Undercurrents

Looking at the dumbfounded man with a stained bathrobe, Haiser could not believe how easy it had been to gain access. It had been a long time since he had done any infiltration, even in the military.

It was safe to say that he was a bit rusty. Therefore, he had taken several precautions, made multiple contingencies, but he had not needed them in the end. 

The basics of infiltration were: get in quiet, incapacitate anyone in the way as fast and as stealthily as possible, all the while making sure not to set off any alarms. If this failed, use the contingencies, depending on the level of failure. 

These were the basics as given by a military instructor back in special forces training. The hallmark of a commando was to get in fast, move quietly, and react explosively should anything fail. Like riding a bicycle, Haiser had executed his mission spectacularly, even he himself was impressed. 

A case could be made that security of the building, which was top notch by the standards of planet Tres, was still very lacking in his eyes. Still, it was an amazing achievement to come and go in a building with more than a hundred professionals. 

"I love the look on your face, boy," As Harrison was trying to come to terms with his situation, he had failed to notice the battered man leaning on the wall a few meters away. With a look of triumph plastered on his face, Carlos couldn't help himself. The man had said that exact phrase when he was having him beaten up. 

When Harrison saw Carlos, he immediately knew what this was about. He hated being in a situation where he couldn't control. His mind started working on overdrive, cooking up ways to get out of this predicament. 

"Look at him, standing like a deer caught in the headlights," Carlos continued piling on, with a sneer on his face. 

"You think you have won?" Harrison was incensed. This nobody dared mock him? "Wait until my men get here, then you'll know the meaning of pain!" 

"You mean these men?" Carlos asked, opening the door to the stairwell. There lay more than five men, each looking deader than the last. With this, his confidence and rage deflated like a baloon.

Harrison was not sure how they had done it, but somehow, the man in front of him had managed to circumvent his security, rescue his captive, and waltz over to his home. Anyone would be angry if such a thing happened.

All this time, he had assumed the man had gone around his security and his personnel. Now, by the looks of it, the man had gone through them. He was not aware how much of his security, or organization, was left.

Haiser did not let him continue with his wondering. Brandishing his gun, Haiser whacked the man on the head, knocking him out cold. It would be several hours before the man woke up again.

...

With a start, Harrison was viciously awoken by having a bucket of water dumped on his person. Looking around, he noticed four men standing before him. Carlos, the guy he had beaten up, was the one holding the bucket.

"Wakey wakey sleepyhead," Carlos chimed as he sneered at Harrison's sneer, "we have a lot of talking to do."

"You would dare kidnap me? Do you not love your lives?" Harrison shouted, angrily demanding of his captors.

"Looks like someone has not come to sense with their predicament," Carlos snorted, "Do you need me to spell it out to you? You are done! You and your little mercenary organization messed with someone you shouldn't have. Ha! You still think you have any power? Look around you! You. Are. Done!"

By now, Carlos was in heaven. He couldn't help himself. With the beating he had received, rubbing it on this guy's face was the least he could do. However, he still managed to reign himself long enough until they interrogated Harrison. 

At first, the latter did not want to give up any information. Carlos actually came through. Whatever else he had been in his past, he was a gifted interrogator. With threats, violence, and cajoling, he managed to pull out a lot of information. 

The crew wanted to know why the man had targeted them, and what level of reach did the hidden threats have. Naturally, if someone had sent a goon like Harrison and crew, they would not stop so suddenly.

Therefore, Haiser planned of diffusing this hidden threat before it became a problem. The only way to do it was by eliminating them at the source. This was why they kidnapped Harrison instead of just killing him. The man was worth more alive than dead.

Only, once he finished speaking, everyone was stunned, all save Haiser. As prince, he knew all about these competitions for resources. Naturally, he played at a much grander scale than planet Tres, but it all boiled down to the same actions. When resources were involved, corporations would stop at nothing to get ahead.

As for the rest, they finally understood how deep the well was. While they knew the nature of competition, they never imagined things were that deep, and that complicated. 

Since Joel was still being nursed by the two women, the fourth man in the group had been the agent sent from Iresal corporation. Upon listening to Harrison's revelations, he was beyond shocked.

If things really were as the man said they were, then weren't the cards stacked up against all but the very few who stood at the top. What was the point of even having the competition in the first place? 

Nevertheless, the agent still reported the matter to Phanas. He was not qualified to handle such matters. He also made a report on Haiser's performance in the field. Unlike Haiser, the agent was more than shocked to see such a seamless undertaking of what, to him, would have been an impossible task.

With this new information, a lot of things had changed. Haiser and Phanas started a new round of negotiations. This time, Haiser managed to get a few more resources for his young mercenary group.