Code of Honor

The team wait outside the cave, preparing their strike. Dane has taken out three other sentries, one facing the mouth of the cave and two others facing out, to catch incoming attackers. Kamran wonders if he’ll be left behind and is prepared to fight to go in, but Dane reassures him that he will be walking into that cave with them, as Kamran is the only one who really knows Darius, and his knowledge will be essential. Jimmy sends a message to Hagan letting him know they are going in. Aaliyah predicts that two men will be waiting in the shadows of the cave entrance, invisible from their vantage point, prepared to strike. Dane agrees to go in first and remove the guards. While Dane disappears to take care of the guards inside the cave, Jimmy and Aaliyah reassure Kamran. Aaliyah then asks a difficult question: “Could you shoot him if you have to?” (215). Kamran is confused, and then shocked: “Shoot Darius? No. Of course not. I won’t have to. He’s not a traitor” (215). Aaliyah and Jimmy look skeptical. Dane takes care of the guards and gives the signal for the rest of the team to enter the cave.

Dane finishes tying up the unconscious guards as the other team members approach. He points to a camera, which Jimmy quickly puts on a loop, to avoid arousing suspicion. Dane and Aaliyah secure explosives to one of the ATVs waiting in the mouth of the cave. Jimmy hands everyone night-vision goggles. The plan is to short out the lights deep in the cave, and give themselves the upper hand when they attack. Jimmy knocks out the lights, which elicits a shout from deeper in the dark cave. Dane sends an ATV full of explosives in as Kamran protests, worried about the safety of his brother. Aaliyah reassures Kamran that Darius will be further inside, but Kamran isn’t so sure. As the others go in, Kamran stays back, terrified. He tries to remind himself of his code of honor. Jimmy claps Kamran on the back, saying, “You only live once, right?” (217).

Kamran and Jimmy pass the smoking ATV and dead bodies; none of the corpses are his brother. Aaliyah and Dane are hiding behind some crates. Machine guns fire in their direction. Dane tells Jimmy and Kamran to stay back, in order to let them know if someone is coming in from the other direction, while he throws a grenade deep into the cave. An explosion sounds and Dane and Aaliyah run in through the smoke, guns ready. The smoke makes it impossible to see, but Kamran hears a sound from in front of them: “I thought I heard the scrape of metal on metal, like a heavy door being opened” (219). He warns Jimmy, who surprises Kamran by running into the smoke. One shot goes off. Kamran calls for his friend, but hears nothing. Kamran realizes that he has to go in to help his friends, to warn them if anyone is coming: “I was going to have to go into the darkness alone” (219).

Kamran stumbles in the dark, repeating his mantra from his code of honor and praying he doesn't find Jimmy’s body on the ground. He trips over a terrorist’s corpse. A few steps away, he can see Jimmy wrestling with another terrorist, trying to get the man’s rifle away from him. Kamran steps forward and thinks about shooting but is worried he’ll miss and hit Jimmy. Instead, he jams the butt of his gun into the terrorist, hoping to knock him out. The gun bounces off the man's helmet, distracting him just enough for Jimmy to get the gun away from him. The terrorist knees Jimmy in the gut, sending him to the ground. He then turns on Kamran: “I raised my gun to shoot. But I didn't. Couldn't” (221). Seeing his opponent’s weakness, the terrorist attacks. Kamran’s night-vision goggles are torn from his face and he can’t see. He hears choking sounds and sees Dane take the terrorist down. Another terrorist falls when Jimmy shoots him as he tries to sneak up on Dane in the dark. Finally, rid of their opponents, Dane reveals a secret door that might be holding Darius. He sends Jimmy to open the door with his lockpick set, while the others investigate their surroundings.

Dane sends each member of the team to a wall and takes the door himself. He runs inside, shouting for anyone within to put their hands on their head. He then calls Kamran in. Inside, a kerosene lamp hangs from the ceiling, illuminating Darius. He is scrawny and dirty, with a thick wooly beard: “He looks like a crazy old hermit. No, I realized. He looks like Rostam” (223). Darius calls out for Kamran, confused, and Kamran rushes to him, holding him. He is relieved Darius is alive. Darius is confused why Kamran has come; Kamran reveals that they have come to rescue him: “Darius shook his head. ‘You shouldn't have come, Kamran. I'm so sorry’” (224). Darius then takes Kamran’s gun from his hands and points it at his brother.