Chapter 10: Shadows of Doubt
The cold steel of the helicopter's frame rattled beneath them as the team flew in silence. Sarah stared out into the vast expanse of darkness, her heart heavy with the weight of their last mission. The flames of the village still flickered in her memory, haunting her thoughts. She had done all she could, but it never felt like enough.
Beside her, Rivas shifted in his seat. His normally confident face was marked with exhaustion, his brow furrowed. He was usually the loud one, cracking jokes to break the tension. Tonight, though, he stayed quiet, lost in his own thoughts.
The radio crackled to life, breaking the silence. "Team Alpha, prepare for landing. You're back at base."
As they descended, Sarah felt her shoulders tighten. The missions were starting to blur together—one attack, one evacuation, one lost village after another. Each time, they managed to save lives, but each time, they left something behind. There were always those they couldn't reach in time, always a trail of devastation that followed in their wake.
Once the helicopter touched down, Sarah was the first to step out, the cool night air washing over her. Her boots hit the tarmac with a dull thud, grounding her for just a moment before the world around her started spinning again.
"Debrief in fifteen," Harper's voice came over her earpiece, curt and emotionless.
Sarah's jaw clenched. Another debrief, another chance to relive the horrors of the mission. She didn't know how much more of it she could take, but there was no room for hesitation in this war. She squared her shoulders and made her way to the briefing room, her team following close behind.
Inside, Harper was waiting, as always, standing stiffly with his arms crossed. His sharp eyes scanned them as they entered, but this time, something in his gaze had changed. He wasn't just looking for a report. He was looking for something more.
"Sit down," he ordered, his voice unusually tense.
Sarah took a seat at the long metal table, her eyes flicking to her teammates. They all looked as worn as she felt. The mission had been grueling, and the toll was starting to show.
Harper didn't waste time. "We've been getting reports from command. There's been some… concern about the effectiveness of our recent operations."
Rivas shot Sarah a quick glance, his brows raised. Effectiveness? They had saved lives, hadn't they?
"What does that mean, sir?" Sarah asked, her voice steady despite the knot forming in her chest.
Harper's eyes narrowed. "It means that while we've been out there fighting, someone's been questioning our methods. High command believes we could be doing more. They're sending in a new specialist to oversee the next few missions."
The tension in the room spiked. Sarah could feel it, the unspoken frustration rippling through her team. They had risked their lives time and time again, only to be told it wasn't enough.
"More?" Rivas muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "We're already doing everything we can."
Sarah shot him a warning glance, but inside, she felt the same frustration bubbling up. What more could they do? Every mission felt like a losing battle. Every village they saved was another village lost to the flames. And now, they were being told it wasn't good enough?
"Who's this specialist?" Sarah asked, her tone sharper than intended.
Harper didn't blink. "Major Victor Harrison. He's arriving tomorrow to assess the situation."
The name didn't ring a bell, but Sarah could already picture the type—some stiff military officer who had never been in the field, sent to judge them from behind a desk. The kind who didn't understand what it was like to watch innocent people suffer, to feel the weight of their lives in your hands.
Harper continued, his gaze fixed on them. "I know this isn't what you want to hear. But we don't have a choice. Harrison will be joining us for the next mission, and he'll be reporting directly to command. We need to show him that we're still the best at what we do."
Sarah nodded, though the bitterness in her gut didn't fade. The team dispersed soon after, but she stayed behind, her mind racing with thoughts of what was to come.
---
Hours later, Sarah found herself sitting alone in her quarters, the quiet hum of the base a stark contrast to the chaos she had faced earlier. She stared at her hands, still trembling from the adrenaline of the last mission. The village, the people, the smoke—it all played out in her head like a broken record.
Her door creaked open, and Rivas stepped inside, his usual grin absent. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes studying her.
"Harper's really putting us through it, huh?" he said, his voice low.
Sarah shook her head. "It's not just him. It's command. They think they know better."
Rivas scoffed. "Of course they do. They always do. We're just the grunts on the ground, right? The ones who clean up their mess."
The anger in his voice mirrored her own, but Sarah couldn't let herself dwell on it. Not now. "We'll deal with it. We always do."
Rivas gave a half-hearted shrug. "Yeah, I guess."
For a moment, they sat in silence, the weight of their shared frustration hanging heavy in the air.
"You ever wonder if it's worth it?" Rivas asked, his voice quieter now. "All of this. The fighting, the missions… the losses."
Sarah didn't answer right away. She had asked herself that same question more times than she could count. But she couldn't let herself go there. If she started doubting, she'd never stop.
"We're saving lives," she said finally, though the words felt hollow. "That's what matters."
Rivas nodded, though he didn't seem convinced. "Yeah. I guess it is."
He pushed off the wall, heading for the door. "Get some rest, Wells. Big day tomorrow."
Sarah watched him leave, the weight of his words lingering long after he was gone. Was it worth it? She didn't know anymore. But for now, all she could do was keep going, one mission at a time.