The Void of the Heart

Sadie sat in silence with four others while their up-armored civilian vehicle swerved through the afternoon traffic towards the hostage site. Every piece of equipment gleamed, new and fit-for-purpose - a stark contrast to her military days. In private military, money was no object. She liked that.

The van came to a sharp halt and the restraints unlocked, soldiers picking up their weapons and piling out. To her left came a stream of men from the second vehicle, while a third was covering the rear of the office building where the hostages were being held.

As one, the assembled ten-man team racked their weapons and dropped their visors. A ripple of nods signaled readiness.

She dipped her head too, the last one to do so, and both vans rocked under recoil from rear-mounted breaching cannons that reduced the front of the building to rubble. Thermal imaging turned the scene into greens and yellows.

They charged in, and all hell broke loose as Tenever forced her back into the present day.