The door opened and two armed men entered into the room. They headed in Emily's direction. Sonny stood and placed himself just in front of her. It was the guy from the other day, and he didn't want him near her.
"Move", said the guy with a very pronounced accent as he grimaced in front of Sonny.
"You're not taking her anywhere", replied Sonny.
The guy jammed the cross of his rifle in Sonny's stomach. Sonny keeled over. The guy used the cross of his rifle again to jam it in Sonny's back, sending him to the ground.
When he was on the ground, they kicked him a few times.
Emily rammed into one of the men that was kicking Sonny, but before she could do anything to him, more men entered the room, grabbed her, and immobilized her.
They took her outside of the room against her protests and kicking, to the point that they lifted her and grabbed her legs.
Bravo team entered hurriedly into the operational HQ and looked at the General.
"This was sent to General Folami's attention, to pass on to us".
"What is it"?
"The proof we were waiting for".
He turned on the TV screen and pushed play on the remote control.
The first thing they heard, was Emily's voice begging them to stop. Eric and Jason's heartrate increased.. What were they doing"?
Suddenly a man's voice with a strong foreign accent was heard. "This is a message to the United States Navy currently stationed at Port Bouet in our country. You are not welcome here and this is what will happen if you get in the way of the civil war and our action to overthrow the current government".
The camera finally shifted to something else than a blank concrete wall.
In the middle of a courtyard, Sonny was hanging roped to a wooden beam and being whipped. The camera closed in. Sonny's back was bleeding from the lacerations, his head was hanging, and his eyes were closed. It was difficult to say if he was dead or simply unconscious. Looking at the state of his back, it had already been going for a while.
The camera shifted again and showed Emily tied up to a wooden pole, then the video stopped.
All of them stood, momentarily speechless, their fists tight, a mix of rage and pain in their eyes.
Eric was the first to break the silence. "They are alive, that's all that matters. But it's obvious we're running out of time".
Trent looked at him. "Sonny won't be able to last long if they do this repeatedly".
Jason nodded. "I agree. He's tough but it's obvious he's taking more than he can".
"What about Emily"? said Lisa.
Trent moved closer to the screen and looked at it. "She's been injured".
"How can you tell"? asked Clay.
"You see here, just showing above her shirt collar? it's medical tape and the top of a medical bandage".
He scanned the picture again. "And her arm also. There's a bulge underneath her shirt between the elbow and shoulder".
He stepped back and Jason blinked a couple of times. "What is your assessment"?
Trent shrugged. "There's no apparent blood that has seeped out, so at first sight, I'd say she's OK. Although I don't know if she's been sutured or what the nature of the wound is. The only thing that worries me is a potential infection. Seeing how they treat Sonny; I doubt they gave her antibiotics".
"Unfortunately, there is nothing on the video allowing us to indicate where they are being held", said Goodwin. "And I think it's clear that we are running out of time. I suggest everybody gets a goodnight's rest. Well keep monitoring the area early tomorrow".
Little by little, the room emptied leaving Jason alone sitting on the edge of the table right in front of the screen that still showed Emily. After a few minutes he stood and stopped within touching distance of the screen. His hand reached out and his finger traced Emily's cheek.
"I will come for you, I promise you. Just don't give up on me now".