The Commando

Silent Trigger

Not a single leaf moved.

The dense forest was still under the fading evening light. Mist floated slowly between the skyhigh long jungle trees taking away every sound the mountains made. Far away water flowed down a rocky cliff but even nature did not want to break the silence.

Major Abis Soymon did not blink. He was lying behind a rock covered in moss and his body had become part of the forest. Forty three minutes had passed since he got into position to fire his rifle. His muscles hurt. His knees were numb. Little insects crawled on his uniform. But, he did not feel anything. The only thing that moved was his breathing. It was slow. Steady. Controlled.

He looked through the sight of his rifle with his eye focusing on a old wooden cabin about five hundred meters away. The cabin was weathered.

Nothing moved. This worried Major Abis Soymon. Thirty nine other commandos were hidden in the hills around the cabin waiting in silence. They were around the target area, each one in a carefully chosen position. Every road, every path, every high point and every low point was covered.

No one could see them. No one could touch them. If someone walked into the valley they would not know that forty elite commandos were watching their every move.

No one spoke. No one moved. No one coughed. The only sound was the whisper of the wind between the trees.

Each commando had a rifle. It is 7.62×39 mm Automatic Stun Assault Rifle V3, also known as the AS-AR V3. This rifle was made by the Republic of Targovia for their Special Rescue and Elite Force (SREF). It was the result of years of research. The rifle was small, reliable and perfect for rescuing hostages. It was a source of pride for Targovias Defense Industry (TDI).

The rifles did not move. The safety locks were off. The commandos fingers were on the triggers. They were all waiting for a word. That was all it would take. Than a second later the whole valley would erupt into controlled violence.

Major Abis Soymon did not like to pull the trigger. He thought that if they had to fire something had already gone wrong. His goal that night was not to hurt anyone. It was to bring someone alive.

Four days earlier Dr. Nabori Zaap, an energy scientist from Targovia disappeared without a trace. He had been working on a government project to create clean energy. The project had failures and there was a lot of pressure from politicians and not enough money.

Then something changed. Three weeks ago his laboratory did something that many experts thought was impossible. They found a way to make electricity without using fossil fuels.Dr. Zaap used the kinetic energy and graviational force to create the reknewable energy which cost almost one of twenty from the previous conventional energy generation system.

This discovery could change the balance of power in the world. Many foreign intelligence agencies and big companies became interested. They offered Dr. Zaap a lot of money. He said no.

"I serve my country " he answered with courage.

That answer put him in danger. They tried to bribe him. That did not work. They tried to spy on him. That did not work either. They even tried to kill him. That failed too.

Dr. Zaap was protected by intelligence all the time. He seemed safe. Then he disappeared. He had gone for a drive to clear his mind even though he was warned not to. His car was found on a mountain road. But, he was not there. There was no blood, no bodies and no witnesses. Just silence.

Luckily Targovia had expected something like this might happen. Months earlier they had put a tracker under Dr. Zaaps skin. It sent signals all the time. At first it worked well. Then the signal was copied.

The people who took Dr. Zaap had a system that could copy the trackers signal making it hard to find him. Enemies tracker distress device created robotic fake signals. One signal became multiplied with some fake signal. Thus, it became too tough for the Targovian intelligence and military force to track down the location of Dr. Nabori Zaap.

Targovian intelligence had not seen anything like this before. For seventy two hours they worked non stop to find Dr. Zaap. They used drones, satellites, computers and signal experts. They looked at every clue. Explored every possibility. Finally they found one thing that did not seem right.

A hundred years old abandoned military research station deep in the Black Ridge Mountains. It was a probable place to hide. Moreover the almost four signal was ultra strong near the bank of this mountain.

The only way to get there was by a narrow paths. This was why the mission was given to the Special Rescue and Elite Force also known as SREF. They were the unit, for this kind of job.

Major Abis took a breath. His earpiece made a sound. A whisper too quiet to hear, "Alpha One..."

A pause.

Then the words the commandos were waiting for, "Movement confirmed."

The whisper from the radio faded into silence. Major Abis slowly lowered the light weight night vision binoculars attatched with his right wrist. Swept his eyes across the valley once more. The abandoned military building compound stood like a forgotten relic of another era. Time had devoured it. Broken concrete walls leaned at angles. Rusted steel beams protruded from roofs like exposed ribs. Vines had swallowed sections of the structure while giant trees had grown through cracked floors reclaiming what mankind had abandoned decades ago.

Beneath the appearance of decay the military building compound was alive. Much alive. A faint orange glow escaped through the cracks in boarded windows. Fresh tire tracks scarred the entrance. Discarded food packets lay beside a collapsed guard post. Someone had transformed the ruins into a fortress.

Abis slowly closed his fist. Forty commandos responded instantly. Like shadows melting into darkness. Every operator began advancing through the forest. No voices. No unnecessary movement. Silent figures slipping between ancient trees using the terrain as their ally. Branches swayed gently before returning to stillness.

Within minutes the assault element had reduced the distance considerably occupying concealed positions around the perimeter of the old abandoned compound. Abis lay behind the trunk of a fallen cedar tree overlooking the structure. His eyes never left the target. Then he turned slightly. His gaze met one of his reconnaissance specialists, Lieutenant Kael Ronan. The youngest member of Alpha Company. Quiet. Patient. Gifted with technology that many considered magical.

Without speaking Abis made two hand signals. Eyes. Fly. Kael acknowledged with a nod. Carefully he opened a reconnaissance pouch attached to his chest rig and withdrew what looked like nothing more than an oversized grasshopper. Except it was not alive. The tiny reconnaissance drone, designated GH-7 Grasshopper Micro Recon System rested across his palm.

This GH-7 Grasshopper Micro Recon System is another advanced developed product by Targovias Defense Industry (TDI) which can be used for reconnaisance in any depp and tiny area without making any sound. It looks like and ordinary grasshopper. Does not make any sound. Carries one gram of an specially developed explosive named Pletorium which can create a devastating explosion with a radius of hundread yards if it is necessary. It also can capture ultra high resoulation images both during day and night just like clear image.

Longer than a human finger its segmented carbon composite body mimicked the appearance of an ordinary forest insect. Foldable micro wings rested along its back while six articulated legs allowed it to crawl naturally over walls, branches and rubble. Tiny optical sensors hidden inside its compound eyes streamed stabilized high resolution imagery to the operator. An ultra quiet propulsion system enabled controlled flights between obstacles before returning to a crawling gait making it almost indistinguishable from real wildlife in the dense forest.

Kael activated the drone. For a moment its tiny green indicator glowed. Then disappeared. The miniature machine climbed onto a rock paused and vanished into the undergrowth. On Kaels wrist mounted display the world suddenly changed. The forest floor rushed beneath the camera. Broken concrete. Rotting leaves. Twisted steel. A discarded ammunition crate.

Without attracting attention the drone slipped through a fractured ventilation opening large enough for a human hand. Darkness. Then light. The first room appeared. Empty. The drone continued. Room after room unfolded on the display. Storage. Abandoned machinery. Makeshift sleeping quarters. Stacks of supply crates. Improvised radio equipment. Armed guards. One, three, five ten.

The tiny reconnaissance platform silently traversed ceilings and ventilation ducts carefully mapping the interior of the structure. Every observation was automatically transferred onto a layout in Kaels tactical display. After tense minutes the complete picture emerged. Twelve rooms. Twenty-five armed personnel positioned throughout the interior. At the wing a reinforced room. One prisoner. Dr. Nabori Zaap.

The scientist sat bound to a metal chair. His wrists were restrained behind his back. His face bore signs of exhaustion. He remained conscious. A portable floodlight illuminated the room while two armed guards stood watch outside the entrance. Kael guided the drone back through the ventilation shaft. Moments later the miniature machine landed silently beside his boot. He caught it before it touched the ground.

Nearby ten commandos gathered around the tactical display without making a sound. Kael pointed across the map. Using finger gestures he relayed his findings. One finger hostage confirmed. Two fingers, twelve rooms. Then a sequence of taps across the display marked the approximate locations of the enemy personnel. Twenty-five inside. Seven outside. Four remained fixed at sentry positions watching the compound approaches. Three moved continuously around the perimeter in a patrol pattern.

Abis studied every detail. Every doorway. Every corridor. Every angle. He replayed the enemy movements in his mind searching for patterns. No one interrupted him. The forest seemed to stop breathing. Finally he looked toward his in command, Captain Farguson. A veteran whose calm expression never changed, under impossible pressure.

Abis raised his hand. Four fingers. Then pointed toward the ridgeline. Support position. Cover element. Farguson answered with a nod. Nothing more needed to be said. He silently selected four commandos. Within seconds the five man support element disappeared into the trees establishing an overwatch position behind the assault teams.

The remaining operators settled into their positions. Every eye fixed on Abis. Every heartbeat seemed louder than the last. Abis touched the collar microphone near his throat. His voice was barely louder than the wind. "Alpha Lima ready." A brief pause. "On my count of five." Silence returned.

Abis closed his eyes for a heartbeat. He drew one controlled breath. Inwardly he remembered Almighty Allah. Sought strength, wisdom and the safe return of every man under his command. When he opened his eyes again they carried the certainty of a leader who had already accepted every possible outcome.

His fist slowly rose into the air. The entire assault force watched. Waiting. He whispered, "Five." The forest remained silent. "Four." Forty commandos tightened their grip. "Three." Not a single leaf moved. "Two." Somewhere, inside the abandoned compound an old metal door creaked in the wind. Abis eyes narrowed. Then he lowered one finger. "One."