RESTLESS : The Hunt For Peace Episode 168

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Unedited. There might be so many errors 

07:55 AM

“Evelyn,” Dave called for the umpteenth time. She yawned and stretched but still didn’t open her eyes until he shook her shoulder gently.

“Come on, let me sleep,” she groaned and turned to the other side.

“Get up, Evelyn. It’s morning already,” Dave said as he continued to shake her shoulder.

Then, all of a sudden, Evelyn turned and sat up swiftly. Her eyes were widened like she was in some sort of shock. She turned her neck to look towards the window and then turned back.

“I’m late for work,” she said and tried to get out of the bed immediately but Dave held her back.

“You’re on leave today, have you forgotten?”

“Leave?” She turned her face to him and squinted. Then she let out a deep breath after realizing that she truly was on leave.

She closed her eyes and fell back in the bed. Dave got up from the bed and walked to the wardrobe. He was about to say something else when he turned to see her sitting up again and looking around the room.

“How did I get here?” She asked with a confused look.

He dropped the piece of cloth he was holding and walked back to the bed. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all that happened last night.”

“All that happened?” She squinted at him suspiciously.

“Yeah,” he sat at the edge. “You went clubbing with us last night and I guess you drank too much.”

Evelyn seemed not to be satisfied with the information. She looked around the room again and stared at his face. “Why am I in your room?”

“You insisted on coming here with me,” Dave answered.

The look on her face became more suspicious. “And what happened after that?”

“Come on,” Dave scoffed and got up from the bed. He walked to the wardrobe and picked the cloth he dropped before he continued speaking. “Wouldn’t you know if anything happened between us? And why do you think I’ll take advantage of you while you’re drunk?”

Evelyn closed her eyes and breathed in. She began to recall how it went the previous night at the club. She could remember clinging to Dave from the moment they stepped into the club, even before she was drunk. After the first cup of wine, she had already begun to feel tipsy.

But the fun was yet to begin. They joined the floor and she could remember dancing with only Dave all through the night. She had taken more shots of wine even after Dave tried to stop her. At a moment in the club, she had tried to kiss Dave but he ensured it didn’t happen as she was already drunk. She could remember some of her actions now but she felt indifferent about it.

Dave continued hanging the shirts he had just finished ironing. After a brief moment, he realized he hadn’t heard from Evelyn since he replied her last. He turned to see what she was up to but was surprised to find her beside him.

“Hey,” he raised his brows at her as she moved closer.

She pushed the wardrobe doors closed and pushed him gently against it.

“What if I told you I want you without being drunk?” She asked in a seductive tone as she ran her fingers into his chest while pressing her body against him.

Dave held his breath as her fingers worked through his chest and her lips moved closer to his. She suddenly moved her other hand to his trousers and unbuckled it. Her hands moved slowly inside his boxers.

He couldn’t resist any longer. Their lips met and he grabbed her behind. They kissed passionately for a moment till he lifted her and moved to the bed.

– – 02:15 PM –

The whole team was already seated at the dining table when Evelyn joined them. She apologized for coming late and quickly sat down.

“My Mom won’t let me go,” Evelyn explained as she settled down.

“It’s okay,” Henry replied. “Would you bless the meal for us before we eat?”

“Ermm… Sure,” Evelyn nodded and then said a few words of prayer before they all started eating.

Henry was the first to finish his meal but he waited until the others were also rounding off. He poured some wine from the bottle into a glass cup while he waited for them.

“I wanted us to have lunch together because there’s something to discuss,” he began after taking his first sip of the wine.

They all seemed to give him attention even though they still continued carefully with what they were doing.

“We may have a new enemy,” Henry continued. “A dangerous enemy, one who could cause us more harm than Hutton Ryker.”

The place became quieter after his statement and they all paused to give him full attention. Silence followed for a while until Dave spoke.

“And who is this new enemy?” Dave asked before pouring some wine into his cup.

“At the moment, we aren’t sure he’s an enemy but if he happens to be, it could cause us serious problems.”

“Tell us who it is, boss,” Maxwell put in, anxious to know who the new enemy was and begin work.

Henry seemed reluctant to mention the name of the enemy as he remained mute after Maxwell spoke. His elbows were on the table and his lips leaning against his locked fingers.

“It’s Rex,” Samantha answered instead. “Rex Morris.”

They all glanced at her before turning back to Henry to hear a confirmation.

“What’s she talking about, Henry?” Jennifer asked.

Henry shifted his gaze towards her. “We’re not yet sure he’s our enemy but we need to prepare for the possibility.”

“What the bleep!” Jennifer Dave exclaimed. “How can Rex be the enemy?”

Except for Samantha, the whole team looked confused. Dave and Jennifer who had been involved in saving Rex looked frustrated.

“We need answers, Henry. Rex is supposed to be receiving treatment in the UK. Sometime ago, you told us that the surgery worked and he was already recovering,” Dave stuttered, feeling somewhat angry. He then turned to look at Samantha since Henry was quiet. He hoped she would speak up as she seemed to know more than the rest of the team knew.

“Simon Perry and Doctor Alan are dead,” Henry announced. “Rex killed them and fled.”

“What? How did you know this?” Jennifer asked.

“I thought he was partially paralyzed,” Evelyn chipped in.

“Yes, but Doctor Alan, a nurse, and Simon were killed. The police claimed the patient killed the three of them. Rex was the patient and he was nowhere to be found.”

“But that does not prove that he killed them. What if he was kidnapped or something?” Dave suggested.

“He wasn’t kidnapped,” Henry replied. “He also visited the hospital to wipe off records of his treatment there. But that’s not all; he also visited one of our allies in the United Kingdom. He’s making plans to travel from the UK.”

“What if there’s a mix up somewhere?” Jennifer questioned. “I don’t see any reason Rex should turn against us.”

“I do not see any reason either,” Henry stated. “But why would he pretend not to have recovered. In the video calls we made the last time, he was sitting in the wheelchair, acting like he couldn’t move. But a few days after, he was able to walk out of the place after killing three people. Let’s say he did not ki*ll them, he was still able to go by himself to our ally’s location. So, why would he act like he couldn’t talk nor speak when he could?”

Total silence took over the place for a couple of seconds. But even in the silence, Max spoke.

“I thought he was your friend,” Maxwell put in.

“He was,” Henry replied in low tones.

“So, you mean we saved an enemy and sent him to the UK for treatment so that he could get better to come fight us?” Dave asked, his voice suggested he was becoming infuriated.

“Guys, there’s no need to get worked up about this,” Henry continued. “Rex does not know where we are right now. So he can’t get to us except any of us here makes a mistake.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“Talking to the wrong person or making a wrong move,” Henry replied and then looked at each one’s face to see if they understood him. He began to explain further. “You need to be careful about the people you meet when you’re out. No matter who, you must not tell anyone about yourself. Your identity must remain known only to you. You must also be careful online, don’t use your real details or location on any website. Your device location services must be turned off at all times. There are fake identities you can use for now and anything that has to do with your real details should wait…”

A phone began to vibrate on the table and Henry paused to see where it was from. Evelyn quickly picked the phone and stared at the screen, she silenced it and dropped it on the table.

Henry continued talking. “We don’t know what Rex’s motives are but we must remain careful not to be victims in anyway. As soon as we know what his motives are, we will take steps,” Henry concluded and then moved to another topic. “Right now, we’re still watching to see Hutton Ryker’s moves…”

Evelyn’s phone began to vibrate on the table again.

Henry looked at her and she met his gaze with hers.

“Do you need to take the call?” Henry asked.

“Yes, I do. It’s my boss,” Evelyn answered.

“Please, go take it,” Henry permitted and she quickly picked the phone and walked out.

“Our aim is to know Hutton Ryker’s game plan and beat him at his game. For a couple of days, Maxwell has been tracking the movements of Daysman’s son…”

Evelyn returned to the table after two minutes. She sat quietly and stared straight at Henry.

“You have something to tell us?” Henry paused and asked, taking her stare as a sign.

“Yes, we’ve got a new update with the case at the office,” Evelyn stated. She placed both arms on the table and leaned forward as she began to explain. “We have been able to discover the locations of two training grounds for the Red Wolves in Bethanna. The chairman has ordered quick action which means we will be attacking those grounds as soon as possible. If we’re able to coordinate these attacks properly, it could just be the end of Hutton Ryker.”

Henry stayed quiet for a while to process the information. Evelyn and the rest of the team gazed at him as he stared blankly without saying a word.

“Don’t you think it’s a win win situation for the FOX and our team?” Evelyn asked when it seemed Henry was not going to speak.

“I think Hutton Ryker isn’t stupid enough to let you bring him down that way,” Henry finally commented.

Evelyn squinted at him. “Even if we don’t get him killed, many of his soldiers will be killed and that will weaken him,” she argued in defense.

“Didn’t you get the information from your investigation on Daysman?”

“Yes, he gave us clues to some places where we found some items with finger prints. The owners of the fingerprints were uncovered yesterday and that has led us to the secret training grounds.”

“And you think Hutton Ryker wouldn’t be expecting you?” Henry asked.

Evelyn was quiet for a while. “Chairman Paul wouldn’t reveal this information to the board until we’re done with it. So, the Red Wolves would not have anyone to give them this information.”

“You’re not getting the point,” Henry stated and adjusted himself as he began to explain. “Hutton Ryker was a FOX Agent. From the moment Daysman was arrested, Hutton knew you guys will force out information from him. So, Hutton and his men would definitely be expecting your attack.”

“But I don’t think that should be a problem,” Evelyn countered. “Chairman Paul Edwards is also aware of how dangerous this Ryker guy is and I’m sure that’s why he wants us to take quick action.”

It took Henry sometime before he spoke again. “Apart from taking quick action, you must also attack in the most unexpected way. So, even if he’s preparing for an attack, he would get it the unexpected way.”

Evelyn nodded gently in agreement as she pondered on his suggestion. The place went quiet for a few seconds.

“That would mean your leave has been cut short right?” Henry enquired. “When are you going to work?”

“I have to attend the meeting by 5PM,” Evelyn replied.

Henry checked his wristwatch. “You have more than two hours left to prepare,” he remarked and then leaned forward to communicate to the whole team. He seemed somehow suddenly excited like he had gotten a new idea. “I think this FOX mission will help us in ours. Evelyn would help us with the locations. With that, we should be able to trace Hutton Ryker’s location.”

“How are we going to do that?” Maxwell asked in a sharp tone.

“Simple! There would be at least one man in those training camps who have direct contact with Hutton Ryker or Elvis Kahn. As soon as the place is attacked by the FOX, that man would try to reach any of the two leaders. It could even be before the attack is launched, that is if the wolves finds out the FOX is coming. So, we would monitor the calls going in and out of that location. None of them will be expecting that the calls could be monitored, so they won’t encrypt their location. That will help us find Hutton and Elvis.”

“You’re right boss,” Samantha chipped in.

“But we will need to set up a stronger server to do that,” Maxwell put in. “We don’t know how far the locations will be from us.”

“We have some of the equipments to set a server as strong as that of a communication line but we can purchase more if lack any,” Henry replied. “Since the operation is taking place as soon as possible, it means we have to get to work immediately,” he paused and got up. “We can all go back to other things for now,” he stated and then looked at Maxwell. “Come with me, let’s go check what else we need.”

____

04: 35 PM 

EPA Hill Road

“Any idea what time you’ll be through with the meeting?” Dave asked as they made the last turn which  led to the FOX Corporation junction.

“I don’t have any idea,” she replied. “But you don’t have to come back to get me if you have something else to do. I can find my way back there.”

“No problem, I wait around,” Dave replied.

She glanced at him. “You don’t have to,” Evelyn stated. “We could close the meeting very late.”

“I’ll wait except the boss calls for me,” Dave insisted.

They got to the junction and he turned into the main road. He brought the car to a halt before they got to the gate.

“I’ll see you later then,” Evelyn said as she picked her device and opened the door to leave.

Dave gripped her palm before she could step out. She turned and looked at him.

“I’ll see you later,” he said with a light smile and then planted a peck on her lips.

She smiled back wryly and then stepped out of the car without replying him.

– – – –

05:00 PM

The Agents rose as the chairman walked in with Agent Sylvanus and Superior General Kilan. Superior General Kilan was in charge of the Bethannian military. The FOX as a branch of the Nation’s Army, always included other units of the military in cases like this.

The Agents who were already seated included Steve, Evelyn, Lydia, Daniel, and three others. Paul Edwards and the two other executives got to the seat left for them and sat before he signaled to the juniors to sit.

“Good evening, Agents. Can we start right away?” Paul began. He got no answer but the lack of an objection meant he could continue. “We’ve decided that we will attack the Wolves camp by evening tomorrow. After going through the items sent by your team, we have confirmed that there are very few or no hostages kept at those camps. Hence, we can attack without fear of having civilians’ casualty.” He paused and then looked at Steve. “Tell us more about your findings.”

“The first camp at Equar has nothing less than 140 Wolves men being trained while the camp at Sonnie has only 70 of the Wolves soldier,” Steve explained.

“How many men do we need for this mission?” Paul asked.

“We need sixty men in total,” Steve replied.

“How did you decide on that number?” Agent Sylvanus asked. “Do you have an idea of how trained those men are and how sophisticated their weapons are?”

“Yes,” Steve replied confidently. “We have more sophisticated weapons than they have but they are also well trained. We have some unconfirmed information that the Strategist who leads the Red Wolves is a retired General. The trainers we profiled were also once military agents.”

“So, we only have the weapon advantage?” Agent Sylvanus asked.

“And the element of surprise,” Steve replied. “That’s our greatest weapon.”

There was a moment of silence as the two executives and the General seemed to be making a silent decision. They could be seen staring at each other but none of them made a sound.

“Apart from the guns and ammunitions, what else would you need?” The General asked. “And what kind of men do you need?”

“We need at least 10 men from the airforce and 40 other soldiers,” Steve replied. “We’ve selected some armunitions earlier and I’ve sent a request for more some minutes ago.”

The meeting continued for more than thirty minutes with the FOX executives and general asking questions and making sure everything was in place.

“All selected men will be on the Brick 3 field tomorrow for briefing,” Paul Edwards said, rounding off. “I’ll be there too. I want everything done as neat as possible.”

__

09:30 PM

The weather that night was moisty and a little windy. Henry and Evelyn sat at the verandah of the house after dinner. She had just relayed the details of the meeting to him.

“And you think you guys have made enough study of the environment?” Henry questioned getting every detail from her.

“Yeah, I checked the draft of the plan myself. I think it’s a good one. All that’s left is to communicate the plan to the selected men during the briefing. What do you think?”

Henry did not reply but just stared forward like he was thinking deeply about her question. Then suddenly he got up and turned to the back. Evelyn turned her neck to look at him, wondering if he was leaving without answering her.

He stopped and stared at her face. “Your plan sounds like a good one but I want you to always consider the possibility of Hutton being ready for you. If he is ready, then you guys would need to be extra careful to defeat him.”

With that, Henry turned and walked into the house. Evelyn heaved a sigh and turned back to stared into the dark clouds after watching him walk in. She began to ponder on the FOX’s plan again to see if there was any imperfect part of the plan. There was none she could think of.

After a while, she felt someone’s presence behind her and turned to see who it was.

“Can I join you?” Dave said in a calm voice.

“Yeah, sure,” she shrugged.

Dave moved forward and sat on the previous seat Henry was.

“Don’t you think you should be resting now, since you have a lot to do tomorrow?” Dave asked, stealing a glance at her.

“I would be going in soon. I’m just having some thinking sessions,” she replied without looking at him.

“Care to share your thoughts with me?” He asked, staring at the sky also.

She chuckled. “Well, I think I’d rather keep them to myself for now,” she replied before she turned to him. “Dave,” she called in a soft tone.

Dave turned and looked at her face. “Yeah, Evelyn,” he smiled and moved closer to her.

“Well, I wanted to talk about what happened earlier today,” Evelyn stated.

Dave stared at her with keen interest. He seemed excited about the topic.

“It happened so fast,” Evelyn continued, looking straight into his eyes. “But I really don’t want to pass the wrong message to you.”

“What do you mean?” Dave questioned.

“I want us to forget about it and continue like nothing happened,” Evelyn replied.

Dave was taken aback by her response. He stared narrowly at her face for a while before he could find words to speak.

“Are you saying it meant nothing to you?”

Evelyn sighed. “Dave, we’re adults and things like this could happen between anyone. It doesn’t mean that there has to be a special kind of feeling between us.”

“But what if I feel special about you?”

Evelyn closed her eyes and shook her head gently. “I’m sorry, Dave. I don’t feel anything and don’t want to. I started to notice that you were beginning to feel something for me and I thought you should understand clearly. We had fun that morning but…” she paused to look into his eyes. “It was just fun.”

“I don’t believe that,” Dave said and moved closer to her. He held her palms and tried to look into her eyes but she looked away. “Look at me, Evelyn,” he requested and she reluctantly turned her face to him. “I saw the passion in your eyes this morning, you can’t tell me you feel nothing for me.”

“I’m sorry,” Evelyn replied, staring straight into his eyes. “I don’t.”

With that she got up and turned towards the entrance. She glanced at him again and then proceeded in quietly, leaving him staring at her speechlessly and with his agape.

Dave closed his eyes and took in a deep breath after she walked out of her sight. He couldn’t believe she said all what he just heard. He had thought she felt something for him especially when she initiated the sex that morning. Initially, he never wanted to get into anything with her even though he liked her. That morning had made him change his mind.  But right now, she had just shattered his hopes without letting them last for up to twenty-four hours.

>>> 

July 31

04:53 PM

Brick 3 Field, EPA Barracks

Almost all the selected members of the team were on the field before the five o’clock which was the exact time the meeting was to start. Five FOX agents, led by Steve marched confidently towards them. The FOX Agents were also dressed in their military outfits, all of them having on bulletproof vests just like the soldiers.

“Listen up guys,” Steve called for their attention as he got to the spot.

They all turned towards him and there was complete silence.

“The time is now, ladies and gentlemen. We’re going to lit up the asses of those motherf***kers,” Steve began in a loud voice, hoping to motivate the warriors one more time before they move. “Is there anyone who has a question before we move?”

Steve looked around to see if anyone would talk but none of them did.

“Good, now we split into the teams for the different locations to get further instructions,” Steve said and then began to move towards the right hand side. Evelyn followed him.

Agents Daniel, Lydia, and Sandra moved to the other side. Twenty two other men followed them while the remaining thirty three joined Evelyn and Steve.

Steve’s team was Team A and he was going to take the lead with Evelyn assisting him. The team would be attacking the camp with 140 people. The other team which was Team B would be going to the other place.

“Hey guys,” Steve began to talk as soon as the men surrounded him and Evelyn. “During the brief this morning, I explained the roles of everyone and I’m sure you all know what to do. Everything we need for this mission is being transported already. We just need to get to the right place before taking our weapons and going for the attack.”

Steve spoke for another two minutes before he concluded. The team dismissed to make the final preparation before they left in their vehicles.

“Who was calling you?” Steve asked as he and Evelyn began to walk towards a vehicle. He had noticed her phone was vibrating while he addressed the team.

Evelyn quickly took out the phone and checked it. “It’s my mom.”

Steve chuckled. “You told her we’re going to face the Wolves?”

“No, I didn’t. That would only make her unnecessarily scared,” Evelyn answered. The phone began to vibrate again.

“You should pick her call one more time before you no longer have the time to,” Steve suggested.

“Yea, please excuse me,” Evelyn said and then stepped aside.

Steve watched her walk away and then took in a deep breath. This was the first time he was leading such missions and it meant a lot to him. It would lead to a promotion for him and his immediate team members if it was successful. He had a good plan already and he was hopeful that he could return without zero causality in the team.

“Hello, Mom,” Evelyn said into the phone as she answered the call.

“Evelyn, it’s Henry.”

Evelyn took in a breath.

“I called with your mother’s phone because I knew it could be difficult for you to answer a call from me,” Henry explained.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“We’re yet to note any traffic leaving the camps and it seems no one is making a call from there to a location outside,” henry stated.

“That means Hutton Ryker doesn’t know what’s about to befall him,” Evelyn chuckled, looking at both sides to ensure no one was close enough to hear her.

“Yea, it seems so. So go kick their balls, baby,” Henry chuckled.

Evelyn laughed. “Take care of my Mom and my sister,” she stated before ending the call.

__ ___

07:25 PM

Henry walked back into the control room to find Maxwell laying his head on the table. The screen had gone off and a screensaver was displaying instead.

Maxwell raised his head as soon as he noticed Henry’s entrance. “Is dinner not set yet?” he asked, stretching and yawning.

“You should be focused on monitoring the signals, not thinking about dinner.” Henry replied him in a cheerful tone.

“No bleeping traffic’s been going in or out of those places for hours,” Maxwell stated as he tapped the keyboard to turn on the computer.

“But we’ve gotta keep watching until the FOX launches the attack fully and that will only be in ten minutes time.”

“Nothing is going on…” Maxwell was saying when he suddenly noticed something. “F***! There’s some signal being sent out at the moment, it looks heavy.”

Henry marched quickly towards him. “Where’s the signal being transferred to?”

“Somewhere in Benuit,” Maxwell answered. “It’s a voice call over the internet.”

“Can you tap into it?” Henry enquired.

“Ermm…” Maxwell typed something quickly and then clicked a button. “It’s done over an encrypted network. I can only catch the voice being sent out before it’s encrypted.”

“Tap into that,” Henry instructed.

Maxwell typed some codes quickly and then tapped the enter button. He then quickly increased the speaker behind the desktop. They began to hear someone speaking in English. It was a male’s voice and then person sounded like a non native English speaker.

…all men left already… No sign of Soldier but our men are at all points already… Yes, we see them come close, we shoot them like no man’s business…

“Damn!” Henry cursed and hit his fist together in anger. “That motherf***ker has got plans for them already.”

“I’m tracking the location,” Maxwell said but Henry was not listening.

Henry dialed Evelyn’s number quickly but it was switched off. He heaved a sigh of frustration and then search Paul Edwards’ number. Paul’s number also did not connect.

“Damn it!” Henry cursed again.

Hutton Ryker was ready for the FOX and Steve was only leading his men into a deadly trap.

Frustrated, Henry dialed Paul’s number again but it still did not connect. He paused to check his time, there was only two minutes left before the FOX made the move to break into the camps. There was nothing else he could do at that time. He was sure there would be a bloodbath for the FOX.

— —

An unknown forest

“Two minutes left,” Evelyn heard Steve’s voice sound in the earphone. In two minutes time, the helicopter will launch the first attack.

She laid still where she was in the thick forest. By her side was another soldier. Both of them laid as quiet as possible waiting for the right time. But then, Evelyn felt something strange. It seemed she had heard some unusual sound. She held her breath for a second, trying to figure out what it was. Then she heard the sound again.

She turned back and looked up. She didn’t see anything until she looked towards the tree behind them. There she noticed some movements which was more than the night’s wind. Henry’s words came back to her mind. She realized that he was right all the time. Hutton Ryker was ready for them. The FOX had just walked into an ambush that would get them killed.

“It’s time now,” she heard Steve’s voice sound in her earphone. The other soldier who was beside her had also heard it and moved in response but Evelyn laid still, looking up.

There were movements in every corner of the forest as all the soldiers followed Steve’s instructions. The helicopter came into sight like expected and the soldier’s increased their pace according to the plan.

But something happened that totally crashed their plan.

There was a loud sound. And when Evelyn looked up, the helicopter was already in flames. More gunshots followed.

To be continued.