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Chapter 17
The early morning sun blasted through the insufficient windows of the dusty compound, suffocating Archer as he rose from his sleeping bag. The midnight shift change meant Archer could regain a few hours of sleep, but his thoughts tormented him. He had spent most of the night on the roof, watching the sparse tufts of grass quiver as the breeze passed over them. Not a movement in his sights. Archer had returned to his sleeping bag but was unable to fall into a slumber, instead, he resigned to the makeshift briefing room he had created to run over their mission plans.
The rest of the team woke around the same time, filtering into the temporary kitchen one by one.
“We move out in one hour,” Archer announced adn the men nodded; checking their watches. “I want to be in and out.” No other sound apart from the shuffling of feet could be heard. Everyone was packing their kit up silently, ready for the march into the next town.
The sun was blazing down harsher than bef
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The aircraft bounced across the tarmac as it came into land, the sudden motion jolted Archer awake. Rubbing his eyes he watched as his team rose from their seats, picking up their kit bags in a jostled fashion. The ramp lowered with a painfully loud scream as it met the tarmac below. Each man strode down the ramp, slinging their kit over one shoulder. The transport arrived, parking behind the ramp. Each man heaved his bag into the rear with great force before taking a seat inside. Within minutes the team were speeding over to HQ, it was late in the night and Archer and his men were rubbing their eyes as exhaustion threatened to take over. The vehicle ground to halt outside HQ and each man jumped excitedly from the trailer, almost hearing their beds calling them. “Brief at 0800 lads, get some sleep.” He ordered. Archer followed behind the team, dropping his kit across the bed and locking his bedroom door. He sank onto his bunk, allowing the comfort of
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Cara lay slumped in the chair, it had been a few days she thought and she could almost differentiate the footsteps that would pass the door to her cell. She hadn’t eaten and she was gradually starting to lose focus, her will power to move was waining a little more every time she woke up. Familiar footsteps approached the doorway, she could hear mumbling outside. She couldn’t make out any of the words but she was sure it wasn’t English. The door handle turning piqued her interest before it swung open. Cara mustered up what little energy she had left to look up at the figure in front of her but the light was too bright for her eyes. A dark figure paced towards her and she could only make out the item in the person’s hand as it edged closer to her. A syringe. “No! Please!” She begged as realisation set in. It was too late. The scratchiness of the needle pierced her neck as the icy contents of the syringe ploughed through her veins unapologetically. Bomba
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It had been a few days since the team had returned from their failed retrieval. Their boss was out of the office, no one had seen him since the debrief and everyone was in a foul mood. The idea of failing a mission was a rare occurrence for the elite task force. Archer lay on his bunk, staring at the ever-familiar crack above his head. His music blared through his speakers attempting to drown out his thoughts. Blake and Johnson were in the common room playing video games, Archer could hear them shouting and yelling over his music as they shot down enemies one by one. “Archer!” The door to his room cracked open. “Sir!” Archer shot up from his bed to be greeted by his boss. “Call it in.” He said regimented. Archer kicked himself off the bed as his boots hit the floor, switching his music off. “Brief!” He shouted at his team, almost immediately footsteps drowned the corridor as one by one the men filed into the briefing room. The
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Archer had just returned from a run, he needed to calm down after seeing what had happened to Cara. Jogging around the base had been a breeze, he welcomed the freshness as it whipped past his body. Pulling his thoughts away from him on every deep exhale. He slowed down as he reached HQ, punching in the key code aggressively before heading towards his room. He collapsed onto his bunk, the air still escaping his lungs rapidly. Diesel had been sat waiting patiently and took the opportunity to jump onto Archer. His hand moved automatically, stroking the creature with adoration as he slowed his breaths. “I’ve been wondering who’s the dog was?” Johnson chuckled as he entered the room. “Hmm...” Archer responded absentmindedly. Johnson sat back on the chair against Archer’s desk. His arms folded as he swung side to side on the pedestal. “Look,” Johnson stood up from the chair, walking towards where Archer and Diesel were laying. “She needs you to focus.” His
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The damp darkness of her cell enveloped Cara’s body like a rash, a chill ran up and down her spine repeatedly, draining her of energy. Her extremities were numb, the slight sensation of pins and needles left its evidence; the lack of movement causing the blood flow to decrease. She shivered on the floor, curling her body up to retain as much heat as possible. Voices could be heard outside the corridor to her cell, she strained to hear what was being said but her senses were dulled. The shadows were slowly claiming her for their own and she welcomed them. The slam of a door pierced her ears, if it weren’t for the lack of energy she would have most certainly jumped. Footsteps approached her, she could make out the same footsteps as the ones who had visited her days before, the ones that had brought her food. She recognised that as the last meal she had been provided with, the water from the cup had spilt over and the brick floor below her had absorbed it like a sponge,
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Blake set up his equipment swiftly and expertly. His explosives lined the heavy door to the warehouse and everyone held their breath anticipating the next move. “Clear?” Blake called over the radio. “Affirmative.” The team confirmed simultaneously. The sound of mud and metal exploding, resonated over the street; smoke and dust clouded their vision briefly. Shouting could be heard from inside the warehouse, a surge of panicked footsteps rushing around in the darkness. “On me!” Archer ordered his team as he edged into the building. The team swiftly followed behind, crouching behind metal containers that assembled in the entrance. They were met immediately with gunfire. Flashes of light and sounds of gunfire filled the room. Johnson took out the first man, shooting him in the shoulder followed by the neck. He repositioned himself, lining his sights on his next target. Two men stood at the other side of a second entrance, Archer aimed, squ
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Cara watched as each man took their seats and strapped themselves in. Cara fidgeted in her seat, she glanced over to see Archer on the phone, her gut twisted as she caught his eye again. He muttered something into the phone before turning his back to her. She lowered her eyes, focusing on her feet, her gaze travelling over the grazes and scrapes that decorated them. She hated how she felt around him, he could make her feel like a million dollars with one look, but his actions still haunted her. She felt battered and tormented by so many unwanted emotions that it exhausted her. Cara leant her head back against the wall of the aircraft, the vibrations soothed her aching body but did nothing for the throbbing in her head. The aircraft peeled away from the runway, jostling as it picked up speed. In minutes they were ascending the expanse above, exhaustion had consumed Cara once more and she found herself falling peacefully asleep. As the plane assaulted the skies, Archer
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Tears overwhelmed Cara, her dad’s arms enveloped her as she cried into his chest. He rocked her gently allowing her the moment to release her emotions. The men in the common room all stopped and stared at the scene before them. Johnson turned around from the sofa, eyes widened in shock. His eyes flickered to Archer who also wore the same thunderstruck expression. ‘DAD?’ Johnson mouthed at Archer who shrugged in response. The embrace lasted a minute before their boss peeled himself away, guiding Cara into the room. “Gents, this is my daughter. I expect you all to treat her with respect and make her feel welcome.” “Yes sir,” they all called out in unison. Her dad pushed her towards a small table, pulling out a seat for her. “Archer, first aid kit.” He ordered. Archer immediately pbeyed the command, rushing out the room. “I’ll be down the corridor if you need me.” Her dad spoke softly to her. Everyone stood still, mouths agape and
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