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THE LACK of moonlight isn't lost on Ellie as she exits her tent, clad in her tactical gear. Her helmet and black balaclava are in her hands while her weapon is in the other. Something about the dark sends a shiver down her spine. And it's not the August air.
She walks up to the group of men standing by the cargo trucks, Phillip speaking to them about the updates on our allies. His eyes go to her and a ghost of a smile crosses his face.
"Commander," she greets, nodding to him.
"Agent Miller. You're looking well rested." A hint of mischief in his eyes.
Ellie deadpans. "I wish I could say the same about you, sir." She sends him a wink and he laughs.
Turning to the transport team, Phillip speaks up. "Shadow Company! Mask up and listen up! As you can see, there are only 21 of you here and seven trucks so I want three operators per vehicle. The rest of the group is back at base. Our friends in Al Mazrah are getting hit so we needed to be as covert as possible with this supply run. We don't need too much attention on ourselves. Got it, soldiers?"
They all nod in agreement.
"Mission is so simple, I could do it with my eyes closed. Drive the trucks to the coordinates and let them handle the rest. They have a van waiting to carry you guys back to me." His hand goes to his chest as he smiles. "I can't wait to see all of your beautiful faces again. Be easy driving, okay? Don't need their toilet paper getting bruised up."
Laughs ring throughout the group and Ellie fights the urge to roll her eyes. Phillip dismisses them and meets her gaze, nodding his head for her to meet with him to the side.
"I want you with Dipaolo. Truck three. Keep the rest of the boys in line." He sighs and adds, "Don't rile any of them up, okay?"
She puts her hand over her heart in feigned hurt. "Me?" she asks sarcastically. "I don't rile anyone up. Ever!"
Phillip nods. "I'm pretty sure you've taken off ten years of my life by how much stress you've given me. I don't have these few gray hairs because I'm old. I think the first one grew when we met in the sixth grade."
"You sissy. Why don't you go cruise on to the base and paint your nails?"
He punches Ellie in the shoulder as they go their separate ways. Dipaolo has the back door open for her and she thanks him as she climbs in. Erikson, a fellow member, gets in the driver's seat with them. Before she can blink, they're rolling. No moonlight to shine on them. Just the light from the headlights as they jostle down the gravel road before they finally hit the highway, passing trees and decimated towns from the ruins of war.
Ellie fights back a yawn as she shifts the balaclava on her face, suddenly General Shepherd and Commander Graves come over the radio and talk to the company, telling them the allies are waiting on us. Dipaolo looks over to Erikson as they drive. Ellie watches their arrow move on the GPS coordinates.
