THIRTY-TWO DAYS AND THIRTEEN HOURS BEFORE THE OPRESSED ARE LIBERATED!
BLOOD AND HONOR FOR THE ARCHANGLES!
Hidden away in the back of a worn-down hangar, a message was inscribed on a dirty whiteboard with a single, now worn-out marker. Beside the message was a drawn, heavily modified image of the U.S airborne patch. Instead of the more simplistic design, the knife was being hugged by a sharply drawn phoenix that had flames emanating from its body.
Attempting to keep his eyes open, gaze met the invigorating sentence. Based on the briefing he had been given the previous night, there would be only one month and three days before the United States would officially move into Pakistan to help secure and stabilize the country.
Now awakening himself, the warmth in his arms became apparent as it had been folded over his chest in order to keep his body warmth in the early morning chill.
Scanning over the message, Randall turned his attention to the group of men that had gathered nearby. The leader of the group spoke joyfully, his blood red eyes and jet-black hair stood out in the crowd. As he spoke, his relatively calm and exited expression calmed those around him as they retold several stories of war.
As Randall let out a curt yawn, the sounds of boots echoed throughout the hangar and the creaking of machinery of several aircraft roared momentarily. The cheers of his fellow Americans slowly faded as three men, Lieutenant General Hoover and two other officers hastily walked over to the now thirty-man group that had assembled in the hangar.
It had only been a week since he had the three-way discussion with both PFC Green and Corporal Ramirez, yet now it felt like the monotonous days of filing reports or preforming "pointless" duties had seemingly vanished within the span of that week. They hadn't been on the "front lines" in Africa or Southeast Asia, rather the men had grown rather bored of their time in India, yet despite this, there was a growing importance to them being in the region as terrorist attacks in Pakistan had been reaching devastating levels.
Due to this uptick in activity within the country, the United States Air Force (USAF) had been cooperating with Pakistani ground forces as they attempted to weasel out both safe houses and bunkers throughout the country. Many of these places had been created by the Taliban and Al-Qaeda during the early 21st century.
Different special operation forces had been operating within local resistance groups to assist Pakistani forces, yet the entire US Army and Marine Corps were needed to fully drive out local threats. It was almost like the initial invasion of Afghanistan, and that is what worried Randall to a certain degree.
Snapping out of his thoughts, a thick and tired voice spouted from Lieutenant General Hoover's voice as he walked swiftly to the head of the group, his rugged military boots slammed onto the floor as he found his place.
"Alright settle down! I said settle down!"
Springing from the wall he was resting on, Randall calmly walked over to a small crate. There members of his squadron and another Ranger squadron listen quietly as Hoover continued.
"You have all been instrumental in this buildup to secure Pakistan, but as O-Five Hundred it seems the ceasefire between Taliban forces in Afghanistan has been broken. Earlier, radar in Iran had picked up several unknowns approaching the Pakistani border, and as of O-Seven Hundred, we have lost contact with the site."
"Fuck me, Afghanistan is basically declaring war?" Lieutenant Patterson poised the question to Captain Thompson who could only give an unassured shrug in response.
As Hoover continued to explain and divulge into several armed conflicts in the area. Adjacent from the Rangers were sixteen members of Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. This fact would soon be revealed as Hoover moved into speaking about the formation of a task force to operate in Pakistan for the following mission the United States had planned.
Many of the Rangers remained silent at the revelation, but the younger members, more notably PFC Green and Simon, tried their hardest not to act like complete fools in the middle of the briefing.
"-Leading the organization, more specifically the branch within the middle east, is a man that goes by the name Brutus."
Activating a projector there was an awkward pause where the men looked amongst each other as the device turned on. Once activated the projector displayed an image of an older looking man. With pale skin, brown eyes, and grey-white hair, Lieutenant General Hoover tapped the image with his hand as he continued speaking.
"I'm sure that most are you are familiar with what happened in Los Angeles but let me remind you that the guy the FBI captured there was coordinating with this cell. Though it still is puzzling why he decided to cooperate with Mr. Brutus here rather than their South America branch."
Opening a small manila folder, Hoover took out a sheet of paper and held it forward making the contents visible to the men sitting before him.
"You men have a presidential order. A kill-capture order from JSOC more specifically. Along with a support division from the Army you all will form into a task force that is going by "Spare". The mission for this newly formed group is to: Assist Marine elements in securing major cities within Pakistan, and the kill or capture of the head of the branch, Brutus."
"Spare?" Randall questioned as he pressed arms against his back.
"Kind of a weird name for a task force, right?" Lieutenant Patterson chirped quietly as he maneuvered his way in-between Green and Simon. "It's like he is saying we're not the first ones in, but with all the others here, I'm starting to question the name myself."
"Probably some false flag for us. Make us think we already have troops on the ground, which if I'm being honest we probably do to some degree." PFC Simon said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "If we consider that CIA is in Pakistan, who's to say that the 3rd Group isn't already there?"
"Hey, quiet down!"
The Rangers fell silent at Captain Thompson's hushed shout.
Thompson nodded at the aged Lieutenant General who momentarily stopped to overlook the next part of the briefing. Hoover gave a slight nod of respect to the captain as he continued the section he had arrived at. From basic insertions, to force deployments being made by the Marine Corps, Hoover listed out the objectives that the newly formed task force would achieve within a two-year time span.
Randall once again found a position of comfort as he leaned against a small crate that spotted not a few minutes earlier. He kept watch on the officers as they all dispatched different assignments to the men present, and as the crowd began to thin, oddly enough, his squadron and another from Delta had remained within the hangar.
The reason for this was soon presented. Along with the Delta squadron, totaling sixteen members, he and the other Rangers were to act as the primary members for any strike mission. A cold eeriness rested upon Randall as he focused on processing the information that was crammed into his head. The officers were long gone, and all there was to do was to return to normal duties until called for something more important.
"Sergeant Randall, correct?"
"Uh-yes."
An Asian man with a rough patch of hair on his chin approached the Sergeant with a bright look on his face. Once a foot away, the man stepped forward and raised his hand offering a handshake.
"Name's Eric Briner."
"Mike Randall."
With a nervous disposition due to being suddenly snapped out of his reverie, Randall gave the man a handshake, and Briner let out a hearty laugh as he patted the sergeant on the back. Randall became concerned as he eyed the rank on the man's chest, Chief Warrant Officer Three.
"You guys were lucky you got out of Africa on time. I don't think my team would've made it to save your Ranger asses a second time."
Randall's concern about why this man approached him and the others was confirmed. It seemed that Eric had a connection to them, more so that his team were supposed to provide support on one of their many missions in Africa.
Attempting to recall a time where he and the others were desperate for support during a mission, Randall let out a quiet frustrated groan. Eric took note of this and let his grip go letting Randall stand up straight.
"It was during the mission to secure that backwater town. The rebels ambushed your convoy, and from what I heard only to vics made it out."
"That mission huh?"
A downcast look overtook the Rangers. Eric gazed into the brown eyes of Randall, and he let out a curt sigh as he lifted his hand and waved.
"Anyways I have some duties to attend to, so maybe I'll see you all during joint training?"
"Yeah see you then."
Publicly Available Information: Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta:
Known by many names such as: Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), "The Unit", or Task Force Green, the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta, is the United States Army's premier counterterrorism and direct-action unit.
Known to conduct direct action, hostage rescue, and special reconnaissance missions, Delta Force has grown to infamy in their highly classified and secretive missions.
To this day Delta Force does not officially exist.