Somewhere in a S.A.S. Facility.
0600 Hours.
0600 Hours.
There was a long flight for some of them, maybe even a bit of a drive with a banter ridden driver spitting back and forth with an operator. One thing was for sure though, this would be the first time these operators were to meet as a team. Formally they might have met and maybe on assignments together in one way or another, but today they were meeting with the S.A.S. Operators from Rainbow Six and their captain.
He was a young man for sure, but he had been a part of the program among other operators. Twenty and four years of age, fully uniformed with gear set and ready. Strapped upon his body was his flak armor attachments. Each piece slid on and tightened with curves designed to redirect some of the explosive with a hard outside to reduce the effectiveness of fragmented death.
"Apollo Hernandez. You don't look like a bloody god to me."
"No sir."
"And you've been put to task with this lot?"
"It's what the captain and Seven wanted, sir."
"Bloody hell. I know he sees something in ya, but for fucks sakes you lot could use a real mentor."
Apollo closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in and exhaling before prying his eyes open. "I think you're aware of what I endured, sir. I want to be here. I've served in disasters. What happened in Houston..."
"I know. Don't let this go all to cock."
"Sir?"
"Nothing. Your mates are here. Go on, give a good show."
As Thatcher moved back to join Smoke, Apollo took his place upon the stage. He took a deep breath. His eyes tracked the recruited Rainbow Seven operators. The Hispanic saw lives with potential. He saw brave men willing to put themselves in danger's way to save the lives of the innocent. Willing to protect vital assets, and trained to be the best. He had no doubt in his mind that if he wasn't here leading this meeting, Hermes would. Rainbow Seven was an experiment, for sure, but without any doubt it was an experiment that would allow team Rainbow to respond to a specific division as well as emergencies as they occurred.
Apollo waited for the group to be seated to begin. A quiet inhale giving him the energy to begin.
"Good morning, gentlemen. My name is Apollo Hernandez. Operator callsign: Flak. I'm sure you know why we're all here. From every corner of the world we look for the best. We look for men and women capable of assessing situations and reacting appropriately. You all bring your own unique talents to our team. I am joined today by two operators from our sibling branch Rainbow Six. Even I was unaware of their existence until recently. I'm sure for those of you who might be fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, enough to know them you know what they are capable of on a base level. They've served in many flawless operations and are considered some of the best within Rainbow Six. I tell you this to let you know that you are under the supervision of the best. We would accept nothing less and are humbled to be graced with their presence." He had turned briefly to the S.A.S. operators, the gentlemen simply standing in silence for the time being. However, given their experience and posture, silence spoke more than words ever needed to.
"I've said plenty already, so I think now is a fine time to introduce yourselves and I encourage it as I want you to consider Rainbow Seven as your new family. You will, of course, be allowed to go home when the all clear is given. So, please, give your callsign and whatever you'd like to tell us from left to right. You don't have to give your name as I have done."
After the basic introductions were finished the operators were given mandatory packs detailing a basic overview of the national threat that they were dealing with. The White Masks. A terrorist organization which fought for their supremacy and, under the ideas of what they openly broadcast, was not always for just cause. In fact, they were rather inconsistent and contradictory on what they sought after. One day it was a case of overturning and the next day an objective of greed. The day after may have been a case of protecting powers and another of simply killing for the sake of culling the weak. Many operated to create chaos. Many infiltrated locations to manipulate statistics. More invaded towns and cities to lay fire to buildings and gas to the defenseless. Details of their standard equipment and general skill level made them tough for any civilian, perhaps even police officer, but not for the specialists of Rainbow Seven. It was Seven's hope that the grand warriors they brought in would be capable of eliminating the White Masks and, more so, their desired targets.
Rainbow Seven was built to hunt down the White Masks, yes, but the Silver Octopus Legion were another threat altogether. On the second booklet would be the the emblem of the Silver Octo on the cover. The contents within told of what was known. They were dangerous and served as the same side of a different coin to the White Masks as Rainbow Seven served to Six. Even experienced SWAT and SAS members had been found victim to counter assault by the Silver Octopus and failed in their missions. Raids of banks carried out by Silver Octo leading to a vicious counter assault with the army being brought in internationally, coordinated raids on critical city buildings, and even vicious attacks on police stations to serve as a distraction from the destruction of subways and public transportation. While operating along side White Masks, they were so clearly a different breed in how they carried themselves and calculated odds. They were the officers of the masks and the select few with ranging quality. Above all, they knew most of Legion. Legion, as the records indicated, was the leader of this group and spoke reason into their chaos. His charisma was enough to control the many counter-operators he held in his pocket and even convinced some specialists in their field to join their ranks. The methods of which, were generally unknown. One thing was certain, being captured was traumatizing and the few who were rescued often needed extensive therapy to restore them to their old selves. Some, even, upon being brought out of their manipulated state, committed suicide.
Rainbow Seven was the answer. Rainbow Six can't handle fighting on such a wide front with piercing divisions eating at their flanks. With the extension granted Seven and his crew founded the secondary, experimental, team which would serve as respondents, sabotage to the White Masks, and, most importantly, the elimination of the Silver Octopus Legion and their faceless leader. The world depends on Rainbow to figure out what is happening and to intercept threats before the combined damage is too much for our world to handle. Each booklet made sure to reiterate that these were not OPFOR to play with. With a long list of casualties and highlighted experienced counter-terrorist units at the end of both to the respective factions, this was made very clear.
Within the packets was a buzzer each labeled with a unique number. Once they went off, individually, a message would instruct them to move back into the hanger where they would be escorted into a room down below that wouldn't be marked on any blueprints. Through a long corridor and several doors with guards stationed at each to check the operator multiple times, they were let into the last room at the end of the hall.
Within the room would be a rather comfort based room with surveillance cameras active and watching the corridors. The final one watched the door and on the other end of the door the operator came through would be an elevator. A simple sign on the table said "Take a seat." The final stage of introductions would be completed here.
