From Dusk to Dust (Destiny Fan Fiction)

2-Search and Rescue

"Stop," Alaura Petrovich whispered and watched her team down below. She overlooked the whole building complex from her vantage point, which made her job much simpler. Sweat dripped down from her shoulder-length black hair to the side of her temple; she baked in the heavy outfit she wore, but she had to deal with it. The surrounding area had been covered in snow, but her outfit made it unbearably hot. The moon hung high in the sky overhead and lit up the area around the buildings. Her navy blue eyes focused in on the night vision binoculars and she held her breath.

Two guards strolled by the position of her two teammates. The fireteam members stopped in the shadows and hugged the wall. Their breaths stopped short when they heard the order and waited, their fingers ready to pull the gun up at any moment. The guards inched closer.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

Alaura's teammates took one guard each and dragged them into the shadows. Xavier Jules shot one with his silenced assault rifle, while Sheyla Yan shoved a knife up underneath the other's jaw. The bodies were slowly lowered onto the ground to keep the noise level down. The soldiers moved the blood-stained snow towards the wall to cover up their trail.

Alaura exhaled softly. "Clear."

"After we're done here, we should get some Chinese food," Kai Martinez offered as his brown eyes watched the enemy's movements through a thermal sniper scope. His short dark brown hair flattened against the weight of his helmet. He smiled slyly and stayed low to the ground on the other side of the compound. The shadows shielded him from the moonlight shining on his sweaty tan face. Being the overwatch seemed too boring to him, so he improvised, even if he knew Alaura wouldn't like it.

"I could go for some food. Oooo, Italian!" Xavier whispered into his earpiece. He sucked in a sharp breath as he steadied himself and licked away the sweat falling onto his thick lips. Sweat glistened on his dark skin before they turned the corner into a shadowy area. Xavier's oak-shaded eyes flickered between their surroundings and his partner as he followed her through the alley way towards their destination.

Sheyla remained calm and quiet, tightening her grip on the knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. She crossed her arms in a T formation, positioning the hand with the pistol on top for steadier aim. She never liked using automatic weapons, so she carried a small firearm, and had a grenade launcher on her back for emergencies. Her wide dark eyes matched her long brown hair that had been pulled up into a bun. She came up to Xavier's shoulder and was the shortest person on the fireteam, but she was nimble and could fit into tight places. The guys liked to make jokes and called her the Mole, which she didn't appreciate. Sheyla always got her payback during practice after kicking their asses and yelling curse words in Korean. Sheyla glanced back at Xavier before stopping at the next corner.

Alaura rolled her eyes and reported, "We will decide what to eat on the ride home. Evac is five clicks from here, so we have to finish this mission before the hour is up. Moving out now." She motioned for Leroy Whitman to move out. He nodded and started down the hill. A shiver crawled down Alaura's spine as a few snowflakes brushed against her cheeks. "It's fucking cold outside. The enemy won't be expecting us. Use bounding overwatch when we attack."

Xavier chuckled lowly, and Alaura was sure there was a smug smirk on his face. "When we're done here, I'll keep you warm."

Leroy shook his head in dismay. "Xavier, always flirting." He hoisted his assault rifle up into an easier to access position and trudged on. His piercing blue eyes focused on the bottom of the hill and he huffed when he lost his breath. The belt and sash full of extra ammo weighed his uniform down more than usual, and it took a toll on his lungs. Leroy was getting up there in age, but damn, he was a great soldier.