Location: North-Western Oregon, USA

Unit: Detachment–Delta/GOU, Alpine Group

Date: July 24th, 2021 CE

The small unit of soldiers carefully crept beneath the trees, Jackson was in the lead. He analysed his surroundings; everything was silent. There wasn't a sound in hearing distance nor did he see the presence of the abnormal. He spun around looking at the soldier behind him, it was still dark so he couldn't make out the face but he saw a signal, the okay sign.

He repeated the signal indicating he was okay before turning back around and facing the eery darkness. Carefully avoiding the sticks beneath his feet he trod lightly through the forest. The incline of the ground suddenly started to increase rapidly. Immediately he noticed and made a circular movement with his left hand above his head before placing his hand on his helmet. The soldier behind him turned approached him and repeated the movement to the soldier behind him. Jackson carefully organised the rest into a circle around him, letting everyone cover a specific angle, more commonly known as an all around defence. 

Two soldiers approached him, one was noticeably feminine while the other masculine, the male carried a radio and a H&K417 while the female carried a Hecate II anti-material rifle.

Jackson nodded at them before slinking away to join the protective circle leaving them to operate the radio.

These two unidentified soldiers were GOU operators Zeller and Turner.

Turner sat the radio down on the floor and knelt next to it while Zeller watched; he pulled up the antenna and pulled a cable from the side connecting it to his earpiece, "This is Alpine 1-2, we have reached our primary coordinates and are ready to begin making it to the secondary point, over,"

A voice came through his earpiece, "This is Eagle, we hear you loud and clear Alpine 1-2, arrival ETA 20 seconds."

Suddenly a buzzing sound filled the atmosphere, Zeller looked to the skies seeing a small shape fly above. Immediately she turned around to see Turner switch off the radio completely and switch on the internal cooling system. 

The sound stopped. Nothing happened. Was it a dud?

Suddenly the area high in the sky exploded with a flash of light but no sound. 

Turner tapped the switch on his radio, "Eagle do you copy, over?"

A response came, "I copy, Alpine 1-2, get moving."

Turner nodded to Zeller before she turned around and kicked Jacksons boot; immediately he got to his feet and kicked the persons next to him before continuing up the hillside. The small group of Operators continued on foot. A few more minutes of walking passed and the hill started to even out.

Jackson repeated the same thing he did before, putting everyone in an all around defence but this time he left the side they didn't approach from unguarded. Zeller approached the open side of the formation before taking another step forward. A gust of cold wind blew past her face sending a small chill down the back of her neck. Immediately she pulled the rifle from her shoulder and laid on the ground, twisting a suppressor onto the front she pulled open the bipod and waited.

Turner lay down next to her drawing a range finder, "Base at 1000 metres, closest point."

Zeller pulled something out of a pouch connected to her waist and hooked it onto the side of her helmet before flicking it open, a small blue panel appeared in front of her right eye. Flicking a switch on the side of her helmet the inside lit up. Suddenly the enemy base was obvious, the targets were shining, both wind and distance appeared on each side of her eye.

She looked through her scope before shutting her left eye, "This piece of tech is incredible."

Before her unit was sent off into the forest she was handed this piece of technology and a specialised helmet with ear protection.

She looked at turner who was analysing the panicking base personnel, "Looks like the mini HANE worked, we seem to have short circuited the whole base."

Mclaw's voice came through both Zellers and Turners earpieces, "Alpine 1-1, this is Burns 1-1, have you got eyes on us yet?"

Zeller scanned the forest, "This is Alpine 1-1, we do not see you, I repeat we have not got eyes on."

Mclaw bit his lip, "Grab Alpine 2-1 and encourage him to hurry up, we don't want any friendly fire."

Zeller jumped to her feet, leaving Turner looking over the edge; she trod over to another one of her soldiers, this soldier was laying down while fiddling with a phone and controller.

She knelt down next to him, "Lake, Where the fuck is Mclaw?"

She could see sweat run down his face, he responded in a standard Canadian accent, "Sorry, sorry, this thing is just glitching, it may have been slightly damaged by the EMP."

Zeller stroked her chin, "Shit; can you fix it?"

Lake shook his head, "If certain parts were damaged by the EMP, then no, its impossible to fix here."

Zeller tilted her head, "If?"

Lake nodded, "I have no idea if it's interference from something else or the EMPs fault, we should have been out of damage range."

"Dammit," Zeller cursed, "Try to get it fixed, I'll inform Mclaw."

Zeller ran back to the cliff side and lay down next to Turner, "It's fucking damaged."

The ex-184th soldier's eyes widened, "Mclaw's gonna kill us..."

Zeller analysed the forest below them through the eye lens. When something happened, more images suddenly appeared in the distance, flashing white lights, strobes.

Mclaw's voice came back, "What about now?"

Zeller smiled, "I have visual, white flashing strobes," Zeller paused, "You have a watch tower, 500 metres to your front and a anti air battery to your east."

"You have permission to engage the watch tower," Mclaw whispered.

Zeller looked at Turner before smiling, "Gimme those targets."

"8-5-1 metres, metal tower, eight visible personnel," Turner paused, "Top of the tower, double tangos, tell me when you are set."

Zeller steadied herself, calming her breathing, "Set, targets spotted."

Turner took his eyes off the range finder and looked to his left where a small pole stood spinning in the wind, it started to slow; the Turner continued speaking, "5, 4, 3, 2..."

Zeller pulled the trigger.

A bullet whizzed out the barrel flying through the air. Then it made its mark, both heads were instantaneously erased from existence. The bodies suddenly collapsed leaving blood to ooze out into the steel floor.

Turner nodded, "Tangos down," Turner looked to the bottom of the tower, "Single target, wipe him."

 Zeller pulled back the cocking handle and chambered another round, steadying her breathing she fired. The shot was another perfect one; going clean through the NZA soldier, their head was blown to smithereens.

Zeller didn't wait for the next call, she immediately cocked the weapon and pulled the trigger again and again, within seconds both the magazine and outpost were cleared. She pulled the bolt to the rear before releasing the magazine and loading a new one.

Turner chuckled, "Do you want me to stay quiet next time?"

Zeller rocked her head, debating with herself, "Uh, just mark the distance of one of the targets and I can take the whole group from there."

"I could just give you the range finder and have you do it while I go take a nap," Turner said sarcastically.

Zeller smiled, "Well you could, but what if when I get up from the shooting position I knock it off the edge of the cliff and it were to fall and smash?"

Turners eyes widened, "You wouldn't..."

Zeller grinned, "Yeah of course I wouldn't but what if it were to accidently happen, I'm sure Mclaw would give you a good yelling."

Turner groaned before looking forward again, "Right lets get this done," he paused, "1-1-0-0 metres, anti air gun, visible targets six... no seven."

Zeller sighed, "That means there is probably eight there, its probably better to blow the thing to hell."

Turner nodded, "I'll get on the radio with Mclaw hold position," Turner plugged a long wire into his earpiece before speaking, "Burns 1-1, this is Alpine 1-2, we want permission to leave Bravo and Charlie. Break. Are Gewehr in place?"

Mclaw's whispered through the radio, "Hold it a minute, we may have trouble."

Turner looked at Zeller with a concerned glare, "Mclaw says we may have a problem find him."

Zeller immediately changed her aim to where she once saw Mclaw; none of their signals were showing up. She wondered to herself whether they had turned of their Infrared strobe markers. If so what could have caused it?

Quickly, Zeller took off her standard issue scope and pulled something from one of her side pouches. This scope was much thicker than the last one. Zeller immediately flicked off the lid and looked down the sight. 

Turner watched as she twisted the nozzle back and fourth, "What the hell is that?"

Zeller spoke bluntly, "Thermal sight."

Turner nodded registering what he just heard, "And why weren't you using that in the first place?"

Zeller carefully aimed her sights, "Uh, its not protected against shine yet."

Turners jaw dropped, "You brought a scope that could get us both killed onto the battlefield."

Zeller shrugged, "Snipers used to do that all the time before the methods of protection were invented."

Turner shook his head, "This is suicide."

Zeller shrugged again, "Hand me the range finder and go grab me another box of 50 BMG ammo."

Turner quickly complied as Zeller zoomed in her sight, "Right then... what do we have here? A patrol?"

Turner came back quickly with the box of ammo in hand, "Anything else your majesty?"

Zeller nodded, "Yep get everyone in Mclaw's team to put their left hand on their helmet, if not I will shoot them."

Turner quickly informed Mclaw of what Zeller just said, Mclaw hesitated before responding, "This plan better not be too insane."

Zeller looked into the trees, seeing several glowing figures place their left hands on their head, the whole front row of the assault. No more than 50 metres ahead of them stood several patrolling NZA soldiers.

Zeller grinned menacingly, "Got you."

She fired the first two shots in quick succession, the first hit the back man in the back of the throat tearing his head clean off his body while the second pierced the man slightly in fronts cheek.

Both dropped to the floor as the rest of their unit spun around to see what had just happened, noticing the bodies they all darted for the trees. 

Zeller smiled again before shaking her head, "That's not gonna work for you..."

She fired another shot, one soldier fell out from behind his tree, Zeller tried to see if the man was still alive. Nothing. He just lay there. As she moved her sniper scope to the side she saw his hand dart to his side and draw something, a flare gun.

Her eyes widened as the soldier pulled the trigger.

The ball of light shot into the air; within seconds Zeller took aim almost like she was on auto pilot and fired. In a ball of the flame, the flare spontaneously combusted into several hundred fragments and the battlefield went silent.

She cycled another round before finishing off the one that fired the flare and the final soldier attempting to hide.

Mclaws voice came back through the radio, "Destroy Bravo and Charlie, all units attack."

Suddenly one of the hills erupted in gun fire, indiscriminately spraying the base with bullet after bullet. Zeller turned her rifle onto the two Anti air cannons and fired the first shot, immediately it hit a tank of liquid and exploded.

She mirrored the exact same thing for the second gun location before she spoke into the radio sitting next to her, "All anti air cannons destroyed send in the bombers!"

Suddenly a large shadow cast its self overhead, a flying wing.

The looming black shadow swiped past and disappeared into the night sky. The whole sniper team looked up when they saw forty MK.82 bombs obliterate the surface of the base. The bomber was then followed by several squadrons of F35s and A10s. The display of might quickly whizzed past leaving the sky.

The counter attack had finally come.