C511 Family Protection

We all understood why Pixel was worried. Her father's death had already changed her life. She had sought revenge, and that revenge had now tied her to Samson's murder. Whether Hanna discovered the truth tomorrow or several weeks from now, Pixel had given her another reason to strike back. Cipher nodded slowly. "Your family will receive protection." Pixel lowered her eyes. "Thank you." Silver shifted in her seat before speaking. "My family needs protection too." Everyone looked towards her. "I'm not sure whether Hanna recognised me from that funeral photo. But I don't want to assume that my family is safe simply because I haven't heard anything from them." She glanced at Pixel. "If Hanna decides to investigate what happened to her father, she might eventually connect the people involved to their families. I'd rather have someone there before that happens." Cipher nodded again. "Agreed." Then she turned towards Survivor. "What about the Heaps family? Do you think your family needs a platoon?" Survivor shook her head. "I think they'll be fine for now. My father has seen a lot in his life, and he understands what danger looks like. When I asked him to increase their security, he didn't question me. He understood that something serious was happening."

She gave a small shrug. "My father might not know the details, but I trust him to take the necessary precautions. If the situation changes, I'll let you know." "All right," Cipher said. She stood and moved towards the table, where she picked up a pen and began organising our options. "Let's make the assignments." Everyone watched as she wrote down the names of the four platoons. "The Wolves will protect the Wood and Chambers families. The Falcons will go to the Gomez family. The Ravens will protect the Stokes family, and the Highlanders will go to the Mooney family." She looked up. "Does anyone have any objection?" Nobody spoke. "Good. Then we'll proceed immediately." She picked up her phone and dialled Leon's number. It was late, but we could not afford to wait until morning. The call connected after a few rings. "Boss?" Leon answered. "Is everything all right?" "No, Leon. We've encountered a serious problem, and there isn't time to explain everything over the phone." His tone changed instantly. "What happened?" "I need you to listen carefully. As of now, the four platoons are officially being activated under the volunteer forms they signed. All thirty-five employees who volunteered, including you and Edwards, are to be placed on this assignment." Leon went silent for a moment. "All thirty-five of us?" "Yes."

Cipher glanced at me before continuing. "I want Lucia Goods to deposit ten thousand dollars to each volunteer as an advance for this mission. The money must be transferred under Lucia Goods Company. Nobody should have to worry about immediate expenses while carrying out this assignment." Leon sounded startled. "Boss, ten thousand dollars each?" "That's what I said. Make sure the payments are processed as quickly as possible." She paused, allowing him to absorb the information. "Lucia Goods will be closed for the next seven days. No employee is expected to report for ordinary work during that period. This is an emergency deployment." Leon hesitated. "Boss, what do you need the platoons for?" "To protect our families." Her answer was short and direct. "We believe they may be targeted in the coming days. I don't want to take any chances." Leon didn't ask another question. "Understood. What are the assignments?" Cipher consulted the list in front of her. "Send the Wolves directly to the Wood family. They will also be responsible for assisting with the protection of the Chambers family. Send the Falcons to the Gomez family, the Ravens to the Stokes family, and the Highlanders to the Mooney family." "All right." "Make sure every volunteer understands that this is a serious security assignment. They must coordinate with the existing security personnel at each location, assess the surroundings and remain alert. If an armed attack occurs, they must protect the people under their care and respond to the threat."

Her voice hardened. "And Leon, make sure everyone understands that these families are to be treated like their own. If necessary they must shoot to kill. "I understand, Boss." "Good. Call Edwards and arrange everything. I want the platoons moving as soon as they're ready." "I'll take care of it." Cipher ended the call. For a moment, she stared at her phone before setting it down. "Now we wait," she said. "No," I replied. "Now we make sure the warning reaches our families before the platoons arrive." Cipher nodded. We immediately began contacting our relatives, explaining that additional security personnel would be arriving to protect them. We kept our explanations brief. There was no need to frighten them with every detail, but they needed to understand that the situation was serious enough for us to take these precautions. Meanwhile, Leon acted quickly. He contacted Edwards and informed him of the emergency deployment. Edwards froze when he heard the news. "All thirty-five volunteers?" he asked. "Including us?" Leon nodded, even though Edwards could not see him. "Yes. The boss has activated everyone who signed the volunteer forms. Lucia Goods will be closed for seven days, and the company will transfer ten thousand dollars to each volunteer as an advance for the assignment." Edwards took a moment to process the information. "So what about the company?" "We're protecting the families. That's what we volunteered to do."

Edwards nodded. "All right. Handle the payments. I'll inform everyone in the group and make sure they understand the assignments." "Good. I'll contact the finance manager." The call ended, and Leon immediately contacted the company's finance manager. She was understandably confused when she received the request. Transferring such a large amount of money at short notice was not part of an ordinary working day, especially so late at night. But once Leon explained that Cipher had authorised the payments and that the company was facing an emergency, she agreed to come in and process them. Within a short time, the finance manager was on her way to Lucia Goods. Edwards, meanwhile, began contacting the volunteers. Messages arrived one after another as the employees confirmed that they had received the instructions. Some asked questions, while others simply acknowledged the orders and began preparing for deployment. There was no time for a lengthy briefing. Everyone knew that they had signed the volunteer forms for a reason. They might not have expected the situation to become this serious so quickly, but they had understood from the beginning that their commitment could one day require them to step beyond the ordinary responsibilities of their jobs. That day had arrived.

When the finance manager reached Lucia Goods, Leon was waiting for her. Edwards had already begun organising the volunteers, confirming their platoon assignments and making sure everyone was accounted for. The financial transactions were processed as quickly as possible. One by one, the volunteers received confirmation of their payments. Then came the preparations. The members of each platoon gathered their assigned equipment, checked their supplies and prepared for the journey ahead. The company had maintained equipment for emergency security operations, and the volunteers collected what they needed from their lockers in the training hall. Within the hour, the four platoons were ready to move. The Wolves departed first, heading towards the Wood and Chambers families. The Falcons followed, travelling to the Gomez family. The Ravens made their way towards the Stokes family, while the Highlanders prepared to secure the Mooney family. Leon and Edwards coordinated the departure, checking that each group had received its instructions and knew whom to contact upon arrival. Before the final group left, Leon looked around the now-quiet company premises. Lucia Goods had never been intended to become part of a war. It was a business, a place where people worked, trained and built their futures. But our lives had become too complicated for the company to remain completely separate from the dangers surrounding us. Tonight, its people were no longer simply employees. They were volunteers answering a call they had made long before the crisis began.

Back at the Border, the Lions continued making calls to our families. But we made one thing clear, the people arriving from Lucia Goods were not strangers who had been hired at the last minute. They were people we trusted, people who had voluntarily agreed to help protect us when danger came. Cipher had given us a specific instruction, and she repeated it to us before we finished our calls. "Make sure your families understand that the Lucia Goods employees are to be treated like family. They are not disposable guards, and they are not there to be ordered around without respect. They have agreed to put themselves in danger for our sake." She looked at each of us in turn. "We owe them the same loyalty they are showing us." Nobody disagreed. After some time, Cipher received confirmation that the first groups had arrived. She released a slow breath. "At least they're no longer alone," she murmured. I moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. "They won't be easy targets now." She looked at me, but the worry in her eyes did not disappear. "That's what I'm hoping for." We had sent our platoons to protect our families. Now we could only hope they had arrived in time. Because somewhere beyond our reach, we knew Hanna was making plans of her own.