[center][h1]Part Six: The Planet Saver[/h1][/center]

[center][h1]10 Nautical Miles west of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain[/h1][/center]

[center][h1][color=8dc73f]Chuck Simmons AKA Boomer[/color][/h1][/center]

[center][h1]Fireteam Poseidon[/h1][/center]

[center][h2]0700 Local Time[/h2][/center]

Chuck hated leaving Duke behind but this was one mission that he was not suited for. In a way it was a relief knowing that Duke was far away from today's mission. He wouldn’t want Duke to accidentally run into any of this damn toxin. It felt weird to be on a mission without his dog. He needed to get his head in the game. He listened to the conversations going on around him as he pondered what this mission meant to the world. 

He thought about the weight of this mission and what they were trying to stop. He thought about his family back in the states who were clueless about the danger they were in just like most of the people in the world. Most people in the world had no idea about how often the world around them was put in danger and mortal peril for that danger to be stopped by cops, soldiers, mercenaries, first responders, and others who fought to protect those around them. Chuck was a fairly simple man. His father and grandfather had both served their country in the military. He had grown up with duty and protection as his creed and way of life. He did what he did so that the innocents in his life would never know the evils in the world that he fought to stop. He fought so that his nieces and nephews would have a better future. Chuck felt his resolve hardening. He would accomplish this mission. Raven Squad had no choice or the world was going to end taking everyone he cared about with it. 

Chuck felt the VTOL slowing and descending. He glanced across the aircraft at his teammates. Chuck’s eyes landed on Freya. The Battle Goddess was smiling and in her element. Chuck had never seen a more beautiful woman. There was a possibility that one or both of them might not come back from this mission. That was true of any mission they were on but this was more important and more dangerous than most. That thought saddened Chuck because he still wanted that date. 

His blue eyes lit with mischief as he stood and grabbed a hand strap as the VTOL began its descent. His helmet was under his arm as his eyes met Freya’s. 

[color=8dc73f]“Can this soldier get a kiss for luck from the Battle Goddess? I think it might help my chances to have the blessing of a goddess.”[/color] Chuck’s eyes danced with amusement and desire as he leaned towards Freya. Yeah he had it bad. But if this was his last chance to get that kiss, he was going to at least try. He paused there to see what her reaction was. He wouldn’t dare steal the kiss outright. He knew Freya could go toe to toe with him. He didn’t want her mad at him. 

[hr]

Just a few minutes later, Adam was giving the orders to begin the mission. 
[color=f7976a]"Alright, rebreathers on everyone. The SDV sinks, we sink faster. Get after it, hold on, and then we power on to the platform."[/color]

Evidently Ebrima had been tapped to play driver for their SDV. Chuck put his helmet on and locked it into place. He hooked up the oxygen tanks as his HUD powered up. He had the onboard AI check the suits seals. Satisfied when he saw green lights across the board that his armor was ready and sealed for the underwater environment. Chuck’s last underwater insertion mission had been done in a wetsuit with a dive tank and fins. His team had jumped out of a helicopter and swam to shore.  This will be different. He was bringing heavier firepower with him. 

Chuck joined Freya as they pushed the SDV out of the aircraft’s ramp as it splashed into the turbulent cold dark waters of the ocean. The craft floated rocking as it hit the surface of the ocean. Chuck’s armor had a ring of flotation devices around the perimeter of the suit to help with buoyancy and weight dispersion so that it would be easier for the SDV to drag all his weight along. Chuck, his suit, and all his gear probably easily weighed at least 1,000 pounds. That was a lot of weight to ask a SDV to tug along and he was not the only heavy on this mission. Chuck jumped off the ramp and triggered the button that would inflate all the small inflation ballast bags on his suit. They puffed up in a few seconds. He reached out and grabbed the handles on the SDV. 

[color=8dc73f]“Boomer is onboard and ready to ride.”[/color] 

Chuck laughed as Adam teased Ebrima that it worked just like a Volkswagen and to follow the user manual. Ebrima had settled into the cockpit of the SDV and it dove as he activated the craft's motors to help pull them below the waves and away from the turbulence at the sea’s surface. The world below the waves was calm and very dark. Chuck hesitated to turn the light on his helmet on but then Ebrima had turned on the headlights of the SDV to steer so he went ahead and turned on the small high powered lights on the ear sections of his helmet.  The murky underwater world lit up for a short space around them revealing fish and the silt and other debris churned up by their passing. 

Chuck held his position as the craft came to a stop. He waited for Adam’s orders to disembark and surface.