"Alright, soldiers! We're heading out in 2 minutes so be prepared!"
Grunts of acknowledgement rippled throughout the crowd. They were weary of what would come- they knew how dangerous this mission was and how some wouldn't come back to base. Even though they had all been trained by the military for more than 5 years the crew were having second thoughts about this operation. So when they were told to move out by the superior, they were all sweating profusely- apart from Darlene Liu.
She was different. Abandoned by her parents as a confused 10 year old she was left to fend for herself on the streets of Chengdu, garnering the reputation of local pickpocket in the neighbourhood. One day, on her daily task of swindling everyone on the street she had an unexpected surprise. Someone had caught her! The man grabbed her by the arm and held her tight, staring into her eyes.
"She'll do. She's got a feisty attitude, just what we need," the man said to his companion.
That was how her career started. She trained for 3 years and quickly rose through the ranks, having a 100% fatality and success rate. Now at age 22 she was renowned throughout the industry of arms dealing for her skills in the Korean martial art hapkido and the Chinese martial art baji quan. So it was no wonder she smirked at her teammates' nervousness.
"Alrighty, let's get this show on the road! Oh, and... try and make it back in one piece if at all."
Everyone filed out reluctantly, getting into position. Everything was going well, with each soldier creeping into their positions, following Darlene. But what they didn't know was that they were being set up! No one knew any better, walking into their inevitable massacre. Gunfire ripped through the air, destroying the vicinity and the soldiers with them. Their bodies convulsed as they were riddled with bullets, crashing to the floor. Those that didn't die immediately were left to suffer, writhing and gasping for air as the pain overtook them.
Escaping unscathed, Darlene advanced towards the enemy soldiers, engaging in direct combat but one enemy had been too much of a coward and opted to throw a hand grenade. The chink of the ring being pulled hadn't been missed by Darlene and after high kicking another soldier off she dove for cover. Unfortunately she was just a little too late, and was struck on the head by a piece of debris, knocking her unconscious before she collapsed on to the floor.