disappeared, and Leandra crept up beside Sway with her M99, loading a round into the chamber.
Richard centered his scope on the idiot bumbling around through the trees and whispered, “Two ten meters, forty degrees southwest.”
“Got him.” Leandra’s elbow pushed into the sand for support.
Xander whispered, “Fire when ready.”
Sway leaned closer to Eli. “One hundred seventy meters. Wind, seven kilometers an hour at fifteen degrees.”
“Check.” He responded by inching the gun out to the right, then back into the left until he had it corrected.
Leandra whispered, “Ready.”
Sway gave the countdown, “Three, two, one, fire.”
Both snipers fired in unison, Leandra’s fifty caliber rifle announcing their presence. Sway watched Eli’s rubber bullet bounce directly off the man’s head. “Perfect hit. Target two eliminated.”
A loud yelp was heard as the man walking in the forest fell back. “Target one eliminated, and likely bruised. I feel bad for anyone on the receiving end of that monster.” Richard chuckled. Eli and Sway’s target stood, rubbing under his helmet as he held a red cloth overhead. She retrieved Eli’s brass, stuffing it in her breast pocket.
Xander commended them, “Great shots, team, but we’ve just flagged our location without carefully checking for additional targets.” So there were more, Sway thought with agitation.
“Eli and I can scout the perimeter,” she offered, stuffing the scope into her pouch.
“There you go with your balls again, Sway.” Xander looked back to Reese and River, fully awake from the gunfire and getting prepared for combat.
“River, Reese, Eli, Sway, walk the perimeter for any more combatants,” Xander ordered.
Leandra rubbed her eyes, “Sir, can we be sure they were actually combatants? What if they were just civies?”
Sway took the opportunity to respond for him, “The man in the grass was carrying a DMR, closing in on us. He was not a friendly. The man in the forest was an obvious play to get us to reveal ourselves–”
“Which we did,” Eli interrupted
“If we’re right, and there are two more wandering about, we can be sure if we interrogate them.”
Xander grinned. “Maybe there are brains in there, too. Go find me some hostiles, team, and since Sway offered, bring at least one of them back alive.”
“Sir.” They nodded, peeking out of the cave. Reese and Sway covered all directions with their shorter range weapons.
“Clear.” She nodded for Eli and River to follow. They formed up into a diamond, Eli taking the rear with his beretta and a hand on Sway’s shoulder.
They followed the sandy bed, sticking to shadows and tree line for cover. River came to a quick stop, kneeling, and they all followed suit.
She whispered into her sleeve, “Eli, looks like another one, three hundred meters.”
“Rubber bullets won’t be accurate at that range, I need to get in closer.” He pulled the L96 from his back, sighting in the target. “I see ‘em.”
Reese cautioned, “His partner must be flanking us.”
Sway pulled her scope from its pouch, combing the horizon. The rustling leaves cast shadows everywhere, making detection near impossible. “Perhaps I put us a bit out of our league.”
River scoffed, “We’ve got this.”
“If we can see him, he can definitely see the four of us. They have coms, and we don’t.”
River looked away, frustrated.
“We could be in serious trouble right now. Eli, I say don’t take the shot and risk exposing us. We head back east, but not to the cave. Hunker down in some cover for a bit, wait for the other to come in for us and capture him.”
Eli nodded, “I agree.”
“Sounds like a better plan than crouching in what little cover we have here,” Reese affirmed.
“Alright,” River admirably ignored her embarrassment for the sake of teamwork, “let’s head back.”
They proceeded toward the cave, finding some nice boulders with shrubs about twenty meters north. As
Richard centered his scope on the idiot bumbling around through the trees and whispered, “Two ten meters, forty degrees southwest.”
“Got him.” Leandra’s elbow pushed into the sand for support.
Xander whispered, “Fire when ready.”
Sway leaned closer to Eli. “One hundred seventy meters. Wind, seven kilometers an hour at fifteen degrees.”
“Check.” He responded by inching the gun out to the right, then back into the left until he had it corrected.
Leandra whispered, “Ready.”
Sway gave the countdown, “Three, two, one, fire.”
Both snipers fired in unison, Leandra’s fifty caliber rifle announcing their presence. Sway watched Eli’s rubber bullet bounce directly off the man’s head. “Perfect hit. Target two eliminated.”
A loud yelp was heard as the man walking in the forest fell back. “Target one eliminated, and likely bruised. I feel bad for anyone on the receiving end of that monster.” Richard chuckled. Eli and Sway’s target stood, rubbing under his helmet as he held a red cloth overhead. She retrieved Eli’s brass, stuffing it in her breast pocket.
Xander commended them, “Great shots, team, but we’ve just flagged our location without carefully checking for additional targets.” So there were more, Sway thought with agitation.
“Eli and I can scout the perimeter,” she offered, stuffing the scope into her pouch.
“There you go with your balls again, Sway.” Xander looked back to Reese and River, fully awake from the gunfire and getting prepared for combat.
“River, Reese, Eli, Sway, walk the perimeter for any more combatants,” Xander ordered.
Leandra rubbed her eyes, “Sir, can we be sure they were actually combatants? What if they were just civies?”
Sway took the opportunity to respond for him, “The man in the grass was carrying a DMR, closing in on us. He was not a friendly. The man in the forest was an obvious play to get us to reveal ourselves–”
“Which we did,” Eli interrupted
“If we’re right, and there are two more wandering about, we can be sure if we interrogate them.”
Xander grinned. “Maybe there are brains in there, too. Go find me some hostiles, team, and since Sway offered, bring at least one of them back alive.”
“Sir.” They nodded, peeking out of the cave. Reese and Sway covered all directions with their shorter range weapons.
“Clear.” She nodded for Eli and River to follow. They formed up into a diamond, Eli taking the rear with his beretta and a hand on Sway’s shoulder.
They followed the sandy bed, sticking to shadows and tree line for cover. River came to a quick stop, kneeling, and they all followed suit.
She whispered into her sleeve, “Eli, looks like another one, three hundred meters.”
“Rubber bullets won’t be accurate at that range, I need to get in closer.” He pulled the L96 from his back, sighting in the target. “I see ‘em.”
Reese cautioned, “His partner must be flanking us.”
Sway pulled her scope from its pouch, combing the horizon. The rustling leaves cast shadows everywhere, making detection near impossible. “Perhaps I put us a bit out of our league.”
River scoffed, “We’ve got this.”
“If we can see him, he can definitely see the four of us. They have coms, and we don’t.”
River looked away, frustrated.
“We could be in serious trouble right now. Eli, I say don’t take the shot and risk exposing us. We head back east, but not to the cave. Hunker down in some cover for a bit, wait for the other to come in for us and capture him.”
Eli nodded, “I agree.”
“Sounds like a better plan than crouching in what little cover we have here,” Reese affirmed.
“Alright,” River admirably ignored her embarrassment for the sake of teamwork, “let’s head back.”
They proceeded toward the cave, finding some nice boulders with shrubs about twenty meters north. As
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