Chapter 574: Operation Alliance (3)

[Reader Advisory: Signs of child abuse are written ahead. I won't go into too many details, but consider this a heads-up if you are sensitive to these things. I'm in no way condoning this act. This story is fiction—so let's take this as just spreading awareness that these things happen in real life. Thank you.]

…

Chris felt like he was watching something that happened to him and his sister many years ago—only this time, it was happening before him. Images from that dreadful incident flashed in his head, causing a massive lump to form in his throat as he struggled to breathe. The memories that are forcing its way into his head caused him to remember how scary it was during that time.

His misty eyes instantly reddened at the thought of what these kids must have gone through for days inside that container. He knew very well how awful and frightening it was. Chris's breathing became labored. He looked like he was about to have a panic attack—something that hadn't happened to him for a very long time now.

Seeing his state, Amelia crossed his arms into an X position against his body and immediately embraced him tightly, forcing him to look away from the clearing. "It's okay… Breathe…" she repeatedly soothed. Doing this came naturally to her because this was what she did for him in the past when he was still new to Shadow and had panic attacks.

While Chris was trying to calm himself down, Amelia watched the kids from afar. The children inside the container curled inwardly, afraid of what would happen to them. They all looked so skinny as if they hadn't been fed well for days—some even had wounds or bruises on their faces and bodies.

Although they couldn't hear what the men in uniform told the children, they could guess that they were trying to calm them down and telling them that they were saved. One by one, the men helped the kids out of the container and brought them to the bus a few meters away.

Chris tensed up and clenched his hands into fists as he turned his head and narrowed his eyes at the clearing. It was clear to him that Parker orchestrated everything—from when they were captured in Russia and brought to America. His blood boiled at the thought of the vile man doing his evil deeds.

Chris was no saint. He had killed different kinds of people. But Parker… Parker was the highest form of evil. How could he do this to innocent children?

"We have to stop them," he suddenly muttered under his breath.

Amelia nodded and was ready to move. The two, along with Damien and Styles, discussed their course of action. However, with so many children involved, it was very risky. Thus, they decided to create a distraction while Damien and the rest of the team were on their way for backup.

The rain had stopped, but the clouds still covered the sun's rays. Chris and Amelia created a noise behind the tall trees, enough to catch the uniformed men's attention. Their heads snapped towards the direction of the sound, and their team leader signaled two men to check it out.

Holding the guns securely in their hands, the two men entered the woods. The moment they were no longer in their comrade's sight, Chris and Amelia lunged towards them and knocked them out swiftly.

Damien spoke through the comms, informing them that he had patched Director Hughes on their communication line.

While Chris and Amelia tied up the two men, Director Hughes's voice came through the comms, "Christopher, I need you to stand down."

Surprised at the director's command, Chris immediately spat, "But, Director. What about the children?! They need help!"

"I understand. My best team is already on their way." Just as she responded, the sound of a chopper resonated in the sky, catching everyone's attention.

Apart from that, there were also armored vehicles that caught up with Damien and the rest of the team who were on their way to the clearing.

The captors, who were "helping" the kids, as well as those who pretended to be dead and lying on the ground, became alert from all the commotion. Two armored vehicles and Damien's team appeared from all sides and pointed their guns at the men.

Amelia got scared for a second because the children were still on the bus. Seeing so many guns everywhere, they began to wail—so afraid of their lives.

There were thirteen men left in the clearing. They gathered in a small circle with their guns drawn out, waving from side to side as if not knowing where to point it first—what with so many enemies crowding them. They were clearly outnumbered.

"On the ground. Now!" the leader of the unit that Director Hughes sent yelled as he stood next to one of the armored vehicles.

Realizing that there was nothing they could do at this point, the captors slowly got to the ground. At the same time, the special unit seized their firearms and arrested them.

Amelia took this chance to run towards the bus and helped the kids out of there. Damien, Styles, and Chris followed behind.

…

Thirty-five children were rescued. The youngest was five years old, and the oldest was nine. Damien felt like his heart was crushed, seeing the poor kids crying earlier because they were scared of what happened. He couldn't imagine what they have gone through but seeing this first hand was enough for him to feel the pain on their behalf.

While waiting for another van to come and transport the kids to a safer place, he ordered his men to bring some food to feed them. He watched as they all gobbled the stuffed bread into their mouths. One little girl, who was about six years old, sat quietly by herself, holding the bread in one hand and a juice box in the other. She looked at the ground and sobbed quietly.

Damien walked over to where she sat and bent down to her level. There were a lot of questions in his head—questions that he couldn't ask—all because he thought it was too painful to talk about what happened to them. So instead, he slowly reached his hand towards her and asked, "May I?"

The little girl looked up and met his smile. She didn't speak, and he wasn't sure if she understood him either. She had a tear-stricken face, and she sniffed as she looked at his outstretched hand. After a moment, she gave him the juice box, in which Damien wordlessly inserted the straw into it before he gave it back to her. She sipped the juice and continued to look at him, but she was no longer crying this time.

"Excuse me, Mr. Park?" the special unit's leader called his attention and handed him a tablet. "Director Hughes wants to speak with you all."

Damien got to his feet and received the tablet. He signaled the others to go to the side for some privacy. So Amelia, Styles, and Chris gathered around him.

Once Director Hughes saw their faces, she began, "Good work today. Thank you very much for your help. My team will take over. You can rest assured that the children will be in safe hands."

"We didn't expect today to end up like this." Chris sighed. "I'm glad we were able to save the kids… but because of this interception, Parker must already be cutting his loose ends."

Damien agreed, "He's right. Director, there must be something else we can get out of today's operation."

Director Hughes offered a small smile as she replied with reassurance, "Don't worry. I already have Josiah Connor in custody—brought him in a few minutes ago. I can give you some time to 'talk' to him once you come back to the city."

They exchanged smiles of relief from hearing the news. Finally, they were already close.

Damien's phone rang, so he excused himself from the group and answered the phone call when he saw that it was Noah. "Speak."

"Boss…" Noah coughed heavily. "I'm…" *cough* "...sorry..." *cough* "They took her… Shadow took Katherine."