An external failure.

"You will never take away the freedom of my family!" says a woman in the middle of nowhere, looking at me with anger and determination.

"Don't move! I'll shoot you without hesitation," I say, intending to make her listen, as I never tell lies. The beating of my heart is always controlled when I'm in a high-risk situation.

I remain calm in those aspects. But that night, nothing was going well, and my concern had me nervous and my heart racing. I looked at the girl, trying to detect any intention to escape. Now that I think about it, she resembled my daughter a bit. If only her father had seen her more as an innocent girl rather than just another member of his gang, she might still be alive.

But you can't expect anyone to be a good parent, not even me. It has been years since my last mission as a private government agent. When you do the dirty work, you no longer see the people who are supposed to protect the nation in the same way.

However, I still have some skills that I haven't forgotten despite the passage of time. They have become a part of me in some way. Besides, when I quit my job as a spy, I managed to keep the equipment I used to track down and, most importantly, apprehend criminal gangs. As I sat at my advanced computer equipment in my house, I considered the times when I didn't need all this to catch the criminals who plagued my city. I just needed a few small clues, and it was enough to capture my target.

It is helpful in this case as I am conducting other unofficial investigations, as a favor to my old friend Nixon. He is a CIA detective with a high rank in the organization. Apparently, he is not doing well with a case that is unfolding in the city. There have been numerous extortions in small businesses by a criminal gang, and this cannot continue. The gang is growing, and it needs to be stopped, but it won't be something that I do.

My phone rings, and it's Nixon calling, so I answer.

"Hello, Jhon. I hope you're doing well. How is the information coming along?" says Nixon directly.

"Hello, I've been looking into some details, and I can say that we are dealing with professionals. Not only do they leave no trace of where they go, but the security cameras have failed to identify both the route the criminals take and their faces. They don't repeat patterns, and their interests seem quite shady," I say, trying to be as clear as possible.

"This can't be. Tell me something good, Jhon. I know you must have found something that can help us," exclaims Nixon with some hope in his voice. "Well, luckily I managed to detect something that they can't hide no matter how hard they try.

This is a new criminal gang that arrived not too long ago, which means they had to gain territory." "Well... there have been recent gang conflicts. It's not clear why, as these city gangs have been peaceful, but the disturbances have been increasing lately. Do you think it's because of this organization?" says Nixon.

"Yes, it's very likely. They have gained territory among the marginalized neighborhoods, and that hasn't sat well with the local gangs in our city. That leads me to believe that they might be foreigners. But the most relevant thing is that there's a gang that hasn't been defeated. They're standing strong, and I dare say they have relevant information about this organization."

"Send me everything you have by email. Do you think you can go talk to that gang?" says Nixon.

"I don't think so, Nixon. I'd like to help you by gathering information, but I don't see myself roaming the streets and approaching gangs. Do you understand?"

"Yes, of course. I had to ask. We need people like you out in the field. Thank you, Jhon. We'll be in touch," says Nixon before hanging up.

Since I've made many enemies in the past, I'll set aside this case to avoid creating more. That way, my family can have peace, and I can stop burdening them with all the security protocols I subject them to.

It's already 8:30 in the evening, and my friend Paul is on his regular patrol at the festival. He serves as a guard and will also protect my daughter, so I can be assured that nothing will happen to her.

"Everything is buzzing over here. But in a good way, I suppose. The main show ended, and now your daughter is eating some food with her friend," says my friend Paul.

"I don't want you to harass her. Keep an eye on the people around her. I know everyone can seem suspicious there, but keep me informed about the people she talks to," I tell Paul through a communicator.

"Alright, I've been discreet but attentive enough to say that she hasn't talked to anyone. You should consider resting and not think the worst. I don't think anything bad will happen here," says Paul with good intentions.

"I'd like to think that. That's why you're there. You'll make sure everything is under control and let me know of any anomalies. I'll be immensely grateful," I say, trying to overlook the fact that I'll pay him.

"Okay buddy, I'll be here keeping an eye on any situation. Over and out," says Paul. Goodness. Jhon can be quite intense and rough at times. It's better to follow his daughter from a distance and not seem like a stranger stalking her. That's why I'm also going to grab some of the meat they're selling over there.

It smells good. I head to the meat stand and buy some, then continue to mingle among all these kids having fun at the festival. It's like a county fair where everyone sets up their campsites, builds campfires, and forms a path for people to walk through. I'm having a good time. Although I haven't lost sight of Luci, she's with her friend watching one of the small shows at the carnival.

I'm analyzing the situation in a non-invasive way. It looks like she's having fun. I don't know what Jhon's worrying about if this is... wait, someone's approaching her. I wipe my mouth and try to see more clearly who it is. This man has red hair and his clothes are that of a guy who doesn't care how he looks to people. But he doesn't look bad, all things considered. ç

He's talking to Luci and they seem to be laughing. Well, he might be a nice guy who just wants to be friendly, but I don't trust him. At one point, the girls start to follow him to another spot. I follow behind them, respecting the distance in case they notice I'm following them.

I don't want to bother the girl, but unfortunately, she has a father who messed with the craziest people out there, so it's better to be prepared for any anomaly, from the shadows, of course. They arrived at a different campsite where there were more people, three in total, two guys and a woman sitting around a campfire. They welcomed the girls and now they were there with a group of strangers.

They seemed to be having even more fun. The guy had brought them some drinks, which honestly put me on edge. I remained quite alert to any situation. If something weird were to happen, I have orders to attack and be efficient in saving Luci.

After about fifteen minutes, during which the girls were talking and having fun with this group, they do something that leaves me quite confused. They enter the campsite, and I lose sight of them. I didn't think Luci was the type of person to trust others so easily. It's not unusual to distrust someone you've just met. Maybe I do it because of work, but she should have been wary too.

Now I'm considering turning on the microphone on her phone to listen to what's happening inside. But I don't want to be a stalker; that would cross the line. So I just get a little closer to make sure everything is fine. If it is, I'll stay on the sidelines. But as I approach, I realize there's no sound. Everything seemed surprisingly calm considering the number of people there.

But everything falls into place when I turn to look behind the campsite. The girls were unconscious and being taken by the people at the campsite into a truck! This can't be happening. At such an important festival, one wouldn't expect to witness such terrifying scenes. But when it involves Jhon, everything becomes murky and dangerous. So as I head towards where they are, I start trying to communicate with Jhon.

"Jhon! Jhon! Your daughter is in danger. You need to activate the tracker," I say through the communicator, but there's no response.

I don't know why he's not answering. It's uncommon for Jhon, but now I can't rely on him. I discreetly approach the still-open doors of the van. I see one of the guys who put Luci and her friend in the van. I strike him from behind, and he falls unconscious.

That's one less person. I start moving as quickly as possible towards the back door to rescue the girls, and for that, I need my weapon. I grip it tightly and, with my other hand, open the van door.

"Girls," I say as I open the door.

"You shouldn't have interfered," a voice says from behind me.

After hearing that voice, I feel an immense pain in my back, something so excruciating that I faint right then and there. I don't think I'll be able to fulfill my duty this time.