The morning air was cool, but no one felt it. Not really.
It was Saturday, the day they had been planning for, counting down to, training for, and hoping wouldn’t end in disaster. The day they were supposed to get Elliot back.
It was early in the morning when Raymond, Alex, Zane, and seven handpicked n were already suited up and ready, eting in the compound of the Gatehouse.
Everywhere was quiet. Not a single unnecessary word had been said since they arrived. Just the sound of boots shifting on concrete and weapons being checked one final ti.
Zane had personally made the calls earlier that week, bringing in n who had worked in private extractions, military rescue, and underground missions. n who didn’t need to be told twice.
Now they stood in full black gear, all focused and prepared.
Raymond stood in front of them, hands behind his back. The silence around him demanded attention as he took one step forward.
He spoke calmly, clearly, and with the kind of voice that made people listen.
"I believe each of you knows the plan," he began.
"You know what you’re going in for. You know who we’re pulling out."
His voice beca more firm.
"Make no mistakes. Move carefully. No gunfire unless absolutely necessary, and take no lives. This isn’t a war. It’s a rescue."
He paused, letting those words settle.
"And we have to succeed, because if we don’t... this doesn’t just fall apart. It hits us back. Hard. In ways we can’t even begin to imagine."
"Do you understand ?"
Everyone nodded. No one asked questions. No one hesitated.
A low chorus of affirmation echoed from the group.
Zane gave a firm nod.
Alex looked around. For the first ti, he saw what commitnt looked like in a group of determined n.
"Alright then," Raymond concluded, "good luck to each and every one of us."
And with that, they moved out.
"..."
The team split up into three vehicles.
Raymond and Alex got into a black SUV. Zane and three n slid into a rcedes Benz while the remaining four n entered a low-profile black van with tinted windows so dark that no one could see inside.
All engines started at once and without any more words, they pulled away from the Gatehouse.
*****
As they approached George Agnew’s estate, the plan went into motion.
The lead car, Raymond and Alex kept heading straight toward the mansion gates. anwhile, the Benz and the van peeled off quietly to the right, heading down a straight road just a few blocks away.
That road led to a house.
A house that looks so simple and safe with a red roof and a black gate. But Raymond knew better. They knew that’s where George kept Elliot.
Not too close to his own estate, but not too far either, close enough to watch. Far enough to deny.
Raymond and Alex’s car approached the estate gates.
Two ard guards stepped forward imdiately, and scanned them. After a while, the gates opened slowly, and they drove through.
The estate was crawling with security.
They were everywhere, at the walkways, stationed at corners, standing at the doors... Dozens of them. Possibly more inside.
Raymond noticed too, and it actually made him exhale in relief.
"It worked," he said under his breath.
"George pulled most of his security close to him. Which ans Zane has fewer obstacles."
"Let’s hope they move fast," Alex replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
The car ca to a stop in front of the main building. Two n approached, opened the doors, and ordered them out.
Raymond and Alex stepped out calmly.
They were imdiately searched, head to toe. Their pockets, belts, shoes. The guards didn’t miss a spot.
Nothing was found... They had co clean, just as planned. No weapons, nothing.
Once cleared, they were directed into the library where books lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Everything felt too polished and too quiet.
Raymond and Alex sat on the leather chairs in the center of the room.
Waiting.
*****
The black Benz and small bus pulled to a stop quietly, two blocks away from the target house where Elliot was being held.
Zane turned off the engine, looked back at the n with him, and nodded.
Zane stepped out of the car with three of his best n, silently. They moved like shadows, hugging the buildings and avoiding the streets.
The air beca tense as everywhere was too quiet.
As they approached the house, they surveyed it carefully. There was no movent, no guards in sight. It was strange. Almost too easy.
One of the n whispered, "You think they moved him?"
Zane shook his head slightly. "If they did, I’d have known. We’ve got eyes inside. He’s still here." He wasn’t fully sure, but he trusted his gut.
They approached the back entrance. It was locked, but they were professionals. So they jumped the fences swiftly.
As they jumped in, two guards suddenly appeared from around the corner. But before either guard could speak, two silent blows dropped them instantly.
They advanced further. Another two guards stood inside, casually guarding a closed room.
Again, no ti for warnings.
Zane signaled.
His n moved very fast. In seconds, the guards were down, and no alarms were triggered. It was just so clean.
Zane moved to the door. It was slightly ajar.
He pushed it open slowly.
And there, in the center of the dim room, tied to a wooden chair, was Elliot.
His head was bowed, and his body bruised. There was blood on his shirt and so marks on his face; he had been tortured, no doubt. But he was breathing.
Zane stepped closer. Carefully.
Elliot’s head lifted weakly. His eyes t Zane’s.
He didn’t know who the tall black man was. Was he another torturer? Or... a rescuer?
Zane’s face gave away nothing.
But sothing in Elliot’s gut told him, this man was here to save him.
Zane took another step forward. He reached for the ropes around Elliot’s hands.
Then...
A muffled sound.
Elliot tried to speak while his mouth was still gagged. He made a quick noise, pointing his eyes behind Zane.
Zane froze. Then slowly, he turned around.
And there they were.
David. And five ard n stepped into the room from the other side. They raised their guns and pointed them at them.
David smirked.
"What an easy rescue. Just walk in and grab him, huh?"
Zane’s face didn’t change. He stood tall and slowly reached behind his back.
"We didn’t co here for easy," he said calmly, pulling out his gun. His n mirrored him and drew their weapons too.
David took a step forward, "You’re outnumbered. Six against four. You’re not walking out of here alive."
Zane didn’t blink.
He glanced at Elliot for half a second, then back at David.
"You actually believe that?" he asked, with a small smirk.
Before David could react, it happened...
From behind him, four more of Zane’s n, the ones left outside, appeared silently through another entrance and began taking out David’s n one by one with syringes, knocking them unconscious before they could even react.
David spun around, too late.
In a panic, he fired. The bullet hit Zane in his left shoulder.
Another shot, one of Zane’s n went down.
But the other two of the team facing David fired back. Two bullets hit him.
He staggered, dropped his gun, and collapsed.
Zane was on his knees, gripping his side. Blood stained his shirt. His breathing was short and shallow.
But he was alive.
The room was filled with heavy breathing. Two n down. Six standing.
One tied up.
"Get Elliot out. Now!" Zane ordered with a strained voice.
The team moved fast.
They untied Elliot, supported his weakened body, and carried both him and the other wounded man out of the building. Zane tried to walk but stumbled.
"I got him!" one of the n said, helping Zane to his feet.
Within monts, they were outside.
They rushed into their cars, started their engines, slamd the doors, and sped off.
They were gone. Leaving the wreckage and David behind.
The mission was over. Not clean, nor perfect. But Elliot had been rescued.
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