The man screamed and shook his head. I pressed my knife into the base of his lobe, drawing blood.
“It was Ricci! He sent a couple of guys to intercept the shipment!” he yelled.
I withdrew my blade, a bit disappointed.
“Finish him,” Kade ordered before leaving the room.
I looked at the pissed-stained man in front of me and gave him a smirk. “Should have given him the information he wanted.”
I stabbed his thigh, delighting in his scream. While he cried for mercy, I did what I did best. I lost myself in the pain and showed him why I was called Machine.
Once I was done, I disposed of the body, and cleaned up the mess, watching the swirl of red bubbles down the drain as I washed my hands. The image ignited a core memory from years ago.
My team and I had just arrived at the building where our target was said to be hiding. Vinny, our commander, hopped out of our vehicle and motioned for us to follow him.
We all filtered out behind him and moved tactically. While the rest of the team headed to one dilapidated building, I went to the other and found my way to the roof. I swiftly got into position for sniping and lay on the gravel-filled roof. The sun beat down on me, not a cloud in the sky to grant me reprieve from the heat.
“O-3 this is Falcon, in position, over,” I said through my headset.
“Falcon, we are approaching the target’s apartment. Watch the top balconies for movement, over,” Vinny responded.
There was a pause before all hell broke loose. Gunshots rang out from the building next to me for a few moments, then fell silent.
“O-3, what’s your update?” My heart hammered in my chest as I waited. No response.
“Guys, what’s going on?” I said a moment later.
“Fuck!” I heard Vinny curse. “Fall back, fall back!”
My heart began to pound even harder; whatever happened in there, it wasn’t good. The air exploded in gunfire again, shots coming from around and inside the building.
Movement caught my eye—a figure holding a toddler in one arm with something concealed in his other hand. I focused on him and got ready to shoot.
Through the scope, I could see that the figure was our target and he was using his child to shield himself. “Cowardly piece of shit,” I muttered between gritted teeth as I focused in. Without thinking or waiting for a command, I took the shot. He fell to the ground, the toddler falling with him. To my surprise, the child did not cry.
My team quickly filed out of the building. Diego sprinted to the body and wrapped his hand around what the target had been holding.
“We need to get the kid out of here!” Vinny yelled through the radio.
“He’s gone!” yelled Diego.
“We need to get out of here!” Vinny commanded.
“Guys, as soon as I take my hand off this button, the place will blow. You need to go without me.” My heart plummeted into my stomach at Diego’s words.
“No, we aren’t leaving without you!” I called through the radio.
Explosions detonated inside the building, filling the air with debris just as Ginny, Fitz, and Vinny were running outside. I moved as fast as I could from my post to meet them. As I ran out the front of the building, multiple IEDs detonated, sending me soaring into the air with debris and shrapnel.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when I came to consciousness, and the ringing in my ears subsided. I moved as fast as I could over to where the rest of the team had been. By the time I got to them, I realized I was too late. Pieces of what used to be Vinny and Ginny were scattered with the debris. Diego was nowhere to be found—there was a crater where I’d seen him last. I’d lost men and women in war, but nothing prepared me for this. Off to the side, Fitz lay on the sand, gasping for breath.
I ran to him as fast as I could, sliding the last couple steps. Bile rose in my throat as I looked down at him. One of Fitz’s legs had been blown off, and there was a gaping hole through his chest. I put pressure on the wound, attempting to stop the inevitable.
“It’s okay bud, I got you,” I soothed.
Fitz gasped for breath and grabbed my arm. “Fuck, man. It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“You’ll be fine,” I choked out.
