"This is Red Dragon here, Papa Dragon, I have what you want, requesting immediate extraction," a woman's voice was clearly heard through the comms in the control room, where Shepherd and MacTavish were.

"Well done, Reddie. Come home to Papa. We're sending the skipper to escort you back to the Nest ASAP." With that reply, the commanding officer and the Captain of the Task Force 141 exited the control room, and headed to the helipad, where a helicopter was already waiting for MacTavish.

Codename "Red Dragon", was Ryuka Algren, a Lieutenant specializing in Black Operations and sniper cover, and the only single female in the field team of the Task Force 141. Born from a prominent American-Japanese dynasty of soldiers (and the youngest of that austere line), the redhead with the darkest black eyes, had been deployed into Russia for two weeks, during which time, she had gone "completely off the grid", which caused much worry, amongst those close to her, particularly, the Captain.

"Don't worry, MacTavish," Shepherd told MacTavish with a slap to his shoulder, a playful wink playing on the Lieutenant-General's features. "Reddie knows how to take care of herself, she'll be fine."

MacTavish groaned inwardly, and closed his eyes. While her results were unquestionable, this young woman, born of lightning and of fire, had a high predisposition to use "unplanned tactics", often, the expense of her own safety. He remembered the time when she deliberately shot dawn the roof-frames of the weakened warehouse that the Ultranationalists had cornered them in, pushing him, along with some of their teammates out while she cooked a grenade that she had thrown towards the impending Russians. She had almost failed to get out of the rubble, and his heart sank down deeper than as the Angel Falls were tall.

And, there was another time when they were in the Kyoto Mountains, when a chance mission brought them to meet the original Japanese female samurai-linage that had started the Algren line in America. Ryuka, in defense of her own family, had personally set a whole base ablaze, and was able to get those that had been captured by the enemy soldiers out, armed only with a katana that had been a family heirloom.

Ryuka had been one of the founding members of the Task Force 141, and MacTavish had known her for as long as he had assumed his duties as the sole Captain of the company-sized faction. They preferred to keep their relationship of four years, an almost monogamous series of trysts, supposed coups, and over-aggressive sparring matches, nothing more than an open secret, with Ryuka going as to openly flirting with Ghost, particularly when the rumor mill was active... MacTavish thought back on what Shepherd had said, and shook his head.

"I'm just afraid that she'll do something stupid," MacTavish answered back, knowing that Shepherd would disregard his comeback. The man had been a good Captain, and would look out for each and every single man that he led (less could be said about Shepherd, but MacTavish knew that he had no choice in those who were his superiors). "You know how she's like, sir."

With a smile, Shepherd replied. "I had eyes on Reddie this time, MacTavish. In fact, if everything goes well, who knows, we could be looking at another Captain soon." It was MacTavish's turn to break into a smile, not a complete one, but halfway there. Once a soldier had gotten into the Task Force 141, whatever Shepherd said goes, but Ryuka, she had been a "special case", being a double citizen of both the United States and Japan. If she was promoted with Shepherd's green light, or any single American commanding officer, for the matter, she would be promoted in the Japanese Army by "Imperial Discretion". "Perhaps you two would fight less if you're on equal footing."

MacTavish did not say anything more, only hoping to see Ryuka as soon as possible. As it turned out, she was about an hour's helicopter flight from their landbase, in a wooden shack, covered in blood. "Don't worry, Captain," she told him with a knowing smile upon seeing the scowl on his face. "It's not mine." She had spoken those words in slight revulsion, indicating that she had not liked the experience.

"What the hell were you doing here for two weeks?" he asked her, drawing her into his arms for the slightest moment, blood on her catsuit and Kevlar corset notwithstanding. "You got me worried sick, Reddie."

She chuckled, the most heavenly sound that he ever heard in his life, a sound that he had waited two weeks to hear. "I'll tell you when I can, Captain," she replied, caressing the side of his face, her long, white finger running down his scar. In the four years that she had known him, she had always seen the scar upon his face, something that she had always known that was there, that was a part of him. "The trees, they have eyes to see and ears to hear, MacTavish..."

Inching her face closer to his, Ryuka pressed her lips against his, right before the pilot told them that it was time to leave. MacTavish said nothing more, and took her hand in his discreetly, leading her into the helicopter.

HAN: I am writing this, because I utterly detest what I have done on the first Red Dragon. I don't know where this will take the story, because I plan on restructuring the entire plot, and strengthening things here and there. I hope that those who had loved the original, would come to appreciate this one as well.