Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The Berlin Protection

A Lufthansa commercial air bus screeches across the skies 30,000 feet above the ground on the dawn of Tuesday. Most of the passengers were wide awake despite the time of the day due to different time zone. Everyone in the business class of the airplane were awake hours ago and they were occupied by either the latest in flight movies or their breakfast. The only passenger who was still in dream land was a rugged looking man in his early 20's. Tucked cozily behind a soft cushioned sofa with a thick fury blanket, the rugged man was sleeping with his jaw wide open which informed the flight attendants that this passenger was dead tired and was not to be bothered. Fortunate for him, his saliva was safely kept behind his mouth or he would risk presenting an uncivilized impression that might force the other passengers to wonder whether is he supposed to be in this "prestigious" flight class. As the man fully recovered his strength, he slowly opened his eyes and peeked out the plane's window. After loosening his blanket that had kept him warm for the past 15 hours, he stared at the small TV supported by a short metallic pole on the side of his sofa. Details regarding the approximate time to arrival, the local time at destination and other essential flight information were illuminated on the TV screen. "Slept well?" greeted a young lady with long hair in a formal working attire who was sitting next to the woken man. He combed his slightly messy hair with his fingers before replying to the lady next to him, "That was one of the best sleep I ever had this month, Michelle". She then continued, "Well, I'm glad you had a good one cos you're gonna need it for our next assignment, Shenji". Feeling slightly deemed for being reminded a long day ahead, Shenji frowned a little. "How long more before we touch down at Berlin?" questioned Shenji. "Another 2 more hours" replied Michelle. "Oh, thank God for that. I thought this flight was never going to end." Shenji sighed in a relief manner. He then later pulled himself up from his seat before taking a peek at two of the passengers sitting right in front of him and Michelle.

"What are you girls doing?" questioned the curious rugged man, looking at the girls whom were staring attentively at a shared laptop screen. "Oh hey, boss." greeted Chin Yen before she continued looking back at the laptop's screen. "We're reviewing the after action report on our mission back in L.A." Eugenia said. The screen of the laptop was playing 3 different recorded video simultaneously. Each recorded video was illustrated in a first person mode that looked like something out of a Counter-Strike or a first person shooter game; the videos were recorded by the high tech computerized goggles of the ICPU commandos which was a standard operation protocol for them. "So who scored the highest kills?" Shenji questioned eagerly hoping to be the winner for the team's previous mission in Los Angeles. "Well, it's not you this time, cowboy" chuckled Chin Yen mischievously as she derived the pleasure of delivering the bad news to Shenji. "Michelle is the winner for this round judging by the number of kills...not to mention the number of head shots she made" announced Eugenia in amazed. "Goddammit!" shrieked Shenji in disappointment. "Ha! In your face, Shenji!" taunted Michelle in joy before she traded high fives with Eugenia and Chin Yen. Shenji then reluctantly withdrew a hundred Euros from his wallet before handing them over to Michelle as he lost the bet. "Thank you," Michelle giggled happily. "More shopping for me in Germany" the victorious ICPU commando continued while counting her bills to make sure Shenji delivered his side of the bet without any short. " Well, don't forget our purpose of our trip" Shenji reminded. "So you're up for another round in Berlin?" Michelle questioned, hoping that Shenji will accept her challenge; conversely, Shenji just remained silence. "Aww...Don't tell me you've chickened out for good, boss?" Michelle teased sarcastically. "Fine, you're on. 200 Euros on the table for the next round" Shenji stood up courageously trying to preserve his challenged dignity. "Yeah sure, more shopping for me and more holes in your pocket for you when we're done in Berlin" Michelle laughed sinisterly in confidence. Shenji smiled in return, looking forward to their mission in Berlin. "Guys, you might want to check out channel 14" informed Eugenia. Shenji and Michelle put on their head sets before punching the channel buttons on the remote control which was located at the right hand rest of the sofa. The mini TV then played a news broadcast from the Central News Network(CNN) which immediately captured the attention of the ICPU commandos.

"Casualties continue to sky rocket at an alarming rate as the civil war in Nigeria escalates. The Nigerian government faces a great deal of pressure from the militia attacks conducted by the rebel forces knows as the New Nigerian Order (NNO) which is led by rogue General Yakubu Ajani. Once a decorated General in the Nigerian Armed Forces, General Yakubu Ajani was dispelled from his service due to allegations of treason. Not long after his expulsion, General Ajani then formed his own illegal political party which is now known as the NNO with the sole objective of replacing the democratic government of Nigeria. His famous propaganda entitled "The Hippocracy of Democracy" has influenced a large number of Nigerians to fight along his side. Human casualties were not the only victim of the militia attacks as foreign business interests have been compromised in response to the NNO's ideologies which also includes anti-capitalism. Nigeria, a country in the western region of Africa which is rich with labor force and lands for commercial investments has significant potential to be the next world economy icon ever since China and India. However with the emergence of another civil war, many economists share a similar conclusion---Nigeria will be years away before it can achieve a economical status similar to China and India. In response to the civil war, members of the United Nations Security Council has vowed to provide military aid to the Nigerian government which will be addressed later on at the General Assembly in Berlin, Germany. Despite Germany is not a permanent member of the security council, President Eisenberg has generously offered Berlin's House of International Dialogs as the chamber for the assembly to temporarily replace the United Nations Headquarters in New York that was devastated in the April 12th terrorist attacks. Jun Nam Choi, the current President of the United Nation Security Council will also address a contingency plan to evacuate all foreign business workers and visitors in Nigeria later at the assembly which will begin in 3 days time."

As the news ended, the flight P.A. beeped hoping to get the attention of the passengers. "This is the flight captain speaking, we will be arriving in Tegel International Airport in half an hour. The local time now in Berlin is 3:o5am and the current temperature is 2 degrees celcius. We appreciate your patience with us at Lufthansa airlines and in the meantime, please fill in the immigration cards which will be handed by our flight crews. Thank you." Shortly after the announcement ended, a cute German stewardess in a dark uniform with her long sultry hair tucked neatly behind her hat, approached Shenji. "Sir, here's the magazine you've requested for" said the polite and courteous stewardess. After blushingly thanking the nice stewardess, Shenji stared at her back admiring her beauty while she walked down the walk way slowly disappearing from his sight. "I didn't know you were into fashion magazines" Michelle wondered while looking at the cover of the magazine Shenji was holding. "Nah, I couldn't be bothered with today's garment trend" Shenji replied. "So you requested a magazine from that stewardess just to lust yourself on her?" Michelle teased sarcastically. "No, silly," Shenji gently hit Michelle on the head with the magazine before he withdrew a blu ray disc from the magazine. He then flashed the disc to Michelle. "What's that?" Michelle asked curiously. "That's what I want to know. Commander Rohwena reminded me to ask a copy of Tuch und Art (title of a German fashion magazine) from the stewardess at this hour of the flight. Let's check it out." Shenji explained. "Eugenia, pass over your laptop. We've got an update from the Commander" informed Michelle as she tapped Eugenia's head from behind. After passing over her laptop, Eugenia and Chin Yen joined their comrades who were sitting behind. As Shenji ran the disc, a recorded video of Commander Rohwena appeared.

"Good morning ladies and gentleman. I hope you've had a good rest throughout your 16 hours flight from Kuala Lumpur to Berlin. Before I begin, allow me to congratulate all of you for your outstanding job back in Los Angeles; Senator Hee and the LAPD are grateful for your help. Now as you are all aware, the Inter Continental Paramilitary Unit (ICPU) is a global flexible SWAT team or a tactical force developed by a joint effort of the United Nations Security Council and Interpol. This means that the unit is capable of being dispatch into combat from sea, air or land. It is also capable of conducting tactical operations regardless of the type of warfare. Like the unit's combat capabilities, the ICPU daily training program is also flexible which allows the operatives to train regardless of where they are. Therefore, your training today will encompass the techniques of High Altitude Low Opening (HALO). Now this is something that all of you have done more than once, so it should be a piece of cake. By this time of your flight, the Lufthansa commercial airbus has reached a suitable altitude that will facilitate your training requirements. Refer to the stewardess that handed you the disc and she will handover your HALO gears and guide you to the parachute ramp of the plane. Your HALO training will be recorded for evaluation purposes and monitored live from the computerized goggles. Begin your training immediately after this message ends. I am looking forward to seeing all of you in Germany later."

As the recorded message ended, the ICPU commandos immediately pull themselves up and started searching for the stewardess who handed Shenji the magazine. "What a knee slapper. I was planning to take a short nap." Chin Yen complained. "This isn't the girl scouts you know."reminded Eugenia who was rushing through the walkway of the plane. "C'mon ladies,time to hussle. If we're late for a minute, the difference in the altitude will jeopardize our training." Shenji warned as he portrayed the role of a leader. After the team discovered the stewardess, they were guided to a quiet empty compartment of the plane before being handed their HALO
gears. The team were hastily putting on their jump suits and strapping their standard ICPU issue of body armor, ballistic combat helmet with computerized goggles and an oxygen muffler. Geared up and good to go, the commandos stood by the parachute ramp in one straight line. "Hey, when was the last time you jumped?" Shenji chuckled at Michelle. "Don't remind me, Navy SEAL boy!" Michelle warned. Everyone noticed her trembling in fear as she was never comfortable of heights. That was one of the main reason she chose State Protection Group (the Australian version of SWAT) over SASR (Special Air Service Regiment) years before she joined ICPU. On the other hand, Shenji was a seasoned veteran when it came to sky diving as he served in the SEALs long before he joined ICPU. As for Eugenia and Chin Yen, despite their fresh start on special ops, the fact that they did sky diving a couple of times for recreational purposes equipped them the sufficient courage to jump. "Have a nice jump" the German stewardess wished awkwardly as she never thought of facilitating "services" like these in her career. The second, she pulled the lever, the parachute ramp opened and the jump light flashed green. The rushing air that trembled the jump ramp forced the stewardess to hang onto something or risk getting sucked out. "Thank you, ma'am" Shenji thanked the stewardess. Usually he wouldn't bother thanking people for such petty help but the fact that the stewardess attracted him to the extent of making him blush every time he sees her, Shenji was persuaded to fake his gratefulness in the hope of seeing her smile. Lucky for him, the Lufthansa stewardess returned a sweet smile; Shenji was glued to the ground procrastinating his jump so that he could cherish every single second looking at his favorite stewardess. "Stop day dreaming, Navy SEAL" said Michelle, before shoving Shenji off the parachute ramp suddenly. Having pushed out of a plane without getting ready startled Shenji for a second, but as he managed to get back into a suitable diving position, he worried less. The remaining commandos got themselves ready and when the next jump light turned green, Michelle braced herself before throwing her body out from the plane. Eugenia and Chin Yen were next and they jumped without hesitating at all. The both of them screamed in excitement as they were sucked by gravity, flying down at a very fast speed. The commandos made it into Germany not entirely by a commercial plane but also by free falling.

Gravity rushed them down with the speed of lightning. In the middle of his HALO, Shenji activated his cross comm on his computerized goggle to reach his teammates. "Team, report in"Shenji ordered. "This is Eugenia, cross com signal clear". "Chin Yen here, all clear". "Michelle here...I think I'm okay". Minutes later, the commandos pulled their chute open and they were dragged back by their deployed parachute; their speed sharply decreased and they were hanging in the air slowly approaching the ground from a couple of thousand feet above. The cold weather greeted the team and they started to shiver in discomfort. "Welcome to Germany, team" Chin Yen added while she viewed the environment around her enjoying the early morning country side scenery of Germany. "It's...beautiful" Michelle complimented while she witnessed the plains filled with green grasses which were shadowed by the darkness of the dawn. As their boots reached the ground, they picked themselves up and folded their gargantuan chute. The leader of the ICPU commando didn't enjoyed the country beauty of Germany, instead he immediately toggled the computer system in his computerized goggle trying to locate their current coordinates while his teammates secured their landing point. "Shit, we've got unidentified targets approaching our position" alarmed Chin Yen as her goggles illuminated multiple red dots approaching their position on her virtual schematics of the terrain they were on. "Fuck!" Shenji cursed in panic as the only weapon he had with him was an Mk 23 side arm. "Team, report your weapon status"ordered the terrified leader. "I'm only armed with a Glock 18...just a clip...which is in my gun" Michelle reported at the same time cocking her gun and checking her empty magazine pouches. "Just a fully loaded M92F pistol and a couple of flash bangs" reported Eugenia. "Dammit! How the fuck are we going to defend ourselves with pistols?" Shenji wondered. "Wasn't this suppose to be a HALO training exercise only?" Michelle asked. "It was a couple of minutes ago...Now it's something else" Shenji replied while keeping an eye out. "Chin Yen, report your weapon status" ordered the team leader. "Boss, I've got an M4A1 with me. Equipped with aim point optical sights. Just one mag though" Chin Yen reported. Shenji paused for a second trying to produce a plan in his head that would keep his team and him alive. He then came up with one that he hopes will save him and his squad. "Chin Yen, trade your rifle with Michelle" ordered Shenji. As Michelle caught the rifle being tossed by Chin Yen, she stared at Shenji in cofusion. "Hey sharpshooter, since you won the bet earlier, you'll be our rifle man for now. Take your position at that tree now. It'll make a good cover and an OP (observation point)" Shenji said. " The rest of you, stay low and dig deep. We can't afford to get spotted" Shenji continued. "Roger that" replied Chin Yen and Eugenia who were placing their utmost trust on their team leader. Shenji immediately laid behind a small pile of rocks; the small openings between the rocks allowed him to keep a brief eye on any incoming enemies. Eugenia hid herself behind an old rusty abandoned truck with a Berretta in her grip. As for Chin Yen, she hid herself behind a big pile of straws that belong to a straw mill not far away from their position. Michelle who was up on the tree, fully concealed by the thick branches and leaves started looking down the aim point of the M4A1. "Team, the tangos could be here any moment so listen up. Michelle, keep us inform of the enemy's movements. Eugenia, get your flash bangs ready. Chin Yen, stay low and wait for further orders." ordered Shenji. "Got it, boss" answered the three of them. The sounds of footsteps on the green grass were heard, the team knew that they had visitors. The ICPU commandos switched their goggles to night vision for a better view as the sun of dawn was not bright enough.

"I've got targets in sight" reported Michelle who was controlling her breath to stabilize her supporting arms of the rifle. "Hold your fire, Michelle" Shenji ordered quietly as he didn't wanted to risk having his position exposed. He then toggled his computerized goggle to obtain the computer window that would allow him to see what Michelle was seeing. As he accessed Michelle's "eyes", he started observing his visitors carefully. There were six of them and they were equipped with balaclavas, body armors and H&K assault rifles. Their movements were so systematic and they had their entire team covered in 360 degrees. It was clear to the ICPU commandos, that their hunters had special ops background. "How the fuck did they know we were here, boss?" Michelle asked while still keeping her sights on her targets. "And who the fuck are they, exactly?" she continued. "Michelle, zoom onto their arm patch."ordered Shenji. He could then clearly view the arm patches of the hunters through Michelle's zoomed in eyes. "They're GSG 9!" whispered the team leader. "GSG 9?" asked Chin Yen curiously. "Grenzschutzgruppe 9. They're counter-terrorist tactical units" Eugenia explained. "Should we show ourselves as friendlies?" Chin Yen suggested. "Negative. Judging by their awareness and their group's offensiveness, they would accidentally filled us with bullets if we just show ourselves" Shenji explained. "Here's the plan," he continued. " As the GSGs reach 15 feet from my position, Eugenia will toss a flash bang. From then, we will pop up, corner them and forced them to drop their weapons when they're stunned. Michelle will inform us the distances between them and us. Is that clear?" Shenji asked. "Roger that, boss" the girls replied while bracing themselves hoping that Shenji's plan will save all of them.

"20 feet" Michelle reported. "17 feet, get ready team" she continued. "Eugenia, now!" she alerted. Immediately, Eugenia tossed a flash bang from her side at the incoming GSG 9. The loud sudden explosion stunned the GSGs and with the speed of light, Shenji, Eugenia and Chin Yen popped from their cover before charging at the disoriented German commandos. " Tropfen Ihr Waffe. Tun sie es jetzt !(Drop your weapons. Do it now!)" ordered Shenji as he aimed his Mk 23 sidearm at the GSGs who were about to regain their senses. "Wir habe sie umgeben, nicht all eilig ( We have you surrounded, don't do anything hasty)" warned Eugenia. "Tropfen Ihr Waffe (Drop your weapons!)" ordered Chin Yen who had her Glock aimed at them. "Wir lassen unsere Waffen, schießen nicht fallen! (We're dropping our weapons, don't shoot!)" one of them informed while placing his rifle on the ground. The rest of them did the similar thing and they kept their hands high in the air while Chin Yen collected their weapons. What thought to be a victorious ambush, turned out ironically to back fire when two black Enforced Comanche helicopters ( the upgraded version of the Comanche attack helicopters) appeared in the skies. The choppers had the words Polizei (Police) on it and the team was shun with the blaring lights from both of the choppers. The choppers weren't the only one ambushing the ICPU team as half a dozen of Humvees stormed into their presence. "Fuck, we're ambushed!" Eugenia panicked while aiming her rifle at her ambushers. "Hold your fire, team!" ordered Shenji who was pointing the confiscated H&K rifle at the choppers. "Oh God..." Michelle cried from a far as she was still concealed in the trees. "Boss, I've got clear targets, let me take them down" Michelle suggested in fear. "Negative, hold your fire!" Shenji repeated. More GSG 9 commandos appeared from their Humvees before surrounding the ICPU commandos. They had their rifles red dots on the team and they fiercely ordered the them to drop their weapons. "Wir sind Interpol offiziere, schießen nicht! (We're Interpol officers, don't shoot)" Shenji informed as he had his hands up. Chin Yen and Eugenia did exactly the same to save themselves from getting killed mistakenly.A familiar voice then appeared among the GSG commandos ordering them to lower their weapons; a 5 feet middle age lady in a green commander uniform then appeared. "Welcome to Berlin, team" greeted the lady who was then identified as Commander Rohwena. Shenji and his squad were relief and very grateful to witness the presence of their commander in a critical situation like this; they felt as if they were saved...by an elder lady. "Team, congratulations on your successful HALO jump. I'm glad to see everyone of you alive. What amazed me more was the fact that all of you managed to ambush the hunting party with only a sidearm and a petty amount of ammunition. Your tactical and strategical prowess has truly captured our admiration. Amazing job, team" complimented the Commander. "Thank you, Commander" the team replied. After an unusual welcome to Germany, the team boarded the Commander's SUV with a great sense of relief.

Three days later at the German Interpol briefing room at 11 in the morning. The ICPU commandos weren't the only inhabitants of the room as several members of GSG 9 operatives were taking their seats waiting for their briefing. All of them knew that today was the United Nations General Assembly which will be held later on at Berlin's House Of International Dialogs. The ICPUs were trading warm friendly conversations with their GSG counterparts to orientate themselves with whom they will be working with later on. Surprising to the ICPU commandos, they discovered that many of their GSG counterparts could converse fluently in English. Minutes later on, Commander Rohwena appeared into the briefing room . The once noisy room turned silence as the inhabitants were ready to dedicate their full attention to the Commander. After stacking a couple of A4 papers onto the speech table and putting on her reading glasses, she began her briefing. "Good morning ladies and gentleman, as you are all aware, delegates from the United Nations member countries will be attending the General Assembly at the House Of International Dialogs in a couple of hours time. As obvious as it may sound, your role for today's operational theater involves V.I.P. protection. However, allow me to remind you that there are a hundreds of V.I.P.s that requires our security; therefore, this will not be any ordinary V.I.P. protection. Furthermore, with an anticipated huge amount of protesters or supporters gathering outside the House, an assassination attempt that can go undetected is very possible. Consequently, a systematic and a planned protection program is essential during your operation out there. Now as you are all aware, there are a couple of unfamiliar faces in this briefing room; rest assure that these operatives are members from the Interpol that will be assisting all of you out there. These men are not less than you as they are highly trained in special operations and have a wealthy experience in unconventional warfare. The reason they are dispatch to collaborate their effort with you is due to the international profile of these V.I.P delegates. I strongly urge that all of you will communicate frequently with these men during the operation in order to produce an efficient action out there. Before I continue, are there any questions?" the commander asked. Seeing that nobody interrupted for the first 10 seconds, the commander continued. "A couple of days ago, Interpol intelligence intercepted a communication transmission from an unknown origin. The transmission was in a form of a conversation between two unidentified male parties conversing in English. Their conversation featured plans to wreck havoc at the House of International Dialogs during the day of the assembly. We have no idea what do they mean when they said "wreck havoc"; for all we know, it could be a plan to ignite an aggresive riot outside the House or worst---to assassinate members of the United Nation delegates. The intercepted transmission has placed the German police on full alert. Additional members of the GSG 9 and bomb squads have been deployed earlier on at the House. So far, we haven't recieved any reports of threat from either the police, GSGs or the bomb squad. Interpol and German officials are assuming that it could be an instigation of riot by a couple of nobodies or street hooligans based on the threat report; in response to that, additional riot police have been dispatched outside the House. However, I wouldn't take any chances of assuming that it is a plan to instigate a riot. For all we know, the April 12th attacks could repeat again, therefore, I urge all of you to be very caution out there. Are there any questions before I end the briefing?" the Commander asked again. Like before, the room was silence as there were nothing to inquire about due to the crystal clear briefing that the Commander made. "Okay then, load up and get ready for deployment!" Commander Rohwena ordered before she left the room. After the ICPU commandos geared up, they headed for the heliport of the Interpol building. The sight of the Mi-24 Hind helicopter greeted the team; already fired up, the pilot in the chopper gave them the signal to board. The pilot welcomed them on board, "Welcome aboard, commandos. I am Alina Beike and I will be your pilot for today". The team then noticed the pilot was a female as they couldn't recognize her gender due to the pilot helmet which shadowed her face and the big pilot jump suit that hid her body figure. "It's a pleasure to be on you flight, ma'am" Shenji replied. "The pleasure is all mine, sir. It's an honor to fly with the elite members of the ICPU. Before I forget, your armaments are all located at the rear of the chopper" informed Alina. The huge gun ship then carried the commandos to their operational theater.

Throughout the flight, the team was loading their fire arms with ammos before cocking them up. They were checking their sights alignment and making sure that the grip was perfect. They strapped on belts of magazines and did some light stretching. Shenji then tried to reach the Commander via his cross comm feature of his computerized goggles. As the image of Commander Rohwena appeared, he initiated a request. "Commander, this is Shenji" he informed. "Go ahead" the Commander said. "Can you send me a copy of the conversation that Interpol intercepted?" Shenji requested. "Sure, give me a few second" the Commander agreed. "Boss, why do you need that?" asked Eugenia. "Their voices and accents might narrow our list of suspects to watch for later on outside the House" Shenji explained. His computerized goggles then beeped the moment the copy of the conversation was send. "Thanks, Commander" he said before he played the conversation. The conversation wasn't long; in fact, it was short and simple; not to mention the presence of static made it difficult to listen. Despite several obtsacles presented, Shenji continued to listen attentively. "Both of the parties have some slang to it..." Shenji said. Chin Yen then played the recorded conversation on her goggles and then interrupted, "One of them is somewhere from an African country and the other...somewhere from Europe?". "The other party is from Russia" Eugenia concluded. "What makes you so sure?" Michelle questioned. "I've spoken to a lot of Russians during my Interpol service; that's how I know. He's got to be Russian" Eugenia explained. "Damn...Please don't tell me that African voice belonged to someone working for the NNO" Shenji worried. "Oh fuck..." Chin Yen added. "Are you telling me that the NNO are instigating some Russian punk to start a riot outside the House?" asked Michelle. "No that would be a waste of time for the NNO. I'm thinking that the NNO's hired a group of Russian mercenaries to strike the General Assembly" Shenji speculated in fear. " Commandos, we are reaching the insertion point ETA 10 minutes" interrupted the pilot. As the team got themselves ready, the girls continued listening to Shenji's speculation. "With fear and terror at the assembly, the NNO will "convince" the members of the United Nations Security Council to stay the fuck away from the NNO's war. It all make sense." Shenji continued. "We've got to inform the rest about this." Chin Yen warned. As the chopper approach the House, the pilot's attention got distracted by two police Enforced Comanche flying at a low altitude. "What the hell is this? No one told me that there will be additional helicopters dispatch to the House...and for fuck's sake, why are they flying so low." Alina wondered. The team then peeked at the window and shared Alina's confusion. All of a sudden, blinding flash flares shot out from the side tail of the Comanche helicopters; the team was thrown back and they were covering their eyes.

"Ahhh...what the fuck?" screamed Shenji in pain. " My eyes..." Michelle continued while small drops of tears poured out from her eyes. As Eugenia slowly regained her eye sights, she peeked down the window and witness a horrifying massacre. Four vans smashed through the police barricade at the same time tossing gas grenades out. As the foggy black mist of the grenades blurred and confused the police officers out there, the occupants of the vans came out and started blazing their assault rifles. The supporters outside the House left in fear and terror; however, some of them became victims of random shots. GSG operatives started firing in return but they missed most of the time as the enemies were shadowed behind the misty black fog. The Mi 24 Hind helicopter the team was in recieved a couple of slugs in the process; Alina immediately maneuvered the chopper to avoid further hits. The Enforced Comanche choppers fired their missiles on the patrol cars and GSG vans on the ground killing more police officers and civilians. The blinded GSG snipers who were taking watch on the nearby buildings became the victims of the Comanche's machine guns. "Take this you fuckers!" screamed Alina before she ripped one of the Comanches with the gun ship's gattling gun. "Nice shot!" complimented Eugenia as she witnessed one of the police attack choppers burn and crash in flames. "Oh fuck! RPG! (Rocket Propelled Grenade)" screamed Alina; it was too late for her to evade as the rocket struck the tail of the Mi-24 Hind. The team was violently thrown forward and they crashed onto each other. "Brace yourselves, we are going down!" warned Alina as she struggled to balance the chopper. The helicopter was circling in air as the tail was gone; the team held onto something and braced themselves. "Oh God..." Alina muffled as she realized that the helicopter was about to crash into the ground. "This is it..." whispered Shenji as he closed his eyes getting ready to submit himself to his fate. A loud crash was heard together with terrifying screams of his teammates and everything went dark.

"Wake up!"those were the words Shenji heard playing softly in his ears. "Please...don't die on me! Wake up!" those words continued playing. All of a sudden, a strong impulse struck Shenji and he began to slowly open his eyes. As he regain his consciousness, an intense pain burned in Shenji's head. He screamed in pain while grabbing his head tightly. "You'll be just fine, relax my friend" a blonde German girl with short hair in a black tactical gear helped Shenji to sit up. "Just hold still, you're almost done" said the girl as she made the last bandage wrap around his bloody head. "Ahhh...Michelle...Eugenia...Chin Yen, where are you?" screamed Shenji as he looked around before he struggled to pick himself up. "Whoa, calm down. Your teammates are alright," the girl pointed at Shenji's teammates who were lying on the ground not far away from the crashed helicopter. They were breathing but unconscious. " I don't think they are fit to continue their operation" the girl said while observing Shenji's knocked out teammates. "Goddammit...How bout the pilot? Is she okay?" he asked before checking out the chopper's cockpit. To his sorrow and anger, he discovered that the pilot was stuck behind the cockpit. She was lying at her seat motionless with her helmet's visor cracked open. The scene just look awfully bloody. "Oh God..." Shenji mumbled in sorrow. The girl then placed her hand on his shoulder feeling sorry for him and the mutilated pilot. "...Who are you?" Shenji asked at the same time wiping his tears from his dirty rugged face. "I am Corporal Hiltraud Aachen, a GSG operative. You must be ICPU, right?" the Corporal introduced herself. "That's a positive, Corporal. What's the situation in the House?" Shenji asked. "Our GSG 9 are holding the gunmen back. However, they're not doing so well...We're losing a lot of people in there. Sir, are you fit to fight?" questioned Hiltraud. "Don't worry about me," Shenji convinced the corporal while he cocked his M4A1 assault rifle. "We've got to get the delegates out" he said. "Very well, paramedics are on route to take care of your friends. We must hurry or there won't be any delegates to save" reminded the corporal as she cocked her MP5 . The both of them then hurried to the House not far away from the crash site.

A few hundred feet away from the House, the roads were barricaded with shot up cars and vans. There were bodies of police officers and civilians soaked with blood lying motionless on the ground. A couple of gunmen were seen hiding behind the abandoned cars armed with assault rifles. Shenji and Hiltraud dug deep to avoid detection; at that same time, Commander Rohwena called in. As Shenji, activated his goggles, a video image of the Commander appeared. "Shenji, give me a sit wrap on your current situation". "Commander, my entire squad is out of commission. Some RPG took our chopper down I'm alright but the rest of them are seriously wounded. Medical assistance are en route to evacuate them, though." Shenji regretfully reported. "On the way to our insertion point, we came across the Enforced Comanche helicopters that belonged to the police. They opened fired on us and created a massacre outside the House" he continued. "German officials have reported that an organized assault was conducted on a police station not long ago by a group of unidentified gunmen. That explains how they got the police choppers to obliterate the ground forces" the commander explained. "I'm thinking they're Russians," Shenji suggested. "Psst...Sir, we've got incomings" Hiltraud whispered. "Commander, I've gotta go. Somethings coming up" Shenji whispered before he went offline with the Commander. The approaching gunmen were unaware of of the both of them; Shenji lobbed a flashbang over at the feet of the gunmen. As it exploded, Shenji and the corporal popped up from their cover before projecting rifle slugs at the stunned gunmen. As the bad guys drop dead to the ground, both of them immediately advanced to the nearest cover which was an abandoned GSG truck. More gunmen appeared and they opened fired on the duos. The both of them were heavily pinned down and they had difficulty advancing further. "Corporal, I'll cover for fire. Get ready!" Shenji suggested. The corporal got into position and waited for the ICPU commando's green light. After reloading a fresh clip into his M4 rifle, Shenji returned suppressing fire before giving Hiltraud the green light to go. Hiltraud dashed immediately behind a destroyed police car before returning fire. She lobbed a High Explosive grenade to force the gunmen into cover before informing Shenji to advance to his nearest cover. The gunmen re emerged again and violently projected more slugs at the corporal. The corporal's cover was deteriorating and soon it will not protect her anymore; consequently, Shenji had to came up with a plan fast or risk losing his ally. The second he spotted a leaking fuel tank from an abandoned car, he thought of an idea. Immediately, Shenji send a bullet to the leaking fuel that was around the gunmen. As the bullet struck the surface of the oily floor, the flames of hell emerged and the gunmen were incinerated slowly to their deaths. Shenji immediately approached Hiltraud and helped her up. "Are you okay?" Shenji asked in concern. "Yes, thank you. We must hurry into the House for we are running out of time." the corporal replied before she dust the pieces of glasses and dusts of her vest. Shenji and Hiltraud then continued their way into the House; they cleared the lobby of the House to make sure there were no hostiles.

"All clear" Shenji reported while keeping his guard high. "No signs of the delegates here, though" Hiltraud informed. In the middle of their way up to the first floor, the duos were alarmed by a footstep. Hiltraud immediately turned around with her MP5 and demanded the mysterious figure to freeze. "Wait please don't shoot!" begged a middle age man in a formal suit. "Hands up, do it now!" demanded Shenji who was pointing his rifle at the man. "I'm Shiro Takeda, an ambassador from Japan. Please don't shoot" the man pleaded in mercy. Hiltraud and Shenji lowered their weapon as they approached the Japanese delegate when all of a sudden more gunmen appeared behind him. "Get down!" warned Shenji as he raised his rifle back again. The gunmen launched a bullet through the chest of the Japanese delegate. Hiltraud immediately dropped herself down and fired her sub machine gun before she crawled back behind a turned over desk. A couple of gunmen were killed in the process, conversely the gunmen didn't cease firing at the duos. The Japanese delegate dropped to the ground struggling in pain while gripping hard on his chest. He was spitting blood out from his mouth and his body was jerking violently. "Cover me, corporal. I'm going in!" ordered Shenji. The corporal continued blazing her MP5 while the ICPU commando reached for the wounded delegate. Shenji then dragged the delegate back behind cover at the same time, the corporal continued suppressing fire. "Fuck, I'm out!" informed Hiltraud as she threw down her empty MP5. She immediately drew her Desert Eagle side arm and returned fire. "You've....you've got....help my colleagues...." the Japanese man choked on his own blood. "It's okay sir, I've got you. You're going to be fine" Shenji comforted. He held his left palm on the man's wounded chest to prevent him from further bleeding. "...Third floor...help them..."those were the last words of the Japanese delegates before he died. "Oh God...No...Not again" Shenji broke down in tears as he witnessed another innocent dead in his arms. "Sir, snap the fuck out! He's dead, there's nothing you can do about it" said the Corporal before she returned more fire with her soon depleted gun. "You better pick up your rifle and start fighting back or it's going to be us, sir" she continued at the same time sliding in her last magazine into her Desert Eagle. Shenji got himself back together and joined in the firefight after picking his M4A1 up. The both of them were taking heavy fire and they were forced back into a small administrative office in the lobby. "Shit! I'm completely dry" informed Hiltraud as her Desert Eagle's reloader slammed back. "Take my sidearm from my right thigh" ordered the ICPU commando who was returning fire. Without wasting any time, the corporal immediately took the Mk 23 pistol from Shenji's thigh and returned fire. More gunmen were killed but there were still a lot of them. "Fuck, they're everywhere!" screamed Shenji as he immediately turned around and fired his rifle. "Yeah, tell me about it" chuckled the Corporal who was changing her magazine. A bullet then struck Shenji in his back shoulder; he immediately dropped down and grunted in pain. "Ahhh fuck!....Ahhh!" he grunted. "Sir!" Hiltraud immediately dropped down and approached the ICPU commando. "I'm alright, I'm alright...It got my vest.Don't stop firing"ordered Shenji who was grabbing his wounded back shoulder. "I wish I could continue, but I'm completely out again" she smiled. "You've gotta be kidding me, Corporal" Shenji chuckled. "Take my rifle," Shenji suggested. "...and smack them in the head with it?" the Corporal joked while checking the empty barrel of the M4A1. She then looked back and continued, "It's a good day to die today isn't it, sir?". Shenji's eyes watered again as he never thought his days was about to be over. The gunmen were still viciously firing despite the duos stopped returning fire. Back behind the shattered office, the corporal and the ICPU commando just sat back and awaited their fate. "Don't worry, sir. I've got your back" she continued. The gunmen ceased firing and they approached the crumbled administrative office slowly in an organize pattern. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Corporal" Shenji said. "By the way, my name is Shenji" he continued as he saw one of the gunmen with a shot gun approaching. "Likewise Shenji," replied the Corporal. The gunmen then cocked his shotgun and said, "Die, you pigs!". "Hey scheisser (shit), it's you who's going to die" a GSG 9 operative suggested. He then pulled the trigger of his Glock side arm which projected a bullet into the gunman's skull. The other gunmen then looked at him and to their surprise, that GSG operative had a team with him all armed to the bottom. They opened fired on the remaining gunmen taking no prisoners. "Corporal, are you alright?" the GSG operative in balaclava and tactical clothing asked while saluting. "I'm fine, private. You and your team came just in time. Good job" Hiltraud complimented after she got herself up from the ground. "Thank you, ma'am" replied the proud GSG private. Shenji collected the SIG Commando rifle from one of the the slaughtered gunman's hand before informing the others that the delegates are held hostage at the third floor of the House.

A platoon of GSG 9 accompanied the Corporal and the ICPU commando to the third floor. They heard screams and mumbles in terror coming from a conference room not far away from the stairs they came up from. As they approach the door of the conference, Shenji signal his counter parts to hold their position."Hold" Shenji whispered quietly. Hiltraud, informed the rest of the platoon to paused their movements and provide cover. The ICPU commando then sneaked in a snake cam under the conference room's doors; the camera provided "eyes" for the commando through his PDA. Shenji witnessed several dozens of petrified U.N. delegates who were at the mercy of the gunmen. He later spotted a big glass window in the conference room which presented a tactical idea to him. "Corporal, I need some of your men to rapple through this window."Shenji requested quietly as he showed his PDA to the Hiltraud. "Got it!" the Corporal agreed before ordering some of her teammates to stack up at the windows. One of the gunmen in the room forced a camera man to activate his video camera by pointing a gun to his head. Fearfully, the camera man obeyed and he started recording with his huge video camera. A small plasma TV hanging on the ceiling at the 3rd floor played a live recording from the conference room in the House; the camera man was recording a life broadcast. "Fuck...those lunatics are going to broadcast a live execution in the conference room" the Corporal stammered in panic. "Everyone, stack up!" Shenji ordered. The ICPU commando and his GSG 9 counterparts immediately got into an assault position. "Shenji, the rappel team are in position. We are waiting for your go" Hiltraud informed. Meanwhile, behind the walls of the conference room, the leader of the gunmen began his speech in front of the camera.

"The Nigerian civil war does not concern the Americans, the British or any other countries. It is Nigeria's own affairs and the New Nigerian Order does not tolerate any foreign interference. As a result of the United Nations ignorance and nosy behavior, incidents like the April 12th attacks occur and it is about to happen again. This time it is going to be here in Germany" the Russian gunmen leader announced in front of the camera. He then ordered his teammates in Russian to get ready to open fire on the delegates. The delegates shrieked in fear and each of them begged repeatedly for mercy. "General Ajani hopes that this public execution which will be telecast globally will serve as a lesson to the United Nations and other countries to stay away from Nigeria's political affairs. Let this be the second and the last lesson for the United Nations." the Russian gunmen concluded. Just as he was about to commenced the execution, a group of GSG 9 operatives stormed into the room after tossing in a flashbang. Another team rappelled into the room via the windows for further enforcement before taking out the gunmen. A figure of an ICPU commando then appeared on screen; he fiercely ordered the Russian leader to surrender. Petrified, the Russian gunmen dropped his weapon, went on his knees and placed his hands on his head. The Corporal then restrained the leader in plastic straps before leading him out of the room. The onslaught of violence and terror was over and the GSG operatives escorted the remaining delegates out of the House. What thought to be a public broadcast of execution turned out to be a special operation rescue which threw the viewing world into relief and joy.

The next day.

"The United Nations General Assembly in response to the civil war in Nigeria came to a halt when a group of gunmen organized an assault on the House Of International Dialogs in Berlin yesterday at 2 pm. 35 unarmed supporters and nearly 70 police officers were killed in yesterday's assault. 17 delegates from Japan,China, France, America, England and Malaysia were reported to be the casualties of yesterday's assault. What thought to be a public execution of the captured delegates turned out to be a successful rescue attempt when members of Germany's elite counter-terrorist units stormed in to neutralize the life threatening situation. All gunmen except the leader were reported to be killed in the rescue attempt yesterday. The leader of the gunmen who was later identified to be Ivan Akhatova by German intelligence was known to be a former member of the GRU, Russia's Special Forces that has been in operational ever since the Cold War. German intelligence has also discovered that Ivan Akhatova and his gunmen were affiliated with a Russian criminal mercenary sect known as the Red Sickle, which is known for numerous assassination, robbery and kidnapping cases throughout the Eurasia regions. Interpol was shock to learn that the Red Sickle mercenary sect has extended their services to a political level. What surprised the world audience was General Ajani's bold actions and threats against the members of the United Nations. His threating claims against the United Nations was officially true when the NNO transmitted a recorded video of General Ajani declaring his war on the United Nations earlier today. Political analysts has regarded the General to be over confident and foolish seeing that his claims and his declaration of war on the U.N. has turned the majority of countries in the world against him. Jun Nam Choi, the current President of the United Nation Security Council has inform that the United Nations will continue their efforts to aid the Nigerian government in the fight against the NNO despite, the life threatening attacks in Berlin yesterday. He added that if the United Nations decided to cease their provision of aid, they (United Nations) will be allowing terrorism to happen. In response to his decision, peacekeeping missions in Nigeria will commence in 2 weeks time."

As the first headline of the Central News Network ended, Shenji switched off the telivision. He turned around and approached his ICPU teammates who were lying on the hospital beds. They were heavily wrapped in bandages like mummies and each of them had a neck and leg supporter. "You did a great job yesterday, boss" Eugenia complimented. "I couldn't have done it if it wasn't for my German friend over here" Shenji replied while he smiled at Corporal Hiltraud who was standing next to him. "Anyway I've gotta catch my flight. You girls look fucked up, you all better rest" Shenji added sarcastically. "Yeah, get the fuck out of here, boss" Michelle chuckled. "Oh yeah, I believe you owe me 200 Euros. Don't forget to pay me when you could move those broken fingers of yours, Michelle" Shenji reminded her mischeviously before he and the Corporal left. "That motherfucker..."Michelle complained while both Eugenia and Chin Yen giggled quietly. At the departure gate of Tegel International Airport, Shenji was ready to leave for Malaysia. "So I guess this is it huh?" he said. "Yeah, I guess this is where we go our separate ways." the Corporal said. "Anyway, it was a real blast working with you. Thank you very much, Corporal" said Shenji. "The pleasure is all mine, Shenji" Hiltraud insisted before they both traded hugs. In the middle of their emotional moments, Shenji's PDA beeped. "Oh damn, excuse me for a while Corporal" Shenji said. He activated his PDA and answered a video call from Commander Rohwena. "Shenji, there's a slight change in your flight plan, you will be joining Peter's squad on a mission to Nigeria. Be prepared" informed the Commander. Shenji was speechless after ending his video conversation with his commander. What thought to be a long weekend for him turned out to be another long day of work. "I guess you're gonna have to work overtime huh?" the Corporal laughed. "Well, that's ICPU for me." said Shenji. The both of them traded hug for the last time before they separated.

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