Nathan exploded out of the cover. It was ten steps to his target. Nine. Eight.

Ideally both Rodrigez and him would get to their respective target at the same time so that neither hostile would get any warning. That did not happen. When he was two steps away it became apparent that Rodrigez was a couple of steps behind him. Also, his target wasn’t sleeping.

Both of the guards started to move a bit, reacting to the sound of their attackers bursting out of the darkness. The one standing turned around with a surprised look on his face, while the one sitting moved his head sideways a bit as if trying to confirm that he just heard something. That was not enough to save him.

Nathan was upon the guard before he’d gotten halfway to his feet. He reached his left hand around and covered the opponent's mouth while sliding the knife into the right side of his neck. With a quick saw-like movement, he opened the front of the guard's throat. A wheezing gurgling sound was all he made while he crumpled to the ground. A fountain of blood sprayed forward and started to sizzle in the fire, filling the immediate area with a burnt metallic stench.

The standing guard had not been idle while this happened. His fearful eyes were locked on Rodrigez’s -who was only a heartbeat or two away- and had no hope of getting his rifle ready. While he didn’t have the discipline to yell out and warn his comrades, he did have the presence of mind to grab his sidearm which was more readily available. He’d got it out of his holster, and Nathan could only watch as he raised it in the direction of his teammate.

Just before Nathan expected him to pull the trigger, a small sound could be heard.

Clank!

Like if one struck a piece of metal with a small hammer. The guard's head was replaced by what appeared to be a black mist in the darkness as he collapsed.

“Shit!” he murmured to himself, feeling his senses improve as an effect of adrenaline. He took a long breath before continuing.

“Find some cover and scan your sectors. There’s a good chance we just interrupted someone's dreams.” He dropped down behind the tree while the others also went prone in suitable positions. “Nice shot, Buck. Shadow, any movement?”

They waited for a couple of seconds. “Nyet, nothing so far”, replied Sergei.

Nathan took a quick look at the dead guards in front of him, confirming that they were no longer a threat. The flicker from the fire made it possible to see details in their faces which he couldn’t see earlier, like the reflection of the fire in their open eyes, staring into nothingness. They looked so young.

“Christ, these guys can’t be older than fifteen or something. Just kids,” he murmured.

Rodrigez sent a quick questioning look his way while on his knees, quickly confirming the kills for himself before moving back into the shadows. “Focus, boss. You know how it is. Way of the world, and all that. Nothing we can do about it.”

“Yeah, I know. Way of the fucking world.” The luxury of regret and second-guessing was reserved for survivors, and they were not in the clear yet. He pushed the feelings away and lifted his eyes. Not like another face or two added to his nightmares would make a difference.

“Ok, move towards the target building. Stay vigilant. This could go south in a hurry.”

The three of them started to slowly walk forward while keeping their carbines raised, scanning for any movement. They reached the back of the building without any further incidents.

It wasn’t a very big structure relatively speaking, but it was a bit bigger than the other buildings in the camp, so it was easy to identify. Like the others, it didn’t have any windows, and it was made of a mix of salvaged metal and a local variation of cement. Given time, they could probably easily dig under or even through the wall, but they didn’t need to. It was much faster to use the door.

Some quick hand-signals, and Smith moved around the building on one side while Nathan went the other. Rodrigez provided cover. They reached the door, which was only secured with a deadbolt. Smith quietly unlocked and opened the door just enough so that Nathan could slide inside. He raised his weapon and followed immediately.

They quickly scanned the room.

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The whole structure was a single room, but it was divided into three distinct areas. The first area was on the left and seemed to be for filming, as it did have a camera set up on a tripod, aimed towards an unknown flag and a chair. The second area was on the right and looked to be an area meant for torture. It had a metal chair, some jumper cables hooked to a battery, and a variation of other tools that could be used in creative ways. The third area was furthest from the door and was a large homemade jail cell. Exactly what they were looking for.

They cleared the two recreational areas and moved towards the back of the room. They could see what seemed to be the contours of two people on the ground inside the cell.

“Vincent Hoth? Are any of you Vincent Hoth?” Nathan whispered while Smith worked on the lock. It was another deadbolt, so it opened quickly.

As they moved inside the cell, Smith turned on a flashlight and aimed it towards the cell inhabitants. As the light fell on them, they started to stir a bit before they opened their eyes, quickly followed by shielding them from the bright light.

“Are any of you Vincent Hoth?”, Nathan repeated.

“What is happening?” one of them squeaked. His voice sounded tired and lifeless.

Nathan took a closer look at the one who’d spoken and compared the way he looked to the pictures of Hoth they’d been shown while planning the mission. There was little doubt it was him, although he had certainly changed quite a lot in just a few days. He looked thinner and stretched out. More so than expected considering how long they had been captured.

“Mister Hoth?” Nathan queried, just to get the confirmation he needed.

“Yes, I’m Vincent Hoth. What’s going on? Who are you?”

Nathan indicated to Smith that he should turn off the light so that Hoth and the other hostage were able to see them. “Mister Hoth, we are part of an extraction team sent to retrieve you. However, this is a stealth extraction so we do not want anything rash to happen that will lead to us being discovered. It is vital that you both remain calm and quiet and do everything we say. If you do that, I promise you that there is a good chance you will get to go home, safe and sound. Is that understood?”

“I...” Hoth looked wildly from Nathan to Smith, before he seemed to wake up just a bit more. “Thank Christ. I understand. We will do everything you say.” He shared a look with the other prisoner, who nodded in agreement.

“Good” Nathan stated before triggering his mic. Smith moved over to check and cover the exit.

“Overwatch, this is Headhunter. Package one and additional package located and secured. Wait for further info. Over.”

“This is Overwatch. Acknowledged. Waiting for further info. Over.”

Nathan turned his attention back to the two men in front of him. “Ok, we do not have much time, so please answer my questions quickly and precisely. Is that clear?”

They both nodded.

“Good. First, what is your name?” he asked of the one who was still to speak. As with Hoth, he knew but needed confirmation non the less.

“Christian Daniels”, he stammered.

Daniels was Hoth’s assistant, which meant that the bodyguard was still unaccounted for. “Thanks, Mr. Daniels. Where is Charles Baker?” he asked.

“Charles is dead”, Hoth answered as he swallowed a small cough. “They cut his head off in front of us, right over there.” He nodded towards the front of the room. “It must have been a couple of days ago”, he added.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nathan consoled. “Let us make sure that we do not share his fate. Do any of you have any injuries? Are you able to walk?”

“We’ve seen better days for sure, but we should be able to walk. Right?” Hoth looked at Daniels as he answered.

“Absolutely! Just seeing you here gives me new strength,” Daniels confirmed, although not very convincingly.

“Glad to hear it.” Nathan helped the two guys to their feet and triggered his coms. “Overwatch, this Headhunter. Additional package is the second package. The third package is unavailable, we are preparing to move to extraction. ETA at the LZ in 20 minutes. Over.”

“This is Overwatch. Acknowledged. Eagle, move to hover, and prepare for extraction. Over.”

“This is Eagle, moving to extraction and will be ready for pick up in 20 min. Out.”

Nathan turned back to the rescued hostages. “Ok, listen to me very carefully, gentlemen. This here”-he indicated Smith with a nod-” is Buck. I want you, Mr. Hoth, to grab his backpack, while you, Mr. Daniels, keep a good grip on the shoulder of Mr. Hoth. When Buck moves, you move. When Buck stops, you stop. If Buck speaks, you listen. After we leave this room, you do not speak. Is that clear?”

They both nodded.

“Excellent. Just to be sure, though.” Nathan grabbed the arm of Hoth, walked him over to Buck, and placed his hand around one of the straps on Buck’s backpack. He then grabbed Daniels’s hand and placed it on Hoth's shoulder.

Nathan started to explain what they should expect, “In ten seconds we are gone move out of here and we are gone walk two kilometers. On the way, we will be joined by three more of my squad. Do not be alarmed when they join us. Then we are going to get on a helicopter, and this will all be over. If you have anything to say or any questions, now is the time. When we walk out that door, things will happen very fast. So?”

Nathan tried to smile encouraging, although the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Right now, this mission was going well and if they started moving right away, he was confident he would be able to get everybody home safely. He didn’t expect them to say anything, so he started to reach for his communication switch to prepare Rodriguez and Sergei. With some surprise, he recognized that Hoth had a question.

“Yes?” he asked, unable to keep some of his impatience out of his voice.

“I...” Hoth faltered and looked at Daniels for support before continuing. “The rest of your team?”

“Yes?”

“Are they rescuing John?”

Nathan stopped breathing; his earlier confidence quickly evaporated. He looked from Hoth to Daniels and back. Both of them looked at him with hope in their eyes. He looked at Smith, who shrugged.

“Who the fuck is John?”