"Back when we were still in Afghanistan, years ago, I was one of the top leaders in the Taliban, on the US wanted list. That's when Neil and I first crossed paths, though not directly. He was assigned to assassinate me.
It was a sunny day in the desert. I was hiding in a small but heavily guarded base, while Neil was miles away, lying on the sand with his sniper rifle, camouflaged and ready to blow my head off.
I knew how valuable I was, so I never stepped outside unless we had to move. But that day was different. My wife, who was six months pregnant, was being transported to me by my men. She had just been evacuated from an area controlled by the Americans.
She stood there, in the space between me and Neil's scope. She was a little taller than me. I opened the door, excited to see her and our son. Neil saw his opening.
That was the only time in a whole month I showed my face in the open. My wife was the only one standing between me and him. Neil knew it was the only chance he had to kill me, and he had to take it.
After I hugged my wife, I took her hands and began pulling her inside. That's when he ignored everything and pulled the trigger.
BANG.
The bullet hit me in the abdomen, but only after it went straight through my wife's chest. She died on the spot, along with my son, who hadn't even been born yet."
Listening to Gabriel's story leaves Chad completely stunned. He's confused, speechless, and struggling to process what he just heard.
It feels like everything he thought he knew about his teacher: Kind, helpful, enthusiastic Neil. Has completely fallen apart.
"Is that true?" Chad still needs to be sure. He turns to Neil, hoping that maybe Gabriel is lying, that there's still a chance this isn't real—
"Yes."
"..."
Neil's answer is calm and cold. And just like that, all of Chad's hopes vanish. He stands frozen, unable to accept it, yet unable to deny it either.
"Do you really think you know my friend Neil?" Gabriel leans in close, speaking straight to Chad.
"You don't. The man you call your teacher isn't a good guy. He's the kind of man who'll sacrifice anything, even kill anyone, if it means completing the mission."
He pauses, then adds, "And don't ask me. Ask him. I think you know more than I do... Mister President."
Gabriel shifts the focus to President Mikael. The President looks at Chad, clearly shaken by what he's just witnessed. He hesitates, unsure if revealing more would help or only hurt.
But he knows there's no point hiding the truth anymore. Given everything that's happened, Chad deserves to know. So the President begins to speak.
"Neil... wasn't just any Marine. He was one of the best we had," President Mikael says with a heavy sigh. "Every name we gave him, he delivered. Every task we assigned, he completed flawlessly. And in every battle he fought, the enemy, and sometimes even his own team, ended up dead."
"Because of his exceptional skill, we hand-picked him for some of the most dangerous operations, including the mission to assassinate top Taliban leaders."
He pauses, letting the weight of his words settle.
"Thank you very much. Now, do you understand?"
Gabriel looks at Chad, but Chad stays silent. His mind spins with questions. What else is Neil hiding? Is this mission really what he thought it was?
"It seems like you caught a big one."
"Huh?"
A woman's voice speaks from near the door, drawing everyone's attention. They all turn to look.
"Ah, Vasilia. I thought I'd never see you again."
A woman stands in the doorway. She has shoulder-length brown hair, a gray sleeveless shirt, a noticeable curve to her chest, and a sharp face with a clear Russian look.
Chad and the President exchange confused glances, unsure who this woman is. But Neil looks completely shocked.
"You... you're..."
"Wait, I know you," she says, tilting her head slightly. "What a coincidence."
"It's you. The woman at the bar. The one I met the night before."
He finally realizes that the woman standing at the door is the same one he met the night before the terrorist attack. The one he saved from a rude Russian guy, and the one who made him pay for her drink before running off.
"I already told you to leave the city."
"Wait a minute, don't tell me you two have met before?" Gabriel looks upset. "Come on! I thought I was the only one who knew him!"
"We only met two days ago," Vasilia replies. "He helped me when one of our guys tried to flirt with me, and then he gave me a free drink."
"Who said I paid for you? You just used me for a beer and ran off."
"But I thought American men always pay on the first date."
"Who told you that?"
"Youtube? Facebook?"
Gabriel lets out a laugh. "Damn, what a story."
Meanwhile, someone else in the room is completely shocked.
"Neil, why did you hook up with a Russian terrorist?" Mikael asks, stunned. "I thought you were gay since you never had a girlfriend, but this is worse than gay."
"How should I know? I just help people when I see someone needs it!"
"Enough," Gabriel cuts in, turning to Vasilia. "What are you here for?"
"Do you remember the guy who got kidnapped? The one you told us to bring here if we found him?"
Gabriel nods.
"Well, here he is."
Out of nowhere, a terrorist steps in from behind Vasilia, wearing nothing but his underwear. Neil and Chad immediately recognize him with just one glance. He's the same man they had kidnapped, interrogated, and stripped down in the basement of the Safe Bar.
But with that realization comes a wave of fear. If he's been found, then Jenny, Selena, and Mike might have been discovered too.
"Come here," Gabriel says.
The terrorist quickly stumbles forward, terrified.["I'm sorry, Sir! I'm really sorry! I promise I won't do it again! Please give me one more chance, Sir!"]He keeps walking inside, visibly shaking.
Gabriel stands up, grabs his shoulder, and walks him over to the window.
["Tell me. What do you see outside?"]
The man obeys, stepping up to the window and peering outside. The others in the room stay silent, watching.
["Black smoke... maybe from one of our bombs going off."]
["That smoke means our men are doing their jobs. Every one of them is a professional. Focused. Precise."]Gabriel's tone grows harsher.["And what about you? You fooled around, got caught by a bunch of amateurs, and now look at you."]
He pauses, voice turning cold.
["Because of your carelessness, dozens of our men are dead."]
["Sir, please give me another chance! I promise this won't happen again!"]
["Are you sure?"]
["Yes, sir! I promise with my own life!"]
["Fine. I'll give you a chance."]
["Thank you, Sir!"]
["To be a role model."]
["What?"]
Gabriel suddenly kicks the terrorist toward the window beside him. The glass shatters with a loud crash, and the man is launched outside.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
A bone-chilling scream echoes through the air as the terrorist plummets from hundreds of meters up. He hits the ground with a sickening splash of blood and broken bones.
["It won't happen ever again."]
"You fucking monster," Chad yells, his voice full of anger and disgust.
Gabriel doesn't even flinch. "Sometimes, you need discipline and rules. Without them, your whole organization falls apart."
He turns. "Oh, and Vasilia?"
"Hm?"
"Can you ask Kosho to sweep the nearby buildings? Just in case there are any other worms sneaking around."
"On it."
At that moment, Chad and Neil lock eyes. Both look like they've remembered something important.
"Nick…"
The one man Gabriel hasn't mentioned since the beginning suddenly comes to mind — someone known only to Chad and Neil. A man even the traitors seem to have forgotten.
Nick. Right now, Nick is their only hope of escape. If he gets caught, it's over.
They already know Saiko, Brent, and Ben are traitors. Those three revealed themselves not long after Neil surrendered and Chad passed out.
But not for a second does Neil believe that Nick has turned. They served together in Afghanistan. They've fought side by side. Saved each other's lives. Nick has earned Neil's complete trust.
Neil also knows that Nick loves his job as a bartender. He has no reason, no motive, to side with Russian or Afghan terrorists. Still, Neil has no idea where Nick is or what's happening to him right now.
"Oh, I almost forgot something," Gabriel says casually, pulling out a walkie-talkie.
["L, can you get up here?"]
"L?"
Gabriel doesn't answer. Just a few minutes later, someone enters the room. The moment the door opens, Neil and Chad recognize him instantly. It's the same masked terrorist who rode the elevator with them earlier, completely covered from head to toe, face still hidden.
Gabriel walks over and wraps an arm around L's neck like they're old friends.
"Let me introduce you to the latest product from the Soviet Army. They call it Прототип солдата с полным контролем разума, or FMCPS, fully mind-controlled prototype soldier."
"..."
"What's with the long name?"
"The scientists came up with it."
"Ah, understandable," the three of them say.
"This man here is a super soldier. As capable as a Navy SEAL and as battle-hardened as a veteran."
"Yeah? So what? The Soviets just inject this dude with some Super Serum like Captain America?" Neil mocks.
"That's where you're wrong. This guy's combat experience comes from real battles with the Taliban."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
"He was a US Marine. A few months ago, he was captured by the Taliban and transported to a Soviet lab. They used him to test out their new drugs.
Since they injected him with that mind-control formula, he's become completely loyal to the Soviet Union. He doesn't speak unless ordered, doesn't sleep unless ordered, and doesn't even go to the bathroom unless ordered.
He exists to kill. Nothing else. A perfect war machine. It's insane, right? We can now turn enemy soldiers into our own weapons. Science is a beautiful thing."
"Who is he? What's his name?" the President asks, visibly anxious.
"Ah, for that, I can't tell you. There's a reason why his entire body is covered in this suit. It's policy to protect the identity of the products. But we call him L, because when we have him, we can tell our opponents to go Ligma—"
"Okay, okay, we get it," someone cuts in.
"Yeah, that's really interesting and all," Neil says, unimpressed, "but so what? He's still human. I can put a bullet in his head, and that's it. He's dead."
"Oh, and if you think turning our troops into yours will make a difference?" President Mikael adds.
"How about I stop using human troops altogether? I'm sure Boston Dynamics has something useful. Maybe I'll take one of their robot dogs, strap a machine gun on it.
And while we're at it, maybe I'll finally approve the Drone Army Project. My advisors have been pushing for it."
Despite the tense, confrontational tone from Neil and the President, Gabriel seems oddly cheerful. He even looks impressed.
"I didn't expect that kind of aggressive reaction from the two of you. But don't worry. What you say is not my problem. That's political and military stuff. I don't care about that."
He releases L and walks back to his seat. Once there, he leans forward and locks eyes with Neil.
"What I wanted to say is this. If we can turn a loyal US soldier into a loyal Soviet soldier, then I can turn you too. Once this operation is over, I'll take you to the Soviet Union and have those scientists inject you with the drug.
You'll become part of the Soviet Army, and we'll fight side by side as comrades. My goal was never power or the President. I only want revenge.
Revenge on the United States. Revenge on you, Neil Phildom. And soon, I'll watch you kill the people you swore to protect. I can't wait to see that."