Rye Braden saved thousands of lives from certain death when he and his team stopped the attack on Sky Zone One. His enhanced capabilities and experience brought victory to the United Continents against those that would want to see them destroyed. At the same time, he made himself the prime target of the deadliest secret organisation on the planet, the Elders.
With others now knowing about his enhanced capabilities, he has caught the attention of various government organisations. One particular organisation is the Special Warfare Cadre who want Rye to work with them to help defeat terrorism. His skills and talents becoming a desirable commodity in the battle against those that would defy the United Continents.
As he takes on more high-risk missions and learns to operate in the shadows, he still can’t stop his previous life from catching up with him. In addition to protecting the world against terrorism and other threats, Rye must protect himself and those close to him.
As his journey unfolds, the lines between protector and killer start to blur. Until it comes to a point where he must choose which path to take before it becomes too late. Can Rye protect the world from those that would see it destroyed, and at the same time protect himself against the Elders?
Excerpt
(Excerpt From Chapter 20):
As it was only 4:00 am, the sun hadn’t risen yet, although the city gave off a magnificent low light glow from the various street lights still switched on. The three CK-130 attack helicopters swung in low over the rooftops of St Petersburg. Rye looked across the city and couldn’t help but marvel at seeing the period architectural gems expertly weaved between the city’s more modern buildings.
As soon as the Cadre had identified Dmitry Volkov, they had sent three teams to Russia to take him out and to find Alexander Hocke, as Marco believed this would be their best bet. Although the surveillance team had identified Dmitry almost immediately, they had not yet confirmed any sighting of Alexander.
Dmitry’s residence was in the Petrogradsky district, a wealthy part of St Petersburg, surrounded by rivers on all sides. The Cadre had two teams already on the ground providing round-the-clock surveillance of the large gated property. They also had satellite cover, which provided them with detailed aerial images of the entire property and its grounds. As the United Continents had a strong presence in St Petersburg, they would be able to shut the city down with immediate effect if needed. The three attack helicopters had travelled over the Baltic Sea for most of their journey before the final approach, where they clung close to the surface of the Gulf of Finland.
The target location was coming up fast. ‘Two minutes to target,’ came confirmation from the pilot. Rye’s aircraft would land within the property’s extensive grounds whilst the other two hovered twenty metres above other parts of the residence. The other teams would then fast-rope down to the building and force entry. They had all agreed to keep the attack simple and rely on speed and aggression.
Rye’s team was led by Dominic Fuller and included Si Morgan and three other experienced Cadre operators. It was no coincidence that the Kenesis soldiers had been split between the other two attack helicopters. Dominic didn’t want to cause issues with Rye, so he felt it better to keep Mikahel at an arm’s distance for now.
With exceptional piloting skills, all three attack helicopters manoeuvred into their final assault positions simultaneously.
‘Go, Go, Go!’ came the command from Dominic Fuller as soon as their aircraft had hit the deck.
Two groups of six assault troops fast roped from the CK-130 helicopters hovering about the residence and took up their positions. At the same time, Rye and his assault group exited the aircraft that had landed within the grounds of the residence. All team members had been fully briefed and knew they had to access the property with speed. Rye sprinted towards the rear of the building and the two large double doors identified as the ground team’s entry point. As Rye and his team arrived at the rear of the building, they positioned themselves on either side of the doors. Dominic nodded to Rye to try the door to see if it was unlocked. It was always wise to see if any entry point was unlocked before smashing your way through. Rye tried the handle and found it to be locked. Immediately, Rye took an explosive charge attached to his assault vest and placed it against the centre of the two doors.
‘Take cover!’ shouted Rye as he initiated the explosive charge.
Both doors blew inwards, and as they did, Rye and Dominic threw in stun grenades before entering the building, closely followed by the rest of the team.