With the flashlight now lowered, Jax was able to open his eyes. He blinked hard, still temporarily blinded by the earlier scorching. He wanted to see his attacker’s face, search it for more information.

Gradually the spots of light in his eyes dimmed, details emerged and the scene began to take shape. The man was wearing black and his face was covered by a balaclava. Jax’s eyes were drawn to his outstretched arm, the one that wasn’t holding him down. It was raised high and pulled into a fist.

Jax nodded.

The man then unclenched his fist, opened his hand and pressed his index finger to the tip of his thumb, forming a circle: OK.

Jax nodded again, raised his own hand, made a fist and extended his thumb.

Now it was the man in the balaclava nodding, acknowledging that Jax had just given him the military hand signal for ‘I understand’.

He made a final hand signal after removing his hand from Jax’s mouth.

Hold.

Jax gave him another thumbs-up.

Eyes fast adjusting to the dark, Jax saw that the man was carrying a Colt M4A1 assault rifle and was night-vision equipped, his googles flipped up and sitting on the top of his head. He also saw the other man, dressed in black, carrying a Colt M4A1, and standing over the top of Khalil.

The man over Jax turned towards his partner. Towards Khalil. Moving like lightning, the men in black had Khalil gagged and bound before he even woke up. Jax remained silent and still as they peeled him off the bed and whisked him towards the door. Khalil could do nothing to resist except groan. The man that Jax had been conversing with in military sign language stopped and turned just before leaving the cell.

He nodded at Jax.

Jax nodded back.

And then they were gone.

Click!

Jax jumped, the sound of the lock snapping shut startling him even though he’d expected it. He looked around his cell: dark, quiet and empty. Like nothing had just happened. The whole episode, from door-opening to door-shutting had taken sixteen seconds. Jax hadn’t even realised he’d been counting, but he also knew he was right. Sixteen seconds. Bound, gagged and gone. In and out.

In sixteen seconds? They weren’t just military. They were Special Forces. They were SOC. The brand of NGVs and the types of weapons they had on them confirmed his suspicion. While regular army used Steyr AUGs, the SOCs opted for the M4, a US weapon and America’s response to the game-changing AK-47.

Jax was sure that Khalil wouldn’t be the only one they’d taken – they would have grabbed all of the Terror Twelve, minus one after Halim’s sudden heart attack, plus newcomer Mahmud the Mufti.