"Gold Eagle Actual, this is Shadow-1, how copy?"

Shepherd replied eagerly. "Loud and clear, Shadow-1- send traffic."

"I had to bail your boys out; lucky they have friends in high places."

"That's what you're there for. Tell me somethin' good."

"We got a hit on Hassan. Approaching the target location now. We'll get the bastard rolled up for a little talkin' to."

The General sounded relieved. "That's what I like to hear. Report back when Hassan's in the bag."

"Roger that, out here." Graves stood back to where everyone could see him and raised his voice. "All Shadows, listen up! These guys on the ground- Mexican Special Forces, Task Force 141- they are your brothers now. You treat 'em like one of your own and let's get this done, yeah?"

A hearty "YUP-YUP!" echoed back through the cabin at him and Philip felt a surge of pride, of comradery swell in his chest. "Ghost, this is Shadow-1, orbiting the compound now. Standing by for visual..."

"Shadow-1, Bravo 0-7. We'll mark our location with IR laser, over."

Novaleen felt a tremor in her core at the sound of his voice, though whether it was from excitement or dread she wasn't sure. She looked around for movement and realized there were dozens of people around the compound. A long beam caught her eye and she pointed for Gann to rotate the cam toward it.

"Shadow-1, we're east of the compound. Position is marked."

"0-7, copy your mark."

"Be advised," continued Ghost. "Hassan is moving with an armed guard. You cover external, we'll clear the buildings. How copy?"

"Good copy," replied Graves. "We'll secure the area so you can move in. Stand by." He pointed to the screen. "Gann, scan for targets with an armed guard."

"Let's find this son of a bitch."

Ghost motioned the team to halt, his eyes locked on shadows gliding by the glass panes of a greenhouse 300 yards ahead. To his left, there was a brick stable, its doorways too dark to see through. "Shadow-1, we've got targets at the greenhouse to our northwest. Roping now." He waited in silence as he signaled the others to stay low.

Finally, Graves replied. "0-7, no visual on the target. What's the call?"

Beside him, Alejandro was looking over his shoulder, his head swiveling at distant sounds. "That army convoy is gaining ground..."

Soap spoke up before Ghost could. "We go in guns blazin', hope he squirts, lock him up from there."

The Lieutenant nodded. "Graves, you're cleared hot to engage external. We'll clear the buildings when secure."

"Copy that. Keep your heads down."

It was quiet for only a few moments longer, just the sound of the warm breeze and calm chatter feathering their ears as they waited with bated breath. The air was abruptly split by the guttural buzzing of a 25-millimeter Gatling gun. Two armed men disappeared in a haze of red, followed by an eruption of people clamoring through the front door, civilians and armed guards alike. Soap picked off a couple of the guards, Alejandro downing a few more. Ghost swiftly rose to his feet and took aim at the first man he saw, releasing a breath to see a farmer dressed in torn, baggy clothes trip in the confusion and scramble for safety. Another man behind the farmer darted from his cover, aiming directly at Soap. The Lieutenant put a bullet in his neck just under his jaw, sending a thick ooze of blood pouring to the dust under him as he fell in a heavy heap.

"0-7, all visible targets are down, over."

"Copy that. We'll be clearing the stables building first. Moving now. If Hassan makes a run for it, let us know." He motioned the team forward and they fanned out around the shabby brick building. "Soap, freeze down the right side."

"Aye." The Sergeant slunk to the other side of the building, taking Alejandro with him, and they paused, their senses tingling with anticipation as they watched for movement inside.

Ghost made eye contact with Soap and counted down with his fingers. 3... 2... 1... "Breaching." They rounded the corners, causing an eruption of terrified screams and rabid snarls from armed guards.

Soap's blue eyes rounded and he pushed Alejandro back, who swore loudly in surprise.

"What the fuck?"

A woman and a small child, no more than six, ran by them and Soap pressed the comlink on his throat. "Check your fire, we've got civilians in here!"

Ghost growled under his breath. "Son of a bitch..." He fired at an advancing guard, hitting him above the navel. As he howled in pain, Ghost put another bullet in his head. Behind the body, three more men turned to shoot at the Lieutenant and he took cover behind the wall. The bricks beside his head chipped and crackled and he gritted his teeth.

Bang, bang, bang!

Three bodies dropped inside and two more hared out past Ghost. He shot both in the back and they hit the sand on weak legs.

"X-Ray down!" said Soap into the com. "Graves, negative on Hassan. It's a dry hole!'

"Copy that, I need you out of the building, move north, now!"

Ghost grunted as he led the men away, ducking under the gunfire that followed them. "Come on, we've got to move!" A bullet skipped off a stone under his foot with a yowl and he caught his breath. Fuck. It was already getting wild and this was only the first building. He knelt behind cover and looked at each man stopping beside him. "Is that everyone?"

Alejandro nodded vigorously, blowing ragged breaths out of his mouth. "Si, carnal- Yeah, brother."

"Good. Graves, we're clear!" A bullet zipped over his head and he wrinkled up his nose in a grimace. "Drop that fucking building now!"

"Copy, comin' down." The gunshots and enraged shouts of the enemy continued as they swarmed the outside of the stables. In a deep, loud retort, the building was leveled, leaving a pile of bricks and a cloud of dust.

Everything was still again and Alejandro breathed hard, coughing when a puff of dust tickled his throat. "Good shots, Shadow-1. We're pushing west to the greenhouse." He pulled Ghost back to his feet and walked beside him.

They had barely walked thirty yards when more bullets sang from the greenhouse doors. Ghost looked through his sights, taking a step back. "Contact!"

Soap pushed his barrel down. "Watch your fire, Hassan could be inside!"

He wanted to snap at the young Sergeant but thought better of it. "You're right..." he admitted apprehensively. "You're right, Sergeant. Good call."

Graves tapped into the com. "Ghost, no visual on Hassan, keep your men back, we're fixin' to engage the greenhouse."

"Solid copy." He waved the team back. "Graves is gonna take the greenhouse, let's move!" They got just out of range when another 40-millimeter round went through the glass, shattering the walls and dropping the building.

Few survivors remained, struggling to crawl out of the rubble before they were torn to shreds. Soap walked up to one and planted his foot on the dead man's shoulder. "Where is this fucker?" he growled under his breath.

Alejandro pointed to a pristine, white clay walls around a courtyard directly ahead of them. "He has to be in that compound."

Ghost looked over his shoulder out into the sandy hills. "Shadow-1, what's the ETA on that convoy?"

"Convoy is six klicks out, 0-7. Advise you step it up and secure exfil, over."

Alejandro nodded. "I'll contact Rodolfo."

Ghost took point and turned his head at every movement. The breeze was ruffling the leaves of the cornstalks and the palms planted outside the gate. He could hear quiet chatter from inside the courtyard and he braced, waiting for them to pour out when the team breached the gate. As the shadow of a water tower fell over him, he looked up.

There was someone above them.

CLANG!

Soap nearly froze in place, his whole body rigid with fright. "GHOST IS HIT!"

He hit the ground flat on his back, his breath caught painfully in his lungs. Simon's eyes were round as he scrambled backward. He was wheezing, clutching at his stomach and his father walked closer. "I didn't mean it!" he cried hoarsely.

"Mean what?" WHAM! His father shoved a shelf over, sending half-empty paint cans and wood stains clattering to the concrete floor. "To let your fuckin' mouth get you in trouble again?"

"You're getting riled up, I just just trying to lighten the mood!"

CRASH!

He shoved another shelf full of empty glass bottles down, the shards showering Simon's legs. "Your ill-timed jokes ain't funny, you little prick, they just piss me off!"

"Dad, wait!" He shielded his face as his father picked up a broken bottle, lunging at him with bared teeth. "Please, I just didn't want you to hit mum again!" He yelped when he was lifted up by his hair, his bare feet scraping over the broken glass in an attempt to escape the monster that held him.

"She's my wife, I'll fucking kill her if I bloody please!" He slammed the boy down on the floor, casting the bottle beside his head and dashing it to pieces. Simon shrieked and he roared in his son's face. "STAY OUT OF IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO END UP THE SAME!" He sneered seeing a mix of blood and piss under the pitiful whelp and he turned away. "Get your arse cleaned up before you come back upstrairs."

Tears streamed down his cheeks, whether from fear, embarrassment, or his cut-up face and feet. Simon laid his head back on the cold floor and his body wracked with sobs, his trembling hands covering his eyes.

"SIMON!"

A feminine voice evaporated the memory like snow. He struggled to suck in a breath and he coughed weakly, feeling a deep ache in his ribs. Soap had dragged him behind cover and was kneeling over him, looking down his sights for movement. He furrowed his brows as he tried to make sense of the situation. "... NAG?" he rasped.

"Oh, thank God, L.T.!" Soap shook his shoulder. "I thought they took you out, mate!"

"Ghost?" Graves sounded worried. "No movement detected. What's your status?"

"He'll be alright. Round hit the plate." Soap hoisted him up, steadying him when Ghost's legs were trembling under him. "You sure you're alright, mate?"

Ghost waved him off. "Yeah. Let's bag this fucker and get out of here."

"0-7, Be advised, you're clear to engage the compound, but the gate is blocked at this time."

"Copy," replied the Lieutenant. "Give us a way in, yeah?"

Graves smiled. "Stand by..."

Novaleen slumped in her seat and took a deep breath. "Holy shit..."

"That scare ya, NAG?" Graves gripped her shoulder and gave her a reassuring shake. "He's alright. Just keep our boys covered and they'll all make it out of this, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." She kept her eyes on Ghost, watching as the team disappeared inside the compound. All she could do was listen when they breached the doors, rumbling their way down the halls, engaging tangos as they went. She couldn't see a thing and she felt a trickle of sweat down her temple. "C'mon... C'mon, you guys, get him..."

Soap lunged at a bald man as he rounded a corner. He landed square on the man's back and wrenched his arms behind him. "Stay down, motherfucker! I bloody said stay down!" He crushed the man's face into the floor and tapped the com. "Shadow-1, we've got Hassan."

Graves nodded, but his eyes were on the outside of the compound. Tanks and armored vehicles pulled up, blocking the way out and he swallowed, pursing his lips. "Looks like the Mexican Army is pulling up. Commander Vargas, what's your call?"

"Mexican Army is with the cartel. You're free to engage."

He grinned savagely. "NAG?"

She lay on the controls and in a burst of fire, the convoy turned to rubble. "Goodbye, you bastards..." Novaleen tapped the com. "0-7, visible targets are down. You're clear to proceed."

"Thanks, NAG." Ghost motioned the team to move and as they made their way to the back gate, Rodolfo's car pulled up, and Hassan was carried away like cargo.