The Retrieval
Waiting. That's what we're always doing. The light is the enemy. Darkness. Yes, that's what we always want, darkness. Silent, without a sound is what we do. Then it happened. The ground immediately became engulfed in darkness. The moon behind a cloud, and we move. Five men hit the icy chill of water with less than a slight splash. This is what we were trained for in the core. We trudge quickly through the water, but yet slowly enough as to not make a sound. The water receded and we moved quickly along the sand. Then the light returned, and looking back I saw our footprints. Then the water rose and receded again, washing up any trace that we were ever there. Exactly as planned.
There was a wall on the border of the beach and beyond that, the target. It was a five story beach house with hostages and illegal drugs inside. With our backs to the wall I peered through an opening in the wall. I pulled up my binoculars from my vest and examined the target. On the top floor only one man guarding the window, fourth floor nothing, no lights. This was unusual and at the moment a cold breeze tore along the beach sending the hairs on the back of my neck into a rigid stance. Third floor same as top floor but with two hostages, second floor three moving guards and one hostage, and on the ground level floor two guards at the door. I reported the results to the rest of my squad.
Unit 3 pulled out his sniper rifle and mounted it on top of the wall. He slowly followed the guard on top floor. The guard stopped and the bullet flew only making a silenced click noise. Through my binoculars I saw him fall to the floor. One down and now onto the third floor. Unit3 took more time here because of the hostage situation. Yet, still the guard fell. Second floor. This one would be hard with three guards. That means take out one and our position is compromised. All of them would have to be taken out at once without harming the hostage. I told unit two to launch window stick flash. He loaded one and fired it at the window. It stuck and blinked. The three guards pointed at it and then it exerted a huge flash of bright light right into their eyes. They became dazed and stunned, and Unit 3 quickly responded by firing three quick sniper rounds into each guard sending him to the floor. Only two remained from what we could see. I turned to Units 4 and 5 and moved my arm and fist in a motion as if I was pulling a semi's horn. This meant "Go Live". The both loaded up and charged into the grass unloading rounds into the two guards at ground level, but by the time the guards noticed it was too late.
I ran after Units 4 and 5 being followed by 2 and 3. We arrived at the door and I ordered Unit 2 to perform a flash and clear. He opened the door threw in a flash grenade and then we moved in. Nothing, so we moved up to the second floor expecting to find a hostage, but nothing. Quickly I ordered my units to follow me and we hastily moved up the floors until we arrived at the fourth floor. I turned on my night vision and immediately wished I hadn't a line of what were hostages, so we thought, were now pinpointing us with tranquilizers. In pulled up my gun and was able to fire a couple rounds taking out two of too many. The tranquilizer weakened my strength and the gun dropped to the floor. One man walked over to me and I noticed a tattoo on his upper left arm. I could barely make it out but noticed it was a Dragon. The man kicked my night vision visor and the whole room became dark and I began to pass out. My last thoughts trickled through my mind. We were Seals. We were trained to expect this, and yet we failed. We failed . . .