Felix Orlov woke from a light nap, the phone on his chest buzzing. He gripped the phone and sat up on the shiny concrete hangar floor, taking a few moments to regain his bearings. When the phone kept buzzing, his stomach sank. Felix assumed he’d just received a text message with a code to access a mission update on the dark web site. He stared at the unfamiliar number for another second, surprised they had called him directly. Pichugin’s proxy never arranged direct call protocol.

“Hello?” he said, accepting the call.

“Give the order to start the helicopters. I’ll wait.”

The voice was modulated to disguise the speaker. Felix yelled at Oleg, who stood in the open pedestrian doorway adjacent to the closed hangar bay door. “Get the helicopters ready for takeoff! Everyone else up and checking their gear.”

Oleg bolted out of the hangar, while the rest of the team shook off their naps and got to their feet.

“The order has been given,” said Felix.

“The pilots will fly you to the two athletic fields north of SITE ZERO. One helicopter in each field. You’ll lead the team to the coordinates I will text to your phone the moment I hang up. The coordinates correspond with a hostile team’s boat infiltration point. Friendly forces at SITE ZERO will engage the hostile team and force them to retreat. Our assumption is that they will immediately return to the boats at their original infiltration point, where you will ambush the hostile team.”

The high-pitched whine of the helicopters’ engines resonated inside the hangar. The blades would reach their full rotor speed in just under a minute.

“We’ll pay everyone on your team fifty thousand US dollars per prisoner taken, but there is no penalty for killing the entire team. The hostile force is comprised of nine mercenaries. Nongovernment affiliated. Seven of them to be considered top-tier special operators. The other two have a high level of military firearms proficiency. Do not take any catastrophic risks with your team to capture any of them. You’re up against a highly skilled crew. Handle them as your equals.”

“Understood. What if they don’t retreat from SITE ZERO?” asked Felix.

“I’ll be in direct contact with the group at the site. If they can’t force a retreat, I’ll call you directly and redirect your team.”

Oleg reappeared in the doorway and gave him a thumbs-up before assembling the team around the door.

“The helicopters are ready,” said Felix.

“Don’t let me hold you up.” The call disconnected.