"Alright...", with your eyebrows knitted together, you squatted on the ground in a house that once had been part of a flourishing village in the middle of a desert and skimmed through the information provided by the authorities. "Looks easy."
Next to you, one of your soldiers huffed.
"You always say that.", he chuckled. "And it always goes down, one way or another."
With a smirk, you gave him a playful yet warning push against the shoulder.
"Careful mate, aye? Every time something went wrong you were on the team."
"Maybe that's the issue.", the medic joked.
Bruised by that comment, he wanted to place a punch on his chest.
You grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back.
"Gentlemen.", you said, a smile on your face. "May I remind you we've got a terrorists to kill? Keep the fights on the playground."
The two men exchanged a glance before looking at you.
"Capture.", they both said in sync. "We have to capture him."
You pulled a face of shame.
"Right..."
Baffled, the two exchanged a glance that said more than a thousand words of concern could have.
"If we kill him, we're shitted.", medic reminded.
You shrugged and did a gesture.
"Yeah, yeah. Been there. Done that.", you leaned around a wall to check the target group in the distance. "We've got a full unit on our hands. Watcher, how you copy?"
The sound of the radio filled your ears.
Someone breathed.
"Eyes on the target, 1-100.", the watcher replied. "We've got about two dozens on our side. How's your status?"
You looked around.
"Seven at best. But we're three in the numbers. One medic."
"So two."
"Affirmative."
"With your order, we push. How do you confirm, 1-100?"
Steps sounded not far from your position.
Quickly, you pulled back to hide in the shadows.
The night was your friend and even though everyone was dressed in black there was no need to test your luck.
Even the darkness itself could be found at night once one started looking for it.
You gestured for your two men to stand down.
For a moment, all three of you held your breaths.
Not a single finger was moved.
Someone passed the wall that you squatted behind.
A shadow fell on you.
Your eyes jumped to the medic.
He wasn't a trained fighter by no means, barely able to aim well with a hand gun, but you had to put all your luck in his basic training.
With a gesture of your head, you ordered him to take his shot.
He hesitated, slightly shook his head.
There was fear in his eyes. He must have been one of these medics that never had to use a gun before.
With more pressure, you pulled a face and signalised with various facial expressions that he had to take the shot before it was too late.
Again, he refused.
You gave him a kick to the leg.
The enemy passed the passage and stopped at the end of the hallway.
Next moment they would turn around and spot you squatting in the shadows.
"For fucks sake..!", you hissed, pulled out your handgun from your leg and threw yourself to the ground, right behind the enemy.
A shot rang out.
One single bullet left your gun.
The soldier didn't even have enough time to turn around before blood splattered everywhere.
With a gasp, the body dropped to the floor.
A cloud of dust filled the air.
The radio turned on again.
"Watcher to 1-100, you copy?", your unit asked from across the area.
A groan escaped your lips.
You grabbed your chest to press the reply button.
"1-100 to Watcher, we have six on our hands.", you said and gifted the medic a deadly glare from the corner of your eyes. "Medic has to remain medic. We need to move on the target. Now. Push to A, we take B."
"What about C?"
"We can leave it for now. If reinforcement comes, we split the bill. Now push."
"Roger that, 1-100. Watcher out."
In one swift movement you made it back on your feet, took position and gestured for your two men to get moving.
Apologetically, the medic smiled and slid past you.
"Thanks, mate.", you breathed into his ear as he passed. "Now I'm all sandy."
Your first solider took the lead.
He knew the target. This wasn't his first mission under your command and he had always done a good job.
Unfortunately, he was one of those people who were way too enthusiastic.
If it were for him, he would have pushed the lines right away without waiting for anyone to organise a plan.
This had caused a few issues already, hence why he was on your team and not with the others.
The medic was a first timer, or at least that's what you assumed since you weren't all that great with remembering faces.
In a line, you pushed through the remains of a building until the first complications appeared.
The window front of the shop you were hidden in was totally shattered. Glass covered the floor and made silent movements almost impossible.
A group of people could be seen outside.
They were all heavily armed, geared up and well equipped with vehicles that made your desert buggy look like a joke in comparison.
"Hold it...", you whispered and took position behind a broken window. "Eyes on the target. Night vision on."
They did as you told.
"What do we see, 100?", the medic asked.
"No terrorists.", you mumbled, both pleased and confused. "Watcher, you copy?"
"Confirmative.", Watcher said.
"I need you to confirm identity for me."
"Copy that. Which one?"
"Male, standing next to a vehicle. Jeans, red shirt."
"Eyes on the target. What intel are we looking for?"
One of the men outside moved.
Quickly, you pulled your head back in to dodge his eyes.
"Nationality.", you whispered.
For a moment, the other end of the line fell silent.
"100, we didn't come here for the immigration department.", Watcher chuckled.
You rolled your eyes.
"Save your jokes. What's the hit?"
Again, no answer.
"Mexican.", Watcher said.