The sound of the rain hitting the leaves and the smell of the refreshened forest were the only good parts in this cold and dark night. The man standing guard at the old metal bar gate, connecting the forest to an old tunnel, was even more irritated than usual, considering now he can not step even a foot out without stepping in the mud.

  -Hey Derek! - a voice called from behind the gate.

  - Hey to you too. - responded Derek with a note of apathy in his voice.

  - You don't sounds so good. - said his colleague.

  - Another boring night. Just me, my rifle and the muddy forest.

  Even though they could not see each other's faces, the two men were glad there was someone else to talk to during watch. The gear they wore definitely took its toll on their bodies, especially if there was nothing to occupy the mind.

  - Boring or not we are paid a lot of money to do this. - said the other guard.

  - I guess. - said Derek and shrugged shoulders. - These people sure spend a lot on military contractors to guard these places. God knows why they brought us out here in the middle of a German forest. But like you said the pay is good.

  - Who knows. It's not like I understand a word of what they are saying.

  A few minutes of silence followed. The two men stood watch, keeping their senses sharp. Even a boring job was still a job to be done. Equipped with heavy body armor, their trusted M4 rifles and a flashlight, among their other gear, the old friends waited patiently for their shift to end.

  - Hey Derek did you know there are wolves in the forest?

  - Seriously, that's what intrigues you? - Derek responded with a voice mixed with surprise and irritation.

  - No I'm just saying it because I saw one pass by. - responded the other guard.

  Just as Derek averted his gaze to glance at the passing wolf, he heard a metal object his the ground. He turned around to see his partner dropped his rifle and in a second fall of the ground. Just as he aimed in the thick of the forest to take a shot an arrow pierced his eye and another pierced his neck.

  From the trees approached 2 shadowy figures. Tall and lean men wearing black suits and covered with hoods.

  - A bit late on the shots boys. - mumbled the first one.

  - Forgive us captain it won't happen again. - responded the two archers.

  - I'm sure they won't. Now get ready.

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  Just as the captain said that he raised his hand to signal the path was clear. From the trees emerged more and more shadowy figures each carrying a different type of weapon. None of which firearms.

  One of the hooded men inserted a key and opened the gate and the small army of shadows entered the tunnel. After a couple of minutes they reached a door.

  - Khadir you're up! - whispered the captain.

  Khadir was a young operative of Arabic descent who specialized in cybersecurity and hacking. Despite his young age, he was adept in his field and he was among the captain's favorites. In a minute he had broken the code and unlocked the door.

  - Okay people this is it. Enter the prison and find out people. No witnesses. - with these words the captain opened the door and entered first, followed by his twenty subordinates.

  The old prison looked like a giant underground maze, with hundreds of cages. Fortunately the rescue teams knew where to look already. The dim light from the torches helped the hooded assassin's to move in the shadows of the maze. The first guard didn't even understand what happened. The captain snuck behind him, covered his mouth and jammed a knife in his neck, killing him on the spot. The two new recruits drew their arrows and released them towards the guard of one of the cages. One of them hit the target in the neck, but the other one missed. Understanding they were under attack, the second mercenary opened fire with his rifle. The sounds echoed throughout the prison alerting the other guards that they were under attack. The recruit archer froze in fear as the bullets started flying towards him, but all he could see was the silhouette of his captain shielding him from the bullets. Just enough time for the second recruit to shoot another arrow and kill the guard. Throughout the chambers and tunnels gunshots were heard, screams echoed and then - silence.

  -Captain!! - screamed out the first archer - Are you alright?

  - Yes of course. It seems the armor upgrades really do work. It still felt like solid punches, but no permanent damage. Impressive.

  - Upgrades? - Asked the second archer puzzled.

  - Yes, as a part of a new project, us captain were given armor improvements. Bulletproof suits. Didn't like the idea to be a test rabbit, but it paid off. Of course that wasn't going to happen if you hadn't missed your shot! - the captain's gaze met the young man's scared eyes. - Relax. You're only 20 and it's your first mission. You'll have time to improve. Come on.

  They reached the cage and in it found twelve of their comrades, all beat up, some even mutilated. The prisoners looked up to see who came for them. And why.

  - They sent a captain? - one of the prisoners exclaimed with shock.

  - You sound disappointed Corina.

  - Captain Illaris? Thanks goodness. Does that mean-

  - Yes. You're all coming home. - said the captain.

  Captain Heinz Illaris was a strong man in his mid thirties, with a well trimmed beard, dark eyes and an affinity towards his fellow operatives. He made sure his people always came home. Even if that meant crossing a few lines. After giving the prisoners a few second to absorb and process what just happened he tapped the bug in his ear and asked for a report.

  -Sir, we have everyone safe and sound, some have sustained injuries, but they will live.

  - Any casualties on our side after that slip up? - asked Illaris.

  -No sir. The armor improvements really do work.

  -Glad to hear it. Take our people and let's go home. - the captain averted his eyes to Corina and asked - What happened?

  Corina felt uneasy and ashamed to admit but finally she said.

  - We got careless. And we got naive. We got ambushed and we lost half of our squad. - Corina said with a trembling voice.

  - How did they find you? - asked the captain.

  -We were set up.

  - By who? - asked Illaris firmly.

  - The Hunter!