NOW POSTED, we have a small part done by a guest author!

A few years from graduation.....

Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and without.

Years pass and the group has fun...chasing prey!

An idea to start the new year with......a little late...whoops!

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Just inside the large SEAL team house, Edward was playing 'catch-up' on tonight's assignment that was a 'rush' job involving a rescue of a team of downed pilots, plus one VERY important passenger and that passengers name was left off the team's info so far...that worried Edward right now. What was his team getting into and working for who, to save whom!

Most of the FOB's two SEAL teams shuffled, walked or lastly ran into the team house meeting room and took a treasured spot sitting in one of the many recliners or laid out on a couch waiting for Edward or 'the chief' of the main team to call the meeting.

Ed flipped on all the monitors covering the room's front wall, then laid out today's briefing packets for the team to give out, "Joey, grab that and pass them around...Remember guys...that does not leave the room unless you like 'IS' spies trying to kill us!" the older man warned.

An older man strolled into the room from a door marked 'communications-control', then up to the front. his name tag read "Churnside' and the rank was shown as an 'eagle' or in the navy...a full captain.

"We ready Ed?" the man asked setting a hot coffee mug down on the desk and clicking several of the computers keys to get the machine up and running.

"Yes cap, they are here and we might be waiting for a company spook I read in the brief?" Edward told and asked...he himself not being sure of tonight's actions.

"Yep one spook and two operatives that are hitching a ride with us. They will jump out at a place they choose and we keep going to our designated landing site." the cap offered while pulling up the data he needed on the room's large displays.

"I think I was with them on the ride in and Dan, they are a bit strange." Edward shrugged to the older officer.

"How so?" he asked pulling out a file on the 'tag-a-longs and starting to read it over.

"Well they are twins, girls and I think elves in disguise Dan."

"Humm every time I deal with Fae creatures, I have regretted it in someway. Mutants I get, but the Fae do not even 'think' like us humans do and some of them think we humans should be pets at best!"

"I never got that vibe off that one Brit elf, Dan..."

"Well I have worked with a few of them Ed and that Brit, she is a younger one. The older ones don't like humans at all...for what I have seen." Dan said slowly as he finally found the papers he wanted and read that nearly no info was given in them on the two and the CIA was running this part of the OP, so he had to ask the spook when they all finally came in.

Dan tapped a dimmer knob to darken the rooms lights as he started the briefing, "Well team, this is going to be a hot one. We are tasked with entering the valley tonight, landing at the far end of it and humping into a ambush spot covering a village that should have several prisoners held in it. Two being our pilots and one unlisted, unnamed civiy of some to extreme importance."

When Dan changed the display to a map overlay, that is when the room's door swung open and one man held the door open for what seemed to be two teen girls. Once in the room the man introduced himself, "Good day SEALs, I am Derek Flint and I am very sure that a you all know I work for the company. These two ladies are assigned with me for another task and we, or they are hitching a ride with all of you to their target that happens to be on the way to yours. But please go on Dan...Captain Dan." he smiled and pointed out the girls who had taken places sitting at each end of a couch in the last row of the room and left Derek all to his own standing next to them.

"Greetings ladies and I am sure you are capable of what the company has in store for you? As I'd hate to have to rescue you too!" Captain Dan laughed and asked his question at the same time.

"We got this..."
Rohanna smiled.

"What?...I might chip a nail tonight...oohh poo!"
Rehanna pouted, then smiled evilly.

Captain Dan smiled back as he went over the mission notes and pointed out the area where the twins might be dropped off at. That is when Mr. Flint interrupted him, "We or they will choose when to drop in or where to be dropped off at and will tell the air crew once we are on the way...secrets you know."

"Humm well that was the only spot on the way to our drop and unless you want one past that point there is no spot for a hovership this big to land and I don't recommend 'roping in' or a para-drop?....FAR too risky for you and or the bird!" Dan questioned the three.

"We got it...that fact I am sure of and that is all you need to know for now anyway."
Rohanna grinned knowingly to the SEAL captain.

"Like my sis says...we got this and that's all you need to know,"
Rehanna smiled once more.

"Okay, but onward." Captain Dan points out a red arrows part across the screen with a laser pointer, "This path over-fly's part of the village, but there is no real good landing spot to drop our team at and like I already said roping down is a bad idea in that close to the target village. Now the village itself, we do know it has at least one hundred seasoned fighters and nearly five times that in nearby areas that can be in a pitched battle within an hour. So lets not stick around for a long fight or even get seen team!"

"So a fast in and faster out cap?" one man asked after taking a sip of his coke.

"Yep, but lets keep the personal in the village to a min or max of one small team and the rest of us in back-up positions to cover an escape..." he suggested and knew most of his team was already thinking that way!

"So? Are we sure that the target or targets are in that one larger house Dan?" Edward asked for the room.

"That is the word so far and might change at any moment. So stand-by for updates right up until we are in contact with the enemy or have our targets in hand and are on our way back to home..." Dan answered, "but updates are coming in by the minute and you all can see the feed on your portable frames."

Edward nodded as he and a few others in the room pulled a large pen shaped device from pockets or behind ears and gave them a 'flick' to open them from the 'pen' like shape to a squared frame or info pad that was filled by a glowing holo-display showing mission updates.

"Got it cap, they all match what's on the board and nothing new so far..." Dan trailed off studying the small display and even stretching it out bigger for a better look at what it showed him. 'eyes getting old and retirement is close..." he thought silently.

Rohanna was studying her own display as Dan spoke and made a hand motion tossing her display at the one on the room's wall. she spoke up as the display changed to what she had just sent it, "Actually here is the latest...Most of the village's armed fighters are moving out to the west, to engage a company of Airborne at their FOB as planed."

"As planed? None of that is in my notes!" Dan barked.

"Well us ladies have to keep a few secrets from you men
or how can we keep our reps as miracle workers?"
Rehanna laughed.

"So what is making them move out and attack the FOB, as the air force will bomb the crap out of anything in the open?" Edward asked.

"One of our team hackers planted the idea on their net and they went for it like morons." Rohanna shrugged to the room who was suddenly staring her way. "they think the air force is off being busy elsewhere and will not be a threat to their attack at all...all fake news to them! Just like GNN!" she laughed.
(Goodkind news network...think CNN)

"Well then," captain Dan started, "This mission seems to be a go and I will update all of you on any changes. Wheels up in about four hours or two after sundown...dismissed!" he barked and the room quickly broke up into small groups, each one reviewing its own part into tonight's action.

Hours later as the SEAL teams went about getting ready for their mission tonight. The twins strolled through the FOB watching men fill belts of ammo and top off huge magazines for their personal rifles. Several did test firing to be sure that the 'aim' of the weapon in question had not drifted while not in use.

Rohanna noticed one of the marines manning the parapet or walking ledge of the wall facing the local village checking his watch, "Five minutes till sunset Sam!" he laughed over to his buddy taking cover behind a thick plate of steel covering his machinegun position.

"Three years, every night and unless we are out in that hajji town...he shoots!" the other laughed back.

"No one has ever found him or will." one marine said as he took a place at a night-vision unit that overlooked that area off the FOB.

"Ya sure it's a HE and not a she?" Rohanna laughed at the group.

"What...a chick shoot here...the head hajji's will not allow that mess!" one barked down to her.

"Yep hard to shoot a sniper rifle in a burka!" the one behind the gun laughed, but kept watching over his area over the tall wall.

Rehanna licked at an incredibly huge ice cream cone she had then interjected between quick licks, "Hey a chick can out shoot guys, we do it all the time!"

Rohanna nodded as she climbed the ladder, then Rehanna gulped down her cone in several huge bites then quickly followed her sister up. But quickly stopped at the top rung shaking her head, "BRAIN FREEZE!" she cried out, rubbing her head in pain now.

"I told you not to have five of them that fast!" Rohanna laughed once again at Rehanna's expense.

"But they had the best flavors?" Rehanna cried back,
as she stood up on the thin walkway running the length of this section of the wall.

"But did you have to try them all in one sitting?" Rohanna questioned the Drow's ability to reason sanely at times.

"But they tasted so yummy!" Rehanna smiled.

"So what are we looking for?" Rohanna asked while scanning the far away village to the north of the FOB.

"Well sunset Sam takes a pot shot at us at exactly sunset each night for the last three years and he... him or 'she'..." the marine gave in as Rehanna glowered his way, "THEY seem to miss on purpose or really sucks at their aim. We have tried to find them or who they are many times, but never do."

"One minute!" the marine manning the gun barked.

"Well you have it all now and maybe you can spot him or HER!" the marine cringed from a feigned slap and went back to his night-vision station.

"Miss...you better duck down to be safe?" one marine suggested.

"I got this...." Rohanna said as she put out her flat palm towards the village and a faint glow surrounded it as her shield spell came into being.

"What is that?" he asked barley being able to see the glow in the darkness and only it being a little dark show it was even there to his eyes.

"That is magic and it does this!" Rohanna said as a bullet PANGED! off the shield.

"Got him...second building to the left of the huge tree,
third window from the bottom of the green trimmed hut or home.
" Rehanna smiled in the growing darkness of sunset.

"We can't see him...can't shoot him. Those are the rules of engagement." the marine grumbled as he adjusted his night vision on the spot Rehanna had pointed out.

"Does that stop me, he did shoot at us and might have hit us if not for my shield?" Rohanna questioned.

"Nope...Marine rules don't apply...ONE you are not a marine or in the US military as far as I know?" he said back.

"Fine then, lets play. AS he wanted too and fired at me or us girls first!
AND you are right...it's a guy who shot at us just now."
Rehanna said and gave the marine his small victory at guessing the sniper's sex!

That is when it seemed to the three marines around Rehanna pulled a bow out of nowhere! Her rock steady arms then leveled it at the village and an arrow appeared in her hand nocked, then drew the string back in one long perfect practiced motion.

"Ahh that is not going to make it that far." the marine gunner said, "this 'Ma duce' of mine has trouble making it that far little miss."

Rehanna looses the arrow, it seeks out its target at blinding speed and flies of out of sight into the darkness growing around the village. The marines look at each other in confusion till one speaks from his gun mount, "Hey that actually looked like it made it?" he questions what he just saw and a woman's scream fills the growing night.

"Yep...she got him!" Rohanna smiles and leaps down off the walkway.

"Cya guys...night!" Rehanna grins and jumps down after her twin.

An hour later or so in the still night.

Half the small dusty room was suddenly filled with a silent explosion of red smoke. Dissipating almost as quickly as the red cloud appeared, leaving two figures a man and a smaller woman standing where none had been before. Large white ruffles of a shirt stood prominently out of the blue velvet regency coat the man wore. An ornate wired basket hilt of a rapier stuck out from the gentleman’s waist holding the left side of his coat open. The black trousers, only reaching a few inches past his knees, and white stockings gave the impression of someone that had dressed to appear at a medieval reenactment rather than the dark dirty room the two appeared in.

Even in the dark room the soft features of the woman’s face spoke of one with few years, making her appear to be no more than a teenager. Her long dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail similar to her male associate’s although much longer, reaching past the small of her back. Her clothing also the dramatically opposite of the gentleman’s. Hot pink camouflage cargo pants, tucked into mat black combat boots adorned her lower half, while a skintight black tank top with the words in bold white lettering, ‘I’m going to Hell is so many different Religions.’

The unlikely pair stood completely still, only their eyes and heads moving as the two took in the dusty room. An old rectangular table stood in the center of the room, the color of its Formica top, so heavily worn and scratched, as to be undeterminable. To their left a window, more of an opening in the adobe like walls as it appeared to have never had any framing or glass ever installed, lay partially covered by two pieces of tattered cloth hanging over the opening, a small gap between the two hanging scraps of cloth allowing in what failing light to be had after sunset.

An overturned chair lay on the floor on the opposite side of the table from the window. Behind that, pinned to the wall by a large arrow, a man dressed in the sand color robes predominate in the Middle Eastern countries. The scope atop an older bolt action rifle pinned to his head, the arrow penetrating through the scope through the man’s right eye, held the rifle and dead man fast to the wall.

Stepping over to the dead man before kneeling down. “Mademoiselle the arrow appears to be of Elvin origin,” The costumed man spoke while reaching up to grasp the arrow.

Seeing her finely dressed associate strain against the arrow, attempting to pull it from the wall, “Leave it, we’re only here for one thing.” The girl stepped forward toward the dead man a wide bladed short sword appearing out of thin air in her hand.

“Foutre de moi!” The well-dressed man gasped, falling on his rear. His eyes glued to the sword she now held. “Knowing you would summon it, and having it waved in my face are duex different things.”

Drawing the tip across the dead man’s cheek creating a small thin cut, black tendrils of smoke rose up out of the cut flowing from the cut toward the ancient sword the girl had used to make the incision. As magic, the tendrils disappeared once they touched the bladed weapon.

Looking down where the man still sat on the floor, “Gillies you’ve felt the touch of Krisi. She can do no more to you than she already has.”

“That, Mademoiselle, is an experience, even after all these centuries, I will never forget, nor wish to ever repeat,” Reaching up and rubbing his chest over his heart with one hand as if remembering an old injury. “Your predecessor had a much more direct approach.”

“I know, not all of her memories are lost, we have managed to recover some of them.” Directing her attention at the arrow she continued, “And she agrees with my method of taking out only the dark part of the soul when we can.” Running her fingertip across the raven black feathers of the arrows fletching, “I’ve seen this type of arrow before.”

“Elvin, I am sure of this,” Gilles stated.

“True but the shaft, it’s of a wood that doesn’t exist,” She mused, “Not enchanted either, but strong as Mithril.”

“You know of this Elf that created this milady?”

Looking over her shoulder at the window, she leaned over resting the side of her face against the arrow shaft as she did. Pointing at the window, “This was fired from the top of the wall on that army base out there.”

Bringing himself to his feet, Gilles walked over and pulled the tattered curtain aside, “Mademoiselle you can’t be serious, that fort is more than a league away. Who could possibly fire an arrow from that far?”

Looking over at her companion as she stood, “The question is not who, but why is she here?”

To be continued!!!!!!!!!!!!

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