CHAPTER 54: THREE FOR THE TEAM

The next day, they had more pressing matters to attend to. The informants from Valderra finally got back to them early with information on the layout of the area where the Zerdon heirloom sword was located. After being promised double pay, they got it done quickly, now they had to plan the mission to retrieve the weapon without starting an all out war with Valderra.

"We can’t all go. That’s too dangerous. I know we’re all optimistic about the turn out of events, but what happens if we get caught? Then all the top executives plus the owner of Crestview will be gone at once. Think of the repercussions. Besides, it’s easier to sneak in a smaller group of people, especially since we don’t want our movements traced." Alrik said with a sigh.

He insisted on going on the mission since he was the one with a connection to the sword, and that might be needed. First they all protested, and wanted him to stay back with Eliza where it was safe. But after explaining, they understood his reason for wanting to go. Just in case the sword’s location was inaccurate, the best chance to find it would be having him as close to the location as possible.

Then they all immediately said they would go along with him. They all wanted to be there to make sure he would be protected just in case they were caught in Valderran enemy territory. He was trying to make them all see reason, but that was proving to be more difficult than he expected. They had always been protective of him as their leader, but after the events of the past few days, and seeing him look dead, their protective instinct seemed to have gotten worse.

"I see your point, but who’s going to agree to stay back and wait here while others are on an active mission. You know quite well that being in the line of fire is a hundred times better than sitting on the sidelines, filled with anxiety." Gaya said.

"I’m surprised you’re not the one opposing this. Usually, you’re the first to bring up issues like this. Don’t be biased this time because of my involvement. Look at this objectively. You all should. As for who should go, we can cast lots. Draw a straw, or pick random numbers on folded paper, if it comes to it. But I’d rather we pick logically." Alrik said, and for several seconds, they were quiet because they knew he was making sense.

Their argument was not based on reason, and with Alrik’s insistence, there was no way for them to keep hiding behind that. So it was time to negotiate.

"How do you suggest we pick then? Our skill sets are similar since we all had similar training during our time in the war camp. Though we’ve all been removed from active duty, and haven’t fought beasts in a while, you know none of us slack in work outs. So judging based on that might also be a road block." Bruno said.

"You’re right. So let’s start from somewhere. Gaya has to stay." Alrik said, and Gaya’s gaze snapped to him in disbelief.

"I’m your second in command in the field, and your right hand in the office. I should be the first to go with you." She immediately argued.

"It’s exactly because you’re my second that you should stay behind. If anything happens to me..."

"Nothing will happen to you." They all interrupted, and he chuckled.

"Okay, okay. But we still need to go through every possible scenario. If anything happens to me, my second should be available to keep things running smoothly. To take over my position. Don’t bother arguing, just think about it for a few seconds, and you’ll see I’m right."

She sighed, and rolled her eyes, then she relaxed and leaned back on her seat.

"I hate it when you’re right. Fine, I won’t argue. I’ll stay behind." She said and Alrik smiled.

"Next, Ren..."

"Don’t even think about it." Ren immediately interrupted and Alrik laughed.

"Your girlfriend is pregnant, man. And don’t think I don’t know that you’re planning to propose, so you can get married before the baby is born. She falls sick easily, and needs someone to take care of her since she refuses to move here with you for now. You have to stay back." Alrik said.

"I can convince her to move here for now, so she will have others here to take care of her."

"Maybe, but you’ll be distracted just worrying about her. I can say that for sure because I’ll do the exact same thing."

"But it won’t stop me from carrying out the mission as planned. That’s not an excuse." Ren said.

"Not an excuse. I know you would never choose to stay back and let others risk their lives. None of us are like that. But sometimes, we have to know when it’s better to take a step back." Alrik said, and Ren sighed with an annoyed look on his face.

"Fine. I’ll stay. Who am I to argue further when even Gaya gave in so easily." He said, and Gaya nudged him with her elbow.

A few of them chuckled.

"One more person needs to stay. I only need three for the mission." Alrik said, and the rest whose names hadn’t been called yet looked at each other.

Alrik stared at Mira for several seconds, and she sighed. "I’m next, aren’t I? I don’t have a boyfriend, nor am I pregnant. So why?"

"Your sister needs you, Mira. She has her hands full with the twins. There is no need to put you in this danger when it’s not even necessary. Stay back. We can’t all be as reckless as we used to when we fought at the front lines of the battle. We must be more cautious now."

She didn’t argue, but she had a frown on her face.

"I guess that’s settled then. Bruno, Ansa, and Kellan, we’ll have a separate meeting soon to discuss the details."

"Why separately?" Gaya asked with a frown.

"Because I know you all. If we give you all the details of the mission, you might all stubbornly decide to come along despite agreeing with me to stay behind. Better to keep you in the dark." Alrik responded.

"But we can help you plan the mission." Mira huffed.

"It’s pretty straight forward at this point, but if we truly need help, we’ll definitely ask for it." Alrik smirked, and left with the three he picked for the mission.

As soon as it was dark, they left the compound, and drove to a lesser known border between Valderra, and their country Velmorra. They switched cars about eight times, just to make sure they weren’t being followed, and ensure they couldn’t be easily tracked. They were all dressed in tactical gear, and since they weren’t off to fight beasts, they had at least three guns each hidden within their gear among other things.

But after waiting for thirty minutes at the designated site, the contact that was supposed to smuggle them in still hadn’t shown up.

"Are you sure this isn’t an ambush? Or maybe we were given wrong coordinates?" Ansa asked as she surveyed the area with night vision goggles.

It was past midnight now, and they needed to get the sword soon so they could return back before sunrise.

"Riley was handpicked by Gaya, as was the rest of the team. They wouldn’t make such a silly mistake like sending wrong coordinates. As for the ambush, I can’t say for certain. The team might be legit, but our informants are Valderrans. We’re still their enemy even if we paid for this service." Alrik replied to her.

"So what? Do we keep waiting? Do we head back? Or do we try to cross over without help, which increases the risk of getting caught by border patrols?" Bruno asked.

They were all silent for several seconds as they waited, but they remained alert. Even if it was an ambush, they would not go down easy. Suddenly, there was a vibration from one of Alrik’s pockets. He pulled a small covering over his head to conceal the light before he took it out from his pocket, and tapped the comm device in his palm. He sighed as he read the message.

"Change of plans." He informed the others as he put the device back in one of the many pockets in his tactical gear.

A supply truck for one of the black market dealers was supposed to pick us up and drop us close to the location, but that is off. The transaction for the sword was completed about two hours ago, and it’s being transported tonight. We have to intercept it, which means our mission just got harder."

"The sword has no tracker, and there are about five directions they could have taken the sword in. Decoy trucks are probably being sent out as well, so we can’t be sure which carries the sword even if we manage to track them all down fast enough." Kellan sighed.

"In other words, we’re screwed."