Operation Holiday Cheer - A Spy School Story

Chapter 3: Call for Fire

CIA Academy of Espionage

Washington, DC

The War Zone

December 17th, 2015

1522 hours

Ben POV

Back to the battle. Once I felt that our mortar crew had hit the target enough, I called them over the comm.

"Red 10, Red 2 Actual! Cease fire, cease fire! Delta hotel! We're moving in on the OP now!" I said.

"Copy, Red 2 Actual. Ceasing fire. Let us know if you need help. Good hunting!" a Red 10 member said cheerfully.

I grinned and gave Mike the signal. He rushed forward from the trees with the other two third-years on his tail. They quickly reached a cover point, where they faced off against five Blues who managed to not get hit. I managed to sneak around back, eventually getting behind them. The five were reduced to two thanks to the excellent shots of our second-year marksman and Mike's group. Unfortunately, the last two had excellent cover and a paintball LMG, pinning down Mike's group. I slowly crept up behind them and shot them both. They raised their arms in surrender, indicating a hit, and started to walk out of the fortifications. They saw me and glared at me.

"Darn you, Ripley!" one of them yelled.

I shrugged. "You snooze, you lose. Should've had rear security. Now get out of here."

They gave me one last death glare before walking to the "morgue," which was mostly made up of red-splattered enemies.

"All stations, Red 2 Actual. OP Foxtrot is secured," I said with a smile.

I heard the cheers of my fireteam as they advanced, eventually reaching.

"Nice work, man!" exclaimed Mike, clapping me on the back.

I shook my head. "Nah, bro. You guys did the heavy-lifting. I'm proud of you," I said, giving them high-fives.

The younger students looked ecstatic to be receiving praise while Mike rolled his eyes.

"Same old humble Ben. Credit never goes to you, does it?" he mumbled.

"Only if it's regular credit and extra credit on assignments," I joked.

"Darn right," he chuckled.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life. "This is Red 4 Actual! We're under heavy fire! Request immediate assistance!" a girl shouted. I froze. This was Zoe Zibbell, a fellow fourth-year and the leader of the infantry team that I assigned to go behind enemy lines. They were tasked to go even beyond me and Erica. Thus, they were dubbed the "deep fireteam."

"Copy, Red 4 Actual. This is Red 7, we're en route. What is your location?" said Red 7 Actual.

I quickly overrode Red 7 Actual. "Negative, negative! Red 7, do not deviate from your objective, say again, do not deviate! Maintain your course and eliminate your targets. I'll take care of Red 4," I ordered.

I then made a direct call on the comm. "Red 4 Actual, Red 2 Actual. We can't send shooters, but we can provide mortar fire. You'll need to provide a grid, though," I ordered.

"Copy that! Stand by!" Zoe responded. The rest of my team turned towards me.

"We can't operate the mortars!" they protested.

I held up my hand to stop them. "I can. You guys are on security. Do not let them retake this OP!"

Mike nodded. "You heard the boss! Get into positions!" Everyone took up firing positions in every direction.

"Red 2 Actual, Red 4 Actual! Target is at grid 405683! Danger close! Say again, danger close!" Zoe shouted.

"Copy that, adjusting! Be advised, I will be launching a cluster shell," I responded, positioning the mortar to fire on the target. I then adjusted for the wind and other variables.

"Roger, Red 2 Actual! Send it!"

"Incoming!" I shouted, firing a blue cluster shell. "Shot, over! TOT 5 seconds!" Cluster shells are effectively five smaller mortar shells in one, splitting apart mid-air and raining down on the target, great for taking out masses of infantry.

The shell made contact with the enemy force, turning them all into Smurfs.

Their screams of outrage could be heard faintly over the radio when Zoe called back.

"Red 2 Actual, Red 4 Actual! Shot, out! Good effect on target! Hostiles are eliminated! They were quite surprised with the 'friendly fire,' Ben!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"Glad to be of service, Zo! Happy hunting!" I replied.

At that moment, Erica's voice came over the channel. "All stations, Red 1 Actual. OP Golf is secure!" she said, sounding slightly more cheerful than normal.

I pumped my fist in victory.  Now, it wouldn't take long to eliminate the enemy, as we had captured both of their mortar positions.

Over the next several minutes, our infantry teams pressed their attacks, directing mortar fire provided by me, Erica, and the Red Team mortars.

Eventually, the battlefield grew quiet and the sounds of explosions and gunfire ceased.  A loudspeaker came to life and a rough voice could be heard.

"Attention all students, the AO is cleared of all Blue Team operatives. The Red Team wins! Assemble at the morgue!"

I grinned, turning to face my fireteam.  We exchanged high fives and fist bumps all around.

Except for Mike.  He ran off the hill, apparently looking for someone.

And by someone I mean *cof cof* ZOE *cof cof* .

'When are those two going to figure it out?  It's driving everyone crazy!' I thought exasperatedly.

I rolled my eyes with amusement as he scurried off towards Zoe's assigned position.

'There are only two things he remember to the plan, I'll bet: his part and Zoe's part, so he could go find her,' I mused.

Meanwhile, joyous cheers could be heard across the battlefield from our fellow Red Team members.  And for good reason.

We did it. We won the day.

And the best part: we were getting As on our midterms!

I've been reading the comments, and I'm pleased that y'all like this story so far!  I do hope you enjoy what's to come.

Three side notes: firstly, despite how much I'm going for realism, I'm still going to end up bending some rules either intentionally or unintentionally (especially regarding some terminology and how different CIA officers operate), so beware.

Secondly, look up "Top 10 CIA Myths."  There's a page by the Central Intelligence Agency, and it's a very interesting thing to read (that's actually where some of the realism details come from, as well as by looking through the Careers and Internships section on the CIA website), so check it out!

Lastly, I'm a bit surprised that I haven't gotten any questions on the terminology I'm using for these combat scenes.  Guys, I understand there's a lot of jargon, so don't be afraid to ask me to translate it for you.  I've got time (frankly, we all do), and I'll respond to your questions ASAP.

Otherwise... that's all for now, folks!  Stay safe!

  - ADF-2