Eyes
Tokyo Forestry Commission Forest Outside Magadan, Siberia June 18, 2008, 0900 hours "Eagle-Eye," he said to no one in particular, or at least that is how it would look to the casual observer. In fact he was speaking into the tiny flesh-coloured sequin-sized communicator on his bottom lip. The device was something he truly marvelled at even now. Had these been available during his time in Spetznaz then he was sure that many of the men who had died from his unit would still be here today. "This is Polar Command. Be advised that contact has been lost with the outpost as of 0430. Advise caution when attempting to make contact. Out." Well, that was short and sweet. Still, such transmissions were familiar to him, and as a true soldier he liked the familiar. It was safe. Unlike this, he thought. They had to assume the worst-case scenario, which was that the two young officers sent out the day before to observe the target building had been captured or killed. The former seemed more likely as young officers tended to not want to die, and so resisted less. At least that was his experience. He could be wrong after all. He walked over to the rest of his team. They were all changing into their winter-camouflage uniforms as he approached, and each head came up as one when he spoke. "Team, we have reason to believe that the target building is on a higher state of alert now. The two officers who where performing reconnaissance have broken contact with us and are to be presumed under enemy control or dead. Therefore we are to proceed with the mission as the briefing outlined. The only adjustment is that out first checkpoint is now the last known location of the recon officers. Any questions?" There were none. He didn't think there would be. Sergei's briefing had been explicit, and the intelligence, though a little sketchy, was becoming more and more solid through indirect means, such as the disappearance of the two officers. Usually you got rid of people if you didn't want them seeing something they shouldn't. It was standard procedure, and something he'd used and been on the receiving end of in Afghanistan many times. He noticed that Morazov had made his way over to him. "I don't think the others are too happy with the situation," Morozov said. "I know, but they are professionals," was Innokentiy's reply. He knew Pavel was using the others as a way of expressing his own concerns. It was a shame that he had such a fear of being seen to have emotions. He knew that Nikolai and Kirill thought the man was… a twat, if he remembered correctly what they had said. When it got down to it though Pavel Morozov was genuinely gifted in combat situations, especially when they were more military-orientated. For this reason, and as a team leader, Innokentiy could look past the man's social faults and appreciate his assets. If only he could admit to being human, he thought with a wry smile. "Yes, that is true." Morazov moved off to collect his weapons, leaving Innokentiy to ponder the mission. Their objective was to capture any terrorists they could for later interrogation. That was an unwanted element in combat operations such as these because it was far easier to kill an enemy shooting at you than it was to capture him. Things could go seriously wrong, he knew, and a small part of him worried about that. He was old enough and experienced enough to know that there was always the possibility that something would go wrong, no matter how well planned and executed an action may be. He had seen comrades die from simple bad luck, like a crazy ricochet from a bullet or a jammed weapon. Training could only account for so much, as could natural ability. Luck was something that couldn't be factored in, yet it was something that every soldier hoped for. As he would for this mission. He looked over at his team. They were the best he had ever worked with, and he had worked with and for some of the greatest in the business. They were ready for this, concerns aside, because they wanted to show Team Myech that they could handle the tough missions just as well. The elimination of Arkady Mihailivich Bukharin had been a real test, but one that they had accomplished with aplomb, and as a result he and the rest of his team hadn't considered it a real challenge. "Ok team, lets move out", he said. This would be though. Return