Chapter 4:

Conspiracy

Camp Tolkien, August 27th 2022, Sword Zone.

Gaioumon and Saviorhackmon held a small conference with their higher ups through the sergeant's laptop. They occupied the dragon knight's personal room to assure discretion during the meeting. Participating in this video call was Colonel Kaisergreymon and CNS Security Minister Susanoomon.

"... We didn't get much out of him, the Order came here to fetch him the day we arrested him," Gaioumon informed his superiors about Baalmon.

"We only know that the Order is deploying spies in Metal Empire territory. Their exact objectives, locations and numbers are still unknown," Saviorhackmon added plainly while Gaioumon grumbled under his breath.

Kaisergreymon let out a deep sigh and rubbed his forehead, "Great, now the Order is mixed up in this shit," He groaned in frustration.

"Language, Colonel..." Susanoomon scolded him lightly before he addresses to the two operatives, "What's the current status at the border?" He enquired.

"So far, the ME is still letting some of its checkpoints open, however they have increased their military presence these past days," Gaiumon informed, "Though we were granted access to all crime scenes except at Base Titan, for obvious reasons. What Sergeant Saviorhackmon has found is quite interesting, and I suggest you listen intently,"

The lieutenant looked at the other operative, nodding at him to speak up and report his findings to them. Saviorhackmon seemed to be caught off guard but quickly regained his composure and confidently talked to his superiors.

"For the past three days, we were able to investigate each location that happened during the attacks. After I've examined and analysed deeper each crime scene, I was able to recreate some of them with what we've gathered on the locations." He explained firstly, "First of all, the terrorists were seen using military grade weaponry such as rifles, rocket launchers and machine guns. Secondly, they've also employed guerrilla warfare. They have stockpiles of weapons and ammo scattered around this region in caves, abandonned buildings and other remote locations..." He then frowned inwardly as he read through his reports, "Disturbingly, they've also begun using suicide bombers, similar to terror groups from the Real World..." The statement intruiged both the colonel and the minister. "Furthermore, it seems that the terrorists have an inside help or have implemented agents among the D-Brigade,"

"Are you saying that there are terrorists among the D-Brigade?" Susanoomon asked confusely.

"Affirmative. These agents are members of the military, currently working in the military," Saviorhackmon clarified.

"That is how they caught all of us off guard and attack simultaneously," Gaioumon concluded coldly.

"Great... and now we have spies among the D-Brigade..." Kaisergreymon grumbled.

"Indeed this is very problematic. The D-Brigade is quite a large military force. It is possible that these agents may number to a few dozens to hundreds if not thousands," The minister stated while stroking his chin pensively. "Lieutenant?" He called out.

"Yes, sir?" The black samurai responded.

"Do we have any lead to identify these agents or anything that could help us prevent future attacks?"

"Unfortunately not much, sir. That's all we could gather and we can try to ask the Royal Knights but... chances are they'll keep their intel classified from us," Gaioumon explained, feeling irritated with their current problem.

"I mean seriously, do they really have to be such a pain in the ass?" Kaisergreymon complained, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"I agree... They've been quite uncooperative lately. This behaviour is seriously damaging and slowing down our development and progress in our alliance," Susanoomon pointed out with a frown.

"If I may interject, sirs," Saviorhackmon chimed in nervously, "But I do kinda understand their reasoning,"

"Oh?" The three others said at the same time, making the dragon knight feel more nervous.

"W-well the CNS was founded right after the war, and so far the organisation is growing rapidly in size and influence. Before that, the Order was the sole protector of the Digital World and the Network. Now, we've managed to unite over fifty states under the same banner, we have the fourth largest military force, have more fundings and budgets to accomplish more projects and the CNS is a whole institution and not a security force like the Royal Knights..." He explained as a matter of fact, "The Order has the seventh largest military force and the third most advanced research and development centre but their fundings are solely dependent on tax payers of the continent, contributions from the Holy Choir, the Sovereigns and even the CNS. They can truly grow as an organisation through conflicts, where they'll be more needed. So of course they'll want to keep an edge away from us if they do hold a more personal agenda,"

Gaioumon crossed his arms and nodded respectfully at the sergeant, genuinely surprised and impressed by Saviorhackmon's perception. The colonel and the minister were also as impressed, the latter remained silent while the former stared at the dragon knight with wide eyes, simply amazed.

"O-kay... wow... I'm at a lost for words," He finally admitted, making the operative blush in embarrassment.

"Indeed. It does make more sense if we put it like that," Susanoomon agreed pensively, "However, that doesn't mean they should complicate our task to bring peace and stability over that region. They are not only hindering our efforts to accomplish our mission, but they're also hindering their duties as protectors of the Digital World," He pointed out firmly, "We should remind them that we are allies and part of something far larger. They are not alone in this fight."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Kaisergreymon asked curiously.

"Hmmm... Perhaps I should personally visit the "Red Line" and later have a talk with them," The minister suggested with a hopeful smile.

"Are you sure that is a reasonable decision?" Gaioumon asked concernly, "The humans just arrived and they'll shortly be here. Aren't you going to attract a lot of attention,"

"You could be an easy target for the terrorists, sir," Saviorhackmon added diplomatically.

"That may be true, but I have faith in all of you; that is if nothing is neglected and that the best decisions are being made, everything will be fine. Besides, I need to do a check up on ambassador Angewomon and I really do not want her husband to rush over there and cause a scene," He said with a sigh.

"Her husband? I'm afraid I'm not following, sir. Is he someone important?" Saviorhackmon asked unsurely.

"He's the commander of the 6th Airborne Shocktroopers of the Republic of Node," Susanoomon replied flatly, "A very tough and big Wargreymon but he's a real softie on the inside... The colonel and I personally know him, whether that's a good thing or not..." Kaisergreymon let out a hearty laugh after his blunt statement, surprising both operatives. "Anyways, I'll be visiting the border in three days, so do inform the Sword Zone military as well as the Royal Knights while I'll handle Fracture." He instructed before he saluted the operatives and left the meeting.

Kaisergreymon stayed to chat a bit with them before he called an end to the video call. Gaioumon sighed heavily and ungracefully sat on the only office chair in the room, feeling a small moment of comfort by the chair's soft synthetic fabric. He leaned back on the chair and gazed up at the bland ceiling with his hands behind his head. Meanwhile, Saviorhackmon immediately went back to work to finish writting his last report before sending it to the colonel.

"I've got to say... you are full of surprises, Saviorhackmon," The black samurai admitted honestly.

"Sorry, lieutenant?" Saviorhackmon perked his head up, looking over at the senior operative.

"I said you impress me everyday. I honestly wouldn't have accomplish half of the things we did if I was alone," Gaioumon clarified while sitting upright on the chair.

"That's not true, lieu- I mean, Gaioumon..." Saviorhackmon stammered abruptly, "I have much to learn from you, I'm following under your orders. You're not giving yourself much credit,"

Gaioumon snickered in response,"Says the guy with the high-tech glasses,"

"I apologize if I've offended you, lieutenant, but it wasn't in my intention to do so," The sergeant said formally.

"By the gods, don't be so formal with me, Saviorhackmon, you're making me feel old," The officer retorted with a chuckle.

"My apologies, Gaioumon,"

A long, awkward silence followed suit after the conversation. Gaioumon took a small nap on his chair while Saviorhackmon continued to type in the report. The light taps and clicks of the keyboard and touchpad droned on. The monotonous taps eventually annoyed Gaioumon. He opened one eye and peeked at Saviorhackmon, still working on his report. He glanced at the clock on the wall behind the knight.

He sighed and decided to end his nap quick. He straightened his back, bent his neck on the sides. He massaged his knuckles before setting his gaze on the younger operative.

"Are you still working on that report?" He asked.

"Um? Oh, no... I'm just chatting to a friend of mine," Saviorhackmon answered honestly.

Gaioumon's right eyebrow rose with curious before he leaned forward, eyeing Saviorhackmon with a mischievious look.

"Girlfriend?" He asked teasingly.

"N-no! Of course not!" Saviorhackmon exclaimed suddenly, surprising himself more than the lieutenant, "J-just a childhood friend of mine... the one that helped me build the glasses,"

Gaioumon simply nodded and lightly tapped his fingers against the table's surface. "Want to go for a drink, Saviorhackmon?" He proposed nonchalantly.

"I'm not a heavy drinker, sir," The knight replied, eyes glued to his laptop.

"I know... but I was suggesting if you wanted a break. I'll go anyway, with or without you," Gaioumon explained as he stood up and head for the door.

Saviorhackmon paused for a moment, frowning before he rapidly typed in a few words and closed his laptop. "Wait for me, Gaioumon," He said quickly as he joined the officer for a break.

Camp Dawnstar, August 28th 2022, Southern Region.

Noriko readjusted the side straps of her kevlar vest and helmet while the soldiers she was embedded with waited for their squad leader to begin today's patrol. She and her camera man, Takuya Kanbara, were among the few civilians who have permission to visit the Digital World and report on the daily lives and missions of the soldiers. Although she considered herself lucky, she now holds a monumental task to report and film a documentary on the expedition, taking in as much information she could get her hands on. Takuya, aside being her camera man, is also her unofficial "Digimon expert"; the reason being he watched all the anime and read all the mangas since he was eight.

She lightly punched her vest, making sure that the heavy kevlar plate in the vest was intact. She then adjusted her earphones with integrated mic. Takuya was doing a last minute check-up on his equipment before he gave her the thumbs ups.

"Um, are you Miss Mochizuki and Mister Kanbara?" A female voice suddenly asked behind her.

Noriko jumped in fright and turned around to see another woman, much taller than her, in full combat gear with a few red strands of hair sticking out on the sides behind her ears.

"Y-yes, that's us," Noriko replied calmly after retaking her breath.

The woman drew her right hand forward and offered a small friendly smile, "Nice to meet you. I'm Sergeant Rika Nonaka, I'll be your guide for the patrol," She introduced formally.

The reporter gladly shook her hand and smiled back. Takuya meanwhile was too busy tinkering with his equipment to greet the sergeant.

"Please forgive him, he can be forgetful and sometimes impolite," Noriko said with an apologetic smile.

"It is fine, miss. At least he's readying himself for the trip," Rika replied calmly. "We'll begin the patrol shortly. You can join us if you want, I'm just going to brief the troops so it should take about five minutes." She informed her before she walked toward the squad.

The soldiers gathered around Rika as she prepares the mission's briefing. The two reporters joined the soldiers, Takuya turned on his camera and started to film. Rika fetched for her notepad through her plate carrier and began to read out the briefing.

"For today's patrol, we will take the main road until we reach the town centre. From there, we will egress eastward for the fields and Huon village where we will meet the village's elders. The patrol is estimated to last two to three hours, possibly more." She glanced up to observe her soldiers. They were all listening so far. "Since it is also the summer holidays in this world, we should expect a lot of activity on the road, especially near the town centre with the weekly market going on. We should regroup with the rest of the platoon once we hit the road for the village..." She tucked her notepad back in its place and gazed up at her squadmates, "Any questions?"

They all shook their heads in response. "In that case; Akiyama, Kanemaru, status," She demanded stoically.

"Team One reporting and ready, sergeant!" Leading Private Akiyama replied.

"Team Two reporting and ready, sergeant!" Leading Private Kanemaru answered dutifully.

"Everyone knows their job. Reporters, you'll be with me on the cruiser. Take your places, ladies and gents, and standby for the lieutenant's green light." She instructed firmly.

"Ryoukai!"

The soldiers immediately dispersed and jogged to their designated vehicles of their small convoy. The convoy featured a Komatsu LAV at the head of the column, a Toyota High Mobility Vehicle in the middle and a Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle at the rear. Although the MRAP may seem to be a bit excessive for a 12-man squad, its purpose was to provide the squad superior firepower while having the capacity to carry more ammunation or wounded in the field. It has been an expensive order for the government to field its defense force with improved and better armoured vehicles like the Bushmaster or the V-22 Osprey but it was estimated to be cost effective to give the troops the proper necessities to adapt and face most threats in the Digital World.

Rika led the reporters toward the cruiser and opened the rear doors for them and three other soldiers. They all embarked in the rear cargo while a soldier took the driver's seat and Ryo was in the front passenger seat.

"All callsigns, this is Blue Leader. Status report. How copy?" The vehicle's radio buzzed in.

Rika picked up the handheld phone to respond, "This is Blue 1-Actual, solid copy. All green. Over."

The other squads replied, confirming their presences before the lieutenant gave them the signal to move out. The engines rumbled to life before the three vehicles joined the platoon's convoy and head for Green Hill. Along the road, Noriko would ask a couple of questions to the soldiers around her. Being their first deployment, they all expressed the same things: excited, nervous but determined to accomplish their missions. Meanwhile, Takuya took some shots of the locals as the convoy entered the town. Although amazed by the sheer diversity of digimon around them, the Japanese soldiers remained focus during the town patrol.

Private Hiroshi Yanaka, the gunner on the lead LAV, would occasionally greet back to the locals with a friendly wave or smile. The Japanese soldiers did receive some courses of the "Hearts and Minds" policy by American and British forces. The two more experienced forces did inform the Japanese that digimon weren't like the local Iraqis or Afghans, who were mostly apprehensive or hateful towards foreign troops. Digimon were the opposite. They were friendly and welcomed the humans with open arms, seeing them as peacekeepers. However the IDDF feared that in the future, the locals might see them as invaders or conquerors, that is why the "Hearts and Minds" policy was still in place to prevent such situation.

Suddenly the small convoy halted in its tracks. The cruiser jolted abruptly on the stone road, its tires screeched, gathering the curious gazes of the surrounding digimon. The sudden stop made the two reporters bump against each other. Rika growled and called the lead LAV through her radio.

"Blue 1-4, this is One-Actual. Interrogative: why the fuck did you stop?" She demanded sternly.

"Uh... One-Actual, we've got a situation here... We've got a lot of civvies blocking our path," Private First Class Kaito Ishikawa reported with uncertainty.

"Is it intentional?" She asked while trying to get a visual outside of the cruiser.

"Negative. I think we've reached the marketplace,"

"One-Actual, this is 2-1. Interrogative: what are your orders?" Asked the stoic Leading Private Junichi Kanemaru from the MRAP.

"I'll dismount with four others and try to wave the crowd off. The rest of you stay in the vehicles and move along." She instructed firmly. She shut her radio off and lightly tapped Akiyama's shoulder, "You're coming along, nominate three others." She ordered flatly.

The Leading Private turned around and glanced at the soldiers in the cargo, "Suwabe, Nanjo and Yusa," He nominated while pointing at them.

Private First Class Masaru Suwabe opened the rear doors of the cruiser and stepped outside with the rest of the group. Rika dismounted from the vehicle and turned to the reporters. "You guys can either stay here or come along, but you must stay behind me no matter what. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, ma'am!" Takuya replied with a thumbs up before he and Noriko stepped off the vehicle.

The marketplace was crowded and loud. Rika's group marched ahead of the convoy and had to shout at the civilians to step away from their path. Takuya was simply amazed and filmed as much of the locals as possible while Noriko took equally as many pictures as she possibly could.

Ryo laughed lightly ahead of them. The reporters looked exactly like cliché tourists, faces glued behind a camera, even with kevlar vests and helmets on. The only things missing to fit the stereotypical tourist were large rucksacks and baseball caps.

The convoy advanced slowly through the sea of civilians and narrow pathways. Sometimes the soldiers were interrupted by eager children wanting to take a picture or ask for candies. To save some time, the soldiers automatically gave in to their demands for sweets. Even the two reporters had to do their share of donating chocolate and cereal bars. In return, however, they would receive free fruits or drinks from nearby merchants, thanking the humans for their service.

"Man, we're suppose to be soldiers, not Santa Claus!" Private Koji Yusa complained, "I already did my fair share of Halloweens!" He added with a groan.

"At least we get free food as well," Nanjo countered with a shrug, taking a bite of an abricot some fruit merchant gave her a minute ago. "Woah, this is so good!"

"Hey, Yoshino-san! Pass me one!" Yanaka demanded behind her. She fetched an abricot through one of her trousers' pockets and tossed it at him. "Thanks!"

"You still have one more for me, Private?" Akiyama asked with a grin.

"Sure thing, sir. Do you want one as well, Sergeant?" She asked Rika after she gave another abricot to Ryo.

"No thanks," Rika replied plainly. "We're two minutes behind schedule but good news is that we're almost out of the marketplace," She glanced at the LAV behind her, "Do you have clear sight on the road?"

"Affirmative, sergeant!" Replied Ishikawa loudly.

"Team, mount up!" She ordered sternly.

The soldiers and reporters jogged back to the Toyota HMV and mounted aboard the cargo at the back. Half an hour later, the convoy was on the dirt road just outside the town, heading for the small village of Huon. Up ahead, they could see dust trails of another convoy from their platoon.

Once they've arrived at the village, the platoon's convoy was gathered at the village's square. From there, Lieutenant Hideo Hongo and Master Sergeant Kazuyuki Okitsu were gone meeting with the village's elders under the grand old oak tree. The rest of the platoon simply dismounted and were either on standby or were placed along the village's surrounding stone fence as overwatch. Rika nominated Akiyama's team on overwatch while the rest of the squad waited at the village square, chatting among themselves or interacting with the locals, primarily children.

Private First Class Satomi Akesaka, one of the platoon's medic, was making ballon animals out of medical gloves and a red marker in front of a crowd of awed and curious children. Private Hiroshi Yanaka, the squad's light-machine gunner, was discussing with the children's parents – or so they assumed – explaining to them the JSDF's purpose, with the reporters filming behind him. Yanaka was not only the squad's eldest, at 27 years of age, but he mans the biggest gun, the new MG5A2, and is also the squad's unofficial "teacher", having a bachelor's degree in education before he enlisted. He sort of has a natural charisma toward younger people. He was tall yet gentle, stern yet compassionate and importantly, a wise and understanding man.

How he became an infantryman still baffles Rika for he had the perfect qualities of a squad leader or an officer. Her train of thoughts were interrupted when her radio suddenly blared to life.

"Blue 1-Actual, this is Blue 1-1, we have a situation. Black smoke westbound, at about two klicks. How copy?" Akiyama reported calmly.

She spun around to catch sight of thick plumes of smoke rising to the sky. She noticed that similar reports were being shared among the whole platoon. One sergeant began to jog towards the oak tree to summon the lieutenant.

"Solid copy, 1-1, we're egressing to your position, standby. Over." She replied as she jumped off the cruiser and put on her helmet, "First squad on me!" She ordered firmly, gathering the immediate attention of her soldiers. Noriko shortly ran after the squad, leaving Takuya alone for several long seconds before he noticed she was gone and scrambled frantically to follow her.

The squad ran to Ryo's position where his team have already set up a firing line along the stone fence. The team leader peered into his rifle's gunsight, observing the hazy trails of smoke.

"It seems to be coming from that forest..." He reported stoically, "Wait... shouldn't there be a village beyond those trees?" He asked unsurely.

Rika peered into her rifle's gunsight and swore under her breath, realising the grim truth. "Yes... that is tomorrow's patrol,"

She heard more running footsteps coming behind her. More soldiers arrived and posted along the stone fence while Lieutenant Hongo and Master Sergeant Okitsu stared at the black plumes of smoke.

"My god... that's Oakfields over there," The platoon sergeant simply nodded in agreement. "Radio!" Hongo demanded.

A radio operator jogged to the lieutenant's side and saluted the officer sharply. "Get Motherbase on the line." The soldier nodded and contacted the camp's HQ.

While the lieutenant reports the situation to the higher-ups, Rika could only let out a sigh of frustration as the whole platoon was on standby. She wasn't a Tamer anymore who would race towards danger and face rogue digimon head on. Now she's a soldier, she has protocols and orders to follow and soldiers to lead by example and through discipline. She wasn't part of a small group, she's part of a whole complex and huge institution. She enlisted for her friends and family, but she also signed the contract for her country.

She could tell that Ryo was as impatient as her, wanting to respond as soon as possible to any threat or help any people over that village.

"Do we have any units near those coordinates?" Hongo asked through the radio.

"Negative, so far, Green Hill Fire Department is about forty five minutes away. You're the closest to the scene. Set up a perimeter there and investigate. Call in CASEVAC if you find any survivors. We'll contact any civilian first responders and EMS. Motherbase out."

"Alright, platoon! Mount up! We're heading towards the smoke. We don't know what's out there, so keep your eyes open and prepare for a fight!" Hongo ordered after he handed the phone back to the radio operator.

Everyone jumped into action and ran to the vehicles. The platoon leader had to explain briefly to the elders about their sudden departure. Once everyone was set, the convoy drove out of the village and raced towards the plumes of smoke.

The dirt road led the convoy into the forest. The tall trees blocked most of the sunlight, reducing visibility. The vehicles slowed down their pace, everyone was on edge and tense. The gunners kept their eyes open, scrutinizing their surrounding. It was silent, eerie and dreadful. Then they've reached a clearing. It was the village, well what was left of it.

The dry earth was covered in a thick layer of ash. Crumbled ruins were scattered across the clearing, smoke hazily rose up to the air. The pungent smell of sulfur was heavy in the air, mixed with dust and ash that irritated the eyes. The convoy continued to drive on the road, the soldiers observing the devastated village. The vehicles finally stopped at a well. The troops dismounted and formed up an established perimeter.

Dead leaves and twigs snapped while clouds of ash puffed out under her combat boots. Noriko was simply shocked and at a loss for words while Takuya kept filming the scene. The reporters stayed near the cruiser while the soldiers performed their tasks. A couple of teams spread out to search for any survivors. Master Sergeant Okitsu led a small group to report on the damages. The platoon's combat medics were on standby, waiting to spring to action when necessary.

"How could we've missed this?" Asked Private First Class Hiroshi Yamato worringly, the radio operator.

"It can't have been an attack or else we would've definitely heard it," Hongo pointed out flatly, "So it should be a fire. From the looks of it, the fire happened recently, maybe even last night. But we need to determine the cause first,"

"Should I contact CASEVAC, lieutenant?" The private asked.

"Not yet, we still don't know if there are any survivors," Hongo replied before he walked toward the well.

He took his flashlight and peered into the well, lighting down the hole. The well's empty apart from the bucket that was detached from the support beam. He turned around as the sounds of heavy boots grew louder behind him.

"What's the sitrep, Master Sergeant?"

The platoon sergeant pulled out his notepad and recited his report: "So far, everything was razed to the ground. If everyone had been perished, and we assume that each household had a family of four, the death toll would currently stand between 312 to 440 digimon. Could be higher." He reported stoically.

"That's great to hear two days after the operation just started..." Hongo said sarcastically. "Any theories on the cause?"

"Well, at first glance, it seems to be some wildfire going off at the wrong time due to the current heatwave. But we've dug around a bit and noted that a fire this devastating and sporatic, it should've burned the whole forest down..."

Hongo looked around and realised that most of the trees looked generally healthy eventhough they were covered in ash.

"Most trees around the village are still humid," Okitsu continued, "My second theory is that this might be a premeditated attack. Now why and by whom, we're still in the dark but I suggest that once we're done here, we head back to Huon village and ask around for a bit," He concluded as a matter-of-fact.

"Yeah... we'll do that later..." Hongo agreed, the reality of this incident dawning on him.

The blanket of leaves and branches snapped under her feet as she and her squad combed the area either for clues or survivors. Twenty minutes have passed since the search began, and so far there were no results.

Ryo was taking the lead, keeping his eyes and ears wide open for any sounds and details. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks and sharply raised his left fist up, halting the whole squad. Rika waved her left hand down, signalling the troops to crouch down. She made her way beside Ryo, who remained quiet as he scanned their surroundings.

"Found something?" She asked lowly.

"Heard something," He whispered back. "Over there..." He pointed to a ruin a little bit to their right ahead of them.

She turned around and nominated Private Nanjo and Private First Class Uchida to investigate the building with them. The rest of the squad stay put while the group of four slowly and cautiously made their way towards the crumbled house. A third of the building had been burnt to the ground, a chunk of the collapsed roof blocked the doorway, forcing the team to search for another entry. They've found the back door, partial blocked by burnt woodplanks. Uchida and Ryo pulled out the planks and coughed violently as dust and smoke shot out of the entryway. Nanjo turned on her torchlight and stepped in first, guiding the team into the building.

Their investigation came to a short end when they all heard soft crying coming from a room to their left. Nanjo peered into the room that looked like a kitchen. The soldiers entered and listened to the quiet sobs. Rika stepped closer towards the kitchen sink as the crying went quieter. She stopped just in front of the sink and looked down. There was a small curtain underneath the sink. She slung her rifle to the side and bent down. Carefully, she opened the curtain and was met with a frightened and trembling digimon.

The young creature gasped and backed away into a corner, completely overtaken by fear. Rika immediately recognised the digimon as a Lopmon. Going as smoothly as possible, Rika took off her helmet and raised her hands in a friendly manner.

"Hey there..." Lopmon flinched and hid behind their long ears, "Don't worry, we won't harm you, I promise." Rika added with a smile.

Lopmon didn't respond nor did they look back at her. They were trembling like a leaf. The digimon was covered in ash, making it difficult for Rika to determine if they were injured or not.

"Look, we're humans. We're with the IDDF, the good guys," She said while showing the IDDF emblem patch on her right sleeve. The patch featured the Globe in green and blue and a white shield in the background.

This prompted Lopmon to peek over their ears and stare at the emblem. Rika's smile grew wider, succeeding on getting a response from them. "My name's Rika, what's your name?" She asked kindly.

"L-Lopmon..." She replied shyly.

"Lopmon, huh? That's a nice name," Rika complimented. The others were already standing behind her, waiting for the digimon to come out of their hiding spot, "Listen, I need you to come with us, alright? We're going to take care of you and take you to a safer place. Do you trust me?" She asked as she gently reached her right hand toward Lopmon.

Hesitantly, Lopmon grasped her hand and allowed the soldier to pull her out of hiding spot and carry her in her arms. Rika wiped a hand across the digimon's face to clean her from the ash.

"There, much better, don't you think?" Lopmon nervously nodded, still shaking in Rika's arms.

Ryo led the team out of the building and contacted the lieutenant. Once Rika regrouped with the squad, everyone was gathered around her, staring at Lopmon as if she was the most precious creature.

"Oh my god, it's so adorable!" PFC. Ishikawa exclaimed, "Can I take a picture?"

"'She', private," Rika corrected him sternly, "And no, you can't. You're on duty and you're a soldier, not a tourist on holiday. Now all of you back off and back in formation." She ordered coldly.

Akiyama stood beside her, his radio in hand, "Just got word from LT that she's not the only survivor. They've just found more kids, but still no adults,"

"We'll handle that later, right now, we need to get our bearings and plan out our next course of action," Rika said with a frown.

So far, the platoon have found seven survivors: Lopmon, Erismon, two Burgamon, Dracomon, Gabumon, all children, and Dobermon, the village's surviving guardian. According to him, he was ordered to lead the children to a safe spot but got separated in the chaos. He is unfortunately too weak to give anymore intel. But one thing was clear: this was an attack.

Medevac was called in for the gravely wounded Dobermon while the children hopped aboard the MRAP in Rika's convoy. Their dull eyes were quickly replaced with sparkling curiosity and amazement once they were in the large armoured personnel carrier. Joining them was Private First Class Satomi Akesaka, one of the platoon's medic, to monitor the children's well-being.

The Green Hill EMTs and search and rescue teams arrived at the burned down village to search for any other survivors. Meanwhile Hongo's platoon had to return to base, HQ has sent another platoon to interrogate the locals at Huon village.

It was around 1900 hours local time when the convoy finally arrived to base. The base's medics quickly took care of the children at the hospital while the soldiers went to the hangar for a debrief of the patrol. Noriko and Takuya were exhausted from today's activities yet they followed the soldiers to the hangar, making sure to at least take some notes before they could get a warm meal before hitting the showers.

The locker room was relatively quiet despite it being full of men gearing up. Few words were exchanged between these highly trained and experienced soldiers. They passed around to each other some equipment, only communicating through hand gestures or nods. These men all wore the famed Multicam uniform however their flag patch to indicate their nation was missing. It was intentional to protect their identities from the world, even from the conventional soldiers. No flag patch, no name tag and mandatory balaclava and combat sunglasses to hide their faces.

That said, these men knew each other well enough to call each other by codenames, even in the field at night. The locker room was one of the few locations where they were free from these restrictions for a moment as they put on their gear and head off to the briefing room.

Among these operators was Sergeant Marcus Damon, the squad's CQB specialist and "Digi" expert, so far. Unlike his squadmates, he was the real foreigner when the unit was formed. Hailing from a peculiar and unorthodox military background, he was quickly accepted in the unit and by the men for he's one of the few to have the most experience in combat in the whole unit. The others being his squad leader, and hero of Japan, First Lieutenant Yōji "Avenger" Itami, and their platoon commander.

He donned his light ballistic vest, picked up his primary weapon and fast tactical helmet before sporting the black balaclava and glasses. Waiting at the doorframe was their platoon sergeant, making sure each operator was fully equipped for the upcoming op. He would stop each operator at the door to quickly inspect his gear and equipment. A rather unnecessary procedure, in Marcus's opinion, for these men were on point and professional, but he guessed it never hurts to be triple careful.

The whole platoon was gathered in the meeting room. The lights went off with only the projector and the flat white screen to provide a dim source of illumination. Standing straightly beside the screen was their platoon commander, Captain Kenyuu "Godfather" Yuuki, staring at the men with cold, stern eyes. Once everyone was settled, he coughed lightly and began the mission briefing by displaying a digital map of the Metal Empire's Platinum Mountains.

"Gentlemen, for this operation, there will be two phases: the reconnaissance phase and the intervention phase. Our mission: locate the enemy base and kill or capture any key enemy targets. The platoon will be divided into two task forces. Alpha squad will form Task Force "Bloodhounds" while Bravo and Charlie squads will form Task Force "Hunters". Bloodhounds will deploy by HALO jump into the Platinum Mountains and set up an observation post on Kilo 3..." He pointed at the designated grid on the map, "From there, you should have optimal view on the Iron Forest and these two villages at the base of the mountain. Hunters will be deployed by HALO jump two klicks south-east of Bloodhounds to secure and fortify an abandonned military outpost. This base will be your new home for the next three weeks. You will receive daily supplies by helicopter from the Marines based at the nearby valley."

"From the intel we've got, the terrorists have a base located in the forest and are using the mountains as a training site as well as a trading route to smuggle in supplies and weapons. Bloodhounds will identify these traders and arrest them if possible. Locate any person of interest and supply caches if there are any. We do not know when the intervention phase begins, for we do not have the sufficient intel, hence the recon phase. But once we'll receive the signal, we will attack the terrorists' base and hopefully end their operations for good."

"This op is similar to our previous deployment but now we will be trekking in hot waters because we will be sitting at the very edge of the Metal Empire's border..." He stopped a moment to take a sip from his cup of water before continuing, "The terrain is rough and uneven, so it will be difficult to tread there, watch your feet and be aware for any random landslides. It is also important to note that the villages are not what we see in the Middle-East or Afghanistan. This is the Metal Empire, so they are well-developed and larger than any common village. However D-Brigade presence is low in the AO. Do not let them catch you in open view. The terrorists, on the other hand, are crawling in this area, this is their main turf. They are well-trained, tough and ruthless. Extreme caution is advised and as for the wildlife, there should be nothing to worry about, no bugs to bite you or snakes to catch your balls at night..." The whole platoon chuckled at the light humour.

"Jokes aside, this is a very important mission. This is our chance to end a conflict without the need of conventional troops. The Digital Marines and a Battle Group of the JSDF will be deployed at the Sword Zone twenty klicks away from your position, so other than the supply runs, you'll be pretty isolated. And I want to keep it as that. Conceal your positions, do not leave a single mark of your presence and do not interract with the locals. Any questions?"

"What are our ROE?" Asked Master-Sergeant Kazuki "Jin-Roh" Fuse, a heavy weapons specialist.

"Arrest them any D-Brigade personel and civilian, they may be terrorist spies. If you're in a desperate situation, eliminate them on the spot. The same goes for any tangoes that is not a POI." The captain answered coldly.

Marcus raised his hand up, "What do we do about caches?"

"Destroy them discreetly if possible," Godfather replied plainly.

"Do we have any support?" Asked Sergeant First Class Shiroh "Archer" Nakagawa, one of the platoon's snipers.

"Negative," The operators seemed to be disappointed. Lacking any kind of support on a mission could be very dangerous but it is a risk that they have no choice but to accept. "The intel we've been provided so far aren't sufficient enough. From what we got from our allies, there's apparently a conspiracy behind all of this insurgency, and they aid that the ME is somehow involved in it. Well that was the gist of it , anyway. Like I said, we're about to tread on hot waters, one mistake could lead to war." Yuuki informed them with a serious voice. "Rendez-vous at Hangar 3 in thirty minutes. Finish up your preps."

The room fell silent for seconds. The men knew their roles in this operation and were aware of the dangers and risks that come with it. Satisfied with the lack of questions, Yuuki nodded quietly, adjourning the briefing. The men stood up and filed out of the room in silence, heading back to their barracks to gather the rest of their equipment.

The sun was already setting as they reassembled at the hangar. A Kawasaki C-1 was pulling up to the tarmac, driving to a more suitable position before letting the operators in. The men did a last minute check-up. Marcus tightened all the straps around his body: his plate carrier, rifle sling, pistol holster, parachute bag... He regulated the pilot oxygen mask strapped to his face, making sure a steady flow of oxygen came through. He flipped down his NVGs, inspecting the batteries and flipped them up. He finally tapped his helmet to make sure it held on to his head. The squad leader checked up on his squadmates, glancing up and down and lightly punching their shoulder. Itami walked up to Damon and observed him. He lightly punched him on the shoulder and the sergeant gave a thumbs up in reply.

Itami turned his radio on; "Alright, Bloodhounds, this is Avenger, I want status report."

Each man replied accordingly. The signal was good so far, comms were working and the airplane was set and ready to go. He raised his right fist up, gathering the attention of his men. He beckoned them to form a single file line in front of him. Once in formation, he spun around and waved his hand forward. On cue, they marched towards the aircraft's rear ramp at a disciplined pace. The aircraft's crewmembers greeted them with a sharp salute before returning to their tasks.

They took their seats and waited patiently for the airplane to lift off and fly towards their dropping point.

The gentle hum of the engines was a welcomed sound for most operators. For Itami, it was a bit unnerving. It has been only four months since he joined the unit and he was already given responsibility of a squad and a mission. Of course, this squad was far different from Third Recon, his squadmates are all capable, highly trained, experienced and skilled soldiers unlike the regulars from his previous squad. He did missed them though, they were friends to him. But since his first deployment in the Digital World, his hobby became less of a priority. He was Ranger qualified and still a SFG operator but he was a slacker at best. Now though, he wanted to do more for his country, he wanted to change his way of life, have a real purpose and correct it. That's how he ended up in this unit, Data Squad.

The selection course was unforgiving and brutal, far harder than Ranger and Special Forces courses combined. But he pulled through and vowed to serve his country first, his hobby second. At first there were doubts. Was he really fit for this? Will he die in his first mission? Can he lead his new squad? The scars from his first deployment were still fresh in his psyche. He had witnessed the horrors of war, the constant stressful, chaotic and intense battles he and his fellow soldiers had been through. Deep down, past his grizzled and serious façade, he was afraid. How he managed to pass the psychological evaluations was a mystery to him. He quickly stomped down his doubts and fear with a quick shake of his head. His fingers were trembling on his knees. He took in a deep breath and exhaled just as the lights turned red.

"Two minutes..." The pilot announced flatly.

The rear ramp opened down, a rush of cool air flooded strongly in the cargo. The operators stood up, their rythmic breathing muffled by the strong howls of the wind. A black mass appeared before them. They all flipped down their NVGs and waited for Itami's signal. The lieutenant wobbled over to the edge, peering down at the cloudless night sky. The light beside him flushed green. He turned around and a swung an arm down. The operators, in a single line, walked to the edge of the ramp and jumped off in stride. When everyone else has dropped off, he saluted at the nearest crewmember and jumped into the void, disappearing into the sea of darkness in the blink of an eye.

The Bloodhounds were off their leashes. The mission has begun.

Author's Note: Hey, sorry for the slow update, had to rewrite this chapter a lot. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this story so far. Favourite/ Follow it if you want and reviews are appreciated. In other news, I've been re-reading some of my previous stories and decided to tweak some of them, notably The Battle of Tokyo (Just noticed that indeed, there are some flaws like useless plot elements and my main characters are a bit OP). Expect some changes, story-wise. That's all I have to say for now. À la prochaine! :D