Date: UNKNOWN

Time: 1002

Location: Kunduz Afghanistan

Days in OP: Day four

POV: PFC Naruto Uzumaki, USMC

"Fuck, fuck, fuck. God it fucking hurts." One of the soldiers from the Army shouts as I drag him behind the corner of a building adjacent to the one believed to be of importance to Yad Allah.

"I hear ya, Shikamaru, get this guy some medical." I get his attention and he attempts to save his life. "Sarg, what's the plan?" I turn to our Sargent, who ducks back down to change mags.

"We need to take that machine gun nest out. But the issue is the snipers." He looks over to Sasuke as he sends his bolt forward. "Uchiha, can you get a shot?"

"Negative."

"Dammit. Barrett, can you call in air?" He turns to a slightly darker man from the Army who, from my understanding, took over the role of CO for the squad that the Albarn girl from yesterday belongs to.

"I'll see what I can do. Sierra 1, this is Reaper 2-2, we are pinned down by heavy fire, we need air support."

"Heard Reaper 2-2, we'll see what we can afford you guys." The radio operator says as I take a peek and see something I think we all did not need right now.

"Oh fuck. TANK." Old school Soviet T-55, still nothing to scoff at, especially with 5.56. "How the fuck they got old Russian armor?"

"Must have been left over from the Soviet Afghan war." Sasuke answers, and Barrett thumbs his radio again.

"WE HAVE ENEMY ARMOR, WE NEED THAT AIR NOW."

"We got a squad of hogs heading your way, ETA five minutes, hold on tight."

"Jesus fuck." I say under my breath as I peek just enough to get my sights on a Yad Allah soldier running back to the building with a RPG on his shoulder, so I squeeze the trigger, sending a round into his leg. I duck back down as a sniper round hits the building we are stuck behind. "God fuck."

"Don't stick out of cover for to long private." Sarge says as a round from the tank hits the front of what looked like an old shop just behind us. "That was too close. Barrett, where is that air?"

"They said five."

"Yeah, a fucking minute ago."

"Attention Reaper 2-2. This is Maverick 1-1, we can give air support for 30 before we have to refuel and rearm. Mark the targets with red smoke to kick off the firework show."

"Heard Maverick 1-1, thanks for the hussle. Rung, mark the building and tank with red smoke." The dark skinned man next to me opens the FN40GL on his SCAR and slips in a 40mm grenade with a red tip.

"On it." He props up and starts to get an angle when a round cracks past us and he falls onto his back.

"Shit." I say just before he checks himself over.

"Fuck that was close, my life flashed before my eyes."

"You good?"

"Yeah, give me a minute."

"We don't have that lugary right now. Uzumaki, take his SCAR and mark the target." Sarge says as he hands the SCAR to me and I line up a shot. The low velocity round flies out of the FN40GL with a thump, and hits the front section of the tank.

"Good shot brother." Rung complements the shot as I hand him back his rifle.

"Thanks, hopefully next time I can use an M2O3 on my rifle next time." We both get a chuckle.

"Smoke seen, get ready for an early Christmas present." We all look up and see three to four A-10 Thunderbolt IIs flying in, nose pointed right for the enemy position. What comes next could be described as music to a grunts' ears. The loud, earth shaking sound of the 30mm depleted uranium rounds hitting everything in its path. Followed by the sound of the gun catching up via the infamous 'BERT'. Everyone, myself included, cheered as the flying hogs wreck everything. "Targets destroyed, returning to formation."

"Thanks Maverick 1-1, God bless you guys." Alright, we gotta be careful. We don't know if they have gunners that survived."

"Let's fucking go." I yell as I run out from behind the corner, heading straight to the main building.

"What the fuck is he doing?" A woman's voice shouts as I slide behind a car that's between where we were and the tank.

"Someone move up." I call back, and after some time, I hear movement to my right. I look over and see Neji pull up to a dumpster.

"Next man up." He says and the machine gunner from the Army moves up next to him. After him, Shikamaru pushes past me to a half wall, tripping over his feet once he gets to cover. One by one, everyone moves in.

"What's the plan?" Sasuke asks as we group up.

"A team of my men will take the front entrance, a team of Marines will take the back. Some will stay outside and keep a parameter. If anyone comes out armed, call is Blue, response is Bird."

"I'll help push the rear." I say as I check ammo and swap for a full mag. The Sargent, Shikamaru, Neji, about three more Marines, and myself make our way to the emergency exit at the back of the building, while Sasuke stayed behind and found a nice spot to keep overwatch with his M-14 EBR.

"Somebody get a charge on that door." Sarge says as the Marine in front of me walks to the front of the stack and sets an explosive on it.

"Stand clear." He calls and we step back a tad. He hits the detonator and the door flys in, ripping a chunk of the door frame with it.

"Close right, clear, open front. Flow in." Sarge says as we flow like water into the door. Neji checks left, nothing but a closed door.

"Closed door left, what's the call?"

"Clear it." Neji waves for me and Shikamaru to help him. We stack up and I hear voices on the other side.

"I got audible on the other side." I whisper, and they nod.

"Suggestion, flashbang through the door, breach after it goes off." Shikamaru also whispers, and we give a thumbs up. I grab the doorknob and turn it ever so slowly. I crack the door open enough for Shikamaru to slip a flash in and I shut it. Once it goes off, I swing open the door and fire a few rounds into a hostile across from the door. I enter, taking out another as the last one throws down his weapon as Neji points the business end of his rifle at him.

"Nara, check him." He kneels down to surrender, only getting the muzzle of the rifle closer to his head. "Move an inch and I'll blow your fucking brains out." Neji yells as Shikamaru kicks his AK towards me. I turn to check one of the dead by tapping his arm with my foot, only to notice a round hit him on the jaw. "Stop." Neji shouts, I turn to see Shikamaru in a struggle with the guy that decided not to surrender after all. He shoves him off and unholsters his M9 and puts four rounds center mass as he charges him. Knocking Shikamaru over. "Fuck, you good brother?"

"I'm fine, fucking peice of shit." Shikamaru says as he rolls the guy off him. We help him get back up.

"Good thing you kicked his rifle away huh." I say as we look over for any Intel. "Nothing, let's get back to the main stack." We start to head out of the room, but I notice Shikamaru still staring at the corpse. "You good?"

"Yeah, it's just."

"If you didn't do what you did, we might have lost you man."

"You're right, still doesn't mean it won't haunt me."

"I know, but we're here for you, same goes for the others and myself, we got the other six right?"

"Nara, Uzumaki, back in the stack double time." Sergeant says and I put my hand on his shoulder to confirm what I had just said.

"Let's get this done, yeah?"

"Let's do it." Shikamaru says as we head out and regroup.

"Uzumaki, your point, up the stairs." I nod and get in the front of the stack and head up the stairs. Long hallway, door to the right closed, gunshots from the left side down at a door at the other end. I peek into the right side door, nothing.

"Rooms empty."

"Could be that they ran to aid against the Army's push." One of the other Marines says as we move down the hallway.

"Hold, I see a barrel." Neji says as he points his rifle at a corner. "Blue." I noticed the barrel Neji was talking about and shoulder my M16.

"USMC, if you ain't Army, show us your hands."

"Bird… Jesus fuck, will you guys let me speak. Fucking men."

"Yep, it's the Army." I joke as Alburn, Rung, and a few others walk out and join us. "How are things going on your end?"

"Fine, for the most part. What's happening with you guys?" She asks, plying the corner with her more modern M4.

"Pushing up, got two more floors to clear." I say as I check my ammo. "Someone take point." I grab a fresh mag, jam it in, and give it a smack to secure it. Neji rolls past and checks the corridor we are about to enter.

"Stairs at the end of the hallway, closed doors down both sides of the hallway. Signs above them, what do they say?" Neji asks before raising his rifle. "Hands hands, show me your hands."

"She can't understand you." Alburn says before speaking in Arabic. I peek my head around and see a woman speed walking towards us, hands up, saying something. The two speak to one another before she points her to the direction they came in from. "We got hostages coming to you guys." She says over the radio as more people come out of the same room, all with their hands up. "It's a news station. They used it as a way to broadcast their propaganda."

"They said that Yad Allah was the only true way for young men to reach paradise. And for the women to serve them." One of the other Marines says as the room empties out.

"What do you mean by that Mohammed?" I ask as Neji turns the corner.

"Sex slaves." He answers as we head down the hall. The rooms look clear so we head to the stairs when a man with an AK appears at the top of the steps. "Contact stairs." Mohammed fires his rifle and the gunmen falls down the steps in a heap. I found it funny, not haha funny, but enough for a small chuckle. A chopper flies above us and gunshots ring out.

"What the hell?" I ask as Barrett thumbs his radio.

"What's going on out there?"

"An angry egg showed up and started firing at us." The guy over the radio says, confusing us inside.

"Sierra 1, you're shooting at Marines and Rangers. The hell do you guys think you're doing?"

"Rangers?" Neji asks me as there is radio silence.

"Negative Reaper 2-2, we don't have helos in the AO."

"You're telling me that Yad Allah has OUR fucking equipment?"

"It would appear so."

"Figure it out then. Fucking hell, Marines, head to the fourth floor and get eyes on the situation, if that bird is infact enemy equipment, find a way to take it out. Spartio will clear the third floor. LET'S MOVE." Barrett gives out orders and we rush to the fourth floor, well, what was left of it.

"The hell is Spartio?" Shikamaru asks as we get a look at what is happening. Yad Allah fighters, above them was the bird with the insignia of the terror group.

"Found some RPGs over here, we can use them to take down the helo and enemy armor." Mohammed says as he grabs one.

"Good find brother." Neji says as he turns back and opens fire on the fighters below.

"Oh yeah, leave the raghead to find his pals shit." I turned to the so-called Marine who said that.

"Shut the fuck up Matthews."

"What, it's true."

"I said shut it." I turn back to the firefight and switch my M16 to burst fire and start to put rounds down range.

"Clear the back blast." Mohammed says and Shikamaru gives him a thumbs up and he fires the round at the chopper. "Fuck, missed."

"Saw that coming." Matthews laughs as I grab one of the RPGs.

"Let me have a go at it." I shoulder the launcher and line up the shot, flip off the safety, and fire, hitting the tail off and it spirals out of control before hitting one of the trucks carrying their own men.

"Hell of a shot." Mohammed cheers as we grab our rifles to re engage in the fight. That's when I hear a click, look down, oh hey no ammo. Grab a fresh mag, jam it into the magwell, and give the bolt release a good smack. Back in, guy blind firing, squeeze the trigger, three rounds into him, he slumps over. Next target, rinse repeat.

"Looks like they might be regrouping, Marines, get back down here and help move the civs to the LZ." Sargent says over the radio. I guess he went with the civilians. We check our ammo before turning back to the stairs when a guy runs into us. He hults so he could turn as we lift our rifles, but someone comes in behind him and tackles him to the ground.

"Stop resisting." Shikamaru says as I realize that the soldier he is fighting in Alburn. Mohammed shouts something in Arabic, I can assume it's to surrender, but he flips the position and I notice something in his hand. He raises his arm and torso, revealing an ax, not just any ax, a combat ax.

"Shit." She screams in a way that makes my skin crawl right as I pull the trigger, hitting him in the upper torso, neck, and lower head, killing him. He falls forward, ax landing to the side, with plenty of space between it and her head. "Fucking hell, that was close." She says as she rolls him off, and she catches her breath.

"You good?" I ask her as Neji and I help her up. She nods, Shikamaru grabs a small flashlight from his plate carrier and shines it in her eyes.

"Seams fine, who's your friend?"

"Amir Karam, lieutenant of Yad Allah, and the commander of the group in this region."

"They called Rangers in to tag and bag, but y'all ran into resistance, and so you guys called us." I say as I hand her back the ax.

"That was the second objective, first was to take back the city. But with him dead it will lower their activities in the region." She says, taking the thing from me. "Reaper 2-2, this is Reaper 1-2, package is KIA, Marines had to put him down."

"Understood, you all get out here, Army infantry will take it from here. Good work out there."

"Copy that, you heard him, let's go home… kinda." We all head out as choppers come in overhead.

"So, the hell is Spartio if you don't mind me asking?" Shikamaru asks as we go down the stairs.

"Company from the Rangers, special ops shit, aid in sieges of cities and the like."

"Why didn't you tell us you were sf?" Neji adds.

"Didn't matter. What mattered is you guys saved our asses, mine twice now." We reach the outside where Sarge, Barrett, Sasuke, and some others are gathered.

"Sir, what are we going to do about the civies?" I ask as I let my rifle rest.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Barrett says as where the civs are, a gunshot is heard. We rush over to see Matthews with his service pistol pointed at Mohammed.

"You shot a fucking civilian."

"If they speak Muslim then they're a terrorist who deserves a worst death. That goes for you ya two faced sheep fucker."

"Put the fucking gun down." That's when they noticed every barrel other than his own was pointed at Matthews. He follows the instructions, and sets it down. Sargent walks up to him, grabs the pistol and hands it over to Barrett. "Take off that uniform you inbred sack of horse shit."

"But I earned it."

"And you just fucking lost it, and whatever sad excuse of a life you had left. I will not tolerate such actions from anyone in my corps. Now get that uniform off." He does so slowly, probably to delay the enviable realization that he has long since shitted himself. "Nara, Huga, cuff this shit stain and get him out of my sight." The two grab him and zip tie his hands together and shove him into a humvee he gets all to himself, and it wasn't very nice how they handled him. Sasuke walks up and we look at each other in shock.

"Did we just witness a war crime?" He asks in disbelief.

"Yep." I answer, the other two return and join in the bewilderment. I look up and see someone waving us to a heli. "Looks like we'll be riding in a helo." We jog over and hop in and a few seconds later we are lifting off and heading back to base.

"I am going to take a well deserved cat nap when we get back." Neji says as he takes his helmet off and wipes the sweat off his face, resting his head against the chopper's interior wall.

"After you take a shower maybe, you smell really bad man." Shikamaru responds, giving a small grin.

"I think that's you and the dried blood you got on you." They give one another a small shove, giving us all a grin. I look off to the distance and see a small fenced in area where other Helos are taking off and landing. Funny how something that took three days in an armored column takes a matter of about 20 or so minutes. Once we land, we will have earned ourselves some nice RnR.