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It was about nine hours,as the pilot had predicted,before we arrived at the infill zone. It was Hudson shaking me lightly that drove me from my sleep. I was stiff allover from sleeping on the metal floor and my back was throbbing heavily from the way it had been bent,I was surprised I hadn't woken on my own.

"Wake up brother",Hudson said,"were coming on Cuba now."

I moaned as I sat up,"Damn,already?"

"It's been nearly ten hours",Hudson replied,"wake up Jackson,Issac and I will get the Zodiac ready."

A Zodiac was a inflatable rubber boat pioneered by the Navy SEALS around 1980. It had since come into service with the Marine Corps and Strike Force Raven as well. Hudson and Issac began inflating the Zodiac as I began to shake Jackson,who was snoring lightly. I never knew how he could sleep so well on our flights or in the field for that matter. During one of our ops about a month ago,we were stuck behind enemy lines and while five of us could barely close our eyes for a minute,he would sleep all though the night,it stumped and astounded all of us.

"Ugh what?",Jack groaned as he woke,"are we coming on Cuba?"

"Yeah Jack",I said checking my gear,"grab your kit and get ready,don't forget anything."

Jackson stuffed his poncho liner back into his back and picked up his rifle and body armor vest before sliding it all on and checking the chamber of his Remington's chamber. I quickly ran through my kit and made sure that i had everything before helping Issac and Hudson with the Zodiac. As we worked,one of the 260's crewmen walked from the hatch.

"We can only get about fifteen feet from the water,so your gonna have to get a little wet."

"Don't matter",Jackson said,his aquamarine eyes glowing in the dark,"were Marines."

I smiled at my frined's remark as the crewman replied,"thirty seconds to drop."

The hatch began to fall. Wind and the smell of the salty water and air filled the cabin,our jackets and pants were pressed tight against our arms and legs as the wind tried to pull them off,not having any success. We climbed abroad the Zodiac as another crewman walked from the cockpit with his hand against his face to brace against the wind. As the light turned red,we quickly strapped on our helmets. They were jet black,with built in slots for electronic noise reduction ear muffs and a pair of custom goggles came with them. We had radios built into the back of the helmet with ear pieces built into our ear muffs. The helmets were experimental,right out of the lab and we were the only ones who had them.

The light went to yellow and the crewman at the quick release which held the Zodiac secure to the floor gave us a glance. Hudson gave him a thumbs up to show we were ready. The light went green and there was a faint click as the Zodiac slid from the back of the plane. We fell for what only seemed like a few feet before our craft hit the water,causing water to splash all around us. Thank's to the special craft,we were spared a drenching

"How far is it to the compound?" I asked.

Hudosn took a flash light and map from his kit and began surveying it.

"Looks like it's a two hour trip",he said.

"Can we make it before morning?" I asked looking at the moon.

From it's position in the sky, it was my guess we had about two hours before the moon was replaced by the sun,which wouldn't be good. We'd have to find a place to hole up for the day before resuming operations,and every second we weren't actively trying to get our guys out was one second removed from their clocks.

"If we hurry",Hudson said clicking off his light and stuffing it back in his vest along with the map.

Frank started the out broad motor and soon our Zodiac was humming through the moon light night. I sat at the head of the Zodiac,leaning against the rubber wall like it was a couch,trying to take some of the ache out of my back. My rifle lay across my lap and my left arm was up on the wall of the Zodiac. I stared into the ever lasting darkness ahead,trying to think up all the ways the mission could go worng,and plan for them. It was just something I did. Whenever we went on missions,my mind would whack the hell out and think up all the ways it could go wrong,and develop five or six different things I could do to get around them. Not even the best laid out plan survives a run in with the enemy,so as I was fond of saying,"plan,B,C,D,E,F,G,H." Thankfully,I'd never needed to use any of these plans,but again,you never know.

I managed to brake myself from my thoughts and looked around the large rubber boat. It had side covers,with the front being made of a clear,thick plastic sheet and the side of mostly black rubber,with smaller clear plastic acting as windows,it kept the water off delicate electronic gear,such as radios,flashlights,night vision and GPS systems built into helmets. Wyatt,Issac and Frank were playing cards,Jackson was asleep(there was a surprise),Hudson was manning the boat and I was pretty much alone with my thoughts. Not that I minded,I liked it that way. As Hudson had predicted,it was two hours time before the island nation of Cuba began to come into view. It's lights glowed in the distance and I could hear faintly the sounds of buoys marking where the water was deep enough for fishing vessels.

"Were's the mission?" I asked.

"It's about thirty minutes off." Hudson replied checking the map,"were headed right for it."

He pulled a few more paper's from his vest and began to look them over.

"We'll have to climb up a cliff face and then enter right through the front door unless we can find another way in."

"The front door",Frank shuttered,"there's some great fucking news."

"No shit",Wyatt said sticking a magazine in his SCAR.

"Let's keep clear heads Marines",I said throwing the sling on my AR-10 over my neck,"if we just do what we were trained to do we'llget out fine,we have before."

Issac charged his rifle,"Damn straight little brother."

It was about ten more minutes before the mission began to come into view. About two thousand feet out,Hudson cut the boat's engine to let it coast. We came to a stop near a cliff face and beached our Zodiac before grabbing our rappeling gear from a duffle at the back of the boat. Issac shouldered his M16 and unzipped a secondary duffle which contained a zip line launcher. He drew the large rifle from the bag and aimed upward at the clifface before firing the line upwards. The three pronged anchor flew up before disappearing over the edge of the cliff. "We'll have to go one at a time",Hudson said tugging the rope,making sure it was secure.

"I'll go first,John,you follow,Issac and Frank follow him and Jack you bring up the rear."

Hudson started up the cliff. he climbed for about two minutes before pulling himself up and out of our sight.

"Rocks are a bit slippery John",Hudson called from the top,"be carefull."

I tugged the rope,making sure it was still secure before starting my assent. The tread on my boots was made from the same rubber racing tires were made from and it easily gripped the rocks rough surface. It took me about a minute and a half to climb the rocky cliff face and then I joined Hudson,who once again was reviewing mission Intel. I surveyed the area for a minute,trying to get a better understanding of my surroundings before I spotted a hill that ran adjacent to the wall of the mission.

"I'mma climb that hill and see if I can geta better view",I said standing.

"Stay safe brother",Hudson said looking up from his maps.

I nodded my reply and began walking towards the hill,my rifle at the ready for the lone guard who decided it was a good idea to ditch guard duty and have a cigar,or was coming back from the bar before he got in trouble. The hill was steep,but not as steep as the cliff,so it would be an easier climb. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and began climbing up the hill,keeping both my hands and at least one foot in contact with the hill as I did to negate as much as possible the chance of fall. If I got hurt,it could cripple our entire team and ruin the operation,possibly cost our guys inside their lives.

I managed to get up the hill with out too much trouble and once I was at the top,I immediately dropped prone and took out my rifle,dropping it's Bi-Pod and setting it up beside me before pulling out my binoculars with a camera and microphone built in. I began to scan around,counting two jeeps,two guard towers,each maned by Cuban soldiers armed with Dragonov SVD sniper rifles and six ground soldiers,four with AK-47s and one with an Ithaca-37 andone with a Mosion Nagat,one of the better rifles to come out of Russia.

"Fixing to get into a pretty big gunfight",I said to myself as I observed the court yard.

I could see a pile of metal crates near the entrance,they looked like they were capable of holding their own against AK ammo and would be a good place to hide behind. A low laying brick wall ran from a building directly in front of my hilltop and made a sharp,ninety degree turn in front of a large,wide alley way between what looked to be an old school house and church. Near the end of the alley way was another,ten foot brick wall with jutted about half way into the alley,and at the end were two more soldier's with Uzi sub-machine guns. I couldn't see anything past that,and it worried me,but at least Iknew the lay out of the entrance,if we stuck to cover and used our knives as much as possible,we'd be fine.

I stuffed my binoculars back into my pack,picked up my rifle and slid down the hill,where I found the other's gathered in a full circle. I quickly sprinted from the hill over to them.

"So?" Issac asked.

I took my gun from my shoulder,"The assets are under heavy pressure,last confirmed Intel has them being held on the far side of the base,this should be an in and out mission but the area is crawling with hostiles."

"Let's move then",Frank said slapping the bolt on his suppressed MP5 forward.

We began to crouch walk in formation,me and Hudson in front,Jackson and Wyatt our snipers in the middle and Frank and Issac bringing up the rear. As we came around the corner,the towers came into view. I held up my fist,giving the order to halt.

"Hold",I whispered,"take postion's out of sight,two towers,snipers in each one,Jack,Wyatt counter snipe."

Hudson and I moved back as Jack and Wyatt stepped forward. They leveled their rifles and adjusted their scopes before two low thunks left their rilfes,surpressed shots. The men in the tower fell with out words.

"Flawless",Hudson said as we stepped forward.

We walked quietly as we could to the large,fifteen foot tall wooden gate that led into the mission. I was about to make my way in when Jackson put his hand on my shoulder.

"Put me in that tower Major",he said,"you give me targets and I'll drop them."

The kid was damn clever,having a sniper in a tower makes him far more use full than on the ground,something I'd never considered during my recon.

"That's a good idea Jack",I said,"Hudson,help him in."

"Yes sir",Hudson said slingig his rifle onhis back.He walked up to the wall and laced his fingers together to make a kind of step ladder for Jack. Hudson easily lifted Jack up the wall and into the tower. With him perched in the tower,we moved inside the walls. I could see two of the guards were asleep on the job,that was good,made our lives easier.

"Four guards",I called to Jackson,"take the one on the far balcony,we'll get the ones on the ground."

I shouldered my rifle,training the blue dot in the center of my lens on the guard with the Mosin's forehead. "3,2,1,",I said,squezzing my trigger. A low thunk left my rifle,followed by three more faint cracks. The four guards fell into the grass without a word.

"Perfect",I said,"Hudson,you and Frank get rid of the bodies,Issac,let's take those sleepers out of the picture."

I trained my rifle on one of the guys forehead and fired,he fell off his chair and into the grass with out a word. Issac quickly removed the other guard from the picture and we dragged the bodies over to a dark corner and hid them in a small,dead end alley way. Even in broad daylight,you'd never find them unless you were looking,and even then they were near impossible to see.

"Let's go",I said as we regrouped.

We hugged the wall as we moved down the alley way towards the guards with Uzi's.

"Jackson",I called,"get rid of them."

A faint crack echoed out and both guards fell dead.

"Get down here now Jackson",I called into the coms,"we got a job to do."

"Yes sir",Jackson replied,"on my way."

"Regroup on me",I said giving the hand signal to regroup.

Within the minute,we were all together as a team again.

"Prepare for entry",I said motioning to the door.

We stacked up on the door,Me Hudson and Issac on one side,Wyatt,Jackson and Frank on the other.

"Gas and clear",I said.

Hudson and Wyatt pulled Tear Gas from their kits and opened the door,tossing the two live canisters inside the door before closeing it. Hudson counted on his fingers,3,2,1 before making a fist as the door flew open. Four coughing and gagging Cubans came running out. I quickly drew my B32R and emptied a clip into two of them,all of the ten rounds of .45 finding their marks. Frank had buried his knife into the neck of one man and Hudson had snapped the remaining man'sneck like a chicken bone.

"Let's go",I said,"gas masks on."

We slid our masks over our faces before entering the room. The gas hung over the room as a thick,vapours cloud. We quickly moved through the gas filled room and deeper into the mission.

"Hear anything?" Jackson asked.

"No",I replied,"but I wouldn't count on that meaning much."

We walked up the stairs came on another door. I could hear chatter behind it,from the different tones of voices,I made out no fewer than ten men.

"Shit",I said,"sounds like were fixing to get into a pretty big gunfight."

I unscrewed the suppressors from my weapons and so did the other's. Jackson shouldered his Remington and exchanged it for his automatic B32R.

"What ya want us to do boss?" Hudson asked clanking closed the chamber on his FAL.

"Frag and clear",I replied shouldering my AR.

"Frag and clear",Hudosn replied.

He took a lagre M54 Fragmentation Grenade which loked like a smoke canister and pulled the pin. I opened the door and Hudson tossed his large grenade inside. One of the Cubans yelled something in Spanish before the grenade went off.

"Double time!",I shouted,"recovering our brothers is the rimary goal! They must be retrived at any cost!"

Hudson entered first,followed by me,then Issac,Wyatt,Frank and finally Jackson. Bullets were tearing into the walls around us and the air was filled with lead as Raven exchanged fire with the Cuban's.

"We gotta be close!" Hudson shouted.

"Keep pressing the fight!",I shouted over my rifle's crack.

The men we were fighting weren't combat trained,because they were emptying entire clips on full auto without bothering to look down their sights as us. It got to the point where we were simply dropping them as they stood up from cover. The skirmish lasted about ten minutes. After the last bullet rang from Hudson's FAL,quiet fell over the area.

"Move up!",I said reaching into m kit for a fresh mag,"check your corner's,their's bound to be more of them!"

We pressed though the old church before coming on yet another door,through the peep hole,I could see at least ten guys,armed with AK-47's and two PKP Penchegs set up on stone walls.

"Get ready for another gunfight",I said,"stack up."

Hudson and the other's stacked up on the door.

"Two machine guns out side",I said gabbing a smoke grenade from my vest,"Frank,you and I will throw smoke through the window's,Hudson,you and the other's switch to infrared and knock out those PKP's."

Hudson nodded and pulled down his visor as Frank pulled a smoke from his vest. I counted,3,2,1. I pulled the pin from my smoke and tossed it out the window as Frank did the same.

"Frag and clear!",I shouted pulling down my visor and grabbing my rifle.

Hudson kicked open the door and tossed out two frags,waiting for the explosion before quickly moving from the church and outside. The Cuban's were in disarray,making them easy to deal with.

"Push,push,push!",I shouted,"we really gotta move!"

We ran down an alley way,dispatching a few more Cuban soldiers before coming on a grave yard. I could see two guys with shotguns hiding behind grave stones.

"Shoot through the head stones!" I shouted.

Cracks left Jackson's Remington and Wyatt's SCAR,the bullets shattered the headstones and killed the men hiding behind them. We moved through the graveyard before coming on a large brick building. It was about the size of a large church,in fact it looked to be just that. My guess was that it was the prison building,due to the four guards armed with PKP Penchegs outside. They opened fire on me and my team and we quickly slid into cover behind a brick wall.

"Jackson,Wyatt",I shouted,"put those fucker's down!"

Within ten seconds of my order,four .308 slugs flew through the air,each striking the head of the intended target. "Move inside!",I shouted. We quickly sprinted for the door bashing it open and entering with guns drawn. Much to our surprise,the building was empty. That wasn't good. "Check the cells",I ordered as I began to pace down the hall. Not a minute later,my team gave me the news.

"This place is empty John",Hudson said.

I looked up at the ceiling.

"Fuuuuucckkk",I moaned,"we must have just missed them."

"Better report it",I said getting on my com lines.

"Overlord this is Raven 2-2,mission is compromised I repeat mission is compromised,how copy?"

"Solid copy Raven",Holland called back,"as of now your objectives have changed,your to make your way from the mission to a makeshift Cuban prison compoundfive clicks south of our current location,we recently received a distress call form the operatives that originated in that area."

"Ye sir",I replied back,"what's the best way there?"

"Through the catacomb tunnels that network the area",Holland replied.

"Yes sir",I replied,"Raven 2-2 copies all,out."

"All right guys",I said turning to my team,gather around,the mission has changed."

"What are the new objectives boss?" Frank asked.

"Were to make our way to a make our way to a prison five clicks south",I replied,"Holland said the operators recently called for help from that location,so it's my guess that they escaped and are making their way to the coast."

"All right then",Hudson said,"let's go get our guys."

We quickly left the church building and pushed through more Cuban's before finding the entrance to the catacombs,a big,white cellar door.

"Everyone down",I said as Hudson lifted the gate. Issac went first,followed by Wyatt,Frank,Jackson and me. Hudson brought up the rear,closing the door behind us.

I motioned to my team,"let's move.