Knowing you're going to wake up on a coffin is one thing, but actually waking up in a coffin without freaking out is another. This was the only way out; they had him and what they had him do was their way of keeping him. He was public enemy number one now, about to be air-dropped into the Pacific Ocean in a coffin.
He was dead, at least symbolically. He was also dead legally; a doctor had declared him dead after lethal injection. The concoction they gave him was likely derived from a blowfish, like the powder the witch doctors used to use. He remembered that one from a movie his uncle let him watch as a kid: "Serpent in the Rainbow". That one scared him a little back then. Well, it wasn't his actual uncle, he had been adopted by a gunsmith and his wife. The old Vietnam veteran was a bit of a survivalist. Growing up was basic training and survival skills. It was almost as if he was groomed for what he had gotten himself into. When he was old enough he did join the military. He eventually made Army Ranger and had taken as many of the extra training exercises that were voluntary. He had the sniper patch and even for him it was not easy. It took more than one attempt and all of the previous training to barely pass.
A friend once told him to make sure and get certified as a medic so they wouldn't have to send him on missions. All of that was for nothing once the black ops guys got to him. These dirty bastards he had signed up did the jobs that could cause wars. They had to be erased. How do they erase you? Training accidents and other deaths that can be faked. Now if they really want to keep you close they humiliate you and destroy the old you.
He drew the kill-a-hero card. Apparently heroes can become liabilities if they are the bragging type. Idle hands as they say. As long as they fund someone to focus on. The ones that still have the lust for battle, trying to relive old glory through activities like bar fighting or drug running. Better they die a hero than become a liability if they also have sensitive information and like to brag about missions. Supposedly he was to join the best of the best by being the worst of the worst. They erased all of his special training from the records. Next they gave him some acting lessons. He would be referred to a hero as having PTSD and all he had to do was get him comfortable until he dropped his guard and shoot him in the back, both figuratively and literally.
It went against everything he knew and stood for. He was instructed how to act in court to get no remorse. He was discharged from the military so he was tried by a state court that was known for doling out the death penalty. His lawyer was an operative, briefing him on what would happen. He knew about waking up in the coffin. They had hooked him up to oxygen; they were going to drop him from 30,000 feet out of the plane. Hopefully the parachute would open up. There was a tracking device in the coffin. The coffin was supposed to be able to float long enough for the submarine to pick him up. His next mission would likely start once he got into the submarine.
Confucius said: "When you seek revenge, dig two graves" or something like that. So what happens when it is not revenge but simply a matter of following orders?