V: Spec-Ops

    "One year on the force and you are already putting him in Spec-Ops?" Reaver asked.
    Carver was busy typing on his computer, finalizing some paperwork.  "You are correct.  Command has already approved the measure, considering how well Midnight has performed on his combat duties.  Plus, he has already gone through the proper courses and training drills to handle the stresses of our special forces.  All that is left to do is take care of this and he will be all set to go on his first operation this evening."
    "And you already got a mission for him; such foresight.  Might I ask what the mission is?"
    "Pretty standard fare, but it should be a good test.  Reconnaissance has recently located another weapons cache that should be taken out to further reduce Red Eye's financial strengths.  Midnight will be transported to the combat zone late this evening.  Once he plants the charges inside, he'll leave to predetermined point and extract."
    "A typical mission for our soldiers.  Where is the cache located this time?"
    "In an abandoned lumber yard, thirty-four miles southeast of Xer; conveniently outside of the city limits and away from any major roads or highways."
    "Now that is something new."
    "Indeed, but Red Eye has gotten clever in the last few months."
    "True."
    "Also, you will be the one transporting him."
    "Me, sir?"
    "Yes, I want you to make sure it is done by the books.  Plus, it has been a while since you were last out on the field and I want my protégé to remember how it is like, even if he is just a driver this time around."
    "Aye, sir."
    "Good, now leave me be.  I need to finish this before it is too late," Carver ordered as he resumed typing.
    Reaver nodded and then departed from the office to prepare for the upcoming assignment.

-

    "How are you feeling Midnight?"
    "No complaints Lieutenant.  I am just ready to do my job."
    "That is the kind of attitude I like to see Sergeant.  Now, you better hang on."
    Reaver turned sharply, making the humvee roll on two wheels as he drove it off the main road and onto a narrow road.  Midnight gripped the interior siding of the door as Reaver grinned to himself for his maneuver.  The humvee quickly returned to having all four wheels on the ground as it drove straight again.
    "How was that?  I picked it up from a former squadmate I had a couple years ago."
    "A bit crazy, don't you think?"
    "You are one to talk Midnight.  A fox such as yourself is the result of a crazed experiment after all."
    "Maybe, but I wouldn't go about risking equipment and lives just for a cheap thrill."
    Reaver shrugged at Midnight's remark and resumed focusing on the road after his little escapade.  They soon passed by a sign that said Ivan's Lumber Farm.  The sign itself was decrepit in condition, barely legible anymore.  Pieces of rotten wood sat on the ground below, becoming compost.  The two passed by a few more similar signs, showing different little pictures that were used to attract customers to the former business.  However, the condition they were in was just as bad.
    Midnight put his right hand to his chin, thinking about what the place used to be before the business was closed down.  Facts that he researched about the lumber yard rushed into his head during the quiet trip down the road.
    Ivan was very successful with this business, often producing the greatest profit from any lumber distributor in the entire region.  Course, despite just selling wood in various shapes and sizes, he also took the time to create wooden sculptures as a hobby.  It didn't take long for that hobby to become his greatest source of income at the business.
    Unfortunately, sixteen years ago, Ivan was killed in a tragic accident while cutting wood with his machinery.  The story has since been painted by locals that the yard is now haunted by his spirit, which sometimes left pieces of his unfinished creations for people to find around his yard.  As one might anticipate, this really only draws people to the site around Halloween anymore and even then, it is only for a few hours tops.
    "Midnight?  Midnight!"
    The fox shook out of his trance.  He then turned to Reaver, who had already stopped the humvee a short distance away from the lumber yard.  The engine and headlights were also completely off.  "Something on your mind?"
    "Sorry sir.  I was just thinking about what I learned about this place."
    "Researching your area of operation before arrival; usually that is left to those that assign the mission to take care of that for you.  So, I am sure you are aware of the story, but even then it is only partially true."
    "Hm?"
    "It is true that he was killed by wood-cutting machinery, but it was definitely no accident.  Local authorities found the corpse after a customer called it in early the next morning.  Some clues found around the yard, particularly drag marks, footprints and a broken gate lock pointed it towards gang activity."
    "The same gang that we helped exterminate last year?"
    "Correct.  Police were able to finally capture one of the suspects a few days after the attack and he confessed that he and the rest of the crew that was with him did the deed when a burglary went south.  'A move of desperation' he called it."
    Midnight shook his head.  "How unfortunate."
    "Yes, but now you must focus on the mission at hand here.  Get in there and do what must be done.  Xer authorities have already been informed about this and will stay away from the area and leave it to our forces to handle."
    Midnight stepped out of the vehicle.  "Oh, one last thing," Reaver announced.  "Don't fail; it would be a real shame for me to prove that I was the best soldier that Carver always had."
    "You sound just as conceited as he does sometimes," Midnight remarked before closing the door.  Reaver narrowed his eyes as he watched the fox leave.  "Bastard."
    Midnight stuck to the side of the road as he walked towards the lumber yard.  The sounds of crickets chirping filled the night air, loud enough to even cover any noise created by his footsteps.
    He reached the outskirts of the yard and took his binoculars into his hands; a fence still stands to protect the area from any intruders.  On the top of it, razor wire appeared to have been recently installed.  The main entrance itself was well-defended.  He chose to sneak through the surrounding remnants of the forest and find an alternate route.
    The trip through the trees was short.  Midnight soon found himself on the far side of the yard.  Upon closer inspection, he could see that it wasn't so heavily guarded, but there was still two soldiers marching around the area.
    The silenced M4A1 he wielded was aimed down towards the center of their marching paths.  When the two guards entered his cross hairs, Midnight fired a couple of shots, striking perfect headshots on the two.  He smirked as the two collapsed, leaving the area open for infiltration.
    Midnight moved towards the fence, pulling out a can of spray in the process.  He applied its chemical to the thin metal.  In seconds, it turned to rust, making it easy for Midnight to rip open a hole that he could use to enter.  Before proceeding, he dragged the two bodies out of the area and hid them in the forest to ensure that they would not be used to break his stealth.
    The defense of the lumber yard was rather scarce, not remotely as heavy as Midnight would have expected.  Still, the few guards there were, they were positioned perfectly to create a blanket around the perimeter.
    He moved towards a stack of steel containers and hid behind them until another guard passed by.  Midnight peeked out to make sure that he was not returning before moving to another stack of boxes.  When he turned to see what was ahead, he could three guards chatting with each other at the entrance to a warehouse.  Several other guards were wandering nearby, following their patrol paths.  Midnight waited patiently, observing his enemies and looking for an opening to get inside.
    It became apparent that even when the patrolling guards were away, the three chatting to each other were not likely to leave anytime soon.  Midnight chose to look for a method to distract them.  His attention then turned to a generator that powered the lights and equipment nearby.  It was sheltered under the canopy of a small, steel building, but the door to it had long since been removed.  The distance was too great for him to throw an EMP grenade and disable it, but he also knew that he couldn't just waltz over there and shut down the system without being detected while escaping.
    Seeing these limited options, Midnight had to make a decision on which would be less risky.
    He eventually decided on using an EMP grenade as a disturbance and the idea also lingered on the hope that he might be able to chuck the grenade far enough for the blast radius to reach the generator.  First, he equipped his night vision goggles.  His hands then took the grenade from his belt and unpinned it.  Using all his strength, he threw the grenade in the direction of the generator.  It bounced a short distance before rolling to a stop.  The grenade was about ten feet away from the generator, but the imminent blast proved to be enough to reach it.  All power was instantly disabled, causing a commotion amongst the soldiers.  Most of them ran towards the generator while a couple barked orders.
    "Somebody scan the area!  Look for a saboteur!"
    The soldiers broke ranks and ran around the area in search for who might have disabled the power.  Engineers were already looking over the generator, trying to restart it and use the light to find the enemy.
    Midnight had already used the sudden event to cloak his entrance into the warehouse.  Weapons and ammo stored in boxes filled most of the building, leaving only narrow walkways to navigate through them.  He ran through the area until he reached what he believed to be the center and knelt down.  Inside his satchel, he took two semtex charges and wedged them between two stacks of boxes.
    The lights then came on; Midnight would be exposed at any moment if he did not escape.
    He could hear some soldiers moving into the warehouse to inspect it for intruders.  The back doors were near, so Midnight moved towards them as fast as possible while staying low.  It was partially open, allowing him to slide out without causing much noise.  Outside, all that stood in front of him was the fence.  He took his spray can and used whatever was left inside to make a final hole in the fence.  His hands pried the rusted metal apart and he made his escape.
    Midnight was already deep in the surrounding forest before the guards discovered the left over can and the two holes in the fence.  Their yells could be heard and he knew that a few soldiers were already pursuing him through the forest.
    Since stealth was no longer a factor, Midnight ran as fast as he could through the trees and soon found himself near the humvee again.  Reaver turned on the ignition as Midnight jumped inside.
    "Looks like you caused a little bit of a stir in there."
    "Just detonate the charges."
    Reaver took the detonator from his pocket and pressed the button on it.  A fireball rose from the sky before becoming tendrils of fire.  The two didn't sit back to watch the resulting fireworks display.  Reaver turned the vehicle around and slammed on the accelerator to get them out.
    "Despite what may have occurred at the end there, you did pretty well for your first Spec-Op.  You didn't take nearly as long as I thought you would, nor are you dead."
    Midnight was silent.
    "I'll forward a report to Carver once we are home.  Despite your earlier remark, which I will inform him of, he should be pleased with the performance."
    "Sounds like you are just a big tattle-tale."
    Reaver scorned the remark, "Remember that I could have blown you to smithereens while you were in there."
    "Then you would probably be dead the moment you returned to Carver."
    "I could-"
    "No matter what you try to explain, you know he would be angry enough for him to kill you just because you allowed me to die."
    Reaver didn't say a word for a moment.  The truth struck him hard, despite Midnight's attitude.  "Shut up and get some sleep.  I'll wake you up when we are back at the base."