Before Serones could continue, a fifth individual opened the creaking door, dressed in a casual t-shirt and shorts.
Serones gave him a cold glance, irritated by the sudden interruption.
He continued, his voice coated in a thin layer of ice, "There's the fifth. You're late. Giving my soldiers trouble, are you?"
"So what? I didn't ask to come here, did I?" the man jeered.
Serones ignored him and ordered, "State your name for the others."
The man clicked his tongue nonchalantly, "The name's 'Mike Ohckiner.' Your sister knows me well if you'd prefer an introduction over a nice family dinner. Now, anyone wanna tell me why the fuck I was brought to this backwater hellhole out in the middle of remotely nowhere?"
Mandrew and the others remained quiet, resisting the urge to criticize the man. 'Does he have a death wish?'
Nonetheless, his thinking wasn't very different from their own. He just happened to be far more blunt and hot-headed.
Contrary to their thoughts, Serones didn't break his cool.
Instead, he calmly said, "Very funny, Sean Weller. How about you step in line?"
Sean looked towards the others. Seeing their gazes that looked at him like they saw a ghost, he decided to obey the orders for now, scoffing under his breath.
Serones waited for a brief moment before explaining solemnly, "Mandrew Acclintock, Ivan Rodriguez, Ivaan Evilrez, Price Boole, and our newly self-proclaimed 'Mike Ohckismol.' The five of you have been brought here for a secret mission."
"A secret mission?" Sean Weller laughed, "What a joke. You just select some random dude for a secret mission? Isn't that what your special forces are for?"
Mandrew couldn't help but wonder, was this man fearless of death? Or just pitifully oblivious to his current circumstances?
At the same time however, Mandrew nodded along.
'Why would they choose random dudes for a top secret mission? We don't have specialized training, let alone basic military training.'
Serones smiled, "I don't mean to mock you guys, but the five of you are—well, y'know—nobodies. Considering the five of you have no connection to the military or government, should this top secret mission go horribly wrong, there's no worry that responsibility would fall on our country."
The five remained silent, realizing just how tightly they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Mandrew considered speaking up, but taking a swift look at Sean and seeing the anger apparent on his face as his veins appeared to be on the verge of bursting, he decided to stay silent.
'I'll let Sean speak up, no need for me to piss off anyone.'
The other three came to the same conclusion, and sure enough—
"I'm not interested in what you're selling. I can leave, right?"
"I'm afraid not. We have already decided on the five of you, so it's either life or death. Of course, if you survive you'll be free to go home. Now, let me explain the contents of your mission."
"Naturally, you'll be receiving personalized training before the mission takes place. I'll brief you awhile, that way you'll understand what's at stake. Your job is to take down a nuclear facility operating in Afghanistan hiding under the guise of a medical facility."
Mandrew's eyes nearly popped out, 'Is he insane?'
"I know, I know. It's quite the responsibility. But look at it like this: the five of you will be the unknown heroes of the United States of America. You should be proud of yourselves. Please, accept my gratitude ahead of time."
Serones spoke softly, giving a slight bow to the others' shock.
Sean Weller burst into anger, "Like hell I'll participate in some bullshit mission. You can go screw yourself for all I care."
He started off towards the door, the sound of a gun being cocked resounding behind him. Sean turned around, stunned by what he saw.
Serones was standing with his arm extended forwards; in his hands was a Mark XIX Desert Eagle, a .357 magnum. His eyes were dark with a peculiar glint, one of danger.
"You've already accepted my bow. Turning your back towards me is the equivalent to seeking death."
Sean's face was deathly pale, "What? You're seriously going to shoot—"
Bang!
One shot was fired, penetrating his forehead as his skull immediately exploded into a red mist. His eyes burst outwards, instilled with the apt look of disbelief and fear. What remained of his head was like a bashed watermelon and his body somehow managed to take two steps forward before collapsing to the ground with a loud thud, a thick pool of blood quickly forming around it.
Mandrew and the others felt all color drain from their faces in fear, their hearts shuddering at the haunting scene.
Serones sneered, "Honestly, we already knew this would happen when we brought Sean here. You see, he's an example. An example of what you should not do. I expect great things from the four of you."
"Now, are you in…" he paused, pointing to the body, "or out?"
Mandrew nodded hurriedly, "I-I'm in."
The others echoed him.
Their choice was obvious. What else could they do?
"Great! The four of you will begin training shortly. Someone else will be here to escort you to your training areas, and you'll be given the finest of care. And as I said before, I truly expect great things out of you."
Offering one last smile, Serones left the premises of the courtyard.
Ivan Rodriguez checked the body. After a brief moment of hesitation, he said with an almost inaudible voice, "He's really dead…"
Price Boole shouted, "No shit, he's dead! His fucking skull is splattered there, and oh—look at that—it's all the fucking way over there too! It doesn't take a detective to figure this shit out!"
The situation was beyond hectic.
Mandrew covered his mouth and nose as the metallic scent of blood assaulted his nasal cavity, "This… This is really happening."
Ivaan Evilrez breathed heavily, chiming in, "So, that's it? What, we some kind of suicide squad?"
The four froze in realization, silently waiting for the arrival of the soldiers who would take them to their training areas.
They couldn't help but spare Sean Weller a glance in pity, but alas, nothing could be done now.
After around five minutes, an officer in blue showed up, his facial movements stiff, "Follow me. I'll lead you to your quarters and the training area."
Ivaan Evilrez walked past the still warm corpse, muttering, "With the technology we have… we can rebuild him. Give him some augmentations, we can make him the strongest."
The officer in blue nearly choked on his saliva, scolding, "Be silent! And keep up the pace, I have places to be."