“So I need to be walked through this situation,” Aja said. “How is it we were hired to both protect and ransack the same cargo?”

“Well, ah, Colonel Hunnah, who worked for the Mossad while he worked for the SAS, will be leading Blue Team, with the objective of protecting the package,” said Tonin. “He was hired through our joint North Korean shell company Globomex, along with weapons and equipment.”

“So there would be a delay since everything has to go through Pyongyang. Twice.”

“And Major Retter, who is semi-retired from the YoY, will be leading Red Team in turn,” Tonin continued, “with the objective of securing the package. He was hired via Project Untraceable via secure 512-bit encryption, paid in advance upon receipt.”

“So unless someone gives us the key, the encryption is essentially unbreakable?” Aja said.

“Well, I’m hearing good things about quantum computing in tackling previously unsolvable problems…”

“Within the next 72 hours, Tonin.”

“Ah, no. Unlikely at best.”

Aja clicked a nail loudly on the tabletop. “I don’t like this. Blue Team was kited along so that Red Team could be hired in the time it took to get the first deal inked. Whoever put this together knew exactly how we operate.”

“Indeed,” said Tonin. “So what do we do about it?”

“We need to figure out a way to satisfy both clients, without killing our best field operatives.”

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