Chance Encounter - Prologue
Forbes Park, Makati City, Metro Manila
It is the perfect party; glittering lights, expensively catered foods, liveried waiters, famous guests, on the surface that is, except that the celebrant herself is not enjoying the party for her. All she wanted for her debut party is an intimate night out on a secluded beach spot with friends. But her father ruled it out, telling her that it will be too dangerous considering that attempts on her life is not a far out possibility. She would have agreed wholeheartedly but her mother rubbed salt on the wound by saying that whenever a member of the “alta sosyedad” comes of age, an extravagant formal party is more of a rule rather than a suggestion. As the party continued deeper into the night, and guests became more inebriated she slipped away to her room’s balcony along with her three bestfriends.
A few minutes later her yaya came. “Alyssa, Hinahanap ka ng papa mo, ipapakilala ka yata sa mga kumpare nya…”
With a sigh of exasperation and pout on her lips, she began to walk towards the ballroom. Suddenly, machine gun fire and screams of horror filled their house. Bodyguards swarmed all over her parents, suddenly she was yanked and she was half-carried and half-dragged towards a waiting SUV. Inside the SUV, her mom was whimpering beside her father who was busily preparing a pistol and an automatic rifle. With tires screaming the SUV went careening out of their compound heading for safety on a prepared hold out position inside their subdivision. Bodyguards are chattering at the radio, another one is calling the security agency for more backup another one beside her is calling the emergency police line to report the incident and call for help. Then she heard shots behind them, someone is shooting at the chase car and their bodyguards are firing back, all of a sudden it was too much for an 18 year old and she lost her consciousness…
Compostela Valley, Philippines
There’s no better teacher than loss of life. The six percent acceptable training casualty rate attests to this. It was this small fact that kept Benjo on the edge of the whole duration of training. Now training is almost over and he is out here with his mates. He can hear his own heart beating and blood flowing through his veins. This is it; he kept telling himself, a test mission to make him worthy to be one of the “musangs.” A test that involves an actual contact with the enemy and has few counterparts in foreign armed forces, a simple tool that had proven its worth in the past, this is their batch’s test mission.
Serving as the squad’s forward scout, he heard a barely audible swishing of a tree branch and cracking of twigs. Suddenly he became aware of the receding bird sounds all around their position. A spectral outline began to materialize out of the darkness. A figure of a man grew clearer, carefully picking its way through the trees and failing on its attempt to move stealthily. With this, a newly formed orchestra of death of the Philippine Scout Rangers started to play a symphony of untimely demise unto the enemy. And it was Benjo that started the process.
“Six this is Point, expected party’s forward scout is in visual contact. Approaching North by Southwest bearing my position, shift positions accordingly, over”
With this message, he received two clicks in his radio, a silent way of the squad leader of acknowledging the forward scout’s report.
After five minutes of waiting that felt like forever, the orchestra’s conductor started the symphony of death. A single rifle crack from the squad leader’s M-14 shattered the quiet of the night. What followed next was a perfect rendition of a death symphony, mixed with the chorus of M-16’s interspersed with the slow rattle of a lone M60 and the rhythmic whump of grenades threw the column of communist cadre into disarray. After five minutes of intense firefight, it was over. Seven of the 30 strong enemy lay dying while drops of blood was all over the escape route they took. Amidst the dispersing smoke, the team rejoiced. It is a perfect execution of their plan and they were able to pull it off without any casualty. They can all now wear the “tabak” badge and follow after the steps of other legends…
It is the perfect party; glittering lights, expensively catered foods, liveried waiters, famous guests, on the surface that is, except that the celebrant herself is not enjoying the party for her. All she wanted for her debut party is an intimate night out on a secluded beach spot with friends. But her father ruled it out, telling her that it will be too dangerous considering that attempts on her life is not a far out possibility. She would have agreed wholeheartedly but her mother rubbed salt on the wound by saying that whenever a member of the “alta sosyedad” comes of age, an extravagant formal party is more of a rule rather than a suggestion. As the party continued deeper into the night, and guests became more inebriated she slipped away to her room’s balcony along with her three bestfriends.
A few minutes later her yaya came. “Alyssa, Hinahanap ka ng papa mo, ipapakilala ka yata sa mga kumpare nya…”
With a sigh of exasperation and pout on her lips, she began to walk towards the ballroom. Suddenly, machine gun fire and screams of horror filled their house. Bodyguards swarmed all over her parents, suddenly she was yanked and she was half-carried and half-dragged towards a waiting SUV. Inside the SUV, her mom was whimpering beside her father who was busily preparing a pistol and an automatic rifle. With tires screaming the SUV went careening out of their compound heading for safety on a prepared hold out position inside their subdivision. Bodyguards are chattering at the radio, another one is calling the security agency for more backup another one beside her is calling the emergency police line to report the incident and call for help. Then she heard shots behind them, someone is shooting at the chase car and their bodyguards are firing back, all of a sudden it was too much for an 18 year old and she lost her consciousness…
Compostela Valley, Philippines
There’s no better teacher than loss of life. The six percent acceptable training casualty rate attests to this. It was this small fact that kept Benjo on the edge of the whole duration of training. Now training is almost over and he is out here with his mates. He can hear his own heart beating and blood flowing through his veins. This is it; he kept telling himself, a test mission to make him worthy to be one of the “musangs.” A test that involves an actual contact with the enemy and has few counterparts in foreign armed forces, a simple tool that had proven its worth in the past, this is their batch’s test mission.
Serving as the squad’s forward scout, he heard a barely audible swishing of a tree branch and cracking of twigs. Suddenly he became aware of the receding bird sounds all around their position. A spectral outline began to materialize out of the darkness. A figure of a man grew clearer, carefully picking its way through the trees and failing on its attempt to move stealthily. With this, a newly formed orchestra of death of the Philippine Scout Rangers started to play a symphony of untimely demise unto the enemy. And it was Benjo that started the process.
“Six this is Point, expected party’s forward scout is in visual contact. Approaching North by Southwest bearing my position, shift positions accordingly, over”
With this message, he received two clicks in his radio, a silent way of the squad leader of acknowledging the forward scout’s report.
After five minutes of waiting that felt like forever, the orchestra’s conductor started the symphony of death. A single rifle crack from the squad leader’s M-14 shattered the quiet of the night. What followed next was a perfect rendition of a death symphony, mixed with the chorus of M-16’s interspersed with the slow rattle of a lone M60 and the rhythmic whump of grenades threw the column of communist cadre into disarray. After five minutes of intense firefight, it was over. Seven of the 30 strong enemy lay dying while drops of blood was all over the escape route they took. Amidst the dispersing smoke, the team rejoiced. It is a perfect execution of their plan and they were able to pull it off without any casualty. They can all now wear the “tabak” badge and follow after the steps of other legends…
posted by TinyBamboo at 4:54 AM
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