Black Watch
A disgraced élite and decorated SAS officer is recruited into an underground fighting ritual known as Divine Battlefield.
SYNOPSIS
SIMON NOBLE, orphaned as a baby under ubiquitous circumstances, is left at the steps of an Ashram in one of London’s poorest Asian boroughs. There he learns the ancient Indian Martial Art Kalarippayattu. He takes the name Simon Noble upon reaching adolescence and joins the SAS, Britain’s top military special force, where he further hones his fighting skills rising quickly through its ranks. Having proven his skills as a top sniper in the Afghan NATO theatre, he leads a group formed from various élite forces from around the world, known as the Vipers, to hunt and terminate insurgents in Afghanistan.
An operation gone awry leaves many innocents dead and Simon, a now decorated SAS officer, is dishonourably discharged to placate the Afghan and Pakistani governments. Tossed out by the career he loved, abandoned by his friends, and abandoned by his girlfriend in Stockholm; he’s left with no recourse. Down and out he contemplates suicide when he’s rescued from the abyss and is given a lifeline by his former Viper sniper buddy, TETSUYO ITO, to work for a private security firm doubling as a front organization for an underground fighting ritual known as Divine Battlefield. Divine Battlefield’s sponsors are an international group of exceedingly wealthy, powerful, well-connected persons ranging from government to corporate to criminal seeking entertainment beyond what they can regularly obtain. They are part of an organisation known as Black Watch whose tentacles are widespread and has been in existence for centuries.
Divine Battlefield is a game in which the combatants don’t know who is friend, foe, participant, opponent, or that they are part and parcel of the game. The global monitoring and surveillance network of webcams, traffic cameras, emergency vehicles, satellites, drones and CCTV cameras broadcast the match real-time in front of the sponsors who wager on its outcome. Each sponsor has a prized gladiator, and the only contact a gladiator has is with his handler, not his sponsor. As far as the Gladiators are concerned their handlers are their sponsors who in turn are members of Black Watch.
After being forced to kill a participant, Simon delves deeper into the game’s hierarchy. Where upon he discovers that his sponsor is Russian/Armenian arms dealer, VIKTOR GRYGORIAN. Simon now finds his redemption. Together he and Tetsuo set out to stop Divine Battlefield and dismantle Black Watch. They may win the battle but can they win the war?