He knew he’d have to address the crowd, but first he had to deal with the unknown. Four men were dead, their bodies lined up next to one of the vans in black body bags the assault team had brought with them. Two of his team had led the first convoy out, which left himself, the four surviving searchers, and four of the initial fake deputies. Minus the two contractors now guarding the civilians, he still had a sizable element to hunt down and eliminate the thorn in his side. If seven men isn’t enough to take out one man, then we deserve to fail.

His entire team stood before him, and he spoke clearly and quickly so that his orders would be followed precisely.

“We’ve obviously got a problem that has to be dealt with immediately. I have to stay here and talk to these people on the off chance that one of them has the package and is willing to give it up before this goes any further. First, I need you to keep your emotions in check. We’ve already lost four of our own, but now is not the time to think about them. We can deal with their loss when this is over.” Barrett paused to let his words sink in. They were professionals, and they knew the score before they’d signed up for the job. Confident gazes stared back at him. Good. Stick to the mission.

“Whoever he is, he’s only got a few options. Since we know where he was shooting from based on the trajectory of the bullets, he can either exfiltrate to the main drive or move right back toward Arrow Drive. My guess is the latter. Obviously, something we did made this rabbit suspicious, and we proved him correct. If he’d wanted to escape, he could’ve done so without us knowing. I believe he thinks he’s a hero and is going to try and help these people, which means we have to get to him first, because he’s a threat to all of us.”

Now, for the fun part.

“We already know he’s armed, dangerous, and very good. But we’re better. You weren’t hand-selected just because you’re okay. You’re all exceptional, and I need you to be that way for the next few hours. We’ve got the manpower and the training. Take whatever additional weapons and gear you need from the vans, including vests, although honestly, this guy’s making headshots. But better safe than dead. Here’s how we’re going to flush this bastard out.”

Barrett turned to two of the searchers. “First, you two start searching for the package on Forest Edge Court. Our target has to be heading back to Arrow Drive. You should be fine. Be prepared, just in case. Go.” The two men nodded and left the group, moving toward the van to acquire the specially designed RFID readers.