Offshore Extortion

**September, 1995**

***USS Nassau,* Gulf of Mexico**

The Tomahawk helicopter barely touched down before the four
GI Joe SEALs jumped from the helicopter’s seating area and dropped to one knee.
Lift-Ticket took the twin-rotor heavy-lift helicopter back into the air,
pivoted it around and raced back to the American coast, some five miles north
of the amphibious assault ship.

An enlisted sailor ran over to the SEALs, who stood and
pivoted toward him as one.

“Cap’n’s waiting for you in the wardroom, follow me.” The
sailor turned and led them away into the ship’s ‘island’ superstructure next to
its aircraft carrier-like flight deck.

Several minutes later, the seaman knocked on the wardroom
door, opening it as a voice inside called out, “Come in.”

Torpedo led the four SEALs inside. The captain turned toward
him and the warrant officer saluted.

“Warrant Officer Torpedo, captain,” Torpedo introduced
himself. “Allow me to introduce the rest of my squad: Chief Petty Officer Wet
Suit, Chief Petty Officer Tracker and Petty Officer First Class Wet Down.”

The other three saluted. The captain returned the salutes.

“Welcome aboard. Have you been briefed at all?” the captain
asked.

“No, sir. We just got hustled aboard the helo and raced down
here,” Torpedo replied.

The captain sighed. “Get comfortable.”

The four SEALs sat as the captain explained the situation.

“A force of forty Cobra Eels has hijacked the Sea-view
Horizon oil drilling platform which is about five miles south of us. They
boarded the platform by unknown means yesterday afternoon. Once they had
control of the rig, they brought in surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship
missiles and positioned them around the rig. One of the crew managed to get off
a warning, which the Coast Guard picked up. A cutter named the *Panache*
came toward the rig to investigate the report, to see if it was true.”

The captain paused, looking around the four. “She was fired
on by an anti-ship missile and barely escaped. The Navy rushed four ships here
to form a blockade around the rig, at the estimated limit of the missile’s
range. The *Perry* class frigate *Wadsworth* launched a zodiac last
night with four Marines on board. They managed to get in close and reconnoitre
the rig and get back undetected.”

The captain handed a diagram of the rig to Torpedo. “These
are the locations of the missile launchers.”

Torpedo took the diagram and gave it a cursory look.

“DOD has issued orders for the Cobras to be removed from the
rig and the missiles neutralised. Since the Joes got made the point force for
any operation dealing with Cobra or the Red Shadows after the Washington
Incident, you guys are the ones going in.”

The Washington Incident was one of several names used by the
media and the public to refer to the Red Shadows attack on Washington DC
earlier that year.

“I thought Cobra had given up terrorist operations,” Wet
Down said, looking at the other Joes. “Isn’t that why the Joes got shut down?”

“It was,” Wet Suit replied. “Some wise guys in the Pentagon
felt that since Cobra seemed to have gone into legit business and they’d taken
over Borovia, Wolkekuckukland, Darklonia and Trans-Carpathia in Europe, they
were no threat any more and the Joes weren’t needed.”

“Even though three months after the Joes got shut down,
Action Force intervened in central Europe and booted out Cobra’s forces.”
Tracker sneered. “Pentagon weenies still didn’t want the Joes around.”

Torpedo looked to the captain. “What are the Cobras up to?”
he asked, refocusing the conversation.

“The Eels are being led by two guys who called themselves
‘Hydro-Vipers’ in a radio message and said they want ten million dollars, US
currency of course, from the rig’s owners or they destroy it in another thirty
six hours,” the captain replied. “Before we left port four SHARCs were flown
down from Connecticut. They’re down on the hangar deck. They’re your
infiltration route.”

“Let’s do this,” Torpedo said, standing.

**Ten minutes later**

The four SHARCs moved away from the *Nassau,* clearing
her rear well deck. They quickly submerged and turned south toward the oilrig.

Wet Down’s SHARC was bringing up the rear. The young petty
officer could still scarcely believe his luck. He’d joined the Navy at 18 and
volunteered for the SEALs at 19. After completing the gruelling thirty-month
training period, he’d been assigned to SEAL Team 8 where he’d served for the
next three years. Over those three years, he’d heard many stories about the
near-legendary SEALs known as Torpedo and Wet Suit who were the only SEALs in
the GI Joe team for several years. Wet Down had been even more amazed when he’d
met Torpedo during an exercise at the SEAL base at Little Creek. Torpedo had
been impressed by Wet Down’s skills and had personally recommended him for
selection to DEVGRU, the elite unit of SEALs known for counter-terror
operations.

Wet Down’s time in DEVGRU had led to him being hand-picked
for the Joes by Torpedo when the unit was reformed only months earlier. It
seemed to Wet Down that the warrant officer had taken an interest in his
career. Only two other SEALs were being brought into the new version of GI Joe,
one was a member of the secretive Steel Brigade network whom Wet Down had heard
was involved in the battle to defeat the Red Shadows after their assault on
Washington DC, the other was a guy who he’d heard of named Armando Ortiz.

The SHARCs were approaching the oilrig’s loading platform at
the surface of the sea.

Slowly, the four submersibles rose toward the surface,
before halting beneath the waves.

The SEALs opened the canopy of their SHARCs and clambered
out, each wearing a face-mask connected to an oxygen bottle so they could
breathe as they swam upwards.

Two Eels were standing guard on the platform, as Wet Down
neared the surface, he could just make out their conversation as one chastised
the other for smoking.

“*Wet Down, we’ll take them together, on your go,”*
Torpedo said over the small headset Wet Down wore.

The pair pushed up, grabbed an Eel by his belt, yanking him
backward and then stabbed the luckless Cobra frogman in the neck, killing them
instantly.

Wet Down shoved the dead Eel away and clambered out of the
water, Wet Suit helping him up.

“You guys okay?” a voice shouted from above as the SEALs
doffed their masks and wetsuits. “Miller?”

“Miller slipped and fell in the water!” Tracker shouted
back. “He’s okay!”

“Dozy idiot!” came a shout back.

Torpedo keyed his radio. “*Nassau,* this is Lima Six.
Two hostiles down in section one alpha. Moving up to section two,” he reported
quietly.

“Nassau *copies,”* came the reply.

The four commandos moved up the steps toward the lowest deck
of the rig.

“Keep it tight, people,” Torpedo whispered. “Weapons ready.”

Another Eel was standing at a railing, looking out to the
open sea. He had his back to the Joes as they moved up.

“Got a visual on a hostile by the railing,” Wet Suit
reported.

“Free to engage, suppressed weapons only,” Torpedo answered.

Wet Suit drew a suppressed pistol and fired a single shot,
dropping the Eel.

“We’re clear.”

Near them was a small cabin-like room. Tracker moved to peek
in.

“Hostages inside,” he whispered.

“Roger, get ready to breach,” Torpedo replied.

Wet Down and Torpedo moved to one of the cabin’s two doors.
The other two commandos to the other. Wet Down and Tracker placed small shaped
charges on the door and detonated them.

The doors exploded inward with a shower of splintered wood
as Torpedo and Wet Suit pivoted in the door, firing single rounds to drop two
of the Eels. Wet Down and Tracker came in behind them, firing and killing the
remaining Eels.

“Clear,” Wet Suit said.

“We’re clear,” Torpedo replied. “*Nassau,* hostages
secure in section two echo.”

Wet Down and Tracker removed the oil workers’ blindfolds and
gags.

“Who are you?” asked one of them.

“GI Joe,” replied Tracker.

“How many of you are there?” the oil worker asked. “There’s
forty of them!”

“Just us four,” replied Wet Down.

The pudgy middle-aged man looked at him incredulously.

“We’re SEALs,” Wet Suit said. “Relax, ten to one odds are
nothing for us.”

“We need to leave you here and get up top and secure those
missile batteries. Stay put and we’ll be back soon enough,” Torpedo advised
them.

The Joes headed out, moving up another staircase on to deck
two, as a large blue ‘2’ informed them.

“*Joes, enemy helo patrolling the perimeter, keep a low profile,”* a voice from the amphibious assault ship warned them.

“Roger that,” Torpedo answered.

As they neared another small room, a FANG helicopter flew
past. The SEALs melted into the shadows. The small chopper passed by.

“Okay, move,” Torpedo answered. They approached the room. A
single door provided access. Torpedo sneaked a look through a side window.

“Six hostages, two Eels,” he reported. “Wet Down, get ready
to breach.”

The younger man slapped another charge on the door and detonated
it. In seconds, the door was a memory and the Eels were dead.

A radio crackled as they moved to help the hostages.

“*Group five, report in. Group five are you there? Wright, respond… We’re sending a team down.”*

“Oh hell,” Wet Suit said. “I think we’re going to have
company.”

“We’ll ambush them. Tracker, Wet Down, get the hostages out
of here.”

The two junior Joes moved quickly to free the hostages’ legs
and then led them quickly away to the stairs back to deck one.

Wet Suit and Torpedo moved quickly rigging up a booby trap
in the doorway and then fell back to a scaffold that allowed them to watch from
higher up.

Moments later, the Eels arrived. One of them directed two
others to go in the door.

One of the Eels set off the booby trap, blowing up all four
Eels.

“*Nassau,* Lima Six. Our cover is blown.”

“*Copy that, Lima Six. You need to take out the rest of those missiles before we can send in reinforcements.”*

“Roger.”

Tracker and Wet Down hurried back.

“Tracker, get the hostages down to the loading platform and
stay put. We need to get the rest of the hostages secured and neutralise those
missiles. Let’s move,” Torpedo ordered.

Tracker nodded and moved away.

“Three of us against thirty-two Eels and two Hydro-Vipers?”
Wet Suit asked.

“Scared, Wet Suit?” Torpedo asked.

“No, just concerned about the hostages.”

“Well, we need to move or this rig’s going to be blown sky
high, let’s go.”

The three of them moved out, heading up to deck four where
the anti-ship missiles were. They moved around the deck quickly, sabotaging the
ASMs so that if they were launched, they would be useless.

Eels charged down the stairs from deck four and, once they
spotted the Joes, opened fire.

The three commandos returned fire, dropping several of the
Eels as they charged down the stairs.

The sound of rotors beating the air began to drown out the
sound of gunfire; Wet Suit pivoted and spotted the FANG.

“FANG, 3 o’clock, find cover!”

Wet Down pivoted, snatched up a LAW-80 rocket launcher
dropped by an Eel and then snapped it up to fire, the light anti-tank round
flashing out and obliterating the helicopter.

“Nice shot, Wet Down. FANG neutralised.”

“The clock’s ticking, we need to find the rest of the
hostages and neutralise those SAMs!” Torpedo shouted.

Short bursts dropped the surviving Eels and they moved up to
deck four. Another squad of Eels were swiftly cut down and the three Joes moved
up to the top deck, where the surface to air missile batteries were sited and
the last hostages were being held.

Torpedo led the trio toward the first SAM battery, which
they quickly worked to sabotage. As they did, another group of Eels approached.

“Hostiles coming in at three o’clock,” Wet Down called.

“Take them!” Torpedo replied as he finished sabotaging the
final missile.

Wet Down opened fire, followed by Wet Suit.

“Wet Down, hostile by the pile of crates at two o’clock!”
Wet Suit called.

“I don’t have a visual,” Wet Down called back. “He’s out of
my line of sight!”

“Tango down!” Torpedo replied as he turned and fired.

“Cover me!” Wet Suit hollered, “I’m reloading!”

“Torpedo, two hostiles coming in from the right near that
overturned barrel!” Wet Down called.

“Copy that,” Torpedo fired dropping the Eels.

Finally, the last of the Eels were down. The three SEALs moved
quickly toward the large structure at the side of the rig, where the remaining
hostages were believed to be held.

Torpedo waved Wet Suit toward one side of the door, Wet Down
to the other. “Check your fire, we don’t know what’s on the other side,” he warned
them quietly.

Nods from the others acknowledged him. “Get a charge on that
door. Let’s hit them.”

Seconds later, the door exploded in a shower of splinters
and the three commandos charged in, weapons up. One Eel charged toward Torpedo,
a knife in his hand. The Hawaiian native shot the Eel with one round between
the eyes.

Wet Down dropped a second with a burst from his MP5 as he
pivoted left. Wet Suit dropped the next with a burst to the head.

The two Hydro-Vipers were holding two of the hostages at
gunpoint, one of them holding a detonator in his other hand.

“Drop your weapons,” the one with the detonator said. “Drop
them! You shoot me and I let go of this detonator and the whole room blows up!”

The SEALs glanced around. Barrels rigged with charges lined
the room.

“Drop them!” the Hydro-Viper repeated.

Torpedo glanced toward Wet Suit. The other man gave an
imperceptible nod.

“That’s not going to happen,”
Torpedo replied. “What’s going to happen is, I will put a round at thirteen
hundred feet per second into the medulla at the base of your brain. And you
will be dead from the neck down before your body knows it. Your finger won't
even twitch. Only you get dead. So, you feel lucky, punk?”

“Hey, fu”

Torpedo fired a single round
straight into the Hydro-Viper’s neck before he could finish the word. A scant
second later, Wet Suit fired his MP5, putting three rounds through the second
Hydro-Viper’s head before he could finish pulling his trigger.

Both dropped to the floor, dead.

Torpedo immediately keyed his
radio. *“Nassau,* Lima Six, all Cobras are down. Get the Marines here
fast, we need EOD teams on station stat.”

*“Roger that, Lima Six. Marines en route now.”*

Torpedo safed his weapon and
turned to Wet Down, “Cut the hostages free and move them, carefully, out of
here.”

The junior man nodded and pulled
out his combat knife and got to work.

Torpedo turned to Wet Suit. “Let’s
get to work on those SAMs.”

Wet Suit nodded as Torpedo keyed
his radio again. “Tracker, we have Marines on their way, move the hostages up
to the top deck.”

*“Copy that,”* Tracker
replied.

Torpedo and Wet Suit moved out on
to the rig’s top deck toward the next SAM battery as four CH46 Sea Knight
helicopters swept in toward the rig.

The lead helicopter moved to hover
over the rig’s helipad, where a squad of Marines dropped ropes and fast-roped
down to the rig. They quickly spread out, securing the helipad as the
helicopter moved clear and the next one moved into position.

Within minutes a platoon of
Marines was on the helipad and moving down on to the deck. Torpedo and Wet Suit
changed direction and moved to meet the Marines.

A Sergeant was shouting at a squad
of Marines as they approached. “I want these SAMs secured in five! Let’s go!
Move, move!”

The sergeant turned toward Torpedo
and Wet Suit. He had his rifle across his chest, but his hand on the grip.

“You guys the Joes?” he asked.

“Two of ‘em,” Torpedo answered.
“We’ve got another guy leading hostages up from the lower levels and another
freeing the hostages over there.”

Torpedo indicated the last room,
“You’ll need an EOD team in there, Sarge, place is rigged with demo charges on
oil drums.”

The sergeant nodded, “Right, I’ll
get my team on it.”

As the Marine turned and began
issuing more orders, Tracker arrived on the top deck leading the former
hostages from below.

The Marines escorted the civilians
into a large cafeteria, where three Navy Corpsmen began checking them over. The
other Marines were working to dismantle the SAM batteries and the anti-ship
missiles.

Torpedo led the Joes back down to
the loading dock.

“Where are we going?” Wet Down
asked.

“To recover the SHARCs,” Torpedo answered. “They are
worth several million dollars, even if they were supposed to be retired…”

## Notes

This story is an adaptation of the CoD: Modern
Warfare 2 mission ‘The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday’, relocating it to the Gulf
of Mexico, with Cobra as the villains. The bit about Torpedo shooting the
Hydro-Viper and saving the hostages is a homage to the Miami Vice movie. The
Coast Guard cutter’s name is a nod to the Tom Clancy novel Clear and Present
Danger which featured a USCG cutter called *Panache.*