The Betrayal's End

The time: September 1994, my first day as part of The Elite Strike Force. A strong government military team.

The place: Base, classified location in the middle of a dense forest not far from coastal shores.

Enter the members of The Elite Strike Force. There were six of us. Six strong soldiers who are skilled killing machines. However, I haven't seen much out in the field recently and relied on the reports that made their way around the base like high school rumors. I am always ordered around and trained the hardest since I am one of the lesser ranks within the military forces. Nothing more than a Private. Meaning I am given orders and expected to obey like a mutt. No further questions. I put up with this bullshit for years now. Only put up with it because

I have the desire to protect the innocent, and those who cannot fend for themselves which drives me to improve my skills in combat. When I was recruited, these traits were seen the most by others and highly admired. It was the very reason as to why I was eligible to become a member of The Elite Strike Force in the first place. I was going to follow my father's footsteps. However, he was a Lieutenant at the time and nearly became a Sergeant. Not one day passes where I don't think about how my father never returned from his last assignment when I was merely a child. I came home from school that day and found my mother crying on the wooden porch of our house. She brought me into her arms and had to explain that my father was never going to come home. I went behind her back to read the telegram that was delivered to her. My father's status was MIA presumed KIA. I wasn't old enough to understand what those acronyms meant until I was well into my teens. I still have a long way to go before I get to his level. But we are all one and the same regardless of our ranks by serving our country. That is honor enough.

The base itself is surrounded by a dense forest. Everywhere I'd look there would be trees, followed by more trees, and even more trees. The only way to see over them would be the watch towers placed at each corner of the base. Each faced North, East, South, and West. The Northen tower overlooked the treetops, anyone could see anything coming for miles with or without military-grade binoculars. Eastern faced a series of mountain ranges which myself and new recruits are taken on regularly to help build our strength, resilience, and stamina. Down South, the tower looked over a large windy river that stretched for God knows how long. I assume it eventually met the ocean where the Western tower faces the coastal shores. It is a pretty view. I have seen many sunsets and sunrises over the past years at these towers and not one day passes where I haven't discovered a new hue pass over the lovely scenery. Then there is the barracks. A series of cabins where we all hunkered down after a long day, that is if you get an ounce of sleep knowing that tomorrow very well may be your last day to ever walk the Earth. Next to the barracks would be the mess hall, a place where we all gathered for meals.

Lastly, we have what we call the briefing room which is located adjacent to the training grounds.

The briefing room is a confined, tight, rectangular room walled with maps and bulletin boards of important intel. In the center of the room is a rather large oval table with chairs crowded around the curvature and oddly warm by the sunlight coming through the skylight ceiling.

The sole purpose of this room is for our Colonel to brief us on our assignments and missions. A place to turn in and store reports, intel, and data. A place to discuss formations, routines, rotations, and even future plans of attack when and if we needed to engage on the offense or defense. Luckily, we've never had to fight to that extreme. And I pray that we never will, however, war is upon us whether we like it or not. It's just a matter of when.

The clock on the wall struck 1200 and we all stirred to a seat at the table like school kids that entered the classroom one by one in a single filed line.

"Tis now midday" Lieutenant Chris announced.

"And by 0500 tomorrow, we must be on the road"

Sergeant Jake stated and shot a long and hard stare at Chris as if to tell him to be quiet and pay attention.

Lieutenant Alex curled up like a cat on her seat while I sat opposite her with one leg crossed over the other, toyed with one strand of her long Autumn hair as she asked.

"What for?"

Private Kai looked up from the report he was reading for The Elite Strike Force's next mission. His dark, thick, black curly hair covered most of his forehead, making it very difficult for me to read his expression without being able to see his eyes.

"Our sources state that The Resistance has been planning a major attack. We're given a choice to either capture or kill them before they can attack."

The Resistance. All that I know about them is that they are a rebellious force. Our enemy. I hear that some of our newly recruited scouts have gone missing because of them. Even our supply runs have been completely raided because of them.

"So let me guess,"

I finally spoke up, flipping through a second copy of the reports. "we'll be taking a lot of casualties? Our scouts go missing, our convoy of supplies and resources - looted. We don't stand much of a chance against them if they have the balls to pull such stunts."

Lieutenant Chris snorts at that but clears his throat and proceeds to regain a serious composure as Sergeant Jake shoots him another hard stare.

"We have traced them to the North West corner of the Southern outskirts of Nha Trang. They won't expect to see us there."

Nha Trang isn't too far away from our location, it'll still take a day's journey by transport. I've never been there myself, but the people living in the city are well known around here due to some recent events and rumors about a plague possibly spreading there. As I looked around the room, I noticed all of us were sitting silently, waiting for someone else to speak up. It is as if no one knows what to say to ease the tension, so Colonel Carter continued.

"If we do go to Nha Trang, we will not have the luxury to rest, the rebel scum are everywhere. It will be dangerous and the risk definitely outweighs the reward, so please understand why it is important for us to strike now." He spoke firmly.

"Firstly, why are they rebelling in the first place? Secondly, How do you plan to take them out?" Private Kai asked.

He's been a member of The Elite Strike Force since he graduated college two years ago, and the only thing about his personality is his curiosity and urge to question everything to get the unnecessary details. His eyes are a piercing blue and sharp as a scalpel as he brushed away a lock of curls, finally, I can see his face. He wears glasses and always carries a pack of cigarettes in his right breast pocket because he thinks it looks cool. I know that he smokes. He may be more talkative than anyone else on The Elite Strike Force, but I wouldn't consider him annoying or irritating like many others within the team. Colonel Carter begins his explanation once more while I turned back to my copy of the reports and flip through the stapled pages.

"They're trying to overthrow the government for a better future as they strongly believe the government is the cause of the unrest in the South as an unknown deadly disease started to decimate cities. They think that it is unfair for those who are not infected by the disease aren't welcome to enter another city of Vietnam due to an outbreak risk, and be left to squalor since nothing is permitted to get in, or out. So The

Resistance was formed and they have started small by raiding our supply chains. Food, water, weapons, fuel, clothes, and our tech gear too. And I am sure they're also the reason for our scouts to go missing too but that is yet to be determined. The question is, how are they even getting in and out of their territory if they're under strict lockdown."

"How do you expect us to sneak in without anyone noticing a large squad of troops invading into their territory?" I asked.

"No. I will not send a big calvary, only the six of us." Colonel Carters piped up again. "we can infiltrate undetected by helicopter. This job does require total trust between your brothers and sisters in arms, and an act of silent obedience. There is a village that is being held hostage by the rebels. It is our goal to rescue the villagers from The Resistance's hands and evacuate them to safety."

"How do you expect us to sneak in without anyone noticing a large squad of troops invading into their territory?" I asked and everyone except Private Kai nodded in agreement.

"No. Not a big calvary, only six of us." The colonel said calmly and continued. "We can infiltrate undetected by helicopter in the dark of night."

Luitenant Chris nodded while Private Kai smirked and shook his head. Everyone else went quiet again and listened attentively as they waited for further instructions.

"There's a village in the area that is being held hostage by the rebels. It's our goal to rescue the villagers. If necessary, we might even need to kill the bad guys depending on the situation." Luitenant Chris said quietly.

No one spoke in response, but they all knew this mission wasn't as easy as it sounded. Flying by helicopter will make a lot of noise, the dark is supposed to hide our presence, but, even we can't see in the dark either. A big disadvantage for us. They will hear us coming. "Once we are inside the village itself, we'll split up in groups of four and move in stealth."

I nod, thinking about what I just heard. We'll infiltrate, find, and rescue those villagers. It sounds like a suicide mission as we have no real idea as to what it is that we are up against. But people need our protection. My protection.

"But. In case someone gets separated...," the captain pauses, looking at each member of The Elite Strike Force, waiting for a reaction or at least making sure everyone is paying attention.

Nobody seemed ready to volunteer for this job, but I was one of the few exceptions. My mind raced with ideas, but I couldn't think of something that wouldn't attract unwanted attention. Then, it hit me. "...they'll be left behind..." Silence filled the room immediately, and I felt sweat starting to form on my palms. I know that it's a dumb idea. Luckily, the silence didn't last long.

"You want us to leave our own men to die? Are you insane?" I spat out harshly, leaning forward from my chair. Colonel Carter wants to risk us going MIA or KIA and suffer the same fate my father met. I will not let that happen on my watch. No one should suffer a loss like that. Some of us have families and friends waiting back at home for our safe return. vow right here and now that every single one of us will come back to base and return to our homes after this mission and any further missions we make. No one will get left behind for dead. "Private Casey, it's okay." Lieutenant Alex said softly and put a hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me down. But I jerked her arm off me violently, making it obvious that I didn't want to be held back or even try to accept what I just heard.

"Don't touch me!" I shouted angrily, fists balling as I slammed them on the table. "He's going to leave us all there to die!? For some civilians!? Sergeant, Colonel, Just how many more lives are you willing to lose?!" "Don't forget that you're just a Private, Casey! Don't you ever forget that! You're only twenty years old! You have no authority to lead an entire unit or question me! You're not capable of deciding what's best! What would your father think if he saw you acting insubordinate?!" He snapped in return, standing up from his seat.

"You don't know anything! None of you do! Because of you, Colonel, my father is dead! Because you decided he should follow your orders blindly like a mindless animal! I know how this goes, all the risks of serving in the military, but we are human beings! You don't just abandon your brothers and sisters-in-arms and lead them to their deaths!" I shouted back.

His expression changed from fury to confusion. His gaze then quickly softened in shock. "Casey..." he trailed.

I stopped and took a deep breath before continuing. "Your job should be keeping all of us alive and not feed us to the fucking wolves like you did to my father. Your best friend. Your brother in arms."

With those words, Lieutenant Chris slowly got up from his seat and walked toward me. I stood up quickly, but he grabbed my arms firmly and held them behind my back before forcing me to sit back down. I struggled but Lieutenant Chris didn't budge. After a couple of seconds, I was forced into submission.

"That's enough. Unless you want to be taken off this force. I suggest you behave and do as you're told."

"Yes. Sir." I seethed through a clenched jaw while grinding my teeth and hung my head low in a poor attempt to hide my reddened face. I don't agree with his orders, but I need to follow them to avoid being dismembered from The Elite Strike Force. "Good. Everyone, gear up. We leave at Ash." Colonel Carter added before dismissing everyone back to the barracks.