They moved back down the stairs and out onto the street. Moving fast. Moving quiet in the falling night. Based on
what they'd seen they chose their spot to go over the wall and Mike cupped his hands and easily hoisted Jet to begin.
The SEAL ascended silently and rested, for just a moment, flat against the broken glass that had been imbedded in
the wall's top, using his flak vest to take the brunt before signaling 'all clear' and disappearing over the side. Mike
hoisted Hector next and then took his own turn with Swanson before balancing himself to give the last Delta a hand
up. Jet covered until Hector was grounded and then simply disappeared. Off to do his mission and leave them to
theirs. By the time they reached him again, it should be by the larger window Hector had indicated.
The yard was barren of most growth, only the stand of trees the hidden smoker was in and that was on the other
side. The two guards that were actually moving didn't go far, content to stand and talk to each other. Just as they had
for nights uncounted before without incident. Mike gestured around the corner to the position. He wanted them gone.
Partially because he was blood thirsty and mostly because he knew - Murphy's Law - that they'd pick the worse
possible time to show up once the team was inside. But it was Hector's call so he left it a question. Or a strong
suggestion at least.
Hector nodded and slid a gloved finger across his throat. They were to be eliminated. To make sure no one caused a
fuss later. He glanced up to the window where Jet would be soon, but wasn't there yet and nodded again, pointing at
Swanson to provide distraction.
Swanson slid into a bush across from the hidden smoker, and in a perfect accent, started whispering, letting his voice
carry across the area. He moved like a smoky whisper, proving Deltas could be just as accomplished as SEALs at
certain things.
"I missed prayer this morning because I was freaking on your mother."
"Your father sat there and watched."
"Your sister wants a piece too."
That sort of sexual innuendo was enough to drag the hidden smoker from his perch, in search of the insulting voice
as Swanson moved from where he was, double backing on the smoker.
"Hey, can I bum a smoke?" Swanson asked him. His voice sounded native, anyone not watching wouldn't think
anything of it. But he was definitely not native by his appearance as he raised his pistol, silencer attached, and shot
the smoker between the eyes, dragging his body off into nearby bush and pulling the shrubbery up over it, and
turning off his radio.
As soon as the smoker was moving, Hector and Mike moved into position by the two guards. Hector shook his head in
disappointment at their laziness as they looked at Hector and Mike in surprise. They didn't hear either man coming
over their senseless prattle, and they didn't have time to react as their necks were snapped, and within seconds their
bodies were being dragged alongside the building to hide in the shadows.
Swanson joined them at that point. "Okay, window's up there." He said. "Jet must be having fun." For the dark skinned
SEAL wasn't there yet.
Mike frowned. Agreeing and not liking that fact at all. He wasn't a huge fan of deviations. Never had been, which had
been a problem then, and, damned, if he hadn't gotten worse since. Take it on the chin.
On the upside, dragging dead bodies around made him feel productive.
'See if its locked?' he signaled, waiting for someone to cup their hands and give him a hoist. Just then there was a
soft thump against the shutter above them and a second later it was swinging open. The rope dropped down and
Jet's hand, unmistakable gestured over the window sill. 'All clear'.
Clear because apparently they're been a game of dice going on in the room previously and the three men that had
been playing weren't going to be collecting any of the bets they'd laid our on the floor between them. Jet just
shrugged, looking out the cracked door into the hallway while the others pulled themselves silently inside.
The signal he shot them indicated there were more than their expected 'six' in-house. Also that down the left, nothing
but the room he'd let himself into but to the right there were another two doors and a stairwell.
Hector stretched his shoulders out after he hoisted himself through the window and looked at Jet as he pulled his
weapon. Swanson slid a new clip into his then as well.
This Hector Andi probably wouldn't recognize, but this was the one he was betting her life on. His face bore no
expression, his posture was tensely rigid and fluidly relaxed all at the same time as he backed against a wall, ready
for the signal to cover the hall way. They'd already taken six down, collectively. He really wanted to have a talk with
this Raphael. Six guards his ass.
He nodded at Jet when all were inside the room, the rope retracted and the window silently shut once more. He cast a
glance over at Mike, for the moment the ex soldier was doing okay. He was counting on Mike to know where his limits
were, and not to cross them. Not with all this on the line. He could become dead weight then, figuratively if not literally,
and then they'd have more problems.
Mike caught the glance and shot Hector a dry look before going back to stowing the bodies out of sight of a casual
glance in the door. He hadn't questioned Hector's ability and Hector was good enough to return the favor. Principles
and maneuvers he remembered. His body wasn't as fast as it had been and any long sprint was going to leave him
behind. But he could still play backup. And, arrogant son of a bitch that he was, he liked to think he might catch the
little details others would usually miss. Whatever the hell those would be.
One thing they probably all realized now was that, despite being two stories across the entire building, the hallway
they were in seemed to only hold two more rooms and then a staircase. Which left a hell of a lot of space
unaccounted for. Since they weren't in a James Bond movie, Mike doubted the possibility of secret doors. But it
probably meant that they'd have to go down to go back up again. He hated houses with complicated set ups.
Jet gave a nod as they all moved into position and then they moved silently down the hall and took down the first
room. Since silence was the key, Jet simply opened the door while he stayed against the wall and everyone moved in.
Covering and doing a quick, through check. Nothing. And Mike noticed the furniture was pretty sparse and cheap.
What did they do? Keep the 'hired' help on this side of the house during their downtime?
If this was the wrong house, he'd kill someone. Gallows humor, commented 'oh... wait'. Of course, if this was the
wrong house, what had the guards been for?
Room cleared, they moved on to the next one.
They didn't have a choice. They had to go down the stair case and find another way. Hector was starting to think they
should have just gone through the front door, not wasted time. Time was something they had little of, along with
patience. He took a breath to recenter himself and gestured to the staircase as the small unauthorized team made its
way down with standard cover.
They got to the first floor, and stood flush against the wall. There were certainly more than a few guards guarding a
room. Which meant it was either where Andi was held, or the head guy. Right now, he'd take either.
The bottom floor was mostly a huge room, a reception room Mike would have called it but again with the gallows
humor which tended to kick in hard on him at times like this. Off to the right were some swinging double doors that led
into another room. Other than that the 'reception room' took up most of the downstairs complete with chairs, tables,
and much nicer furniture than upstairs. The door at the far end of the room was closed and, if Mike remembered the
length of the house right, must include a pretty big room itself. The second set of stairs led upward kitty-corner to the
ones they'd just come down and revealed another hallway that turned and hid how many rooms might be up there.
Oh, and the guards.
Not to be overlooked.
The guards spotted them a few short seconds after they'd been spotted and had the disadvantage of not expecting
anyone. The two at the table playing cards barely had time to drop them before the bullets smacked both of them
backward, blossoming red across their respective foreheads. Because of the silencers the Delta were using on their
pistols, there was no loud sound to jerk everyone else to attention and the reactions were still marked with surprise.
Jet entirely ignored the room and was through the double doors while Mike thumped into the wall next to it. Ear open
in case Jet needed help but still dealing with the goons in the current room. Next time he went on a mission to gather
information, Mike decided he was going to insist they bring a few more men. Even if it made for a cramped ride over.
He took another shot and the man that had been going for his gun went down, body slumping back into the chair he'd
been starting out of. And then one of the remaining guards got off a shot and his submachine gun made more than
enough noise to wake up everyone else in the house. So the trick now wasn't quiet and quick. It was to clear the room
and get into that room across the way before the people inside had a chance to react. And climb out a window or
worse yet, get dumb and go for guns.
"Take the room!" Mike yelled. "We'll hold the stairs." That the last few guards in the room, now reacting with gunfire of
their own, weren't even an issue didn't even need mentioning. They were just dead men who didn't know it yet
standing between what the team wanted.
Hector went into the room after Jet as Swanson took position by Mike, dispatching the remaining guards in the room.
"Well, so much for quiet. They had to go and ruin it. Putzes." Swanson said as he reloaded and took position by the
stairs, nodding to Mike that he was in position. "I need a vacation. Me, and a beach, and lots of bikini clad babes. I
can almost feel the heat now." He said with a chuckle.
"It's Garrett." Hector said in a low voice as he came up behind Jet. He didn't think for a moment he could sneak up on
the SEAL, but announcing that he was a friendly couldn't hurt. At the very least it wouldn't hurt him!
"Nah, that's our asses on fire." Mike commented with a grin, white teeth flashing in his darkened face as he took the
brief respite to reload both his pistol and his rifle. "I think I might have to retire after this. Oh... wait."
Jet shook his head at Hector.
It was a kitchen. A god-damn kitchen. He had three 'civilians' on the floor on their faces but hadn't flex cuffed them
because there was no one to cover while he did so. But they were laying nice and quiet anyway.
"Slim." Jet's voice carried without having to raise it too much and Mike, sure that Swanson was still covering the stairs,
poked his head around the corner. Saw the people cowering on the floor. Jet gestured to the back of the room.
Where it met up with another door. Which, hopefully, led into that room at the other end of the 'reception' hall they'd
spotted when they'd come in.
'Check it out' Mike gestured and Jet looked at Hector to affirm they were still moving in tandem before nodding. Mike
planted a knee on the first capture's back and trussed him like a turkey. Moving on to the other one as Jet moved
toward the door at the other end. He glanced at Hector. Anyone in that room knew they were coming by now. So they
had to keep the momentum because their prey might just be slipping out a back window right now. Oh, and not get
shot in the process. Jet palmed a flash-bang grenade and raised an eyebrow at the Delta next to him.
Hector nodded at Jet as they headed toward the door. Hector wasn't in the mood to be nice and quiet, since their
presence was known by now anyway, and kicked the door in. A large window, perfect for an escape, was open and
they could see figures heading toward a vehicle. All male.
"Do it." Hector said for Jet to throw the grenade, which the SEAL did, along with another one. Hector barely heard the
resulting explosion as he went over tot he fax machine, which was still printing its last transmission and held the
papers carefully.
"Kerlex, Nine French scalpel, betadine, primapore, forceps, naso-gastric tube..." He read from the paper. But more
important that the words themselves were the way they were written. It was handwritten, and Hector would recognize
the delicate flowing penmanship anywhere.
"Raise Baker on the wire, I need this traced. And let's go make sure none of them got away."
"Watch out for the upper windows." Mike called through the broken door. Final person trussed and stacked to the
side. "Swan and I still need to clear the upstairs side of that house."