***

For the very first time in his life, Lt. Tyler Tyron Wesley couldn't school his features to conceal what was going through his mind. To think he'd been called to an emergency meeting on a national holiday when he was busy partying with his friends, to listen to this crap. He couldn't believe what the Admiral was asking of him. Babysit a kidnapped victim?

"With all due respect, Sir, I'm neither an undercover cop nor a detective. Or a babysitter for that matter." Ty rasped. "I'm a SEAL. And that's all I…"

"I know what you are, Lieutenant." The huge elderly man, sitting comfortably behind his desk cut Ty off. "This is a very important and delicate mission and not some ordinary babysitting job. And BN-16 has requested that you handle that part. They wanted my best man in Arrowheads. And that is you, Wesley. We are dealing with ZONKAI. And you know how ruthless they are. We need you to become part of them, get them to trust you…to make sure that girl comes out alive. We all know ZONKAI never allows its victims to go. At least not alive. But we need to make sure this one stays alive. The president has given his word and it's up to us to ensure he's not disgraced."

"So I'm to pretend I'm part of ZONKAI?" Ty looked incredulous. "And how can I even get in? And even if I do get in, how can I possibly pull this off? I'm more of a soldier than a spy. Besides, I hate the bastards and won't hesitate to put bullets in all of them the moment I'm in their midst and you know it, Sir. They did kill Anderson, remember?" Yes, Ty would never forget how his colleague had been killed in the line of duty by that coldblooded verminous group.

"Patience, Lieutenant." Admiral Mathias chuckled. That was one of the reasons he liked the young Lieutenant. Most men became tongue-tied and terrified when they faced him but not Lieutenant Tyler Tyron Wesley. He never hesitated to ask questions or state his opinion on any issue, even to Admiral Mathias' own superiors. That was why everyone seemed to think he was the man for the job. The guy had spunk. "Everything has already been arranged."

"How, Sir?" For a moment Ty thought the Admiral was high on drugs or sleep talking.

This was fucking ZONKAI he was talking about. It was without a doubt one of the most ruthless and deadliest crime groups in the world. ZONKAI made all of the other groups in the US seem like foolish kids selling drugs. It was known for drug smuggling, black market gun sales, theft, contract killing, human trafficking, and assault, especially on law enforcement. They didn't care about any kind of victims, even kids, and women. The group was notoriously violent, relentlessly cruel, and merciless, with plenty of well-documented crimes.

ZONKAI had a military structure that had helped keep order within the group. It was believed that the head, who was called Ghost, had a military background and had even succeeded in infiltrating the U. S. military. As a member of the Arrowheads, Ty knew emphatically that ZONKAI was too deadly and meticulous to be fucked with. He, therefore, didn't get the Admiral at all.

"Ever heard of Skull?" The Admiral asked, leaning back in his chair with an amused look on his face.

"Who hasn't, Sir?" Ty responded. Skull was a popular notorious criminal on the FBI's most-wanted list. He was believed to be extremely brutal and was feared and revered in the criminal world. There were lots of highly classified crimes attributed to his name. It was believed that amongst the known crime groups in the world, the name Skull was not only feared but was also worshipped in some circles. No one had ever seen the guy but it was said that he had tattoos of a skull on his back and on his forehead. He must be one scary-looking son of a bitch, Ty couldn't help but think. "He's a psycho legend." He muttered.

"He doesn't exist." Admiral Mathias said, looking intently at Ty…waiting for his reaction.

Ty huffed out a laugh. "Sir, he is real. I know at least six jobs the guy has been credited with. What do you mean he doesn't exist?" Ty asked with a frown.

"The keyword there is 'credited'." The Admiral gave the word air quotes. "He's not real. Skull was created by the FBI years ago. We knew he would come in handy one day. And that day has come." The Admiral grinned, obviously enjoying himself. "You are Skull."

"What?" Ty gasped.

"You are to report to the BN-16 headquarters at Zero Eight Hundred Hours, tomorrow to be briefed on your new assignment, Lieutenant. Get ready to head out on Monday. You are dismissed." The Admiral stood up, indicating that their meeting was over.

"Err… Sir?" Ty stood too.

"I have a meeting, Lieutenant." The Admiral said abruptly.

"You have to give me something here, Sir," Ty growled, getting pissed. "I believe I deserve to know exactly what this is all abo…"

"You will be briefed tom…"

"And I'm saying I need to hear it from you first, Sir. This is my unit and you are my Admiral. Not BN-16. Sir." Ty sounded as mean as he could manage, hoping he wouldn't get into trouble for his attitude. After all, that was Admiral Mathias he was talking to. And everyone knew how deadly the man could be.

The Admiral, who was of the same height as Ty, stared Ty down with his hard eyes, the slight tic in his left jaw showing how pissed off he was. Then with a deep sigh, he sat back in his chair and stared up at Ty, who now towered over him.

"You son of a bitch." Admiral Robert Mathias muttered. "You just had to excel in everything didn't you?" He growled. "I have to watch you go into the lion's den because your immediate superiors and my superiors insist you handle this job since you are the best man on the team. You have no idea how I wish I could pick another person." The man groaned, suddenly looking older than his age.