AL-HARAN INFILTRATION

"Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle.

— Plato"

In the sky above the endless desert, a black Sikorsky S-76 can be seen cutting through the dark sky, its rotors slicing the air with a steady hum. Inside, the dim red light casts long shadows over the faces of six passengers, all geared up. This helicopter though was a special one, probably have been tampered with, making it more sophisticated as it was faster with little or no sound coming from it.

The people inside including the pilot except for his headphones, wore tactical black combat uniform. The combat uniforms weren't bulky in any way, with a bullet vest on their chests which was also less bulky than the everyday bullet vest. They also wore black masks that only revealed their eyes in a slit manner.

The uniforms they wore had their numbers printed on their left breast pocket almost like a badge. No one talked and their eyes revealed almost nothing, as they all had a focused gaze knowing what was to come after.

This crew was none other than Five and the people he chose for the mission, which were: Forty-Four, Forty-One, Eighty and surprisingly Ninety Nine, and Twenty.

When he was asked why he chose them, he simply gave a simple answer, "I'm familiar with their capabilities"

It was a simple but well-thought-out answer, which impressed Black Zero even though as usual he would never show it.

"We are almost there"

The pilot's gruff voice interrupted the silence inside the bed, making Five who had closed his eyes in meditation open them, he then took a deep breath, stood up, and stood at the center aisle, holding onto the overhead bar for balance. Around him sat Forty-Four, Forty-One, Eighty, Ninety-Nine, and Twenty, their expressions a mix of focus and anticipation. Their mission is clear, but the details need refining, which Five was about to deliver.

Five pressed a screen on his hand which was like a wristband but a little bigger, all of them spotted a similar wristband. Immediately, a hologram flickers to life in front of him, projecting a 3D image of the Al-Haran Complex, the remote and heavily fortified fortress they are about to infiltrate.

With a calm and commanding voice, Five spoke, "This is the Al-Haran Complex. It’s secure, remote, and built like a fortress. Our target is inside—a deep-cover operative named Sixteen. Her cover's been blown, and we have less than 48 hours before they extract her for interrogation."

He taps his wristband, zooming in on the layout of the complex. The others lean in, watching closely.

"Here's how it's going to go. Forty Four, Eighty and Twenty you’ll take the eastern entrance. It’s guarded, but their patrol shifts every five minutes. You’ll have a small window to get in undetected."

Forty-Four nodded before asking, "What’s the fallback plan if we miss the window?"

"If you miss it, don’t engage. Wait it out until the next shift. Timing is everything."

He shifts the hologram to the north side of the complex.

"Forty One, Ninety Nine and I will enter from the west since the main gate is a no-go—too heavily fortified. So we will be using the maintenance tunnels underneath. It's tight but unguarded."

Ninety-Nine crossed his arms skeptically, "And what about security systems? Are we going in blind?"

"The tunnels are off the main grid, but there are motion sensors at the exits. Twenty after getting inside will disable them remotely once we're in position. We just need to get there without triggering anything. Understood?"

Ninety-Nine nods, though the tension remains on his masked face. Five points to a large building in the center of the hologram.

"Once inside, all of you converge here—the central holding area. That’s where Sixteen is most likely being kept. We get her out, we leave the same way we came in. No heroics. Clean extraction."

A frown escapes Twenty's face, even though it can't be seen, he leans and says in a low voice, "And if Sixteen's compromised? What if she’s not in any state to leave?"

The group grows quiet. Five meets Twenty's gaze for a moment before answering.

"If she's compromised, we fall back to Plan B. I extract the intel from her on-site. Then we get out. Alive, or not, the mission ends with us leaving."

The weight of the statement lingers. Everyone knows what that means. Eighty shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "And what if we're spotted? Backup?"

Five looked around the group before answering, "There’s no backup. No cavalry. We’re it. If things go south, we abort. Live to face the consequences of failing the last task."

Forty smirked, "Easy enough."

"I hope so. But don’t underestimate The Desert Syndicate. From my briefing they’re not just mercenaries—they’ve been trained for scenarios like this. If we make any mistakes, they’ll capitalize on it."

He taps the wristband again, and the hologram flickers off "Everyone clear?"

Ninety-Nine as confident as ever replied "Crystal."

Five moves to take his seat, gripping the overhead bar as the helicopter shakes with turbulence. His voice cuts through the low hum of the rotors. "Remember—this isn’t just about getting in and out. We’re retrieving crucial intel. That’s the priority. Any questions?"

Forty raised a hand, "What’s the evac plan?"

"Once we have Sixteen, we signal the helicopter. They'll extract us from the south ridge as long as we make it to the ridge within 10 minutes "

"And if we can't get there in ten minutes?"

"Then we improvise. And pray we’re fast enough to make it out alive on foot." Five said flatly.

A tense silence falls over the group. Five looks at each of them, reading the mix of readiness and doubt in their eyes.

"This mission isn’t just about completing a task. It’s about trust—trust in the plan and trust in each other. We stick together, we follow through. No mistakes."

He finally takes his seat, strapping himself in. The others do the same, adjusting their gear, ready for what lies ahead.

"We land in ten. Be ready." The pilot suddenly said

The helicopter shakes as it descends, the hum of the rotors growing a little louder. Everyone tightens their grip, eyes forward, ready for the fight for their lives and future.

**DESERT OUTSKIRTS - NIGHT**

The helicopter lands softly on the edge of the desert, its blades slowing to a halt. The team disembarks silently, their boots crunching on the sand as they fan out and take cover behind nearby dunes. The vast, sprawling Al-Haran Complex lies ahead, bathed in cold moonlight, its high walls and towers standing ominously against the night.

Five raise a hand, signaling the team to stop. He crouches down, pulling out a pair of sleek, modern binoculars. As the lens zooms in on the complex, something unexpected catches his eye. A helicopter descends onto a landing pad within the fortress. Through the binoculars, Five watches as the door opens and a man—a sharp-looking Asian man in a tailored suit—steps out, flanked by armed guards. "Who the hell is this?"

He passes the binoculars to Ninety-Nine, who studies the scene with a frown.

"Doesn’t look like Syndicate... more like some kind of VIP." Ninety Nine frowned

"VIP or not, he wasn’t part of the plan."

"Could complicate things. Should we wait for him to leave?" Forty Four seriously, adjusting his gloves, asked, but Five just shook his

"We can’t afford delays. We stick to the plan. If he’s important, it means there's more at stake here than we thought."

The team readies themselves, each gripping their weapons tightly. Five checks his wristband, syncing their positions with the holographic map of the complex before whispering

"Let’s move"

The team moves swiftly, keeping low as they approach. Eighty and Forty-Four separated toward the northern entrance. They reach the gate as the patrol shifts, just as Five had predicted.

Eighty silently approaches the guard post, using her strength to twist and break the neck of the guard as he turns away to leave his post for the shift. Forty-Four rushes forward, touching the downed guard’s arm. His body shimmers and shifts, taking on the guard’s appearance. For a brief moment, Eighty watches in awe as Forty-Four fully morphs, looking identical to the guard. He even mimics the guard's walk, taking position, before touching the earpiece in his mask and whispering,

"Northern entrance secured."

Eighty and Twenty quickly left him and made their way inside the complex, before the other guard on shift came, while Forty-Four disposed of the body of now dead guard.

Forty-Four soon saw the guard coming over to replace him and walked casually past him, his disguise perfect.

On the other hand at the maintenance tunnels beneath the complex, where Ninety Nine, Forty One, and Five take over. Ninety-Nine presses his hand to his chest, and suddenly his body contorts as a black featureless entity begins to materialize from his form. The entity crawls forward, slithering into the tight tunnel to scout ahead.

"Entity moving. Just like you said no hostiles ahead." Ninety-Nine whispers to Five

"Good. Let’s keep it tight. Twenty, get ready to disable those motion sensors." Five said to his earpiece

"On it."

Twenty's voice soon sounded out colder than usual on the earpiece, the room he was now in was the control room and two dead bodies were now on the ground with icicles sticking out of them. He soon found the control for the motion sensors at the exit of the tunnel and turned it off

Everything seems to be going according to plan—until they emerge into a small area that leads to different hallways within the central holding area where Twenty is already waiting for them. Just as they’re about to take a position, the holographic map on Five’s wrist flickers and then dies, which leaves Five confused.

"What the...?"

Suddenly, alarms blare throughout the complex. Red lights flash, and the sound of boots on metal flooring echoes from the upper levels.

"We’ve been made!" Ninety said in a tense voice

"Damn it"

Before they can react, guards pour into the hallway from all directions.