Chapter 1: "The Lost Boy"

                It was late afternoon in the City of Arkansas. The cold breeze embraced the whole place. People were moving back and forth. The City was loud and crowded. But then, there was a sound that surpassed all.

             “Mommy, mommy, mommy”, mumbled by the crying little boy who was lost in the middle of the crowd.

      “Mommy, mommy, mommy”, he repeated.

 People stopped to look at him for a little while but then the crowd continued to moved. No help, no empathy to the lost child.

                 Days had past, there was no sign of his mother. Many people have noticed the boy at the park for almost a week and said, “poor kid, I think his mother left him for good” the boy heard everything but was paying no attention. He believes his mother would not leave him like that, his mother loved him so much.

                A huge storm came that evening, the trembling sound of thunders and splashing of lightnings were everywhere. The boy was shaking in fear then shouted, “Mommy, mommy, mommy, where are you! I am so scared mommy”, he cried harder and louder but no body hear him.

         Shaking in fear and cold the poor boy saw a shadow from a distance. He attempted to stand but his visions got blurry due to fatigue, stress and hunger. Before he collapsed, he felt a strong arm that grabbed him.

                Adam woke up and startled from that nightmare again, pain was all over his body. His hands were wet and his heart was beating so fast. He managed himself to get up and grabbed a glass of water.

               “thank God, it was just another dream”, he mumbled.

He sat at his coach and close his eyes for a little while. He always does this every time he had those dreams.

                 Adam was now the Alpha of the elite US military force. He was famous in accomplishing great missions together with his Team SEAL SIX. An undeniable handsome and rich bachelor every woman desires. His broad shoulder proves his strength and his physiques tells he is the ultimate Alpha. Yet, amidst all the accomplishments, none of it can withstand all the bitter memories from his childhood.

         

    “Good morning Major, the chief is looking for you”, first Lt. Dan greeted.

    “Good morning Lt. Dan, copy that”, replied Adam and he immediately reported to the office of the Commander in Chief, Augustin Levonn.

 Walking back and forth at his office, the Commander in Chief received an order. He was deeply troubled. He wasn’t sure by this time if he will send the Team SEAL Six for this mission. He knew that this was not an ordinary battle. He knew that this could kill the whole team, this could kill his beloved son, Adam.

  “Can I come in?”, said Adam behind the door.

He knocked multiple times but the Chief did not hear it due to his worried thoughts.

 “Yes, come in”, the chief replied.

Adam felt something strange as he approached the chief. He knew His father was up to something.

        “New Mission?’’, Adam uttered to broke the awkward silence.

         “How are you?”, greeted the old man.

 Ever since, they never had a normal father and son relationship. They never tried to eat meals together. From the day Commander Augustin adopted Adam, he raised him like a military soldier. At the age of four, Adam never experienced to play. He spent his childhood in studying, gun shooting, martial arts, and practicing critical fighting techniques. Poor child. Adam had a traumatic childhood. No friends and was never enrolled to public school. He never played at the park and laugh out loud like any other normal kids do. Adam grew tough yet cold. Smart yet emotionless.

     “Everything’s fine”, replied Adam in cold voice. “What’s new?”, why you call my attention? New mission?’’, he added.    

      “I just want to check on you, you have been into a lot of missions these past few years, I heard you are doing everything perfectly fine.” Stated the old man in a sincere voice.

 “oh really”, Adam did not expect the words he just heard, he felt unease. He knew something strange was going on.

“Come on, hit the bullet, I know you did not call me for that shallow reason, I knew you”, Adam added.

  The old man composed himself, His ego was something you should not touch, His worried eyes shifted into anger and bitterness.

 He turned His face away from Adam and directly face the big monitor behind him. He switched it on and data’s appeared.

“There is a new order, base from the intelligence report, they found a signal that comes from the lost fighting plane twenty-five years ago. They located it at the Philippines, they have been looking for it for many years but failed to do so during the search operation. They said, there must be something on that place, so you and your team were designated to find the lost plane and rescue if someone is still alive”, stated the Commander in Chief in a cold tough voice.

 “Are you kidding me? SEAL SIX is not made to rescue a long lost fighting plane, we are made for worst battles, why send us if the mission is that easy? Is this a joke?”, Adam answered in a sarcastic way.

 “That is an Order”, shouted the Commander in Chief, his voice was embedded with disappointment, fear and anger. The atmosphere suddenly turns into something indescribable.

“You and your team are made to follow orders, you have no right to question every assignment that was given to you, you think of yourself too highly Adam, don’t you ever dare to forget who you are if I did not pity you”, even if you will cloth yourself with armors and weapons, to me, you are still that pity boy that I rescued twenty-four years ago. You have no right to demand anything because you have nothing to begin with, Now go out!”, shouted the old man.

Adam left speechless. His fist was ready to punch the Commander but deep down in his soul the old man was right. No matter what he will do, he is nothing. Before the emotions get mixed up, he turned his face away from His father and moved towards the door.

“Adam!”, shouted the commander, the tone of his voice indicates that there was something that bothers him,

“Adam, my little boy”, the old man mumbled.

Adam hated that kind of atmosphere. He decided to move and go out from the room as fast as he could but before He close the door, he heard his father uttered a statement that he never heard before.

“I am proud of you! I am so sorry for making you like me”, the old man sob in silent.

Adam can’t fine any words to say. His throat dried up and his heart begun to beat fast. Adam was trained for worst battles but he was never trained to surpass deep emotions. He knew, if he will stay too long his knees might be weaken, so with all his might, Adam shut the door and said nothing to his father before he left.

“I made him just like me”, the old man uttered hopelessly.

( FLASHBACKS )

   “Son of a slut, son of a slut”, shouted by a group of men to the young boy. Augustin was not born in a privilege family. He was raised by a mother who have multiple partners and a father who battered him day and night. Both of his parents were drunkard and put all their frustrations to young Augustin. The little boy begged for food at the crowded streets every day.

    At the age of ten, Augustin decided to leave his parents and live in the streets all by himself. He learned multiple survival skills. He never cried. He never felt compassion to anyone. He sees everything as an object. He was emotionless. His main goal was pure survival. At the age of nineteen, He became part of a mafia, was sent to prison cell many times because of juvenile delinquency. The worst case he did was when he killed his own boss of Mafia at the age of twenty-two. When the police department knew about this tough man they search for Augustin and offered him to became part of a special task force in the Military. He was the first ALPHA of the elite military force before he was promoted to where he was now. He was feared by everyone in the military force, he doesn’t bow down to anybody. He is like a living dead. Alive yet numbed.

            One late evening when he is heading towards home, there came a huge storm. From a far, he saw a young boy crying helplessly. At first, he tried to ignore him. He walked as fast as he could but the loud agony of the child dives within his soul. For the very first time, Augustin hold a hand of another creature. The little boy blocked out. He grabbed the boy, carried it on his back and from then on, he decided to raise the kid as his own flesh.

The next morning, the lost boy couldn't speak any words.  Augustin tried to ask for his name but heard nothing.

Few days have past, the little boy started to mumbled

   “Again, can you repeat what’s your name?”, asked Augustin.

   “Adam”, replied the child in a low voice.

   “Good, from this day forward, I am your father, you will be my son, your name is ADAM LEVONN, you will have my last name so you have to be great for I am great. Everything I command you follow. Is that clear to you?’’, said Augustin.

   The child nodded as his reply. Knowing from the background of Augustin, he grew up without a loving father. He doesn’t know how to display affection. Every time they eat, they ate separately. Both of them were silent, cold and emotionless. The only thing that they have in common is their passion in fighting. Augustin buy guns instead of toys, he let Adam played with knife and sniper. To them that set up was completely normal. No wonder they end up being the same. Even if the two of them don’t communicate in words, they both knew that deep in their hearts they love each other as father and son. The only thing that blocked them was they don’t even know how to show it nor say it.

 “My boy”, the old man mumbled as he reminisced the day when he found Adam.

 The telephone rang that made the Commander wake up from day dreaming.

  “Hello”, uttered by a playful voice from the other line.

   “Hello, it’s me, did I forget to tell you not to call me at the office?”, the chairman answered in a low irritated voice.

“Relax commander, am just checking on you as a friend, I just want to know if the great Commander Augustin knows how to follow orders”, the voice from the other line burst in laughter.

“cut this crap, I will call you when I get home, everything is fine as planned”, replied the commander.

“bravo, bravo, bravo, how great thou art me amigo”, the voice from the other line replied with amazement.

“by the way, I have heard that your son is the new APLHA of SEAL SIX, I never thought you are that committed to this mission commander”, the other line added and laugh out loud.

 The commander dropped the call immediately. He suddenly lost his balanced, his knees were shaking and his head felt numb. He stayed on his coach in great agony. He knew, he can no longer withdraw the decisions he had made. The only thing he hope now was that his son will finish the mission and return home safely. Deep in his heart, he knew his son will never forgive him if he will discover the truth behind this mission.

 “Prepare for a mission, we are ordered to leave one week from now”, Adam commanded to his team.

“What is the mission all about Sgt. Major?”, Dan the first Lt. ask.

“they have found the lost fighter plane twenty-five years ago, the coordinates pinpoint Philippines particularly in the mountainous part of the country, which is Maguindanao, they want us to rescue if there is anyone who survives. The number of days for this mission is infinite, the order allows us to go home once we find the plane. It means the faster we move our ass the earlier we can go home from this mission. They give us four days leave to bid farewell to our love ones and to rest as well”, Adam replied.

 “that sounds intriguing to me Major, why send us if the mission is not that big?”, asked the second Lt. Aliya.

“We are trained to obey first before we complained second Lt., for this matter the Commander in Chief refuse to disclose too much information. The order is clear, find the lost plane using the given coordinates, find any survivor, then mission accomplish. Is that clear?”, demand Adam.

“Copy Major”, said the five sub ordinates.

The SEAL SIX was an elite force made to combat heavy battles, they undergone life and death training. Sgt. Major Adam Joseph Levonn have mastered all the skills in combat. His wisdom to make good decision made the team safe in every mission. His leadership style was incomparable.

First Lt. Dan was the second lead, he masters code and tech. weapon. First Lt. Lorenz and Lt. Jim, masters the art of battle, they fight like a lion in every battle ground. The two are the best pair in man to man sparing. Second Lt. Aliya masters the art of sharp shooting. Her sniper was her best buddy. Together they made the best team.  They never lost in a mission, there dedication to their work was more and beyond. They are the Ace, the last weapon of US military force, if they lose, then the rest of the military force will be in danger.

         Tuesday morning, the team were all ready to depart. Before they leave, the Commander in Chief ask Adam if he can spare a minute. Adam feels unusual based from the action his father was portraying.

 “We are about to leave, any follow up order sir?”, ask Adam to his father.

 “Nothing, I just want to see you before you leave”, Augustin uttered in a calm voice.

Caught in an awkward situation, Adam remained silent. What was going on? Why his father was becoming more vocal? Adam could no longer comprehend his father’s thoughts. He was not used to it. Something was wrong but Adam couldn’t figure out.

“Come home safely, I will be waiting for you, I will make a dinner for the two of us”, his father added.

      Before Adam could say a word, his father turned around and walk away from him. He watched His father carefully and noticed that the strong man he once knew was now getting older.

        The whole team have departed, all are positioned on each spot. Ready to accomplish the mission that was given to them.

     “baby, my baby,”, uttered by a soft voice of a woman.

     “save me, save me, save me my son”, cried by the woman.

“Mommy? Mommy? Is that you? Where are you?”, shouted the little boy who lost himself in the dark, searching for the voice who called him. Suddenly a hand grabbed him.

 “Major, Major is everything alright?”, asked Lt. Aliya who was worried at his condition.

 Adam was sweating and his heart beats so fast. He was trying to catch his breath.

 “Yes, yes I am fine”, answered Adam.

As he looked at the window, he noticed that they have just arrive at the Philippine Archipelago.

Puzzled by the woman in his dreams, Adam knew, he needs to focus on the mission that they were about to face.

Deep in his heart, he was still that lost boy after all.