Operation: smoking trap

Recon

Noah's Pov
I looked around the dark forest listening to the crickets fall silent as we moved past, I heard my lance corporal speaking in my headset "Sarge, how much farther do we have to go?" I turned on my red light and checked the map before replying "800 meters" he nodded as I turned off my light. I heard the corporal, Rex,"Sarge, it's almost time" I gave the order "Alright boys, take 3" as I crouched and pulled the radio off my back picking up the handset and speaking "Reaper 4-2, comm check" as the drone operator replied "affirmative Alaska, I hear you loud and clear" I asked "Got any unusual activity at the target?" The operator replied simply "negative sir, all quiet on the X." I spoke once more "We're on target in 10, keep an eye for our IR" the operator replied simple "Affirmative" as I slung the radio over my shoulder and spoke "Let's move, 10 minutes to the target" the team wordlessly stood and started moving again. I nodded proud of my team, they're taking this recon seriously. I heard Archer, the teams sniper, behind me "Think it's gonna be boring sir?"
I looked ahead of me at the far off lights of the village, "I hope so, given how many assets were given to us? I don't believe so" he sighed but wordlessly walked forward. I pulled rear and looked around until we came to the ridge the mission specified would be our observation point, I looked at the team and spoke "well this is it, 6 meters between each foxhole. Check?" The squad gave their confirmation and spread out as I pulled out my shovel and unfolded it before I started digging with Rex. 10 minutes later we were half done when I looked at him and asked "did ya think we'd be digging holes when you went through training?" He looked at me and asked "did you think you'd be in Europe when you joined?" I replied, looking down at the village, "no, I can't say I did" as he replied "exactly, now help me dig this fuckin hole" I chuckled and went back to digging. After 8 minutes our foxholes were done and the entire team was in them, I looked through my binoculars seeing minimal movement besides the occasional guard doing their rounds. I spoke "Rex, hand me the handset for the prc"
I felt the handset in my palm and lifted it to my ear "Oracle, message" he replied "Alaska, send traffic" I spoke softly "target is unaware, send in strike team. I repeat compete surprise is possible, my team is in position to act as QRF" he replied "affirmative, strike team is being mobilized. Handshake is Winter, answer is wrath. Confirm" I replied "Confirmed" as I looked to my left and spoke on the team comms "strike team is mobilizing, stay alert. Memorize the handshake and answer, handshake is winter, answer is wrath" I got replies by all of them before one of the privates asked "it's rainbow right?" I heard judge, one of the lance corporals, "yeah, they're the ones hitting the target" the private asked "they only do 5 man teams don't they?" I replied "check, why do you ask?" He replied sounding amazed "that's totally bad ass Sarge, we're out here with 12 guys and they're attacking with 5." I listened as the team continued to fan girl over team rainbow. Rex asked "how long are you gonna let them go?" I replied "bout another minute, they're still new to working with rainbow. We were just as excited as them the first time we worked with them"
He nodded leaning against the muddy wall of the foxhole before speaking "that was a long time ago, we were different men" I replied simply "maybe, or maybe we're more true to ourselves today then we were then" he chuckled before I spoke out loud "alright enough settle in" the conversations died as fast as they lit while I continued to look around the village with my binos. I spoke once more "pick amongst yourselves who's up for first shift" I saw a couple guards talking amongst themselves, their white masks glistening with the light that shown through the open doorway they stood infront of. I silently wondered why they were just standing around, especially since they knew American SOF owned the night, they haven't gotten their hands on nods yet. I'd think they'd be terrified of the dark yet here they were, just standing around shooting the shit like we did back at base. It was strange to see the similarity between our two opposing sides, the Taliban had learned the hard way to fear what hides in the dark but it seemed the Masks haven't yet learned that lesson, despite being in conflict with the militaries of the free world for 5 years.
      About 45 minutes later I heard the distinctive chopping of an AH-6 little bird as it tore up the valley, I called "everyone get up and ready!" As I rested the heat guard on the edge of the fox hole as I watched the little bird touch down on the edge of the village just for 5 soldiers in very different uniforms to slide off the seats and go running into the village. I watched as they went from house to house quickly clearing and securing the houses before running to the next. I heard Rex "even after all these years it's shocking how fast they are" I nodded before speaking "they've mastered shock and awe" I heard gunfire and then tracers started to stream out through windows as a trio of operators emerged dragging a cuffed man through the streets towards where the little bird had landed before they threw the man over the stone wall and then climbed over as the other two came out and ran down the street as a horde of masks poured out of the north eastern part of the village.
      Oracle spoke "move to assist, we're mobilizing a chinook from the 160th" I pulled the handset up to my ear and replied "affirmative, tell rainbow we'll be there in 4 mikes" as I climbed out of the foxhole and yelled "we're goin in" the team cheered as they climbed out and we started jogging down the hill to help pull our brothers in arms out of this situation. We took off running when we got to the flats that lead to the village pushing through the forest before we came to the edge of the forest I ordered "Rex take 5 and work your way to Rainbow's position, my 5 will set up a line on the western road" he nodded and replied "get some" I lifted my 249 and selected my 5 before running across the open area and pressed my back against the wall before pushing into the house and moving to the roof and setting up our point just as a group of masks thinking they were smart snuck out of the alley infront of me, I stood and aimed. The movement caught the eye of one of the masks.
       He looked up just in time to notice he was too late, my SAW barked to life and mowed down the squad. I heard an increase in gunfire as I looked over seeing what looked like Star Wars, tracers zig zagged through the air, the snap of a round flying past me brought me back to the fight as I leaned to my right and fired a long burst down the street as the marines next to me opened fire on the mask unit coming down the road. I rest the bottom of the heat guard on the wall and gripped the stock of my LMG and squeezed the trigger holding it as my LMG rocked back and forth in place spewing out hot lead dropping the mass of terrorists just for California to yelled "Hell yeah! Get some!" I chuckled before I heard Oracle "Chinook will be on station in 10 mikes" I lifted the hand set "check" I looked to my left and spoke "Marines we are leaving" as I turned and radioed "Rex we're Oscar Mike to you now, chinook is on station to extract in 10" he replied "affirm" as we started down the stairs just for crack of an l85 to be heard followed by the immediate return of m4s as one of the privates started to cry "I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die. Mama" as I pushed up and joined in the trading of fire as the fox started working on him, I saw it was crypt.
      I sighed, he's the newest raider to join the platoon. I looked at the doc and asked "how is he?" She looked at me and spoke "we need to get him to the extraction, he's got a chest wound. It looks like it missed anything vital" I ordered "Spike, grab Crypt. Doc you're on point." As I started down the stairs keeping my LMG ready to go, I crouched when I stepped through the door and aimed down the road firing at any mask that showed their face, just suppressing them so Spike could move safely. I heard Hunter yell to me "Sarge your turn!" As I spun and jogged down the street as his rounds snapped past me, I replaced him and fired as the masks turned the corner. I smirked as I found purpose and 3 masks fell dead, I heard the gunfire from the main group pick up as I turned and caught up with the team before radioing "Rex were coming in from your 11 o'clock, I repeats friendlies at 11 o'clock"
      I took point and turned the corner and jogged across the open area before we opened fire, I looked to my right and yelled "Doc, I need your stim! I got wounded!" Just as our doc, anvil, started her work on crypt again. I saw the familiar Frenchman working his way over to crypt as the masks suddenly stopped attacking, I looked around warily as the chopping of helicopter blades could be heard, I yelled to my team "get ready to go!" as I saw the 5 rounds of my belt hanging in the breeze causing me to open the top of my saw and pull off the box before digging through my box bag and fishing a fresh one out before sliding it into its position and pulling the belt out placing the lead round on the feed plate before closing the dust cover and pulling the priming handle.  The medics leaned over crypt as the powerful engines of the chinook kicked up the loose soil and the rear ramp lowered, they picked him up and started the run across the 50 meters of open ground.
     Just then the masks made their move, launching a massive attack. Luckily most of the operators were familiar with how the masks operate and we were ready, my machine gun roared to life as my friend Zofia's LMG did the same. The combined fire of two 60 guns shredded the masks as I yelled "Get to the fucking chinook! We need to get out of here!" Rex gave the hand signals to the team and they started running for the chinook" rainbow followed them while Zofia and I started backing away still firing, we started to talk barrels to make sure we kept our guns firing all the time. Eventually we got halfway to the chinook when Zofia took a round to the thigh, I slung my 249 and grabbed her plate carrier's straps dragging her to the chinook as I lifted my 1911 and fired into the masks. Luckily Rex noticed what was happening and got a couple marines and rainbow to offer their rifles to the rescue of Zofia. I pulled her up the ramp and laid her down next to doc before running to the cockpit and giving the pilots a thumbs up. I ran back to the ramp and leaned out giving the masks the finger as we flew off, I plopped down and heard Buck, the only rainbow operator I'd kept in touch with over the years, "You look tired my friend" I looked over and replied "this 60 gun is fuckin heavy" he laughed and nodded "plus you have the prc, even more weight" I sighed in relief as I pulled the radio off my back before Buck asked "why don't you apply for team rainbow? You work with us enough" I shrugged "never thought about it" he smiled and said "you should, we could use an operator like you" I silently thought over the proposal.