Illinois

Jack placed the tablet on the only table in the middle of the panic room, enlarging the map for us to see. The safe house is built in a forest not far from urban areas but still a dangerous location. "I'll try to contact the JTTF. Take this first." throwing another tablet at my direction I quickly tapped into the map again, scanning the map.

"Okay, the safe house is surrounded by trees but not much of a challenge." I say. "But the security systems installed should've been online.

"This is Bravo, location compromised, over! I repeat, we are under attack!" Jack shouted once he connected the call. "Deploy Alpha squad immediately, Code Red!"

"The security systems aren't working!" Jefferson shouted. "They must have sabotaged the system before we even arrived."

"We're sitting ducks now?" Dom asked.

"Wait, they have no idea about the panic room." I said, pointing at the location of where the panic room is located. "Is this the real blueprint?"

"Only CIA knows this Madam Vice President." Jack reaffirmed.

"Instead of attacking them outright, how about we ambush them?" Gerry suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Jay chimed in. "How are we going to do this?"

"Is the security cameras disabled?" I asked.

"Give me that Isa." Jay took the tablet and after a few taps he accessed the security cameras. "Okay, they did not disable the security cameras."

"Let's start working." I said. "Olivia, can you-"

"Fight?" she asked. "Sure can."

"We'll need to pair up. We're outnumbered compared to them." I say. "Grab the ammunition and the stun grenades, we need as much firepower as we can get before help arrives."

"Right, let's do a fast check." Dom said. "Jay, double check the weapons."

"On it."

"Jefferson, try to get the systems back online." I chipped in. "Remember, just like our old days."

"Okay."

"Gerry, use any acid capsule you can find to dissolve the lock."

"On it cousin."

"The rest of you, use the weapons you have to take out as much of the terrorists as you can but we need Sayyid Bin Masir alive." I said. "Now move it."

"Right, we have two SMGs, ten handguns, no RPGs, two M16 rifles and three M4 carbines." Jay did the final check. "Isa and her friend took a M16 and M4 each. Pick your weapons guys." he reached for the SMG, Dom took the M4 while Olivia and Jefferson grabbed a pair of Glock handguns with two more as backup. Gerry grabbed the SMG and Jack grabbed one of the remaining two M4 carbines while James took all four handguns and grabbed the M4 as a backup plan.

"No acid capsules, we need lockpicking equipment." Gerry reported.

"One second guys, do we need codenames?"

"For what reason Lincoln?" Olivia asked.

"Just curious."

"You enjoy being on the comms Jefferson?" my eyes narrowed.

"You guys don't want it, it's fine."

"Eagle." Dom said.

"Healer." said Olivia.

"Guardian Angel, for him." James pointed at my Secret Service agent. "Pilot for me."

"Ok." Lincoln said, gently nodding. "Gerry, Jay and Isa?"

"Navy."

"Sniper."

"Funny that you people can even have code names at this moment." Jack said. "I'll go with Watcher."

"And you Isa?"

"...White Wolf." I replied. "You can go with Cypher."

"Yeah, Cypher's cool." the tech expert replied. "Put on your earpieces before going out." we heard a faint click and the sound of a lock dropping to the ground.

"Let's do this!" Dom shouted his favorite catchphrase. Kicking the door open Gerry tossed out the first smoke grenade. Shouts of Arabic filled the space, the team might not know, but I know their language and speaks it as well.

"Smoke!" one of them shouted.

"Kill that woman and her followers!" another one shouted.

"No, Bin Masir wants that woman alive and brought to him!" the third one shouted.

"No." I whispered. A trigger is pulled and a shot went off, discharging a bullet. In a heartbeat another bullet was discharged with a gunshot then another one followed. The rounds pierced pass their clothing but they could survive if wearing a bulletproof vest. Without a sound thumps were the only voices audible and we moved out from the cloud of smoke. Three bodies now lay in front of us in a pool of their own blood.

"Hey, never lost your aim." James told me.

"I didn't pull the trigger." I said plainly.

"You guys did?" the two cousins raised their hands. "Come on." we then split up into teams : Dom, Olivia, Jay and Jack stayed behind to help protect the safe house and Lincoln while the remaining ones headed out further.

"They might be wearing camo armor." Gerry said. "Watch your guard, drop it and you're dead." it's eerily quiet outside the safehouse, birds chirping on the trees, seemingly unfazed by the sudden discharge of gunfire surrounding the area.

"Cypher come in, I repeat. Cypher, can you hear me?" I whispered into my earpiece.

"Got you White Wolf." he replied. "Are you in trouble?"

"No, have you brought the systems back online?"

"They did one hell of a damage, nearly wiping them out with an EMP grenade. But don't worry, I'm in the process of bringing it back online."

"How long? We're blind here in the wild."

"Give me half an hour, you need time to bring it back online."

"Ok, but where is the backup?"

"Watcher said that they're going to need at least an hour to reach." Cypher replied. "Until then, we're really going blind."

"Once you're back online Cypher, track down the heat signals."

"Roger, good luck out there." signing off we headed into the not-so-dense jungle, tying ribbons onto the tree trunks for us to remember the way back.

"No targets here." Navy replied. "Has the Tangos laid low?"

"Likely." I replied. "But prepare for anything."

"Three Tangos down, seventeen remaining." James muttered to himself. Timothy himself, wasn't really happy as now he has two people to protect, me and my unborn baby. "We might find them faster if we split up in two teams."

"Maybe, but I worry that this is the enemy's tactics, divide and conquer." then we heard rustling and before we knew what happened a small army cornered us, Sayyid Bin Masir himself at the lead. "And we're trapped, great." Gerry muttered.

"Keep your weapons trained on them, fellow Mujahideen." the man said, stepping forward. Sayyid Bin Masir, the terrorist responsible for the ambush of the platoon I am a part of, looked at me in the eye. "You have nowhere to run, have you?" he said in Arabic.

"You will face justice, Sayyid Bin Masir." I spat out.

"Is the word justice in your eyes the same as you killed my brother, American?"

"No." I said, stepping in front of the group. "You killed your brother by sending him in your place. The innocent people that you and your kind massacred will receive justice upon your incarceration." he stared at me at first but his color changed as he took out a handgun and shot against my shoulder. I stumbled at first due to the shot but held my ground.

"You will die on my hand American, each and everyone of you who have killed my brother. Can you hear that Yakub!" he shouted into the skies. "This is the justice you need! This is the way you punish the Americans!"

"Go ahead, you pull this trigger, kill us all. And the government will find you, you will never sleep with your eyes closed." I say, the pain cutting through my shoulder second by second. Putting pressure against my wound I felt my knees buckle but I will never submit. "You have seen the people who thought that the government cannot find them and what happened to them."

"That is enough American!" one of the fighters shouted. Unimpressed for the fighter's attempt at crowd control he drew his handgun and shot the fighter in the head. Turning the gun on me he pulled the hammer for a second shot as I felt blood pouring out from my wound. I counted down silently, for the gun to be fired and the time required for me to bleed out.

"Go ahead." I taunted. "Remember my words." I then closed my eyes, ready for death to claim me. A gunshot was heard but I couldn't feel anything puncturing my body.