(no subject)
They kept on coming.
No matter how many they killed, no matter how much ammunition they shot off, they just kept on coming.
“Watch the left!” Mother shouted as Voodoo fired off a burst, leaning into the machine gun to counter the recoil. A rocket flew by, the smoke watering Voodoo’s eyes.
“RPG, left low!” Rabbit shouted.
“Fuuuck, don’t they ever run out of those things?” Voodoo fired off another burst, and the fighter tumbled downhill, his midsection riddled with bullets.
“Jimmy, Mother. These guys just keep on coming. We could use some intel.”
“RPG, right!” Preacher shouted.
Voodoo grit his teeth as he fired off a burst. “Asshole!”
“Mother, Jimmy. Predator’s moving into your grid now. Don’t have a solid picture yet, but it looks like forty-plus foot-mobiles headed your way.”
“Jimmy, Mother. What about close air?”
“Fast-movers will be on station in one-five mikes, Mother. They’re tied up in the valley right now. Prowler One is at Texaco and can get you out of there in five mikes if need be.”
“Copy, Jimmy. Send them over. We have a possible LZ 500 meters southeast of our location. We’re gonna move downhill after I pop smoke! Rabbit, Voodoo, covering fire!”
The helicopter hovered over the clearing, rotors kicking up dust and debris all around. “Neptune One, we’re in position at the LZ. Getting a lot of unstable air here, double-time it!”
“Roger, Prowler One, hold at the LZ, we’re on the way! Smoke out!” The grenade ignited with a dull pop, and white smoke wafted out, obscuring the valley beyond. The team sprinted for the chopper, Voodoo at the rear, Mother at the front. The helicopter shuddered as a gust of wind rocked it close to the valley’s slopes.
“Dammit, Neptune, we have updrafts driving us into the slope! This isn’t gonna be pretty!”
“Roger, Prowler One. Look for a secondary LZ, we can move.”
“Roger, Neptune.” The helicopter lifted and banked away from the slopes. “South of that village looks clear. Neptune One, standby.” The helicopter banked and disappeared over the slopes.
“What’s the deal, Mother?” Preacher asked.
“Primary’s a no-go, moving to secondary LZ! Move!”
They’d been holding out at the ruins for just minutes when a new voice came on the net.
“Neptune One, this is Noble Three-Five. Bagram says you have targets for airstrikes. Confirm.”
Voodoo ducked behind a wall to reload, tossing away the empty ammo box as bullets flew overhead. “Roger, Noble Three-Five. We need CAS in grid niner-Delta-Hotel-Golf-two-zero-five-eight-eight-niner. Be advised, friendlies are inside danger close. Target is marked with SOFLAM.”
“Copy, Neptune One, Noble Three-Five tallies your laser. Bombs away. Time on target five seconds.”
The hut in the distance was a pile of smoking rubble.
“Sucks to be you,” Voodoo muttered, scanning the debris for movement. “Targets?”
“I’m clear!” Preacher yelled.
A flash and a pop came from the rubble, and a rocket slammed into the ruins. “RPG!”
“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’.”
“Noble Three-Five, we need another pass. Charlie mike on same position!”
“Roger Neptune One. We have on JDAM ready to go, but you are too close to target.”
“Roger, Noble Three-Five. We won’t be. You’re cleared hot!”
They say you never hear the one that gets you.
Voodoo would’ve been deaf not to. The JDAM split the ground with an earth-shattering tremor, one so fast and merciless that his mind could barely process what happened before he hit the ground. What little it could process was interrupted as suddenly as it begun by an intense, searing pain in his left shoulder, the kind that made you want to curl up into a ball and scream for all your lungs were worth.
“AAGH! Fuck!”
That’d have to suffice.
“Voodoo, you okay?” Preacher asked.
Voodoo wanted to snap at that so bad, to give one of the usual smartass comments he handed out like candy, but all he could do was grunt and try to ride the pain out. “I’m okay, I…I fucking dislocated my shoulder.”
Mother was on him in an instant, picking up his M60 and handing it to Rabbit. “Three to five round bursts, Rabbit. Stay back a little.” He turned to Voodoo. “Can your candy ass carry Rabbit’s M4?”
Was that a challenge?
“Really?” Voodoo got to his feet and took the offered carbine with his good hand, flipping the safety to automatic with his thumb.
“That’s a yes. Let’s move!”
“Prowler One, we need a geo reference for the LZ!”
“LZ is a small hut, below road, near destroyed vehicles west of the village. Better beat feet, Mother, this wind’s no fucking good.”
“Roger, Prowler, we’ll be there. Last man!”
No matter how many they killed, no matter how much ammunition they shot off, they just kept on coming.
“Watch the left!” Mother shouted as Voodoo fired off a burst, leaning into the machine gun to counter the recoil. A rocket flew by, the smoke watering Voodoo’s eyes.
“RPG, left low!” Rabbit shouted.
“Fuuuck, don’t they ever run out of those things?” Voodoo fired off another burst, and the fighter tumbled downhill, his midsection riddled with bullets.
“Jimmy, Mother. These guys just keep on coming. We could use some intel.”
“RPG, right!” Preacher shouted.
Voodoo grit his teeth as he fired off a burst. “Asshole!”
“Mother, Jimmy. Predator’s moving into your grid now. Don’t have a solid picture yet, but it looks like forty-plus foot-mobiles headed your way.”
“Jimmy, Mother. What about close air?”
“Fast-movers will be on station in one-five mikes, Mother. They’re tied up in the valley right now. Prowler One is at Texaco and can get you out of there in five mikes if need be.”
“Copy, Jimmy. Send them over. We have a possible LZ 500 meters southeast of our location. We’re gonna move downhill after I pop smoke! Rabbit, Voodoo, covering fire!”
The helicopter hovered over the clearing, rotors kicking up dust and debris all around. “Neptune One, we’re in position at the LZ. Getting a lot of unstable air here, double-time it!”
“Roger, Prowler One, hold at the LZ, we’re on the way! Smoke out!” The grenade ignited with a dull pop, and white smoke wafted out, obscuring the valley beyond. The team sprinted for the chopper, Voodoo at the rear, Mother at the front. The helicopter shuddered as a gust of wind rocked it close to the valley’s slopes.
“Dammit, Neptune, we have updrafts driving us into the slope! This isn’t gonna be pretty!”
“Roger, Prowler One. Look for a secondary LZ, we can move.”
“Roger, Neptune.” The helicopter lifted and banked away from the slopes. “South of that village looks clear. Neptune One, standby.” The helicopter banked and disappeared over the slopes.
“What’s the deal, Mother?” Preacher asked.
“Primary’s a no-go, moving to secondary LZ! Move!”
They’d been holding out at the ruins for just minutes when a new voice came on the net.
“Neptune One, this is Noble Three-Five. Bagram says you have targets for airstrikes. Confirm.”
Voodoo ducked behind a wall to reload, tossing away the empty ammo box as bullets flew overhead. “Roger, Noble Three-Five. We need CAS in grid niner-Delta-Hotel-Golf-two-zero-five-eight-eight-niner. Be advised, friendlies are inside danger close. Target is marked with SOFLAM.”
“Copy, Neptune One, Noble Three-Five tallies your laser. Bombs away. Time on target five seconds.”
The hut in the distance was a pile of smoking rubble.
“Sucks to be you,” Voodoo muttered, scanning the debris for movement. “Targets?”
“I’m clear!” Preacher yelled.
A flash and a pop came from the rubble, and a rocket slammed into the ruins. “RPG!”
“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’.”
“Noble Three-Five, we need another pass. Charlie mike on same position!”
“Roger Neptune One. We have on JDAM ready to go, but you are too close to target.”
“Roger, Noble Three-Five. We won’t be. You’re cleared hot!”
They say you never hear the one that gets you.
Voodoo would’ve been deaf not to. The JDAM split the ground with an earth-shattering tremor, one so fast and merciless that his mind could barely process what happened before he hit the ground. What little it could process was interrupted as suddenly as it begun by an intense, searing pain in his left shoulder, the kind that made you want to curl up into a ball and scream for all your lungs were worth.
“AAGH! Fuck!”
That’d have to suffice.
“Voodoo, you okay?” Preacher asked.
Voodoo wanted to snap at that so bad, to give one of the usual smartass comments he handed out like candy, but all he could do was grunt and try to ride the pain out. “I’m okay, I…I fucking dislocated my shoulder.”
Mother was on him in an instant, picking up his M60 and handing it to Rabbit. “Three to five round bursts, Rabbit. Stay back a little.” He turned to Voodoo. “Can your candy ass carry Rabbit’s M4?”
Was that a challenge?
“Really?” Voodoo got to his feet and took the offered carbine with his good hand, flipping the safety to automatic with his thumb.
“That’s a yes. Let’s move!”
“Prowler One, we need a geo reference for the LZ!”
“LZ is a small hut, below road, near destroyed vehicles west of the village. Better beat feet, Mother, this wind’s no fucking good.”
“Roger, Prowler, we’ll be there. Last man!”