Operation: Bright Tablet

RTB

Denver's pov
       I sighed as I stretched the next morning, it wasn't that bad of a night since Dokkaebi was curled up next to me allowing me to get some warmth from her body heat. Hunter kicked my boot "Get your girlfriend up and moving, there's been an increase of activity at the compound. We got the evidence we're looking for" I gently shook Dokkaebi awake and said "Grab your gear, we're oscar mike in 4" she yawned as I lifted my binos and looked at the base. I saw a group of 20 leaving the compound and heading our way as I called it out "20 hostiles oscar mike to us, we need to get out of here" the team looked at Dokkaebi in question about her orders as she said "we move quickly, I don't want to get into a gunfight" we grabbed our gear and I heard Dokkaebi "Ash you're on point" as we formed a stack and I said to Hunter "hey call in we're moving to extraction and we have potential threats. It's an hour to the LZ so they can get assets here" she nodded and pulled out her radio as I said to Dokkaebi who walked to my immediate right "I'll pull rear guard, get everyone on strings when we reach the LZ"
      She looked at me and asked "we're not getting extracted by helicopters are we?" I replied "briefing stated we'd be like extracted by STARS" Dokkaebi asked as she looked up "what the hell? How is the stars going to extract us? They're not even out" I replied chuckling "no no, you don't understand. STARS stands for Surface To Air Recovery System. You take a weather balloon put it way up in the air and a C-130 flies by, catches the balloon and pulls you up into the 130z we haven't used em in the US military since shit, I think 96? 97 maybe? Long story short it's been a while but the gear was pulled out of storage for us." She nodded slowly as Ash said "wait really? That's how we're getting extracted?" I asked "Did none of you listen to the brief?" As Hunter replied "I don't think any of them knew about STARS and didn't bother asking" I sighed before I said "I'm going to set up mines and trip wires, I'll meet you at the LZ" as I turned and walked back the way we had just came from.
I crouched next to a tree and began planting AP mines before setting up a claymore and setting a detonation trip wire from the claymore. I carefully backed out of my self made mine field before I turned and grabbed my Car 15 by the front of the magazine well as I ran to catch up with the rest of the team, I'm a formidable operator but 1 on 20 are odds I'm not comfortable betting against. I heard Zofia on the net "we're on the X, C-130 is passing overhead in 3 minutes" I replied "I'm 2 minutes out" as I heard the explosion of the search party finding my minefield. I smiled to myself as I ran, my breathing was heavy and labored as the heat of the day caused my body temperature to soar. I tripped over an exposed tree root jamming the priming handle into my hand through the palm of my knit glove and into my palm, I hissed in pain as the blood started to work its way out of my hand and I pushed back to my feet.
I ran to the open field and saw the rest of the team already hooked onto the line as Dokkaebi yelled "45 seconds!" I felt my eyes widen at the idea of being alone in enemy territory while injured and not carrying much in terms of gear. I reached them and got handed a clip from ash as I quickly clipped it to the special harnesses we were wearing, I heard the C-130 and then Dokkaebi "you're hurt" I replied trying to keep my voice monotone as the waves of pain hit me "I'm good, it's just a flesh wound." Hunter said "you're a shit liar" as we looked up at our weather balloon and I saw the C-130 about to grab the balloon. Just then Zofia yelled "Contact! tree line to our 12 o'clock!" I lifted my car as Zofia's machine gun broke out with a bark. The flashes of gunfire drew my fire as I hissed with the rocking of my car-15 from recoil. I heard the rope getting pulled from the pile as I flipped my mag and we returned fire just for the scream of terror from ash as she was jolted into the air.
I saw Zofia stop firing as she got ripped into the air followed by hunter and then I looked at Dokkaebi as she said "I'm having second tho-AHHHHHHHH" and disappear from my view. I fired some more before I got pulled into the air, my feet hung out I behind me as I flew away and I fired the last 13 rounds at the enemy as we rapidly left the area. Eventually we got pulled to the rear ramp of the 130 and then inside, I sat down and pulled my medical kit from my plate carrier doing very crude field fixes to my hand as Grace sat next to me "How's your hand?" I saw the rear ramp close and then the cargo hold repressurized. I replied "Stings real bad but I'll be fine" Hunter commented "you should have Doc take a look at it, I'm sure it's a quick fix" Eliza and Zofia talked on the other side of the cargo hold before I replied to hunter "I'll think about it" as Grace said "no, as your mission leader I'm ordering you to go have doc look at your hand" I cocked an eyebrow at her and she seemed to deflate, her confidence leaving with each second I looked at her.
I sighed and replied "fine" as Eliza said "someone's got a new weakness" I looked at her in inquiry as she went back to talking to talking to Zofia. I heard Hunter ask "so what happened? How'd you get hurt?" I replied simply "tripped over a tree root and sent the charging handle into my hand. Hurt like a bitch" she nodded and said "do I have to have Gates teach you about not falling over?" I chuckled my response as Grace said "that was terrifying, I didn't think it would be so sudden" I replied "your scream gave your feeling away, it was kinda entertaining" she punched my shoulder and said "not nice" I just laughed before my palm hit my knee and the pain hit causing me to hiss. When we reached the base and got off the C-130 I walked down to the medical wing and found Doc, I asked "Hey Gus, got a minute?" He looked up at me and said "of course Denver, I'm not as busy as the others like to make me out to be."
I walked forward and said "Well I got injured on the last mission and Grace was very strongly under the persuasion I should have you take a look at it." He stood and said "Alright, let me see it. You know she cares about you" I sighed as the topic was brought up again but unwrapped my hand and heard Gustave "oh wow, that's a pretty nasty gash. Alright sit down I'm gonna stitch you up and you're going to tell me how you managed this" I sat down and winced as he injected around my wound with anesthetics and I said "I was doing rear guard while we extracted and I had 3 minutes to cover 200 meters so I was running and I tripped over a tree root and my rifle ended up on my hand and I ended up on my rifle punching my rifle through my hand." Gustave looked at me in a mix of questioning and disappointment before saying "so you gave Grace a heart attack because you were clumsy?" I asked "who said anything about a heart attack?" He mumbled "merde, tu ne sais pas qu'elle t'aime" as I stared at him in a blank stare.
I said "Gus, I don't speak French" he replied knowingly "I'm aware" as he pulled out his sutures and and began the process of closing the hole I had put in my hand. When he had finished closing my wound he put a thin layer of ointment before wrapping my hand in a fresh bandage, he looked at me and said very pointedly "Now no more putting holes in your body, you'll give that poor girl an early grave." I gave him a weird look before replying "I'll try not to?" Before heading to the door. I walked around for a while before oxide found me, he came running "Boss!" I sighed and turned expecting more gossip as he said "Jäger and Stryker are fighting, I tried to stop them" my eyes widened before I said "bring me to them" as Oxide spun and took off. I followed closely as we ran through the base until I saw the two squaring up in the middle of a large circle of operators. I walked through the crowd as they parted around me clearly unnerved at my arrival, they charged each other as I made my presence known by firing a flare between the two, causing them to skid to a halt.
I saw Stryker became ghostly pale as he noticed my anger in my eyes as Jäger straightened and I asked with a deadly calmness "what in the fuck do you two retards think you're doing?" Stryker didn't offer a reply as Jäger started "well you see-" I cut him off "I didn't ask what the fuck happened, I asked WHAT THE FUCK YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" His confidence evaporated at the sudden outburst as I started pacing "I leave for a mission for one singular night, a SINGLE NIGHT, and my proud and squared away division becomes a bunch of animals. Basco, Raider step forward." I spun and saw the two nervously step out of the crowd as I said "It has been made clear to me, that you are not capable of keeping this unit under control. Hunter and Oxide will be taking over as my second and third in command." They looked disheartened at the fact they were losing their positions before I spun and yelled "My division, form up!" I saw Stryker step forward to go to his position in the formation as I hissed "Not. You." He stopped in his tracks as I yelled "now, since Stryker decided to make an ass of himself and do the dumbest thing possible which is to lower my expectations of this division. He will lead you on your laps around the base, and HE WILL NOT STOP UNTIL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU ARE ON THE GROUND FROM EXHAUSTION!"
He started "sir, ple-" I looked at him and said "not another word, you will run until all 40 of them are on the ground. Go, get out of my sight" I watched as he started jogging and I yelled "I DIDN'T SAY JOG! RUN YOU MOTHER FUCKER, RUN!" The moment the last of my division turned the corner I spun on Marius who stood nervously as I walked forward and said "watch where you step, if I find out you start problems with my men one more time. I will start building walls tonight and won't stop for 10 years and I promise you there still wouldn't be enough TO FUCKING PUT YOU THROUGH!" He stepped back as I heard Harry behind me "I heard what happened, Grace told me." I turned and said "it's been handled, hasn't it Marius?" He nodded unnerved at my willingness to smoke anyone involved in a fight as I said "get the fuck out of my sight" and he took off.
Harry was going to ask something as Grace blurted "where's everyone else that was here?" I replied "you mean my division?" She nodded as I replied "Well Stryker was the one fighting so they're all running. Stryker just has to run until the rest drop" Harry said "well it seems you've got everything handled" I nodded as I said "if you'd excuse me, I'd like to go make sure my division isn't slacking." Harry said "we'll come with you" I heard Grace "you don't think they'd really slack do you?" I replied "no, but I also didn't think they'd be fighting like teenagers. Basco and Raider got removed as my second and third in command and Oxide and Hunter took the mantle." She sounded surprised "wow, that's brutal" as Harry asked "any reason you promoted those two?" I replied "Oxide has been proving himself and Hunter has always kept herself to a high standard" as we arrived outside at the height of Noon and I saw my division doing a full sprint, I smirked and muttered "hopefully they stop doing all this retarded shit and start acting like soldiers again." I heard Gates "I see you got to them before me" I replied simply "I handled it" she stood next to Grace "I can see that much, I assume Raider and Basco have been relieved" I nodded and said "Hunter is my new second, oxide my third" she replied "I'll have Oracle fix the paperwork" I nodded and heard Harry and Gates say "alright, I'm leaving this to you" as Grace and I stood in the shade watching them run.