The briefing chamber lay buried beneath layers of reinforced concrete, accessible only through a series of security checkpoints that grew more exacting the deeper one went. The air inside was cool and faintly metallic, carrying the constant vibration of machinery somewhere beyond the walls. A single strip of light ran the length of the ceiling, casting a pale glow over the brushed steel table that dominated the center of the room. Around it sat twelve operatives in dark uniforms, their faces solemn, and their files untouched.
At the far end of the table, a man sat with an unhurried stillness. One gloved hand rested lightly on the steel surface, and the other tapped out a quiet, deliberate rhythm, each movement measured and even. He was broad-shouldered, his frame filling out the crisp lines of a tailored field jacket whose silver insignia caught the light in quick, muted glints. His hair was dark, cut close in regulation style, and his eyes which were cool and sharply observant moved from one operative to the next without lingering, as though taking stock of them the way a strategist studies a battlefield.
This was Major General Elias Wolfe of the Republic's Special Forces, a man whose reputation had traveled far beyond the classified halls he worked in. Only a minute number of people knew his face but he was well known for being the youngest major general of the army since its induction.
To his right, Jax, his personal secretary, stood as the projector in the room came alive and the black screen across from them lit up. He took in the grave look on the faces of everyone seated at the table before he started to speak,
"Target: Marina Kovacs. Codename: Vesper," Jax said, clicking a button on the remote in his hand and the interface of the screen changed, showing a photograph. It was of a woman in an elegant black gown, standing beside the President at a recent state banquet. This was a woman of medium height, warm skin tone and dark brown hair. She seemed no different from the other women at the banquet but anyone with discerning eyes would be able to tell she was not so simple.
"Our sources show that she's from the Cordova Circle; likely one of the elite members even. Over the past three years she has been present at multiple high-profile events in the country especially in the capital city. From this, we can tell that she has been worming her way up into the government," Jax continued. "Intelligence confirms her involvement in the manipulation of last month's election results. We also have proof of her involvement with the President himself."
The grave looks on all the operatives faces deepened as he spoke.
Elias spoke just then, his deep voice reverberating across the room, "Give the brief of the operation plan."
"Yes, sir." Jax nodded, as he clicked the remote once more. The picture on the screen disappeared and was replaced with a surveillance footage of a residential block.
"The target resides in Archers Estate. The security there is mid level. Surveillance sweep begins at twenty-three-hundred. Recon drones will scan the perimeter before we move in but at the moment, thermal and motion confirms the package is on-site with two escorts. No other movement within the walls."
He clicked to the next slide: a grainy drone capture of a narrow service alley appearing.
"Approach is on foot from two blocks out. Overwatch will be set from here—" he pointed to a rooftop across the street from the target building—"with clear sight on both exits."
As Jax spoke, his gaze drifted to Elias once more just in time to catch him give a nod of approval. Satisfied, he turned back to the screen and continued to give the brief.
"Disruption window is ninety seconds. We cut power to the block via overcurrent pulse to the transformer. At the same time, a staged disturbance three streets east by Team C will pull any roaming security teams off-grid. Entry team breaches through the service entrance. Stairwell and lobby will also be locked down for civilian control. The grab happens in the study during the blackout. The package is then restrained and moved through the basement to our extraction van parked here."
He tapped the blind spot on the map.
"The van leaves in the opposite direction of the diversion and proceeds to the rural site. Currently, there are no identified members of the Circle present within 100km of the target so the mission is likely to go smoothly.. If they detect the outage, we may get counter-extraction within six minutes. If that happens…" Jax let the words hang for a beat. "We burn the route and take Delta."
"That is all," he added as his briefing came to an end. He looked at Elias who simply gave a nod for him to take his seat. Jax took his seat once more and everyone's gazes fell back on Elias seated at the head of the table waiting for him to speak.
He seemed to be deliberating and it took about a minute before he looked up at them. He closed the file in front of him with a quiet snap, the sound cutting cleanly through the air in the room.
"Cordova Circle is one of the prominent gangs in Country Y and they have plenty of shady deals with that country's government. In other words, this could mean an attack from that government. However, it could also be a personal vendetta by the Cordova Circle itself. Whichever one it is, she is connected to a foreign network. We capture her alive, extract everything she knows, and track her back to her handlers."
There was a pause for a moment and he tapped the desk in front of him twice before adding, "The higher-ups are pretty tense about this mission because of the involvement of the executive. It must not go—"
Elias's gaze suddenly shifted to the personal field device on the table, resting just within reach. He stopped speaking as he looked at it and everyone present also looked toward it curiously, unsure what caught his attention.
The matte-black surface of the device reflected no light, its interface dormant until a faint ripple passed across the display, subtle enough that no one else seemed to notice. A small inbox icon pulsed once, twice, then opened without sound. Elias quickly grabbed the device from the table as the content appeared.
It was not part of the Republic's military network. This inbox existed off-grid, buried behind layers of encryption no agency had sanctioned. Only two people in the world knew it was there: Elias, and the other party behind the network, Loid.
The message was short but it made Elias's eyes constrict sharply as he read it,
Loid: "You got an intel. It seems related to that case. I've restricted your team's access and I tried verifying the sender's identity but it's taking quite some effort. Not that I expect them to be easy to deal with anyway."
Elias looked toward the team's designated hacker who was seated by his right at that. Indeed, the latter didn't seem to have sensed that a mail had entered his personal email at the moment.
He lowered his gaze and continued to read the message, this time skimming through the email forwarded itself.
It read;
"Granton Labs. Connected to Project Helix. You've been chasing after this for so long. Surely, you won't pass on the offer. Don't attempt to surround the area; otherwise you'll regret it. You have two hours."
There was a GPS located address attached to the mail and it read 234 Downing Avenue. It was a place in the city outskirts.
Once he had finished reading it, the text faded instantly, leaving only a blank interface of the email icon before even that, too, dissolved into the dark screen. No trace remained.
Elias's gaze lingered on the blank device. Project Helix. The name had not crossed his desk in years, but it had never left his mind. Nor had he stopped looking into them.
That was the name left behind after that incident ten years ago. But, even though he had been searching for so long and with all the resources he had, including Loid, they had only been able to dig into the basics. They still had no idea what the project dealt with or who the people behind it were.
This was the very first tangible information he had come across although he could not understand it yet. It even had an address to match.
Now, he was wary, though.
They still didn't know who the sender was. Like Loid said, he also didn't think they were easy to deal with as he had been looking into them for five years yet they proved elusive.
This could very well be a trap. It likely was. But even so, he didn't want to wait any longer nor pass up the chance. He had been battling with it for ten years and wasn't about to let it go just like that.
"Chief," a voice suddenly spoke, jolting him from his thoughts.
He looked up, realizing he had gotten lost in thoughts whilst in the meeting.
His subordinates had been staring at him for the last three minutes as he stared blankly at the device clearly lost in thought. It was Vince, his second-in-command who was by his right that called him.
"What are our orders, Chief?" Vince asked.
Elias quickly put one and two together and made a decision. The higher-ups were very concerned about the matter regarding Marina and the President. In fact, Speaker Voss and General Brendt had called him earlier that morning for a brief on their mission tonight.
But, he couldn't miss this chance.
He quickly made a decision and looked directly at Vince, "You'll lead the team to the location and bring in the suspect.
Then, he turned to the rest of the team.
"This mission is black-level so top level secrecy is expected. If this becomes public," he said, his voice calm but carrying to every corner of the room, "the government collapses. Do you understand?"
Chairs scraped back as the operatives instantly rose to their feet.
"Yes, Chief," they answered in unison.
Elias gave a single, measured nod. The men quickly dispersed to prepare for the mission leaving only Vince and Jax still seated at the table.
"Speak," Elias muttered, sensing Vince's gaze on him.
"And you, sir?" Vince's eyes narrowed a fraction. "I thought you would come into the field with us."
Elias paused. He should inform his second-in-command about his plan but this was top secret and he didn't have the security clearance. Even he had to take utmost safety measures to go there and thankfully, General Brendt was aware of it. Otherwise, it would be hard for him to explain.
He decided not to let Vince know and simply asked, "Why? You can't handle it alone?"
Vince immediately straightened up and shook his head. "No, Sir. I can lead the team safely."
"Good." Elias gave a small nod. "Then, do your job."
"Yes, Sir."
Jax also stood up. "I'll go assist with the rest of the setup, Sir."
"Hm." Elias nodded. Jax could not join the team as he had to be on call for Elias at all times so it was no problem for him to help them with backstage activities.
The two soon disappeared from the conference room in a flash and Elias sat there alone, quietly brooding. After some time, he picked up his phone and gave General Brendt a call. He quickly explained the matter to him without going into too much detail.
General Brendt was quiet for a couple of minutes, also brooding about the matter. Then, he asked: "What about the mission today?"
"I already dispatched the team for the mission. Vince will be the commander," Elias explained as he stood by the conference table with his hand by his side.
"Okay, that's good. I'm pretty wary about this plan of yours, Elias. We both know that if the other party deliberately asked you to come alone, then they have some shady plans."
"Yes, sir." Elias gave a deep frown. "All the same, we can't pass up this chance. This is the very first time we've gotten any info about the matter."
"Elias," General Brendt sighed. "I know what this case means to you but we can't be rash. I also want us to find out the truth as soon as possible but not at the risk of your life. You're my most promising soldier; nothing must happen to you."
Elias narrowed his eyes at that and simply said, "Even if I don't go tonight, it's not likely that they'll let me be. They sent the mail directly to my personal mail. And the only people that have access to that email are—"
"The military and the Senate," General Brendt cut in with shock. "Are you saying one of us is behind this?"
"Most likely," Elias responded. "We might as well take the chance to root them out."
The general seemed convinced at this point. He sighed: "So, what's your plan?"
"I'll deploy the secondary team to close vicinity but they're not allowed to come in unless I give the alert. For now, I hope you can keep my deployment a secret till I return, sir."
General Brendt seemed to understand and gave a nod. "I understand. You can go. I'll take full responsibility."
"Thank you, Sir." Elias answered before the line went off.
Once he finished the call, Elias immediately picked his personal field device and called a number with the caller ID: Loid.
The call was answered instantly and a cheery voice burst in through the speaker, "So what's the plan? Are you going?"