Seconds later, Sydney said, “I see them. Are they a late add?”
“I don’t think so,” Teddy replied.
Three parachutes opened and the skydivers’ rate of descent slowed. With exact precision, they steered their way toward the stadium field below.
“I see an emblem on their chutes,” Sin bit out, “and it’s not good.”
“What is it?” Teddy asked.
“Two assault rifles creating vertical lines, a series of grenades for the horizontal line connecting them… and forming a capital H. Like in Haqazzii.”
“On all three?” Teddy asked.
“We’re checking,” Dakota replied.
“I see two,” Caroline said.
“All three,” Sin replied.
“Confirmed,” Dakota said. “All three have the same insignia on their chutes.”
“Sydney—” Teddy started.
“Confirmed?” Sydney asked, her voice calm and steady.
“Yes,” Teddy replied. “Sydney, you’ve got confirmation. It’s three Haqazzii lieutenants.”
Using the binos, Teddy watched as Sydney tapped both comms to silence them. With the rifle positioned against her shoulder, she pointed the high-powered weapon toward the skies.
Here we go…
SYDNEY
This is it.
“You got this,” Caroline murmured.
Sydney focused her full attention on the jumpers as they closed in on the stadium. She lasered-in on the first one and recognized him as one of the three remaining Haqazzii terrorists. After a quick sweep of his clothing, she couldn’t confirm if he was wearing explosives, but she did see an assault rifle cradled in his arms. The faster she could take him out, the better.
She had to account for the breeze, for his continual drop and sway. She had to shoot with one-hundred-percent accuracy. If she missed, the bullet could pierce a spectator.
As soon as she calculated how the terrorist would counter the wind, she settled into her ready-position, aimed at the location sheexpectedhim to be, and she fired.
BANG! BANG!
A half-second later, the bullets tore through his chest and the flyer went limp. Her standard procedure was to deliver two more kill shots. But this situation called for her to address the remaining threats. BLACK OPS on the field would deal with the one she’d shot.
The crowd started screaming. Even with her comms switched off, she could still hear their cries, but she’d already homed-in on the second terrorist, soaring closer to the field. If she got caught up in the mayhem, it was all over.
They were all as good as dead.
The second jumper must’ve seen what happened to the first one, and his flight path became erratic.
C’mon, c’mon, slow down.
The flock of Army Apache helicopters zoomed overhead.The wind from their rotors sent the terrorists bobbing and weaving in the now turbulent air, but even so, it appeared as if her second target was trying to flyawayfrom the stadium. She had to shoot him before he drifted beyond the range of her rifle. Again, she steadied herself, inhaled slowly, and released the breath.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
