Chapter 1:

“Status check,” I said as I stared at what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Inside were kids of all ages, taken from their homes to be sold for God knows what. Jack was our POC on this mission, and he’d give us the go ahead for this mission.

“We’ve got ten potential hostiles inside,” Johnny replied. “We need a bullet magnet on the inside if we’re gonna get Jack out alive.”

“I volunteer,” New Guy said cheerily over comms.

“Don’t get dead,” I responded, even though he thought it was impossible for him to die. “Use the side entrance. That’s their only blind spot at the moment. You do not move until I give the order. Is that clear?”

“You got it, Bullseye. I can call you that, right?”

“No.”

“Everyone else gets to,” he grumbled.

“Everyone else isn’t a pain in the ass like you.”

“You know, I’m starting to think you guys don’t like me,” New Guy answered. I could hear him moving to his new position, his breathing slightly increased from running across the open field where he was likely to be shot.

“Lock, what’s your position?”

“Ten minutes out.”

Lock, Edu, and Rock were in vans headed our way, ready to load up the children and get them the hell out of here. Scottie Dog, along with Dash, were our eyes in the sky.

“Can I just say that I like being in a helicopter a whole lot more than a plane?” Scottie Dog said.

“It crashes all the same,” Lock chuckled. 

“Thanks for the reassurance, asshole.”

I watched through my scope as Jack talked with the men. They appeared to be arguing, and then Jack ran his hand through his hair, signaling we needed to move in now. 

“Fuck, shit’s about to go FUBAR. Lock, you’d better haul ass. FNG, now would be a good time to get your ass in there and unfuck this situation. Johnny, you’ve got the lead. Everyone else, condition one.”

They all replied in the affirmative, moving into position and surrounding the building. I was ready to fire, just waiting for the distraction from New Guy. I would get a few more shots off if New Guy could draw their fire and keep them distracted. 

“Wait, boss, something’s happening,” Thumper said. He was watching the east side of the building through his scope, with a better view of the inside.

“What’s happening?”

“Fuck, boss, they’re bringing in hostages.”

I swung my scope around, clearing each corner of the room. Finally, I saw a man dragging kids into the main room, followed by several more guards. “Fuck, why weren’t we aware there were more guards?”

“Uh…just a wild guess, boss,” New Guy answered. “But it could be because they’re inside and we’re outside.”

“Boss, we’re goat fucked,” Thumper continued. “We need a new extraction point yesterday.”

“FNG, prepare for Case-Evac. Thumper, on my command, move in and take out those assholes by the kids. Johnny and Jason, you’ve got Jack’s six. Give me a clear line to fire and I’ll paint the targets.”

“Roger that,” several of them responded.

I quickly shifted my position, needing a clear line of fire where I assumed they would move once Thumper’s team moved in. I took a deep breath and looked through my scope on Sally 2. Slowing my breathing, I waited for the appropriate moment. When Jack took a step back, I gave the order.

“All teams move in.”

Right before Thumper busted the door in, I glassed it one last time, then pulled the trigger. My target dropped just as chaos ensued. Thumper, IRIS, and Slider entered from the east, while Johnny and Jason stormed the entrance. The ten men spread out, each finding cover as my guys moved in. 

I quickly assessed the next best target and took aim. Speed and accuracy were imperative at this moment, but I wasn’t likely to achieve both at this distance and with no spotter. I slowed my breathing and slipped into the role I so easily played. I pulled the trigger, not even waiting for the body to drop before I moved on to the next tango.

With every shot, my body relaxed. I didn’t think of anything other than the enemy in front of me. I blocked out all noise and concentrated on the task at hand. With five down, there was now a clearer path of extraction. New Guy was already making his way inside, tending to the kids and ushering them toward the door.

I had my sights set on the next target when I spotted a shadow moving at the far end of the building. He was approaching Thumper’s team fast, and as I swung my scope to assess the situation, it was clear who the intended target was. 

“Thumper, down!” I shouted, just as I fired a round into his bionic foot, forcing him to his knees as he narrowly avoided a bullet to the head.

“What the fuck? Did you just shoot me, boss?”

“It was your foot or your head,” I retorted, returning my gaze to the tangos still in the building.

“You’re paying for my new foot,” he grumbled, hobbling over to join the rest of his team.

“Send me the bill,” I muttered, already focusing on the remaining tangos.

“Eli, how many more kids need evac?”

The Ditty Boppers had been tasked with slipping in through the basement window and freeing the kids inside. We didn’t have an exact number when we started this mission, so we couldn’t be certain we had all the manpower or transportation needed.

“Boss, we’ve got a problem,” his voice rang through comms. “We’ve got about twenty that require medevac ASAP.”

“Negative. There aren’t enough birds in the sky.” I switched targets, firing again as I laid out the next part of the plan. “Fox, you copy?”

“You got someone for me to kill, boss?” he said cheerily.

“Move to extraction point B. Kid gloves, Fox.”

“Boss,” he groaned.

“Dash, take control. Rae, make sure Fox doesn’t fuck this up.”

She sighed heavily as I heard her on the move. “When is that not my job?”

I grinned and moved to the next target. I couldn’t see Jack anymore, or the rest of his team. With any luck, they made it out of the building and were aiding in the rescue of the kids.

“Boss, we’ve got movement to the south headed your way.”

“How far out?”

“Two minutes. Coming in hot, boss.”

“Do you have the shot?”

“Negative. Too much tree cover.”

I shifted to my next target and took aim. “And you didn’t see them? Were you too busy vomiting?”

“I told you I don’t like flying,” he snapped. “I would move if I were you.”

“One more minute,” I said, scoping out my next target. 

“Boss, you really need to—”

But I tuned him out and returned my attention to the remaining tangos still threatening to destroy our operation. One by one, I picked them off, missing one by just an inch and alerting him to my location. He quickly ducked and ran for cover, hiding just a few feet from the entrance to the basement. If he made it down there, my men might be injured, along with those kids. Men did stupid shit when they were cornered.

“Boss!” Scottie was yelling in my ear, but I ignored him and kept my focus. 

“Come on, you fucker,” I whispered, eyeing the man in my scope. I needed him to move just a little to the right. 

“Thirty seconds!” Scottie warned.

The man moved and I took the shot, sending the bullet right through his skull. I watched as his head snapped back and he crumpled to the ground. Removing Sally 2 from my stand, I shoved my rifle in my bag and tossed it over my shoulder, abandoning the stand to whoever came through here. Taking off through the trees, I hauled ass toward the extraction point, but quickly realized I was already too late. 

The tangos on my ass were closing in quick, and heading to the extraction point would only put more lives in danger. I made a snap decision and bolted to the left, making sure to leave an obvious path in my wake. Making enough noise to raise the dead, I grinned when I heard them following.

“Lock, I’ve got tangos on my ass. I’m leading them away. It should buy you enough time to get out.”

“Negative, boss. We’ve got too many injured.”

“How much time do you need?”

“Boss, I don’t like where you’re going with this.”

As I ran through the trees, I knew it didn’t really matter if he liked it or not. I had boxed myself in, and there was no way I was getting out of this on my own. But I could lay down fire and draw their attention from what was going on at the warehouse.

“I’ll distract them. When you’re out, I’ll haul ass to the third extraction point.”

“You’ll never make it there,” he warned.

I grinned, even though he couldn’t see. “Watch me.”