The Swan's Song.

Chapter 20

Art incoming, folks. Next time, we will be showcasing some characters who you wouldn't quite expect to see!

Anyways, I had forgotten to say this, but if any of you know about the literary device called "Chekhov's Gun," just know that this story should have the tag "Chekhov's Arsenal."

XXX

As the chopper touched the ground, Chief threw his arm out of the cabin and pumped it three times.

"Kick some ass!" He shouted as Sako Squad exited the chopper.

Callie hopped out and immediately went to a kneeling position and aimed her rifle at the tree zone ahead of her.

Rita jumped out and landed by her left side. Echo landed to her right. All of them scanned the tree line for threats.

As the helicopter lifted off, Callie raised an arm and pushed it out, the signal to move forward propelling the squad forth towards the tree line.

Without word, boots hit the ground and everyone was running to the trees. When she found a place with decent concealment, Callie looked around.

Rita and Echo had followed her close, and stopped next to her. Izzy, Ava, and Ana had come across from them and ducked inside of a small thicket.

And Swan was currently squatting behind a bush and facing them all. He wore his glasses, even as the sun was nearly gone from the horizon.

"Sun's going down. We move to the camp and attack as soon as we are cleared by command. Deploy your night vision if you need it." Said Callie. She watched as everyone pulled out their respective equipment and attached it to themselves with a headset or to their helmets as Swan did.

Most of Sako Squad did not utilize helmets often. In fact, when it came to fighting against Swan's group, that was the only time that Sako was issued a helmet for long term keeping.

Special operations squads rarely performed duties that infantry normally would do. Surgical strikes, covert ops, and other behind enemy lines operations were what Sako had normally performed, and it was when they were being utilized like infantry that they began to use helmets.

Izzy had a headset, Callie had her own set of goggles attached to her helmet, and Echo had a headset too.

When everyone was ready, Callie glanced at Swan and noted that he still had his glasses on behind his quad tubes that Brixley had assigned to him.

"He wore them on his first mission. They're just normal glasses." Thought Callie. She quickly remembered that the human in front of her was anything but normal, and she immediately wondered if the glasses had more to them than what met the eye.

Swan didn't seem like one for jokes or goofy mannerisms, except when it came to pressing Ava's buttons. He certainly didn't seem like the type to do such a strange thing in combat.

"Then again, we know practically nothing about him. Maybe he and his friends were doing stupid shit all the time. We always were, so why would they be different?" Thought Callie.

It would have to be another question for another time. There was a mission at hand.

"Line formation. Three meter spread. Silent and swift. O B J is ten clicks West. Move out." Said Callie, quietly.

Everyone moved swiftly and silent through the woods.

XXX

Swan walked silently, his eyes focusing on the fine details coming through the screen on his glasses.