As they made their way to the elevator to head to the basement level. Brian grumbled to himself, rubbing the side of his head as he calculated what he could say to the leader of an infamous mercenary army to kill Jackson. Leo tried to speak up to see what was wrong, but the old man raised a frail hand to silence her.

  ‘I will do all the talking. I expect you to be quiet as I negotiate with our friend.’ Besides saying a word, Leo gave Brian a nod of acknowledgement. Which caused him to smirk. ‘A fast learner. You’ll definitely have a place in the new world.’

  The elevator doors slide open. Waiting for them is a fit middle-aged man with graying blond hair. He takes a final puff of his cigarette and puts it on the ground to stomp it out. Leo frowned, unamused by the blatant disrespect displayed by the mercenary leader and the stench that reeked from his body.

  ‘Commander Roy, I hope the flight here wasn’t inconvenient. Have you rested well?’ Brian said as Leo wheeled him out of the elevator.

  The Commander chuckled before speaking in a rough Scottish accent. ‘Slept like a baby. We got here smoothly, like we were some regular tourists. Security didn’t even bother to check who we are.’

  ‘I expect complacency from the TSA and similar agencies. But I won’t have it from you or your team.’ Brian said before he handed Roy a document. ‘I paid you and your team’s silence. Let’s see if you are as good as you say you are.’

  ‘Don’t worry, mate. We can take on anyone.’ Roy smirked as he took the file. It didn’t take long for him to figure out what he and his team would be after.

  Brian knew that expression, the fear, the realisation of something existing that wasn’t entirely human. He imagined Roy was expecting to kill rivals or assassinate a business competitor. Instead, he stared at the photo of a monster. A reptilian creature, a nightmare that shouldn’t exist.

  ‘Is this some kind of joke?’ Roy sheepishly smiled.

  Frustrated, Brian waved for Leo to push him deeper into the basement. ‘I didn’t spend millions on the most expensive and prestigious killers just to make a joke, Commander. That is your target, and I want them dead.’

  Roy followed Brian, still reading the document and trying to understand what he was looking at. ‘Well, mind telling me what on god’s green earth I am looking at.’

  ‘A failed experiment. That is all you will need to know.’ The old man haphazardly responded. ‘Every relevant information is in that document. I assure you that every question you have is already answered.’

  ‘This looks dangerous. What if I refuse to take the job?’

  Brian had Leo stop so he could face the Commander. ‘Then leave. The money I gave you will be enough to buy your silence. However, know that is the exact amount I paid to get you here. Do you want to lose it all already and risk being caught in the states where all of you are wanted?’

  Seeing his point, Roy frowned. ‘I don’t like to be threatened, old man. How about you give me an actual reason to take up this contract?’

  ‘I thought you'd never ask.’

  Deeper into the basement, Brian escorted Roy into a secluded room. At first, Roy thought it was a small storage area. But after the lights turned on, he realised that the room was instead filled to the brim. Inside were crates of weapons, body armour, grenades, medical supplies, and more. Curious, the Commander opened the crate to find an MS44 battle rifle. A state-of-the-art weapon recently produced by ProTech’s Armament Department. The more he examined the contents of the crates, he realised Brian was providing for him and his team the best ProTech had to offer.

  ‘You’ll use the equipment while you track down your target.’ Ben casually said. ‘And if you succeed, you get to keep it. Think of it as an additional form of payment.’

  ‘Looks like you’re a bit desperate.’ Roy joked.

  ‘I know the risks.’ Brian grumbled. ‘But that won’t be the only thing I’ll give to your team. Your pilot, Kevin, right? He will have access to ProTech’s newest toy. The DragonFly. Ever heard of it?’

  ‘No, I haven’t.’

  Brian scoffed, like a grandparent being disappointed in how the younger generation didn’t know some outdated knowledge that was once commonplace. ‘It is a prototype stealth helicopter. It will help you to fly to your designation and eliminate your target. In case you are curious, the DragonFly is capable of transporting your men anywhere and it is equipped with an M134 minigun.’

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  ‘I doubt I’ll need a gun like that thing.’

  The old man shakes his head. ‘You will.’

  ‘Well, a quiet chopper and guns aren’t going to help when we have no idea where the weird reptile is.’

  ‘Commander, refrain from insulting my intelligence. This building was once occupied by ProTech’s Aerospace and Intelligence Development Department. I don’t just know where that creature is now and where they are heading to.’

  They walked into the largest room in the basement. The largest command centre both Leo and Roy had ever set foot in. Monitors flash imagery of the entirety of the United States, reports flood in detailing the happenings of every person in the immediate facility of their target. On the central monitor, ProTech’s best intelligence satellites kept an eye on Jackson. Following the reptile’s every turn. Resting in a forest at the southern parts of the Arkansas state border.

  ‘Jesus, talk about dark money.’ Roy mumbled to himself. ‘Alright, let me get this straight. You have the guys, me. You have the guns, you have the tech. This is honestly going to be one of the easiest contracts I’ve ever done.’

  ‘Don’t think this will be easy!’ Brian snapped back. ‘You are dealing with a creature built for murder. The only advantage you and your team have is the element of surprise, which I pray you utilise effectively when you do go after it.’ The old man looked up, expecting for the Commander to say something stupid. Instead, he decided to keep his mouth shut. ‘The mission is simple: kill him and recover the body. Don’t think about capturing them alive. That’ll only get yourselves killed. In the meantime, you will have access to the command centre and utilise our resources while you lead your forces. If you have any problems, relay them to my secretary.’

  The old man gestured for Leo to wheel him out of there. He just wanted to go back to his desk to finish up the remaining paperwork that could bring about the opening of the Ra Engine and a step towards a new era. A prospect he was excited about.

  ‘Today.’

  Brian raised his hand to stop Leo so he could reply to Roy. ‘Today?’

  ‘Aye, today. My troops are ready to mobilise, and we have the means to take out our luxurious target. We will move out tonight, if you so wish.’

  ‘Just get it done! I don’t care when or where, as long as you kill that thing.’ Before Brian could leave, he turned to say one final thing to the Commander. ‘I will be down here to watch how the operation goes. I hope you don’t mind.’

  Roy smiled, ‘of course not. I don’t want to disappoint my customers.’

  Unceremoniously, Brian and Leo left the command centre for Roy to get familiar with. As they head back to the elevator to be certain that they are away from earshot. Leo broke her silence and spoke up.

  ‘A lot of them are going to die.’

  ‘Not my problem.’ Brian dismissively waved his hand. ‘They will succeed and they will kill that blasted reptile.’

  ‘Will it be easier to just bomb the area?’

  ‘That will jeopardise the company’s standing. We produce 75% of the world’s precision-guided munitions, and 62% of artillery munitions. An accident with our own equipment will ruin our stock and damage the reputation of the weapons and equipment we manufactured for the world’s military. I did the numbers. It will only be a matter of time before people put the blame on us.’

  Leo raised a brow, unconvinced by his logic. ‘Hiring the most wanted people in the country carries its own risks.’

  ‘The risk can easily be managed. It can be controlled even if things go wrong, and I have the means to rectify any mistakes along the way.’

  ‘Even if they fail?’

  ‘They won’t fail! They are the best killers money can buy. And I highly doubt Jackson will have a chance against a modern military and modern weapons. His hide won’t protect him. He is as good as dead.’

  Without arguing, Leo nodded along. While she was unaware of Brian’s plan and how it would work. It wouldn’t be best to doubt it that early. Despite being a pig, Roy to her was confident in his role as a Commander. Though she would prefer the assistance of a more professional army to deal with Jackson, sometimes heartless killers, like the mercenaries of Territorial Ground, were good enough for the job. At least, she hoped they were good enough.