The Royal Contract

He saw a group of men come out of one of the buildings. Some of them were laughing, but the other three at the back were silently conversing.

He took pictures of the group, but he could not get a good angle of the man in the middle. Then, they disappeared to the other side of the building.

"Come on, let us go back to the group." He told his partner after taking several more pictures of the entire compound. 

He had to report to Tim what they had gathered. Then discussed the best possible strategy for rescuing the captives. It had always been their standard procedure.

Although they already had received intel earlier, they could not rely on another man's word. They always did their due diligence, confirming the intel before acting on it.

"Sir, so far, most of the reports are accurate. But I think they had doubled the guards compared to earlier." The man narrated his findings to their leader.

Tim sat on the side of a big rock, away from the prying eyes of possible intruders or enemies. He needed a good hiding place since he could not defend himself in a close encounter. 

However, he was a good shooter, almost hitting his opponent on the significant points of the body. He could either render them immobile or dead, depending on the situation.

What happened to him in the previous incident was a case of misjudgment. He had allowed his emotion to get the best of him, seeing that his opponent looked so young. He had let his guard down. But not this time.

"Looks like they are on high alert." Tim looked at the pictures on the screen. 

He could see several men guarding the perimeter. Their stance was stiff from the way they stood. He also noticed how they held their weapons. Either they were expecting an attack, or they were guarding something or someone important.

"Another thing, Sir." He pointed at the group of men in the photo. "The one on the left. I think I know him." He indicated the man with a full beard almost covering half of his face, standing on the side of what seemed to be the leader in the middle.

"Who is he?" Tim asked as he examined the pictures thoroughly. The men in the photos were unfamiliar to him. But they did look like they had some military training just like them.

"I think we toured together in Afghanistan. They called him The Beast." The man related that this man showed no mercy on their enemies. Killing them without remorse even if they already surrendered. 

He remembered that The Beast was court-martialled. Then, he was kicked out of the force for his brutality and inhumane treatment of their captives.

"What about the man in the center and on the other side?" Tim asked, wondering who they could be. 

They looked like they were high on the ranks at the way the other men were protecting them. He wished he could see the face of the man in the middle. He might give them some answers on who might be running this entire spectacle.

"No idea, but the other man seems to be carrying a doctor's bag. Maybe he was a physician, caring for their wounded." He speculated, but still, he had no accurate answers to tell his boss.

"Ok. Send those pictures to our IT. Have them run their faces on the database. Maybe they might have some luck in identifying some of them." He instructed as he checked the other pictures.

He studied the structures with his team, identifying the possible holding cell of their captives. The old Victorian house seemed to be the largest structure in the entire area. 

There was another large building not far from the area, which was also heavily guarded. Then, at least four smaller structures were scattered in the area. 

"Ok, guys, are we ready to do this?" He asked his men when he finally formulated a plan.

He already had studied the layout of the entire area even before they came here based on the initial information. All he had to do was incorporate their latest findings.

He had to coordinate their movements in a synchronized fashion. There was no room for mistake, and every second counted. The repercussion of one of his men missing his mark would be catastrophic on their part.

Although he had no doubt that his men could handle their own, still a successful mission relied on the accuracy and precision of their actions. In addition, going home without any casualty.

"Are there any questions?" He asked his men before they plunged into a war zone.

He had laid out his plan to them, each one assigning a significant role in the mission. Each of them had to play their part precisely the way he had instructed it. The timing had to be synchronized to a tee. 

If not, he was also aware that many possibilities could happen. But they were always prepared for any contingencies. He believed that there was no such thing as a perfect plan.

"None, Sir." Each one of them answered as they synchronized their watches to the second. There was no room for error. But if such a case should happen, they should know what to do.

"Good." He checked his injury, seeing that it was still patched up tightly. 

He still felt the excruciating pain when he suddenly moved, even after ingesting some mild pain killers. But it was a pain he would endure for this mission to be successful.

However, he prayed that this battlefield would not be filled with their blood but with the others. He could not lose anyone of them, not his men and not the people they were here to rescue.

Aside from acknowledging his skills, he had always believed in a higher power who always guided him in everything he did. He attributed all his success not only to himself but to his men. 

But most especially to the great one that had followed his shadow and protected him until now. He grabbed the pendant lying on his chest and kissed it, making a sign of a cross.

It was not a sign that he was not afraid to die. But a symbol that he was ready to meet his maker. He already did what he had set to do.. There was nothing more he would want than to die with honor.