Chapter 44 : Mission

Today was a big day. Something they were preparing for weeks now. 50 and 20- David Squads teamed up to catch the leaders of a big methamphetamines traffic. When both teams arrived this morning at SWAT HQ, they were already focused on their goals. Closed faces, no jokes, only determination in their eyes. Hicks and Lynch were waiting for them to give them the latest orders.

The mission was simple: three people on the roof having a look over the whole scene and covering all the possible angles. Chris, Kotonin and O'Rourke were compulsory named. They were the best snipers. Then two men covering the back of the house.

"Sounds like a job for Street and Tan." Lynch announced proudly.

"Rodriguez, Deacon and Chen, you take care of the front house while Rhokker, Barry and Luca, you cover their ass from each side. Hondo, you back up with them, to attack from each side of the house."

"Copy that, Commander." He answered, nodding.

The mission was planned for 6PM, time for both teams to get prepared and visualize the assault all together. Hondo and Rhokker followed every move from the gang thanks to drones, which flew over the area all day to be sure they will not move till they arrive. The two teams reloaded their arms, preparing the munitions and safety packs. Getting ready for any move from their targets.

AT 5 PM, each team joined their vehicles. Focused on the mission. Inscrutable faces. Minds already fixed on their goal. Hondo and Rhokker shared a last nod before getting into the vehicle.

"Luca, go!"

"Alright, Boss."

"You all got your assignment?"

"Yes" Deac, Rodriguez, Chris and Tan answered together.

"Let's get and catch these sons of a bitch and secure the area!" Tan added, overjoyed to arrest some bad guys.

"Hondo, any news from the drone?"

"No, Deac, Hicks assured me before leaving all was still. And the drones indicate there are 6 heat signatures coming from the house. That's to say, our group is complete making more pills, probably to sell them on the weekend at Venice."

"They won't get this chance!"

"No, Chris, they won't."

"Rodriguez, any question?"

"No, Boss. Just can't wait to get into the action!"

"Love the enthusiasm!" Luca yelled from the front seat.

"And now showtime!" Hondo announced as they got closer from the location.

Luca parked Black Betty at the corner of the street and the team got out, taking with them their guns and munitions. 50-David's vehicle parked just next to them and quickly joined them.

"You know what to do. Commander, anything new?"

"No, Hondo." He answered in the earpiece. "All clear! I pay close attention to every detail but you can all go. LAPD back up is ready to intervene if necessary. Just tell me and I give them the go."

"Understood, Commander !" Hondo cut his micro and turned to his team and nodded. It was time. Mission had officially started.

Rodriguez, Deacon, Rhokker and Chen ran until the front house and froze behind the big oaks. Street and Tan, Hondo hid at the back of the house while Chris, Kotonin and O'Rourke climbed to their assigned roof spots and prepared their slipper gun.

"50-David Squad in place?" Rhokker asked.

"20-David Squad in position?" Hondo followed.

The two teams answered affirmatively. "Luca, the tear gas is the last option. You stay in position and intervene when I tell you to do so."

"Copy that."

"Go, go, go!" Hicks ordered in the earpieces.

The officers deployed all over the house and put a blur bomb on the front and the back doors. "To my signal, 3,2,1, fire!" Rhokker ordered. Street and Chen programmed the bomb at the same time. Forty-five seconds later they blew up, destroying the two doors simultaneously.

Rodriguez, Deac, Rhokker and Chen invested the back of the house and arrested one of the men in the kitchen.

"On your knees!" Rodriguez yelled with authority. "I've said, on my knees!"

Chen walked next to her and handcuffed the man as she kept her gun right to him. Rhokker and Deac walked further in the house and found the door leading to the basement. They nodded, the laboratory must have been hidden there. They masked up before opening the door.

On the other side of the house, Street, Tan and Hondo ran through the corridors and finally reached the stairs.

"Tan with me upstairs, Street, you join Deac and Rhokker in the basement, they need back up while Rodriguez and Chen bring the man outside. Kotonin, O'Rourke, Chris, any eye on the suspects?"

"Negative, boss."

"24-David, stay up. 55-David, with us. 56, you stay with 24 for the moment." Kotonin got up and climbed down and ran into the house, passing by the front door to run faster to the basement.

Right there, they found Deac and Rhokker already fighting with three guys, dressed in white suits. Street came in the middle of this and isolated one of the man to relieve Deac. Kotonin came in a hurry and started to hit the man who was after Rhokker. Deac got the upper hand over his attacker and hit him right in the jaw, making him turn on himself.

Street jumped on his assailant and knocked him out on the ground. He took a plastic tight from his pocket and tied the man up. Deac soon imitated him as the man he was after stumbled over one of the tables from the lab. Rhokker and Kotonin kept fighting with the third man, as high as a giant and failed over him again till they found his weak point. Kotonin hit him right in the knees and the man fell on the floor, allowing Rhokker to tie him up.

"24-David to 20-David, I see a move!" Chris yelled in the micro surprising Hondo and Tan upstairs.

"What do you see, Chris?"

"The curtains are moving in the room next to you, guessing a silhouette. Hard to say more."

"O'Rourke, come here with us! Chris, you remain alone, check every corner for us!"

"Copy that, boss!"

O'Rourke hurried and climbed upstairs, backing up Hondo and Tan.

"LAPD SWAT, you're surrounded. Better giving up now. Before it's too late."

No noise for the next seconds and then the sound of a loading gun. The tree men hid to avoid the bullets. Time for them to reload their own guns and they entered the room. Only one man was there.

"Where's the other?" Hondo screamed as Tan and O'Rourke pushed the man on the ground to handcuff him. The man let out an evil laugh.

"24-David, I've got the man in sight. He's escaping the house! Walking through the window right now."

"Shoot him, Chris!"

"Copy that, 20-David!" The woman placed her rifle in the position she preferred, aimed at the man climbing down against the house wall and shot. A single bullet, right next the head of the man, giving the time for Hondo and Tan to get in the garden. But before they could reach the man, Chris shot another time and killed the man. A bullet in between the eyes. When Tan and Hondo came closer, they saw the man was holding a gun in his hand, threatening their lives. Hondo raised his head and nodded at Chris, she had just saved their asses.

[…]

Back at SWAT HQ, the teams were welcomed by a big applause. Their colleagues celebrated their victory over the methamphetamines dealers. Hicks finally appeared at the end of the corridor.

"Well done, Squads!"

Hondo and Rhokker nodded. "Team effort!" Rhokker answered proudly.

Hicks approved with a nod. "Now you can go home. LAPD , Lynch and I will interrogate those men in the morning."

50 and 20-Squads got back to the locker room and got changed. Both proud and happy of what they had done, they shared some words before splitting. The day had been intense and they dreamed to go home quickly to see their kids, their wife or husband or just to rest. Tan came closer to Chris.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute… In private..."

Tan seemed shy, secretive. Definitively not his type. Chris was surprised and shared a quizzical look with Street before walking outside the locker room with Tan. They stopped in one of the numerous corners of the lobby.

"Everything's ok, Tan?" Chris was worried.

"Yeah, yeah… Just wanted to thank you, Chris. You know for earlier… If you had not been here… I mean … Hondo and I could be…"

Chris blushed, hearing her friend saying those words. "It's nothing… I've just made my work… That's all."

"No, Chris, you're gifted. You have a true eye to analyze the elements on the field. No one saw the gun, except you. Without you pressing the trigger I could have never seen my little girl and Bonnie anymore…"

"So it's a girl?" Chris tried to change the conversion. She hated being the main subject.

"Yeah. We learned it a few days ago." Tan answered all fluffy. "In fact, you're the first one I've told about."

"Your secret's safe with me." She smiled slightly at him. He smiled her back.

"Good night, Chris."

"Goodnight, Tan. See you tomorrow."

In the far away, Street looked at the scene as he was going to the armory to drop some bullets he still had in his pockets. He was proud of his wife. Once again she had proven she was worthy of becoming a SWAT leader, that she was someone everyone of her teammates could rely on. He still watched at the scene for a few seconds and vanished in the corridor.

[…]

Chris remained a little at HQ. Street had things to do with his team and they only took her car this morning. Anyway, she had also things to do on her own. Like fixing her bulletproof vest, replacing the shoelaces of her boots and tidy her locker. She took a few seconds to look at the pic of her and Jim hanging on her door. Their first trip together, in the middle of nowhere, the first time they were able to act like a true couple.

She smiled at the pic before grabbing her boots. They really need to be cleaned. She continued with her vest and replaced some of the pockets with new ones, finally she tidied the stuff she had piled up in this small piece of furniture.

"Hey, Chris."

Chris jumped. She thought she was alone there. Rodriguez was still in the locker room when Chris came back to take her stuff. Her wet hair betrayed the fact that she had just taken a shower. A long, relaxing shower. And Chris had no idea at all she was there.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" She was embarrassed.

"No, no. My bad, Alicia. I was just too much into my own world."

Alicia gave a shy look and then grinned. "You make a beautiful couple with Street." She told, pointing at the picture inside Chris's locker.

"Thanks, that's nice…" Chris stopped, she didn't know what to add there.

"My pleasure… You seem really in love. Like everything is easy."

"Ah ah ha don't think this, we have our good and bad moments but we make it work. For the better and the worst, they say."

Chris quietly hid her head inside the locker, as if it would make the conversation stop. Rodriguez went to her own and gathered her stuff in her backpack.

"Chris…" Alicia told before leaving the room. "Just wanted to tell you that I'm honored to work in the same squad as you… Really invigorating and inspiring."

Chris lowered her head. It was a night of compliments for her and she was not comfortable with all of this. She managed to whisper "thanks" between her lips.

"You should be proud, Chris. You're a true inspiration. Being the first female SWAT officer, a respected K9 agent, and the first person to get in a relationship with a colleague and to assume her choice and prove you can make a relationship work if you really want. That you are stronger than a stupid hierarchy. For me, you're a hero, Chris. Never forget this."

Chris remained half- hidden in her locker. She was touched by Alicia's words. She didn't know if she was inspiring or invigorating. To be honest, she was sure she was not but Alicia's words were really moving. She got her head out of the locker and looked at Alicia.

"Thanks, Alicia. But I'm just doing my job."

"You're doing more than that, Chris. Hope you'll see it one day. Have a nice evening."

Alicia closed the door behind her and let Chris alone in the locker room. This time, she was really alone. She kept tidying, replaced her shoelaces. Even put a new pic in her locker. She and Jim at Santa Monica pier, eating cotton candy. She didn't really know if she was a hero. All she knew was that right now she was finally at peace with herself.