10/12/13
Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
1532 hours

As he flipped through the files on his desk, drinking his normal black coffee, Ridgeway couldn't help but feel a tinge of pointlessness come over him He didn't need to read these files; he knew each man in this unit personally.

Lieutenant General Anthony Ridgeway was the sixty year old commander of JSOC, Joint Special Operations Command. He had brown hair that was turning grey, steel-blue eyes, a face dusted with freckles and slightly sagging skin. He was a bad mouthed, but good-natured old firebrand, and even though some of his men didn't like him, they did respect him.

The walls of his office were adorned with awards and pictures of his family. The desk he was sitting at was solid oak, oak home-grown in North Carolina. He was perusing one unit's files perpetually. He cared for all his men, whether they be Rangers, Seals, Green Berets or Delta Force. But while those units had hundreds, even thousands of men in them, this unit didn't even have ten.

He glanced at the front of the manila folders, each with the symbol of JSOC on the front. As he opened them one by one, he looked at the photos provided. They had serious faces. He once again read the files, all of which, began with the same words, all in bold and all in red.

CLASSIFIED

For CIA/JSOC Eyes Only

Task Force 242 Personnel File

Grant, Alex Robert
Rank: Captain (Leader)
Affiliations: TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: NA
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Black
Height: Six Feet
Weight: 194 lbs
Build: Athletic
Born: 4/15/1995
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
Call Sign: Crow
Weapons Training: Extensive
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced
Marks: "I Am My Brothers' Keeper" tattoo on shoulders and upper back

Note: Captain Alexander Grant is a born leader of men, an exceptional tactician and strategist. A pragmatist by nature, but believing that success is paramount, he applies that belief to himself and his men and orders that they give everything that they have on every mission. Very down to earth, he knows that men have limits and will not ask them to go past those limits; but he will push those limits. He will accept failure, albeit with a bad taste in his mouth.

A love child born in Los Angeles, his parents got married as a result of their son's birth. His father was a lieutenant in the Army and his mother was an editor at for the Los Angeles Times. He was expected by his father to do the best he could so he would become an officer in the army. His mother also encouraged him to do well, but not to join the military, as she couldn't take the idea of losing him.

When the Gordians attacked Eastern Europe, and their allies attacked other countries near them, he was chosen to be the commander of Task Force 242. At first he wanted nothing to do with it, but when he realized just how loyal the other members were to him, he agreed. He has since become one of the best commanders in Special Command's history. He feels a strong sense of responsibility to his men, wiling to do whatever is necessary to make certain they get home safe.

Sokolov, Dimitri Vladimir
Rank: 1st Lieutenant
Affiliations: Spetsnaz GRU, Gordia
TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: Husband (Julia Therese Hawkins)
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Brown
Height: Six Feet Three Inches
Weight: 215 lbs
Build: Athletic
Born: 5/17/1991
Birthplace: Moscow, Gordia
Call Sign: Falcon
Weapons Training: Extensive
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced
Marks: Large falcon tattoo on his left arm with the eye being replaced by a red star
Fluent in Gordian

Note: His call sign coming from his last name, 1st Lt. Dimitri "Sok" Sokolov (Son of falcon) defected from his platoon based in Latvia along with PFC Boris Razlovski (see file). Both he and Boris were also part of the armored corps of the Gordian Army for a short time, with Sokolov commanding a T-90 tank.

Born in Moscow during the fall of communism, his childhood was difficult. His mother Illyana was a kind loving soul, but his father had left her soon after Dimitri was born. She had to raise her son on her own, hoping that he would have a better life than the one she had lived. When he was old enough, he joined the army to help support her and trained with the armored corps. When the Gordians launched an attack into Eastern and Central Europe, Dimitri was involved in the attack on the Balkans. However, he was almost forced kill a child because the child was caught outside two minutes after curfew.

After this, he entered the Spetsnaz academy, was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, and was given the command of a platoon based in occupied Latvia. However, after an incident, he and another soldier defected from the platoon to America instead.

Originally given criticism for being a Gordian in the American army, people have come to respect him for his leadership qualities. Like his commanding officer, Dimitri is almost unflappably calm in any situation. As well as a jokester, having a sarcastic, sardonic and generally humorous quip for almost any situation, he is also a relentless charmer, being the undisputed ladies man of the team.

Pedati, John Nicholas
Rank: Sergeant 1st Class
Affiliations: TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: NA
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Brown
Height: Five Feet Eleven Inches
Weight: 198 lbs
Build: Athletic
Born: 9/16/1996
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Call Sign: Pigeon
Weapons Training: Extensive (sniper)
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced
Marks: A tattoo of a sniper reticule targeting a skull with the words "One Shot" underneath
Fluent in Italian and German

Note: The squad's most skilled marksman, Sergeant 1st Class John "Jack" Pedati was proficient with almost any type of sniper rifle and skilled in the art of camouflage. Also, he is extremely patient, a valuable sniper skill. He is fluent in Italian and German since he has an Italian father and a German mother.

Born in New York City, his skill with a rifle was shown when he went to a summer camp, along with Specialist Woods (who he did not know at the time). Using a .22 caliber rifle, he hit the bull's-eye on every target at one hundred fifty yards. This feat had never been done before at the camp. He credited the achievement to his eagle sharp eyesight and a lot of luck. Possessing a slightly over-confident character, this has been faintly whittled down due to the difficulty of the marksmanship required of him.

Being the sniper, he, along with Specialist Woods, is very good at mathematics. His eyesight and intensive training made him one of the deadliest snipers on the planet. Because of this, both he and Specialist Woods were the best on their riflrey teams, wining every tournament thanks to their grueling training from JSOC.

Johnson, Henry David
Rank: Sergeant
Affiliations: TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: NA
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Reddish-brown
Height: Six Feet Two Inches
Weight: 205 lbs
Build: Athletic
Born: 6/6/1995
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Call Sign: Vulture
Weapons Training: Extensive
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced

Note: Sergeant Henry "Hen" Johnson was the squad's technical expert. He was trained to hack through most any firewall, useful in which the squad needs to get through heavily alarmed areas. His skills also came in handy when the squad needs to hack a radio, gain access to classified files or hot wire a car. The only member trained in helicopter piloting, his skills have made him a valuable asset to the men. Both he and PFC O'Brien are experts in lip-reading and body language.

Born in Chicago, his father was a minister and his mother was a journalist. An only child, he was spoiled by his parents with a stellar education. He loved many parts of it, but found that computers were his real interest.

Like his commander, he possesses a pragmatic personality, seeing everything in shades of grey and not black and white.

Harrigan, Paul Michael
Rank: Corporal
Affiliations: TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: NA
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: Five Feet Eleven Inches
Weight: 198 lbs
Build: Athletic
Born: 7/29/1995
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Call Sign: Eagle
Weapons Training: Extensive
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced
Fluent in Spanish

Note: Corporal Paul "Harry" Harrigan was the squad's defacto medic. Born in the Philadelphia to a philanthropic father and a former Army nurse mother, Paul was always taught that one of the characteristics that make a good person is putting others before yourself. Taking this idea to heart, Paul possesses a strong altruism, and will often leap out to save another soldier's life amid stupendous amounts of enemy fire.

Woods, Dustin Peter
Rank: Specialist
Affiliations: TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: NA
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Reddish-Brown
Height: Five Feet Ten Inches
Weight: 189 lbs
Build Athletic
Born: 10/22/1996
Birthplace: El Paso, Texas, USA
Call Sign: Hawk
Marks: a hawk clutching a sniper rifle during take off
Weapons Training: Extensive (spotter)
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced
Fluent in Gordian

Note: Specialist Dustin "Dusty" Woods is one of the best marksmen the squad has. Being John's spotter, he is exceptionally good at mathematics, especially trigonometry.

Born in El Paso, Texas as the fourth and last boy to a native Texan father and a mother from Volgagrad in Southwest Gordia. His, like Sgt. 1st Class Pedati's skill, was clearly recognized at a young age. During a trip to the same summer camp where John went, (and ironically alongside him), he made the same result as John: all three targets, one hundred fifty yards away. Both forgot about each other after this incident, but later remembered each other when they saw each other's shooting skills

Since joining the squad, he has become Sgt. 1st Class Pedati's spotter. Aside from possessing eagle sharp eyesight, he carries an air of optimism, hopping (often against the odds) that circumstances, no matter how dire, would turn out all right.

O'Brien, Gregory Richard
Rank: Private First Class
Affiliations: TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: NA
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Red
Height: Six Foot One Inch
Weight: 202 lbs
Build: Athletic
Born: 3/19/1995
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Call Sign: Canary
Weapons Training: Extensive
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced

Note: Private First Class Gregory "Irish" O'Brien is the squad's best at demolition, despite all of them being trained in the art. Possessing slight Irish accent and a faint explosive temper that has cost him many friends, but he compensates for it by being funny and joking.

Born in Boston to two Irish immigrants, he quickly developed a love for destruction-based games like Angry Birds. Fiercely loyal and protective of his family, he shares the same with his home team, the Red Sox and Patriots, often leading to bickering matches with John and Paul. On the battlefield, however, he will do anything to help his friends, as any differences from sports become trivial.

Lunde, Todd Joseph
Rank: Private First Class
Affiliations: Missouri Nat. Guard
TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: Husband (Serena Marie Anderson)
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: Six Feet
Weight: 165 lbs
Build: Wiry
Born: 2/26/1993
Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Call Sign: Sparrow
Marks: duel tattoos of 1911 A1 .45 pistols on each of his arms
Weapons Training: Advanced
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced
Limited in Arabic

Note: Private First Class Todd "Kid" Lunde has become the last member to join Task Force 242.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Todd was the third out of four children, and the only boy of the family. His mother was a nurse and his father was a lawyer. He was a cross-country runner, winning 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, place medals and ribbons for himself and high school team.

A childhood troublemaker, he often pulled pranks at home to annoy his three sisters. Fortunately for him, his mouth was just as fast as his legs, and he could often talk his way out of trouble. The cockiest member of the team, he often bragged to his friends that he wasn't afraid of anything. That was mostly true, except he had a paralyzing claustrophobic fear, being scared in any tight space, from a cramp car seat to being trapped in an elevator.

When the Gordians attacked into Europe, and their allies attacked other parts of the world, he convinced his reluctant parents to let him enlist at seventeen years old, knowing that America would get involved sooner or later. He joined the Missouri National Guard and was assigned to the 35th Infantry Division.

After proving himself to his superiors, he was inducted into Task Force 242 at the age of nineteen. A prodigy with dual wield pistols (especially the Colt M1911 A1), he carried two of them each time he went into combat, preferring their stopping power over the 9mm Sig Sauer or M9.

Razlovski, Boris Mikhail
Rank: Private First Class
Affiliations: Spetsnaz GRU, Gordia
TF 242, US Army (SOC) USA
Relations: Husband (Emily Katherine Hawkins)
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Brown
Height: Six Feet Two Inches
Weight: 207 lbs
Build: Athletic
Born: 3/24/1992
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Call Sign: Osprey
Weapons Training: Extensive
Hand-To-Hand Combat: Advanced
Fluent in Polish and Gordian

Note: Private First Class Boris "Raz" Razlovski defected along with 1st Lieutenant Sokolov (see file) from the same Spetsnaz unit. Also, like Sokolov, he was in the armored corps of the Gordian Army as a gunner in a T-90 tank.

Born in Warsaw, Boris and his parent's and two year old sister moved from Poland to St. Petersburg, Gordia about a month after he was born. They got citizenship and were taught to speech fluent Polish, English, and Gordian. When he was seventeen, to support his family, he joined the army in the armored corps and was made the gunner of a T-90 tank. In the Gordian attack on Eastern and Central Europe, he was involved in the failed attack on the American military base in Ramstein, Germany. After that, he was transferred briefly to Kiev, Ukraine, where he witnessed atrocities involving civilians suspected of helping the resistance.

He transferred to the Spetsnaz and was assigned to a platoon under the command of 1st Lieutenant Dimitri Sokolov. Their platoon was stationed in occupied Latvia. During a patrol, he and his platoon were ambushed, with only Dimitri and Boris escaping, leaving the twenty-four other Spetsnaz dead. After being forced to kill civilians as retribution, both Boris and his commander defected to the American base at Fort Bragg.

During his indoctrination into Task Force 242, both he and Sokolov were given heat even from their squad mates. Both he and Sokolov have proven themselves in battle time and time again, and the squad views them as brothers.

They were battle hardened. They had proved themselves in the face of staggering odds. He looked again at the files, sipping his coffee. He saw next to their affiliations, their insignia. He looked at it: an ebony raven, in the style of the presidential seal, clutching an HK 416 with one foot and an AN 94 with the other. All of it outlined in crimson. The words "TASK FORCE 242" wrapped around the bird, also in crimson. He knew all the men in the files; he had met them. And he knew, without the faintest shadow of doubt, that they were the best.