Chapter 50: Into the Desert

Location: Kalahari Desert, Botswana

Unit: Global Operations Unit

Date: 26th April 2025

Six Black Hawk Helicopters raced over the vast desert landscape as the troops inside waited patiently. A mix of US Army Rangers and GOU operators were spread out among the helicopters numbering Sixty-six operators in total.

Mclaw looked around the side of the open door, noticing a shape sitting about four kilometres ahead of them, hovering in the sky. He used his eyepiece increasing its zoom, "Fucking suicide drone." He pressed on his radio, "Zeller?"

Zeller nodded, "I see it."

A sly grin formed on Mclaw's face, "Well I don't want to."

Zeller signalled to the pilot, "Turn on my mark!" the pilot nodded, pulling back and to the side of the formation, as Zeller lay down on the floor between the soldiers cramped into the Hawk, "3, 2, 1. Mark!"

The pilot pulled hard left of the stick as the chopper veered to its side. Zeller squeezed the trigger. The bullet spun out of the barrel as it flew through the air. Piercing the skies, its shooter watched as the lead projectile hit its target. Splitting the drone in half it crumpled, falling through the air as the hawks passed overhead.

Mclaw looked over the side, "Good fucking shot, get us--" he cut himself off noticing the shine of a large barrel, "ANTI AIR!"

Projectiles tore through the front helicopters as Mclaw felt a searing pain in his shoulder being thrown back into the main compartment, still in pain, he grabbed his radio, "Contacts below, gunners open fire!"

The barrels spun as thousands of lead spewed into the desert landscape below. NZA soldiers hidden in the position below had holes torn through them as they hit the ground. The anti-air cannons went silent as Mclaw sat back, "Did it go through?" He gripped his shoulder hard as its red fluid leaked out onto his shirt.

Mounts looked at the exit wound and a hole in the top of the helicopter, "Yes sir, I believe you are good."

Mclaw raised an eyebrow, "You believe?"

Mounts shrugged, "Well I can't be sure until you can get a scan." He patted him on the shoulder as Mclaw's wound closed up.

Mclaw huffed, clicking his shoulder and pressing his radio, "Report."

The pilots reported one by one, five out of the six helicopters had taken rounds with one being serious and rendering them combat ineffective. And the rest took minor casualties.

Mclaw nodded, whispering, "Ambush," he looked at the combat-ineffective helicopter, its engine releasing smoke, "Three, return the base, the rest will stay on mission."

The pilot hesitated before banking away from the formation and disappearing over the ridge.

Mclaw cocked his rifle as the pilot spoke, "1-0 to 1-1, there's a smokestack, bearing: 072."

Mclaw leaned out of the heli, looking at his heads-up display compass he noticed the ominous cluster of thick black mist building in the distance, it looked to be huge.

They'd arrived.

Mclaw pulled himself back in, looking at the Rangers and GOU Operators he nodded, "Bring us in!"

***

The five remaining helicopters hovered just above the scorched ground, their engines whirring loudly as the troops quickly disembarked. The soldiers who had been injured by the anti-aircraft guns remained on board, accompanied by a medical team and the gunners. As the helicopters took off, the group of soldiers formed a defensive perimeter in the rubble of the devastated settlement.

In the centre of the Operators sat Mclaw and a Ranger officer with a radio man and Mabasa. Mclaw looked up at the officer, "We need a full sweep of this area along with patrols, I want any survivors brought in alive."

The officer nodded standing up. Running to several of his squad leaders he passed the message down the chain of command as fireteams of rangers stood up and exited the safety of the formation. Going deeper into the destroyed village they systematically cleared each house, one by one.

Meanwhile, Lake lay against a wall, pulling a drone from his backpack. Launching it from his hand he noticed Zeller next to him adjusting her sight, "You good?"

The drone took off as Zeller nodded, "Yeah, just something feels really off here, but also at the same time completely fine."

Lake looked back to the rising drone, "I know the feeling, we most likely stumbled across something we shouldn't have, but later than we should have."

Lake pressed a button as a visor flicked down from inside his helmet. A HUD popped up in front of him showing a central image of the drone's live feed as it kept ascending higher into the sky. He guided it across the war-torn landscape.

Flicking between different camera types he noticed something on the thermals. A human figure.

"Movement," He called out as Mclaw ran over, "West side, looks to be trapped under some rubble."

A fireteam of Rangers darted down the street. The fireteam turned the corner noticing a body lying beneath the rubble, it looked to have been passing out, but twitching now and then. The rangers approached slowly, "Archy, clear it!"

One of the soldiers paced forward tapping their goggles, "No weapons, no explosive material, it's clear!"

The others approached, slowly moving piece by piece of the material covering the body. Mabasa's fireteam ran around the corner quickly approaching the Rangers, one covering each direction as Mabasa helped the Rangers, lifting a huge bit of concrete. Tossing it to the side he groaned as it hit the ground.

The Rangers watched in awe as he whistled, "Medic!"

Mabasa felt a hand on his foot, "h-h..."

Mabasa looked down seeing the brutally damaged man begging for help, "Save your voice, just focus on staying awake, staying with me." He turned around, "MEDIC!" he repeated, yelling this time.

Mounts ran around the corner with Gillie as they held a burn stretcher.

Placing it down, Mounts knelt next to the man noticing the sticky skin up and down his legs, "Fuck." he coughed, "This may sting." Turning back he lifted a jerry can from the stretcher before turning it upside down, the water seeped out covering what remained of the man's clothes as well as the burns up and down his body.

Mclaw came around the corner next along with their main force. He looked at the heavy burns revealing bone all down the legs, Mclaw winced slightly. Mabasa noticed looking at him, "Sir?"

Mclaw shook his head, "Sorry, flashbacks."

Mounts turned around, "I need to move him onto the burn mat, one of you clean your hands." He pulled a leather belt from his side, putting it in the man's jaw.

Mclaw was there immediately, water still dripping from his hands he picked up the patient with Mounts. Hearing a small cry from beneath the belt they nodded slowly laying him down on the wet mat.

Mclaw knelt next to the man, "Will he make it through?"

Mounts nodded, "He should, I doubt he'll walk again though."

As Mclaw went to reply he felt a hand grab his arm, "t-twen-ty mhiles, thouth, go... quickly."

Mclaw looked down seeing the injured man latching onto him, "Leave two sections of Rangers here, the rest of you back to the helis," he turned to Lake, "What's 20 miles south?"

Lake looked up, "Gimme a second, drone is 5 seconds out. 3, 2, 1. It's a gunfight, looks to be between some type of militia and NZA insurgents."

Mclaw nodded as the helicopters appeared over them landing in an opening, "Get to the hawks, we take off now!"