"good evening, i apologize for the short notice"  special detective unit associate director, antonio trajano greeted the other three people inside his office.

the three other men nodded to acknowledge their superior's arrival. all of them noticed the his agitation and the black folder he placed on top of his table but none said a word. because everyone knew what that black folder signifies. a very clear picture of a present danger.

the director cleared his throat and started, "i was advised by interpol an hour ago that the highly-organized red serpents has shown their presence in our country"

the three men exchanged meaningful glances hearing their superior's opening remarks. red serpents. the only two words that can stir away curiosity from anyone in their division

"sir, red serpents?" ruben salazar, SDU deputy chief detective asked, confusion written all over his face, "their organization is a myth isn't it?" he continued "there was never a proof of their existence. matagal na nating pinag-aralan yan pero wala talagang kahit na anong movement ang nai-link na totoong may red serpents. not FBI nor NSA was able to provide any confirmation"

true enough, red serpents is an organization believed to be the most dangerous and vicious amongst all secret organizations known to law enforcements, both locally and internationally. there has been myths and talks surrounding this organization's power and capabilities, however no one has been successful to give any proof that they really existed. everything about red serpents were hearsays.

"exactly ruben, but not after this..." dir. trajano raised the black folder. deputy chief salazar grabbed the folder and scrunched his forehead, then immediately passed it to SDU crime outlook, kris alcantara

"what's our next move?" salazar turned to trajano. surely the chill he felt for what he had seen on the black folder gave him enough reason to believe that there's now a confirmation to every law enforcement's greatest fear. the red serpents do exist.

"this is our team." dir. trajano stated "no more no less. no whispers. no sidelines." he looked at salazar, when the man nodded, he eyed the last man in the room, "this mission is not just highly classified. this mission DOES NOT even exist." mariing sinabi ng direktor.

every man in the room knew what this meant. no standard operating procedures, no timeline, every letter in the folder will be striked out of a heavy black ink. this is a mission that can never be traced. this is a mission written on waters.

"as aforementioned in the file, FBI has infiltrated their organization, they have an eagle inside." the director continued

"so if that's the case, nakapasok na pala ang fbi, what's our use?" salazar intervened

"given the confidentiality of their infiltration, only one high ranking official of the fbi knew the identity of their eagle" the director paused then heaved a sigh "two nights ago, he was found murdered. which only meant one thing. their eagle is in danger."

"so paano tayo napasok sa usapan?" tanong muli ni salazar

"based on the last decoded information their eagle conveyed. they are silently crawling their way to build a headquarter here in the philippines. and their eagle is here in our territory." he looked at salazar who is now getting a picture of what he wanted to happen, he nodded at the director "that only means one thing, we need to protect their eagle by sending in our hawk"

everyone turned their gaze to the last man in the room who has not uttered a single word since they convened, silently reading the black file, the bureau's hawk, SDU supervisory special detective javier galvez, a handsome young man who had been regarded as the bureau's top agent.

he's highly intelligent and well-trained for physical combat as he also heads the bureau's tactical team. although his expertise falls in hand to hand combat he is also excellent with other weapons, in particular guns, his driving skills are also top-notched.

"sir, how do you want us to proceed?" matipid na tanong ng binata

"as you have read, the eagle was able to gain a reputation inside the organization. which meant having a definitive rank. jay, your mission is not just to protect their eagle, but to know who the eagle is. and since their venture here is on its beta phase, we need to make sure you become a part of them"

"sir pano po ang insertion?" javier asked

"sandali lang, jay, hindi ba masyado pang maaga para humawak ka ulit ng assignment? kakatapos mo lang sa beijing case, baka naman mapatay na ako ng nanay mo" tanong ni ruben sa binata, he's not just javier's superior, he's also his godfather.

"sir ok lang yun. ako na po ang kakausap kay mommy" the young lad explained

seeing the concern in salazar's face for his godson, which he clearly understood, the director interjected.

"i would never intrude on your vacation galvez, kaya lang, the bureau left me no choice, you're the only agent we have that met fbi's clearance, isa pa ikaw lang din ang may special training ng BAU for profiling. i'm sorry son, but i have no choice" the director apologized.

"sir wala pong problema. trabaho ko po ito. maiintindihan po ni mommy."

"jay, siguraduhin mo lang na alam ng mommy mo na this time, sa field ka. na pwedeng-pwede kang mamatay!" paalala ni salazar.

"ninong, ayan ka na naman. wag na po kayo masyadong mag-alala. gaya nga ng sinabi ni boss, ako lang ang may clearance" paliwanag ni jay

"eh mga sir, bakit nga pala ako nandito?" tanong ni kris

"well, if the hawk needs to keep the eagle safe. you need to make sure of two things. keep our hawk safe and an open signal of communication" matipid na sagot ni trajano. tumango naman si kris.

kris alcantara is the best in his field. he was recruited by the bureau during his early days when he was still part of the black hats. now he's still a hacker, but this time on the side of the law.

"so what's the plan?" salazar asked

"one of the organization's official will be arriving tomorrow, they are planning to meet mr. robert kan, at alam naman nating lahat na involved si mr. kan sa illegal online gambling, that's when we need to insert our hawk. before their meeting"

"sir paano?" paglilinaw ni kris  "paano natin ipapasok si jay sa grupo?"

"remember that they are on their beta phase? it means they are looking for people here they can trust to expand, from javier's last assigment, hindi pa rin natin kini-clear ang records niya. his identity is still james ocampo, a fugitive wanted for multiple counts of murder, drug dealing and in the US soil he still have charges for grand larceny and carjacking who's seeking refuge here in the philippines. he does fit the profile of being wanted by the organization" dir. trajano answered

"based on the eagle's decoded message, they sent invite to recruits. how are we supposed to receive an invite for jay kung bukas na ang insertion?" pagklaro ni salazar

the director handed over a piece of black cloth with an embroidered design of a red snake. "i believe jay received one already"

inside the black cloth a message was written:

james ocampo
cras post meridiem
17:08PST 11.292.10.522.37

"following fbi's hunch, that invitation was retrieved at jay's secret loft. kris i believe you know the message?" dir. trajano asked their outlook expert

"yes sir, 2:08pm our time and that ip's location is an abandoned building near pier 15" kris answered

"very well. now we have to get ready"

"sir, kung hindi natin kilala yung eagle, pano niya malalaman kung sino ang hawk?" dagdag pa ni kris

"it can't be known. we cannot and we will not compromise our hawk's identity as well. not unless we're sure who the eagle is." the director cleared "so i hope everyone is clear that this is a mission inside a mission that does not exist"

the three men nodded to acknowledge the director's statement.

"galvez, we'll let you know the exact coordinates tomorrow. kris, make sure all the wires are invisible. understood?" the director affirmed

"yes sir. copy that" tango ni kris

"jay, you know how vital your role is. the fbi are heavily relying on us for the protection of one of their own. plus you will be the next source once the eagle left the country. you need to make sure all the traces are visible for us to send them."

jay's forehead creased "so ibig sabihin their eagle will stay inside the organization?"

"that's the plan. up until the time fbi and nsa has gathered enough evidence and proof about the society's existence and what crimes they are involved in" dir. trajano paused "jay, you have to keep their eagle safe, but not at your own expense. mag-iingat ka"

"will do sir. i will never let the bureau down but i also would like to come home to my mother. mag-iingat po ako" javier stated with assurance

"jay, kris, sige na, you both can go. and jay, kausapin mo ang mommy mo." paalala ni ruben sa binata

"yes ninong. sir, alis na po kami" paalam ni javier

"sige jay, i'll let you both know where we will convene. for now rest. especially you jay, your insertion has a plan but for extraction it's indefinite"

"alam ko po sir. sige po tutuloy na po kami."

after the two young men shut the door. ruben gave out his concern.

"how about javier? how long does he have to stay cover?" tanong ni ruben

"i know your concern ben, i wish i have a definite answer but as of this moment, the orders are coming from the top of the food chain. you know the drill" trajano clarified "he has to stay with the red serpents until we all have a clear picture of who and what they are"

"i already owe elie her husband's life...." ruben looked down then gave out a heavy sigh  "i don't want to owe her son's anymore..."

"naiintindihan ko ben. kung pwede lang. but you know the reality. galvez is our best shot. in fact, he's our only shot. as law enforcement officers this is our commitment."  trajano patted ruben's shoulder "hindi natin pababayaan si jay" he assured his friend

"sir with all due respect... sinabi ko rin yan kay eduardo. and look what happened" ruben can still remember how he watched in horror how his best friend and partner lost his life during one of their field operations.

ruben was a sharpshooter, he was supposed to make a shot but he cannot get a good angle. until now, he kept on playing that scenario. had he taken that shot and killed his target, eduardo would have been alive. alive to see his son grow up and become the top agent of the bureau. but his friend never will. and that's because of him...

******

as a promise to everyone... i will never stop writing and this is my proof... for all those who would want to stay with me in this journey thank you...

hope i'm doing justice so far... feel free to share your thoughts i'm always looking forward to hear your piece... magsusulat pa rin ako para sa inyong lahat.
😇🙏💕

disclaimer: lahat po ay kathang isip lamang. wala pong pinagbasehan na realidad. kaya sa mga may background po sa investigative journalism pwede nyo po akong i-bash ✌🏼

another disclaimer: updates may be unpredictable and inconsistent so please bear with me🙏💕