Chapter 5: Fear
Royal Woods, Michigan
Royals Woods Medical
10 years ago
It has been hours since Kotaro was sent to Emergency Room, anyone who had followed whether friends or family were experiencing a storm of emotions but not Sarah or Aaron.
The only thing going through their minds were the preparators, Sarah of course gave all the fact she could give to the police, all but one and Aaron could tell that Sarah was withholding information but he couldn't figure out why she was doing so.
"Sarah, from the look of things you know who shot Kotaro. Why didn't you tell the police?" Aaron asked concerningly as the Sarah that is standing before him resembles the Sarah when she first worked as an Independent Contractor and it worried him.
"Aaron you worry too much."
"But you do know who did it right!?" Aaron demanded this time.
Inside her head, all Sarah could think of was the shooter and it disturbed her to a point that she fears that may be right. "I'm not one hundred percent sure but there's a chance that the shooter may be part of the Forty-Six gang."
The news hit Aaron a bit, he heard of the Forty-Six. A vicious gang that mainly operated in Great Lake City which he had heard were recently booted out by a rival gang. The thought that the gang has sat up shop in a quiet town like Royal Woods can only spell trouble.
Six Hours Later
Anderson Residence
It had been a grueling night for everyone, what was supposed to be the best day ever turned sour in just a few hours. Thankfully the doctor came out after eight hours surgery and informed them that Kotaro would make it, the news was a breath of fresh for everyone present.
Sarah and her kids went home to find that the house and the yard had been decorated but what caught her eyes was a banner hanging above her front door that says 'The Best Mom Ever'.
The kids explained that they had almost everyone including Kotaro to keep her at work as long as possible for her surprise party, hearing this really touched her heart especially her younger children who were still a bit receptive.
After having a late dinner and cleaning themselves up, everyone went to bed but not everyone was asleep.
Lori kept tossing and turning in, at one point she even called out to Leni only to remember that they each had their own room, it was times like this that she wished that she had someone to talk to, and almost as if on cue, Leni came in and sat beside Lori.
Both were silent, they didn't know how to bring up the topic and how could they it is a hard subject that is until they both started speaking up, cutting over each other and had a few laughs.
"Today was rough wasn't it." Said Lori
"Yeah." Said Leni somberly
"I thought that mum … well you know." Leni didn't respond but her silent was all Lori needed.
"Leni I'm not as strong as everyone thinks I am." Lori confessed much to Leni's shocked
"Ever since mum and dad died, I have been trying to stay strong but its things like this that make me fall apart but I have to put on a brave face for all of you or else –"
Leni then gave Lori a hug and the both of them began to cry profusely, unbeknownst to them their mother has been listening and it hurt her heart to know that their parents death from a year ago was still haunts them which made her recall the number of times she had spend with her kids or even have a one to one and she was ashamed to admit that she has hardly spend enough time with them.
Sarah wandered around her home until she came to stop in front of a picture from when she first held baby Lori in her arms and a picture of a younger Lynn Loud, Rita Loud and herself.
"Am I cut out to be a mother?" She mumbled before she drifted off to sleep.
Sarah was startle awake from screams of her children, she quickly raced to each of her children's room to find each one to be empty then she heard their screams outside her front door and went there immediately.
Once outside she saw her worst nightmare, Royal Woods in flames. Sarah ran throughout town to find her kids but all she saw were Forty-Six graffiti or dead bodies of her friends.
She kept running around town, all the while hearing the screams and shouts of her children then all of a sudden, the screaming stop right when she reached town hall. Sarah had a sense of dread welling up inside of her but she musters up all the courage she has and went inside.
The moment she entered; it was a scene she wished she never see in her life. Each of her children were strung up around the town hall, all except her youngest children who were held at gunpoint by a man with a burn face, a man whom she had never expected to meet again in her life.
She was going to run towards him but somehow her legs were sinking to the ground, she thrashes and flayed around but to no avail. All she could do is watch as the burned man shot her kids one by one while hearing his maniacal laugh.
Once he reached Lily, Sarah manage to get out of the sinking ground and made a mad dash towards him but it was too later, the burned man shot Lily when she was just inches away from them.
Sarah world shattered apart, her will broken. She cradles the bodies of her children, cried so loud that she didn't care that the burned man was saying something to him. Finally, he pointed his gun at Sarah and pulled the trigger.
Sarah woke up in a cold sweat, realizing that everything she saw just a dream but she still ran to each of her kid's rooms, to find that they are sleeping soundly much to her relief.
After collecting herself, Sarah tried her best to remember the dream especially the part about the burned man. The last time she had a dream like this, was during her days with the CIA and the last time she dreamed about the burned man was when she left him for dead.
Sarah is not a superstitious person but whenever she had dreams like this, it was always before something terrible happens. While she was lost in thought, the picture by the stair's desk fell and broke.
Sarah cleared away the broken shards, picked up the photo and saw that it was a family photo of her kids with their parents in front of their old home, it was one of the things the kids took when they moved here.
Seeing the photo made her remember memories of a time when she was much different then she is now, from when she felt she was alone in the world until Lynn and Rita showed her a warmth that she had lost and now these kids also give her that same warmth and she be damn if anything happens to them.
Sarah went to her armory and took out a pistol, a knife and a few ammo clips then left her home in the dead of night on her motorcycle to hunt down every single Forty-Six and make them wish they never set foot on her hunting ground.
Six Days Later
Days past after the shooting at Lynn's Table, life went on in the small town with many none the wiser to what had occurred, as for Kotaro, he was recovering nicely and with regular visits from the Mcbrides, the Anderson kids and Aaron Keener, he was feeling good about himself but he has always hope to see one person, his friend and boss Sarah Anderson.
According to the kids, their mother hasn't been seen since the shooting. Everyone in town tried to find her but unfortunately to no avail, no sooner when the kids hope start to fade, Aaron came knocking on their door with instructions from their mother to take care of them but has refuse to tell them where she is, mostly out of fear.
Two days later, bodies of Forty-Six members began turning up around town with warnings telling them to go back to where they came from.
Everyday there would be news about the Forty-Six, there was even a hostage situation at the bank where eyewitness account states that a shadow move so fast that the Forty-Six didn't know what was happening.
It was terrible news surely but the kids always felt like the adults knew who is fighting the Forty-Six especially Aaron and Kotaro who they noticed always looks at a brown leather book whenever news about the Forty-Six comes up.
The kids then planned to take a peek into the book after Kotaro had taken his medicine and Aaron went to buy their lunch.
When they were about to take a look at the book's content. "I don't believe you kids had permission to look at the book, did you?" they startled by Aaron's voice who is standing by the door with their lunch.
"We're sorry." Said the kids while they give the book to Aaron.
Aaron took the book off their Lincoln while looking slightly disappointed but not for them but rather the fact he had to keep secrets from them for their mother.
"Look kids whatever is in that book, your mother will tell you when she comes back and more." Aaron pleaded
The kids wanted to ask more but the look on Aaron face was telling them he won't be answer any question but if their mother was willing to tell her secrets then they wouldn't mind waiting a day or two.
The only thing they know about her that she was a private contractor who worked for the CIA though only Lori, Luna and Lynn knew what it means.
Sarah had promised to them that part of her life was over but with the guns in the basement of their home and the fact that there are times they see their mother still keeping up with her training, tells them that she may be lying to them or just isn't true to herself.
The kids only wish that their mother would come home safe and sound, and hopefully that she would tell them about her past.
Outskirts of Royal Woods
Location unknown, Abandoned CIA safehouse
During a time when the country was facing a crisis, CIA had set up safehouses around every part of the country for their agents, their hired guns or even Delta but now this particular is safehouse which had been abandoned is being use by Sarah to interrogate two members of Forty-Six.
Sarah has been picking off Forty-Six little by little to get them to retreat back to their hideout so she could take them out in one go and now she received information from Cliff that the Forty-Six were running scared after her last display. The only problem is that she has no idea where their home is, that's where this two comes in.
Sarah took them while they were peddling their drugs to kids near her teenage daughters' school, they tried to run of course but nothing that she hadn't expected.
Once subdued she brought them to the abandoned safehouse where she has been interrogating them but after hours of playing nice, she has had enough and start to bring out tools to help loosen their tongues.
"Enhance interrogation, do you know what that means? It means to use a method that which would cause psychological damage to an individual, where by isolation, starvation or dehydration. Thankfully none of these tools would do that." Sarah gestured to a number of tools laid out on the table such as pliers, a wrench or a scalpel. If the two gang members weren't afraid before they are now.
"Now before I consider using much blooder methods, are either of you going to tell me where your hideout is?" The only response she got was a spit to the face from one of them. "Well, let it never be said I was not nice."
Sarah began by move one of the Forty-Six behind the other and positioning him by his back then she put on a pair of gloves and then she got to work.
She began punching him repeatedly, stopping only to ask the question and when she didn't get the answer she wanted, she started again sometimes using the tools at hand.
After fifteen minutes of bashing, the Forty-Six has suffered several cuts, bruises and broken bones and still refuse to talk. Sarah can't help but admire his loyalty but it was still within expectation.
"You one loyal bastard if anything." Hearing this caused the Forty-Six to smile slightly as he felt he suffering has rewarded but his smile faded when Sarah put away her tools and turn him to face his friend. "Let's see whether your friend has the same iron will after I'm done with him."
Sarah walked over to the other Forty-Six, to see him sweating from head to toe. Sarah immediately knew that his tactic worked as she knew that his friend would be a weak link.
"So, how are you doing there? Doing good? You're sweating a lot there; do you need water?" Sarah asked but never got any response which only amuse her.
"So, your friend took a lot of beating. Now I don't want you to suffer through that, so why won't you do us a favor and tell me where your hideout is, ok?"
The Forty-Six though still sweating with fear, tried to put on a strong front. "Hideout? What hideout? We're working on our own since the Forty-Six disbanded."
This was not Sarah wanted to hear but still within expectation. Sarah patience's has worn out, her smile faded from her face and the Forty-Six in front of her can sense it. Sarah didn't leave to take her tools this time but instead took out her knife, a really long knife.
"Now I repeat. Where! Is! Your! Hideout!" Said Sarah while pointing the knife towards one of his knees but even with the knife it was not enough to loosen his tight lip, so Sarah stab the knife into his knee and twist it slightly to add further pain.
"Don't look at the knife, now look at me. Tell me where your goddamn hideout is or I pop your goddamn knee off." Sarah twisted the knife again causing him great pain as he could feel his kneecap being push out.
"Ok! Ok I'll talk just stop! Please." He pleaded.
Sarah then took out a map of Royal Woods from her pocket then pulled the knife out and placed it in his mouth. "Now you are going to mark where your hideout is and it better match with your friend or else."
The Forty-Six used the knife to mark the map after which Sarah took back from. "There. You can verify with him; he will tell you. I'm not a liar, I'm –"
Before he could say anything else, Sarah walked behind him and began to choke him and then break his neck. The other Forty-Six would had been watching Sarah torturing his friend, was horrified at his death.
"He told you what you want! I'm not telling you shit." The Forty-Six berated
"That's ok, I believe him." Sarah took out her pistol pointed it at his head and fired.
Sarah then dragged both bodies and placed them into a barrel of acid for disposal but before she could leave the safehouse, the perimeter alarm trip letting her know that an intruder had entered the building.
Sarah raced towards the entrance, readied her pistol to kill whoever it is but before she could fire off a shot. The intruder revealed himself to be Aaron Keener.
"Aaron, what the hell are you doing here! You were supposed to take care of my kids." Exclaimed Sarah
"I'm here because of your kids." Aaron responded which made Sarah felt anxious
"What happen to them! Are they ok!"
Aaron who has known Sarah for all her, has never seen her acting like this. It was so refreshing that it made him chuckle a bit. "Calm down Sarah, your kids are fine. I meant they are worried about you, so I came here to check on you."
Sarah has never been so scared in her entire live but after collecting herself, she realized what Aaron had just said. "Wait you said all my kids were worried about me?"
Aaron nodded while taking out a big black bag from his car booth. "Even the young ones … especially Lola?"
Aaron was confused but just nodded. "Are you sure? Did Lola really look concern to you?"
"Sarah where is this coming from? You know those kids love you. Why are you asking whether Lola is concern about you?"
"I know most of the kids have accepted me as their stepmother but I know Lola still can't and before you say anything, I've seen her say so in private with Lana or Lucy." Sarah responded which cause Aaron to think of Lola.
It was true that he heard all the kids concern for their stepmother but he didn't really pay it much mind especially Lola and then he remembered that Sarah had told her that Lola's acting skills were much better than hers.
"Anyway, are you going to hand over that bag or not?" Aaron was shock out of his thoughts by Sarah's sudden question and that he just realized that he was still holding onto the bag.
Aaron then handed over the bag and upon opening it, it was a Benelli M3, a shotgun ammo belt with a few dozens of shells and a few pistol magazines clip. "Why do I feel like you knew I needed this?"
"You're not exactly an enigma Sarah, besides I've seen you use this tactic before."
Sarah knew that she can always count on Aaron since they've known each other since childhood but there are times that she finds him annoying for their closeness, fortunately this wasn't one of those times.
"Well thanks, I need to get going and you need to go back to my kids. Hopefully by tonight the Forty-Six will be gone and I can come home."
"Sarah wait a sec!" Aaron called out. "We already know the Forty-Six came here only because they were pushed out of Great Lake but I got to know do you think that 'they' are involve?"
"…Yes, and I think 'He' is still alive." Said Sarah and left before Aaron could ask more questions.
Aaron never worries about Sarah when she goes on missions but whenever the target involves 'Him' he can't help but feel nervous since like him, 'He' also knew her well enough to get into her head.
Three Hours Later
Abandoned mall construction site, Former Reds hideout
This was one place that Sarah had least expected to be a hideout for the Forty-Six, a construction site for a mall that was left incomplete due to a hostile takeover by a now disbanded gang called The Reds.
The Reds were the Royal Woods equivalent to the Forty-Six expect they engage in more murder and mayhem rather than selling drugs. It was because of this; they were feared until Sarah was sent to Royal Woods to recon the gang for suspected involvement with a certain group that had tried to kill her entire team.
"Never thought I'll be back here."
Sarah surveyed the surrounding area of the mall, spotted several entry points but also a lot of bad guys patrolling around the area, the upside was that the site still has brownouts and though the Forty-Six has blocked off most of the entrance, she had a feeling that the basement is still left unchecked but the only catch is that she can only enter is by a broken wall next to the sewers.
Now that she has a plan, Sarah geared up and began her descend into the sewers.
It would not be a surprise if anyone would say that they are not afraid of the Forty-Six nowadays but for anyone who isn't either a rival gang or law enforcement to openly attack them was a statement of how far they have fallen.
They only been a barely two weeks and someone has already disrupted their business and killing their men, their boss tried to set a trap by doing a hostage situation but that too failed.
Now they are forced to pull back to hideout and abandon any business they had set up and it isn't an exaggeration that most of them felt like they were corral back here like a common animal and the situation seems to be very similar with their encounter with that gang back in Great Lake City.
The hideout that normally had little personally was buzzing with activity, some were checking their stock, some were checking their guns and ammo while others were shoring up their defenses before whoever was coming for them.
All of a sudden, the lights all went out. They were used to the occasional brownouts but for a full blackout could mean two things, either the old generators finally stop working or their enemy is here.
"Someone go down to the basement now and check what's going on with the power." Their boss said over the walkies.
"On it boss." Someone replied.
Everyone except the crew who are fixing up their defenses breathed a sigh of relief as they wait for the power to come back but they can't help but be afraid that someone or something was watching them in the dark.
Two Forty-Six gangers made their way to the basement where the place is pitch black that their flashlights barely light up the place then a few feet ahead, luckily all they have to do is follow the cable towards the building generator.
A few minutes they made it to the generator, and found that the power cables had been cut and there were some damages to the generator itself. This worried them as this could mean that someone has found their hideout.
"We need to let the boss know."
"You think I don't know that." They bickered while one of them tried to tell their boss of the situation but all they got was static.
"Signal must be block by the basement, lets get out of here and tell the boss." It was then he realized that his partner was missing, he called out to his partner but no one answered.
He searched almost every nook and cranny of the basement but he was nowhere to be found, finding the situation to be very creepy, he ran towards the entrance only to find his partner standing there.
"Hey! What the hell! You just left me like that! If this is your way of a joke! I'm going to knock your teeth out!" He cried out but his partner didn't respond, just stood there leaning on the wall.
He angrily approaches his partner and turn him around and was horrified to see that his throat has been slit. He tried to stop the bleeding but the blood kept spilling out and it seems like he was trying to tell him something but because he was choking with his own blood, he couldn't get a word out.
"Don't try to talk damn it! I'm going to try to get someone down here." Before he could even speak into the walkie, a hand covered his mouth and knife was pressed against his throat.
"Slowly put the walkie away and throw away your gun." He heard a voice that was so scary that he can't help but comply. "Good boy."
"Now tell me where is your boss and before you try to give me a smartass answer. I suggest you look at your friend down there, so choose your words wisely."
He looks at his friend and quickly realized that he would meet the same fate if he didn't comply. "H-He's in the security room, third floor past the unfinished Rolex store. Y-You can't miss it I swear, there's even a sign that shows you where."
"Don't worry, I believe you." Before he could even react, he could feel the blade slicing across his throat and his blood gushing out in force, flooding his mouth with his own mouth.
As he dropped own the ground trying to stop the bleeding, he caught a glimpse of his attacker, a short brunette woman with slightly long hair tied to low ponytail. All he could think before the end was her eyes, how terrifying the look in her eyes was when she stared at him.
Malcom was feeling anxious, it's been nearly two hours since he sent some of his men down to fix the power, he understands that most of his men aren't that smart but he can't understand how hard it would be to bring back the power.
What worse is that the situation he and his men are in is frighteningly similar to when that gang force them out of Great Lake, the only difference is the blood messages.
He saw the warnings but he pays it much heed until bodies started piling up, he barely has fifty men now and some of his men have started to see him as a weak leader, some even deserted him though he has heard that they were later found dead.
He keeps thinking back to the night that gang nearly destroyed but let them go instead, at the time he thought lady luck smiled upon that night but now he can't help but think he was let go to die but he can't help but think whether it was coincidence that the town they were sent to had a vigilante or it was planned and that his gang was used as bait to draw this person out.
It was then a loud gunshot can be heard; this angered Malcom a lot. "Who the hell is shooting! I didn't allow anyone to practice." But no one answered instead the gunshots continued. It was then he begun to think that the vigilante or even worse that gang has come to finish the job.
"Someone answer me! Who are you shooting at!?" Malcom screamed into the walkie frantically.
"We're under attack boss!" His walkie blared.
"Who? Who is attacking us? Is it that gang from Great Lake?" Malcom asked.
"I-I-I don't know boss. I think it's the vigilante but I can't tell, its too dark and the intruder or intruders is moving around a lot."
Malcom didn't know what to think, didn't know what to do. He kept going back and fore with this train of thought until he decided to just order his men to do whatever it takes to kill the intruder.
Sarah had trekked her way through the sewers, sabotaged the mall's power and killed at least a dozen of Forty-Six before being discovered. Overall, everything has been going according to plan.
So far, the Forty-Six has been putting up a fight despite being in the dark though most of them were stupid enough to huddle together which only gave Sarah an easy shot with her shotgun despite that they do still have the numbers and there's only one of her.
Sarah is now force to retreat due to number of Forty-Six coming her way, fortunately she ran towards a store with boarded up window and closed the door behind while also barricading it at the same time. Sarah turn on her flashlight to inspect her surrounding for an exit but instead was surprised to see that she had locked herself inside the Forty-Six's ammo stockpile room.
Sarah is surprised to find that they have enough guns and ammo to take over the town if they wanted to. Sarah helped herself to some of their shotgun shells and pistol bullets but were shocked at the amount of C-4s and other military grade explosives and weapons they had.
"Shit, I thought these guys are small time but if they have this much hardware, they must have some sort of connection with the criminal underworld."
Sarah decided to take some C4 with her. "This place was scheduled for demolition anyway; I mind as well bring it down early … with some Forty-Six in it."
As she was taking the C4s and a detonator, the Forty-Six who had been banging on the door, had begun to use axes to breakdown the door. Sarah quickly scanned the room for another exit until she spotted a vent, with carefully movement she opened the vent and crawled in but not before leave a surprise for them.
Sarah crawled in the damp for a couple of minutes before she heard the explosion from her surprise, hearing it was music to her ears though she didn't expect the aftershock were so strong that vibration caused the vent to come loose and crashing down.
Sarah came tumbling out and slightly groggy. "Damn it, this is why I hate crawling in vents." Once her sense came back, she realized that she is now near the security office.
She was glad that job was almost finish, she listened in on the door to heard a man screaming and shouting on the other side, not wanting to waste any more time, she placed a C4 on the door then detonate it after moving away from it.
Sarah rushed in with her shotgun in hand and killed everyone except the leader, the only reason she is sparing him at the moment because she wants answers, answers to the question that is burning in her head for the past few days.
"Wait! Wait! Wait! Don't kill me please! I'll give you anything, just don't shoot me!" The Forty-Six leader cried out as Sarah pointed her shotgun at him.
Sarah gave him a good long look and realized that she knew him from CIA days, he is Malcom "The Maul" Jackson. The only reason is called The Maul is because he has a habit of beating his victims with his hands or any blunt weapon and always leaving their face unrecognizable.
Sarah put away her shotgun but took out her pistol and shot his thigh. Malcom cried out in pain as he held his thigh trying in vain to stop the bleeding. "Shut up! You want me to shoot the rest of your limbs too!"
Malcom held his breath back knowing that she would still do but does so out of fear. "Your gang clearly has a lot of firepower … well used to at least, so how did gang as powerful as yours, lose to a up and coming gang and furthermore even was force to run to a sleepy quiet town."
Sarah waited for Malcom to answer for a few seconds but she got impatient and shot his other thigh causing Malcom to cry out again. "Don't even think about stalling for time, anyone who comes here will die before they can –"
"Freeze!" a gang member cried out but instead of doing as he said, Sarah shot him in the head, killing him instantly.
"Even think of shooting me." Sarah continued.
Malcom was even more afraid now. "I don't know who they are. They always had a mask on, every one of them."
This was not the answer she was looking for but she knew that he was telling the truth. "Then did you speak to anyone of them, was there any defining marks? Like badge or a tattoo?"
Malcom tried his best to think back to the time he was tortured and remembered something. "I remembered this one guy; he had an American Flag with guns forming an X tattoo on the back of his neck."
Sarah was a bit shocked; she had expected it but she was still shocked. The only people who had that marking were the terrorist organization, The True Patriots. The one group that had killed several of her men, who hunted her and her men across the globe before she retaliated.
"I-I already told you w-what I know, I-I can go ri-right?" Hearing the whimpering voice of Malcom brought Sarah out of her thoughts.
"Sure." Sarah answered coldly and walked away but stopped half way near the destroyed door. "That is if you can make it out of the building before it blows up.
Malcom immediately perked up and tried his best to get up but the pain in both of his thigh were too great that he kept tumbling back down. He kept doing this for a while until he resigned to try and crawl out as gunshot began ringing again.
Minutes passed as Malcom just kept crawling ever so slowly with only one goal in mind and that is, he must survive but somewhere deep down is he knows he won't be able to.
Once Sarah had the answers, she wanted she went on to place the C4 charges at the building's foundation but just as she placed the last charge and armed the detonator, the remaining Forty-Six ganger found her and began shooting her.
Sarah ran and shot her way out of the building and when she is far enough, she got behind some cover and detonated the C4s.
The abandoned mall lit up so brightly that anyone who lived at southern part of Royal Woods could see it from there and those who live around north Royal Woods could probably feel the shockwave from their home and might even mistake it for an earthquake.
After a while Sarah stood and look at the crumbled mass that used to be an abandoned mall, the place was a stain on Royal Woods ever since The Reds and now the Forty-Six but that all is in the past now as the building is now a tombstone for two different gangs and that is fine with her.
Sarah got on her motorcycle and began the long drive home, home to her kids but she drove, her mind kept going back to the moment when Malcom told her that the True Patriots were still around.
The CIA had told her that True Patriots were destroyed five years ago when she and her team had hunted down their last holdout in Angola but now, she can't help but wonder that she was lied to but than again she knew the CIA had a history of lying to their field operatives or hired helps.
One thing she does know is that she is going to have a long and possibly harsh conversation with her former handler and for his sake he better have the answer she wants.
10 years later
NYC, Times Square
2 days after open broadcast transmission
"There you go, that's the entire story of how I single-handedly took out a gang." Said Sarah who has been regaling her teammates stories of her exploit after they manage to talk her down.
"Ha, pay up guys. I told you she can take on an army and best of all without any Shade tech." Said Andrew who was helping himself to the pot of money which they bet on Sarah story.
Since Sarah broadcasted her message, dozens of still loyal First Wave agents have rallied to her side, sadly they had received news that First Wave Commander Newt had perished with his squad when a Riker ambushed them in subway.
This meant that Sarah is now the Commander of the First Wave agents, since then Sarah has carved out a Base of Operation at Murray Hill within the Morgan Library and Museum.
For the past two days, Sarah had been coordinating efforts with other agents or Hunters to retake Murray Hill but since leaving Grand Central, the LMB has a stranglehold on it but other than that she had to content with the occasional survivors poring in and some of them were infected with the Green Poison.
Fortunately, some of the survivors were doctors, nurses or paramedics and thanks to ISSAC, they were able to separate the infected from the others.
Now normally Sarah would be back at base doing all this but a few hours ago she received a call from Aaron Keener to him here. The last time she had heard about Aaron, he was last seen in one of the Dark Zones defending a group of survivors from Looters and after that nothing. To actual hear from him, brought some peace to her.
Andrew, Bob and Samantha had protested her from going out but they knowing her, would have left in the dead of night to see Aaron and that's why they have been waiting in the snow for the past four hours much to Bob's annoyance.
"God damn it, I'm freezing my ass over here. When's your boyfriend goanna show up?" Said Bob frustratingly
"First of all, he's not my boyfriend and second I told I'm fine going on my own but you were the one volunteered to come." Said Sarah smirkingly
"Well did he say when he's –" But before Bob could finish, gunshots can be heard.
They scanned the area until Andrew spotted someone running towards them with who seems to a squad of Rogue Agents behind him. "Hey guys, there's a guy at our two-o clock, coming at us fast."
Sarah looking through her sniper scope and saw Aaron. "It's Aaron! Everyone cover him."
Bob and Samantha pushed forward to cover Aaron while Andrew set up an artillery turret and Sarah used her sniper rifle to suppress the Rogues movement.
Thanks to Sarah's team, Aaron was able to get into cover. "Damn it's a good thing you still a good shot."
"Good shot? Oh, Aaron you should know by now. I'm –" Sarah paused for a second and shot one of the Rogues in heart. "The best." Sarah and Aaron shared a chuckle before the flurry of bullets brought them back to the immediate situation.
It didn't take long for them to eliminate the remaining two Rogues and while Bob, Samantha and Andrew check their bodies for ammunition and confiscated their Shade tech, Sarah and Aaron were catching up.
"I heard your broadcast; have to say Sarah you've done some crazy things but that was very bold of you." Said Aaron.
"Hey, you of all people should know by now that boldness gets results." Said Sarah.
They shared a laugh again before Andrew pointed out that they should head back to base which Sarah agreed. Along the way, Aaron told them of the situation and how bad it has gotten.
Apparently, the three major factions within the city have taken up their own Base of Operations. The Rikers took hold of the Lexington Event Center, The Cleaners taken a Napalm Production Site and The LMB have taken the United Nations building which was no that far from the First Wave base.
Sarah asked about the Rogues but more on whether they were an organized force or just opportunist who wanted to loot the city. Unfortunately, Aaron had no answers as he claimed that he has been scouting the major faction bases.
This was not Sarah wanted to hear but she knew that the Rogues were somehow organized and when a group has organization, it can only mean that someone is leading them and she intends to find this leader and hopefully eliminate a potential powerful threat to not just the city but the country or even the whole world.
"But I do have some good news." Said Aaron bringing attention to himself. "I think I know where Gordon Amherst is though its only the general location."
This shocked the group, besides fighting back the major faction, Sarah still has been trying to find Gordon, the man who is responsible for the creation of the Green Poison that is spreading throughout the country.
"Where is he Aaron! Tell me!" Sarah shouted with a voice so loud that the entire block could even hear her.
Aaron and everyone else were taken aback by her reaction but Aaron tried his best to calm her down before giving her his findings. "Calm down Sarah, like I said its just a general location. I believe he's somewhere in Hell's Kitchen."
"What makes you think, he's in that area?" Sarah asked puzzlingly.
"Timestamp on ECHOs around the area showed me though the last ECHO I saw was over two weeks ago. He may or may not be in the area. Look Sarah if you're planning to send a team or even go there yourself to search for him, well you must know that place is a battleground now and there's heavy Green Poison contamination." Said Aaron concerningly.
Sarah wanted to protest but knew from reports from both Hunter Midas and Crimson that it matches with Aaron's finding but she had to press on.
"Aaron thank you for your concern but I'm not making this decision without consulting the other First Wave agents, after all if we commit, I'll be asking the others to abandoning our holdouts to the major factions."
Aaron couldn't be happier to hear that but not because Sarah role as leader had made her impulsive but how trusting she was of him, little did she know that the leader of the Rogues that she was looking for, was actually standing right next to her.
Normally Rogues are marked with a red marker because of ISSAC but thanks to a fellow Rogue named Theo Parnell, he was able to change his marker to the standard Division orange.
I'm in. Tell the rest of the team to remain on standby.
Aaron silent sent a message to his team, they knew what to do when the time comes. He only hope one day Sarah could forgive him for doing what he must.