Part 1 – Paneu Revolution
Paneu, Southeast Asia's best kept secret, a set of islands nestled somewhere in the South China Sea, in 1922, the Chinese discovered the set of islands, and set up a small outpost.
During World War Two, before the U.S. got involved, as Japan was sacking China, Imperial Japanese Forces claimed the islands as Japanese-occupied territory.
After the liberation of the Philippines on August 15th, 1945, the U.S. landed a small strike-force on the island to spy on the Japanese on August 30th, and within two days the operation was called off as Japan surrendered.
On September 2nd, 1945, World War 2 ended, and the Islands were turned back over to China as part of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.
A lot of back-alley fighting between the U.S. and the Soviet Union occurred on the island over the course of the Cold War.
At the end of the Cold War on December 25th, 1991, the U.S. set up a trading outpost on the islands, and established a U.S. presence.
On October 19th, 2016, while the island-nation's economic state dwindled, a revolution led by the son of the nation's Prime Minister who called himself Amon overthrew the government of Paneu, and Amon installed himself as the island-nation's dictator.
A U.S. Peace-Keeper's commission comprised of military administrators, Representatives of State and a U.S. Senator named Toza was sent to negotiate peace, and within minutes of landing on the island, Amon had them arrested, and jailed.
Three days later, news reached the U.S. that Toza was arrested, and outraged sprung forth, demanding the U.S. go to war.
Meanwhile at C.I.A. Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, Director of Clandestine Operations for the Agency, Deputy Director Tenzin was having a meeting Secretary of State Lin Beifong about courses of action.
"I'm surprised we've avoided having riots in the streets this long," Tenzin said, "We can't hold out like this forever."
"What do you propose?" Lin asked.
"I have one agent that says she has a theory," Tenzin said as he hit the intercom button on the table, "Tell Agent Korra she can come in."
Five foot nine American/ Latino C.I.A. Field Operative Korra walked into the office dressed in a woman's tuxedo, her long brown hair tied behind her head in a pony-tail, and she was carrying a file underneath her arm.
"Korra," Tenzin said, "Please have a seat," Korra took her seat in front of Tenzin, "I understand you have a proposal to deal with the situation in Paneu?"
"Yes sir," Korra said as she held out the file, "I wouldn't be coming here if I didn't know this was the right way, but extreme problems call for extreme solutions."
"I don't like it when you say that," Tenzin said as he took the file, the front of the file had the U.S. Department of the Navy's seal impressed into the front, Tenzin opened it, and his eyes opened a bit further, "Out of the question," he passed the file to Lin.
"You're never going to get the President to agree to send in the Navy SEALs," Korra said, "I wouldn't be presenting this to you if I wasn't confident in his abilities."
"He's an unpredictable variable," Tenzin said, "We can't trust him."
"We might not be able to trust him," Lin said, "But we need him," Lin looked a Korra, "You two were close am I right?"
"Yes," Korra said, "We were good friends."
"Then in that case you can guess who's going to recruit him," Lin said, "Where is he?"
"That's the tricky part," Korra said, "He's gone under the radar ever since he resigned."
"Surly someone's seen him." Tenzin said.
"There have been several sightings of him," Korra said, "The latest sighting of him is in Asia."
"What country?" Lin asked.
"Nepal." Korra said.
"Kathmandu," Lin asked as she looked at Tenzin.
"Maybe," Tenzin said, "There is a civil war in the country, and Kathmandu is the center of the movement."
Lin looked at Korra, "Can you handle yourself in that city?" She asked.
"I'm no little girl," Korra said, "I'll take care of it."
Nepal…
Korra was driving an old Willys Jeep through the battle-torn streets of Kathmandu, dressed in a pair of Danner ACU Desert TFX Rough-Out GTX boots, a pair of khaki cargo pants, a white tee-shirt, and a light-Kevlar vest.
She had a Browning BDA holstered at her hip, and an EVO3 SMG slung around her back.
She was very uneasy, she was in a country she had never been to before, in a city under siege by radical revolutionaries, and looking for a man she hadn't seen in three years.
After a few minutes, several bullets hit the side of Korra's jeep, and one of the tires went out.
Korra scrambled out, and drew the EVO3 as she peered out from behind the jeep she saw that the rebels were firing at government troops, the bullets that took out the jeep were ricochets.
Korra took to her heels, and ran into an alley which was littered with trash.
After exiting the alley, she found herself in what could have been a scene in a post-apocalyptic thriller, the street was cracked, and there were charcoaled corpses everywhere.
As she started moving up the street, an AMX-32 tank came toward her with the rebels behind it.
Korra swiftly turned around, and started running, as she did the tank took aim, and fired.
The shell missed her completely, bounced off the hood of a nearby car, went straight through the wall of a building, and exploded on impact.
Korra swiftly turned around, and fired at the rebels who started falling, then firing back.
The tank aimed again, and fired, the explosion threw Korra sideways, and stunned her.
As the rebels approached, Korra could hear her ears ringing, her head spinning, and as she tried to push herself up, one of the rebels pushed her onto her back.
One of them raised his rifle to fire, but before he could, the tank exploded, and as the rebels turned around, a single man leapt over a destroyed car.
The man came down upon one of the rebels with a flying-knee kick, and launched the rebel against a single car, smashing the car's windshield, and knocking him out cold.
One of the rebels raised his AK-74u, and as he did, the man turned around and gave the rebel a spinning crescent kick to the jaw.
Another rebel came in with his AK-47 that had an attached bayonet, and as he did, the man grabbed the rebel's AK, spun him around, and tossed him on the roof of a car before delivering three swift strikes to the man's nose.
The second to last rebel came up behind him, and raised his Beretta M9.
The man swiftly turned, swatting the man across the face with the AK, then drove the bayonet into the rebel's gut, took the Beretta M9 out of his hand, and fired at the last rebel.
The man let the rebel he was holding fall to the ground, and then turned around to face Korra, "You ok?" He asked.
"Yea," Korra said as the man helped her to her feet, "I've been looking for you."
"I know you have," the man said as he pulled down his mask to reveal Mako, a six-foot-four Japanese/Caucasian ex-Navy SEAL.
"Mako," Korra said, "It's been a long time."
"Three years," Mako said, "That's a lifetime isn't it?"
"We need to talk," Korra said, "There's…"
"We can talk when we're safe," Mako said as he turned around, and hurled the M9 in the face of the rebel he slammed into the hood of the car.
Mako and Korra took to their heels, and ran.
As they were passing through a small alley, a gunmen came around a corner with an AK-12, "Korra down!" Mako exclaimed.
Korra dropped to the ground as Mako ran up the side of the wall, then used the momentum from pushing off the wall to kick the rifle out of the rebel's hands, after that, he slammed the rebel's head into the wall, and kneed him once in the face.
After Korra stood up, Mako pulled her against his chest, and then went flat behind a wall.
"What are we…" Korra spoke before Mako covered her mouth with his hand that covered the entire lower half of her face.
She grabbed his hand just in time to hear the approaching footsteps of probably thirty to forty men.
Korra's grip on Mako's hand grew tighter as she heard one of them had stopped.
The man stayed stationary for a few seconds before returning to the convoy because his CO called him.
"Move," Mako whispered as he let go of Korra.
Mako and Korra moved to the end of the alley, and they found themselves face to face with a city dumpster, "Help me move this," Mako said as he grabbed hold of the side of the dumpster.
Korra held onto the same side, and pushed the dumpster aside to reveal a hole in the wall that led somewhere.
Mako then pushed Korra inside, then climbed in behind her, and slid the dumpster back in place to cover the entrance.
Korra felt someone standing behind her, she knew it was Mako, but she couldn't see him because it was so dark she couldn't see her hand in front of her face.
There was a small 'cling' and a click as the dim light from a zippo lighter Mako was holding created a tinny flame that illuminated a small area.
"Where are we?" Korra whispered.
"My safe house," Mako said as he reached up, grabbed hold of a light-switch, and pulled it down.
The resulting click caused the entire room to light up, and what Korra saw was no surprise.
The room was a small eighty by eight room with a small bed, a couple weapons, some lighter fluid, a spare lighter, some clothes, a duffle bag, a computer system, and a small thing of gasoline.
"We need to talk," Korra said.
"Surely," Mako said as he removed his shirt, revealing his muscular build, a blue Japanese dragon covered the top of his left bicep, and ended six inches above his elbow.
On his right arm was a tattoo of the U.S. Navy SEAL insignia, around his neck were a pair of dog tags, what wasn't there the last time Korra saw him was a set of bandages that wrapped around his waist, and then once around his shoulder.
"What happened?" Korra asked, unable to tear her eyes away from his amazingly sculpted body.
"Happened yesterday," Mako said as he changed into a black polo tee-shirt and sat down at his computer, "The Nepalese government is paying me a quarter million to gather intelligence on the rebels stronghold and movements. I ran into a small convoy moving some heavy weapons through the city, and when I radioed it in my contact said the government would pay me to destroy the weapons. As I was making my get away, I was shot in the side. Just a graze wound though, nothing serious though."
Korra sat down on the single-bed Mako had set up which was very neatly made, obviously military.
Resting on the table next to her was a Sig Sauer P226, and as she leaned back against the wall her hand fell against the pillow, and she could make out the outline of something.
Korra lifted the pillow, and found a small Ruger LCP with a gold plated trigger.
"Prepared for everything aren't you," Korra asked as she watched Mako pull out a Karambit knife, and unscrew the bottom of the hilt, then allow a small black flash-drive to fall into his hand.
"Yep," Mako said as he plugged the flash-drive into the computer, and started typing away with his left hand as he spun his knife around in his right, "So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"The U.S. needs your help Mako," Korra said, "You ever heard of a small island-nation called Paneu?"
"Yes," Mako said, "A series of islands in South China Sea. Scene of a lot of back-alley fighting between the C.I.A. and the K.G.B. during the Cold War. As of now though the Prime Minister's son has overthrown the government, and kidnapped a bunch of U.S. military personal and U.S. Senator Toza am I correct?"
"Yes." Korra said.
"And the Agency decided to send you out to recruit me?" Mako asked.
"Yes." Korra said.
"Honestly," Mako said as he pressed the enter key, "What does the Agency have with a simple super soldier such as myself?"
"Mako," Korra said, "Bolin was one of the soldiers they sent in."
Mako's eyes shot open, and his knife clattered against the floor right before he turned around, "What?" He asked.
"Ever since you retired Bolin has become the U.S.'s go-to military asset for all kinds of high-risk missions," Korra said, "We never expected them to be captured the second they set foot on the island."
"Is he alive?" Mako asked.
"Yes," Korra said, "Ever-since the implementation of the vital-chip we've been keeping a close eye on our operatives. He's being held in a small fortress on the island. You're his brother, and you were the very best. The Agency is willing to pay you to go in, extract Bolin, and kill the new Prime Minister."
"What are we waiting for," Mako asked as he saved what he was doing, unplugged his flash-drive, and started to gather his things.
Mako unzipped his duffle bag, and revealed a leather vambrace with the logo of the U.S. Navy and the symbol of the SEALs impressed in gold into the leather.
What he attached to the bracer was what made Korra raise her eyebrow, Mako attached an automatic grappling-hook, and then locked it into place.
After sliding on his leather vest which had the symbol of a flame on the back, he attached the bracer to his wrist, and then holstered his P226 at his waist.
After that he slid his LCP into a holster he had mounted to his back, and slid his knife away after placing the USB drive back into the grip.
Once he stuff was packed up, Mako grabbed the tank of gasoline, and poured it over the console.
"What are you doing," Korra asked as Mako was pouring the gasoline over the computer.
"Rule one of intelligence gathering that I learned in the SEALs," Mako said, "Never leave a trace."
After emptying the can, he tossed it aside, reached behind the console, and retrieved a Fabrique Nationale FNC assault rifle.
After slapping the magazine into the rifle, pulled back on the cocking-drive, and picked up the spare lighter he had on the table.
"Up the ladder," Mako said as he pointed at the ladder Korra didn't notice.
Korra started up the ladder, and Mako followed her, right as Korra scrambled out the top onto the roof, Mako ignited the lighter, and tossed it toward the gasoline-soaked console.
After that he continued up the ladder right as the lighter hit the console, and set the thing ablaze.
After exiting the safe house, Mako led Korra across the rooftop, down another ladder, and over to a garage that opened onto street level.
What was inside the garage was a 2004 Ford Ranger that was covered in a layer of Kevlar, another layer of sheet metal, and had an M60 machinegun mounted on the back.
"What are you prepared for World War 3 here?" Korra asked.
"This is for getting out of the city when you need to," Mako said as he opened the passenger-side door, threw his duffle-bag inside, and jumped in the bed, "You drive, I'll shoot."
Korra took her seat, and started the car, realizing it was a manual she sort of relaxed because her father taught her how to drive a manual car, and her first car was actually a manual 1971 Ford Mustang.
After pulling out of the garage, and onto the streets of Kathmandu, a few shots hit the side of the truck, and bounced off, "Go, go, go!" Mako exclaimed.
Korra floored the Ranger, upshifted into second then third as Mako turned the M60 around, and started firing.
As the rebels started firing back, Mako took a few shots at several barrels mounted on the rooftops, and as he did, they exploded, and sent fire raining down on top of the rebels, forming a wall of fire between the truck and the rebels.
After that, Mako sat back against the window of the ranger, and pushed the glass aside, "We're clear," Mako said as a bullet ricocheted off the floor, and got stuck in the Kevlar an inch from his face, "Ok," Mako tapped the bullet hole, "Almost had my name on it."
"Where to?" Korra asked.
"Half a mile outside town," Mako said, "My contact said he was going to meet me there."
Once they were that far outside town, they ran into a Nepalese Army blockade who stopped them, and asked for identification.
"Alpha Zulu Bravo." Mako said.
"Aren't we all," the Nepalese Army Commander asked as he slapped Mako on the shoulder, "What took you?"
"Family reunion," Mako said as Korra stepped out of the Ranger.
Mako then drew his Karambit, unscrewed the bottom, and let the flash-drive fall into his contact's hand.
After plugging the flash-drive into the computer one of the Nepalese Army soldier brought forth, he retrieved a stainless steel suitcase, and held it out to Mako.
Mako unclipped the suitcase, and opened it to reveal that it contained twenty ounce gold bars, "As promised," Mako's contact said, "One quarter million in twenty ounce gold bars."
"It's all there," Mako said as he closed the case, and took it from is contact, "Tell General Tang it was a pleasure doing business with him. You think one of your helicopter boys can give me and the lady a ride?"
Mako's contact snapped, and signaled them to get the chopper ready.
They boarded the chopper, and lifted off heading for home.
More will be explained later…
