LOCATED:
SERGEANT JOHN "SOAP" MACTAVISH
S.A.S Training Compound, Credenhill, U.K.
22nd S.A.S Regiment
Soap turned right, and walked past a large orange trailer across the black asphalt, thinking about his training session. He decided that Gaz was a good man, and was glad he would be in the same squad his him. He felt certain that the man would have his back.
Soap heard the sound of helicopters beating the air, and looked up in time to see two large transport copters fly overhead. He glanced to his left, from which he had heard gunfire. He saw five or six men running through a series of obstacles around a large gray cement building. One of the infamous S.A.S 'kill houses'. He thought back to basic training, and was glad he wouldn't be running one of those again anytime soon.
He walked past two men working on a small white car. One of the men had flaming red hair, and looked up as Soap walked by. He heard "F.N.G" muttered as he walked past the vehicle. The red haired man nudged his companion, who also looked up and scowled at the sight of Soap. Soap sighed; he had experienced this before, back when his old CO had selected him for basic sniper training. The older students had teased and bothered him, before he earned their respect with his sharp shooting.
Soap looked up and saw a large group of men running what looked like a grueling obstacle course. He sighed and approached a large blue hanger, the sliding metal door slightly open.
As he approached, the door slid back on rusty hinges, revealing a group of men in full combat gear, holding an assortment of weapons. The men stepped back to look at him, and what appeared to be the officer in charge stepped forward. The man wore a gas mask that was pushed up onto his head revealing a harsh face that sported a black beard, flecked with gray. The man studied him intensely. Soap rubbed his free hand through his dark hair nervously.
One of the other men off to the side of the officer spoke in a quiet voice.
"It's the F.N.G, sir."
Another man slung his machine gun onto his back, and pulled off his hood and mask. He removed a cigarette from his breast pocket, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a cheap Bic lighter. He took a drag on the smoke before speaking.
"Go easy on him sir, it's his first day in the regiment."
The officer smiled grimly.
"Right, what the hell kind a name is Soap, eh? How the hell'd a muppet like you pass selection?"
The man turned suddenly, and gestured over his shoulder for Soap to follow. The other S.A.S men parted ranks, and let Soap walk in between them, behind the officer.
The man led him to a small table, where various maps and blueprints were spread out. He pushed a map aside, and pulled a clipboard with Soap's information attached on it. He spoke again.
"I'm Captain Price. You've been assigned to my squad. There are six other members of this squad, including myself. Soon, we will be entering a combat situation and we need to know that we can rely on you when the action starts."
Price looked him over again. "Where you from Soap?"
Soap shifted his weight back and forth between his feet.
"The country-side, just outside of Oxford, sir."
Price digested this information.
"Some sort of manor, or maybe an estate, eh?"
Soap nodded. "Yes, sir. My father is a doctor in London, and he built an estate out in the country for my mother."
Price's expression didn't change.
"Well, Soap. This isn't the Oxford country-side. Welcome to the 22nd S.A.S. Standby around here for a bit while I look a few things over."
Price walked away with Soap's file, towards a chair in the corner of the large room, behind a bank of television sets. As far as Soap could tell, all he was doing was reading his file.
Soap turned around to survey the rest of the room.
The three other men had formed a small circle, and were smoking and talking quietly. On the far right side of the room was a tall platform, with a metal ladder leading up to the top and a tough looking cable dropping down to the floor on the far side of the platform. In front of the platform was some sort of wooden structure. From his vantage point, Soap thought it looked like some sort of maze. "Aww Christ. First they have me go back through basic, now this?"
He was awakened from his thoughts by the sharp bark of Price's voice from behind.
"Soap! It's your turn for the CQB test. Climb the ladder and Sergeant Lovejoy will explain what you need to do. Everyone else, head to observation."
Soap watched as the three other men walked across the room, and joined Captain Price behind the television bank. Price began turning each television set on. One of the men gestured for Soap to get up the ladder. Soap jogged over, and began climbing; the metal rungs were cold against his hands. As he reached the top, a gloved hand came from over the edge. He grasped it gratefully and was helped up.
"Ello' mate, I'm Dan. Dan Lovejoy. Most of the lads call me Sarge, or Love. I don't give a hoot either way."
Lovejoy was chubby, to say the least. He was dressed in the same black combat uniform as the men on the ground, but was wearing no mask. His round face was rimmed with beads of sweat. He had light brown hair that stuck up in the front. Soap could only think of one word to describe him: jolly.
"I'm Soap" he said, offering a hand.
Lovejoy grasped the hand firmly and pumped it up and down. "Welcome aboard Soap. For this test, you'll have to run this cargo ship mock-up solo, in less than 60 seconds. It pertains to our next assignment, and Cap'n Price likes to keep us on our toes."
Soap nodded.
"Head over to those crates there, grab an MP5, and some flash bangs" Lovejoy said as he fussily relieved Soap of his G36. "Also, get this on you, mate. It'll hold those bangers and your ammo."
He threw a heavy Kevlar vest, which Soap caught against his chest. He slid the vest over his head, and pulled the straps tight.
Gingerly, Soap walked across the platform over to the large metal box Lovejoy had indicated. He grabbed the MP5 sub machine gun, and tucked two extra ammo clips into pouches on the vest. Then he picked up four flash bangs and tucked them into the remaining pouches.
Lovejoy waddled up behind him.
"Alright, mate. It's a basic breach and clear. Just remember your training. Also, as a quick side note, Gaz holds our current squadron record at 19 seconds. The speed of that lad… I'll tell ya. Anyway, good luck, and just slide down the rope when you're ready" he said, pointing at the cable Soap had noticed from the ground.
Soap quickly checked the straps on his vest one more time and flicked the safety off on the MP5. His head was full of training exercises he had drilled for months on end when he first joined.
He grasped the rope firmly, trying not to pay attention to Price watching him intently from the ground.
Soap took a deep breath, and then pushed off the platform hard. He swung down the rope, and almost as soon as he hit the concrete floor had the MP5 up and was squeezing the trigger, sending a hail of fire at three familiar metal cut-outs of soldiers in the first room. He heard Price's voice, magnified by some sort of sound system.
"Go, go go! Hit the targets!"
Soap got out of his half crouch quickly, and sprinted to his right, heading for the door into the 'ship'.
"Position two, go!"
He took a hard right and descended three stairs as another target popped up. Soap let off a quick burst from the hip, earning another annoying buzz from above. "Not this again…"
He jumped the remaining stairs and heard Price commanding him to toss a flash bang through the door across the hall. He quickly ripped a flash bang out of a pouch on the vest and tossed it through the opening. As it exploded, Soap rounded the corner with the MP5 up and ready.
"Hit the targets!" Price's magnified voice yelled.
Soap let off another two quick bursts, scoring headshots on both targets.
He took a hard left and passed through another door way into a small room. He heard a screech of metal as two more targets popped up on either side of him.
"Position five, hit the targets!"
Soap swung the gun in a wide sweep of the room, keeping his finger on the trigger the whole time. He quickly dropped the empty clip from the gun, and slid another in.
"Flash bang, through the door on position six!"
He quickly pulled another grenade and tossed it into the final room. As soon as he heard the explosion, he whipped around the corner and dropped both targets almost instantaneously. Soap looked to his right, and saw the exit door way which he quickly ran out of.
"Sprint to the finish!"
Breathing heavily, Soap ran back to the bottom of the ladder.
"20.2 seconds. Not bad, but I've seen better" came Price's final remark.
Soap looked up from panting and leaning on the ladder to see one of the S.A.S men beckoning him to come over. He wiped his sleeve across his forehead, and walked over to the other men.
Price set down a small silver microphone, and spoke without preamble.
"Gentlemen, the cargo-ship mission is ago. Get yourselves sorted out. Wheels up at 0200. Dismissed."
Soap and the others turned away, and walked from the hanger. Soap glanced back, and saw Price press the reply button on the video of his run of the ship.
"Ay mate, wait up!"
He turned around to see Lovejoy huffing and puffing up behind him.
"Excellent work Soap, my boy. Second best time in the squad."
Soap smiled. "Thanks mate."
"Wad 'ya say we run that MP5 by the armory, then head over to the mess hall for something to eat? We got about 6 hours before we need to be at helicopter pad two."
Soap nodded, gratefully.
"That'd be great, I'm starved."
Soap and his new found friend headed over to the first hanger to drop off the gun.
Lovejoy and Soap sat down at a table with the rest of Price's squad.
"All you fellas met Soap?" Lovejoy asked
The squad all nodded greetings to him.
"Let's see here…" Lovejoy mused
"You know Gaz, of course. This scruffy lad here is Private Wallcroft." Lovejoy pointed to the soldier directly across from Soap, on Gaz's left. He was young looking, no older than 20, with shaggy brown hair. "That grizzled ol' boy there is Barton. He's been in the service longer than any of us care to remember. Even longer than the old Cap'n." Lovejoy said, pointing to a gray haired corporal. "Next is Private Arem, he's a good lad, always gets his two-cents in though. Drives the Cap'n up the wall." Lovejoy chuckled, nodding at a soldier on the far end of the table with blond hair, cut short. Arem smiled at Soap and nodded. "Good to have you with us, mate." he said.
"An', that's about it. Get to know these lads; they'll be watching your back for the next couple weeks." Lovejoy winked.
Gaz stood up.
"I'm gonna catch some sleep before we have to move. You boys should do the same. Stop by the armory on the way to pad two. Remember, silenced weapons only. This is a stealth mission. See you all soon."
The rest of the squad stood up, and walked out of the mess hall. Soap fully intended on taking a quick nap, he was tired from the day's events.
