Hermit on the run

FLASHBACK!

John
Flashback
I was leading my team through the dark streets of Brazil. We lined up at the wall and I put the charges on the door.
"Alright, Foxtrot, you have more than a dozen heat signatures according to thermal imaging."
"Breach that door now," said my Commanding officer who was at HQ.
The charges blew. We threw in a flashbang and a grenade. Moving into the building, we cleared the initial room. Two members cleared the room on the right. Simultaneously I and another member moved to clear the left room.
"Foxtrot three, to HQ, primary and secondary targets are dead."
"Kill the rest, Foxtrot," came the reply.
I nodded my head to continue clearing the building.
"HQ this is Foxtrot one, some of these people are under military age, we are leaving them alive."

"THAT IS A NEGATIVE, FOXTROT! KILL THEM ALL, FINAL ORDER, FAILURE TO COMPLETE WILL RESULT IN A COURT-MARTIAL ORDER."
I angrily continued to clear the building. Moving up into the second floor there were some militants in the hall. There was a barrage of small arms fire from them, so we took cover.
I fired back and threw a flashbang. We then shot them and continued. I heard some people yelling harshly at each other going slowly to the door.
I nodded at my friend and we kicked open the door. There were three people inside; a man was holding a woman, using her as a human shield and holding a gun to her head. There was also a boy around the age of twelve looking at us with fear.
The man with the gun said something to the boy in Portuguese. I fired a shot, killing the man holding the hostage. The boy then ran towards the window and jumped.
I looked back at the hostage. She was on her stomach, then pulled out a detonation remote and pressed the button, laughing as she did it. My partner pushed me out of the window just as the bombs went off, destroying the entire second floor and part of the first floor.
My fall was broken by a dumpster. The ringing in my ears was deafening. It subsided after a minute.

"This is Foxtrot one comms check. Does anyone read me? Over." It was just static. I tried again, still nothing.
"HQ, this is Foxtrot one. Do you read me?"
"We read you Foxtrot one. Lost comms with the rest of the team, declaring them MIA for now. Do a final sweep of the building, then we will extract you, over."
I got up and tried to find the entrance of what was left from the building. I moved some rubble from the door and pushed it open. The structural integrity of the building was almost non-existent. There was debris everywhere. A stiff breeze could bring the whole thing down on top of me or it could collapse on its own.
I went room to room looking for survivors and came up with nothing. Then there was a crackle on the radio.
"This is Foxtrot five. Can anyone hear me? Over."
"Foxtrot five, this is Foxtrot one. I need to find your location, so keep talking."
"Yes, sir," Came the reply. Last I saw him he was heading to the hall clearing the right side of the house.
"Foxtrot five, where were you just before the bombs went off?"
"I was in one of the bedrooms clearing it. Not sure where I am now, though."
I could barely hear his voice, and it sounded like he was close to losing his life. I followed the sound of his voice and came to where he was last. The door was

broken down from the blast. The roof had caved in, covering most of the room.
Somewhere here, Foxtrot five was buried under seven feet of rubble.
"I can't move, and it's getting hard to breathe, sir," came his voice through the radio.
I had to think quickly. I grabbed a large metal pipe to use as a lever and started moving the rubble. I had removed about four feet of it and could see his hand at the most unnatural angle. I could hear his shallow breathing. It was getting slower as every second passed.
"Hang in there! That's an order, damn it!" I shouted.The only reply I received was a slight twitch from his hand. He was as close to me as a brother.
I couldn't lose him. I continued to move the rubble. As I got close enough to pull him out, his breathing stopped and his hand stopped twitching.
I dug out his body and reported to HQ. They declared that the rest of the team was dead and extracted me. I helped to carry the coffin on the plane before and after take off
Later, when it came time for the funeral, I was asked to give a speech about his life.
"He was a good operator, always knowing what needed to be done in any situation. When it came time for a mission, he was all strategy, knowing where we should enter and how to get the job done as quickly as possible. He completed orders to the letter. He was one of the best members of the team.

"He was more than an operator, though. When someone needed advice on something, he was the one people always would go to. That team was like a family, and he was a brother to me. He will never be forgotten. Farewell, Tony. May you rest in peace."