean right now. I also have two A10s who just took off from Niger. PJs should be on station in 120 mikes, CAS in 130, until then you guys are on your own." Blackburn said, wondering if they would be able to survive that long.

"Good Copy HAVOC"

"Hey guy's listen up, We're going to get dedicated CAS in 130 mikes, and PJs are coming in 120. We're going to lose overwatch from these Blackhawks in a little bit, so we're pretty much on our own. Howe I want a water proof defense around this place, no one gets in or out. You see a guy with a gun, drop him, I don't care if he engages, just drop him"

The Ranger grinned, he and his men knew that they loved nothing more than getting the leash taken off. "It'll be more water tight than a fish's asshole" He grinned. Just then trent came sprinting around the Blackhawk.

"Hey, HEY," Trent yelled, immediately demanding the attention "How many medics did you guys bring with you,"

Howe responded quickly, the shock of the event wearing off, he was back to his old, confident, no bullshit self "Two, one was killed in the blast though"

"Send him over, Brock needs help now and I can't split my attention between him and Sonny, and tell him he needs to hustle his little ass up here" Trent said, running back towards his wounded brothers.

"Smith, get your ass up here, make it fuckin' snappy" Howe said. The medic was one of the Rangers defending the corner sprinted the distance between there and the crash and immediately got to work. He turned out to be a veteran ranger with eight deployments under his belt and was the quiet professional type, clearly destined for a spot in The Unit if he kept it up. The rush for him to tend to Brock was that he tried to stand up and immediately passed out and hit the floor. It was discovered that his back was peppered with shrapnel from the blast, shirt was soaked with blood and was starting to seep through to his chest rig and down his arms. Evan had just started cutting his chest rig so it could be removed when the radio crackled to life.

"All Callsigns, this is Knight Seven Four, currently myself and the other three are running on enough fuel to get back to base. We're going to RTB so you don't have to deal with another crash"

"We read you Lima-Charlie Knight Seven Four, thanks for the alert, Linebacker Two One out" with that the four Blackhawks flew off. Jason retook control of the situation. "Howe, move your men, you have your instructions, the rest of you I want to prepare the wounded for exfil, then help with defense."

The men all took off in there respective directions, for the first time since they took the first few shots, Jason was able to breathe.

The beating of rotor blades was quiet at first. Only Clay and Trent heard them. The gradually it rose to a thunderous roar, suddenly 6 HH-60G Pavehawks came screaming over a ridge line, their skimming so low their wheels brushed the tops of the trees. They passed overhead, Clay lifted his head and watched them fly "Let's fucking go! America!" he pumped his fist in the air, clearly elated he was getting out of there. Sonny who had been on a blood transfusion had regained most some of the blood he lost and was perking up despite the large piece of truck still lodged in his back "America" he laughed weakly. Brock however had taken a turn for the worse. Infection had set in around the wounds on his back. His fever was rising and needed to get to a surgical hospital quick to remove the pieces of metal. The one of the birds pulled off from the formation and set down on the road. Four Air Force Pararescue men jumped out along with a TACP, the guy that would call in the air support if it was needed. The men ducked as they ran from under the rotors. They kneeled as the Pavehawk took off and rejoined their overhead pattern.

"Here's the rescue party" Jason said as he jogged out to the meet the leader

"Bruce Neistadt," He shook Jason's hand as they ran back towards the crash "Where's the most critical" This man was clearly a No BS type of guy, Jason liked that, Bruce was a person he clearly understood

"Right Here" Trent said, he was looking over Brock's dressing's. There had not been gunshots in nearly two hours, so he was able to set up a place inside the downed Helo where he could safely treat the wounded. "He caught numerous fragments from a VBIED and infection has set in." Trent said, showing him the dressings on his back. Trent and the PJ then set into a slur of medical terms that none of them could understand. The discussion was intercepted by HAVOC, the Rangers, and the Helicopters all getting on the line, each reporting at least a hundred men coming from the militant base and from down the road on which the Helo lay.

Sonny was fading in and out of consciousness, Trent had staunched most of the bleeding but the large piece of metal embedded in his back was still leaking blood. When he heard the radios, crackling the news of the oncoming force he lifted himself up onto his elbows, his blood soaked shirt drooping. Reaching for his weapon he let out a low grunt. Trent snapped around "What the fuck are you doing Sonny" Sonny kept reaching for his weapon, placed just out of reach. Sonny groaned again, "Quinn I swear to fuck," Trent said "If you don't lay back down, I will tie you to that stretcher"

Sonny stopped his reach and looked up at Trent "Pound…Sand" he drawled. Sonny was then forcefully put back on the stretcher

"Don't you fucking move, I wont hesitate" Trent held up a coil of paracord and kneeling down. When he started tying a knot at the start of the top of the stretcher Sonny finally gave in "fine, ok, ok, don't get your panties in a twist…Shit" He said, weakly holding his hands above his head.

"Fine, just stay here and don't get shot" The medic said. He then turned and ran off towards where the rangers had set defensive positions, eager to help. The TACP ran up and placed his hand on Jason's shoulder "A10s are overhead". Jason smiled, that was a good omen, there was no way that with the hawgs they wouldn't come home.

"Good, I want them hitting them hard", Jason told the man "I don't want them to let off until they are all dead or their out of ammo" The man turned away and started giving directions to the plane overhead. It was another thirty seconds before the A10s were screaming down on their attack runs, their guns ripping the oncoming force to shreds. At the intersection, the operators were holding there ground, firing almost non stop. It was one of the most impressive displays of firepower they had ever seen. And that was saying something.

It took several minutes of them mowing down the opponents before they decided they would be able to exfil, by that time, the PJs had stabilised Brock, ensuring all that were alive would be making it out of the Ghanaian countryside.

As the Pavehawks came in on final approach they all fell back from the places they were defending. The operators grabbing their fallen brothers, loading them onto the helicopters. It took only two minutes before they were airborne once again. All of the guys knew that the events of the last four hours would be something they would never, ever forget

So that's the end of the chapter. I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter. I think for the next time I'm definitely going to do more whump. Thanks anyway for reading, see you next time