Forum > Action > Grey Sword PMC (Private Military Contractors)

CameronMays - Jan 31st 2020 00:55

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"And just where in the f**k were you three?" Nick asked with a new agitation in his voice.

"I'm sorry, boss. Ellie had an audition and we had no one to babysit Jace." Ace said with his slight yet noticeable Russian accent.

"Oui. And I had to bail Steve out of jail." Lexi said as she walked out of her cage.

"Wait. You got arrested AGAIN?" Michael said as he looked up from his book.

"Aw, c'mon, man. All the money this company has put into this town? There ain't no arrestin' us. It's a f**kin' formality." Steve replied with a slight arm shrug.

"Just...forget I asked. Whatever your excuse is, you need to gear up and hit the range." Nick said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

CameronMays - Jan 31st 2020 13:31

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(I'm fast forwarding to the next morning.)

Nick Harrison drove his Black 2019 GMC Sierra Denali pickup up to the security gate of Grey Sword's compound. He stopped and raised his left arm, which already had his personnel badge in it as an armed guard approached his vehicle from the left as another guard with a bomb sniffing dog approached from the right. After scanning the badge, the left guard looked to his K-9 handling counterpart as he made his way back to the front of the truck where he had began. Once the man gave a thumbs up, Nick's badge was returned to him and he was allowed to proceed.

Once he made his way to the parking lot of his team's building, Nick turned off his truck and took the keys out of the ignition before taking a deep sigh.

He HAD to tell Tex, Ace and Lexi about Rixon. When they were on the plane back from Bolivia, the entire team spent most of the flight kneeling around the metal coffin Stewart's body had been placed it. Not that there was much body, more of a badly burnt carcass.

Now, almost a month later, here's Nick's team with a new man. He mentally kicked himself for the way he kept snapping at Matt yesterday. The man did what he would have done. He didn't leave anyone behind. Nick put his head in his hands and took several deep breaths.

Today was a new day. Nick's father taught him that if a man makes a mistake, he has a duty to fix that mistake. Nick fully intended to fix that mistake. He would apologize to Matt and hope that the younger man would except it. Otherwise, he would have pushed a very capable operator who could make a great addition to the team to the fringes.

With his mind made up, Nick stepped out of his truck and made his way into the building. He was wearing a pair of black Oakley sunglasses, a dark brown leather jacket, underneath was a dark blue short sleeve t-shirt, black jeans and the black and brown hiking shoes that he was rarely seen without.

Once he got to the elevator, he pressed a button and went to the floor he knew Stewart's room to be. Once he stepped off the elevator, he felt as if his feet weren't moving as fast as they had been just a moment ago. It was just like in Bolivia when Stewart hadn't been in any of the head counts. Nick's heart dropped when he looked back towards the burned out remnants of the Ambassador's Residence.

Nick snapped out of the memory and shook his head. Although he still blamed himself for what happened to Stewart, he should have given Rixon more of a chance.

He picked his head up and walked with purpose towards the door to Stewart, no Rixon's, room raised his right hand and knocked.

CameronMays - Feb 2nd 2020 18:24

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Nick adjusted his Oakley sunglasses so that they sat above his head. He looked the man in the eyes and spoke.

"Look... I'm not very good at this whole "apology" thing so I'm only gonna say this once. I was in the wrong from the beginning with you. I should have given you a chance. The truth is, if I was in your place, I probably would have done the same thing. Let's be clear: you're a damn good operator and I think you make an exceptional addition to the team, if you're interested, that is."

With that, Nick offered his hand for Matt to shake, an unspoke request for a clean slate.

CameronMays - Feb 2nd 2020 18:50

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A small smile crept along Nick's face as Rixon accepted his apology. With that bit of business resolved, there was just the matter of how to break it to Ace, Lexi and Tex.

"Aw hell, now I just have to break it to the rest of the team that you'll be here. They're all good guys, but it might be rough at first. You up to meet 'em?"

CameronMays - Feb 2nd 2020 19:19

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The two men walked to the elevator and rode it down to the level that the team's cage room was on. The entire team was all either in the cages or tending to something on one of the center tables. As the Nick and Matt made their way into the room, the team's heavy weapons specialist, Steve "Tex" Westbrook was the first to notice the men.

"What's up, boss? Who the f**k's that behind you?" Steve said in a casual tone.

"This is Matt Rixon. He's a comms guy and he's our new number eight." Nick said confidently, though still concerned.

It seemed as if all the air had left the room. There wasn't a sound as Tex, Ace and Lexi looked out from what they were doing to size up the man their team leader said was their new teammate.

The first person to move or speak was Michael, who had come out of his cage and in front of Tex.

"This kid's good. He needs some time to really gel with us, but I'd trust him with my life." The big man said, looking at Tex but talking to everybody.

"When the f**k did he get here?" asked Tex, his voice going cold.

"Yesterday. We ran a drill with him and everything." Gordon interjected.

"Yeah and I pulled his file. He's shed blood in some of the same mud we have." Nick said.

With no additional prompting, the team's demolitions expert, Alexis "Lexi" Devereaux walked up to Matt and extended her hand.

"Lexi Devereaux. Team explosives specialist. Try not to step on any IEDs and we should get along well enough, Oui?" She said with a completely serious tone and facial expression before cracking a huge smile.

"Pavel, you can call me "Ace". Everyone else does. I'm the team's tech guy. If you're taking the radio, I've got it here." He said from where he was at the table.

Tex looked up at Michael and then and Matt before scoffing and going back to his cage.

CameronMays - Feb 2nd 2020 19:36

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"Da. It's already in its own pack." Ace said in his Russian accent as he went into his cage and pulled the radio out of one of the corners.

"Don't worry about Tex. If he hasn't swung on you or tried to feel you up, you should consider that a good introduction." Michael said as the sound of a can being opened came from Tex's cage.

CameronMays - Feb 2nd 2020 20:54

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Just as Nick was about to answer Matt's question, he got a phone call. When he looked down at the screen, his face got even more serious than it normally is, as if that's possible.

"Go for Harrison." Nick said simply.

After about a minute or so of silence, Harrison hung up the phone.

"We need to go to the briefing room. Something's up."

Without another word, the rest of the team dropped what they were doing and fell in behind Nick. They got on the elevator and made their way up to the second floor before getting off. They went to a conference room where Grey Sword's Director of Special Activities (DSA) Douglas "Duke" McKay was waiting for them next to a projection screen. Next to him was a woman in a dark colored pants suit. As the team sat down, the lights were turned out and a photo of a fat, balding old man in a suit came up.

"Team, the man in this photo is Nasir Al-Namri. Known in a number of extremist circles as "Al Meiser" or "The Engineer" he has a large pipeline throughout the Middle East through which he has smuggled people and weapons that have shown up in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Africa-" Duke began.

Edited Feb 2nd 2020 23:28

CameronMays - Feb 2nd 2020 21:38

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"The reason that you're all here is that our Baghdad Station arranged a snatch and grab and we have Al-Namri in custody." The woman said as she interrupted Duke.

"This is Agent Elizbeth Dietrich. CIA." Duke said as he gestured towards the woman to his left.

"It was through interrogating Al-Namri that we received intel on the location of an HVT that took up the mantle of Osama Bin Laden's star subordinate after Al Zarkawi died." Dietrich said before the projectors image changed to another man's photo.

CameronMays - Feb 2nd 2020 23:18

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"We all know Tahir Ayad. Born in Kuwait, lost his family in an Iraqi chemical weapons attack. Around that time, he travelled to Afghanistan and got in touch with Al Qaeda. Fought beside against the Coalition invasion of Afghanistan back in '01 and has been fighting with AQ in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Northern Africa and wherever else a Jihad could be launched. At least until 2011 when Bin Laden was killed. Then, he raised a splinter Jihadist group known as "The Sword of Allah". They've conducted attacks in Central and Southern Africa, Western Europe and Southeast Asia. We've got reason to suspect that he may have the U.S. as a target."

(Pictured below: Douglas "Duke" McKay)

Edited Feb 20th 2020 09:55

CameronMays - Feb 3rd 2020 00:10

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"What makes you think he's plannin' somethin' now? Lots of terrorists talk about blowin' up America." Steve said.

"Yes...but two days ago, one of Ayad's suspected aliases was on the crew manifest of a Turkish registered freighter logged to port in Matamoros, Mexico. U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the vessel. One of the life boats was missing and the crew said that man matching Ayad's description took the vessel while they were still on course for the port. We know he's still in Mexico because Border Patrol hasn't reported contact with him." Dietrich said.

"That don't mean s**t. Cartels have mastered bypassing the Borders or payin' guys off." Steve cut in.

(Pictured below: CIA Agent Elizabeth Dietrich)

Edited Feb 20th 2020 09:57