«What the hell was all of that about?! Were you going to shoot her?!»
«Look, you heard her words. I was being cautious, and killing before being killed is a good strategy to survive».
«Verdammt noch mal! She’s our comrade, we’re family. Last week she was playing football with your son in your garden. You don’t shoot each other! You shoot the bad guys to protect each other».
«Yeah, tell her, not me».
«Oh, I will, don’t worry, Al. But not before you tell me why you had to be such an ass. What the hell was that condescending tone, huh? We’re not children; have some respect and discuss things like the adult you are».
«We had an adult conversation, Elisa. I pointed out the flaws and risks to our lives in their improvised plan, to make them understand why acting rashly would be a stupid idea».
«You could’ve done it without being a prick, and you know it».
«Easy there, guys», Bradley said. «True, Al was too blunt and a tad too much condescending, but his argument is valid. Jas was clearly distressed and not thinking straight, but this does not excuse her behavior».
«No, it doesn’t, but it doesn’t excuse his either. And don’t think you get to sit this out, Brad: why in hell did you support his idea?»
After Jaspinder’s outburst, Elisa had started discussing with the rest of the team, in a bid to refute Bradley’s and Alessandro’s observations. Military doctrine actually encouraged discussing plans beforehand and not just blindly obeying orders, allowing to object if you thought they were wrong of harmful; even more so in the context of special operations. However, doctrine had nothing to do with why she was verbally lashing at them. She would have done so regardless, because those two hardheads needed some sense knocked into them from time to time.
«Ok, look, maybe I was too callous», Alessandro said, «but Jas needed to understand that she had to fucking calm down and use her brain. Being overly emotional doesn’t help make good decisions, and she knows it, but she looked like she had forgotten, so I had to wake her up and remind her. I didn’t mean to be condescending, though. I’m sorry, Steve».
«No drama, chief, ’tis all good».
«Mein Gott, at least you admit you went overboard, but it’s not like you to be this cold, Al», Elisa said with a sigh. «I get your point, I really do. Your logic is sound and you don’t want to add more danger and risk to an already fucked up situation, but you’re also a stubborn, uncompromising mule who doesn’t see that Jaspinder is right. I’m not excusing her, Brad», she added, forestalling any protest, «she was totally out of line. She deserves an alpha charlie and a month of boring and tiring tasks to remind her about self-control, but helping those people is the right thing to do».
Steve chose that moment to contribute in support of Elisa’s stance. «That’s true, chief. You’ve been awfully cold and scary this evening. I understand your worries, but there was no need to be so harsh on Jas. Bloody hell, it really looked like you were about to shoot her… Yeah, she lost it a bit there, that’s true, but I still think that we should act. Don’t you agree, Chief Anderson?»
«Yeah, yeah. All right, perhaps I was a bit too cold and blunt earlier, but, look, you know I prefer to make things clear. I’m more worried than anything else, guys», Alessandro replied, acknowledging his friends’ small reproach, thought he did apologise for his words. «From a strategic, tactical, and logical point of view, our best course of actions is to wait. Once again, I say we follow them, gather intel, and then decide what to do. However, the final decision is yours, Brad».
Elisa watched Bradley close his eyes, tilt his head and scratch his left eyebrow the way he did when he was deep in thought. She was not sure he was even aware of this tic of his, but she knew him too well not to notice.
With a sigh, he straightened up, looked at them for a few seconds and finally spoke. «Very well. Al, I agree with you, and I don’t want to put anyone here at risk. We’re no knights of the Round Table, that’s true, but we can’t just be bystanders…» Green met blue, as Brad stared at her; neither blinked. «Elisa, call Tetsuo and Jaspinder back, and wipe that smug grin away from your face».
«Aye aye, sir». Elisa grinned even more. She was glad to have made Bradley change his mind. With a little, very little help from Steve as well, she had to admit.
While she opened the comms with a direct channel to Tetsuo and Jaspinder, she saw Alessandro nodding at Bradley with what could have been a look of approval… or maybe not. Regardless, she knew he would execute his orders flawlessly, unless he completely disagreed with them.
«Charlie Four, this is Three. Do you copy? Come back with Five asap, over».
«Good copy, Charlie Three. Already ahead of you. Charlie Four, out».
Just then, her visor highlighted two silhouettes among the trees, roughly thirty metres away and approaching.
Looking again like her usual self, Jaspinder strode with a confident gait, followed at a short distance by Tetsuo. An awkward silence descended on the group once she rejoined them: Steve shuffled nervously, Tetsuo kept watch on their surroundings – only in part due to his sense of duty, she suspected – and Al was just standing there, arms crossed, expression unreadable. In contrast, Jas stood at ease opposite of Bradley; everyone was waiting for either of them to speak, and the silence slowly became deafening.
She beat him to the punch.
«Sir! I apologise. My behaviour was unacceptable and I won’t make excuses. I’ll accept any punishment, but I really hope you change your mind about the rescue».
«Don’t say stuff like “I’ll accept any punishment” lightly, Khalid», Brad admonished her. «It must be proportionate to the misbehavior, never forget it. Rest assured: you will receive an appropriate one».
«Roger, sir».
«Also, you should apologise to everyone, not just me. What you did was stupid and dangerous; make sure it doesn’t happen again».
«Yes, sir». Then, she turned to the rest of the Charlie Team: «Everyone, I’m sorry for what I did and said earlier. I was being irrational and aggressive. I hope you can forgive me».
«Yeah, you’ve been quite unkind earlier, Jas, and you know I’m a very sensitive soul», Steve chimed in and out a hand on her shoulder. «But I’m also extremely generous, so I’ll forgive you for five bagels».
«What?» Jaspinder asked, her voice deeply confused.
«You’re right, not enough! Let’s make it ten».
«Oh hush, idiot», she chuckled.
«There goes all the seriousness...» Elisa said and shook her head. Bradley let out a small laugh, even as he too shook his head.
«How I forgive someone is my own business, chief. But you wouldn’t understand because you are German», Steve replied, his face completely serious.
«... and? Be careful what you say, Cooper». She narrowed her eyes.
«Well, everyone knows Germans are as sensitive and emotional as a curbstone», he said, before grinning like a kid and hiding behind Bradley.
The latter did not move. He just closed his eyes, sighed and quietly spoke out loud: «God, I’m surrounded by children...»
Nothing to say, Cooper was good at defusing tense situations, and the whole skit earned him a chuckle from everyone.
Well, except for Rossi.
Since Jaspinder had come back, Alessandro’s eyes had not left her. Even at the moment, despite the helmet covering his face, Elisa could see his stare bore a hole in the younger operator's head. On the other hand, her friend had avoided addressing him or even glancing in his direction, and if she had noticed it, he had too. The good thing was that none of the anger and bloodlust she had felt from Jaspinder during the confrontation was there anymore: not in her voice, nor in her body language. It had been jarring to say the least, and disconcerting, but she recalled her conversation with Bradley and her own strange worries, and a hypothesis started forming in her mind, but they would have to discuss it later on. At the moment, she was glad the tension was mostly gone, replaced with a clear objective. Keeping them focused was the best way not to let them think about Edge and their own situation.
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Her inner musings were interrupted when Bradley started speaking in his “master chief” voice. «Anyway, Jaspinder, Tetsuo, we are going to save those people. Not tonight, though, nor tomorrow», a hand raised to stop any objection. «Hear me out. First we observe, gather more information, we rest, and strategize. We can’t improvise, we need a clear plan of action. It will be dangerous, with too many unknown variables, and we don’t know what the consequences will be, but it’s the right thing to do and so we’ll do it».
As Jaspinder started to thank him with a smile and tears in her eyes, Bradley stopped her. «Don’t thank me, we’re doing it for them, not for you. Don’t think your apology was enough: it was only the bare minimum. I didn’t like your tone, Khalid, and I definitely did not appreciate your outburst and threats. Whatever past emotions and experience this evoked in you, you were completely out of line. We’ll have a serious talk about it when we get home, rest assured. For now, let’s focus on saving those people».
Harsh but fair. That was the Bradley Anderson Elisa knew, and he did not disappoint. She was sure he’d give Jas a good ass-chewing and make her train until she’d spit blood, but that was a thought for another time. They had a rescue to prepare.
***
«God, I’m surrounded by children...», Brad exclaimed, and Alessandro could not help but disagree.
No, they’re not kids. They’re operators, fucking spec ops! “The Few, The Fearless”, “Who Dares Wins” and all that jazz, he thought, annoyed, but they still don’t get the dangers of playing white knight. Or they don’t care. In any case, they should know better. I won’t always be there to nudge them on the correct path... and the others are too permissive. He shifted his weight on the left leg: his right knee still irked him from time to time, and he did not want to overload it. Inflamed tendons. That’s what I get for not listening to Elisa and trying to beat Captain America at the fitness test. How the hell do you manage to improve your personal best 10 years later, Brad? You’re 34, damn it.
I forgot what I was thinking about...
«Anyway, Jaspinder, Tetsuo, we are going to save those people. Not tonight, though, nor tomorrow».
Oh, right. Too permissive. Well, Elisa knows what she’s doing and she usually beats idiocy blue whenever she smells any, but Steve and Jaspinder sway her way too easily; Tetsuo has a way with words but is too diplomatic and compromise-prone when no one’s shooting at us; as for Brad... he’s the best leader we could have, but he has a soft spot for his juniors. I know he’s a teddy bear deep inside, so that leaves me to be the strict and rational one.
Even during his internal musing, Alessandro’s eyes never left Jaspinder, ready to intervene if she were to lose control again. He did not agree with Bradley’s decision to act so soon without enough intel, but he trusted him and his leadership. He was of the same mind, however, that Jaspinder’s behaviour could not be dismissed and forgiven with a simple apology; it was “the bare minimum”, as Bradley had just said. Though she looked sincere, Alessandro had been fooled enough in the past by good liars – some could even cry on command – so he maintained a healthy dose of scepticism. Plus, she had yet to look at him since she calmed down, and he could not decide if it was due to shame or to hide her intentions.
Let’s wait and see. It wouldn’t be the first time a good friend turned out to be a selfish asshole, but I hope this is not the case.
«Listen, Jaspinder, I said we’ll help them, but we can’t do it right now. You know we must first do some recon to check for sentries, shifts, camp layout and our targets’ location. Most of all, we too need to rest».
«I agree with Brad», Alessandro finally spoke. «I’m going to take first watch on the targets, and I suggest Elisa and Tetsuo for the second and third».
If they were going to play white knights, at least he’d make sure they played well; and no way he was letting Jaspinder alone on watch on the targets.
«Okay, listen up! Elisa, Cooper, you are on second watch. Tetsuo and Khalid will take third. I’ll take first watch with Al. Now go get some rest», Bradley ordered, and the rest of the team moved quickly. Sleep is never a guarantee in the military, but a tired soldier is bound to make mistakes, so everyone in Charlie Team had learned to quickly fall asleep anywhere at any time if given the chance.
Once the others were deep in Hypnos’ realm, Alessandro decided to talk.
«Brad, I don’t agree with our current course of action».
«I know».
«But I trust you, so I’ll do my best».
«You always do».
«Buttering me up won’t make me change my mind, punk».
«Heh, it was worth a try. So what did you want to talk about?»
«Our plan of action. We’ll move at night since we have the tactical advantage. We can’t act tomorrow, and I’d say we observe their movements, guard shifts and so on for two more days afterwards, so... we start the operation in four days».
«Three days. We observe tomorrow and the day after, then we proceed the following night».
«That’s rushed, Brad».
«Maybe, but we’re not talking about infiltrating Fort Knox, and three days is the most I will tolerate. Oh, and let’s keep an eye on Jas and Steve; we’ll surely hear those screams again, and I don’t want anyone to get too hot-headed».
«Roger that, Brad. Let’s get to work, then. We have a rescue to prepare».
***
Three days later.
«Ok guys, let’s go over it one last time».
As Bradley started speaking, his deep voice enveloped the team, his serious tone eliciting utmost focus from every operator.
The six of them were standing around a tree stump, one of their maps laid out on top of it, face down. Unable to update their digital ones via SATLINK, they resorted to use a pencil, courtesy of Elisa, to hand draw on the blank paper a rough schematic of the surrounding area and of their targets’ encampment.
«We begin at Zero One Thirty. It’s an optimal moment since it’s just halfway through their second watch. Unless they decide to change schedule compared to the last two nights. Elisa and I will approach from the riverbank», Bradley said, pointing at the lines representing the nearby mass of flowing water, «while Tetsuo and Jaspinder will move on the opposite side, using the trees as cover. Al, Steve, you’ll provide overwatch from this cluster of rocks», again, the pencil in his hand moved to point out the different spots.
«Ok. That’s the only decent vantage point around. Not the best but we should be able to see everything that goes on», Rossi considered.
«Good. Once in position, the four of us on the ground will activate the ACS, then we’ll execute at Zero Two Hundred at my command. Al, Steve, you’ll take care of the two hidden guards, while the rest of us deal with the remaining four. We take down the primary targets, go in, free the hostages, retreat with them along the riverbank, find a ford or another way to cross the river, and then proceed eastwards through the forest until we find a safe location».
He stopped to look at his team and saw focus and determination on their faces. He nodded, satisfied.
«Again, stealth and speed are the key here. You all know the Cuttlefish has a short time limit, so use it wisely. No shooting unless necessary. Stick to the plan and be quick. I don’t want a confrontation with more than thirty hostiles and I sure as hell don’t plan to jeopardize the hostages’ safety. We won’t take any chances, even if we have superior firepower and the element of surprise. Questions?»
«Sorry to bring this up again, Brad, but do we really need to shoot all the sentries?» Alessandro asked, «I mean... I understand it’s safer this way, but wouldn’t it be better to subdue them without killing? We trained a lot for hostage rescue situations, and I’m sure we can pull it off».
«I’m with Chief Rossi here, sir. You said “the less shooting, the better” so why not go full ninjas and take the hostages away from under their nose?» Cooper added with a smile.
Scratching the stubble on his cheek, Bradley grimaced and replied, «Guys, we’ve already discussed about this... It’s not a matter of being able to pull it off. I’m quite confident in our capability to do so, but you know as well as I do that offing any sentinel is the most practical thing to do in order to avoid alarms. Sure, there’s always the risk of the shots being heard, but capturing them carries other risks: it takes more time, we can’t carry them with us nor can we leave someone to keep an eye on them».
«Master chief, if I may, how about a compromise?» Kusanagi cut in. «While I believe everyone here agrees that killing them is by far the most practical and easy solution, we can suppress, bind, and gag those we can capture without anyone noticing, and take out those we deem it’s too risky to peacefully subdue. If the bound guards free themselves or are discovered, our overwatch team will take care of them. What do you think?»
«Ha! Only you would call it “peacefully subdue”, old man, but I like your idea, even though you leave the dirty job to us», Cooper snorted as he crossed his arms.
«Quiet, Cooper, I need to think», Bradley interrupted, before falling silent, a frown on his face, eyes boring holes in the map.
«Uh-oh, he’s brooding. Not a good sign», Steve whispered to Jaspinder, only to flinch when Rossi smacked him on the back of the head.
«I’d just like to add one more thing, Brad», Elisa took that chance to speak, addressing the whole team. «I am all for shooting those bastards from afar and then some, but I guess we’re probably going to get very close and personal with some of them at some point. Still, since the hostiles are quite… unusual this time around, and very much willing to commit murder in cold blood, as we’ve seen, I think we should avoid close combat as much as possible, or at least, avoid getting hit. I know it’s common sense, but some of us forget about it sometimes».
She sent a meaningful look at Kusanagi and Bradley, who replied with a peaceful smile and a completely innocent expression respectively.
Clicking her tongue, she continued. «Anyway, I’m not too worried about cuts or stabs. Whether their weapons are sharp or not, blunt force trauma is no joke, and our body armour can only absorb so much».
«Come on, Elisa», Steve interrupted her, «we have super-cool body armour, we’re better equipped than Batman! Okay, ATBA is the most boring name ever because the blokes in the R&D love their acronyms a bit too much, but they could empty an AK-47 on us and we’d be fine. I don’t see how some wooden sticks could—»
The look Elisa sent him made his next words die in his throat.
«As I was saying, I don’t need to remind you how dangerous concussions and internal bleeding can be, especially without a medevac to carry your sorry asses away. So, again, don’t get hit».
«Agreed», Bradley said, coming out from his pondering. «We’ll do as Tetsuo suggested, and Elisa makes a good point as well. If “peacefully subduing” doesn’t work, kill with extreme prejudice. Now, let’s move!»
At his order, everyone began preparing their gear, taking from their backpacks only what they needed for the rescue, and moved with purpose like a tried and tested machine, as no further discussion was needed. This little “operation” had begun, and he trusted his team to do its job. They would take those people to safety and try not to leave too much of a blood trail behind them. Although, where “safety” was, exactly, was anybody’s guess…