The Shadow Teams, led by Ryan, were preparing for their eventual deployment. It would be a small team, consisting of five special forces since they were only going in for reconnaissance. They were equipped with standard gear, each carrying an M4 Carbine configured for close-quarters work.

Ryan moved down the line, checking each man one by one.

"Optics?" he asked.

"EOTech, magnifier attached."

"Suppressor?"

"Mounted."

"IR laser?"

"Active."

Ryan gave a short nod and moved to the next.

Plate carriers were secured tight across their chests, loaded with magazines, medical kits, and essentials. Radios were clipped and tested. Night vision devices were mounted on their helmets, flipped up for now but ready to deploy the moment they stepped into darker ground.

"Comms check," Ryan said.

"Loud and clear."

"Green."

"All good."

He stopped at the last man and gave a final look.

"No unnecessary weight," Ryan said. "We’re not staying long. In and out."

"Copy."

Behind them, a table held additional equipment. Ryan reached down and picked up a folded map, placing it beside a tablet displaying the drone feed.

Adrian stepped into the room.

Everyone straightened slightly.

"You ready?" Adrian asked.

Ryan looked up.

"Five-man element. Lock and loaded."

Adrian nodded.

"Good."

He stepped closer to the table, eyes on the layout of Forbes Park.

"Drone overwatch will stay active the entire time," he said. "Predator feed will be routed directly to your tablet. You won’t lose sight of the perimeter unless you go inside a heavy cover. As for your insertion, an helicopter would be loud at this state so you will drop from a high-altitude, basically an HALO Jump from a C-130."

Ryan paused for a second.

Then nodded.

"Copy. HALO insertion," he said. "Altitude?"

"Twenty-five thousand feet," Adrian replied. "You’ll deploy oxygen from exit to low altitude. Chutes open late. We keep you off their radar and out of sight."

Ryan glanced at his team.

No one reacted.

They were used to it.

"Drop point?" he asked.

Adrian tapped the tablet, zooming into a section just outside the perimeter.

"Here," he said. "Tree line, east side of Forbes. Minimal structures, less chance of visual detection."

Ryan studied it.

"Wind?"

"Sentinel Eye will update you before jump," Adrian said. "You’ll get real-time drift correction."

Ryan nodded once.

"Extraction?"

"We can send a helicopter but you’ll have to rendezvous with it. We can’t land a helicopter near Forbes Park. We will give you the exact coordinates once you are on the ground."

"Okay sir, is there anything I should know before we depart?"

"There’s nothing else. Now, go to your plane, its waiting for you all."

Ryan gave a short nod.

"Copy that."

He turned to his team.

"Move out."

No delay after that.

They picked up their rigs and stepped out of the room in a tight group, boots hitting the floor in controlled rhythm. The hallway outside was already active. Ground crew moved with purpose, hauling equipment, checking manifests, clearing paths.

Ryan led them through it without slowing.

"Stay together," he said. "No stragglers."

They pushed through a set of double doors and out onto the flight line.

The C-130 was already there.

Rear ramp open.

Engines running.

The low, steady rumble of the turboprops filled the air, vibrating through the ground beneath their boots. The aircraft sat ready, lights on, crew already in position.

"Load up!" a crew chief shouted over the noise.

Ryan didn’t wait.

He moved straight up the ramp, his team following behind him one by one. Inside, the cargo bay was dim, lit by red lights that gave everything a muted tone. Tie-down straps lined the floor. Bench seats ran along the sides.

The crew chief stepped forward.

"Five-man HALO?" he asked.

"Affirm," Ryan replied.

"Good. You’re on the clock. Wheels up in two."

Ryan nodded and waved his team to the side.

"Hook in and check," he said.

They moved immediately.

Parachute rigs were secured.

Oxygen systems connected.

Each man ran through his own checks, then checked the man next to him. No shortcuts. No missed steps.

"Mask on," one of them said.

"Holding pressure."

"Good."

Ryan walked down the line, pulling on straps, checking connections.

"Altimeters?" he asked.

"Set."

"Primary and backup."

"Green."

He gave a final nod.

"Good."

The ramp began to close behind them, the outside noise cutting off as the metal sealed shut. The interior shifted slightly as the aircraft began to move.

Taxi.

Then acceleration.

The engines roared louder as the C-130 picked up speed.

Ryan took a seat but didn’t relax.

No one did.

The aircraft lifted off the ground with a steady rise, the vibration changing as they left the runway behind.

Ryan looked at his team.

"Final reminder," he said. "We land, we regroup, we move. No hesitation."

"Copy."

He nodded once.

Then leaned back slightly, eyes forward.

The jump was routine.

The mission wasn’t.

Minutes passed.

Then the crew chief stepped back into view, holding up a hand.

"Ten minutes to drop!" he shouted.

Ryan stood immediately.

"So we’re up," he said.

His team followed.

They moved toward the rear, forming up in order.

Oxygen masks locked in.

Gloves tightened.

Weapons secured close.

The ramp began to lower.

Cold air rushed in instantly, violent and sharp, cutting through the cargo bay as the opening widened.

Darkness stretched beyond it.

Nothing but sky.

The crew chief checked them one last time.

"Twenty-five thousand feet!" he shouted. "Stand by!"

Ryan stepped to the edge.

Looked out once.

Then back at his team.

"Let’s go to work," he said.

They waited for the greenlight.

The red light above the ramp stayed on.

The wind roared into the cargo bay, loud enough to drown out anything that wasn’t shouted. It pushed against them hard, tugging at straps, gear, loose fabric. Even standing still took effort at that altitude.

Ryan stayed at the edge.

Behind him, his team held position in a tight line, each man locked into place, one hand on the static line anchor, the other steadying themselves against the frame.

The crew chief moved beside them.

He raised his hand.

Three fingers.

Ryan nodded once.

Two fingers.

The wind seemed to get louder.

One finger.

Then, the light turned green.

"GO! GO! GO!" the crew chief shouted.

Ryan didn’t hesitate.

He stepped off.

The world disappeared instantly.

The roar of the aircraft vanished behind him as gravity took over. His body dropped fast, the air slamming into him with force as he stabilized, arms spreading slightly, legs adjusting instinctively.

His oxygen mask pressed tight against his face as he breathed in controlled bursts.

Behind him, one by one, the rest of the team exited.

Five figures falling in formation.

Ryan checked his altimeter again.

Twenty-four thousand.

Dropping fast.

The city was still invisible below, hidden under darkness and distance. Only faint glows from fires and scattered lights hinted at where the ground was.

"Formation," Ryan said over comms.

"Copy."

The team shifted slightly, closing distance, keeping visual on each other. They weren’t tight enough to risk collision, but close enough not to lose anyone.

Wind screamed past them.

Twenty thousand.

Ryan adjusted his heading slightly, angling his body to compensate for drift. He felt it immediately—the subtle push of crosswind at that altitude.

"Drift east," one of them said.

"I see it," Ryan replied. "Correcting."

He shifted his shoulders, adjusting angle.

The team followed.

Eighteen thousand.

The ground began to take shape.

Faint outlines of roads.

Clusters of buildings.

Dark patches where entire sections had lost power.

And somewhere ahead, their drop zone.

Ryan focused.

"Eyes on DZ," he said.

"Visual," one of them replied.

A darker strip among the structures.

A tree line, exactly where they needed to be.

Fifteen thousand.

The fall felt faster now as they got close to the ground.

Ryan kept his breathing steady.

"Stay with me," he said.

"Copy."

Ten thousand.

The city was clear now.

Abandoned streets, burned sections, some lights that relies on solar illuminated the ground.

Even from that height, they could see it.

"Stand by for chute," he said.

Eight thousand.

Seven.

Six.

"Not yet," he muttered.

Five thousand.

"Stand by..."

Four thousand.

"Deploy."

Ryan pulled.

The chute snapped open above him with a violent jerk, yanking his body upward as the sudden deceleration hit. The noise changed instantly—from a screaming rush to a controlled, steady glide.

One by one, the rest of the team deployed.

Five canopies opened across the sky.

Ryan grabbed the toggles and adjusted his direction immediately, steering toward the tree line.

"Chutes good," one of them said.

"All good."

"On course."

Ryan nodded slightly. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Keep spacing. Land quiet."

Below them, the ground rose fast.

The tree line grew larger, branches swaying slightly in the night air.

Three hundred feet.

Two hundred.

Ryan angled slightly, preparing for landing.

"Brace."

One hundred.

Then, impact.

His boots hit the ground hard, knees bending to absorb it as he rolled forward slightly, cutting momentum before coming to a stop among the trees.

He immediately unclipped and collapsed the chute, pulling it down and gathering it fast.

Around him, the others landed in sequence.