Djibouti, East Africa

Camp Lemonnier

Eda had just exited the operations tent to get some fresh air. As she faced the bustling movement of soldiers and vehicles, her SAT phone vibrated in her pocket and she got it out, knowing it's from Bookman.

"Any news from the team on the ground?" Bookman asked.

"Negative," Eda replied. "I'm still trying to get in touch with the Sub commander though he's not in a talkative mood."

"Understood but if they don't make it-"

"They'll make it. I know them. I'm sure of it."

There was then a sigh from Bookman.

"Let's hope so."

After hanging up from the call, Eda took a deep sigh before staring at the sky. The only thing she could do for now was wait and hope for the best.

Venezuela

Orga and Alphonse arrived at a town nearby located near the east river. The two moved quietly in the shadows on the sidewalks where they saw locals moving in and out of buildings and markets socialising with each other, as well as a patrol team part of the Venezuelian military talking to some of the locals. Their guess was that they were on the lookout of guerrilla fighters. The two then found a two storey house nearby and made their way towards the door. Thankfully, the door was unlocked and the two easily entered the house while remaining alert.

The two began to clear the house room to room, starting from the first floor to the top. By the time Orga and Alphonse reached the top floor, the house was empty and free of traps.

"Clear." Orga called out.

"Clear," Alphonse responded. "Good thing we found an empty house."

"Let's hope it stays that way. Make it quick so we can get out ASAP."

Orga moved towards the window to keep watch, allowing Alphonse to search the house for the resources. Orga then noticed three soldiers walking down the street to the house where he and Alphonse were in.

"Spook, we got company heading our way. We need to move."

"I'm trying. I just found a SAT phone."

"If there's no map then we can move."

"We need a map if we're gonna steal a boat to get to the sub."

Alphonse picked up the pace, trying to find the map to locate a place for the team to get a boat so they could get to the submarine. Shortly, Alphonse opened a drawer and finally found a map and opened it. Even better, there was a pier they could use.

"Found a map!" Alphonse called out to Orga.

Suddenly, they heard yelling and gunfire from outside. Alphonse approached Orga as he slipped the map into his pocket.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Seems like a battle just broke out between the rebels and the military." Orga said.

Orga watched as a firefight between rebel forces and the military erupted. The rebels pulled up to the town in SUVs and pickup trucks, shooting at anything in their sight whether they were soldiers or just innocent civilians. Orga found himself proven right after seeing a body of a little girl near a market next to many more bodies. In the end, the rebels simply care about taking control of Venezuela and are willing to dispose of anything in their way, innocent people or not.

"Let's move." Orga ordered, stepping away from the window.

The two began to head for the door. Suddenly, the door was kicked down and two rebels stormed in intending to clear out the house. Just as they noticed the two, Orga was fast enough to shoot them both down before they could react. He then finished them off with double taps before leading Alphonse out of the house and back to the team..

While waiting for Orga and Alphonse to return, the rest were keeping watch. Mikasuki and Ride were providing overwatch, Eugene, Shino and Akihiro were near the house providing security and Yamagi and Hex were inside the safe house with the bodies of her team. Yamagi looked around the empty room, filled with silence while crickets chirped outside. He turned towards Hex who was still standing beside the bodies and staring at them.

"Sorry for your loss." Yamagi said.

Hex remained unfazed. It wasn't the first, nor will it be the last.

"It's not the first time I've lost men...though I knew these two longer. Both of them were great guys that made a person like me laugh."

Yamagi understood how she felt. Her eyes speak louder than words. He too had comrades he was able to laugh with, just like his team. Yamagi glanced over to the window where he noticed Akihiro outside. He then reached for his radio.

"(Mikazuki. Status, over.)" he said.

"(We're good here, over.)" Mikazuki replied.

"(Copy. Orga and the spook will be here soon so get ready to fall back to us, over.)"

"(Roger. Out.)"

Eugene and Shino were assigned together to keep watch by the rainforest next to the house. The streaming river bore past them as they kept watch. Eugene sat on a log after a while of walking then took out a cigarette pack from his pouch and a zippo lighter. Taking a cigarette from the pack and stuffing it to his mouth, he lit the butt with the zippo and inhaled the nicotine.

"Thought you quit." Shino said.

Eugene then held the cigarette with his free hand and blew a cloud of smoke out of his mouth. "Nope."

"Figured you wouldn't. What changed?"

"Bad girlfriend."

Shino scoffed. "No wonder why she dumped you."

Eugene bolted up, gritting his teeth. "てめえ-!"

He noticed Shino's shit-eating grin and now he desperately wanted to slap him back with a comeback. Eugene huffed before slumping back down.

"It's not like anyone would date your annoying ass."

"Please. I'm not annoying."

Eugene glared at Shino, knowing god knows how many times Shino annoyed him and the others.

"Alright, not all the time, ass."

Eugene shook his head and continued smoking. Shino could already tell that Eugene was hiding something.

"Come on," Shino lifted his rifle onto his shoulder, keeping his eye on Eugene. "A problematic girlfriend isn't gonna make you start smoking. I know you too well. What's really bothering you?"

Eugene knew Shino just as much as him that he was going to figure out his own struggle. Suddenly, their comms buzzed.

"Guys, ten hostiles passed me and Ride's position and are making their way to the safe house," Mikazuki warned. "It's the same ones that attacked Yamagi. They're moving in fast."

As soon as the heads-up was received, everybody went off to their defensive positions and got ready for whatever the attackers have in store for them. As the team waited, Yamagi moved up to the window nearby to scan for incoming hostiles. He picked up one of the dead soldiers' Galil and a couple of mags so he doesn't become a sitting duck.

As he looked over the forest, Yamagi caught a glimpse of a figure appearing from the hill near the cliffs. He was quick to realize the figure was carrying an RPG, aiming it at the house he and Hex were in. Laying his rifle on the windowsill, Yamagi opened fire and took out the RPG-wielding soldier before he had the chance to fire. And as expected, he wasn't the only one.

More soldiers began appearing from the hill and a tense shootout ensued. The soldiers bore the same woodland uniforms with masks, just like the ones that went after Yamagi earlier. The Tekkadan mercs, especially Eugene, Akihiko and Shino, we're suffering a disadvantage as they took cover from the barrage of gunfire above them. One of the soldiers had a PKM set up and rained down lead at the group before focusing on the house. Hex ducked under one of the windows she was hiding behind as bullets shattered the glass and pierced through the wooden boards.

"Motherfucker!" Hex swore through her gritted teeth.

Eugene was unable to get a visual on the PKM to be able to deal with the rest of the death squad. Not even Shino or Akihiro could. As he ducked behind a log to avoid bullets, Eugene went for his radio to contact Mikazuki.

"Mika! Where the hell are you?!"

Through the dense jungle, one can spot a team of masked soldiers making their way to the gunfire from their east.

"Teniente, los tenemos inmovilizados, ¡pero estamos sufriendo muchas bajas y necesitamos una copia de seguridad! (Lieutenant, we have them pinned but we're taking heavy casualties and need back up!)" A filtered voice from the radio said.

"Dupdo. Solo mantenlos bajos. Los refuerzos ya están en camino, fuera. (Copy. Just keep them down. Reinforcements are already on their way, out.)" One of the soldiers replied.

As the group made their way between two cliffs, they were suddenly caught off guard by gunshots from behind. One of their soldiers dropped onto the mud with bullets to the back and before any of them could respond, they were shot down fast, joining their comrade. Gunfire drowned out their shots as Mikasuki and Ride rushed past the bodies to the safe house.

"Ride and I are making our way back to you," Mikazuki said to his comms. "We just took out four tangos and a possible team leader, over."

"Just get here quickly, out!" Eugene responded before cutting himself off with gunfire.

By the time Eugene finished his call, there were only six attackers left. The mercs were still struggling to deal with the surprisingly strong attackers, especially with the PKM user concentrating his fire on the house keeping Hex and Yamagi in cover. Shino became well aware of the state of the house and definitely more concerned about getting flanked by the others just to reach Yamagi and Hex's position.

"We need to take out that fucking gunner!" Shino yelled.

"たわごとはありません！ (No shit!)" Eugene snapped before reaching for his radio. "Boss! We're taking heavy fire so whatever you and the spook are up to you, get your ass over here fast!"

"We're five minutes out," Orga replied. "Hang in there."

Eugene swore before getting off the radio to return fire at the death squad. Hex and Yamagi were still pinned down by the PKM user who was still laying down suppressive fire. At this rate, the house is on the verge of getting shredded and at a worst case, crumbling onto them. Suddenly, the PKM stopped and gunfire ceased. Sounds of leaves crumbling and tussling followed.

"We're clear!"

The mercs were quick to recognize Mikazuki's voice. They got out of cover and noticed Mikazuki and Ride standing over where the PKM user was. As the team regrouped, Mikazuki then heard faint voice chatter coming from the radio on the PKM user he killed. He bent down and took the walkie-talkie out of the pouch before holding it to his ear.

The voice on the other line was speaking Spanish and Mikazuki has no idea what he's saying. However, judging by the manner he was speaking, he could assume they were sending in reinforcements now that they're aware of the lack of response from the squad. Mikazuki headed off and reached his team.

"Guys, we gotta go now. I just picked up a radio from one of the dead soldiers and they're sending in reinforcements.

Shortly, an SUV and a pickup truck arrived at the safe house. The team quickly recognizes Orga and Alphonse inside. From what they can see, the two must've fought their way out of the town and stole the rebels' vehicles.

"Everyone get in!" Orga barked as he got out of the pickup. "Get the bodies in the SUV! Yamagi, you and I are taking the pickup with Ride and Mika! Rest of us are taking the SUV! Lets go!"

The team were fast on their feet and got to work. Yamagi and Hex carried the bodies with Orga helping them out. Once the bodies were stored in the SUV, Mikasuki, Ride, Yamagi and Orga got inside the pickup with Yamagi taking the wheel while the rest took the SUV. Hex was the last to get inside as she sat beside the driver seat where Alphonse was.

"How far are we from the docks?" Hex asked, checking her mag count.

"Not far," Alphonse replied as he read the map. "There's a harbour close to where we are right now so that's where we're heading."

As the SUV hummed to the ignition, Alphonse drove the car in front for the pickup to follow, steering into the forest and leaving behind the safehouse. The group drove down the forest road among the obscure leaves in every direction they saw. Their best hope was that their attackers won't show up but in case they do, they need to be prepared.

The drive to the docks was surprisingly less chaotic than they thought. There was no sign of their attackers following them but it wouldn't be long for them to show up at any moment. The docks they arrived at were relatively quaint and quiet with only a few locals working on their boats and some fishing for food in the river. Their peace and quiet was suddenly interrupted when two vehicles stained in mud pulled up.

The team got out and as soon as their weapons were exposed, locals began to scramble. Alphonse helped Hex carry the bodies while Eugene and Shino came over to assist. They managed to find a working fishing boat moored near the very end of the docks. As Alphonse and Yamagi loaded the last body to the boat, he heard footsteps from behind. Looking behind his shoulder, he noticed a middle-aged fisherman come out of a hut, carrying a shotgun. His narrowed eyes focusing on the two with the intent to shoot the trespassers.

Alphonse outstretched his hand to the fisherman, hoping to reason with him. Suddenly, he heard gunshots from behind him and before he could even open his mouth, Alphonse noticed several bloody holes on the fisherman before he watched him tumble over into the river with a loud splash. Alphonse was left frozen and shell shocked to be precise. He turned around and noticed Orga's aiming his rifle. Smoke pelted from the tip of the barrel.

"Get on the boat, spook!" Orga said.

Alphonse didn't have the power to respond and forced himself to hop into the boat. With everyone inside, Yamagi pushed the throttle down as the boat began to rumble in response. Eventually, the boat was in motion and the docks grew smaller with every distance taken before disappearing into the forest as the river made up most of the sight.

While everyone else was taking a breather and chatted amongst each other, Alphonse looked at Hex who was staring out to the forest with a blank expression. Although she lost her comrades, she was at least able to get the chance to bring them back home. Alphonse on the other hand couldn't stop thinking about the fisherman. The fact that Orga killed a civilian merely trying to defend himself was beyond his moral belief. Alphonse wasn't one to judge first but this was going to take a long time to understand why Orga did what he had to do.

Djibouti, East Africa

Camp Lemonnier

The trip back to Camp Lemonnier was nothing out of the ordinary. The Navy managed to pick them up and deliver them back to Africa without any compromise. As the Chinooks they were in slowly descended onto the helipads, Alphonse noticed Eda on the ground waiting for them.

Once the Chinooks landed, the team stepped out. Alphonse was the first to come out and made his way to his wife. As he approached Eda, she noticed something off about his grim expression.

"You okay?" Eda asked.

"I'm fine." Alphonse replied.

Eda then looked past him and noticed Hex getting out of the Chinook. She walked past Alphonse and walked towards the officer.

"You must be Hex. I'm sorry for your-"

"Save it," Hex brushed Eda off without hesitation and walked past her. "Just take my guys home and get me a ride to Langley."

Eda didn't argue any further. Knowing the fact that she lost her men, it was understandable for her to push away pity. Eda turned around and watched as Hex entered one of the many tents.

"Can't blame her for losing good men."

Alphonse and Eda turned and noticed Orga approaching them. He was still in his gear though his weapon was stashed away.

"Everything okay?" Eda asked.

"Yeah, except Venezuela's in a tight spot," Orga answered, scratching his jaw. "Sorry we couldn't save the other agents of yours."

Eda shook her head. "It's okay. What matters is that you tried and you're back safe. Ready to discuss payment?"

"Lead the way."

Eda and Orga headed off to the tent to talk business. Eda stopped when she noticed Alphonse was staring at the ground, spacing out.

"Al," Eda called out, grabbing Alphonse's attention. "You alright?"

Alphonse readjusted himself and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just need some time to think."

Eda stared at him for a moment before turning away to meet up in the tent. Alphonse couldn't help but remember the fisherman from earlier. He was still puzzled on why Orga shot him. He wasn't sure how to break it down to Eda and he definitely wouldn't say it in front of Orga. Maybe this was something he wasn't meant to understand, something that was out of his legal code. But nevertheless, it was something Alphonse needed to figure out.