Location: Antarctica

Unit: GOU

Date: 21st February 2023 CE

As the red light flipped to green, signalling their imminent departure, the helicopter pilot skilfully landed the aircraft. "Go, go, go!" he shouted.

Mclaw wasted no time and was the first to exit the helicopter, his M16 raised and at the ready. The weapon was wrapped in a layer of thermal tape, designed to regulate its temperature and maintain peak performance even in the most extreme conditions.

The GOU operators quickly formed a rough circle around Mclaw as he took a knee, gesturing for his teammates, Mabasa and Burt, to follow suit. The rest of the team remained vigilant, scanning the surrounding area for any potential threats from their designated angles of fire.

Mclaw opened his visor very slightly, looking to Burt, "Amy, I thought you said these were the coords."

She nodded, "They are," showing him her pad he looked at his current coordinates in his HUD, "Oh we have a few funny guys then... stand up."

As the team scanned their surroundings, a group of figures clad in white camouflage suddenly emerged from the snow, only twenty meters away. The sound of their footsteps crunching in the snow and the frigid air filled the previously silent landscape.

The strangers were dressed in thick, padded gear, and carried highly customized versions of the AK rifle, equipped with Picatinny rails on all sides and capable of firing 5.56 NATO ammunition.

One of the figures stepped forward, brushing off a thick blanket of false snow from their shoulders, and addressed the team in a muffled, Nordic-accented voice. "We should make our way back to base," he said, indicating that he had more to say once they were out of harm's way.

Mclaw nodded as he looked at the rest of the GOU, "Let's get moving."

The team set off across several miles of treacherous snow-covered terrain, with the GOU members hauling their hefty packs through the rugged landscape.

After what seemed like hours, they finally came to a stop in front of a cave entrance. The team leader wasted no time in entering, pulling down his hood and beckoning the others to follow. As they made their way deeper into the cave, he deftly located a small panel disguised as a rock and pressed it down, causing a section of the wall ahead to slide seamlessly into the ceiling.

Without hesitation, the team made their way inside, the door closing behind them with a loud clang that almost hit Gibson on the back of the head. As the team adjusted to the dim lighting, the Norseman removed his full-head helmet and turned to face them, revealing a clean-shaven face.

Mclaw greeted him using the man's codename he had been given, "Sab"

The Norseman, Sab, nodded, "Reaper."

As Mclaw removed his helmet, his gloved hands worked deftly to undo the fastenings, revealing a flushed face underneath. The other members of the team followed suit, grateful for the brief reprieve from the oppressive cold.

With their helmets off, they could feel the warmth of the heated room seeping into their bodies. They quickly shed their bulky outer layers, neatly stowing them in a corner as their movements became unencumbered by the weight of the gear.

They were led to a command centre where an older, well-built man stood intently zooming in and out on a screen. Despite his impressive physique, he was clad in a dressing gown, suggesting that he had just risen from bed. Zeller raised an eyebrow in surprise as Mabasa merely shrugged, both unsure of what to make of the man's peculiar attire.

He turned to the radio operators and other non-GOU members in the room, "Give us some privacy."

They nodded filing out leaving only the GOU, Sab and the old leader to talk, "So you've been briefed?" He asked.

Mclaw nodded, "Correct, we are waiting for the rest of your information before carrying out our own."

Without warning, the door burst open and a lone soldier entered, gasping for breath. "Sir!" he exclaimed urgently.

The group turned to face the newcomer as Sab muttered something in Norwegian to the other team members. Mclaw raised an eyebrow in confusion as the two Norwegians engaged in a rapid conversation, speaking in a language that none of the GOU members could understand, let alone translate.

Sab turned back, "The NZA just made a huge mistake," he pulled up a small pad from his side, "Take a look at this."

Mclaw pulled up his wrist pad, "There's a quarry?"

The old leader watched as Sab explained, "Our guys believe this to be the main source of all NZA material supplies, which would explain their boatload of new vessels."

Zeller stroked her chin, "Looks a bit too small though."

Sab sent the images to the big screen at the other end of the command centre, "Really?"

Mclaw nodded pulling up several orbital scans, "We've known there was some type of cave system for a while, originally my network didn't think much of it compared to the other mines we discovered from orbital scans in Tasmania and the north island of New Zealand."

The scans demonstrated huge stores of materials along with hundreds of pieces of mining equipment.

The leader was shocked, "How do you..."

Mclaw looked at him, "Don't ask questions," Mclaw flicked more images up, "Anyway, I want to ask you about the facilities we are going after."

The leader nodded, "Right, we've discovered three main bases, Alpha, Bravo and Charlie as they are nicknamed," he paused pulling up a long baton, "That means we will need three strike teams, two GOU and one of mine."

Mclaw nodded, "Facility Bravo, bring up the information on it."

Sab and the Leader looked at each other, "Okay..."

Several images were thrown up on the screen as Mabasa looked at Zeller, "Isn't that just the facility we raided in the US?"

Sab looked at him, as Mclaw nodded, "It's a very similar design."

He pulled up several images of the time in America, "We encountered this in America, it turned out to be a maze and a trap."

Sab walked forward comparing the images, "So do you think this is a trap?"

Mclaw nodded, "I believe so. I also believe they know we have been scoping this facility out."

The leader's eyes widened, "If they know we know my men are in danger."

Mclaw shook his head, "The NZA is waiting for us to make the first move, as long as they think we will attack, they will stay put. So the plan is not to change until the second before."

Sab nodded, "I see."

Mclaw switched back to the three teams pasted on the screen, Apex Team, Noble Team and Thorn Team, "We will split Noble Team between Apex and Thorn, this will give us more firepower and efficiency."

The leader nodded, knowing Mclaw's plan was the only choice they had, "Understood, I'll keep the ground team training," he paused changing the subject, "When do you plan to leave?"

Mclaw weighed his options, "2143 hours. Wanna sync your watches with us?"

Sab nodded, "What time?"

Mclaw nodded, "1645, in ten"

Sab and the leader quickly changed their watches and held the hand in place as Mclaw counted down, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1 sync."