The Older I Get the Better the Celebration

My 21st birthday pose which resembles the victory of an elected parliament member

The thought of celebrating my birthday this year was often vague with little expectations as it was just around the corner of exams and quizzes. In addition to that, almost all of my usual hang out friends either graduated, transfered to another university or even dropped out; therefore this semester for me is pretty lonely compared to my previous one. Furthermore with ruthless courses like Statistics 2 which has never been kind to my grades, my mum urged that I should focus more on my studies instead of thinking much about my birthday. Initially I thought I had many reasons to cease any plans for my birthday this year but as I remembered one of my friend's personal message on Windows Messenger that went by, "Live as if you were to die tomorrow" persuaded me that maybe it wasn't a good idea to skip my birthday celebration as I might not have a chance to celebrate it anymore since life and death can be very unpredictable. Consequently, I decided to throw a birthday celebration as usual this year. However unlike the previous year, I had to postpone my celebration 4 days later as I had to prepare for my dreadful Statistics exam which was on the following day. Despite delaying my celebration, things weren't all that bad as I had the opportunity to feel young for 4 more days. The biggest problem that I had to deal with for this year's celebration was to determine who to invite; practically, there was no one to invite at all since most of my friends were not studying in TRU anymore, as mentioned before. Despite the lack of friends I had over here in TRU now, I still had many acquaintances who had the potential of entering my circle of friendship; therefore I decided to extend my invitation to them unlike my usual celebration which were strictly limited to friends only. One might say that I was desperate to have people coming to my party which may be true but nevertheless, it never hurts to make new friends. It wasn't long before I started spreading out my invitations and it wasn't long before I received many declines due to religious or work reasons; the worst ones were the one not even bother replying or giving false promises. At the beginning, things didn't go too well seeing that hardly anyone bothered about my birthday celebration; however all hope was not lost when I reflected on the Indonesian students over here in TRU who somehow showed some interest in me due to a past social event with them where I decided to be friendly and talkative for just a day. Knowing that they were also nice, friendly and humorous people, I thought inviting them to my birthday party would make my celebration an unforgettable one. My instinct was right and having my Indonesian acquaintances at my 21st birthday dinner was not only a great blast but also a celebration filled with utmost joy and laughter.

A week before my birthday dinner, I was lucky to bump into my Indonesian acquaintances in campus; I informed them about my upcoming birthday celebration and most of them looked forward to it. I even told them to invite their other Indonesian friends along too as I might know some of them seeing that I shared several classes with some Indonesian students in my previous semester. The invitation was not only restricted to the Indonesian students but also my Japanese friends especially Maaya and Yoshitaka as I have known them longer than anyone else and we have been good friends. Realizing that Maaya introduced a couple of her Japanese friends like Mai Furuya and Emi Kato, I thought I should invite them as it wouldn't hurt to extend the acquaintance further into possible friendship. Consequently, it wasn't long before I started verbally inviting them to my upcoming birthday dinner when I happen to bump into them in campus.

As I had invited enough people, my next challenge was to decided a venue to hold my birthday dinner. Knowing that 15 to 20 people will be coming, I had to look for a restaurant big enough to accommodate the "platoon" of people I invited. Fortunately for me, it wasn't long before I solved the problem when I remembered that my roommate's girlfriend's dad owns a Korean-Japanese restaurant. I consulted Jihae who was my roommate's girlfriend and I asked her whether she could help me with my birthday dinner's venue. Knowing that I would be bringing plenty of customers to her dad's restaurant, she immediately informed her dad and it wasn't long before she said that she could give me the entire restaurant for the night of my birthday celebration. Eventually, I had that problem solved and I was on my way to organizing a great birthday dinner.

On the night of the dinner (which was just last night), I somehow became nervous and worried as I feared that I might receive a lot of last minute bail-out on from my friends I've invited. To make matter, worst the reminders I sent to them earlier that day via SMS weren't even replied or acknowledged. An hour before the dinner began, I became more nervous as I could not help but to think for the worst. However, Maaya who's always by my side playing the role of my best friend, reminded me that there's still her, Randy (her boyfriend),Yoshi, my roommate and his girlfriend (who was working at the restaurant that night) to celebrate my 21st birthday with me regardless of whether the Indonesian students turned up or not. Knowing that she had my back, I was slightly less worried than before.

When Randy, Maaya and I arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by my roommate and his girlfriend who was working there that night; however, there were no sign of the Indonesian students I invited or even my good friend, Yoshi. I told myself to be patient, not to freak out and I even began feeding myself with good reasons on why they are not here yet. Fortunately, my patience was rewarded when Gary, one of the Indonesian students turned up. I welcomed him in before I introduced him to Maaya and Randy. Gary and I chatted with each other as we wanted to catch up on one another seeing that we haven't seen each other for the entire week in campus. In the middle of our conversation, my Japanese friend, Yoshi entered the restaurant. I then knew that it was a good sign seeing more people are turning up and it wasn't long before the rest of the Indonesian students turn up one by one. That night, I had 18 people celebrating my 21st birthday with me. It was 3 times the size of people at my 20th birthday party last year and since then I knew that it was impossible for my 21st birthday to be dull.

That night, the restaurant were filled with loud chatters similar to a parliament debate and wild laughters similar to the one in a comedy club. We were all having such a great time together and I really felt great knowing that I managed to introduce my good Japanese friends ,Maaya and Yoshi to my Indonesian friends. Later on that night at the dinner, we started shooting our cameras, taking photos together and just as we were about to leave, one of my Indonesian friend, Adi surprised me with a big birthday cake. Songs of "Happy Birthday" were sang in 3 different languages comprising English, Indonesian and Korean which touched me real good that I almost shed a tear. After making a wish and blowing the candles of the cake thunderous applause rumbled the restaurant.I personally serve the cake to all of my friends and even the owner of the restaurant. The cake tasted great and it tasted even better when I realized that my Indonesian friends took a lot of effort to make my 21st birthday celebration an unforgettable one.

My instinct was right and having my Indonesian acquaintances at my 21st birthday dinner was not only a great blast but also a celebration filled with utmost joy and laughter. After that night, the Indonesian students who attended my birthday dinner weren't my acquaintances any longer; instead, they became my friends as they showed how much they appreciate me by making my 21st birthday a remarkable one. As for my good Japanese friends Maaya and Yoshi, we became closer than before as we all celebrated together the day I grew older.

Followed by my authoritative salute...which many refers to me being a teapot instead of a fascist dictator...

It's always great to know that Maaya is always by my side...with the watchful eye of her boyfriend, Randy of course

Yoshi and I always roll together. Having him at my 21st birthday couldn't be any better.

My roommate Kim Bum and his girlfriend Jihae who were working that night at the restaurant, fitted some space between their work time to celebrate my 21st birthday with me

Chantel Kim, one of the Indonesians' crew member from South Korea happened to work there that night as our waitress. Knowing that she worked hard to keep my birthday dinner going that night, I thought of appreciating her effort by snapping a photo with her.

Adi my Indonesian friend(the guy on the far right) and his Korean girlfriend Jinnie were there to watch me turn 21.

Presenting the 1st cake to Adinda, the female comedian from Indonesia who kept everyone laughing the whole night.

Funny man Jansen was the other comedian from Indonesia

Dimas, my former Statistic 1 classmate who's not only sharp with his looks but also with his voice. That guy has the accent of an American.

Adinda's cousin, Andra, a bio student from Indonesia

Adinda's roommate, Romaero putting on a big smile with me in this photo shot.

Joseph from Indonesia tagged along as well

A photo shot with Ari with the watchful eye of Jansen

Gary, the Indonesian rocker

The Indonesian cousins

The platoon at my 21st birthday celebration

Seoul Raiding

Seoul ,South Korea
0300 hours
Day 1

20,000 feet above the ground, a V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft screeches across South Korean air space under the darkness of the early morning. Aboard the unique looking double rotor helicopter were not US Marines but the valiant men and women of the Inter Continental Paramilitary Unit (ICPU). Dressed in black assault fatigues, state of the art oil based body armour and ballistics helmet with build in computerized goggles, the members of this covert elite unit are more than prepared for their upcoming mission. Despite their recent special operations in LA which involved rescuing a wounded US Senator from the gun sights of highly organized white supremacists and mercenaries which occurred 48 hours ago, Peter and his team of ICPU commandos were good to go for their upcoming mission in South Korea. Instead of feeling nervous and pressured worrying about their lives on the line, the ICPU operatives were exchanging their accounts of their own perspective during their rescue mission in LA; most of the time, they were stories of how their training and experience saved them in the operational theatre. Although it almost sounded like the typical special operators bragging, moments like that were not all bad as it distracted their minds from worrying about getting terminally wounded or killed in their upcoming operation. In the middle of their chatter, Jacqui, the team's information officer alerted her teammates regarding an incoming transmission. The ICPU operatives immediately halt all chatters before they tweaked their computerized ballistic helmets to tuned into the incoming transmission; the image of Commander Moaz, the team's commanding officer, then appeared on their computerized goggles.

"Welcome to Seoul, ladies and gentlemen. Before we begin your mission briefing, allow me to congratulate everyone of you for your excellent work back in LA. Outstanding job, people" Commander Moaz complimented proudly before he continued. "While you were away in LA on your rescue mission, South Korean Interpol reported several interesting characters appearing on their soil." the Commander began. A recorded video of airport security cameras together with several profile data then appeared on the goggles of the commandos. "The men you see on the airport security video are Russians; however, they are not just any ordinary Russian tourist enjoying what South Korea has to offer. According to our sources at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), these men have ties with the Russian criminal mercenary sect known as the Red Sickle." Commander Moaz explained. "The Red Sickle?" Rachel, one of the commandos asked curiously. "The Red Sickle was the KGB's elite covert combat task force during the Cold War. The organization mostly consisted of specially picked battle hardened and experienced GRU operatives to conduct the KGB's most secretive and dirtiest biddings which were beyond the limits of the Soviet government back then. In other words, they were the blackest of the blackest. Rumours has it that the Red Sickle were the ones who annihilated the CIA-sponsored Cuban rebels for Castro. Later in the Cold War, when Castro declared Cuba as a satellite state of the Soviets which later prompted the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Red Sickles were the ones who safeguarded the missile base. Despite their military expertise, they failed to protect the missiles when President Kennedy and UN Secretary General U Thant established an agreement with the Soviets which forced them to dismantle the missiles. Moscow was told that there will not be any invasion on Cuba in exchange, but they were still not convinced. In fact, with Kennedy's wisdom which kept the UN big shots in his pocket, Moscow knew he was a big threat to the Soviet's fight in the Cold War and he had to be rubbed out. That was how the JFK assassination happened. Of course the world knew that Lee Harvey Oswald was the man behind the trigger; however, they did not know that the Red Sickle taught him to pull the trigger. It was well covered up and there were never any trails leading back to Moscow. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation spearheaded by President Yeltsin immediately dismantled the Red Sickle due to the organization's controversial and scandalous history. President Yeltsin disbanded the organization not only to preserve the image of the Russian armed forces and the KGB but to also protect the man and women of the Red Sickle whom played a key role in the Cold War from being prosecuted by the Americans. With the files of its members erased from the Russian military databases, the Red Sickle technically doesn't exist. Disowned by the Russian armed forces, the former members of the Red Sickle wandered aimlessly unemployed like Ronins. However, it wasn't long before they reunite under the same name only to operate as a band of highly trained mercenaries working for the highest bidder to conduct assassination, robbery, smuggling and even guerrilla training for terrorists. Just like in the early days, today's members of the Red Sickle mostly comprise of former Russian special operators and commandos who enjoy the outstanding pay and reward that can never be obtained in the Russian Armed Forces." James, another member of the ICPU commando narrates. “The man with the neat looking coat in this picture is Sergei Gurlokivich. CIA couldn't find any military training history on this chap so we're thinking that he is just an ambassador for the Red Sickle. CIA added that the men travelling with Sergei are former member of the Russian Armed Forces; they must be the Red Sickle's foot soldier protecting Sergei. Instead of apprehending Sergei and his men, South Korean Interpol and law enforcement agencies have been notified to stand down in order to discover their motives which could lead to a bigger picture. Although it was a big risk to let them roam freely in the streets of Seoul seeing that they could stir up a messy event, it was a risk worth taken when we finally realized their main purpose of visit. Just yesterday, South Korean Interpol notified us that their undercover agent within the ranks of a Korean arms dealer cum gangster reported that the Russians in subject were planning to deal with them. It seems the Red Sickle is planning to expand their arsenal; however, it is still unclear regarding their motive of weapons expansion. That's why Interpol needs us to bring Sergei in to reveal that mystery. The Korean arms dealer cum gangster mentioned earlier on is Cho Min Hea. As pretty as she is, this criminal diva packs a long history gang related violence and arms dealing with international organized crime syndicates and even rogue regimes. What makes her even more interesting is that she doesn't only deals with small firearms but also the military hardware and weapons which are mostly restricted to armed forces only; which logically explains why the Red Sickle is interested in doing business with her. Intel suggests that her source of weapons mostly originate from Sierra Leone, Germany and even North Korea." Commander Moaz continued. "That's one high profile player we've got here. Why isn't she apprehended yet if she sounds so dangerous?" Peter asked. "South Korean Interpol have insufficient evidence to nail her, which explains why they planted a mole within her ranks to accumulate enough evidence to take her down." the commander explains. “Although ICPU's main objective is to bring in Sergei, South Korean Interpol would be very grateful if we can assist them in taking down Cho at the same time." he continued. "All we have to do is nail both Sergei and Cho at the deal at the same time. It'll be like killing 2 birds with one stone. No problem" Rachel boasted confidently.

"The undercover agent just reported that a deal between the Koreans and Russians is taking place shortly in a 5 storey abandoned mall in Seoul's shopping district. They’re using an abandoned mall and the darkness of dawn to cover their deal. These guys are smart." Jacqui updated the team while she browsed through her laptop. "Peter, your team will be conducting a HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) jump on top of the mall. You'll be landing on top of the mall's rooftop parking lot. We don't know which part of the mall the deal will be taking place but I hope it's not at your landing point or you'll be target practice for the hostiles. From there on, you'll work your way into the mall and neutralize the deal." Jacqui explained as she prepared an ideal method of entry for the team. 'Sounds good, Jacqui. Let's just hope the deal doesn't take place at the rooftop parking lot." Peter acknowledged. " Soo Tian and Melissa are already in position providing sniper fire and observation for your team. They'll keep you inform on the enemy's action." the information officer added. “Did the undercover agent say anything about the size of hostiles we would be facing?" James asked. "Good question, James. Expect a size between 20 to 30 armed gunmen at the operational theatre." Jacqui replied. "Sir, what are the rules of engagement?" Rachel asked specifically. "Everyone on sight is expandable except for Cho and Sergei. We need those two back alive." Commander Moaz warned. “One more thing guys, seeing that we will not know which part of the mall where the deal will take place, any burst of fire will alarm both parties to cancel the deal and leave immediately without the possibility of trace. Consequently, I strongly advice that you guys go silent throughout the mission until you have identify the whereabouts of the deal." the information officer warned. "Roger that. You heard her, team. Keep your suppressors on all the time and make every shot an instant kill." the team leader commanded. Upon reaching their drop zone, the pilot of the V-22 Osprey drop ship informed them, "ETA 3 minutes, guys! Get ready!". The commandos then pulled themselves up before going into a single line formation. "Team, good luck on your mission. I'll be keeping in touch with you guys from the drop ship. Be careful out there!" Jacqui reminded with care. "Peter, go get those sons a' bitches and bring me back Sergei and Cho" Commander Moaz said. "Consider it done, sir" the team leader replied before he disconnected his communication with the commander. "Red light!" Peter continued as the lights in the ship turned red; the ICPU operatives were about to conduct their HALO jump. As the final second passed by, the lights in the ship turned green before the parachute ramp of the drop ship opened. "Go, go, go" Peter screamed before he and his team took a leap from the drop ship.

The 3 of them rushed down like meteorites as gravity did the job. "Fuck yeah! It's like having sex in a car crash!" Rachel screamed in excitement as she rolled around in mid air. "Oh fuck...I think I'm gonna shit in my pants, boss..." James worried as he wasn't very pleased with the idea of conducting a HALO jump. "Deploy your chutes now team!" Peter demanded as he realized it was time the right time to pull the string. As the 3 of them deployed their chutes, they were immediately dragged back by their open chutes. "Let's not break our legs when we land, team. Oh James, I hope you didn't shit in your pants. We don't want that smell of yours to compromise our stealth" the ICPU team leader chuckled in humor. "Hehehe, at least we'll all go down together as team once we're compromised. After all, there's never an "I" in "team", right?" James replied sarcastically. As the ICPU commandos were slowly floating down to their designated insertion point, they received an incoming transmission from their sniper team which was already at the operational theatre before them. "Boss, a convoy of black SUVs has just entered the basement parking lot of the mall. It's got to be them!" Soo Tian, a member of the sniper team reported as he observed the mall from an opposite building. As the passengers of the SUVs exited their vehicle, they immediately unload several caches of weapons before transporting them into the mall. “Our targets in sights appear to be the Koreans. They ‘re unloading their box of goodies for their Russian friends” Melissa, another member of the sniper team reported. “Any sign of the Russians?” Peter asked while he manoeuvres his parachute in mid-air. “Negative. No signs of the Russians yet. They’re either late or the Koreans are ahead of schedule”. Soo Tian reported. In the middle of their observation, the sniper team noticed that the once dark and shadowy abandoned mall then lighted up from inside. “Guess what? They just activate the power grid in the mall to brighten their shady deal” Melissa reported. The descending commandos who were approaching their landing zone than received an incoming transmission from their information officer. “Our satellite has completed procuring a precise virtual schematic of the abandoned mall; it’ll be uploaded to all of your PDAs shortly. Satellite imagery shows scattered heat signals throughout the mall; I’m guessing the Koreans have started their own mall patrol.” Jacqui reported. “Thanks Jacqui. Sniper team, continue your observation and stay out of sight” the team leader commanded. “Roger that, boss” the sniper team acknowledged. “There’s our mall, Peter”. Rachel immediately reported the moment she got a glance of the mall. “Okay team, this is it...” Peter braced himself as he and his team of ICPU commandos were about to touchdown. The moment the commandos hit the ground, they immediately picked themselves up and folded their parachute. The sniper team who were observing from the opposite building under the cover of shadows managed to spot their comrades who recently landed on the rooftop parking lot. “Strike team in sights. Nice landing, boys and girl.” Melissa complimented as she spotted Peter and his teammates through the scope of her SR-25 sniper rifle. Soo Tian who was observing the virtual schematic of the mall was then alarmed when he saw multiple heat signals approaching the landing zone of the commandos, “Fuck! Strike team, be advice. You’ve got hostiles converging on your position.” Soo Tian reported fearfully. Peter noticed a room with elevators that connected the parking lot to the mall; he knew that the gunmen would appear from the elevators. At the same time, he also noticed a higher platform of the parking lot which was located 70 meters opposite from the room. “Team, we’ve got a welcome party, get ready! Rachel, take position on that platform and keep your sights on the elevator doors. James, take cover behind that truck. Sniper team provide covering fire.” The ICPU team leader barked out orders hastily before his teammates got into position. “Suppressors on and make every shot count. We don’t want to compromise our element of surprise here.” Peter reminded as he attached a silencer to his M4A1 assault rifle. Shortly after attaching a suppressor to her SR-25 sniper rifle, Melissa shifted her scope on the rooftop parking lot, getting ready to provide her comrades with covering fire. It was not long before 6 gunmen appeared from the elevators; as they approached the parking lot, they carefully scout the area with their submachine guns pointed up. “Target in sights...” Melissa reported as the gunmen entered her crosshairs. “Everyone, hold your fire...” Peter whispered as he observed the incoming gunmen behind a wall. “Fuck! Our chutes! They’re gonna fucking spot our chutes!” Rachel panicked as she realized the team could not dispose their chutes in time. “Calm down Rachel...Our chutes are gonna help us deal with these fuckers.” James whispered as he carefully observed the gunmen. “James is right. Once they discover our chutes, they’ll gather around them. From there, we can take them out silently.” Peter explained. “Sounds like a plan, boss.” Soo Tian complimented while he observed the parking lot with his binoculars from his position. Just as Peter predicted, the gunmen spotted the team’s abandoned chute and immediately approached it with curiosity. “Sights are hot...” Rachel reported as she obtained a clear shot from her position. “I’ve got them in my crosshair, boss...” James whispered as he peeked out from the truck with his silenced HK G36C. “Stand by, team. Wait for my go...”the team leader ordered. As the gunmen approached Peter’s M4A1’s telescopic sights, he knew he was good to kill; consequently he gave the order to open fire. “Take’em out! Take’em out!” Peter commanded before he and his team opened fire on the unsuspecting gunmen. The muffled shots of the commandos’ silenced assault rifles struck the gunmen killing all of them instantly; as they dropped to the ground covered in their own pool of blood, the gunmen were all history. “Area clear! Well executed, boss!” Soo Tian complimented as he witness his comrades taking out the gunmen tactically. “Hehe, those poor motherfuckers didn’t know what hit them” Rachel chuckled. “Excellent marksmanship, team. Regroup on my position.” the team leader ordered as he came out from his cover. With a split second, Peter unexpectedly saw another gunman approaching the parking lot; unfortunately, the gunman spotted Peter and his team. “What the fuck!” the gunman screamed in Korean before he pointed his Uzi at Peter. “Oh fuck...” Peter mumbled as he knew it was too late for him to aim at the enemy; he knew he was good as dead. “Boss, watch out!” James screamed as he caught the glimpse of the gunman who was ready to empty his clip on Peter. Before the gunman could pull the trigger a bullet struck the temple of his head, bursting his skull like a watermelon. Bloods and pieces of brain splatter all over the floor as the gunman dropped dead to the ground. Peter who was in shock dropped to the ground seeing that he nearly fainted; his teammates immediately ran towards him. “Target down...Fuck... that was bloody close...”Melissa whispered as she watched her target on the floor from her sniper scope. “Good shot, sniper. You’ve just saved the boss” Soo Tian proudly complimented his partner at the same time giving her a warm pat on her back. James picked his team leader who was still shocked, “Boss, are you all right? “. “No gun wounds...You’re all good, Peter”. Rachel concluded after checking her team leader for any signs of injury. The shocked ICPU leader finally came back to reality after receiving a slap from his comrade, James. “Fuck...I thought that was the end of me...Jesus Christ!” Peter whimpers as he still could not believe he survived the confrontation with the gunman. “Don’t worry boss, he’s down. You’re all good. ..Come on, get back up on your feet. We’ve got a mission to finish”. James reminded Peter as he got his leader back on his feet. “Thanks Melissa...” Peter gratefully thanked his sniper once he got himself back together. “I hope you didn’t shit in your pants for that boss. Cos’ you know that smell of yours will compromise the whole team, right?” James joked hoping to cheer his traumatized team leader. In the middle of Peter’s psychology recovery, Rachel received an incoming transmission from Jacqui. “Is Peter all right? I saw him collapsed through his head cam...” Jacqui asked worriedly. “He’s physically injury free...Not so sure about his mental state though.” Rachel explained anxiously. “I’m fine, Jacqui. I’m good to go...Don’t worry about me. Anyway, what’s up?” Peter interrupted immediately as he did not want his teammates to doubt his ability. “Significant heat signatures coming from the information and reception booth of the mall which happens to be the ground center of the mall, suggests that the arms deal will be taking place at that location. I’m uploading the location to your virtual schematic map.” The information officer informed. “Any news on the Russians’ whereabouts?” Peter asked. “Negative, Peter. Our satellites have no visual on the Russians yet. I’ll inform you ASAP once we’ve got a lock down on the Russians.” Jacqui replied. “Copy that,” Peter replied before he discontinued the transmission with his information officer. The ICPU commandos exited the parking lot sneaked their way in with utmost caution.

As the team descends carefully into the 4^th floor, they spotted two unsuspecting gunman patrolling the emergency stair case. “You are weapons free” Peter commanded. “Roger that. Engaging tango...” Rachel replied excitedly as she was impatient to get into action. Both James and Rachel took out the gunman with their silenced primary weapon as soon as their leader gave them the green light to engage. “Tango neutralized!” James reported immediately after the both of them successfully took down their targets. “Continue sweeping” Peter said before he and his team proceeded deeper into the 4^th floor. The team entered the maintenance hallway of the 4^th floor after exiting the emergency stair case; they spotted 4 more gun man in the area but they successfully neutralized them quietly. Peter than spotted a gunman in a store room who was taking a rest from his patrol. “Team, hold your position and secure the hallway. I’ll deal with this tango” he ordered before he slid out his K-Bar combat knife. “Copy that, securing the area” James acknowledged before he and Rachel held their position. Peter stealthily sneaked into the store room keeping a close eye on his unsuspecting victim; he slowly approached the gunman with his knife and the moment he was close enough, he grabbed the gunman by his mouth from behind before slitting his throat. After killing his victim, Peter cleaned his blood soaked knife and exited the store room to regroup with his team. In the middle of their mission, they received an incoming transmission from Jacqui; as soon as they answered the transmission an image of Jacqui appeared on their computerized goggles. “Team, electromagnetic imagery of the mall shows that there is a central power grid at the maintenance hallway on the 3^rd floor. Taking out the central grid will disable the lights in the mall making it harder for the tangos to spot you.” Jacqui suggested. “Got it, we’re on our way there. Thanks for the heads-up”. Peter replied. The commandos reloaded their weapons before proceeding to the 3^rd floor for the central power grid.

As they approach the entry doors of the maintenance access of the 3^rd floor, they heard several chatters behind the doors; they knew there were more gunmen in the hallway. Instead of blasting their way in, the team held their position and devise a tactical method of entry. James sneaked in a snake camera under the doors to get a good view of the enemy’s position. A visual of the enemy’s location was then displayed on James’ Personal Digital Assistance which was attached to the snake cam. “ 5 tangos spotted. 2 stationary sentries with their back facing us while 3 more patrolling the hallways” James described to his team as he controls the snake cam. “Flash and clear?” Rachel suggested as she carefully studies the scenario. “Negative, it’ll compromise our stealth.” Peter replied. “Here’s the plan: as soon as the 3 other sentries disappear, the both of you quietly take down the 2 stationary sentries. I’ll then finish the remaining 3 as they come around the corner” the team leader continued. “Sounds like a plan” James replied.”James, hand me the PDA and get into position.” Peter whispered. After taking over the PDA, James and Rachel got into position; they took out their K-bar and prepared themselves for a stealth attack. Peter observed the situation through the snake cam and when 3 of the sentries disappeared from the hallways, he gave the go-signal to the team; both the commandos quietly opened the door and grabbed whole of the unaware gunmen before slitting their throat. Peter immediately moved in with his silenced M4A1 at guard, to the corner of the hallway; as the remaining gunmen were about to come around the corner, he popped out from the corner before spraying the gunmen with his silenced assault rifle. “Tango down” he whispered. “Area clear” James reported. “The central power grid is just around the corner. Continue sweeping, team” Peter continued. The team of commandos regrouped before they proceed further into the maintenance hallway. Just outside the room which houses the central power grid, the team made sure that no one was in the room. However, things were not as easy as they hoped when they spotted 4 more tangos in the room. Like before, the team was restricted from using flash grenades as it would reveal their presence; consequently, they had to figure out a clever way of clearing the room with minimal noise. Fortunately for their tactical convenience, the room had 2 doors allowing the team to strike from multiple directions simultaneously. Peter saw the advantage and utilized it by directing his teammates to stack up by the 1^st door while he stood by the 2^nd one. As the team was in position, the team leader gave the green light to enter and clear; the ICPU commandos executed their room clearing professionally when they managed to eliminate their adversaries quickly and stealthily. After securing the room, Peter approached the fuse box of the central power grid. Instead of destroying it immediately, he attached a remote detonate door breaching explosive to the power grid. “Once we’ve got both the Russians and the Koreans at the negotiating table, we’ll blow this sucker out before we ambush those motherfuckers”. Peter explained while he attached the remote explosive on to the fuse box. “That’ll get them wet” Rachel chuckled as she complimented Peter’s brilliant idea. As soon as the explosive was set, the commandos regrouped and head for the 2^nd floor of the mall.

Upon entering the shopping area of the 2^nd floor, the team spotted more gunmen on patrol; they were taken out one by one quietly by the commandos from both far and close range. As they cleared the 2^nd floor , an incoming transmission paused their mission progress; the transmission this time was from the sniper team. “Boss, I’ve just spotted an additional convoy of SUVs entering the parking lot of the mall. I guess the Russians have finally arrived. The deal is about to commence.” Soo Tian reported. “This place is gonna get crowded with tangos and I don’t think the 3 of us over here can pull out a proper ambush without a sniper watching our back. We’ve just cleared the 3^rd and 4^th floor and I noticed the atrium on the 3^rd floor has a good view of the location of the arms deal. Soo Tian I need you at the position to watch our six”. Peter demanded. “Got it, boss. I’ll sneak my way in immediately.” Soo Tian replied. “Melissa, I need you to move to an OP (Observation Point) that’ll give you the good view of the basement parking lot’s entry and exit. Just in case any of these fuckers try to escape through that way during the ambush, you can intercept them” the team leader continued. “Copy that. I know a good spot” Melissa replied. The sniper team abandoned their current observation immediately upon receiving Peter’s orders; Soo Tian fast roped from the building he was observing from and immediately ran into the abandoned mall through the back doors. Melissa on the other hand, hopped into her car and drove to an office building with a rooftop parking lot that provided her a good view of the mall’s basement parking lot. It wasn’t long before the Russians entered the mall; Peter and his team separated from one another and took cover behind the covers of the railings and wall which provided them a perfect position to pull off an ambush. Both James and Peter were at the atrium of the 1st floor looking down at the deal while Rachel on the other hand remained at the second floor; the 3 of them observed the arms deal very carefully as the Russians were approaching their Korean arms dealer. Peter who was observing the deal secretly then contacted his commander. “Sir, I hope you’re getting what I’m seeing” Peter whispered as he used his computerized goggles to zoom in on the arms dealing. “Don’t worry Peter, I’m getting high definition visuals over here. Continue observing” Commander Moaz said. Peter then enhance the magnification of his computerized goggles on the Koreans hoping to spot out Cho Min Hea. “Sir, no sign of Cho. She’s not there at the negotiating table.” Peter reported as he could not identify his Korean target among the group of Koreans. “Damn it! Continue observing. Is Sergei at the scene?” the commander asked. “Scouting...” Peter replied as he shifted his visual to the Russians who appeared to be looking at the merchandise the Koreans had for them. “Fuck...there’s no sign of Sergei either...”Peter reported disappointingly. “Son of a bitch...those 2 are smart. They’re not stupid to risk themselves over a deal...” the commander added. “Sir, seeing that both of our targets are not at the scene, should we bail out?” Peter asked. “That’s a negative! Not with the trail of bodies you left behind!” Commander Moaz replied firmly. “Right, sir...” the ICPU team leader was then reminded of the body counts. “AT-4, M60 Heavy Machine Gun, Stingers, Claymores, signal jammers...fuck...these guys are planning something big with such armaments and it ain’t gonna be pretty” James fearfully commented as he magnified his computerized goggles onto the weapons cache. “My God...We can’t let the Russians procure such weaponry. It’s gonna be hell if they use it right here in South Korea. Peter, your new objectives are to apprehend both the Russians and Koreans dead or alive. Understood?” the commander asked. “Copy that, sir” Peter acknowledged as he continued observing secretly. “Unless we want to piss the South Korean government, we can’t afford to have any of them escaped or they’ll compromise the Korean Interpol’s case which they’ve been building for years. Is that clear?” the commander strictly warned. “Don’t worry sir, none of them are getting away...not on my watch” Peter reassured his commander. “The fate of ICPU’s relationship with the South Korean government rests solely in your hands. Don’t fuck this up.” The commander concluded before he discontinued his transmission. “Okay team, Commander Moaz is gonna rip our balls if we let any of these assholes escape. We’ve got to make sure we take them all in dead or alive” the team leader reminded. “Boss, I’m in position. I’ve got your six covered from here” Soo Tian reported as he got into position. “Melissa here. I’m in position. I’ll make sure none of them leave the parking lot in one piece” the sniper reassured while cocking her Barret M82 anti-material long range sniper rifle. “Okay here’s the plan, so listen carefully. Once I’ve detonated the explosive which I attached to the central power grid earlier on, darkness will fall. Those fuckers are gonna feel insecure since they won’t be able to see us. We’ll tell them to drop their guns and if they don’t ,we’ll waste them good. However, try to spare some of them if it is possible. Interpol could use some of them for interrogation later” Peter explained carefully. “Fuck yeah, let’s do it then!” Rachel replied excitedly. “Suppressors off. Let’s go loud” the ICPU leader added. “It’s about fucking time, I miss those screams of death which my rifle makes” James added. “Right on, brother!” Soo Tian agreed while he excitedly removed the silencer of his SR-25 sniper rifle. “This is it, team. Let’s get this right and go home”. Peter concluded before he grab whole of his remote detonator. “James, in position” James reported. “I’m in position. I’m locked, cocked and ready to rock!” Rachel reported as she prepared her light machine gun. “Sniper ready!” Soo Tian reported as he got his trigger finger ready. “I’m ready!” Melissa reported while she keeps a careful eye on the parking lot. “Night vision on, everyone! Let’s do it!” Peter concluded as he activated night vision for his goggles before hitting the remote detonator for the explosive.

The second the explosive went off, the central power grid was destroyed thus disabling every light in the mall. The commandos then popped up from their cover and screamed their lungs out in Korean and Russian demanding the gunmen to drop their weapons. The gunmen were then surprised with the sudden darkness; they could not tell the location of the commandos. One by one they began to panic but at the same time they refused to surrender. “How the fuck did this happened!?” one of the Korean gunmen screamed in anger. “Hey you fucking pigs! Take this shit!” screamed the Russian gunman before he opened fire blindly into the darkness. “They’re somewhere above! Let’s fucking take them out!” another gunmen screamed before he joined the gun fight; soon the remaining gunmen joined in hoping to kill their ambushers. “Take’em out! Take’em out” Peter ordered before he opened fire with his assault rifle. “Engaging the enemy...” James reported as he opened fire. “Die motherfuckers!” Rachel screamed maniacally as she laid her finger on her light machine gun which slaughtered the gunmen below her. “One down...two down...” Soo Tian reported as he stacked up his head shots. The gunmen tried fleeing but most of them were showered by bullets before they could even reach the exit; a handful of them managed to escape while the remaining pleaded for the bloody massacre to stop. The remaining traumatized gunmen who were curling cowardly on the pool of their comrade’s blood pleaded for mercy; they threw their weapons away and repeatedly mumbled “I surrender” in terror. “Fuck, they’re getting away! James, Rachel and Soo Tian, secure the area. I’m going after them.” Peter screamed as he noticed a handful of gunmen trying to escape. He immediately rappelled from the 1^st floor to the ground floor before giving pursuit. Soo Tian, James and Rachel approached the surrendered gunmen and cuffed them up before securing the weapons caches, the bag of money and the area.

The gunmen were heading for their SUVs at the basement parking lot; the ICPU team leader ran as fast as he hope to chase up with the gunmen. In the middle of his pursuit, he contacted Melissa telling her to prepare herself. “Melissa, I’ve got several tangos on the run! They’re heading for their vehicles, get ready to stop them!” Peter screamed as he continued his pursuit. The moment the commando entered the basement parking lot, he was welcomed with a barrage of gun fire from the gunmen; Peter immediately took cover behind a concrete pillar. He immediately popped up from his cover before returning fire; he managed to kill several gunmen in the process but the firestorm did not subside yet. As he returned more fire which forced the gunmen to take cover, he sprinted to a car nearby and slid down into cover; after reloading their submachine guns, the gunmen returned fire at Peter. “You’re not gonna take me in alive, SWAT!” screamed one of the gunmen in Korean as he fired his MP5K at the car Peter was taking cover. “Hey you! Cover my ass while I get this shit started” the Korean gunman continued as he hopped into a SUV before hotwiring the vehicle. “C’mon piggy! Come get some! Hahahahah!” the other gunman insulted in Russian before he continued firing his weapon. Peter blind fired from his cover but it hardly hit any of the gunmen. “Why you shooting the wall, bitch!?” taunted another gunmen in Korean. Peter tossed a flash grenade from his cover; as the white flash blinded his adversaries, Peter immediately rolled out from his cover, got himself up and opened fire on the gunmen. “Oh fuck! I’m getting out of here!” one of the gunmen panicked before he jumped into the SUV. The gunman managed to hotwire the SUV and he immediately hit the gas; Peter fired at the SUV but it did not help much in bringing the vehicle to a stop. He ran after the SUV while firing his weapon but he was too slow to catch up; he immediately stopped running and ceased fire before he contacted Melissa. “Fuck!, they’re getting away! Melissa! Fucking stop them!” the frustrated commando screamed. Melissa who was on the opposite building providing sniper fire with her M82 sniper rifle then spotted the SUV on the run; she aimed her crosshairs at the SUV before pulling the trigger. A .50 calibre round then struck the back of the SUV forcing the vehicle to flip and crash violently. “Bulls eye! Target down! He’s all yours, boss!” Melissa reported as she witnessed the SUV crashed. Peter slid in a fresh magazine into his M4A1 and approached the crashed SUV with caution. The injured occupants crawled their way out from the turned over SUV and one of them tried to point their pistol at the ICPU commando; Peter released a burst of shots into the persistent gunman’s chest thus killing him instantly. The other two immediately dropped their weapons and pleaded for mercy. “Oh fuck! Don’t fucking shoot us, man! We give up!” cried one of the terrified Russian gunmen. “Oh god! Please! We surrender! Don’t shoot!” the Korean gunman begged. Peter immediately kicked their weapons away before he cuffed the gunmen violently to the ground; he was later joined by Melissa who helped him secure the gunmen. Peter gave out a sigh of relief knowing that he completed the mission without any of the gunmen escaping. “Commander, Peter here. We’ve secured the mall...No gunmen escape...Mission accomplish” the ICPU commando reported. “Excellent work out there Peter! I knew I could count on you. Stay put for now, the police are on their way right now.” Commander Moaz replied with relief.

Less than half an hour later, a platoon of Korean police arrived at the scene; they apprehended the gunmen and secured the mall. Peter and his team of ICPU commandos regrouped with one another and they congratulated each other for the outstanding job. “So I guess we’re gonna be here for a little while longer seeing that we don’t have Sergei and Cho in custody” James said. “I guess so...” Rachel replied with regret. “Anyway, you guys did an outstanding job today. I couldn’t have done it without all of you. Oh yeah, Melissa! Thanks for watching my back...I owe you...” Peter gratefully thanked his teammates. “Don’t worry about it, boss” Melissa replied as she gave a pat on her team leader’s back. Shortly after that, a SUV arrived at the scene; Commander Moaz and several Interpol agents exited the SUV before they approached the ICPU commandos. “Excellent work, team. South Korean Interpol will take it from here for now” the commander began. “So what’s next, sir?” Peter asked. “Right now, you boys and girls need to get some chow and rest as you all look like shit. At the mean time, we’ll get acquainted with our Russian and Korean friends over here back at the Korean National Police Agency’s HQ ; hopefully they’ll cooperate with us. You’re all dismissed for the day. Go home and get some rest. You all deserve it” Commander Moaz concluded. “Thank you, sir” the commandos replied before they dismiss from the scene.

Later on that day

“Residents of Seoul’s downtown shopping district were awakened early this morning by the exchanges of gun fires when the Korean National Police (KNP) SWAT team conducted a courageous raid on an abandoned mall based on an anonymous tip, which was believed to be housing an arms deal between one of South Korea’s infamous crime syndicate and the Russian mafia. The raid which resulted in 18 deaths and 10 seriously wounded with no casualties or injuries on the police’s side concluded that the raid was an absolute success. The police discovered several weapon caches containing standard army assault rifles and a briefcase of $2 million at the crime scene; the director of the Korean National Police Agency, Yong Minh Wok was surprised that the crime syndicates in Seoul were capable of obtaining such firepower. At the same time, the director is also proud of the effort and dedication of the KNP’s Organized Crime Department which managed to detect and prevent further dangerous organized crimes which could jeopardize the safety of the public. Moreover, the KNP SWAT division which conducted a successful raid on the arms deal received the director’s applause for their professional and outstanding work. Despite the increased gang-related violence in Seoul, Director Yong Minh Wok firmly reassured the Korean public that the Korean National Police Agency will continue their fierce suppression on organized crime activities in Seoul; he added that this morning’s raid was just the beginning. This is Yoo Jun Sikh reporting, SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System).”

To be continued...

A Date That Made Me Feel Like A Million Bucks

It’s been almost 3 months since I went out with a girl and knowing that 3 months is long, I thought I actually lost my appeal and charm to the ladies. Losing my appeal and charm is something I can live with as I accept the fact that my appeal and charm diminish as I grow older; to even begin with, I was never really the ladies’ prince-charming type so I’m hardly bother by the fact that I’m still single until now, unlike most guys I know. However, curious of how much my appeal and charm have already diminished through the sands of time; I’ve decided to find out through a delicate social experiment: by asking a girl out on a date. My social experiment did not only give me an unexpected conclusion but at the same time, it made me felt like a million bucks.

Throughout this semester I hardly knew any new girls in campus seeing that I’m never the social type and I’m already contented with my current friends; however, I managed to know a new girl in university from a Japanese class that I enrolled this semester. I wouldn’t say she’s a girl as she’s 7 years older than me but since she looks younger than me, this time would be exceptional. This girl I knew in my Japanese class isn’t a student; in fact she happens to be my instructor’s assistant. Saori is her name and she’s a Japanese (which also explains why she isn’t a student in my Japanese class). Saori is a very helpful assistant as she does not only ensures that no one is having difficulties in their work but also offers great help to those who need them. Initially, I hardly paid any attention to her as I realized that it would be difficult to know her seeing that she’s a boy magnet which attracts plenty of competition; however occasionally, she’ll ask me if I’m alright with my work and if time allows, we might have a chat for 1 or 2 minutes the most. The fact that our interaction is mostly restricted within the limits of just “hi” and “bye” , I never really thought of becoming more than acquaintance. However seeing that we managed to have a long talk with one another after a coincidental meet up in the campus hallway, we somehow extended our relationship into the “potential friend” zone. After that long conversation with Saori which ended with the exchange of our Windows Messenger’s e-mail, I knew we could be friends if we continued like this. When I thought of which girl would be suitable for my social experiment to determine what a turnoff I am, I had difficulties in the beginning as there were almost no girls for me to ask due to my anti-social behaviour. Saori was the only one in my list and I thought of asking her on a date but I was afraid that I might freak her out seeing that I’m taking things too fast. On the other hand, maybe a first impression would give an accurate conclusion so I decided to cowboy up and ask her out for a date. To my utmost surprise (and joy), she said “yes” the moment I asked her whether she would like to go out on a date with me; so I guess I still have some of my appeal after all.

Despite having a solid conclusion to my social experiment, the next problem was served when I was clueless regarding what to do on my date with Saori. I knew I had to come up with something solid as I did not want her to regret saying “yes” to me, consequently I spend the remaining days before our date, figuring out what to do. Luck wasn’t really on my side as I had no solid plan of what to do on my date but fortunately I briefly knew how to begin.

On the day of my date, I was nervous but I constantly reminded myself to stay calm and relax; unfortunately, it didn’t help much. I met Saori at the lobby of my apartment in the afternoon and I greeted her with a smile, which I hoped was not hideous enough to scare the crap out of her. We left the apartment and on the way to the bus stop, I asked her whether she’s into Mexican food or not; the second she said she was a big fan of Mexican food, I knew the both of us already had something in common. While waiting for the bus at the bus stop, we exchanged accounts of what we did for the long weekend. We also traded our own perspective of Kamloops and our experience in Thompson Rivers University. Seeing that she never met anyone from Malaysia, Saori had plenty of questions regarding my country and I was happy enough to oblige her enquiries. When the bus arrived later than usual, which I couldn’t be bothered seeing that I was enjoying my time with her, we hopped onto the bus and headed for the Mexican restaurant which was in downtown. On our way, we continued our chatter and this time we discovered each other’s hobby and interest. Less than 20 minutes later, we were already in downtown; after getting off from the bus, we stroll our way to the Mexican restaurant which was just a stone’s throw. At the restaurant, we discovered our second thing in common when we unexpectedly chose the same Mexican dish---Chimichanga, which later had us both laughing together. Over lunch, we exchanged our interest in the kind of books we read, the type of movies we see and the genre of music we listen to. To both of our pleasant surprise, we had a lot in common in terms of books and music. After our splendid lunch at the Mexican restaurant, we took a walk together at the park alongside the river at the same time enjoying its tranquility and the relaxing scenery. We snapped a couple of photos together and as the wind became stronger and colder, we were forced to leave the park; despite our short stay at the park, it was still pleasant. We later hit the comic book store and we browsed the Japanese mangas together. I later introduced my favourite comics to her and she did the same too which couldn’t be any more enjoyable for the both of us. After half an hour of comic browsing in the comic book store, we headed for a nearby coffee house where we continued our chatter. To top up the fun, we even traded jokes with one another which simply made our stay at the coffee house better. As the day was getting late, we decided to call it a day; consequently, we left the coffee house and headed for the bus stop. On our way back to the bus stop, the wind which became colder and stronger had us both running together to the bus stop. Although we had to miserably run our asses off, we somehow enjoyed the run due to the companionship that escorted it. It was a shame that we could not take the same bus back together as we were living in 2 separate places; nevertheless, we told each other that we will be looking forward to seeing each other again. My date with Saori was the best thing that ever happened to me so far this semester.

My social experiment did not only give me an unexpected conclusion but at the same time, it made me felt like a million bucks. I guess I got more than what I wanted and boy, it sure feels good. Despite the fun and joy I experienced with Saori, the fact that she will be leaving for Japan for good next Wednesday deeply saddens me. It is a shame that I did not know such a wonderful girl like her earlier on.