"No."
They team reacted with confusion, which was understandable. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd disobeyed a direct order from Nate, especially in such an incontrovertible, end-of-discussion tone. The ex-insurance investigator's eyes widened in surprise, Sophie was trying to cover up her shocked expression and Hardison's jaw was hanging agape. Parker was looking at him curiously.
"Why not?" She asked.
"I don't like guns," Eliot growled in response.
Nate sighed at his much-used line. "Come on, Eliot, it's has to be you. Hardison and I will be here at headquarters, Sophie has to distract the mark, and Parker will be stealing from his vault. You have to shoot at the convoy, there's just no one else."
"I'm not doing it." Eliot's resolute tone invited no discussion. He took a small sip of the water in front of him, trying to stop his hand from shaking and giving away just how strongly he felt on the matter.
"It's just a shot or two, Eliot, you don't actually have to hit anyone," Sophie tried to reason. "What's so bad about just one bullet?"
[*]
Thailand, 1996
Eliot had been lying on the edge of a cliff for almost two days. He was used to this, but it wasn't his favorite type of job. If it was his choice, Eliot would always fight man-to-man, but this particular man had a huge security force protecting his family's manor high on a mountainside. Eliot's perch was almost a mile away, on the Eastern slope of another mountain. From it he could clearly see the manor's pool and lounge area through his scope.
Eliot had been trying to get a clear shot at this man for the entire time he had been laying on his stomach under a bush. He didn't allow himself to think his target's name, it was easier that way. What he did know was that his target ran an 'import/export business.' Eliot snorted just thinking of the clichéd title. The 'business' was a cover for illegal arms dealing, and Eliot had been hired by another 'businessman' to take out the head of the competition.
The problem was that the man never seemed to leave his house! He spent the entire day in his study, windows covered by sheer fabric light enough to allow a breeze, but thick enough that Eliot couldn't see inside. Eliot had allowed himself short naps during the night, but, as always, he was too vigilant to gain much sleep. His only meals had been the hard rations he had brought before he came, and he ate them sparingly; he didn't know how long it would be before he could take his shot.
Eliot's focused gaze caught a small figure run outside the house. It was the target's daughter, a young blonde girl, about six years old. She turned back to face the manor, waving her arms excitedly and shouting something. Eliot read the Thai on her lips. The little girl was telling someone to play with her.
"Pôr!" She yelled, and Eliot's heart beat faster. She was calling to her father! He adjusted his position, turning slightly so he could see the doorway the girl had come from. Just a few moments later, Eliot's target came through the door. Eliot focused his scope on the man's chest as he walked across the lawn toward his daughter. He followed the man as he sat down in one of the lounge chairs, the little girl sitting in a smaller pink version a few steps away.
The target took off his shirt and started applying sunscreen. The retrieval specialist grinned. This was too good to be true! Eliot tightened the focus on the scope so that only the man's upper body was in view and positioned the scope's crosshairs dead center on the man's chest, right over his heart. Eliot took a deep breath as he made a last adjustment for the wind and pulled back the hammer. He saw a small flurry of action through the scope, but his finger had already tightened around the trigger.
BANG!
Eliot peered through his scope and gasped outright at what he saw. He knew instantly that this image would be plastered over his eyes for weeks and would not leave his head at all for months.
The six-year-old was lying on her father's chest where she had just leaped, her blond hair splayed out over her back. Her arms were locked around her father's neck, and his were curled around her torso.
They were both covered in blood.
Eliot waited, staring wide-eyed through his scope, for what seemed like hours. His heart wouldn't let him move, kept willing the little girl to get up, telling himself that what had just happened wasn't real. This couldn't be real.
In the end, it was only the shouts of the guards surrounding the manor and the blaring alarm that brought him out of his trance. Eliot took one last look at the two dead figures and stood up. It was time to leave. He choked back a sob, surprising himself, and, taking a final look at the manor, ran into the woods. Every pace he took Eliot repeated a vow, the mantra that would soon turn into his penitence: 'Never again.'
[*]
Eliot stood up from his seat, shaking his head slightly to erase the image of that man and his daughter that haunted him to this day. He realized that his team was staring at him, but his somber look stopped anything they might have said.
Eliot walked to the doorway of the briefing room, then turned back slowly until he was facing Sophie. He answered her question.
"You can't take it back."