Here you are...The next chapter. Read and enjoy to your hearts content!

501st JFW BASE

The truck carrying the newly christened SAR Team rumbled along the roads that led back to the base, Lt. Mason at the wheel while Dunn and Yoshika continued treatment on the downed Orussian witch with the rest kept a sharp eye out for any more hostiles. Alena Romanov, a Junior Sargeant, was currently getting her newly amputated arm worked on and the nerve endings fixed so she wouldn't have to live her life with phantom pains as a constant reminder. Yoshika was very squeamish and nervous at first, but Foley called her over and talked with her.

"You been in many battles, kid?" The battle hardened Ranger asked.

"Um...A few..." She replied nervously.

"Look...War is never a pretty sight, but you have a job that only you can do. You can save lives with your abilities only if you stay calm. It's alright to be afraid, it's natural. But don't let it rule you." The much older and more experienced Sargeant advised, making the young Fuso witch feel much more confident. She then took to healing Alena to the point where she would have no side effects.

"You really helped her gain some confidence with that speech." Ursula appraised.

"Just doing what needed to be done, ma'am." Foley replied simply with a nod as he sat back, stretched his back out and shut his eyes for a few moments of rest.

'These men...I can only wish that the men in the Karlsland military were more like them...Damn that General Strasse...' Ursula thought as they made their way through the front gates of the base.

The man she cursed was none other than Brigadier General Wilhelm Strasse, head of Karlsland Special Projects Division. Despite his title, he carried tremendous clout within the military and detested witches. He saw them as an affront to science and freaks of nature, making it his personal mission in life to drum them all out of the military and back where he felt little girls belonged, in the kitchen and bearing a witch was assigned under him, he would ride and torment her until she would quit on the spot, but there were nasty rumors going around that he personally abducted one and performed a gruesome series of inhumane tests on her. In the end, he threw her to his men to have fun with until she finally gave up and committed suicide. However, due to his influence, he managed to sweep the entire incident under the rug, escaping any punishment. This alone made him #1 in the witches shit list, with a few others just under him. They weren't quite as heinous, but they were still devious and wanted them gone.

On the other hand, they did have a few in the upper echelons that fully supported them, many were Liberion, Fuso, Orussian, and a smattering of other countries. Two of their biggest defenders were Lieutenant General George S. Patton of the Liberion Army, and Lord Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding. These two highly decorated and respected commanders saw the potential the Witches possessed and fought an increasing difficult battle to keep them in the war. Another was the late General Vasily Kuznetsov, who died in a Neuroi attack just last year, as well as his successor, Leonid Brezhnev.

As soon as they made it into the motorpool to park their ride and were climbing out, cheers erupted all around them as the witches from both units rushed the six men as they were unloading the injured witches. Erica rushed up to her twin sister tearfully.

"I thought I lost you..." Erica wept into her sister's chest.

"I'm alright, Erica...You always were the more emotional one..." Ursula joked as she stroked her twin's hair. Erica then stood up and saluted the six who delivered her from the jaws of death.

"I don't know if I can ever repay you...But I'll try." Lt. Hartmann vowed.

"We only pulled her out. That Miyafuji girl healed her up." Dunn admitted.

"But if you guys hadn't found her and gotten her out, she would have died before we found her ourselves. The six of you performed above and beyond my expectations, going above and beyond the call of duty." Minna replied.

"Yes...We owe you men a debt of gratitude for actually volunteering for such a hazardous duty, one that no other men would be willing to perform. Drinks are on me, boys." Lt. Hennesey smirked, meaning every word of it since she had a case of fine cognac that coincidentally shared her name.

"Now that's a reward worth having..." Soap chuckled, eager for a good, stiff drink.

"Now...Just don't get wild. You remember how you got your call sign, right?" Price smirked, making the mohawked commando pale and deflate.

"This I HAVE to hear..." Shirley commented slyly.

"Well...Maybe later. Right now, we have to stow our gear and rest for a bit, maybe take a shower or the like." Price rattled off.

"Well...There's an indoor bath in the West Wing that we don't use, so you are more than welcome to it." Minna informed them.

"A bath tub, eh? Reckon we can relax for a bit." Soap murmured.

"Oh no...Not an ordinary bathtub...It's a full scale bath that can accommodate at least two dozen people." Mio corrected with a smile.

"Bloody hell...THAT big?" Soap nearly yelled as it was explained to them, the idea sounding better and better by the minute.

"What the hell are we waiting for? Let's go chill for a while!" Ramirez whooped as he slung his rifle and took off towards the bath, Mio showing him the way.

"Heh...When in Rome, eh Soap?" Price chuckled as they followed the young private, the other two Rangers following suit, but he noticed that Mason was remaining behind.

"What's wrong, Mason?" Price asked.

"I'm...Just gonna go take her to the infirmary and make sure she's alright. I'll join you guys later. A good soak sounds really nice right now." Mason answered. Price nodded and left him to his business. Minna noticed him following the doctors, carrying the young Orussian witch to the infirmary.

'He was a family man and it shows...But he's also a good soldier. Once again...I am glad that I decided to trust them. They really came through for us.' She thought as she left to go debrief the other witches and take a bath herself.

BRIEFING ROOM

After a few minutes, all of the necessary personnel have gathered in the briefing room, including the witches of the 78th, to further discuss what had happened during the battle today and their opinions on their newfound allies. The two C.O's stood side by side at the podium and faced their respective subordinates. They allowed them to settle in and get comfortable before starting the meeting.

"Now...we'll begin the debriefing. I would like to hear any and all input you may have on this battle. Anyone?" Minna asked, scanning the room for anyone with questions. A young 78th Ground Witch raised her hand.

"SSGT Earle?" Lt. Hennessey asked a young Liberion woman, Marine Staff Sargeant Diana Earle, around 17 years old, with short red hair and blue eyes, who stood up.

"Just who WERE those guys? They took out 2 Walker Neuroi on their own in only a few minutes!" She exclaimed.

"To answer that, we have a verbal report from Lt. Ursula Hartmann, who is on the intercom from the infirmary where she is recovering from her wounds. Ursula?" Minna prompted.

"Yes, thank you, Commander. Now, in regards to the six men, I fear that I may be responsible for bringing them here." She informed them.

"Responsible for that? How sis?" Erica asked her twin.

"Well...I was out investigating a strange magical anamoly and it felt safe enough to experiment with it. I injected some of my own magical power into the anamoly, but it reacted violently. As I stated in my radio transmission, those three balls of light erupted from the anamoly and sped off toward the base. I'm certain that is how those men were plucked from their reality and dumped into ours." Ursula explained.

"Couple that with their accounts of what occured just moments before they were brought here, I'd say that you possibly saved their lives. Lt. Mason was about to be blown to Kingdom come, as were the three Rangers, and Captain MacTavish would have bled to death." Major Sakamoto added to that. All of the puzzle pieces pertaining to how they got there were now in place.

"The real challenge now will be devising a way to send these men back home. I can imagine the Task Force men will want to continue their hunt for this Makarov terrorist and clear their names, while the Rangers and Lt. Mason will want to rejoin their comrades in re-taking their homeland." Minna theorized.

"That's only fair. I will admit that they did extremely well today and losing soldiers of their caliber, character, bravery would be regrettable. However, we must remember that they were never meant to be here." Barkhorn reminded them.

"That...wasn't really the best way to put it, Trudy. If it weren't for them, my sister would be dead right now and so would that 78th witch who got shot down. As long as they're here and they're willing to help us, we should feel thankful. Almost every man in every military that doesn't hate us won't risk themselves for us like that, either." Erica corrected her in a subdued voice that frankly, wasn't like her. Trudy realised what she had said and looked down.

"I'm sorry, Erica. That was pretty tactless of me. I know that most, if not all men of our militaries would never risk their lives for ours, expecting us to die for them. We really should feel grateful for our new guardian angels on the ground." Barkhorn apologized.

"S'okay, Trudy. I know you didn't really mean it." Erica replied, brightening up a bit as she beamed at her best friend in the world as she turned to the speaker.

"Hey sis...You think you can get these guys home?" Erica asked.

"...I don't know, but once I get back to my lab, I can start looking into a solution." Ursula replied as the meeting dragged on.

Finally, after another hour had passed, the girls had finished with their debriefing and all took off for the baths for a good long soak after such a stressful day. Along the way, they saw the six men coming back from their bath, looking much more relaxed than they were before.

"I could get used to that..." Foley remarked.

"Amen to that sarge." Dunn added.

"That was pretty damn good...All that's left to cap this day off is a nice supper, a few good tugs of that Cognac Lt. Hennesey promised and hit the sack." Price said aloud, everyone agreeing with him.

"Oh...Hello gentlemen. How did you enjoy the bath?" Minna asked.

"That was almost as good as that healing magic the Miyafuji girl worked on us." Price replied, Yoshika going slightly red from the praise.

"These baths are one of the best things for you after a hard day's work." Mio agreed with them, nodding sagely.

"No arguments here..." Ramirez sighed.

"I almost fell asleep in there..." Soap yawned.

"I do that all the time." Shirley chuckled.

"So...You guys feel better now?" Francesca asked them.

"That we do, missy. Thanks for lettin' us use it." Soap thanked them.

"Shucks...That's alright, big guy! Just play with me later and we'll call it even!" The small Romangan girl beamed at the towering Scot. He chuckled lightly and patted her head.

"We'll see, a'right?" He replied as they all walked off to their rooms to rest up a little more and the girls went along their way to wash up themselves.

BACK AT THE ANAMOLY...

The magical anamoly was simply vibrating as it had been since it first appeared, sitting idle until Lt. Hartmann experimented with it. First, it bridged a dimensional gap and ripped six men from their world and time. They all thought that this was the end of the strange occurences, but they were wrong. The magical tear in Space/Time began to react one more time as it violently shook the ground and spat out one final ball of light before dying out. This ball of light suddenly vanished into thin air...

MEANWHILE...2016

IL-96-300PU ILLYUSHIN TRANSPORT PLANE BOUND FOR HAMBURG, GERMANY...

In the Russian Federation's version of Air Force One, Russian Federation's president Boris Vorchevsky was just finishing up some last minute paperwork as the commander of his personal guard detail, Cmdr. Leonid Pudovkin came in with two of his men, Sargeants Anton Fedorov and Andrei Harkov, who had been escorting his daughter Alena around the plane. The young woman walked up to her father.

"Vasiliy is waiting for you in the meeting room, father." She told him.

"I know. He is waiting for an answer from me." He replied. He then noticed her unease.

"I do not like him father...His ideas are too similar to the old Soviet way of thinking...It scares me." She connfided in him.

"I know...But he is good at his job and that is why I tolerate him." The president comforted his daughter.

"I will see you at supper, my dear." He told her as he kissed her cheek and allowed her to be led away by another member of the guard detail while he himself entered into the meeting.

Inside the secure room, there were his closest advisors and a secretary, all waiting for him to get the meeting started. Vasiliy cleared his throat to garner some attention while the guards took their positions around the room and by the doors.\

"I know what you have been waiting for...Do we choose war or peace? Life or death? For the sake of our children and all those caught up in this madness, I choose to seek peace with the West." He announced.

This was a decision that had been carefully weighed and thought out. The Americans had proven themselves more than a match for their forces. Add to that the military forces of the allied NATO powers, he had no choice but to seek peace. He knew that the hardliners within the Politburo would never deign to lay down their arms, he would have to try, starting with those in this room.

'I can only hope that Makarov will not interfere...' He hoped, but Murphy's Law had already sprung into motion as they heard gunfire coming from the cockpit.

"That's gunfire..." Commander Pudovkin murmured.

"Hijackers are taking the plane! Cockpit breached!" Team 3 reported frantically, wild gunfire heard in the background. Harkov and the other FSO agents drew their FN Five-Seven pistols and flicked off the safety.

"Dammit Team 3, report!" He tried again, but the gunfire was getting closer. He decided to get the men ready to repel the attackers.

"Everyone get down! All agents, protect the President! Code Red! I repeat..." He barked to his men, but the door blew in, cutting him off and knocking him off of his feet. While they were stunned, armed men rushing inside and began to open fire on everyone within, killing one guard and two of the meeting attendees before Harkov and Pudovkin managed to fight back and take them out, taking their AK-74u's. He looked back at what remained of the men behind him.

"We have to get the President ot the Safe Room! Let's go!" He ordered as Harkov and Fedorov locked and loaded, following his lead with the President following close behind. As they moved down a passageway, the plane banked heavily to port as another team reported in.

"This is Team 2, meeting heavy resistance from the cockpit!" They informed their commander, the small squad moving to the stairs where more FSO agents were holding fast. The plane then jerked violently.

"We've stalled out! Losing altitude!" The pilot exclaimed as everyone was bounced around in zero-G. A few terrorists floated up from the stairway, but the FSO agents quickly gunned them down. Suddenly, the pilot regained control of the aircraft and gravity kicked again. A terrorist survived the onslaught, but not for much longer since Pudovkin got to his feet quickly and finished him off, issuing more orders to the remaining teams.

"Team 2, secure that cockpit!" He ordered as he recieved more incoming radio traffic from Team 3.

"They have taken the daughter! Need backup!" Another team reported.

"Damn...Team 3. This is Cmdr. Pudovkin. Backup is on it's way!" He replied as they got moving again.

Harkov, Fedorov, and Pudovkin continued to push forward, breaking through to the cargo hold where Alena was being held captive. After a small firefight, Harkov managed to pick off the terrorist holding a gun to her head and freed her, reuniting her with her father. After that, Pudovkin set himself and his men to the task of re-taking the plane.

"Harkov, Fedorov...Move up! We have to re-secure the cockpit! Nevski, Belov...Take the President and his daughter to the Safe Room." He ordered as the three FSO agents began to hunt down the remaining terrorists.

"Attempting emergency landing!" The pilot cautioned as the plane bucked even more wildly than before.

Moving into the passenger's quarters, Fedorov and Harkov began to exchange fire with more hijackers that had come from the back of the plane. Harkov managed to pick off two more while Fedorov wrestled down one that got too close and gutted him with his combat knife. The deadly firefight went on for another few moments until the pilot came over the IC system again.

"Brace for impact!" He screamed as the plane landed on it's belly, the rear half of the fuselage ripping away only a few feet from where the FSO agents were taking cover. Harkov managed to get away form the edge in time, but when he reached back to drag Fedorov to safety, he was already gone. The plane slowed to a halt after another moment, but as soon as he looked up, one of the severed engines was careening down on him, the shockwave rendering him unconscious.

Stumbling through the wreckage, Pudovkin was still listening in on the radio traffic from surviving members of the FSO guard detail.

"...I repeat, Command Point is down and not responding!" The voice yelled urgently.

After a moment more of searching, he finds a half conscious Harkov trying to get to his feet.

"Come on, Agent Harkov! We have to protect the president!" He said, dragging the injured agent to his feet as they began navigating the gutted airliner and made their way outside into the snow.

From there, he could see more agents running here and there, some were pulling other agents out of the wreckage and treating them while others fanned out to secure the area. Alena, Vorchevsky's daughter, was alive and relatively unharmed, so Pudovkin ordered a few agents to get her to safety immediately. One agent came upon a wounded terrorist and finished him off. He then turned to a fellow agent nearby.

"How the hell did they breach our security?" He asked.

"There had to be someone on the inside. They knew to hit the Comms room first." The other replied as Pudovkin and Harkov pressed on as he addressed his men once again.

"All teams, secure and lock down your sectors. Has anyone found the president?"

"This is Team 4. President is injured, but stable."

"We are on our way over to you. Stay in a defendable position." Pudovkin ordered as he turned to another agent.

"Send up a flare."

They passed by one of the engines, which exploded and left their ears ringing but they were unharmed by some miracle. As they looked up, they saw a helicopter with a search light over head.

"That's the rescue chopper. We have to push through to the president!" Pudovkin urged as the remaining security agents rallied on the airfield. From there, they engaged several hostiles how barged in with a few vehicles, one with a mounted turret. After some careful aiming, Harkov managed to pick off the gunner and the agents continued their push. As they rounded a corner and were about to put down the remaining terrorists when a hail of bullets cut them down, the gunners calling our.

"Friendlies! Over here!" They called out. The president was with them. He seemed to be slightly injured, but still alive as Pudovkin looked him over seeing the chopper putting down nearby.

"Harkov, open the door. We are getting out of here!" He commanded.

Harkov did as he was told and opened the door, only to reveal none other than Vladimir Makarov! Before Harkov could even draw his gun, Makarov shot him in the chest, giving him a mortal wound. Only a moment after he went down, Pudovkin and the other agents were gunned down. Pudovkin tried to fire back while critically wounded, but Makarov put a round in his head. He then walked up to Vorchevsky, a henchman wrenching his head back to look him in the eyes.

"You know who I am?" Makarov asked. The president glared at the man, but nodded.

"Then you know what I want." Makarov replied.

"You're insane..." Vorchevsky breathed, not believeing the lunacy he was hearing.

"Russia WILL take all of Europe...Even if it stands upon a pile of ashes. I want those launch codes...NOW." Makarov stated his intent, not caring how many innocent people would die due to his goals.

"You will never get them!" Vorchevsky snarled angrily, but a stooge yanked him to his feet and dragged to the chopped, throwing him in roughly.

"Everyone has a weakness...Find the girl." Makarov instructed.

This whole time, Harkov had been listening. He had heard about Makarov. The man was completely insane...A mad dog killer on the loose and killing as he pleases. If he got the codes to the nukes, then most of the world would be destroyed. Makarov would destroy all of humanity, just to make his point. He slowly reached for Pudovkin's pistol and tried to aim it at Makarov, making a last ditch effort to eliminate this mad man once and for all, but Makarov already spotted him and was aiming right at him. He was about to die.

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light blinded everyone around them. As Makarov was pawing around, blinded by the flash, Harkov fired off three rounds at him, hitting him in the midsection. Before anyone could do anything else, the light vanished, the wounded FSO agent with it.

"Uughh...What...was that?" Makarov grated out as some of his men helped him into the chopper and got him some medical attention for his gunshot wounds.

BACK IN 1945...

In the bath, the girls from both squadrons relaxed and let the fatigue and stress of combat wash away, the girls chatting about one thing or another. Minna remembered something from the other night, about her having misgivings about having them here. The Fuso warrior maiden sighed as she answered as best she could.

"I admit that I didn't trust them at first, but who could blame me for that? It's just that from my own personal experience, men like them tried to..." Mio trailed off, but Minna knew what she was talking about.

When she was just a young Ensign, she was awkward and clumsy, despite her rigorous training. A Naval Captain had taken her under his wing and taught her most of what she knows now about military discipline and doctrine. She then shot up the ranks, becoming a rising star in many military circles within Fuso. Soon, however, she noticed sudden changes in the way he looked at her and spoke to her. He began getting more hands on until one day, he forced himself on her. His reason behind it was that he had made her what she was today and that she should show her appreciation and respect by pleasuring him on his whims. He would have done it, if she didn't have Reppumaru with her. She managed to fend him off and stop him. After a military tribunal, he was stripped of his rank and cast out for his crime, Mio vowing to never let that happen to any other witch as long as she lived.

Mio calmed down and collected her thoughts once again, thinking of how she helped Private Ramirez earlier that day. He was her age and a bloodied soldier as well, but still an awkward young man who lost his family and needed guidance.

"I can see that they aren't like most men, who would have taken immediate advantage of this situation. They are consummate professionals but not only that, they are good, honest men. Private Ramirez even asked if he could join me in the mornings and learn Kendo from me. I personally have no problem with it and his Sargeant had nothing against it, either." Mio smirked.

Perrine overheard the two talking and really wanted to be closer to he beloved Major.

'Grr...If it's not that Racoon Dog girl, it's someone else. This time, is a male she's talking about fondly! She's MY Major!' The Gallian girl fumed.

Lt. Mason was walking down the halls, coming back from the infirmary where he had been making sure Junior Sargeant Romanov was doing alright. The doctors had informed him that thanks to the immediate medical treatment, she would not have to live with phantom pains. In fact, they could even craft an artificial limb for her so she could continue on in her military service. He was just glad she was going to be fine and was about to walk out of the room to get some rest before dinner, but she stopped him before he could leave. She then asked if she could talk to him alone, the doctors, nodding and leaving the small room.

"You...risked your life for mine...You can speak my language...Why? Why did you nearly die to protect me?" She asked, blushing.

"To be honest...It has a lot to do with how my family was killed, but that's a story for another time, hun. For now, you're safe and sound and from what the docs told me, you'll be back on your feet in no time. See you around." He told her as he disappeared around the corner.

"Comrade Lieutenant..." She whispered, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Whew...That was awkward." Mason muttered.

He did NOT need a young girl having feelings like THAT for him. She was a really cute girl and would likely mature into a beautiful young woman, but it would be just damn creepy. With a sigh, he turned his attention in the directions of his room, where he could dump his gear and weapons, got take a shower or bath because he was ripe, and get some shuteye before dinner. This had been a long day...But it wasn't over yet. As he headed over to his room, his path took him near the girl's bath and he heard some screaming coming from inside. Still having at least his sidearm on him, he drew his G-17 and bolted over to where he heard the noise. Steadying himself for what he was about to do, he took a deep breath and slipped inside the dressing area. Seeing nothing, he moved over to the door to breach it. With a powerful kick, he bashed in the door with his weapon leveled.

"You girls okay?!" He asked, scanning the area for the assailant while some leftover adrenaline coursed through his system. He then spotted a red blotch floating in the water and waded over to it, finding a mortally wounded man floating there and dragged him out.

"What the hell?" Mason wondered, looking at the gun in the man's hand.

It was an FN Five-Seven, another weapon that didn't belong here so he could only assume that what happened to himself and the others happened to this man, too. Luckily, he didn't need to ask Yoshika for help since she had rushed to change into her clothes and came back, getting started on healing him immediately. While she healed him, Mason rifled through the man's pockets for any kind of ID or clues to who he is when he found a wallet with a badge...With a Hammer and Sickle over a red star.

"A Russian..." Mason growled as he reached for a pair of cuffs and restrained the man before he was fully conscious and dragged him to his feet.

"Wh-what's wrong, Lieutenant?" Mio asked.

"He's a Russian...I need to find out what the hell this guy's game is." Mason answered as he slapped the man's cheek mildly to wake him up.

"Wake up, asshole. I got some questions for you." Mason growled.

"Wh-what...? I...am not dead? Did I kill Makarov?" He asked himself, looking around wildly.

"Where is the President?! Commander Pudovkin! Fedorov! Belov!" Harkov called out, but to no avail. He finally looked at the man before him.

"Who...are you? Where am I?" He asked.

"Lieutenant Brad Mason, Los Angeles SWAT and T-Zero Unit 2IC, but that's not important right now." Mason replied coldly, brandishing his taser.

"What we want to know is who you are and what you're about, Ivan." The officer finished, sparking the tazer to assert his point. Harkov looked at the flag patch on his arm.

'He is an American! But...What is he doing here?' Harkov wondered as he rattled off his name.

"Andrei Harkov, FSO agent and Presidential Bodyguard for the Russian President. I need to go and find him!" Harkov pleaded with urgency as Mio walked in.

"Lieutenant...I hope you aren't going to torture this man..." She intoned with a hint of disapproval.

"If his story checks out, I won't need this." He replied as Mio opened up her magic eye.

"I can see if he's lying with this..." Mio offered.

"Thanks." He replied as Harkov rattled off the chain of events that led him here as Soap and Price came running.

"So...That bastard Makarov kidnapped the Russian President to keep the war going and turn all of Europe to ashes...That arse." Soap snarled.

"But this guy actually managed to hurt the bastard. Makes him alright in my book." Price added to that, signalling Mason to let him loose, Harkov rubbing his wrists.

"Oh...Thank you. President Vorchevsky did not want this war, but the Politburo managed to override him. A few days ago, we found evidence that Makarov was influencing several key party officials to agree to his terms in exchange for high ranking positions in the new administration he would set up. President Vorchevsky found out about this and weeded out the traitors and was on a plane to Hamburg, Germany to negotiate peace with your Vice-President when our plane was hijacked by his thugs. The plane crashed in Ukraine, outside of Kiev. We had to hold off more of his thugs that had been waiting for us until an Mi-17 showed up. We believed that it was a rescue craft, but Makarov was on board. He shot me, killed my commander and two more agents, but if that flash of light had not happened, I would be dead right now." Harkov told them, rubbing his wrists.

"He isn't lying. Everything he said was the truth." Mio informed the rest of them, causing them to sigh in relief.

"It's good that he's on our side, but that maniac kidnapped the Russian President and wants to get his hands on WMD's." Price grumbled, wanting to get home now that his own world needs them now more than ever.

"WMD's? What are those?" Minna asked, the visages on all men present going grim.

"Something I wish we could un-invent. Remember when we told you about those 30,000 soldiers and civilians that died in an eyeblink? That was a Nuclear Weapon, something perfected 20 years from now in our timeline. They can wipe entire cities off the face of the earth, leaving only a large crater and a radioactive cloud that leaves the affected 20 mile radius uninhabitable for decades to come." Foley explained, the implications of such a things becoming a sobering reminder of what could have happened if the Neuroi hadn't arrived, but may still become a reality. Trying to get off of these depressing thoughts, Lynnette cleared her throat.

"Um...Dinner is ready, now." She announced.

"Really, now? Time for chow, then." Soap grinned, remembering breakfast that morning.

"What's on the menu tonight, luv? Price asked, the young britannian girl beaming again.

"Lancashire Hotpot!" She announced.

"I'm liking this place even more." Soap said, his grin widening as they made their way to the dining room, plus one more.

"What is this Hotpot?" Harkov asked, having been briefed on the situation, his weapon returned, and strangely accepting of this new reality, but also very hungry.

"Oh...You'll like it, mate. That Lynne is a right bloody genius in the kitchen. If she weren't so young, I'd marry her!" Soap joked, in good spirits and eager to have his next fix of the Britannian girl's cooking.

After all of them settled in the dining hall, the rest of them got acquainted with their new fellow Time/Space traveller, Dunn not very happy about it. Ramirez was trying to let it go and busy himself with his food while Foley gave his Corporal a stern glare.

"Dunn...Let it go. He's just as much a victim of Makarov as we are. When we get back, we'll ALL make that son of a bitch pay but until then, keep your shit straight. Hooah?" Foley admonished. Dunn took a deep breath and a bite of his food and calmed down.

"Hooah." Dunn replied as he calmed down.

Across the table, Harkov had gotten to meet his people's counterpart in this world, Sanya Litvyak, the two of them talking in Russian. She was telling them about what had happened to their homeland in this world and he sighed sadly.

"So...It is not only in this world that our country is torn apart by war and violence." He told the small girl.

"Comrade Harkov...What has happened to our people in your world?" She asked of him.

However, what she got was the grim and bloody history of their Motherland in his world...Stalin, the Purges, Communism's poisonous reach causing havok and chaos all over the world and killing millions. The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Soviet Union, but the old Communist hardliners still held high ranking positions in the government, so it was still a nightmare that threatened to return. In 2011, the Ultranationalist Party, the new banner the old Soviet regime fell under with Imran Zhakaev at the helm, was becoming very violent and amassing an army with the intent to take over Russia and strike down their enemies...The rest of the world. He managed to take over an old missile base and launched two MIRV Warheads at the Eastern United States. Captain Price and his team, a joint task force of U.S Marine Special Forces and Russian Loyalist Spetznaz managed to fight their way into the facility and disarm the warheads, but Zhakaev was already on his way there with more reinforcements. A chase down the highway ensued between the Ultranationalists and the remaining task force members with Mi-24 Hinds joining in and attacking with complete disregard for the innocents that were there. The chase ended at a bridge, which the Hinds blew up and Zhakaev personally led his guerillas in to finish them off. Only Price and MacTavish survived, MacTavish being the one who killed him. With Zhakaev dead, there was nothing to keep Makarov in check. He killed as he pleased and where ever he went, bloodshed followed, including the events that led up to the current war.

Sanya was feeling very ill all of the sudden, turning a shade of green. Eila saw her discomfort and while she couldn't understand Sanya's native language, she knew that Sanya was extremely uncomfortable somehow and this new man had something to do with it and lashed out in reflex.

"Stop picking on her!" Eila growled, but again, Sanya stopped her.

"Eila...He was only telling me the truth about what my people in this other world had done. Many were horrible...Crimes against all of humanity. The more I learn about this other world, the more I am terrified by it. I refuse to allow my homeland to commit such horrifying acts and once this war is over, I will not allow what happened in their world to become our nightmare as well." Sayna declared in a voice that was much stronger that usual. Eila had never seen Sanya so determined before, so motivated.

"I hope that they do not come to pass here, either. I can only hope that if we can find a way back, I can aid in making sure the evils of the past are gone for good." Harkov added, taking another bite of his meal.

"This is very good, Miss Lynnette! Spasibo." The Russian man thanked the young hostess politely. This food was indeed very good for a British meal, but he wouldn't mind a robust bowl of Borscht, either.

"Yeah...That was another good one. I almost don't want to go back, now!" Ramirez joked.

"To think...I bet if your mom met her and tasted this, she'd be trying to get you to marry her!" Mason added to the young private's dismay.

"Is that true?" Perrine asked.

"Oh yeah...I think it's a motherly thing. They want to make sure their son's will be happy and taken care of. It's the reverse for the daughters. The dads, like myself, would grill the young man who wanted to court our little girls and make sure, very sure, that the young man lives up to her expectations." Mason explained.

"Mine won't stop trying to fix me up." Foley grumbled. He was 30 years old and un-married. His mother was near her wit's end trying to find him a wife.

"So his mother would think that Lynne was prime wife material, huh?" Shirley chuckled.

"I guess so." Dunn replied with a chuckle. He knew his mom would have been trying to hook him up with a local girl who's parents she knew, but he wanted to hook up on his own terms.

Mio just chuckled herself, knowing that if hadn't shown up, she would have been married by now, as was the norm in Fuso for young women her age. Miyafuji would only be a couple of years away from matrimony herself, since young women in Fuso tended to marry young. Lynnette was just happy that these men enjoyed her cooking so much, but blushed when marriage was brought up. First, Captain MacTavish commented that he would have asked her to marry him if she weren't so young. Next, she hears that Private Ramirez's parents likely would have loved her and would have welcomed her into the family with open arms. It really helped to boost her self-esteem a little more as her close friend Yoshika could see with a smile.

It was starting to get late, so everyone helped clean up and called it a night. Their new comrade was assigned to a room so that he could get some sleep after being shot and nearly killed, then revived. While he waited to fall asleep, he pondered what he would do to help stop Makarov once and for all once they all returned...If they could do that. He had been told of what these Americans and the two Brits had been doing and while it sounded incredibly dangerous, he could understand not wanting to let these girls take these...things on alone. It seemed as though the militaries that were supposed to be backing them up left them to bear such a heavy burden all alone. His fellow travellers saw it for what it was and lent their assistance in the form of a Search and Rescue squad.

'Hmm...I believe that I should lend some assistance in return for the hospitality...As well as that Miyafuji girl saving my life. If it were not for her, I would be dead.' Harkov reasoned as sleep finally took him.

BASE COMMANDER'S OFFICE...

"I know, sir...Things have been happening at a breakneck pace around here." Minna replied to a question.

"Commander Wilcke...This is intolerable and you have overstepped your bounds. However, these men have already lent their assistance to your...Witches...and from the accounts of some of your personnel, they wield weaponry far more advanced than our own. Now...We would like to send someone over to...ascertain the true intent of these men." The man on the other side of the line, Lieutenant General Berthold Gregor drawled out, spitting out the word Witches. This immeadiately got Minna's guard up. Many in the higher chain of command had serious problems with Minna rising to the rank she currently held, and now they were going to use this as leverage to remove them.

On the other side of the line, General Gregor saw the Witches as a dire insult to the pride of a true soldier. Minna Deitlinde Wilcke was one Witch in particular that he loathed. She was only 19 years old, yet she held a rank equivalent to a Colonel. Despite being a model soldier, she was female and he believed that war and the military were a man's world and should always remain as thus, no place for young girls.

"Like who?" Minna asked challengingly.

"General Strasse...He has expressed his interest in this matter and wishes to investigate personally. You WILL afford him every courtesy, understood?" The man informed her, ending it with a thinly veiled threat, but Minna wasn't easily rattled. She dealt with Trevor Maloney and she would deal with these people in due time.

"When is he coming?" She asked him.

"He is already on his way as we speak. It seems as though his enthusiasm could not be contained." Berthold replied in a smug tone as he hung up on her. She slammed the receiver down angrily.

"That son of a bitch...He sent Strasse here intentionally and without telling us." She hissed. She knew what Strasse was capable of and that alone made her fear for the safety of the girls should he decide to kidnap another witch to sate his...curiosities.

'He will also try to steal their weaponry from them and maybe experiment on them, too...But I doubt those men will go quietly and without putting up a huge fight. Maybe it's a good thing they're here, judging by Lieutenant Mason's reaction to our screams. He kicked in the door and rushed in because he thought we were being attacked.' She thought. She knew that they would keep them safe from whatever Strasse and Gregor had up their sleeves.

IN A MOTORCADE CROSSING THE GALLIAN BORDER...

General Wilhelm Strasse sat in the back set of his open command car, in the middle of a large convoy of troops carriers and smaller APCs, pondering what he would find at the 501st Air Base. He had been informed by spies that were within the staff there at the base of these men from another reality, who had what he could only describe as Wunderwaffe, Wonder Weapons, weapons that made his most advanced prototypes look like antiques. Just the reuseable Rocket Launcher alone would be enough, but then they had these powerful Sturmgewehr that were not only more accurate, but hit harder and fired faster than theirs, as were as these secondary weapons they were equipped with.

'An underbarrel munitions launcher...I never would have thought of that...I hope that these men are feeling...charitable or I may just have to take them and kill them.' He thought wickedly as the convoy lumbered it's way toward the Gallian coastline. It was the reason why he had brought along such a large contingent of soldiers with him, in an attempt to intimidate them into cooperating.

One thing he hadn't been told was the level of training these men had, making them far superior soldiers than his own. At least three or four of them had Special Forces level training as well as operational experience and all of them were bloodied soldiers, having killed before and having no problems killing in defense. He would have to play this carefully and he felt if he threatened the Witches, they would be easy to manipulate.

A/N: There you have it. Another chapter for you to enjoy. For those who asked for a Russian, ask and ye shall receive, my friends. Andrei Harkov, FSO agent! Also, the two Karlsland Generals I got from two different sources. Berthold Gregor is an enemy General from Valkyria Chronicles, an Active Strategy/RPG for the PS3. The other is from the Wolfenstein Series, General Strasse.