“With power in my grasp, I would be a fool not to use it to further my own pursuits in favour of the Brethren.” – General Tani

My breathing was steady, even though I was running in pursuit of my target down an empty street. My strong, long, legs easily crossed the distance, while my short hair was caressed by the rushing air. Had that been him or one of his thugs? What is this all about? I tried to consider all that I knew of my mission, then I turned into a littered street and I was greeted by silence; I had lost my target. I walked back towards my Humvee, black and gold, the colours of my order, The Brethren; a growing African group charged with the honour of protecting the motherland from all threats both internal and external. Highly trained and recognized by international states, we carried out missions as directed by our leaders; they called us soldiers of peace and therein lay the paradox. I laughed to myself as I reached my truck. Sitting in the drivers seat, I radioed the Control Tower...

“Tower this is Bravo 2-5-2.” I identified myself. “Target has escaped, what does control recommend?” I asked.
“2-5-2 this is Control, return to Base.” An operative from the Control Tower replied.

I was pretty far from our Base and it would be a long journey back, I relaxed in my seat and looked through the windshield towards the sky. The moon shone clear in the sky and it made my mind wonder… My mission was to recapture an escapee but I was sure other agents were in pursuit... As I accelerated my  Humvee down the street, I considered the state of the world; to think that we were once again in a state of crisis with terror attacks increasing, nature raging against humanity with its fury and unexplained occurrences becoming everyday events. Without us our brethren would surely perish, that was why I couldn't understand why my target would be against us. He tried to destroy our base! Damn mad man. These fanatics refuse to see reason…

​

My thoughts were interrupted by a phone call. Glancing at my mobile, I saw it displaying 'Unknown'; I answered the call with my hands-free.
“You give up too easily.” A deep voice came from the other end and it wasn’t a voice that I recognized.
“Who is this?” I asked and he laughed.
“Turn right at the next intersection and continue until you see a warehouse.” He said simply and then the line went dead.

That wasn’t my target, was it? I decided to proceed with extreme caution, so I followed the directions and turned into what seemed like private land. After a few minutes of driving I entered the tree cover, until my Humvee could go no more. I stopped for a moment and considered alerting the base but I quickly disregard the thought. I turned off the engine and jumped out the car, my boots crushed nearby undergrowth; the road had merged into a footpath leading into the trees.
 

I walked to the side of the Humvee and opened it, revealing why we were called soldiers of peace. I selected two pistols and secured them on my hips, I glanced momentarily at the experimental rifle. I grabbed it and started walking down the path through the trees, knowing my body armour would provide enough protection; it too was an experimental design. I will capture this target and General Tani will be pleased. (tbc...)