The raid that went wrong - chapters 1 and 2

[lowblow emma]

They were dropped on the outskirts of the town and made their way towards their target, through narrow dark alleys. A sergeant, a corporal and two squaddies.



The sergeant called a halt when they were a few hundred yards short of the house.



'Joe,' he whispered to the older of the squaddies.



Joe knew what to do and slipped away to check for guards.



Ten minutes later he came back. 'No one outside, no sign of anyone inside. No visible electronic surveillance.'



'Right,' the sergeant squatted and his men closed around him. 'So, we follow plan A.' He paused while they each fixed their mind on plan A, running it through step by step, to the successful conclusion.'



Each man in turn gave the thumbs up, the corporal, Joe and Rick, the youngest of the party. The sergeant nodded and the men spread out to approach the house from different angles.



Five minutes and thirty seconds later, they were lined up on either side of the door, backs pressed into the wall.



At five minutes and forty seconds, the corporal moved away from the wall, raised his leg and kicked the door off its hinges.



The men rushed through the doorway, guns ready, fanning out as they entered the house.



When the last of the men was inside, the net fell on them and the room was filled with light.

 

[lowblow emma]

'I'm sure you'll agree with me, Sergeant, that surrender is the only sensible option.'



The voice was female, with a slight accent.



'Shit'. It was the corporal who said what everyone was thinking.



'You're right, Corp,' the sergeant's voice was steady and firm, 'but so is she.'



'Leave your rifles where they are and crawl out one at a time, you first sergeant, slowly, my men ate trigger happy.'



The sergeant complied. As soon as he emerged, his arms were grabbed and he was thrown against the wall for his equipment belt to be removed and his body searched for concealed weapons.



The others followed, then the squaddies, until all four were each pinned by two soldiers on either side. There was no sign of the woman.



'Bring them in here.' Her voice rang out from an inner room and the soldiers pushed them through the doorway.



She stood there, towards the back wall, dressed in a t-shirt and fatigue pants that clung to her like a second skin. Her hands were clenched behind her, pushing her breasts forward. She wore no insignia of rank, but exuded authority.



'Release them.'



The soldiers obeyed in unison and stepped back against the side walls, their eyes alert for any attempt to move or escape.



'Strip.' The men stared at each other in surprise and then looked at the woman.



'Do as she says,' the sergeant's voice carried a hint of amusement, or so it seemed to his men.



Slowly each man removed his uniform and put it aside. Only then did they look at each other, each curious to compare himself with his companions.