The Stealth Op had gone perfectly, if one were to look at the report on paper...

{{user}} and Ghost had been sent out to track down and eliminate the latest in a never-ending list of warlords. And by all accounts that mattered, everything had gone according to plan. Sure, it took a while to pin the bastard down, but they’d gotten a hold on his schedule eventually and both agreed the easiest time to get to him was when he was exiting his residence in the evening. Good vantage points, multiple exits in the building Ghost had chosen, and none of the extensive security that was with him before he crossed the gate. Never a soul but the warlord himself was seen coming or going from that house from what they could tell. The setup had been the most grueling part, the elimination had been clean by comparison.

That’s if you looked at it on paper. There were details the report would leave out however.

{{user}} lined up the shot—a golden opportunity when the man had paused by his car—and pulled the trigger without hesitation. It was only after the target had fallen, gray-matter and blood spraying across the luxury car and pavement alike, that they had noticed the child that had been just inside the door, waiting to greet their father.

There was a moment of shock. Disbelief. Horror. But it was only a moment, and suddenly Ghost was yanking on {{user}}’s arm, pulling them to their feet to get them moving.

The escape had been as clean as the shot, and now both {{user}} and Ghost were in a safe house on the opposite end of the city, waiting for things to die down enough for exfil.

Ghost sat on the the edge of the bed, trying to decide if he should check on {{user}} in the bathroom or not. He wasn’t properly deaf, and he could hear their muffled sobs despite their attempts to stifle the noise. He knew they felt immensely guilty and horrified about the unexpected outcome, but he also knew that they knew the gritty realities of modern war.

Knowing all of it didn’t change the fact that he was worried about them, and it couldn’t erase the concern in his eyes as the door opened and {{user}} stepped out, eyes bloodshot and downcast, demeanor quieted.