DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter is JK Rowling's creation, not mine.
HighElvenWizard
Fire and Brimstone
Two
Heading for Hell
"Damn," I whispered to myself as I waited inside the NYC Order Headquarters. The Order owned the entire building, though there were different companies housed within. All of which, if someone dug deep enough, were owned by either Phoenix Enterprises or Dumbledore. The nondescript building kept the people outside oblivious to the true nature of what was going on within; it was better that way.
I had cursed because I had a nasty feeling that I was going to the mideast. My sensitive hearing had picked up a few conversations between my commander and his secretary, a lovely, but tough, woman of about thirty. Kate, I remember her name was, short for Kateline, but that's where my knowledge of her ended. I had never bothered to find out more about her, and the only times I ever saw her was when I was to report to Commander Kane.
The first time I heard his name, I remember feeling a tiny ounce of nervousness, though of course I quelled that feeling. The name speaks for itself, really, and to tell the truth it actuall describes him well. Just saying the name "Kane" brings to mind strength, power, and awe. I heard that he had risen through the ranks quickly, his skill, intelligence, and efficiency proving themselves a deadly combination.
There was a rumor that on one of the Order's most important missions so many years ago, he was the only one to survive out of a six-man team. The Order heads, Dumbledore included, saw this as a sign and decided to keep him away from the field. They saw much more profit in using his abilities to command from an office safely, than to risk losing his talents in the field.
"Lieutenant," the strong, but polite, voice of Kate rang out at me, "the commander will see you now."
I thanked her and walked through a pair of thick, wooden doors; they were soundproof and bulletproof, but they were also given a new fireproof layering. The office was large, occupying a little more than a quarter of the entire level. It was a corner office, allowing for a greater view of the city, though there was not much to see. The walls were a dark marble-like stone, but I knew that just an inch deeper and it would be pure steel.
The windows were thick, heavy enough to stop a bullet and were also shatter-proof, so the office was basically one of the safest places in the building.
My gaze flew outward, and I could see the Statue of Liberty as she stood proudly in all her green majesty, her torch-hand tirelessly held high as she clung to her sacred tablet of principles.
Off to one side was an entertainment area of sorts, with an array of comfy looking couches and chairs. A dark, wooden cabinet stood facing this assortment of seats, a large flatscreen tv stood gloriously at the center of the cabinet. I doubt it had ever been used.
Near the corner where the windows of the two separate sides of the building met, was Kane's official office area. My eyes fell upon him then, and I noticed he hadn't looked up at me at all as he was highly engrossed in something that was on his desk. The desk was, just like the cabinet, dark and wooden. Intricate patterns were carved into it, but they were random, at least to me, and held no meaning.
I quickly walked over to the desk, sitting down on one of the two chairs that were in front of it, and waited for him to acknowledge me. I had done this a million times, and almost every time it was the same. I would wait for him for a few minutes before he told me of my next mission and all the other details. We never spoke of anything else except business, for there was no time to wasteafter all, especially with me being one of their secret weapons.
I did not have to wait long.
"You know what's going on in the mideast?" it was more a statement than a question, but I answered it anyway.
"Yes, sir." I still had to be respectful, especially to a superior officer, but don't let the ranks fool you. It's just a heirarchy thing meant to organize the Order. In truth, our ranks only work within the Order itself, nowhere else, though all operatives had aliases, some of which were the same rank as our Order rank for actual military branches.
He nodded, "Good."
He went silent, so I decided to study him as I usual did when I was in his office. He was a large man, though in the muscular sense, and was actually a good two inches taller than me. He seriously looked like a man that you would not want to mess with, like that bouncer at that popular club who looks like he had just gotten out of a steroid factory. He was bald, which made him look even more like a "do not screw with me" kind of person. He had thick facial hair, more moustache than beard, that circled his mouth, giving him a hardened, grizzly look, and it contributed to his overall menacing look.
"You're going."
Surprise, surprise.
"When?" I asked, starting to get a little curious. I have been in a warzone before, but never for long periods of time, and never for any other reason besides killing some important military or political figure, so you can forgive my curiosity.
"The chopper's already on it's way, Harry. Ten minutes," he replied, still not looking up from what he was reading. He frowned a little, his eyes narrowing as theymoved back and forth, reading the papers.
"What's the objective?"
"You'll be briefed upon arrival by a higher command, that's all I know," he looked up at me then, "but from what I do know, it's something big. It's a top priority mission for the Order, and you won't be going in alone."
"I'll have a team?" I asked, careful to hide my annoyance at that. Teams were cumbersome, in my opinion, and although they had their uses, I preferred to work alone.
"You can count on it. There'll be equipment already there for you, so you don't need to bring anything 'cept yourself. Take care out there," and with that he dismissed me, returning to his papers and picking up the phone. He was talking to someone when I left, and he wasn't happy.
Helicopters are loud.
I don't know how close you've ever been to one, but it's really deafening when you get up close and personal with it. You can barely hear yourself talk, but I gotta admit, it's fun riding them. I was never afraid of heights, so I always enjoyed dangling my feet of the edge if I was on an open chopper, though for the most part the choppers I've been on had doors. This one did, so I didn't have the opportunity to dangle my feet.
The roar of the spinning blades and the whine of the engine died down somewhat as I shut the door. An operative, dressed in a black uniform with standard Kevlar-III armor and a 9mm sidearm, sat opposite me. He gave the pilots the thumbs up as I strapped myself in, and they nodded. Soon, we were in the air.
The trip was long enough that I had some time to ponder once again what I had done. I had not heard anything about what was currently happening with the UN, or the Mideast, but I could guess. I chose not to for the moment.
The chopper landed with a slightly jarring bump. I watched as the operative opened the door and the bright sunlight filtered through the open hatch. I didn't have time to squint as my pupils adjusted themselves instantly.
There were three other Order operatives there, all of them wearing all-black uniforms, but this time, instead of just the standard 9mm sidearm, they also had sub-machine guns wrapped around their necks. They weren't exactly in combat mode, but they were getting there, which made me slightly uneasy once more. The three saluted and I saluted back, before they broke their stances and told me to follow them.
The chopper was already in the air by the time we were halfway to the docks. We formed a little four-car caravan, all four cars being huge, black, and unmarked SUVs. I had been informed of our destination, but that was the only piece of information I got from them. They had just about as much of an idea of what was happening as I did.
We reached the docks about five minutes later, all four cars rolling to a stop inside an enormous warehouse, large enough to have a big rollercoaster ride in. It was when I looked at what was inside that I realized why they had made it so big.
There was a battleship in there.
I kid you not, there was one huge battleship, and it towered over us like the behemoth that all battleships are. I heard some of the men in the vehicle take in sudden breaths at seeing it. I could tell that they were a little nervous about what was going on, but they kept silent.
We unloaded in a matter of seconds. I realized that these guys were hired mercs, probably ex-army or ex-Special Forces of some type, since Phoenix Enterprises always did get the best of the best. The soldiers unloaded the cargo in each of the SUVs, mostly weapons and ammo, but some camping gear as well.
We were escorted by yet another group of soldiers, this time they were in heavy battle armor, Kevlar-IV, and wore armor on their shoulders, forearms, shins, and knees. There was some thicker, but more flexible, Kevlar-II for their other exposed areas. The soldiers carried the cargo while I pretty much took myself. I was armed with a few things, like knives and two sidearms, and some extra ammo, but that was mainly what I brought. I hadn't even gotten any clothing, since I knew they would have taken care of that already.
The mercs were instructed to head a different direction while I was taken to somewhere else, where, I was almost certain of it, Dumbledore and whoever else made up my team, were. After all, something this big probably had Dumbledore's attention, not to mention the extra security and the big guns.
I was led into a large meeting room, but only a few of the seats were taken. Dumbledore looked up, his long, gray beard flowing slightly from the movement, and he smiled, though I noticed it was a tense one. There was no twinkle in his eye, which I usually saw when he was calm or relaxed.
I looked around the room, noticing the five other people that were there, and I realized that I knew them all, or at least I had seen their files. I wasn't supposed to hack into the system, but hey, I was bored.
I paired their callsigns with each of them.
Hermione Granger - Owl
Ronald Weasley - Eagle
Ginevra Weasley - Fox
Neville Longbottom - Rhino
Yeah, funny how they have callsigns. I don't, apparently, though I had a funny feeling I would get one for this mission. So first things first, what do their callsigns mean. Well, their files didn't really explain why, but I gathered enough information to take a pretty good guess as to why they were called that. Let's start with Owl.
She's the Owl because she's usually the brains of any operation she's involved with, at least that's what I think. She seems to have more of a planning, quick-thinking, support role in her missions, so I assume that is why she is called that. She also could possibly see things that most people don't see because of her intelligence and quick mind.
Eagle, well, he supposedly has incredible vision and extremely proficient with any rifle. He can shoot a penny from more than three miles away, apparently. He also plays a planning role, since he usually has a good visual over the operation and so can relay information, like an eagle scanning the ground for prey.
Fox is kind of a mystery to me. Her file was not really very informative, since it seems she goes on the longer missions, and so has less time to put more into her file. I would think she is the spy, infiltrator, sort of person, since foxes can dart in their and usually stealthily try to do things.
Last but not least, Rhino. The name sort of speaks for itself, really. He's the heavy weapons guy, very efficient with the large guns, ie. .50 or .75 cal, gattling guns, rocket launchers, mortars, mines, etc. He busts in their with his heavy armor and his overall large physique and wreaks havoc. Not very secretive or stealthy, but it gets the job done. He's been wounded a lot, but he supposedly has fast regenerative cells.
Oh right, I forgot to mention that. We're all kind of the same. I say kind of because I am unique in that I have everything in me, so I have all of what they have, except of course, since it's all mixed and mashed together, I am not really extremely proficient at one specific area, unlike them.
"Now I am sure you already know what is happening in the Middle East, and yes that is why you are here, but it is not to stop this... war. No, we cannot get involved with that yet, but soon. First, we must focus on our assets in the Middle East that are in jeopardy. We've recently lost contact with some of our bases and outposts all across the Mideast," Dumbledore began, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table as he clasped his hands together.
"Our assets there are extremely important, and as you know, we never leave a man," he paused and looked at the two women in the group, "or a woman, behind."
We all looked at each other during that pause, before returning to looking at Dumbledore. I had never met them before, and they had never met me before, though I do believe that they've worked together in the past, at least in some capacity. I just hoped they wouldn't get in my way.
"Your first destination," he threw out unopened manila envelopes at us, labeled TOP SECRET in red ink, "is Baghdad, since that is the hottest place right now, and we need to get our assets out and secured as soon as possible. You will be going in hot, expect heavy resistance if you encounter any, since Baghdad will be a warzone by the time you get there."
I opened the folder as he was talking and poured over the contents. We were to secure a small Order building in Baghdad, evac the people still inside, secure any files, and then extract. It seemed easy enough on paper, but it always did. Always.
"We will provide you with the latest equipment, mind you some of it we have not fully tested, so you should be wary. I cannot wait any longer and time is running out for our assets in the Mideast. You will get further missions and briefings via SatCom as you complete them, since there is no point in knowing all of what you are doing, it will serve only to distract you. Finish your tasks quickly, efficiently, and of course, successfully. You are the best of the best, and I expect every one of you to understand the importance of what you are doing there," he spoke with a commanding voice, one that made you really listen and understand.
"You will be flown to the outskirts of the city, dropped to one of our remote outposts, where your equipment is waiting. You will receive more intel as soon as you land. Goodluck, your flight leaves in.." he paused to check his wristwatch, "exactly twenty-two minutes."
We had not time to talk, save give each other a quick lookover of appraisal, before we were escorted double time back to the SUVs. The drivers floored it as soon as we got in. It all happened so fast that we were still somewhat processing what happened and what was about to happen. I said nothing as we drove, and neither did anyone else, each one of us inside our own thoughts.
Do you know the term, "going to hell in a handbasket?" Well, that's us.
We're going to hell in a plane.
Fasten your seatbelts and make sure all tray-tables and seatbacks are secured in the upright and locked position...
Author's Notes: Well, it's been a while, hope you still like it.
