Team Rainbow: The Unmasking
"Six"
Task Force Rainbow HQ
November 12, 2017
1039 Hours
”Tragic news from Cambridge, Massachusetts, as word of a massive terror attack has been reported at Bartlett University, a prominent university of roughly a thousand. Masked gunmen have been reported to have stormed the college and a suspected chemical agent has been released into the air. Local police have been sent in to try and combat the perpetrators, but so far they have been unable to stop the massacre. The exactly number of killed and wounded are unknown, but the casualties are estimated to be in the hundr-”
Six let an exasperated sigh escape her chest as she clicked the power button on television remote control and then tossing it down on her desk, scattering the paperwork that was in front of her. While putting them back in order would be a pain in the ass, the current events were much more of an issue. She glanced at the phone in front of her, recalling the conversation with the President she had just had. He was furious at her, at rightfully so.
The attack on Bartlett University had taken the entire world by surprise. It was clear already that whoever was behind this had been well prepared as they were able to inflict a massive amount of death and destruction within a matter of minutes. Even worse, they had been able to dig in well enough to successfully drive back any attempts by local police forces to stop the massacre. Seeing as only a handful of students and staff had been able to escape away from the attacks, it was expected that the death toll was going to be enormous as the sound of gunfire continued to sporadically be heard within the yellow mist created by the chemical agent released by the terrorists.
While nobody had yet to claim responsibility for the attack, all the signs pointed towards the White Masks, the culprits behind the event known as The Attack that had taken place not even three months prior to today. The now notorious group had managed to stay underground since August even with the entire world combing the world for their location. And now they once again appeared from the shadows to strike fear in the heart of the world.
For Six, the fact that they had been unable to even find the bastards before this infuriated her. The whole point of Rainbow was to stop these events from happening, and they had failed to do just that. Now all they could do was scramble what personnel they had available from Fort Bragg to the university in hopes that they could rescue what civilians remained as well as kill all of the sons of bitches that were responsible for the attack. This would be the first operation for the newly assembled task force, and the whole world would be watching them. If things went south, she doubted the task force would live to see another day.
Six glanced down at the papers scattered in front of her, staring at the faces of the operatives whom she had personally collected from across the world. They were the best of the best, and she knew that if anyone could stop this massacre in its tracks, it would be the men and women of Task Force Rainbow. All she could do now was compose herself and support the operators as much as she could.
Allowing one last sigh to escape her mouth, Six made her way out of her office and towards the operations center known affectionately as "The Dungeon" by those who did the less glamourous yet still essential work that was required to run a task force like Rainbow. Filled with just as talented men and women as the combat force, they made sure that the people with boots on the ground had all the information and support that they would need.
Her presence was barely acknowledged by the staff as they furiously worked away at whatever task they were in charge of. This ranged from communications with existing law enforcement agencies to securing security footage from cameras across the entire city. Six had to admit that it was impressive how much work that could be done when they had practically no rules or barriers to go around, but even still she was frustrated as she stared at the wall of screens that were displaying a barrage of information.
"What's our ETA on the objective?"
Not even bothering to turn her attention away from her monitor screen, a staff member answered her, a slight English accent present in her words.
"Three minutes, Ma'am."
Six crossed her arms as she stared at one screen that showed two Blackhawk helicopters racing above the city streets below. The skies above the University had been made into a no-fly zone, as requested by Rainbow, with a squadron of F-18s making it a clear shot for the teams being sent in. It was unclear whether or not the hostiles had any anti-aircraft weaponry, so the helicopter pilots were instructed to stay as low to the ground as they could. A difficult task, but nothing that their pilots couldn't do. After what seemed like an eternity, the video feed showed the helicopters descending down to their targets. In The Dungeon, everyone held their breath, their jobs effectively done and the responsibility switched over to the men and women roping down.
Six watched this all unfold in front of her eyes. Like everyone in the room, she had done all she could, and now all she could do was watch and wait. Sitting down in her seat, she kept her eyes glued to the screen, specifically staring at the figures of the Rainbow operatives as they disappeared into the thick yellow chemical cloud, three words escaping her mouth as she did.
"Kill the bastards."
Olavi Jokinen / "Ukko"
Bartlett University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
November 12, 2017
1047 Hours
As his Blackhawk raced above its streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Olavi couldn't help but worry about his dangling feet grazing the rooftops of the buildings below. Their pilot hadn't lied when he told his passengers that things were going to get dicey as he completely pushed aside any safety protocols that any normal pilot wouldn't dare disobey. To add to the discomfort, he could already feel the sweat beginning to pool up under the various layers of his NBC suit as well as within his gas mask. Sure, he had trained in these things before, but this had been the first time he'd been forced to use one in the field. He hoped he'd never have to do it again, but given the nature of their enemy, his wishes would likely go unheard.
"One Mike!"
The sound of their pilot crackled over the radio, informing the occupants to get the ropes ready. Olavi once again glanced downwards, this time the sight of a courtyard meeting him. Now that the thick chemical mist had temporarily blown away by the helicopter rotors, the results of the attack were revealed as dozens of bodies were strewn about across the campus lawn. Olavi could only imagine how terrified these poor kids must have been when the bullets started flying and the chemical agent started filling their lungs. The sight made his blood boil, and even if the Director hadn’t given the order, he was determined to kill every last one of these bastards.
And it looked like it was time to do just that, as the co-pilot gave Olavi a thumbs up indicating that they were clear to rappel. Olavi sprung into action as went through the pre-rappelling checklist to ensure everything was in order. Once he was confident they were, the ropes were tossed outside and after he made sure the path was clear, he gave the go signal to the first ones in line to jump. He waited until the last of his team had touched the ground before turning around to give the co-pilot one last thumbs up, indicating everyone else was clear and he was about to go. nature of their enemy, he was unsure whether or not his wish would come true.
Several seconds later, he joined the rest of Alpha as they took up positions around the courtyard. The mood was tense, as their targets would know they were coming and were likely dug in deep. Alpha was going to have to hit hard and hit fast if they wanted to come out of this alive, and Olavi planned on doing just that.
“Alpha, move up on the building and prepare to breach.”
Heeding his order, the six other members of Alpha moved on a variety of entry points on the southwestern corner of the building. The sounds of breaching charges being laid out filled the otherwise silent air, adding to the tenseness of situation. Olavi set up his own personal device, the Ukkonen, on the window frame in front of him, nodding to the Alpha member who was stacked up on the other side. The team leader glanced around him and saw that the others were prepared to go. He took a deep breath, the filtered air filling his lungs. Across the street, Olavi could hear sporadic gunfire occurring, likely Bravo engaging the hostiles inside the dormitories. It was time to move.
Olavi raised his right hand and extended three fingers, the breaching control device grasped tightly with the other two. Slowly he raised down the first finger, then the second, and finally on the last finger the breaching charges were detonated.
Alpha Team was now in action.
