The air was thick with tension. The Speznaz team waited in a nearby building for signal to enter, eyes locked on the multi-story building in front of them. A hostage situation turned to a stand-off, and now they were on standby if there was no solution with the negotiations..

Shura “Fuze” Kessikbayeva sat in the garage while the team was in another room. The calm before the storm. She leaned forward, cleaning her grenade launcher rig with methodical precision. The rumbling of nearby helicopters and the distant chatter of her teammates were nothing but background noise to her. She didn’t need to be a part of the chatter right now. She knew what she had to do when the time came. She looked up when anotherentered the garage she sat in and where the equipment was stored.