"These kids aren't ready."

"We weren't ready."

"We were so ready."

"I was ready, you got weak in the knees and ran off."

"I killed Valentine."

"You cried when you left the Mansion with your dog. Who you didn't shoot."

"Just start the music."

Why try? I know why
The feeling inside me says it's time I was gone
Clear head, new life ahead
It's time I was king now - not just one more pawn!

The team was to jump from the plane over the Mexican desert. Two teams of seven each, one led by Galahad and one led by Lancelot. Below them was a compound, originally used for truckers crossing the border as a waystation; drop off a trailer, get a new trailer, drive back, while a different trucker takes the dropoff. Naturally, it was often used as a means of smuggling drugs and immigrants, totally beneath the notice of the Kingsmen, who would normally leave that to Policia Federal.

However, in the year after the Valentine riots, and with most of the Mexican government leaderless and/or corrupt, it had become overrun by one of the four major Cartel families that had begun to slowly overtake North America. Now the facility was the next best thing to a military base, with soldiers, trucks, and even a few tanks operating out of the facility.

Agent Kay, who had been missing since Agent Galahad was murdered, had turned up during the Kingsmen's search for missing and dead agents. Most of the Kingsmen were missing or dead: Percival had succeeded Charles King as Arthur; Agents Gawain and Tristan were killed by the implants exploding, as they had collaborated with Arthur; and Agent Bors was killed during the crisis.

The Kingsmen had been left with five active agents: Arthur (formerly Percival,) Galahad, Lancelot, Bedivere, and Ywain. The plane flying above Mexico was filled with all twelve trainees. The rule was that injuries meant elimination as a candidate.

It was definitely overkill, bringing that many Finalist candidates to this kind of an operation, but given how undermanned they had been with so much to do, Arthur was peculiar about bringing Agent Kay back into the fold-provided he hadn't gone rogue.

"All right, we jump in three! Two! One!" Lancelot yelled, and her team leaped out first. They would land, and come in from the west, while Galahad's team would come in from the north.

Fly by night, away from here
Change my life again
Fly by night, goodbye my dear
My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend!

Lancelot team rushed out two by two, with Lancelot taking up the rear. She didn't hesitate to jump, hitting her chute almost immediately, as they were flying in low so as to avoid radar. Galahad's team lined up, and waited for the green. Galahad looked to his HUD; the teams were marked as LANCELOT-0 through GALAHAD-6. Since the trainees didn't have designations yet, this was easier to work with. As each of them hit the ground, a little red circle turned from red to green, signaling that they and their equipment had all landed safely. Just as Lancelot-0 marked Green, Team Galahad got the 'jump' signal.

Galahad One through Three were training to replace Gawain. G-1 was an African-American named Zach who Merlin met during an operation to the United States. Zach was fending off a group of looters from his father's electronics shop. G-2 was a Brazilian girl named Camila, whose family was in a remote area during the riots, and spent four months living in the jungle. G-3 was a young Police Officer from Cornwall named Dan who showed exceptional skill when recorded on CCTV during the riots. Zach was Eggsy's favorite to take the Gawain spot, as he had formal Martial Arts training. He liked Camila, too, and wished she wasn't competing with Zach. Dan had too much angst about his actions during the riots.

Galahad Four through Six were training to replace Percival. G-4 was Andonis, a transgender man from Greece that Eggsy had met during a mission, and assisted Eggsy eluding a militia, despite already being prosecuted by that same mob. G-5 was Hakham, an Iraqi who had been jailed by extremists for expressing 'Un-Islamic' views. He did not stay jailed, and was discovered by Lancelot. G-6 was a college student from Glasgow named Matilda who shot guns for a hobby. Naturally Eggsy was hoping for Andonis, but all three of them were excellent candidates; he didn't want to see any of them go.

Matilda and Hakham jumped out of the plane together, and Eggsy was right behind them. He let out an excited yelp as he plummeted towards the earth, and opened his chute. This was gonna be a good day.

Moon rise, thoughtful eyes
Staring back at me from the window beside
No fright or hindsight
Leaving behind that empty feeling inside

Eggsy landed nearly on top of his team; it was a perfect landing. Their chutes were stashed, and they had the facility in their sights. G-6 scanned the facility with her sniper rifle, 'tagging' targets that were then shared between each of the agents' HUD's. The targets' movements were tracked with the system, and L-5 was doing her own scan of the facility, tagging more guards at another angle that G-6 was unable to spot. Between them, they had most of the facility scanned, and an estimate of how many targets. With the live video feed, Merlin was able to make the guess of where the prisoner was.

"We have a plan?" Lancelot asked after all the drawing was complete.

"Go in, kill everyone that isn't wearing a suit," Galahad said.

"Sounds good to me."

Fly by night, away from here

Shoot to thrill, play to kill
Change my life again

Too many women with too many pills

Shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will!

The music playing in low volume in their headsets as a morale boost was quickly droned out as Rush was overtaken by AC/DC from above, blaring and echoing through the desert. Searchlights activated in the compound, and missile batteries emerged from their hiding places.

Galahad followed the source of the music, only to see a trio of helicopters emerging from the darkness. He zoomed in with his HUD, and spotted the American flags on the sides.

The missile batteries fired at the helicopters, but there was a red flash from the helicopters, and explosions lit up the night sky as the missiles exploded in midair. Even AC/DC was unable to drown out the rotary cannons of the helicopters pumping out rounds and shredding the missile batteries.

"Uh, what do we do now?" G-3 asked.

"Stick to the plan. Only don't kill people with American flags on their shoulders," Lancelot commanded, and Galahad watched as her squad charged down the hill.

===KINGSMAN: THE KINGMAKER===

"You heard her!" Galahad led the squad to the facility. The helicopters had stopped blasting and were now flying over the compound. The Kingsmen squads reached the fence before they'd even thrown their rappelling ropes. Once inside, the Cartel soldiers didn't even notice the Kingsmen make their way through, as they were all focused on the Americans.

"I didn't know Uncle Sam was helping us out," G-1 commented.

"They aren't," Merlin chimed in, "The Americans don't know we're here, so they're likely to assume we're hostile. Proceed with discretion."

Start a new chapter
Find what I'm after
It's changing every day

One Cartel was unfortunate enough to get into Galahad's path, and found his nose busted in, and then his head smashed against the wall, leaving a red smear. Once he was down, Galahad started a timer, and a counter. Galahad turned the corner, found another, and took him down with the butt of his weapon while G-1 moved forward, garroting a soldier that as turning to the new disruption. G-3 shot the lock open to the door, while G-2, 4, 5, and 6 moved in, taking out targets inside. 00:00:24, 6 kills.

They could hear the Americans engaging in a gunfight. A heavier machine could was blasting from the helicopter, letting out a 'DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM' as it provided overwatch support.

"We've got our exit route secure," Lancelot announced, "We'll hold it. Get Agent Kay, and get out."

"On it," he replied, as G-2 opened the next door with G-6 entering with an umbrella. Bullets hit it and fell to the ground, and G-3 gunned down the shooters. 00:00:35, 9 kills.

The change of a season
Is enough of a reason
To want to get away

They entered the next room, umbrellas providing cover as another gunfight ensued. G-1 popped out from behind G-6's umbrella first to return fire, a little too quickly, and, despite taking out several targets, got plugged in the chest. G-2 and G-4 took down the remaining targets. 0:00:52, 15 kills. Galahad looked at the man sitting in the chair. He had bruises and cuts on his face; his suit was impeccable and undamaged. Galahad paused the timer as Kay looked up.

"Oh, excuse me, I don't believe we've met," Kay said through a swollen lip.

"Galahad, good to meet you, Kay. Lancelot and I thought you might want to see home again," Eggsy told him. Kay nodded,

"That would be a rather nice treat."

G-3 untied Kay, and offered him a pistol. Kay took it with a nod, rolling his hand before taking it properly. A gunshot blew open the door to the next hallway, and the three umbrella shields came together to protect the rest of the team. The fabric screen showed a squad of US soldiers aiming their rifles at them as they entered the room. The Kingsmen squad backed away, preventing the squad from flanking them, and headed back to the door.

"What the hell?" one of the soldiers asked.

Quiet and pensive
My thoughts apprehensive
The hours drift away

"Pardon for the interruption, gentlemen, my friends just came to pick me up," Kay said, "I tried calling an Uber, but I couldn't get reception out here. If you'll excuse us, we'll just be on our way."

"…What do we do, sir?" a soldier asked.

"Down on the ground!" another shouted.

"Oh dear," Kay sighed, "We're just passing through!"

The soldiers opened fire. The umbrellamen changed the setting as the bullets fell to the ground harmlessly when they impacted, and fired the stun shots, sending the soldiers against the wall, taking five down in three shots. Kay poked his head over one, then his head around to double check.

"Terribly sorry about this, friend, there's been some sort of miscommunication here. May I ask who your commanding officer is?" Kay said, walking to one of the filing cabinets and opening it. Inside was his gear. The sergeant, still conscious, blinked at him.

"…What?"

"Who is your commanding officer? This is all just a terrible mix-up, would you mind letting him know we're on our way out?"

The soldier glowered at him, not saying anything. Kay sighed.

"Galahad, this is Lancelot, is anything strange going on in there?" she asked. It was a private call, so only Galahad and Merlin could hear them speak.

"No, except for the unexpected cavalry," Galahad replied.

"Because the Cartel guys, they're…Slaughtering each other. With whatever they have on hand, but the Americans are fine. This looks like the Riots all over again."

Galahad's gaze snapped to the soldiers, who were starting to wake up. He tapped Kay's shoulder.

"They're using Valentine's tech to subdue the Cartel," he whispered. Kay frowned.

"I do not believe these Americans are friendly, then. Still, no sense in attracting undue attention. Subdue them, and let's exfiltrate. Pardon this, Sergeant. You should wake up in a few minutes with a headache," Kay aimed his watch and fired a dart. The other agents did the same to the rest of the squad.

"Let's go home, shall we?" Kay requested, and they moved down the hallway. A pair of Cartel soldiers sat at the end of the hallway, both dead. One had multiple stab wounds in his chest and face. The other one had his share, but had been shot multiple times. A bloody knife lay next to the shot Cartel gangster.

They exited the building, headed to Lancelot's position, pausing to allow a squad of the Americans pass without noticing the Kingsmen. AC/DC once again blared over their music, reducing their communication to hand signals when they regrouped, and Lancelot squad covering their retreat.

Their plane had landed nearby, and was waiting for them. A helicopter began circling around the compound, but they were already loaded and the plane was gone by the time it caught up to their trail.

Leaving my homeland
Playing a lone hand
My life begins today

"Oh, my, that was exciting!" Kay said. He was a man who was lanky with big ears and a large nose. He had a mostly shaved head, and he looked around at the two squads.

"Welcome back to the Kingsmen, Kay," Lancelot took off her helmet and nodded to him.

"Looks like the table's gotten a lot longer, hasn't it?" Kay looked at the trainees.

"Naw, actually, these scrubs're just getting a bit of hot fire under their arses. They're trainees," Galahad peeled off his helmet. He looked over at Galahad-1, who was clutching his chest. Eggsy walked over.

"Ah, well, good job, the lot of you. I much appreciate the assistance. Nothing's worse than a Mexican Cartel prison. Still, I managed to keep my suit clean, so there's a plus," Kay inspected his clothes. He took a moment to pluck something off the sleeve with a disgusted grimace.

"You all right, Zach?" Galahad said. Zach nodded.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Nothing my foot, take off your armor," Galahad instructed. Zach hesitated, looking to Dan sitting next to him, and began taking the armor off, revealing some bleeding, and a purple bruise across his chest.

"Gaw, that's nasty looking. Tha's gotta hurt like hell, don'tit?" Eggsy grimaced.

"I didn't want to tell you the bullet got through, sir," Zach admitted, "You said any injuries meant we drop from the program."

Eggsy nodded, "I did, I did say that. Sorry, Zach."

Zach leaned back, trying to take a breath, but wincing with the pain instead, "I guess it's back to the TV shop, then."

"Naw, don't be like that! You're still one of our best, Zach. The Kingsmen still have a place for you, you haven't failed. You're just…Not gonna be Gawain, that's all," Eggsy assured him. Zach nodded.

"The Cartel soldiers started attacking each other when the helicopters arrived," L-4, a Russian woman named Esfir, said. Nobody knew who put forward Esfir as a candidate; by process of elimination it had to have been Arthur himself, but there was no confirmation. She was the best recruit of the bunch, in physical and mental scores, but she had to be taught how to work with the others.

"Like in the riots," L-3 agreed. He was Bart, an Australian man who'd rigged his boat with improvised mortars and defended the Sydney opera house during the Riots.

"But not the Americans, or us," L-1 pointed out. Jamilah was an Afghani woman who took over her late husband's Opium farm, and had defended it against a militia, until it had been burned down, "The soldiers must have had the chips, too. They used it, I think on the helicopters."

"Yes, I agree," Lancelot nodded, "Without the chips to protect them, the cartel just tore itself apart. Charlotte, could the Americans have built something like that this quickly?"

Charlotte, L-5, was a Canadian hacker, who had discovered the true nature of Valentine's technology, and had managed to stop the signal from overtaking her neighborhood in Montreal. She shrugged, "If they had access to the transmitter for it. It's unlikely that that anyone could have reverse engineered the process with just the chips. Either they found someone who worked on it, or they had a transmitter and learned how it worked."

"I think I might know how they managed it," Kay interjected, "Merlin, are you hearing all this?"

"Every word," Merlin chimed in over the intercom.

"I'm afraid I only have bad news. I came to America to investigate Valentine's connections with the Intelligence community. What I found was that he'd managed to corrupt them all the way to the top, promising Directors and high ranking agents with budgets and tech. That's how Valentine was able to get his technology deep into areas like the jungles of South America, or into central Africa. The CIA sold Valentine's technology to armies, terrorists, rebels, all over the world, who set it up in places that Valentine couldn't reach," Kay explained.

"Which means it's been distributed…Everywhere…" Charlotte rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Weapon proliferation, some of the worst weapons humans have ever made are in the hands of madmen," Lancelot shook her head.

"Indeed," Kay said, "And it gets worse. I need to speak with Arthur right away."

"What is it?" Eggsy asked.

"I think one of us is behind the civil war in the United States."

Fly by night, away from here
Change my life again
Fly by night, goodbye my dear
My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend

My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend