"They'd have to pay me to wake up this early."

"We woke up earlier than they did, idiot."

"Shut up," he retorted, laughing quietly.

Looking through his scope, he scanned the area. One kilometre away from him, the military base was bustling with activity. There were hundreds of soldiers, all preparing for an important arrival.

"Fucking towelheads. Looks like they've finally got their act together," the sniper commented.

"He's a big fish. They'll die if he's not impressed," the spotter replied.

They both looked on, in silence.

Suddenly, a voice sprang from their walkie-talkies.

"Okay, boys. The man has to die, but ID the fucking target first. You only have one shot. Don't fuck this up."

The sound of helicopter blades began to cut through the air, increasing in volume. The spotter raised his scope slightly, just in time to see the outdated vehicle climb over a large hill that overlooked the base.

"Speak of the devil."

The sniper kept his sight trained on the base. The helicopter slowly descended into his view.

"That the guy?" he asked.

"Jesus, they haven't even landed yet. Give me a sec."

The spotter struggled to reach into his back pocket while prone. He managed to pull out a crumpled, faded photograph. By the time he looked through his scope again, the helicopter was touching down. Three men proceeded to exit it. He focused on them one by one, checking the photograph each time.

"Do you have eyes on?" he asked the sniper.

The sniper turned to the spotter, nodding.

"He's the one without the rifle on his back," the spotter explained.

The sniper looked through his scope again. The three men were still standing near the helicopter, with their backs to the sniper.

He slowly moved his index finger towards the trigger.

"Got it."

Suddenly, the man began to turn around.

The sniper paused. Something felt wrong. The man looked familiar. The sniper swore under his breath.

"What the fuck are you waiting for? Take the shot!"

The spotter was getting impatient, but the sniper had stopped listening at that point. He calibrated his sight, zooming in on the target's face. He recognised him.

What the fuck is he doing there?