The Perfect Rescue

Making good use of the night, USS Los Angeles emerged half a kilometre from the coast. Six figures arrived on the scene and took up positions on deck, next to the dry shelter. One by one, they entered the icy waters and thirty seconds later, the submarine dived again and disappeared. The six SEAL operators swam together towards the coast. This wasn’t a common kind of insertion, but they were trained for these types of situations.

To avoid being discovered by the civilian population before they fulfilled their mission, they headed for one side of the beach, where they used a breakwater for cover to advance along the beach. They got out of the water in single file, flippers in hand, each one covering their sector. There was only one kilometre between this point and the complex where, according to intelligence, the hostage was being held. Using the breakwater and natural covers of sand dunes, the six SEAL operators were able to reach the Juliet meeting point without any setbacks.

Once they had reached this point, the assault force made up of four men headed towards the complex where the enemy was holding the agent of the OGA (Other Government Agency), with code name Mirlo 3. An old man-made canal was used as an access route to get to the complex. This would have been a slow and dangerous advance if it hadn’t been for the two men who stayed behind. This team was responsible for making sure that the advance was safe from the observation point. 

The observation point was 600 metres from the complex and slightly higher than it, which, as well as being almost at sea level, would make it easier for them to fire if they had to. To reach this carefully-chosen point, both operators had to dive back into the water, taking all the necessary USIA material for their task. The river ended up being deeper than what was communicated by intelligence and this, along with the strong current, meant they had to use flippers. After managing to cross the river, both SEALs took turns carrying the heavy bag until they got close to the observation point. This was the perfect place as it provided cover and an escape route towards an extraction point. Both operators could therefore cover the extraction of the other group by helicopter. One got prepared while the other covered him and vice versa. They exchanged no words, knew what they had to do and once equipped with their camouflage suits, they lay down on the ground and lifted the caps off their sights.  The spotter started to draw a rough sketch of the area with distances to various reference points, while the sniper covered the assault group while it was advancing.

All they found were rats having a swim in the canal, but none of the four men lowered their guard. They were able to advance quickly, reaching a sewer pipe where the four men split into two groups of two. As well as their training being tough, it prepared them for all tasks. However, each member of the team had also undergone special individual training. So the two SEALs specialised in demolitions stayed at the sewer, where they put their charges to create a distraction.

The observation team alerted the other team via radio that there was an armed individual in the tower. 600 metres away, the spotter checked the firing conditions. There was no wind and all his partner had to do was correct the elevation. One shot and in less than a second, the watchman collapsed over the railings of the tower.

With the path now clear, both operators headed for the door of the complex, which was open. After taking a quick look, they saw that there were three people in the room, one of whom was sitting down. It was an interrogation, and they had to take action before it became an execution. They barged into the room, taking down the armed individual with two quick shots, while the other person drew their weapon and used the person sitting down as a human shield. But this shield moved out of the way and the SEAL aiming his gun at the captor pressed the trigger twice.

The SEAL who took the first individual down got closer to the chair to make sure it was Mirlo 3. Now they just had to get her to the extraction point...

The observation team was starting to gather the team together when the senior officer reported that the allocated extraction point was a hot spot, an enemy QRF that would lead to their position. Both SEALs looked at each other and ran out. They had to join the assault team for extraction.

To reach the landing zone, both teams had to cross a swampy area. By moving confidently and firmly, they were able to meet at the extraction point. They launched a smoke grenade and got into a circle to mutually protect each other. After seeing the helicopters in the air, Mirlo 3 understood that these six men had saved her life.