The Tiger's Eye

Counter strike

Lynn's POV(a week and a half later)
I smiled as we sat in the briefing, my team had our first mission that wasn't a field trip practicing maneuvers and team work supervised by Meghan and Mike. I was eager to get back into the field I missed the action, I missed feeling like we were making progress. Mike spoke "alright lads and lasses, your mission is to extract a hostage from mask possession. Your hostage's name is Paige Gregory, she's located on the third floor. You'll be inserted on the roof after that it's up to you, make sure you get the hostage out. We cannot allow the masks to keep control over her" I heard Zao ask confusedly "what's so special about her? Why is it so important we get her out?" Meghan spoke up from her seat on the table to our right "Paige Gregory is a US Cabinet member. She one of our highest ranking officials, if the masks keep control of her they have a chance to strike at the president" I asked in interest "so why are we being sent? This sounds like something our A-team should be sent on, not some fresh blood team" Mike sighed before replying "typically you'd be right, unfortunately all other more experienced teams are on important missions hunting down mask elements in the thick jungle"
      I nodded as he asked "Any more questions?" Manfred asked "ja, when do we leave?" Mike replied "you've got 10 minutes to get your carcass on the chopper. Go get your shite" we stood and were sent running to grab our rifles and ammo from the barracks. I grabbed my M16 and plate carrier, I'd learned from my time in the Legion to always leave my magazine in my vest. I slid on my carrier and patted my pouch on the side of my vest feeling my 4 40mm grenades that my m203 would fire. I double checked I had all my gear before chambering a round in both of my weapons before I looked around at the team still gathering their gear, Andrew stopped for a second when he saw me standing doing nothing in my gear "Lynn, are you already ready?" I nodded and replied "the legion taught us how to be ready for combat in 20 seconds" he replied "you'll have to teach us so we can be ready to go faster" I gave a nod "I'll show you when we get back"
     It was another 5 minutes before we were on the plane heading to Bolling air base outside of DC where we would be taken to the roof of the apartment complex the masks were holding the cabinet member. I heard Sarah trying to talk to me but promptly ignored her and listened to my music until Manfred leaned over, I pulled out my earbuds before looking at him as he asked "how do you think this'll go?" I thought about it before replying pointedly at Sarah and Andrew "if everyone does their jobs, it'll go great. If they don't, then we probably fail." He nodded as Zao spoke "tell me what you need done, I will do it" I smiled my thanks before looking at Andrew "ready to run your first mission?" He looked nervous before nodding "I won't let you guys down" I gave him a fist bump before I slid a concussion round into my m203 as Manfred asked "why don't you carry high explosive 40 Mike Mikes? I only see non lethal" I replied simply "I started using non lethal after I launched a High Explosive round into a room with women and children. I promised myself I'd never be responsible for something like that again"
    The team looked down as they thought about what I'd just said before I got asked by Zao "so how do you stay positive with that on your conscience?" I replied "I once saved a woman from Terrorists in Africa, she hugged me and was crying repeating 'thank you' so fast in broken English. I remember what my job does, it gives people a chance to go home and live normally. I'm just a simple guardian patrolling the border between civilization and terror" he nodded as we fell quiet and went about our own personal rituals before a battle, each growing from the belief if we did these things we'd make it through the battle unharmed. I watched the ocean pass as we flew to America, I saw Sarah writing in a journal but decided not to ask about it. It wasn't my business and I still didn't really want to talk to her. I pulled out my book and started reading it again, Across The Fence by John Stryker Meyer, a SOG team leader and one of my heroes.
      A while later Andrew hit my knee "we're almost there" I nodded as I saw the runway appear I sighed closing my book sliding it into my plate carrier before we walked to the staircase while waiting. The walkway dropped and I gripped my M16 following Andrew down the staircase before we walked forward to a man in digital tiger with a silver eagle on his lapel Andrew shook his hand "Sir, we're fireteam Nyx from Team Rainbow. We were told we'd be brought to the target by a Littlebird" the colonel nodded "Follow me, I didn't catch your name son" Andrew replied "Wolf sir, call me wolf" he nodded and brought us into the building. I was getting most of the attention for my retro uniform and weaponry, I saw some people recognize my patches and realize I was from the Legion. We walked into a room where two men in flight suits holding their helmets waited. We shook their hand as the colonel spoke "these are your pilots, they'll bring you to the target and hold orbit until you pull the HVI out. Once you've secured the HVI, they'll pick you up and bring you back to base" we nodded in understanding.
I shook their hands "I'm King, I appreciate the ride" the lead pilot replied "I'm Scar, this is Tiger. Glad to be of service" Andrew spoke "I'm Wolf, this is Banshee, that's Samurai and finally, this is Baron" they shook hands before the pilots said "we should move, the masks have been shoring up their defenses" Andrew nodded as we quickly jogged back out of the building and to the Littlebird that sat unmoving on the tarmac. The maintenance crew was doing their final checks as we arrived, the rest of the team had pulled on NVGs while I just relaxed after clipping myself onto the seat before hearing Zao next to me on our comms "what's it like being able to see in the dark?" I looked over and answered him "it's like seeing everything normally but a golden gray color. It's nice, I get to keep everything in focus"

he nodded slowly as he replied "I do hate having everything fuzzy and green" I chuckled before clapping him on the shoulder "it's not all that, sometimes I have to wear sunglasses so I don't damage my eyes. They're pretty sensitive to bright light, flashlights are like kryptonite for me"
     He nodded and replied "that's gotta suck" I shrugged and joked "atleast I get to wear super cool sunglasses a lot, without getting yelled at by command" I heard Andrew "we're 10 mikes out, when were on target I want no chatter. Hand signals are primary way to communicate, only speak after we make contact" I replied "Wilco" while Zao replied "カエル(rog)" Manfred spoke "ja, will do" while Sarah have the final reply of "got it" I leaned forward looking around the front of the helicopter seeing the flashing lights of the cop cars. I spoke to Andrew "can you get the colonel to get the cops to turn off their lights? It'll wreak havoc on my eyes" he didn't reply but 20 seconds later the lights were off and I felt much more comfortable knowing that my eyes wouldn't be affected by the strobe. I heard Manfred praying which got my attention, I waited for him to finish before I asked "what'd you pray for?" He sounded surprised "oh, I didn't know I had keyed my mic. I was praying for a smooth mission and everyone to make it out unscathed" I could nervous with the high profile of the mission causing me to say "well good thing I feel safer already. We'll make it through this perfectly."
Zao strapped the rappel rope to hook point and got ready to toss it, I looked down and saw the top of the apartment complex directly below us. The pilot spoke "clear to insert, good hunting" as I unclipped from the seat and gripped the rope sliding down. Once I hit the roof I aimed at the only entrance or exit, a lone door to the roof. I heard Wolf give one last update "command says we've got a clarity on some unknowns. The masks are holed up in 3 apartments, 15c, 24d and 31e. the building should be cleared of civilians but there are possible additional hostages. Mask strength is suspected at 15" I asked "what's the call if we find other hostages?" He replied "secure and then alert police, our priority is Paige Gregory" I nodded as Samuira lifted his supernova and Wolf spoke "let's get going, don't want to waste time" I looked at the railing and spoke "if someone wants to come with me, we can rappel down the side and catch the masks in a crossfire" Sarah walked over "I'll go"
     Wolf nodded and spoke for the last time before entering the building "well radio when we're ready to breach" I nodded as I fixed the rappel gear to the railing, I looked at it and saw some rust near the bolts before I sat on the edge and slowly edged my way over before walking down the wall waiting for Sarah to catch up with me before I laid down the side of the building peeking through the lit window seeing the masks walking around setting up defense points around pointed at the door with three hostages in a line against the wall. I heard Wolf "we're preparing to breach, expect an entrance in 15 seconds" I keyed my mic "you've 3 hard points at your 2, 12 and 11. Before you breach let us take a few. 3 hostages on the wall to the left" he replied after a second "it's your gun" as I slowly pulled myself to my feet and leveled my rifle, I glanced at Sarah and got a nod I keyed my mic "firing in 3" as I put my sight on the mask holding a 6P41 aimed at the door.
     I thumbed my fire selector to full auto and fired a burst into the mask hearing the glass shatter, the muffled screams of the hostages and the door detonated falling forward as Samurai came in and lifted his Supernova as Sarah and I shifted our aim to the next mask. I stepped back as Samurai's shotgun launched a mask out the window as I lifted my rifle and fired a burst into the masks just before he hit the ground. I popped back into the window and fired into a mask who was crawling trying to reach a weapon. Baron crouched infront of the hostages and Wolf gave me a thumbs up. I felt some movement in my rope causing me to look at Sarah, she nodded confirming she felt it too. I sighed and started walking further down the side of the building to the next window. We reached the second room and the masks had shut off the lights trying to hide themselves while they waited for the ambush, Sarah was having trouble I could see her struggling to make things out while I had no issues, I smiled to myself 'I win again'