#shitmike

As the helicopter came to a flying stop in the air, private Johnson, a girl who was fairly new to the troop after replacing a former solider just three weeks ago. You scooted over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.  

“Okay, always eyes open, and report even if you see something you’re not sure about.”

You looked her into the eyes to get an affirmative nod, and then sent her down the rope. Just as you turned around to sit back down, you caught a flash of Michael as he got ready jump down the rope. The cheeky sniper actually flashed you a wink before rappelling down the rope. You chuckled quietly to yourself. Turning around you met the gaze of Corporal Hood, something flashing in his eyes, before he turned around slightly and shouting commands about getting in line and ready. As Calum secured himself first, then private Wentworth, followed by Luke and your self.

As your feet hit the ground you went into position, and had the back of your team mates. Calum entered first, by carefully opening the door on the roof. Creeping slowly and carefully down the dark stairwell, you kept checking the rooms you passed. Every one of them turned out empty. Something was wrong. Crackling in the intercom installed in your helmet shook your thoughts. “This place is way to silent. Ground team how far up?”

Calums voice sounded from the headset. The annoyance and suspicions clear in his voice.

“Searching second floor, sir.”

You recognized the voice as corporal Greenwich. A good woman and leader of the ground team.

“Clifford, anything outside the normal?”

You asked as you exited the room you were securing with Luke. Again you came out empty handed.

“Not yet.”

His answers always got short when he was on the lookout, wanting nothing to disturb him from making the right or wrong decision.

According to the debrief, the place should have been at least few people at each floor, so if they had all gathered in the middle, you had a problem.

“Hold up”

The short command was followed by a two of quick shots and a silent fuck.

“Ground team, armed man with shoulder wound just entered front door.”

Michael warned. It was rare that he missed, so you assumed that he had a previous hit before the shoulder hit.

“Okay guys, there are more people coming, and I can’t get all of them.”

“Got it, ground team, get down to first floor, keep hidden.”

You looked to Luke, who was looking at Calum and Wentworth. They had just cleared the last room of third floor.

“Going down to help Hood?”

“You read my mind Y/L/N”

As you hurried down you could hear the shots starting. At first it was just a single one here and there, but then it turned into rounds. The air grew pungent and grey, while shouts in different languages followed.

Someone shouted from outside in a different language, you could understand parts of it, from having taken classes in translation.

“Pulling…. Now… cover..”

You only picked up parts of the sentence and it took you a second to translate, but as soon as you had an idea of what was going to happen you yelled out before couching behind a wall alongside the rest of your team.

“Everybody take cover!”

As the explosion shook your bones, you pulled your finger off the trigger on your gun. The dark night was lit up by magnificent red and orange, the room flickering in shadows for a short second, before turning back to the pitch black. Screams and yelling followed. Commands you could barely make out. But they weren’t yours to follow. The smoke in the air was pungent and felt almost familiar in your lungs. Even after the grenade had gone off the room felt cold, and your thin gloves did not help against the biting draft that whipped through the house. Then your superior spoke over the intercom.

“Something’s wrong” in a whisper.

“Ambush!” was yelled loudly from the room in front of you.

“Fall back!”

The screaming of hurt soldiers was deafening, but you bit your teeth and tried to shut them out. It did not work.  You looked behind you as the others from your team rushed towards the back exit. The voice of corporal Greenwich heard through the smoke filled room.

“Everybody alive?”

The fear in her voice was obvious, but you knew she would power through it. That’s what you were all trained for.

A chorus of yes followed, except one voice.

“No ma’am, Pierce is gone.”

The distraught voice was unfamiliar in your ears, but the evident fear was not.

“HQ, we need immediate evacuation. Clifford, how many outside?”

The situation had quickly escalated, and Calum sounded more distraught than you had ever heard him.

“I have eyes on about ten people coming from the north.”

“Copy, get as many as possible. Johnson, make sure the door on the roof is secure and barricaded.”

“Helicopter will land half a click away north from your current position.”

The voice of your superior rang through the intercom. He sounded angry and frustrated that the op had gone wrong.

“Hemmings and Wentworth, carry Pierce, we leave no man behind today!”  

“Yes, Sir”

sounded the two privates’ voices as they received the order from their leader. You headed towards the front door without getting shot at from the outside.

“Update Clifford?”

“They are down to six, but I can’t seem to get them locked in.”

Your mind racing with possible ways to escape as the rest of the team came up behind you.

“Hood, I suggest that we get Clifford to fire the big guns at the closest building collapsing it, taking down as many as possible. Then we handle the rest head on. You and Greenwich first, then Hemmings and Wentworth with Pierce. You two-“

You pointed to the two of the three remaining soldiers from Greenwichs’ team

“In the middle, and me and private Kelly in the back troop, Sound ok?”

You looked around the room for affirmative nods.

“It’s the best we got right now”

Greenwich looked at you with an appreciative look as you all got into the positions.

“Good to go Clifford?”

“Yeah, at the count of three”

“One..”

The dead silence of the night was only broken by your ragged breaths.

“Two…”

A whip of cold air blew into the room as you pulled you scarf closer up to your mouth.