By Sea and By Air: Operation Prometheus Part II

Operation Prometheus. August 25, 2084. Local Time: 11:30 PM. Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Status: [REDACTED]

We don't get to normally choose our MREs. Overlord seemed to think it was important, though, and he insisted to our superiors that we be allowed to select our own meals for this operation. We got to customize some things that we normally never would have been allowed to customize, all at Overlord's insistence. When we asked him about it in the briefing, Overlord informed us that his reasoning was not our concern. 

"I'll be taking those, boss," Boyd says, as he begins shoveling my dried cranberries into his mouth. I didn't even notice he had taken the packet from me until just now. "So," he continues, still chowing down, "You got an idea for how we're going to 'liberate' that Iranian hunk of junk? The boss man said that you and ol' Habu Three had the plan?" Boyd gestures at myself and Kelly, respectively. "To be perfectly frank, the only thing I'm armed with is with the ELINT and EW kits. I tried to get more info out of Overlord, but he didn't say anything. On the hop in, I tried asking Provost. No dice. I even tried to weasel something out of Cormorant! Nothing. All I know is we're going to be recovering some artifact from this island."

I start mixing the orange drink powder into my water before I answer. "To be honest, I had the same problem with Overlord. The only thing I'm certain on is our exfil plan. The current plan is radio silence, but we're supposed to break that when we contact Cormorant for you to exfil using the encrypted uplink. We-"

"One person to exfil? What about you and Kelly?" Boyd interjects, eyes narrowing. 

"See that hangar down there?" Boyd nods. "That's our exit ticket." 

"What? You don't mean to say-" 

"Yup. We're going to be jetting out with that lousy piece of junk that we're supposed to exfil."

"What does Overlord even want with it?" I rub my eyes, considering the question carefully. What does Overlord want with this thing? It's not some top secret, ultra-innovative technology. A machine from the pre-Balkan days doesn't have much to tell us scientifically. Even Williamsbourg itself isn't really an important adversary anymore. The United Imperium is a global superpower. Williamsbourg exclusively inhabits this island chain. Maybe a decade ago, that country would have been something to worry about. But politically? Williamsbourg is functionally a non-entity as far as international politics goes these days. This thing we're chasing after. What could he possibly want with it?

"X-Rays, one o' clock low," Kelly growls. She adjusts the scope of her sniper, staying absolutely still as an engine revs to life at the base of the hill. "Boyd, if you want to secure that uplink we were talking about, we're going to need to take care of these guys. They're blocking the access road." Boyd peers anxiously through a pair of binoculars, taking a look at the pack down below.

"I'm not optimistic about this, if I'm being honest. That's a lot of heavy machinery, and it doesn't look they'll be leaving anytime soon." Boyd mumbles to us. "What's the timeframe for the disavowement protocol to kick in?" He asks with a grim expression on his face.

"I was told three days from infil." I respond, wondering why Overlord set the disavowement protocol to such a restrictive timeframe. Especially on a mission like this, you would think that we would have much more time. I look at my watch. I've already been on the island for a few hours. Which means the clock is ticking.

"Obviously, we don't have time to wait. Although I don't envy the idea of an open firefight in hostile territory. Especially with that Weapons Tight order hanging over our heads." I think out loud, trying to figure out our next move.

"We could sneak past, if there wasn't so little vegetation next to that road." Kelly shifts the sniper to avoid pointing it at the X-Rays down below.

"Taking the shot." Habu Three pulls the trigger. Down below, the bullet makes a very loud clanging sound as it impacts a metal stop sign with full force. The gaggle of soldiers down below turns to face the stop sign, looking away from the access road. "Like moths to a flame," she grumbles under her breath. I think back to the mission, trying to whip up a plan. If I remember the briefing correctly, the encrypted uplink Boyd needs to get to for communication with Cormorant is about three clicks out from here. Looking down the roads to the uplink, things look pretty quiet. It should stay that way at least until the sun rises, when the island becomes active again. Which isn't to say the island isn't active right now. In fact, despite it being nearly midnight, there's a lot of hustle and bustle going around, a lot more than you'd expect.

Kelly takes another shot, this time impacting in the road in front of the gaggle. 

"You aren't worried about them tracing the shots back to us?" Boyd asks, shifting his feet a little.

"Sentries are like cows. They never look up," Kelly hisses. Speaking from experience, no doubt. Still, I can't help but wonder if this is a little reckless. 

"Man, this is taking forever! I've got a better idea," Boyd says, jamming something into the under-barrel attachment of his rifle. By the time I realize what he's doing, it's too late. He's already fired a grenade at the soldiers down below.