Page 58 of Dark Rebel's Mystery

The female was Kra-ell to the bone—direct, fierce, and unafraid of armed conflict. Hell, she was eager for it.

"The base will probably not have a whole squadron of Doomers," Kian said. "We suspect some, but it will mostly contain well-trained human troops."

Jade nodded. "My people will gladly tear Doomers and human soldiers to pieces. We just need to know who not to hurt by mistake."

There was one problem with her boasting, and Kian needed to point it out. "How many of your people can handle a gun?"

"Aside from me?"

He nodded.

"All can shoot, but only Anton, Dima, and I have experience with automatic weapons. We are all lethal with throwing knives, though, long knives, hand-to-hand, and our fangs and claws." She assumed a vicious smile. "And we are fast. The Doomers won't see us coming."

Max let out a low whistle. "I almost feel sorry for the poor bastards. Almost."

A hint of humor flickered in Jade's dark eyes. "They have no idea." Then her expression sobered. "We need to know who not to kill. How do we tell friend from foe?"

"It's simple," Max said. "Everyone in uniform is an enemy, and also anyone shooting at us."

"One more point I should make clear," Kian said. "It is crucial that the Doomers don't find out about the Kra-ell. Anton and Dima can pass for humans, but the rest of you need to wear darkglasses. The tactical vests should conceal your thinness, and if you tuck your hair under your helmets, you will look like young male soldiers."

Jade leaned back. "That's all fine, but what about our fangs? We can't hide who we are."

"All who see you fight must die. The disguise is only meant to hide what you are from those you decide to leave alive. That means immediately confirming each kill, especially the Doomers, because they can regenerate from most injuries, and then doing so again before clearing the compound. Is that clear?"

Kian paused and took the time to look at each of the assembled company, securing a nod before continuing. "And one more thing. Before you leave, find out where the security footage of the facility is stored and make sure to destroy it in a manner that will make files and image retrieval impossible. We leave no evidence behind."

"How about we just burn the place down?" Max asked. "That will be faster and more effective."

"Not a bad idea," Onegus said. "That would eliminate the bodies of dead Doomers and save you the trouble of torching each one individually. Just make sure that no innocents are hiding inside before you do that." He turned to Yamanu. "Will you have enough juice to hide the explosions?"

"Sure thing, boss."

39

MAX

Jade appeared to be super excited about finally seeing some action. It sucked being a warrior and not getting to fight. She could join the Guardian force and accompany them on missions, but there wasn't much bloodshed during those, so it wasn't what she was thirsty for.

Max stifled a chuckle. Thirst took on a whole new meaning in reference to the Kra-ell. During the clan's liberation of Igor's compound, Jade had drained Igor's second-in-command by drinking his blood. She hadn't killed him, though. He'd convinced everyone that he was a good guy who'd been a helpless pawn and was now working as a gardener, doing community service in the village.

The liberation had been such a glorious operation, and Max would have loved to do the same for the entire oppressed population of the region they were about to infiltrate, and restore freedom, democracy, and fundamental human rights, but they had neither the manpower nor the strategy to attempt a revolution.

"So, to summarize," Jade said. "We secure Kyra, aim to capture the leader of the Doomers at the compound, leave no one alive that saw us in action, destroy all recorded evidence of the mission, and withdraw immediately."

Max snorted. "Are you sure we can't take down the ayatollahs while we are at it? If we are already there, why not free the oppressed Iranian population and the Kurds? You know, tick off a few items on the to-do list. Maybe rescue a city or two while there as well." He was only half joking.

How hard could it be to remove a few rotten old men?

Onegus cracked a smile. "As much as we would like to, we can't solve all the world's problems, Max. It's not as simple as picking off the top leaders." He sat forward, resting his forearms on the table. "You kill one tyrant or a dozen, and others step in to fill the void. The root of the evil isn't just a single personality. It's a system and culture of corruption, fear, and brutality. Changing that requires more than a band of immortals playing vigilante."

"So true and so frustrating," Kian said. "We have the power to do many things, but the deeper we wade into Earth's geopolitical messes, the more convinced I become that lasting change requires more than brute force or a single decapitating strike. Look at Navuh. We want him gone, but killing him doesn't guarantee the Brotherhood's fall, even if we could get to him. One of his adopted sons might step up, or an ambitious commander. With enough charisma, it's possible to lead the Brotherhood without the benefit of compulsion. As impossible as it might seem, the next leader might be worse than Navuh."

Onegus regarded Kian with a contemplative look on his face. "Navuh is at the root of some of the most sophisticated child-trafficking rings and destabilizing operations that stem fromthem. If we take him out, we will hamper a huge chunk of the organized network and the Doomers who run those abominations."

Kian waved a dismissive hand. "Those will continue without Navuh. But that's a conversation for another day. Right now, we are here to talk about extracting Kyra."

Onegus nodded. "Let's return to the infiltration details. The plan is to fly from our airfield to the airport in eastern Turkey. The local contact arranges for us to be picked up and flown to Tahav." He turned to Yamanu. "Once the choppers are in the air, you start the illusions. It's a long flight, so preserve your energy."

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