The Billionaire Soldier's Revenge

March 15, 2022…

Kandahar Province, KHORZABAD…

2:13 AM…

Sergeant John Collins briefly checked his watch before whispering into his radio.

"Home Base, this is Team One. We are at the target building."

The voice crackled in his earpiece.

"Got it. Remember, this is a secret mission. As far as the rest of us are concerned, you were never there."

Diaz laughed, hearing the same message through his earpiece.

"Sadly, that includes my wife Rosa. My beautiful queen would go nuts if she finds out I'm still in Khorzabad. As far as she knows, I've traveled back home to teach new soldiers."

Evans crawled in from behind.

"Sergeant Major, didn't our country leave this place months ago? What are we still doing here?"

John pursed his lips, looking back at the frightened young soldier who had just joined his team.

"Kid, what the President says on TV isn't what really happens on the battlefield. If the average civilian knew half of the things we've seen, the entire country would be in chaos."

He gestured toward the building ahead.

"The Irish guy we're trying to save was writing stories about us still being here while the authorities lied to the media."

Evans widened his eyes.

"So the government took him away?"

Roth, another soldier on the mission with them, angrily spat in the dirt.

"No, son. We are the good guys, and we're going to save him. It's the bad guys who grabbed him for knowing too much."

"Knew what exactly?" Evans asked.

"That we never really left," John explained.

"The regular army has pulled out, but the secret teams, spies and private war companies are still making money."

Diaz blew a bubble with his gum, almost forgetting it was a secret mission.

"You've heard all the local rumors saying that Western soldiers are still lurking around? That's us. The men who are ready to die with no one knowing about it."

John took one final look around before putting down his scope.

"Do you know why they picked you for this job, Evans?"

"Because I speak the language, sir?" he replied.

Roth shook his head, placing his hand on Evans' shoulder.

"Because you are clean."

"No interviews with newspapers or a social media account with posts about the war. That means if you die here, our defense military can say you were never around."

Evans looked nervous.

"That's scary," he said.

"Welcome to the real world, boy," John said.

"Let's hope you survive the experience."

He checked his radio again.

"Home Base, tell us more about the target."

"Got it," the voice replied.

"The man's name is Adrian Conner. He was looking into the money transfers from our military to the private war companies after the government announced our soldiers had left the country."

Now Evans looked even more confused.

"So we are still paying war companies even after the war?"

John laughed, looking over his shoulder at the younger soldier.

"The war never ended, kid. When the president said we are leaving, he only meant regular soldiers, not spies or whatever the heck we are."

"Adrian Conner probably figured that out by himself," Roth said.

"That's likely why he's in trouble."

Evans widened his eyes, trying to process what he'd gotten himself into by unknowingly agreeing to this when John suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Let's get moving."

*************

Inside the building, they caught the smell of frightening chemicals right away.

"Someone has been making explosives," Diaz said as he looked around through his rifle sight.

John shone his flashlight on the bullet holes spread across the walls, closely examining each one.

"All these are fresh shots."

Evans examined one of the bullets.

"Looks like ours. Maybe the arms were stolen from us by the enemy?"

Roth shook his head.

"I wish. The shooting pattern looks too good."

"It's designed to look bad but the patterns show that it was done by real professionals who are the most familiar with our weapons."

The soldiers spread around, checking all the rooms for clues. In one room they found children's toys, most of them broken and ripped to shreds.

John shook his head.

"These are nothing but scare tactics."

Each of them explored different rooms, but Evans came across something he couldn't believe.

"Sergeant Major? You might want to see this," he said and the older soldier silently walked in from behind.

Inside the room was expensive radio equipment.

"This isn't local stuff. It's advanced military equipment."

While looking around, Evans found a laptop still running.

"Guys, please look at this."

John came in and noticed a dim green light blinking on the laptop camera.

"Someone is watching us," he said.

Then, a robotic voice came from the speakers.

"The journalist you're looking for is not here. But you, Sergeant John, you are what this mission is all about."

He frowned.

"What do you mean?"

The voice replied.

"Let's just say you've seen too much. This was never about saving anyone."

"Who are you?"

"Does it matter? Just be rest assured that you and your men will be remembered as heroes."

John looked down and spotted a wire along the floor that led to an explosive device under the floorboards.

"Don't move an inch," he instructed his men before staring back at the camera.

"You are killing us for doing our jobs now?"

"No, Sergeant Major. You are getting wiped out because you've learned the truth. No one can know about our work here."

John looked at Evans, now looking more terrified than ever.

"Please! I have a family back home. I never saw anything. I won't tell anyone."

Taking a deep breath, John quietly made his choice.

Part of him saw this coming, and if they were going to die anyway, he would at least save what he could.

He looked at Evans one last time.

"When I move, run for those stairs."

"But sir!"

"That's an order, soldier. My regards to your mother."

After saying those words, John Collins threw himself forward, covering the younger man just as his foot hit the hidden trigger.

*****

Blood filled his mouth as John lay on the ground with a wounded stomach, watching as the world faded to black. Oddly enough, it was at that moment John felt something impossible, like thoughts and feelings of another man's dying soul slowly merging with his own.

It was another dying man from different betrayal. This time, not with guns and explosives, but wealth, money and family ties. As John Collins died, something else began to live.