"There is one guard at the front entrance," I said.
"Copy that."
We listened as Pete and Jeff walked up the steps to the front entrance. Pete tried the door and it opened. I heard a man grab him.
"What are you doing here?" The man asked gruffly.
"I'm looking for a friend he said to meet him here. He said this place was abandoned."
"Well it's not. So, get out and tell him."
"Fine."
There was a shuffling towards the door and noise as the door reopened.
I waited a minute. "Pete? What's going on?"
"Hostile has been subdued. As he was showing me to the door, Jeff snuck in and hit him. There was a struggle and now he's cuffed and gagged."
"Copy that. The next man is in the stairwell leading to the fourth floor."
"All right we're going up."
I heard a radio crackle. "Samuel, are you there? Who was at the door?"
"Son of a bitch," Jeff said.
I heard the cocking of a gun. "Tell him it was a bum, and you threw him out," Jeff said. The man spit and Pete cursed then smacked him. I guessed the gun was now pointed at the man's head. "Do it, Jeff, grab the radio."
"Everything's fine. It was just a stupid bum looking for a place to sleep," the man said.
The radio crackled again. "You should have shot him. He wouldn't be missed."
"I should have."
"Let me know if there's any trouble."
"Yes." I heard muffling as the man was re-gagged. Pete and Jeff made their way up the stairs. They reached the second floor.
"Proceed. This floor is clear," James said.
"Copy that."
They climbed the next set of stairs. "Around the corner of the hallway there is a guard, he's moved to the foot of the stairs, so be careful," Keith informed them.
"Cover me," Pete told Jeff.
Everything went quiet and all we could do was wait. This part of the operation was rough, the next few minutes would determine if we would succeed or fail. And it all depended on Pete and Jeff surprising the man before he alerted the others. If he did that before we sent backup in, they'd be sitting ducks.
"Hostile has been taken out. He didn't even see us. He was on the phone with a woman," Pete whispered.