Ace stuck to the wall, slouching in an attempt to look as inconspicuous as possible. He kept his eye out, strained to their maximum in an attempt to spot any potential kidnappers before they saw him. It was after a few minutes of moving silently and slowly, before Ace saw one, and tried to figure out the best way to deal with him. Silently and effectively, just as he had done some time prior.
He was about to make a move, when he hear bursts of gunfire, some shouting, and the man he could see ran towards the bullets, some more gunfire, some more shouting, some wailing, some more gunfire, and then, silence.
'Ok, I have to stay hidden, at least until I know who they are.', Ace thought, glueing to the wall, finding a small crevice where he could fully blend in, and wait until the potential friendly's came closer.
Ace heard multiple pairs of footsteps, 5 in fact, he kept quiet, breathing silently, and straining both his eyes and ears in hopes of catching them before they could see him.
Then, he did, as he had guessed, there were five of them, all men, equipped in full military-grade tactical gear, the type of gear someone with either very deep pockets or scary connections could get. They had multiple weapons on them, but set in an ordered fashion, so that they would cause no issues when moving.
'Ok, let's wait for a bit more, I should be able to spot them soon, and I will know if they are friendly or not.', Ace thought, keeping calm.
Ace heard their comms, his ears again paying dividends, "Ok boys, you know the job, we go in, take him, and bring him out safely, then take him straight home, we have some teams waiting to collect info already. Let's move."
'Good enough I guess', Ace thought, and then said in a quiet voice, "I'm here."
Instantly, five assault rifles trailed on where his voice had come from. Just in case, he had already moved to the side, and came from their left, "It's me, Ace.".
Audible breaths of relief were heard, and Ace smiled, "Let's go, there are no more, I dealt with him."
Ace felt their inspecting gazes on him, and shook his head, "I'm safe, he was highly trained, but I took him by surprise, they thought I was an innocent, spoilt brat. Let's leave, I want to tell my grandmother I'm ok."
"Ok, let's go. Ace, stick beside 3.", he motioned to whom he meant, and Ace moved. 3 was the man in the middle of the diamond formation, and he nodded at Ace once he got closer to him.
"Ready?", the team leader asked, and Ace said, "Yes.". After the simple agreement, they moved, Ace understood that they were trying to move slowly for him, but as they saw him keep up with their pace, while also making no sound, they went slightly faster, to a more normal pace.
They got out with no problems, and while waiting for a helicopter, they all looked at him approvingly, "Good stuff, how did you deal with him anyway?", the team leader, who Ace knew was called 1, asked him, while the others looked at him quizzically.
"Took him by surprise, hit to the neck, eyes, then knocked him out, it was simple.", he let out succinctly, and this time, the approving gazes were almost overwhelming.
They heard the sound of a helicopter, and 1 spoke, "Ok, this is ours, I will go with you, and 6 should be there too, the others will take the one behind this first helicopter. Once we get back, we will need to ask you a few questions, I hope you do not mind..."
"It's fine, do not worry, you did exemplary work, you should all be more than proud, I will ensure to let my grandmother know.", they all looked at him, curious as to why he cared so much. "You are all extremely talented, from what I could see. I may have to make use of you at some point - but let's hope not. Just in case, I would rather be your ally, than simply my employer, If I am not wrong, my grandmother should share that same philosophy."
They stood in silence for a few seconds, before 1 said, "She truly did teach you well, I am happy we saved you, I think you will be a wonderful employer in the future."
Ace nodded, "I hope so."
***
"Ace! I am so happy you are safe!", his grandmother ran at him, and enveloped him in a tight hug, while 1 stood awkwardly at the side, unsure of where to look, as he observed his usual cold employer's warm actions.
"I am happy as well, do not worry we can speak later, but for now, what is important is that I tell them all I know.", Ace said, and his grandmother's face did a complete 180. Her atmosphere soon turned a hellish cold, overwhelming even a trained killer like 1. Ace knew that the kidnappers would suffer.
"Yes. You do that, and then relax, there is no need for you to go to school tomorrow, I will get you a pass, no need for you to worry about it. I will also let you know, no-one knows about the kidnapping, it was all kept tightly under wraps, so there should be no questions asked."
"I understand, thank you, grandmother.", "Of course, don't worry about it, now go, I will have them prepare something for you to eat.", she then motioned for him to go with 1, and Ace followed him to a separate room.
To be honest, Ace had no idea where they were, but it seemed like some underground bunker or something. He sat down, and so did 1, it was a comfortable chair, and before they began, 1 said, "Have no worries, this is not an interrogation, I will ask something, and you answer me with whatever you think you know. Tell me everything, even if you think it is only a hunch or you are not sure. We will record everything.", then, after a small pause, he said, "Also, if you don't want to do this or feel sick, tell me, and we will postpone it until you get better. It would be good to do it now, though, you will be more prone to remember small details..."
"I understand, have no worries, I recommend something else, with all respect.", Ace said, to 1's visible surprise, "I will tell you all I know and remember, as well as what I figured out, and then I will answer any specific questions you will have."
"Of course, whatever will make you more comfortable, everything is fine, as long as you tell me what you remember."
"Thank you, now...", Ace, told all he knew, getting ready for the hell his grandmother would raise.