United Under Fire

World on Fire

The team made it into the country without a hitch, they took company cars to the TOC. Now they were waiting for the green light. Their window was set to start in two hours. Everyone geared up, checking their weapons, vests, and NODs. Jace watched their Silver Squadron counterparts, Quebec Team, it wasn't unusual for squadrons to work together but familiarity with teammates was crucial to competency. Everyone was ready to roll, but as luck would have it there was a complication. Officer Cole was the intelligence officer assigned to the case, she came bearing bad news.

The hostages were due to be moved in three hours, the Venezuelans were going to sell them via the Cartel of the Suns, and their window was just cut in half.

It was already getting dark, but they needed to move quickly, they were forced to pass multiple patrol vehicles on their way to the target. The Silver Squadron team set up overwatch, Echo approached the front gate, disguised as VSP, and the guards opened the gates. Quebec team took out the guards and Echo made their move. They breached the side entrance, clearing their way to the facility center, and came across several guards. Jace took out three guards, Reese took out two, and Ward threw in a crash grenade. He cut the corner only to be forced back by a turret on machine gun fire.

"I don't have a clear shot!" shouted the New Guy.

Jace and Reese got creative, they used Detcord for a loophole breach. Jace took out the gunner and continued to their objective. They located the DEA Agent was being held in a bare brick cell with a 3-inch thick steel door, everyone else looked for CIA Officer Kyle Wells. Reese used a C4 breach to get them in.

"John McHenry?" asked Jace.

Reese tried to confirm PID, but he was too badly beaten to be certain.

"What's you're wife's maiden name?" asked Julian, needing to confirm his identity.

"Roscoe."

"TOC we have Clint Eastwood, still looking for Harrison Ford."

"Echo Team, you have a convoy of enemy combatants 10 mikes out. Abort mission."

Jace swore under his breath. Everyone made their way to the SUV, Quebec Team did the same.

Jace was tending to Agent McHenry, asking him about Officer Wells.

"They moved him about an hour before you arrived," said the DEA Agent. "I think they were going to sell him to Hezbollah or Iran, that is if there's a difference."

"Do you know if he's already on a plane bound for Iran?"

"They said something about holding him at Infierno Congelado. It's a black site we were scoping out, it also serves as barracks for the Cartel of the Suns."

"Security?"

"You'd need a tank to get in there and then some."

Once they got back to the TOC, Jace relayed everything to Rorke, Cole, and Lieutenant Commander Raines, the Quebec Team CO.

"We've lost ISR," said Rorke. "DOD and the rest of the alphabet want us to EXFIL."

"We can't leave without Wells!" said Cole. "We know where he is we just need a plan."

"Grey and Rider are going over the surveillance reports Wells and McHenry wrote up," said Jace. "We don't have the manpower or armaments to take a base like this."

Intel reported that Infierno was roughly the same size as Quantico Marine Base, with nearly a hundred soldiers on site. Roving patrols and snipers on every corner.

"Wells has given fifteen years to the Agency," said Cole. "And eight years in the Army doing Long-range Surveillance in the 82nd Airborne."

"Let me talk to the guys about this."

Jace went over the situation with the other SEALs, they analyzed the layout and went over their inventory. They barely had enough munitions for a firefight, let alone a battle, and the only weak point didn't give them enough time to get in and out. At most, they had ten minutes to find Wells, maybe fifteen. There was no good vantage point for overwatch; the compound was a fortress.

"I'm not ordering anyone to do this," said Jace. "It's got to be everyone's choice."

"I'm in," said Reese.

"I didn't come all this way not to bring an American home," said Alex Drew, Leader of Quebec Team.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

They grabbed what was left of their arsenal and drove off to the site. Once they had their opening they set a perimeter and half the team made it into the warehouse. Inside they encounter six armed combatants, once they managed to force their way through they split into teams. Jace took Clarke and Ward, Drew took his guys.

"TOC to all stations, ISR is going offline in ten mikes, over."

Jace likes this less and less. He, Ward, and Clarke made their way to the rooftop; Jace got the jump on a guard while the other two took out a machine gunner. Reese came on the radio.

"Echo One, we need help at the front. We're surrounded."

Jace and the other two made their way back, he took out three soldiers. He found himself defending the left flank with Miller and Reese. Once his primary was Winchester Julian transitioned to his pistol. Everyone was fighting tooth and claw, Jace tried getting ahold of Quebec Team, but the comms only gave him static.

Just then the building exploded. The blast originated from the center, where ISR located Officer Mills. Some of the Venezuelans peeled off, the remaining soldiers were picked off by Echo Team. Quebec Team came out carrying a limp body, the team corpsman was tending to the seemingly unconscious man.

It was Officer Wells.

They loaded into the SUVs and made their way to the preplanned EXFIL point on time.

"What happened?!" asked Rorke.

"I'm not entirely sure," replied Jace, looking at Drew.

"We couldn't save him," said the other Team Leader.

Everyone watched as Quebec team moved to lay the fallen patriot to rest. The Quebec Team corpsman called the time of death two minutes before they arrived. Officer Cole broke down, sobbing at the loss of her comrade.

This was only the start of the new trouble they faced, an American life was lost in a failed SEAL raid. Axes were going to fall and circumstances didn't matter, they were going to be at the mercy of the higher-ups, military prosecutors, and politicians looking to make waves.