Page 62 of No Regrets

“This is fucking awesome.” Steve was smiling like a kid in a candy store.

“It’s pretty cool huh?” Dex was still impressed himself. The military was funding this, pulling out all the stops to give them everything they needed to succeed. To do their job and come home alive.

The team headed back inside. They’d returned from their first op a week ago and were still getting used to this new way of working. It was weird not having orders that filled every minute of their days, but that didn’t mean they slacked off. If not training, hitting the gym, or taking target practice, they would run drills. He and Sam were on the same page. If you slacked on training, you slacked in the field which was not an option. Sam had observed some of their drills, even created some of his own to get used to what they were capable of, and no doubt make sure he’d made the right decision. Onyx teams were created because they were the best of the best, so they were determined to stay that way. Every one of them had to always be at the top of their game, nothing less would cut it.

Dex’s phone rang. Seeing Sam’s number, he looked at Mackie. “Let's see if we can make this beauty work, shall we?” He put the phone on the table and Mackie worked his magic. Sam appeared on the bank of screens before them.

“Good morning. I see you’re getting acquainted with your new home.” The beauty of modern technology, the two-way camera allowed them all to see each other.

“I think Bertha and I are in love,” Mackie admitted. The team burst out laughing.

“Bertha?” Donnie said. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, don’t you like it? She’s big and beautiful, Bertha just fits.”

“Well, I wish you and Bertha a long and happy future.” Sam smiled. “Listen, congrats on the op. The target is already talking. We were able to pass on intel to the FBI and they’ve rounded up most, if not all, of his cell members.”

“We’ll take that win.” Dex grinned.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there today. Duty called in Washington, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“When do we meet Nyx? Looking forward to being introduced to those guys properly, considering they saved our asses in Daram.” Ryan asked. Nyx was the call sign of Sam’s first Onyx team.

“They left for an op yesterday. I couldn’t let you meet them until all of your clearances were in place. But you guys need to train together and get to know each other. You’ll be seeing a lot of them real soon, I promise.”

“Sounds good.”

“Now to business. I know you’ve only been back a week, but as Nyx is gone and this is time sensitive, you’re up.”

“No problem, we’re good to go,” Dex assured him. The last op had been in Columbia and had only been three days. They had rested the last week and had been cleared by psych and PT.

“Good, because even if Nyx were here, you guys are going to want this one.”

Dex frowned and the team remained quiet, waiting for Sam to continue.

“The op that went sideways for Bravo team, Ahmed Khalini. As you already know, he is Lazir’s number two and disappeared after that op.”

Hell yeah, they wanted this one. “Last thing I heard he’d gone to ground? Might be dead?” Dex questioned.

“Correct. In Lieutenant Kimber’s debrief, she reported the team confirmed he was at the location minutes before they breached. There's been no chatter about him until now. It was thought he may not have got out of the building quick enough to avoid the explosion, or perhaps Lazir wanted him taken out.”

“Let me guess, the fucker’s back,” Ryan cursed.

“A recent attack on a British tactical unit has been linked to him. Intel indicates he’s taken over the compound where you found Lieutenant Kimber. We also have reliable information that Lazir’s network is spreading here and Khalini is in contact with cells on US soil.”

“Sam, we blew that place up,” Steve said.

“I know you did. They’ve been rebuilding. The network of tunnels makes it attractive. Quick access to the caves in the mountains when needed. It’s how Lazir and Khalini have stayed off the radar for so long.”

“You want him alive?” Dex asked.

“He must be taken alive. If Reborn’s network is as big as we believe it is, taking him out won’t stop anything. Reborn will just regroup and the attacks will continue. In addition to that, if anyone knows whether Lazir is alive or dead, it will be Khalini.”

Get Khalini. He could lead to Lazir. Fuck, Dex had dreamed about coming face to face with that bastard.

“Gentlemen, I need this taken care of as soon as possible. You’re wheels up in forty-eight hours.”

“OK, we’re on it.”

---