"This is Dawn 1 Actual. All Squads report status. Over."

"Dawn 1-2, Okay. Over."

"Dawn 1-3, Okay. Over."

"Dawn 1-4, Okay. Over."

"Dawn 1-5, Okay. Over.

"Dawn 1-6, Okay. Over

"Copy all squads, commence sweep. Dawn 1 Actual Out."

Lilith Oleander stood next to the radio operator as they monitored the spetsnaz units communications from their C-130 Hercules. Lilith had learned Russian so she could operate in Eastern Europe, but she hadn't expected how quickly she would put it to the test. Using information gathered by their scouts and from the intercepted radio signals Lilith had put together a detailed outline of the Russian units numbers, weapons, and movements. McCabe's scouts were very skilled in their selected profession. The invading force was moving into the Gorudan compound focusing on strategic positioning and flanking expected hardpoints. 2 T-90 main battle tanks supported by well equipped infantry were the main problem, but there were also 2 Mi-8 transport helicopters attempting to drop off additional troops. And this was only the first platoon. There were 2 more besides. Dawn 2 and Dawn 3. The communications had made that much clear. She tapped her manicured fingers on the edge of the metal table. This didn't seem right. One of the helicopters was headed towards the air strip as expected, but the other was heading towards the mine. "Why go there?" she wondered.

A frown weighed down her delicate features. Even if they beat back this incursion, if things continued as they were then there would undoubtedly be many casualties. A further reduction in manpower would make it difficult to finish loading the cargo, and that would make it difficult to extract it before they sent reinforcements. Plus, She couldn't forget that the loss of suitable candidates for the entry program would be most disappointing; But then again, this would serve wonderfully as another test of the mercenaries abilities.

Roughly a quarter of their forces were in the mines with Segradov, but radio contact hadn't been re-established for over 25 minutes. Meanwhile McCabe and the rest of his men were preparing to mount a defense using what was left of the munitions from the storehouse, but they would be cut off from the mines momentarily; effectively ruining their chances of being reinforced quickly. The Mercenaries were professionals, but even with support from their own choppers this could quickly turn into a slaughter. The only thing they had on their side was the element of surprise, the Russians should have no idea they were there. The radio was quiet for a few minutes. McCabe was busy getting his men into position while the Russians were methodically advancing. This entire mission was becoming one incident after another, first that strange pink haired girl, but now this.

"Dawn 1-3 here, possible hostile sighted. Confirming." Said a young soldier.

Lilith arched an eyebrow. She tapped the Radio operator on the shoulder and he handed her the microphone.

"Black Actual this is Steel Angel, do you copy? Over." She waited a moment.

"Steel Angel this is Black Actual, go ahead." McCabe responded in his gruff irish inflection.

"Black Actual have your teams been engaged? Over."

"Negative Steel Angel, my men have only just made it into position, over." Before she could respond the spetsnaz squad reported in again.

"Dawn 1 Actual this is Dawn 1-3, confirmed contact. Civilian, Young, white hair. She's uhm.. Naked. And she looks malnourished, possible vagrant. Something looks.. Off about her. What are our orders? Over."

"Roger that Dawn 1-3, standby for orders. Over."

"Roger that Daw-" There was a brief pause. "Wait, there are multiple contacts now, 4 counted. They're just watching us, over."

Suddenly an older voice interjected. He sounded urgent. "Dawn 1-3 this is Command, There are no civilians on site, terminate all contacts with extreme prejudice! Over!"

"Roger tha-" There was a scream at his end of the broadcast; Then a stunned silence. "W-what the- contacts are hostiles! Fire at will, fire at will!" He shrieked.

Automatic weapons fire shook the speakers in front of Lilith. "They aren't going down, focus your shots people. Aim for the center mass!.. Shit, we're surrounded-." There was a wet, fleshy, rip, like someone tearing a chunk off a piece of meat.. Then a sickening gurgle and a gush of what could only have been a large amount of blood. The broadcast continued and the steady gunfire soon became sporadic, and amidst the screams of dying men it stopped altogether. The Colonel in charge wasted no time in issuing new orders while Lilith and the radio operator listened in stunned silence. "Dawns 1-2 and 1-4 attack to Dawn 1-3's last known position!"

"This is Dawn 1-2, that's a negative! We have been engaged by..something. I- I don't know what these things are." Screams of terror echoed hauntingly through his microphone, easily drowning out their attempts to fight back. then all was silent. "Please no.. Please don't!" The young man cried. A feral snarl and a terrified whimper were the last things he transmitted.

Lilith stayed quiet in terror stricken curiosity. The Russian colonel continued to bark orders at his men. They were bringing in the next platoon to reinforce them, but they were losing ground and men fast to this unknown assailant. He continued to try and reach Dawn 1-4. All attempts failed until the squad leader of Dawn 1-4 himself reported his current situation.

"This is Dawn 1-4 Actual, requesting reinforcements! The T-90 has been overrun and half my men are KIA, I repeat half my men are KI- Oleg, on your six!" The staccato burst of an AK-74 crackled through the speakers. "what the fuck are these things?!" He shrieked through his radio.

After that there were no further transmissions from Dawns 1-2-1-4. Similar reports were already coming from every spetsnaz unit in the field. Slowly the flood of reports became a trickle. Each one cut off abruptly or ended in a bloodcurdling scream. Some units just weren't heard from again. Soon there was only one voice on the air. A young mans voice, quaking with fear, could be heard praying. Praying and crying. For 36 long seconds this young soldier prayed between sobs. He begged god to save him, pleaded with him to let him live, to spare him just this once. At the end of the 36 seconds there was a brief rustling and a metallic clank. A window shattered and He spoke only a few more words. "God please forgive me." He whimpered. There was a deafening gunshot and the transmission jumped to static.. His god had abandoned him. All that was left was a deafening silence. Within 20 minutes every soldier in Dawn 1 and 2 had been killed, leaving no one to scurry back through Gorudans front gate. Only the Mi-8s hovered a cautious distance from the ground. Lilith was frozen, the haunting voice of the praying soldier resonated through her mind spreading intrigue and confusion like an infectious disease. Suddenly her brain was racing with questions. What was happening down there? What could wipe out an army unit, including heavy armor, just like that? The only response she got was her own thundering heartbeat. It wasn't just loud; it was ear-splitting; Completely drowning out the steady hum of the C130s engines. Her shocked eyes stared without truly seeing as a single bead of sweat trailed down her brow.

The radio operator looked up at her with wide eyes. "Ma'am, what is happening?" She licked her dry lips, trying to force some moisture back into them before she spoke. "I- I don't know." They sat there for a mind-numbing moment, uncertain of what to do. Suddenly a voice shattered the uneasy quiet.

"Black Actual to Steel Angel, what in the hell is going on? From where we are, it looks like the entire hostile taskforce just went up in smoke. Over." As McCabe's voice bellowed through the C-130 hercules she remembered what was at stake. All of their lives, but more importantly the security of the organization she had sacrificed so much for. A gleeful smile played across her lips. She had finally remembered that this is what she loved, what she lived for. Reiner, her radio operator, already wore the same excited grin. She cleared her throat and spoke in a collected tone of voice, careful not to betray the excited gleam in her eyes. "McCabe order the men to form a defensive line from storehouse 3 to the eastern barracks. Use every method at your disposal to prepare for an assault. Also, have the gunship take out those transports. They may still have troops on board. Your previous orders still stand. If it isn't a known friendly, terminate it on sight. Hostile forces are unknown. Copy so far? Over."

"Unknown Ma'am?"

"Yes Colin, Unknown."

There was a reluctant pause before he spoke again. "Copy so far ma'am. Over."

"We're landing the hercules at the airstrip. Send 1 team to rendezvous with us. We'll secure the area and finish loading the cargo. When we're done you are to exfiltrate via the choppers. Just hold the storehouse. Copy all? Over." There was another pause before his response. "Copy all, Black Actual Out." Lilith wiped the sweat off of her forehead. This mission had just grown a great deal more exciting.

2 weeks prior, Northeastern Russia

Nikilozi woke slowly. He had been dreaming sweetly and it took him a moment to remember where he was. The steady rumble of the van; Plus the warm body he felt underneath his head brought him back to the present. He quickly sat up and looked at his sister, Katya, apologetically. She was asleep herself but she still noticed the movement.

"Where'd my blanket go." She mumbled sleepily. She tried to twist and turn but the cramped quarters of the van wouldn't allow it. Instead she ended up with one leg on Nikilozi's lap, and resting her head on the shoulder of the man seated next to her. The man looked at her and chuckled to himself before turning his attention back to his own whispered conversation. Nikilozi scratched his head through his balaclava tiredly, but smiled at his sister warmly. They had met up with this group a number of hours before, and the notice for the job had been so last minute that they had to scramble to make the rendezvous. He looked around the cabin of the van. Almost everyone was asleep or trying to rest. It must have been that way for all of them. The warm air inside the van was stuffy thanks to the van's heater, and smelt slightly of sweat, but it wasn't too bad yet. He rubbed his sore butt. The seats might as well have been made of brass though. Nikilozi shifted uncomfortably, trying to find a better position. Suddenly the van gave a lurch. It wasn't huge, but it was enough to bring back one of his oldest and inconvenient foes. He clutched his uneasy stomach. All at once it felt like it was going to flip end over end. He gently pushed Katya's leg off his lap and hunched over in his seat, trying to relieve the motion sickness in some way. If he got sick in here, he wouldn't be making friends with these guys anytime soon. There was a tap on his shoulder. Nikilozi turned his head to see the man next to him had woken up. It must have been the bump they had hit that did it. He was an older man with tidy, close cut brown hair and a carefully shaven face.. He was slightly graying around the ears, and he wore a concerned expression.

"You okay kid?" he whispered in english.

Nikilozi didn't want to open his mouth instead he just nodded aberrantly.

The man held up a single finger. "Hold on, I got something that will do the trick." He reached inside his large jacket and pulled out a pill bottle. He popped off the cap and tapped a single large pill into his gloved hand.

"Here, take this."

Nikilozi looked down at the round amber pill reluctantly. It didn't look like any medicine he had seen before, but the man was insistent.

"Go on, it will make you feel better." He said and smiled warmly. The man had no reason to lie to him Nikilozi figured, so he took the pill and popped it into his mouth. It was surprisingly sweet, like candy, but it was also slightly spicy like pepper. The taste reminded him of something, but he just couldn't place it. He only admired the taste a few seconds before he swallowed. The man gave him a surprised look but just chuckled to himself and patted him on the back. Nikilozi hunched over slightly and held his stomach. . "Oh uh, right. Sorry about that." The man said with a sheepish grin. Nikilozi grinned back to let him know it was alright.

"Thank you very much." He said softly as he straightened back up.

"Hey, no problem. Gotta look out for each other right?"

Nikilozi smiled again and nodded, a little more reassured than before. The man offered a hand to Nikilozi. "Samuel Stanneford."

He took the hand and shook it eagerly. "Nikilozi Beresov. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The feeling's mutual." Samuel nodded. "I've never seen you before, so I know you aren't one of ours. Who're you with?" Nikilozi motioned to the ever-sprawled form of his sister.

"I am with my Sister, Katya. I'll be operating a PKP in the Mi-24." He said proudly.

"A hind, huh?"

Samuel slowly looked around him at Katya. His mouth dropped open and he gave Nikilozi an incredulous look. "You're Devil Kat's brother?" He said a bit too loudly. The man sitting across from them stirred but didn't wake up. Samuel looked at him a moment before continuing. "I didn't even know she had a brother. Quite a sister you got there." Nikilozi scratched his head thoughtfully.

"I didn't realize you knew her. Do you know Vladimir and Kyle too?" Nikilozi asked. Vladimir Gorenko and Kyle Galdikas were the two other flight crew members of their Hind. Vlad was the co-pilot, and Kyle was the gunner opposite Nikilozi, as well as the flight engineer. At least that's what his sister had explained to him while they had departed for the rendezvous point almost half a day earlier.

Samuel paused to think. "Well I know Vladimir, he's a pretty good guy. As far as I can tell the other one, Kyle I think his name was, keeps to himself. So I haven't met him yet. But we first met them on a job over in Indonesia. It was a rough one, but your sister got us all out safely. She may not look it, but that girl can fight like a woman possessed." Nikilozi looked over at the sleeping form of his sister. She was always so nice to him, he couldn't imagine her hurting anyone. The thought made him a little sad.

Samuel stuck his head up and looked around. "Speaking of which, where are the other two guys from your crew?" He asked.

"Oh, they were at the airfield working on the Helicopter when the call came, so they said they'd meet us there."

"That makes sense." He nodded again. "So what was your previous outfit?"

"Err, well it is winter, so I wore clothes similar to this." He said motioning to his large olive drab winter jacket, cargo pants, and heavy brown boots respectively. "Why do you ask?"

For a moment Samuel gave him a strange look, but then he howled with laughter. He attempted to stifle his loud snickers and excited guffaws to ill effect.

Nikilozi scratched his head again. "Wait, was it something said?" He asked confusedly

Almost half a minute later Samuel was wiping tears of mirth from his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. "You're a funny guy Niki, I have a feeling hanging around you is a trip." He said in between a few final fits of chuckling. "But really, what unit were you with?"

Suddenly the man from earlier woke grumpily and gave Samuel a dirty look. He was a complete contrast to Sam's clean shaven and mature look. Scruffy blonde stubble layered his face and his shoulder length hair was strewn manically across his mouth and eyes.

"Say wrinkle dick, think you could be any louder?" He taunted as he brushed his hair to the sides of his face. Samuel scowled at him. "Depends Klaus, would that annoy you?" The man reciprocated a similar look.

"The only thing that annoys me is when you stink up the can with your morning dump."

Samuel gave him a look that would stop a blind man in his tracks. "Do you really wanna do this right now you little turd?"

Klaus sat up from his relaxed position and readied himself. "No time like the present old man." There was a noticeable tension in the air as the two men locked eyes. They seemed to be trying to get the better of the other by pure intimidation, but this wasn't destined to stop there. At this rate it would come to blows. Nikilozi looked from man to man trying to figure out what to do. The animosity had been so sudden. He didn't know how, but he knew he had to calm these two down before it became any worse.

"Hey guys-." He began. As if on cue both men jumped out of their seats and swung. For a second it seemed like they both connected, but their hands locked in mid-air.

"1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a thumb war!" Both men whispered in unison. Nikilozi sat there dumbfounded, his motion sickness forgotten, as the battle raged on. They were completely engrossed in their ridiculous fight as their thumbs clashed. After a lengthy fight Samuel pinned Klaus's thumb. Samuel plopped back in his seat, victorious.

"You're getting better Klaus, but you'll never beat me. You should just stop trying." Sam taunted.

Klaus pouted. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get a big head because you beat me this one time."

"And the hundred times before this one too, don't forget all of those."

Klaus scoffed at him. "I just didn't want to hurt you is all."

Samuel laughed again. "Well I certainly do appreciate your concern." He said sarcastically.

Klaus gave him a wicked grin, "Anything for my elders." Nikilozi just shook his head incredulously. Klaus noticed him for the first time and motioned to him with his head. "Hey Sam, who's your new friend?" Sam turned to look at Nikilozi. "This, dear Klaus, is the brother of the Devil Kat." Klaus's eyes widened in surprise. "No shit?"

"No shit." Sam responded matter-of-factly.

Klaus watched him for a few seconds, sizing him up. Then he smirked. "He doesn't seem so impressive." The van hit a minor bump and Klaus braced himself against the cold metal roof of the van. "In fact, I bet he's just like Vargas. A complete Sissy." He said jokingly.

Before Nikilozi could respond a shout came from the front of the van. "Hey Jaeger, sit your ass down!" A man with a serious expression and dirty blonde hair cut in military fashion was turned around in his seat. He stared Klaus down with cold, blue eyes. Klaus obeyed stuffly and sat down in his seat. "Sorry sir." He shouted back unenthusiastically.

"Yeah, yeah." The man turned around in his seat without another word.

Samuel looked from the front of the van back to Klaus. "Richard never was your biggest fan, was he?" He laughed.

"It's not my fault his mommy never taught him to take a joke." Klaus said grudgingly.

The van gave another lurch and a sleeping man's head rolled onto Samuel's shoulder. Samuel didn't seem to mind until he noticed the drool seeping out of the corner of his seatmates mouth. It was already drizzling down the heavy grey fabric of his jackets arm. Samuel palmed his face and pushed him away.

"Well in Richard's defense, you did ruin his favorite pair of boots. They were pretty nice too." He said as he reluctantly wiped the sticky liquid off of his shoulder.

"Either way, having to give a sponge-bath to every rust bucket in the damned motor pool was uncalled for. Guys gotta take a chill pill sometimes, know what I'm saying?" Klaus lamented.

Samuel shrugged. "Well, You reap what you sow as they say." He looked down at his watch and sighed. "Hey you should get some more sleep. I don't think we'll be at the air strip for another few hours." Klaus thought on it for a second and gave him a mock salute. "You don't have to tell me twice W.D." He closed his eyes and slunk back against the black cushioned bench.

"Oh, by the way." He leaned forward and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you brother of the Devil Kat. You got a name?" For the umpteenth time that day Niki shook hands eagerly. "Nikilozi Beresov." Klaus grinned his wicked grin. "Klaus Jaeger, good to meet you new guy." Klaus leaned back once again. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He pulled the brim of his patrol cap down and got comfortable. Within minutes he had dozed off. A peaceful silence settled over the van once again. The only sounds were the rumbling of the van as it made it's way through the small town's streets and the quiet snoring of the assorted men and women. Samuel settled in too. He folded his arms and leaned back just like Klaus. Nikilozi thought he had fallen asleep until he finally said something.. "You should do the same Niki, we've got a long way to go." Nikilozi nodded in agreement and followed Klaus's and Samuel's lead, careful not to lean on his sister again. Admittedly he was very tired. Car rides always exhausted him. The last thing he heard before the welcoming blackness enveloped him was Klaus and Samuel's bickering.

"Hey Sam?"

Samuel grunted tiredly.

"Fuck you."

Sam responded with a loud, wet snore.

Hours later

This time Nikilozi woke to a soft hand brushing his face. He felt a familiar body heat as he sleepily looked up at the smiling face of Katya, his older sister. Her reddish-brown hair was neatly brushed to the sides of her face, and she looked down at him with warmth in her eyes.

"Welcome back to the land of the wakeful little one." She whispered.

Nikilozi sat up quickly, embarrassed, causing her to smile to herself. She hadn't minded his slumbering embrace one bit.

"When did you wake up, sister?" He asked softly.

"Only a few minutes ago. It appears we're the first ones to wake." She motioned to the others.

She was right. Nikilozi scanned the dark interior of the van. All of the other men and women were still asleep, including Klaus and Samuel. Samuel still lay exactly as he was, but Klaus was more off his seat than he was on it. Nikilozi noticed that the steady rumbling of the van's engine had come to a standstill. As if signaled, the double doors at the end of the cargo bay swung open. The unwelcome sun poured in, fighting back the sleep-filled darkness. Two men stood in the light-rimmed doorway. One was the serious blonde man whom Samuel had called Richard, but there was a second man with a bandana wrapped around his head skull cap style, and a pair of goggles perched on top of that.

The new man smirked and banged his fist into the door repeatedly. "Alright ladies, rise and shine." Anyone who wasn't woken up by the light already, quickly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of their eyes. "There ain't no bacon and eggs here people." He continued. "But each and every one of you gets a nice tall glass of get the fuck out of my van." He cackled at his own joke and moved out of the way of the stiff-legged mercenaries. Katya turned to her brother. "Stay close to me Niki." She ordered gently.

Everyone stood up and filed out of the van, eager to stretch their bodies. Katya grabbed Nikilozi's hand and guided him towards the doorway. Nikilozi jumped out with her, and Klaus and Sam came after them. Nikilozi immediately looked around their new locale. The air strip was about 50 yards away to the east. Right next to that there was a large warehouse-like building. Following the air strip were multiple hangers of different sizes, all housing different aircraft. Their Hind was no doubt in one of them. Almost completely surrounding the area was a large forest. A fresh layer of snow blanketed the ground, and the sky looks like it was ready to unleash another torrent; One of the side effects of being so far north during winter. The air was cold and refreshing through his clothes, but the icy wind nipped at his exposed eyes like a pair of frozen daggers. The incoming storm was going to be a bad one. He held up his hand to stop the onslaught of frozen mist, but through his gloved fingers he still saw the woman with the pink hair emerging between the snow enveloped trees.