-Before-
"Tell me why we don't vacation more often?" Lissa asks Billy as they walk down the streets of downtown Nassau in the Bahamas. People line the streets all out celebrating in the warm night air laced with the smell of ocean water.
Billy looks down to her and smiles, "Because we're often kidnapped or saving the world." He jokes with her and kisses the top of her head. Though it wasn't much of a joke since six months ago they were saving the world from a deadly outbreak of the Spanish Flu while they both were held against their will. Close to two years before that they met while Lissa was held captive by a man named Sedov who was trying to force her to a create a program capable of mass identity theft. It was at that time she met her father, Barney Ross, a man she never knew while growing up. And when they took down Sedov together, she joined Barney's team of good-guy mercenaries named The Expendables. All of which were present when she married fellow teammate Billy Timmons. Though it did take them two tries to get the wedding to actually happen.
Long before she and Billy knew each other, they both accepted their lives would never be dull or normal. It happened for Lissa when she ended up in foster care after her Mom's death. With the help of a foster brother, she became a skilled hacker. She hacked her way out of foster care and continued to hack as she pleased until she was caught by the FBI. For Billy he lost normal the second his boots touched down in Iraq after basic training. Gunshots rang out, bombs exploded in the distance and wounded soldiers were carried on gurneys right past him as he got off the plane. Nothing seemed dull or normal then. Not when he killed someone for the first time, not when he made it up in the ranks as a sniper, not when he lost his best friends or the stray dog he adopted. They both fell into a bit of a routine, some sense of normalcy, when they joined The Expendables. Though neither of them would work 9-to-5 jobs or drive a minivan – unless it was part of an undercover mission assigned by the CIA.
Lissa looks up to him and smiles too, "I vote mandatory vacations every time we save the world." She tells him. They had delayed their honeymoon a few days to help save a kidnapped boy. After a week away they grew restless and got right back to work. Now six months later, during a two week period not a single mission came from Tool, Church or any of their other trusted contacts so Barney ordered the team all go and enjoy some R&R until further notice. And with that The Expendables scattered to various parts of the world to enjoy down time.
"They are predicting a storm here by the end of the week. We could charter a flight somewhere else. Rio maybe?" Billy suggests, "Spin a globe and pick a place? What do you think Mrs. Timmons?" When she married Billy she took on his last name, personally. Professionally, she kept going by Hollis. So many knew her as Lissa Hollis and about half feared that name. "Or Italy, we could both end up in food coma's from all that pasta. Ravioli. And the desserts. Say Italy."
Lissa can't help but grin, the thought of homemade pasta is extremely tempting, though fresh sushi in Japan is rather tempting too. Before she can suggest a place to go their attention is caught up a crowd of people all running up to an outside bar where an even bigger crowd is scattered around, all of them glued to the various television screens.
"What's going on?" Lissa asks when she grabs a hold of the arm of a woman running past.
The woman looks to Lissa with fear in her eyes, "America has been invaded!" The she cries and then shakes her arm away. She takes off running with the rest of the crowd.
Billy grabs a hold of Lissa's arm and pulls her towards the crowded outdoor bar. The two of them, like the crowd, turn their attention to the screens. No one reaches for their drinks and Lissa can just make out the mumbled pray of a man standing nearby.
"….this is not a joke. The United States of America have been invaded by the North Koreans. All media outlets are being shut down. We are broadcasting this through a basement system powered by a generator, but we do not have much time. They have shut down all electronics including cell phones and the internet. Government officials and military are being rounded up and those who are not shot on sight are put into re-education camps. Many citizens are put into these camps as well, anyone they deem are a risk to their power or hold valuable information. This is our cry for help. The entire East and West Coasts have been seized. Only a few states in the Midwest remain free. Help us. We need your-." And before the man can finish the video cuts out and is replaced with a local newscaster recapping the video.
"Prank, it has to be a prank." Someone in the crowd says. It's echoed by others while even more begin to wonder what country will be next.
"It's America! They have nuclear weapons. If the North Koreans can take over America the rest of us have no chance!" A man shouts, leading others to start to panic.
Lissa reaches into the pocket of her sundress and pulls out a satellite phone. She dials Barney's number and it doesn't ring. The same goes for hers and Billy's farmhouse and Tool's tattoo parlor. "I need a computer now." She tells Billy and with that they take off from the bar and back towards their hotel. Either this is an elaborate prank or the news is true.
