"It's still dangerous," I remarked as I helped Mark and Sophie unload our weapons from the back of the van. In addition to Sophie's sniper AR-15, all of us carried handguns with the disabling rounds. For our backup weapon, Mark and I were carrying Heckler & Koch UMP's, one of the best nine millimeter submachine guns in the world from what Mark told me. While Sophie would have her rifle in a nest with a few magazines lying nearby, Mark and I had to carry everything we needed on our persons. We'd be moving most likely, and couldn't depend on an ammunition point. "You worried about the numbers?"
"Are you?" Mark asked, not grinning as I would have expected for such a rejoinder but instead curious, questioning. He was trying to figure out if I was truly ready for this mission, or if he would have to pull out at the last minute and depend on another way to get the Latin Kings eliminated.
"Some, but I trust you two," I finally said in reply. "We can get through this."
Mark nodded, satisfied with my answer. He grabbed his stuff and headed off into the corner, while Sophie shouldered her own load and headed for the stairs. As she passed me, she stopped and looked up into my eyes. "Good answer," she said with a smile. "There might be hope for you yet."
* * *
The twilight shadows were deepening, and the Latin Kings hadn't arrived yet. The sun was already down, and the last of the day's sunlight was barely visible against the western buildings. Sophie was keeping an eye through one of her positions inside on one of the approach roads, while Mark had his eye on the other. I came up to Mark, making sure to keep myself low and out of sight of the road. "How's it looking?"
"Still quiet," Mark replied. "The meetings supposed to kick off in ninety minutes. They should be here soon. What do you need?"
"Just a quick question," I said. "Have you given any thought as to what we're going to do with the other two gangs once this is done?”
"I have," Mark replied. “But aren’t you thinking a little far ahead?"
"Like I said, I trust you and Sophie. You trained me well, I just hope I live up to your training. But we've been keeping the others balanced by having the Kings around too. What happens next?" I was surprised I was thinking so far ahead. Maybe I was getting a little ahead of myself, I did tend to do that sometimes. But maybe it was just that I was feeling confident. If I could even consider the problems of the future, at least a good chunk of me thought I'd live through the evening.
"We'll have to figure it out, but I have some ideas. If we live through this, I'll talk them over with you the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow itself is going to be busy enough as it is, and we should take a day to celebrate."
I heard cars in the distance, and our ear buds crackled. "Three cars coming in on the waterside road. They look filled."
"Understood," Mark replied, then tapped me on the chest. "Go to the front, stay down. I'll keep eyes over here in case they come in from two sides."
I nodded, and started to turn. Mark put a hand on my arm to stop me. "Remember, stay down, out of sight. We'll get through this just fine."
"I know. Like I said, you two are the best," I replied. Before Mark could say anything, I jogged down to the end of the little alleyway, staying low and out of sight. There was an old pile of wood pallets that we'd stacked up near that end, enough to provide concealment, but I wouldn't feel comfortable trying to deflect bullets with the cheap thin chunks of wood. They'd work for an initial burst of gunfire, and then I'd have to move.
I was sweating hard underneath the heavy body armor that I was wearing, a choice that Mark had made based off the fact that he and I would be at street level. We were in full tactical gear, including a fully armored vest, Kevlar helmets, and even the shin and knee pads some SWAT teams wore. Cinched in tight to prevent gear rattling, I was sweating even though the evening light meant it was literally below freezing in the shade of the alleyway. I was glad I was in the best shape of my life, because even with that, my heart was hammering. Perhaps from nerves, perhaps from exertion.
I took a knee behind the pallets, looking out between two of the slots as the three cars slowed and came to a stop, two of them fanning out somewhat along the narrow road. The lead car continued on, driving half way out onto the dock itself before coming to a halt. The two spread out cars opened up, each of them discharging five men, all of them pretty standard looking street gang bangers. The other car, about maybe another hundred meters further down the dock, opened up to have only two men get out, although I could still see a driver through the back glass. "Thirteen total, twelve out in the open," Sophie whispered on the radio circuit. She had moved her position, and was settling into her spot. From the warehouse she was in, it was just over a hundred yards to the near cars. Well within her shooting ability, and I knew her handiwork. She wouldn't let nerves get in the way of a good shot.
"One minute, I'm coming up," Mark whispered. "Patrick, I want you to stay where you are. I'll loop around this building and hit them from the side. We should catch them in a ninety degree crossfire."