Once the doors blew, his team would rush in and retrieve the man they'd come after. He was a terrorist that the government wanted to talk to. They had to take the bastard alive. It was much easier to just pop them and leave, but this mission wasn’t that.
“Time,” Bean said two seconds before the charge blew, popping the doors open.
Link was ready, his scope trained on the door, just waiting for anyone dumb enough to come running out. No one did, and the rest of the guys moved in.
Link watched the street, looking for anyone headed their way. He saw a guy on the left moving closer to the building. The man didn't look like he was involved in the terrorist group. He didn't seem to have any bulges where firearms would be. Then again, he could be hiding the weapons well.
“Man on the left side, coming down the street,” Link said.
“Got it,” Keel replied.
Keel left the building and headed out to intercept the man. He would be encouraged to turn around, unless Keel recognized him as one of the people involved with this group. They had photos of everyone, but sometimes new people joined up and didn’t make it into their photo spread.
Link searched to the right, then back to the left, tracking over the roofs to make sure no one had crawled up top. It seemed clear, at least for now.
Keel was headed back to the compound. “Checked the guy, he was clear. Just some old man out for a walk.”
“Strange timing,” Chase said.
“Maybe,” Mick said.
“Old people do strange things,” Keel said.
Link heard some gunfire coming from the building, and he could hear his team over coms as they took care of the guy who’d shot at them.
“Got the target,” Chase said after another minute.
Link called for transport and checked the roofline and streets again. They would meet the helicopter pilot in an open area about a hundred yards away. So far, it seemed like this mission was going to go off without a hitch.
He didn’t want to celebrate too early, but they were so close to success he could taste it. Before he left the roof, he saw histeam members leaving the building. He climbed down the ladder and headed to their pickup location. Elation slithered through him, but he pushed the feeling away. He couldn’t count his wins before they were out of here.
He turned the corner and could see his guys with the prisoner. Link looked past them and spied a man moving fast in their direction. It wasn’t the old man, so Keel hadn’t been wrong about the old guy.
Staying up on the roof wouldn't have helped since they were leading the guy away from the compound and into an area he wouldn't have been able to see. Still, he wished he had a better position. Worry filled Link as the man closed the distance.
“Got a bogie on your six,” Link said as he picked up pace.
Stanley turned along with Keel. Link watched as the approaching man lifted a weapon. Link wanted to take him out, but his position was compromised.
“Put the gun down!” Keel bellowed.
The stranger didn’t lower his weapon. Link approached a set of stairs and ran up, stopping on the fourth step. He had the height and the angle. He raised his rifle, ready to shoot.
“I have the shot,” Link said.
“Wait,” Keel said.
“He is pointing a gun at you,” Link pressed.
“No, it’s not a gun.”
"What the hell?" Link was ready to shoot the man, but Keel took the thing from the man, and he turned and walked off. "What was that?"
“Bread. He was giving us a loaf of fucking bread,” Keel said.
Link shook his head. “Shit. That guy almost got himself killed for some bread.”
Keel grunted. “Maybe this community is glad to get rid of the terrorists.”
