After finalizing the details of a job that seemed too good to be true, Logan W. Brown left the boardroom, or rather the bar, where he had met with his employer, and immediately headed to the temporary base of operations that he and his group of mercenaries had established in this small Alaskan town.
This whole ordeal began when the leader heard about an unbelievable job his second-in-command was planning. He couldn't believe that kidnapping an innocent target, connected to a drug lord, could be so lucrative. But experience and logic dictate that there's always a catch in these seemingly simple jobs, so he spent some time gathering information on his own. After compiling all the details, he made initial contact with the client, verifying whether the information he had obtained matched what the client had said.
Having correctly identified most of the information, thus boosting the contractor's credibility, this first meeting was quite enlightening for Logan himself, even though they didn't talk much about the objective and it didn't last very long.
The first point to highlight was that the employer's first impression wasn't the best. The man was rather vulgar, despite dressing very well, but quite inappropriately for this place... It was obvious he was just a scapegoat for someone bigger...
However, that's not important, at least for the moment. After that initial contact and the subsequent meeting with the group, everyone assumed the client was some kind of pawn of a rival gang of the aforementioned kingpin, or perhaps even of the Alaskan police themselves, trying to gain control over the drug trafficker.
They wouldn't normally do these kinds of jobs. "Innocent target," "Connected to a drug lord," and "dead or alive" in the same job description isn't exactly appealing to the leader... However, this will be a special case because of the huge rewards. This is precisely the kind of quick and lucrative mission they were looking for...
But, despite transparency being Logan's defining characteristic as a leader, he is tempted not to inform the group about the strange warning the employer gave at this last meeting.
• So you can see I don't want to deceive you in any way, I'm giving you a warning in good faith. Be very careful with that thing. It's much more dangerous than its father because that head of its is underdeveloped... Besides, it knows perfectly well how to manipulate people and set traps. That little dog is a gem. - Mentioning this at the end of the meeting, to establish greater trust in them so they see that the employer is trustworthy, being the typical textbook tactic, the client smiles slightly confidently in his "tactic".
Remembering that somewhat disgusting smile from the client, which he also gave him in this last meeting, Logan is still thinking about taking the job, even now after finalizing the details to carry it out.
He's seriously tempted to confess this strange information to his team; after all, it's quite striking... But on the other hand... This job will allow him to retire with his wife and build a warm home, all for the child on the way.
And, adding to his doubt, in the details given in the recent meeting, the contractor added an optional sub-objective they could take, in addition to giving a strange extra description to recognize the main target, when he had already given the main recognizable feature, short but straight, intensely crimson hair... Honestly, Logan believes that this supposedly "necessary" extra description was superfluous.
The main target is just a little girl. What on earth can a 5 or 6-year-old do against a team of trained and experienced mercenaries? It's clear the client is extremely paranoid, perhaps because of that sub-objective he set in this last encounter... Anyway, the girl might be very clever, but that's about it; she can't be anything special.
A military tactic can be predicted, yes... But a girl who thinks she's clever won't be able to do much to stop it. That warning is just nonsense... Although... It's best to be prepared for any eventuality... Just like a captain in the squad Logan served in used to say, "Forewarned is forearmed."
Entering an alley like any other, on one of the worst streets in the city, Logan puts these thoughts in a corner of his mind and quickly finds the mark made by his team to identify the entrance to their temporary hideout.
Performing a specific tapping pattern 35 cm from the aforementioned mark, in a horizontal direction, the leader awaits the expected response. After a few seconds, another pair of aggressive taps resonate as the reply.
Sighing at the thought of who had likely answered his call, Logan confirmed it with a different, shorter tapping pattern. Immediately, the shape of a door appeared at the tapping site, the mark resembling the top hinge of such a door.
• What amused you so much? Did you make me suck your dick as a condition for us to accept the job or what? - With a deep and equally aggressive tone of voice, Clayton Smith, his second in command on this team, is the one who greets him with his usual vulgar language.
• He was briefing me on the objective and a possible sub-objective for which we could also get paid. Nothing special. - Paying little attention to his second-in-command's spicy comment, the leader enters his humble hideout.
Comprising 4 basic rooms, a table, 6 chairs and a sofa, this space is somewhat shabby compared to what they are used to, but, knowing that it will be a quick job, Scarlet and Lucie did not prioritize something comfortable.
• I missed you, my love! - Jumping into his arms, giving him a big kiss as a greeting, one of those who got the place, Scarlet Williams, smiles tenderly.
All this easy and questionable work is for her, and, for now, she doesn't regret at all having decided to confirm her participation. For this beautiful and tender wife that fate gave her, in addition to...
• I was only gone for a moment, darling. - Smiling naturally, Logan pulls away slightly from his wife, affectionately touching her belly.
He's also doing it for this new little one. Knowing it's the perfect time to retire with her, while her highly developed skills haven't been diminished by the pregnancy, the leader believes this must be the ideal job.
"Ugh, seriously. You two are disgusting. Ever since I told you about this job, you've been unbearable, especially you fucking parasite." Clayton said this, ignoring them, with palpable annoyance in his voice.
• You're the disgusting one, you fucking brainless idiot. Thank God we're leaving after this, or else—
• Or what? Are you going to let him finally kill you and show old Log that he was better off before you arrived? - Quickly interrupting his wife's threatening reply, his second-in-command gives her a hostile look.
"That's enough, Clayton. Enough of your bullshit. And you too, honey. We need to meet to compare all the information that guy gave me with what we've been able to gather." Stepping between Clayton and his wife, the leader glared at his second-in-command. "Besides, Clayton, this is your final warning. Talk to Scarlet like that again and I'll beat the shit out of you." Feeling his entire body tense, unable to endure the almost daily insults about his relationship with her for the past month, Logan stood up to Clayton.
His second-in-command, slightly surprised by this unexpected gesture, smiles recklessly. He hasn't had a good fight in several months... and he's sure that no one is better suited to satisfy his feelings.
"Okay, okay, Clay-Clay. You too, Log-chan. It's not good to fight before a job... When we finish this, you can fight all you want." - Stopping the first step of the so-called "Clay-Clay" in its tracks to test their leader's words, the second and last female voice of the team makes its presence known in the space.
As the youngest of the group, always cheerful and enthusiastic, Lucie Campbell emerges from her room, walking somewhat sleepily. An expert at long-range shots, the petite woman serves as a talented lookout and, moreover, as the mediator between them all. Just as the second woman appears, the fourth member of the team makes his presence known, walking silently toward the table as always.
Introducing himself to the team on his first day as "Lockbolt," the big black man silently and methodically performs his assigned role, making Logan's job much easier.
He's had enough on his plate, and still does, with the tense relationship between his wife and his best friend. Ever since she arrived, they've been like oil and water, and to be honest, the leader doesn't understand why they get along so badly... But since his time in the army, he's seen that some people just aren't going to get along, even if they have many similarities in their behavior.
I'd like to try and get them to get along better, but that train left that station a long time ago. Noticing the presence of the last member of his team, the most normal among them, Logan begins the information-matching meeting, giving a quick introduction, and then pointing out, point by point, all the similarities and discrepancies he can find between the two sources of information.
Having definitively decided that the employer's warning was unnecessary, the leader watched as everyone present nodded, confirming, for the last and unequivocal time, that they would take the job. Going to his and Scarlet's room, Logan unfolded a map of the area where the targets were located, along with other additional information about them.
"Alright, guys. Now that we've refreshed our memories, here's the plan: We'll keep watch tomorrow and pick up the girls tonight." Checking the map, the leader points out the route the transport will take.
Hearing the first sigh of disapproval from his second-in-command regarding the plan of action, Logan raises his hands, indicating that they should first listen to what he has to say.
"They'll tell her. Surveillance isn't necessary if she's just a child. But we can't underestimate her, especially with that old man with her. We have to consider where the target is coming from. I'm pretty sure she has several weapons with her, or maybe that 'innocent' old man is just a bluff and actually a trained bodyguard. We have to consider everything that could go wrong, so that everything goes right." Giving off the typical paranoid spiel of the kind he hates most, the leader sees the faces of his friends and wife, who are thinking along these lines. After all, he's always been right in his hunches.
However, Logan himself knows that these possibilities are obviously not even low... From the information he was able to gather, the old man is who he claims to be, and everything indicates that they are an easy target... But that warning from the client still prickles a small nerve in his head.
Holding his breath unnoticed, the leader observes everyone's reaction. Seeing how each of them is convinced by his stupid reasoning, Logan discreetly lets out a sigh of relief.
He then proceeded to go over the details of the action plan. However, the moment I mentioned that no one wanted anything bad to happen, Clayton smiled slightly, something so fleeting and quick that perhaps it was just paranoia on his part... That his best friend would finally do something other than insult his wife... No, it couldn't be possible, not his Clayton.
Despite being a foul-mouthed and vulgar man, his brother has been a good person. Everything he went through as a child would surely have damaged anyone, but Clayton overcame it, with the slight flaw that his vulgar attitude was a major flaw.
Logan has trusted him ever since he had his back, even at the cost of his own life, when they were serving in the same battalion. Logan sincerely regrets that his wife and his best friend, better known as his brother, don't get along... Hopefully, perhaps the child Scarlet is expecting will be the catalyst for their relationship to finally improve...
After all, the leader knows that even if they retreat, Clayton is always lurking around them.
---------------₹---------------
After all the details of the action plan for this job were completely reviewed, gone over and approved by the team, the whole group had a good night's sleep, with the purpose of giving their best in their last hunt.
Moving swiftly in the early morning hours towards the vicinity of Wiseman City, Team Alpha Rose, as they are known in the underworld, searches for targets, speeding along on motorcycles specially modified to avoid making noise.
After a couple of hours, during which they curiously encountered several other old carts along the way, the team arrived at a forest clearing very close to the road, a few kilometers from the town where they had started. There, they found an elderly man and a couple of girls who were about to have a pleasant breakfast.
Noticing that this trio is ideal to be targeted, Logan asks Lucie to identify the primary target among them so as not to waste time on a possible false alarm. However, after a few minutes, the lookout reports that she cannot distinguish between the two girls "Short but straight, intensely crimson hair," since one of them is wearing a black and white hat, and the other has her coat hood up.
Grunting in response to this refusal, the leader's mind flashed back to that strange extra description the employer had given him. Mentioning it aloud, causing the team to frown for a few seconds, they all shifted positions, finding themselves in a spot perfectly positioned to observe the little girls head-on... At that moment, everyone present froze for a few moments...
That strange extra description read: " That little girl is the most beautiful any of you have ever seen, with deep, crystalline blue eyes ."
Confirming this trait in the smaller of the two, the one with the black and white hat, Logan can assure that the trio of the pair of girls and the old man are his targets, the former being the ones who must be taken to his employer.
Thus, the day dragged on for Alfa Rose, as he watched with boredom as the cart driven by the old man made its slow, steady progress along the road, constantly overtaken by trucks, cars, and other vehicles. Fortunately for his health and work, these days had been clear of snow, making his supposedly "necessary" surveillance even easier.
Detailing the activities of the target, sub-target, and companion, in the morning, the old man spoke while the target listened, and the sub-target made strange gestures with her hands and fainted periodically. The target rested her head on her lap and continued listening to the old man.
As the morning wore on, the sight caused the entire group to tense up, to the point of pointing their weapons at her, when she suddenly jumped and looked directly in their direction. However, in a strange false alarm, the little girl only sneezed in a direction far from her companion.
Around midday, after a light lunch for the team, the surveillance, which had been paused, slowly resumed while the trio under surveillance ate. Another noteworthy event, a minor setback for Logan, was that Clayton wandered away from them during lunch, explaining that he wanted to stretch his legs.
Given that everyone at Alpha Rose knew this meant he was off causing trouble because he was bored, Scarlet took it upon herself to bring him back, leaving him completely impressed. Saying she'd have to deal with that pest sooner or later, his wife set off after Clayton. After a few dozen minutes, the pair returned, with Scarlet hurrying her second-in-command along.
Reinforcing his suspicion that those two didn't get along at all, the leader watched as Clayton glared at Scarlet with pure, intense fury after his fifth hurried sentence. Stopping abruptly with a loud remark, Logan saw his brother simply sigh, look at him, and shake his head.
Thus, leaving this last incident aside, the rest of the afternoon was completely ordinary, with the difference that all the elegant and sophisticated gestures of the main subject, shown in the morning, at breakfast, and at lunch, disappeared, giving way to a couple of girls playing with each other, occasionally playing with an old man who would pass perfectly as the grandmother of the pair of beautiful girls.
In those observations, the leader could only feel insecure about whether this job was right... A kidnapping and delivery of a couple of girls to a subject who frankly looks like a vulgar and disposable pawn... But... It's all for his wife and his future child, all for the promising future that his ideal family and he have.
So, the priority of a future for himself and his wife, over the future of girls he doesn't know, is something Logan had to set as much higher.
As night fell, the old man parked the wagon in another forest clearing, near a camp. The old man could have continued a little further and reached Wiseman at dawn, given his steady pace; however, the leader surmised that, being an older man, he was being overly cautious. It was painfully obvious that he wasn't a secret bodyguard, as he tried to portray himself to his team.
Whatever. Now that he's lost almost an entire day of surveillance to the paranoid employer he's been assigned, Logan has to admit that maybe this job is as easy as it seems. Gathering the entire team and carrying out the standard trap-hunting tactic around the perimeter, the leader watches as the old man, with the help of the girls, sets up two tents.
After a brief supper, the old man enters the smaller tent and turns off the lamp that illuminated him, falling asleep immediately, Scarlet surmises, observing the scene. Thus, everyone's attention focuses on the main subject and the sub-sub-subject, who, in front of their tent, are gazing at the starry sky, particularly clear that night, lying in the clearing.
They probably picked up that habit while traveling; after all, kids like that sort of thing...
"Well, now that we've confirmed that this brat is just a plain old brat, shall we attack?" Clayton, gathered again, says these words, looking intently at Logan, who just smiles because the surveillance this whole day was a real waste of time.
"I hate to bring this up, Log-chan, but... After all, she was just an ordinary little girl... She just played with the other one all day..." Tired of all this wasted time, Lucie cracks her back and leans against Lockbolt, who nods to his leader, fully agreeing with what the two have just said.
"Seriously, Chief... I know you said the girl could defend herself with hidden weapons or something, but it's obvious she's clueless about what's going on. She probably believed her father's words, who surely told her this was some kind of country trip with one of his servants and her stepsister..." Bringing up the little blonde girl's most likely identity, revealed in Logan's investigation, the last member of the team says this while cleverly adjusting his crotch, which has been strained from being on a motorcycle all day.
"I would defend you, darling... But honestly, this was a waste of time... They're just little girls, particularly beautiful ones, and an innocent old man." Touching his shoulder affectionately, Scarlet ends things with her husband, making him smile somewhat apologetically for literally wasting their entire day.
Letting out a loud sigh, Logan could say that this had been the most questionable decision in his time as leader of this team, in these 4 years... All because of that idiotic warning from the employer that only made him nervous seeing the success of the work compromised... In short, his former battalion leader would scold him once again for overthinking things.
Some of those present might feel inclined to criticize him right now, which is perfectly within their rights, with many more words than the few they just gave him, but, understanding the importance of the work to the leader himself, they don't dare to reproach him at all; they know he has every right to be nervous, to the point of being slightly paranoid...
Or at least that's what Logan thinks they think.
• I apologize for this entire wasted day. - Giving another of his countless sighs today, the leader scratches his head and bows in apology.
Bringing a smile to most of those present, everyone accepts the apology in their own way.
"That said, it's time to proceed with the extraction. It will be much easier with the two girls out of the tent, gazing at the stars. Everyone, stick to your assigned roles in the plan, and we can pull off the best job we've ever done." Placing his hand in the center of the circle formed by the gathering, they all looked at each other and smiled at the gesture.
Placing their hands on their leader's, Team Alpha Rose makes their typical triumphant gesture before the execution of the job, demonstrating their confidence in victory, now that it has been shown to be as easy as it sounded, but still, it is not that they are going to slack off and fail to fulfill their role in the previously made plan.
Exactly six minutes later, Logan slowly walks toward the targets. The sub-target is the first to become extremely alarmed upon seeing an unknown man approaching them. Contrary to her expectations, the main target is merely forced to sit down by the blonde, giving a slight yawn... She isn't the least bit alarmed by his appearance...
Looking at her up close, she really is the most beautiful little girl he's ever seen, and the leader wishes things didn't have to turn out the way they did... But the world isn't that kind, and sometimes you have to get lost.
"Hello, little ones." Leaving aside the complete lack of surprise from the main target, Logan says this with a slight smile, typical of any kind and trustworthy man. Stopping, not straying far from the trees he emerged from, about five meters away from the targets, the leader raises his hands in a gesture of non-violence. "I've come for you. Your father told me to take you home." Seasoned with a somewhat innocent look, Logan tells this baseless lie hoping that this girl isn't the genius she was described as and has simply come along peacefully.
• I guess... They told you and your group of... I don't know... Mercenaries, maybe?, that I was the daughter of a drug trafficker and that I was escaping to some place in Latin America, not to escape from her, but to hide from rival gangs... And from what you said, she's probably some kind of illegitimate sister or something, right? - Sitting up, as she shakes off the sleep that was beginning to overtake her, the little girl stretches in her seat, staring intently at the man.
Her voice is tender and delicate, yet, defying all common sense, those words were spoken in a much more mature tone than one would expect given her appearance, both mocking and quite serious, with a single message imprinted on it... She is the underdeveloped genius they warned her about...
• I'll take your silence and facial expression as a "Correct" to my statement. Listen, I know you shouldn't care, but this isn't as simple as it seems. So, the following is quite straightforward. - Letting out a tired sigh, implying that the information she had obtained was simply wrong, and that what this girl and her companion were going through was more complicated, the little redhead looked Logan in the eyes, who could only sharpen his gaze upon seeing that she hadn't finished speaking.
"Since you're acting as the spokesperson for the group that's stalking us, I ask that you go to them and tell them to stop. Just turn around and go back to where you came from, that way you'll get home alive and I won't have to deal with you. It might sound funny coming from me, but I'm more dangerous than I seem... You might even have been warned about this, so for your own good and the good of your team, I recommend that you obey me." Seated in her place, this time in a manner reminiscent of Japanese geishas, the little girl said this in a serious tone, almost as if each word she uttered was an attempt to impose its full weight, succeeding slightly, it seemed, in the leader's eyes.
Immediately in response to these words, a barrage of insults is hurled at the girl through her communicator by her colleagues, which, obviously, she cannot hear. As surprising as it may be that this brat speaks in an adult, quite elegant, and high-status manner, nothing and no one will compromise their commitment to the job, and the mere suggestion that they withdraw from it so easily offends them greatly.
"Fortunately for you, miss, I'm not a spokesperson. I'm the head of this team, so I don't have to meet with them. And you're right, we don't care if it's more complicated than they told us. We have a job arranged with an employer: to bring you and the blonde to him. Alive, preferably." Leaving aside the theatricality I just displayed, the leader says this in a serious and somber tone, the very one he learned from his battalion commander in the army.
Logan then draws his favorite weapon, a .357 S&W Magnum revolver, to reinforce his already menacing presence and add weight to his words, trying to outmaneuver the redhead. This works on the older girl, who quickly hides behind her main target, but he remains without any fear or hesitation in his eyes.
• Last warning, Chief Spokesperson. Get out of here and find another job. You still have a chance to leave with all your members, and I don't mean members of the group. - With a serious look accompanied by a somewhat annoyed and threatening tone, the redhead says this while standing firmly, provoking jeers from the entire communications team.
"What makes you think you have the advantage, miss? You don't even know how-" This time pointing at her face, Logan says this, somewhat annoyed that this brat is putting on airs when she doesn't even know who she's up against.
However, the leader is interrupted by the same girl.
"They've been watching us since breakfast, probably as a tactic to gauge our threat level. Counting you and the two of you behind the trees, watching your back, there are six of you. Two with me in their sights and one keeping an eye on Michael-san, the older man with us." Leaving everyone else silent, the little girl kept her gaze fixed on Logan, who couldn't believe her words.
It's not logically possible that she knows they've been watching her since morning... Besides knowing the current location of all her members and, above all, that his wife and Clayton are behind him when this was decided at the last minute... Just when Logan was about to speak about this, she speaks first.
"I hope you're not naive enough to ask me how I know all this. In fact, 'naive' isn't even the right word. The word would be 'stupid.' I'm not going to reveal my methods to my enemies; I'm not some idiotic, gossipy protagonist." Anticipating what she was going to say, the little girl said this, this time with a more sarcastic and mocking tone.
You're right, it would be stupid to answer what the leader would ask.
"Well, that doesn't matter anymore. There's nothing you can do, miss. It seems you won't come with us willingly, so I'll have to do it the hard way." His voice deepening considerably on the last word, Logan loudly released the safety on his Magnum, simultaneously hearing another pair of sounds that sent chills down his spine.
• It seems you have a slight problem with your internal affairs... Don't worry, I can wait until you sort it out to see what you mean by "doing it the hard way." - In a much softer tone, with hints of mockery but also a touch of compassion, the little girl says this, having perfectly observed what is now happening behind the brown-haired man's back...
It seems that not even he saw it coming...