Street lamps pollute the night sky, dimming the stars. Crammed in a single sedan, Lexi and the other men wrap dark shemaghs around their heads, to cover their faces. Simultaneously, all four doors pop open and the black-clad mercenaries step out. Jason unlatches the trunk of the car; it flings open and the other team members gather around it, grabbing at various weapons and tools.

All five team members wear dark clothing, tactical gloves, and combat boots. Aside from Anatoly, they've also strapped on bulletproof vests. Each vest is customized per the individual and their assignment, with various pieces of equipment and ammunition pouches attached to it.

Anatoly remains in the car, wired into his radio. He keeps an eye on the street, prepared to alert his friends of any suspicious activity.

In perfect unison, the assassins stack up as if forming a conga line, and make their way to the front door. Dietrich takes a knee in front of the doorknob, while the others huddle in the nearby shadows. He pulls out a lock pick gun, gently sets the pick inside the lock, and gives the lever a few squeezes.

Once he hears the lock unlatch, he leans to the side, out of the way of the others. With one hand on the doorknob, he twists the handle and slowly pushes the door open. The other mercenaries step inside, guns raised. Dietrich then stands up and follows closely behind.

The group spreads out around the house, searching each room as quietly as possible. They use no flashlights and rely on their eyes to adjust to the dark.

After clearing the first floor, they silently climb the stairs. No one speak. Sam uses hand signals to direct his team. Leading the charge, he divides the group, motioning with his left hand.

Lexi and Jason search the first room on the left, while Sam and Dietrich enter the room on the right.

Sam's heart sinks, as he slowly opens the creaking door. He sees a young girl, maybe ten years old, fast asleep on her stomach.

Lexi and Jason enter the master bedroom. They move to either side of the large bed, allowing their weapons to dangle from their straps. Lexi stands over the assumed wife as Jason moves next to her husband. They each pull out a small bottle and a cloth. Then the mercenaries hold their breath as they squeeze the Sevoflurane chemical onto the rags.

Lexi and Jason look at each other and nod; with that, they quickly cover the mouth and nose of their victims and climb on top of their, now thrashing, bodies. Lexi watches the woman's eyes fly open in panic. She attempts to scream, but her cry for help is muffled by the thick cotton cloth. The bed rocks every which way, as the couple does everything in their power to overthrow their captors.

In the child's room, Sam douses his cloth in a little less Sevoflurane than he would use on a grown adult. He loathes his actions. Chaos erupts in the other room, as Lexi and Jason go to work.

Dietrich steps out of the bedroom to search the rest of the upper floor. In one move, Sam places his right hand on the back of the girl's head and then uses his left to cover her mouth and nose with the cloth. Her eyes pop open and she panics. He leans down, using his left elbow to add weight to her torso, keeping her pinned. Sam prays the drug works quickly as he avoids looking at the young girl thrashing about. She cries out a stifled scream. Her eyes fill with terror. Her arms flail, slapping and hitting every bit of her assailant, she can reach. She fights to roll over. He forces his left arm down, pinning her to the bed. Sam closes his eyes; He begs for it to be over.

Across the hall, the husband and wife finally cease their violent jolting. Once their bodies go limp and their eyes roll to the back of their heads, Lexi and Jason step off and pull out a roll of duct tape.

The young girl finally gives in. The fear in her eyes fades. They slowly close. Her arms fall to her side. Sam pulls the cloth away and steps back. His gut tightens. His heart feels heavy. He glances down at the cloth, glaring in disgust. His eyes return to the young girl. All this, just to kill her neighbor for some cash. What has he become?

Dietrich enters the room. "Clear," he whispers.

They both stare at the helpless girl, now in a short-term coma.

"Okay," Sam finally mutters. "Let's clean this up."

The team wraps Duct tape around each of the victim's ankles and wrists, pulling their arms behind them. They wrap more tape around their knees multiple times, keeping their legs together. Then they plant a strip of Duct tape over their mouths and blindfold them with a dark bandanna.

Each mercenary then pulls down his or her Shemagh, letting it hang comfortably around their neck like a thin scarf. Then Dietrich, Jason, and Sam each pick up a limp body and carry it down the stairs. They enter a vacant room, which appears to be the family's private gym. The small enclosure houses a treadmill, a yoga mat, and a few light free weights. One by one, they set the unconscious bodies on the floor, leaning against the wall. Lexi carries in a chair and sets it at the opposite side of the room, near the door and the free weights. Jason walks to the window, facing the backyard, and quickly shuts the blinds.

"You good?" Sam asks Lexi.

"Yeah. I've got my radio; I'll keep you posted," she says, tapping the earpiece in her left ear. The coiled wire snakes behind her ear and down to the throat mic wrapped around her neck. From there, another cord runs down to her waist, where a radio is attached to her belt.

Just then, Jason speaks into his own mic. "Anatoly," he says, "the house is clear. I'm heading to the garage to check if there's room to hide the car in there."

They hear Anatoly's voice on the other end of their radios. "Copy."

"Okay, I'm going to head upstairs and see if we can get a good vantage point," says Sam.

"Sounds good," replies Lexi. Sam starts to turn and then Lexi grabs his arm. "Hey," she says.

He looks back at her.

"I love you," says Lexi.

Sam smiles. "I love you, too," he replies.

Lexi stands on her toes and gives him a kiss. Sam then turns and heads out the room. Lexi sighs and takes a seat in the chair, facing her captives. She glances down at her watch; the digital numbers read 02:34.

She then reaches her hands to the back of her head to tidy up her ponytail, allowing her MP5 SMG to hang across her chest from its strap.

Dietrich, Lexi, and Sam all carry the same sub machine gun; the weapon is incredibly popular among special operation units for its reliability, compact design, and efficiency. Of course, Dietrich is partial to the MP5 due to it's "perfect German engineering" as he would say. Each weapon has been customized with a red dot sight attached to the top. The site projects a small red holographic dot; once calibrated correctly, it aids the shooter's accuracy immensely. They've also attached suppressors to the ends of their MP5s, somewhat dampening the sound of the weapon.

Jason is armed with an HK416, also of German design, firing a 5.56 caliber bullet. This rifle is larger than the MP5 and allows more versatility, range, and accuracy. It owes its craftsmanship to the collaboration of the United States Delta Force and the German arms manufacturer, Heckler and Koch (HK). The overall design is largely based on the American M4 series rifles with a similar look and feel. Jason has added a shotgun attachment underneath the barrel of the rifle, for breaching doors.

Dietrich has armed Anatoly with the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System. The rifle fires a 7.62mm bullet and is used for medium range shooting. Attached at the end of the barrel is a long and heavy suppressor, to mitigate the loud bang of the rifle.

Each mercenary is also armed with the Austrian designed .45 caliber Glock pistol. The sidearm is popular among American law enforcement and civilians alike for its reliability and ease of use.

Lexi glances around herself; the room is dark, just as the rest of the house. She listens to her team's chatter over her headset to keep herself entertained and in the loop. While sitting in silence, she pinches her left ring finger, where her wedding band would normally sit. Even beneath her glove, her hand feels awkward without the diamond. She and Sam have always agreed to leave their rings at home when they engage in a mission. This prevents enemy captors from using their marriage against them. When someone has an emotional advantage over their prisoner, there's no telling what they can make them do.

Over the headset, Lexi hears Jason discovering the two car garage is already occupied by both family vehicles. He tells Anatoly to leave the car where it is and make his way to the front door.

Once upstairs Anatoly enters the master bedroom. He stops near the bed and gazes out the window. A grin spreads across his face.

"Looks like we're in luck," says Jason as he leans against the window frame, peering outside.

"Yes we are," replies Anatoly.

The curtains to Pérez's bedroom window are drawn closed, but the bathroom window is uncovered, permitting a clean shot from their position.

They observe two guards on the patio, sitting in lawn chairs, smoking. The underwater lights from the luxurious swimming pool dance across their faces. Behind the guards lies a large glass sliding door, leading into the house.

"These guys look like local security," says Jason. He watches them as they pass a blunt between each other. "Pretty sloppy, too. The brief said he had hired guns from the U.S."

"Blueprint shows toilet right under window," says Anatoly, ignoring Jason. "So, when he comes to take piss, he faces us for perfect shot."

"Then let's get set up," says Sam as he and Dietrich step into the room.

Anatoly plops the rifle case on top of the bed's disheveled blankets. Unlatching the locks on the side, he flips it open to reveal the disassembled weapon. The others clear some space for him as he attaches the pieces together.

Dietrich brings up a chair from the kitchen and sets it on the opposite side of the window, where Anatoly takes a seat. The large bed now lies between the window and himself. The other three men wander around the room, taking turns looking through the window, impatiently waiting for their target to appear. Anatoly extends the legs of his bipod and rests the rifle on top of it. He leans back and stretches his legs out on the bed. Staring out the window, he rests the butt end of the rifle between his legs.

"And now... we wait," he says.