Chapter 88 Demands

Chapter 88 Demands

The shock of cold water splashing against his face jolted Graves awake. His eyes snapped open, instantly registering the piercing sting of the cold and the room around him.

He tried to move, but the tight restraints binding his arms and legs to a hard, unforgiving chair kept him painfully in place. Panic swarmed in his chest, his breaths coming short and rapid as the reality of his situation settled in.

He was a prisoner.

Memories of the moments before his capture rushed back. Maria's betrayal. The blinding pain at the back of his skull. The cruel smile that had replaced the warmth he'd known in her eyes. Every detail etched itself in stark clarity in his mind. He had been deceived.

"Ah, you're awake," a voice resonated through the darkened room, thick with cruel amusement. Graves' head snapped toward the voice. His eyes, still adjusting to the dim light, made out a figure — the boss.

Graves tried to speak, but a sharp pain in his head silenced him. He squinted, battling the throbbing pain to focus on the boss.

"Comfortable, are we?" the man taunted. There was no humor in his voice, only a disconcerting pleasure derived from Graves' plight.

Graves' jaw clenched. He refused to be baited, refused to give this man the satisfaction of seeing his fear. Instead, he turned his attention to the ropes binding him, gauging their strength, assessing his chances of escape.

"You won't be getting out of those," the man noted, following Graves' gaze. "We've made sure of that. Don't say I didn't warn you."

When the Boss said that, memories flitted through Graves' mind where the Boss told him.

"You'd do that to a woman you barely even know? That is dangerous, you know?"

Was the words he said after the confrontation with his two underlings caused by a young girl he thought was innocent?

Speaking of that woman, Graves scanned around his surroundings and there saw Maria standing among them loftily, arms crossed and her expression unreadable. The sight of her further confirmed his doubts. Maria was in on this. The betrayal cut deep, but now wasn't the time to let emotions rule.

"Maria," Graves rasped, eyes fixed on her. "Was it all a lie?"

She met his gaze for a brief second before looking away. "It wasn't personal, Graves."

Graves took a deep breath, attempting to rein in his anger and betrayal. "What do you want?"

The Boss stepped forward, a smirk on his face. "Information. You seem to have friends outside this camp. Maria told me that you are a spy sent here to investigate the camp. And based on what she told me, it seemed that you were the reason why Emilio hasn't returned yet. You belonged in that camp, didn't you?"

"What if I am?" Graves replied smugly. "You have no idea who you are dealing with."

"Oh I think I do," The Boss retorted. "The helicopter that flew hours before you arrived in our camp two weeks ago, is from your camp, right? It doesn't take a genius to deduce that."

"If you were able to arrive at that conjecture, then you must realize that we are far superior to your so-called militia," Graves smirked.

"It may be true that your camp has superior weaponry at your disposal—but, we have you," The Boss said.

Graves scoffed. "I'm not even that significant, I am easily replaceable. So whatever you are thinking right now, throw that away, because it's not going to work."

"Oh yeah? Why don't we check that ourselves?" The Boss said before flickering his fingers, Maria stepped forward and handed something small to the Boss.

Graves's eyes locked on Maria. "Maria, I see that I have been too gullible believing you were on my side. I am so disappointed in myself, my commanding officer would surely be ashamed of me right now."

Maria's expression remained unmoved. She was a stark contrast to the Maria he thought he knew.

The Boss toyed with the device in his hands. "Let's see what you have here."

The Boss fitted the earpiece into his ear.

***

August 29th, 0700 HRS, Blackwatch Oriental Camp.

Richard was peering through his binoculars from the rooftop of Building A, Oriental Condominiums. In the hole, he saw a Lockheed AC-130J Ghostrider orbiting around the Oriental Camp from an altitude of two kilometers.

Thanks to the efforts of the engineering team who have worked so hard to complete the runway, he could buy fixed-wing aircraft now.

But even though the AC-130 is now flying in the air and in service to the Blackwatch, there was a sense of dissatisfaction within him. The reason was that the AC-130J didn't have the 105mm howitzer; instead, it had Hellfire missiles on its wing pylons.

Richard's train of thought was interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching. He turned to see Mark, who handed him a communication device.

"Sir, it's Graves."

Mark informed, his face serious. Richard wondered why, could it be that Graves had been compromised? To see that it was the case, Richard fitted an earpiece in his ear and spoke.

"Specter-1, this is Eagle Actual."

"Eagle Actual?" A voice, not belonging to Graves, responded. "So that means you are the commanding officer. A pleasure to meet you, you may call me the Boss."

"Where is Graves?" Richard's tone became demanding, his worry for Graves turning into anger.

"Oh, he's right here, but not in a condition to talk at the moment," The Boss replied with a menacing calmness. nove.Lb-In

"Listen, you have no idea what you're getting into," Richard warned. But even as he spoke, he knew threats were of no use here. The boss was in control, at least for now.

"True but I was kind of hoping that we can negotiate," The boss said.

"Negotiate?"

"Yes. In exchange for this man's lives and the three hundred civilians that he had convinced to change sides," The boss paused, allowing the weight of his words to sink in.

"You see, I have rules here in my camp. Death to the traitors. Your man Graves was technically a member of the camp and a plan of escape from my camp is considered a treasonous act and therefore punishable by death," The boss continued. "But as I said, I'm a reasonable man. I'm willing to give you a chance to save Graves and the others. To which I am sure you will hear me out. I don't think you are going to abandon the lives of innocent civilians, right I mean why start a rescue operation in the first place? I can tell from that alone, that you are a good guy. And I can't help but notice your tone, you seem young."

Richard was silent for a moment, considering the negotiation. He told Graves that he is an indispensable asset despite him being easily replaceable. That means he has to save him and the three hundred others he roped into this.

"Yes," Richard responded, his voice steady but cold. "I'm listening."

"I want supplies - guns, ammo, medical supplies, and food. You will deliver them here. You have five hours. Remember, for every minute you are late, we will execute one civilian," The Boss made his demands clear.