Chapter 21: Showdown in Veracruz
A sleek black helicopter skimmed low across the Gulf of Mexico, its rotors slicing through the humid air. Inside, Ajay Ghale sat quietly, his sharp eyes scanning the coastline as it drew closer to Veracruz which was a vast stretch of dense jungles, jagged cliffs, and hidden coves, a perfect haven for someone like Mike Wells—a man who could afford both luxury and protection. The intel from Lucille Porter had been spot on. Wells was holed up in a fortified villa, nestled in the jungle of the coastal city of Veracruz, with armed guards patrolling the grounds and executives, each armed and dangerous, ensuring that his operation ran smoothly and without unwanted or uninvited interruptions.
Almost 3768 km away, Inside the luxury Yacht Merlin that was cruising in the Potomac River of Washington DC, Deputy Director of NSA Lucille Porter had her gaze fixed on the 3 screens in front of her. The first screen had the Auction site, and the 2nd screen of the satellite thermal image of M. Well's villa. Finally, the third screen was the live broadcast of Ajay Ghale's body cam footage. She looked calm on the outside but Alex could tell she was anything but. She was going to Ghale's eyes from the skies, guiding him through this dangerous mission.
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Ajay checked his gear one last time: a customised SCAR-L assault rifle, dual pistols strapped to his thighs, a combat knife, a satchel full of C4 charges, and grenades. But what made Ajay truly dangerous wasn't just his arsenal—it was his mind. He has a knack for improvising with whatever he can find and turning even the smallest advantage into a weapon.
"ETA five minutes," the pilot's voice crackled over the headset. Ajay nodded and tightened the straps on his harness. Below him, the dense jungle began to give way to a sprawling compound—a luxurious villa surrounded by high walls, with watchtowers at every corner and armed guards patrolling the lot.
[3am, Veracruz, Mexico]
The pitch-black jungle wrapped around Ajay Ghale like a cloak, concealing his every movement as he crept closer to the fortified villa. The silence of the night was punctuated only by the distant calls of nocturnal creatures. Ahead, the villa loomed—a bastion of wealth and crime, hidden deep within the coastal state of Veracruz, Mexico. Mike Wells, the man responsible for auctioning off the Honour Code project, was inside. Ajay had 2 objectives; the first was to capture and extract Wells alive, and the second, Porter had given him a flash drive, and he was to plug it in on Well's computer.
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Ajay's black-clad form melded seamlessly with the dense vegetation as he moved toward the compound's perimeter. He spotted the section of the wall that Lucille Porter had identified as the weakest point. It was still well-guarded—two men with rifles patrolled the area, their movements mechanical, their eyes trained to scan for any threat.
He crouched low, waiting for the right moment. When the first guard turned his back, Ajay pounced, his knife flashing in the moonlight. He slit the man's throat in a single, fluid motion, catching the body before it could slump to the ground. The second guard heard a soft rustle and turned, his flashlight sweeping the darkness.
Too late.
Ajay hurled the knife, and the blade sank into the guard's neck with a sickening thud. He collapsed, his gurgling cries silenced before they could escape his throat. Ajay retrieved his weapon, wiping it clean on the man's uniform. The guards were dead, and no alarm had been raised.
Creeping to the wall, Ajay set two charges of C4, pressing them firmly into the crevices of the stone. With a final check to ensure no one was nearby, he detonated the explosives. The controlled blast was barely audible, and the wall crumbled silently, creating a gap just wide enough for Ajay to slip through.
Inside the compound, the guards were on alert. But these Guards that patrolled the grounds, their eyes scanning the jungle beyond the walls, had no idea that Ajay Ghale had already infiltrated their perimeter.
Moving like a ghost, Ajay skirted the edges of the compound, identifying key targets. He planted C4s in critical points that could do maximum damage. He then spotted a security station, a small building near the centre of the grounds, where the compound's surveillance systems were housed. Disabling it would blind the guards when the chaos erupted, giving him free rein to move inside the villa.
Lucille spoke with him in his earpiece, alerting him about guard's movement and instructing him on the safest route he could take.
He approached the shack cautiously, avoiding the cameras and the guards stationed nearby. Setting another C4 charge on the door, Ajay retreated to a safe distance and detonated them; Ajay had denoted all of the C4s. The explosion lit up the night, and the shack erupted in flames. The guards nearby were thrown into chaos, shouting orders and rushing to extinguish the blaze.
Ajay used the confusion to his advantage. He darted across the compound, taking down stragglers with swift, silent kills, guided by Porter. He placed more C4 charges at key points around the villa, ensuring that when the time came, he could bring the entire structure down in seconds.
With the compound in disarray, Ajay moved to the villa itself. He climbed the outer wall, using the rough stone surface for grip, and reached the second-floor balcony undetected. Inside, he could hear the tense voices of the executives, barking orders and trying to maintain control. He counted ten men, all heavily armed and ready for a fight.
Ajay slipped into the villa through a side window. The opulent interior was a stark contrast to the jungle outside—plush carpets, expensive furniture, and walls adorned with priceless artwork. But he had no time to admire the decor.
He moved through the halls, avoiding contact with the guards as he made his way to the office where Mike Wells was holed up. The man had surrounded himself with armed guards, each one alert and ready to defend their boss with their lives.
Ajay crouched outside the office, listening to the conversation inside. Wells was nervous, his voice shaking as he communicated with potential buyers over a secure line. He had no idea how his compound was compromised.
Ajay prepped a flashbang, pulling the pin and rolling it into the room. The grenade exploded with a blinding flash and deafening bang, disorienting everyone inside. Ajay burst through the door, his silenced pistols spitting death as he took down the guards with precise shots to the head and chest. They barely had time to react before they were on the floor, their lifeless bodies pooling blood on the expensive carpets.
Mike Wells was cowering behind his desk, shielding his eyes from the aftermath of the flashbang. Ajay stalked toward him, grabbing the man by his expensive suit and hauling him to his feet.
"Please! Don't kill me!" Wells begged, his voice quivering with terror.
"Not today," Ajay said, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. "But you're coming with me." Ghale tied him up and plugged in the flash drive onto the system.
With Wells secured, Ajay activated the detonators for the second round of the C4 charges that he had placed around the villa. Explosions rocked the building, and the walls began to collapse as fire and smoke filled the air. The remaining guards outside scrambled in confusion, trying to understand what was happening.
Ajay dragged Wells out of the burning villa, using the chaos as cover. He moved quickly, avoiding the remaining guards as he made his way to the extraction point. The chopper was already on its way, its rotors slicing through the night as it approached the clearing.
As Ajay and Wells reached the rendezvous point, the helicopter descended, its side door sliding open to reveal a pair of armed operators. Ajay shoved Wells into the chopper and climbed in after him.
"Go!" he shouted to the pilot.
The helicopter lifted off just as the remaining guards reached the clearing, firing futilely at the departing aircraft. Ajay watched them grow smaller and smaller as the chopper ascended into the night sky.
Mike Wells sat across from Ajay, still shaking with fear and anger as he saw all his planning go down in flames. He knew that his life as he knew was over. He had no idea who the people who captured him were, but he was going to be far safer with these people than with them. He just kept repeating
"They are going to kill me...They are going to kill me..." like a madman
Ajay said nothing as he secured Wells with restraints, ensuring that the man couldn't move or do something stupid during the flight. His mission was complete, and Wells would face justice. The helicopter sped away from the burning villa, leaving the ruins of Wells' empire behind, and as the lights of Veracruz faded into the distance.
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The low hum of the helicopter's rotors faded into the distance as the live feed of Ajay Ghale's extraction blinked off the screen.
"Rogue -11 to Actual, Prisoner secured. Enroute to Safe house III."
"Roger Rogue -11, good job."
"Rogue-11 out."
Alex's eyes narrowed, processing everything he had just witnessed. Ajay had executed the mission with precision, leaving little room for error. Wells was secured, his operation dismantled, and the Honour Code was safe—for now.
The auction site had gone dark, the satellite feed now showed nothing but smoking ruins, and the live body cam from Ghale was silent, having served its purpose. The flash drive Ghale installed was a back door program coded by Porter; She was able to remotely transfer the entirety of the Honour code to her system, and once she was done with the transfer turned to Alex,
"Impressive, isn't he?" Lucille finally broke the silence, her tone casual, almost as if they'd just witnessed an average day at the office.
Alex crossed his arms, his gaze still on the screen where Ajay had last been.
"That's one way to put it. Ghale's good—no doubt about that. Efficient and ruthless."
'Reminds me of... well, myself.' thought Alex
Lucille turned to look at him, her expression unreadable. "You're not jealous, are you, Alex? Ghale's...well It's just that He was the best man for the job."
"Jealous?" leaning forward and finally meeting her eyes. "Jealous, no. Impressed, yes. The kid's got skills and enough grit to take down an entire army. But I'm also a little pissed, Lucille. You kept me in the dark on this one."
Her calm demeanour didn't waver. She folded her hands on the table in front of her, leaning slightly forward as if ready to engage in a negotiation rather than an argument. "The main problem is the lack of a secure channel, Alex. The more people who know, the more trail it will leave behind. Besides, you are already on a mission." Porter smiled " How's going btw?"
"It's progressing. What's next with Wells," asked Alex, changing the subject.
Lucille tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Next, we debrief Wells. I've already arranged for his transport to a secure location where we can start questioning him. If he knows anything about 'Failsafe's' agenda or endgame, we'll get it out of him."
Alex nodded, though his thoughts drifted back to Tanner. "And what about Tanner?
Lucille's gaze softened slightly. "Tanner is under watch, Alex. You did well getting him out of that mess. But as of now, UA still considers him a neutral party and not an ally. But he did develop Honour code, so we want him as an alley...if not, he's a loose end..."." Porter didn't finish, but Alex understood the implication.
"Tanner will remain under surveillance for him." Porter finished
Alex chuckled, though there wasn't humour in it.
"Sometimes the lines blur so much that I find myself questioning which side I am on."
"Welcome to the real world, Lieutenant."
He raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eye. "You know, I almost miss the days when you weren't my boss."
Lucille laughed softly, a rare sound these days. "Those days are long gone, Bishop. Now you're stuck with me barking orders at you. But seriously, We're closer than we've ever been to dismantling 'Failsafe.'"
He stood up, stretching his muscles after sitting still for a while. "I trust you Lucy, You don't have to worry about that. Just make sure you don't take on everything by yourself."
"Sure, Son," said Lucille with a smirk.
"Touché Porter. I got to go, to the Job that actually pays me a salary."
"Well, your country appreciates your service, Bishop. We are only what? saving the world from global destruction."
"saving the world, one crisis at a time," Said Alex as he went outside; the yacht had reached the Marina pier by then.
"See ya, Porter."
"Stay sharp, Alex. We'll need you more than ever in the coming days. And regarding your mission, don't get attached. Make a clean exit when objective's been reached."
"I know," said Alex in a sombre tone, looking at the rising sun across the watery horizon." I am well aware."
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