Ten days after initial incursion

"You of all people know I don't need a bodyguard, least of all on a base that's on high alert."

It was hard to argue with her on that fact. Ever since the attack on Tokyo, Yokota Air Force Base had ramped up it's active security measures to be on par with those in Afghanistan. Security Forces, decked out in full "battle rattle", patrolled around both the perimeter fencing and interior roads while making liberal use of armed Humvees and K9 units. Some of them still looked tense and a little bit twitchy, but the rest seemed to be more annoyed with the increased workload then worrying about any potential attack. Spar could sympathize, going so long without so much as a whisper of enemy activity could dull alertness in even seasoned troops, hell he was guilty of it from time to time himself.

"Afraid W doesn't agree with you." Spar said, glancing at the woman he was escorting out of the corner of his eye. She was a tad shorter than he was, with shoulder length dark brown hair that matched her eyes. Her outfit was bland and conservative, jeans and a grey jacket that were chosen to make sure she didn't stick out to anyone, with a pair of glasses to round out the attire.

Doctor Hannah Moore, called "Tex" by members of SOG Team Delta due to her impressive marksmanship with pistols, kept a quick pace as she went down the hall. She wasn't frustrated that it was him who had been selected as her personal security, at least Spar hoped not. They had known each other since he was still in Force Recon in Syria, working with the CIA to uncover potential bioweapons that had been taken by extremist elements during the chaos of the civil war. She hadn't been overly friendly to him back then either, but she had at least warmed up to him more then the other members of the team. No, Tex was probably annoyed that W had ordered it without asking her, especially when the pair didn't get along even under the best of circumstances.

"Considering how she's the one who dragged me out here all the way from the States with just a phone call, I'm not exactly in the mood to hear what her opinions are."

"Really? I figured you'd be absolutely jumping at this kind of chance."

Tex didn't answer, which was response enough to let Spar know he'd been right on the money. But he wasn't dumb enough to press the point as the scientist simply increased her pace again, leaving him slightly behind and having to catch up as she threw the double doors at the end of the hall open. Inside was a morgue, one that was far detached from the base hospital and thus away from any prying eyes. It was also freezing cold, and Spar found himself thankful for the long-sleeved double layers of clothing he was wearing for the first time since arriving in Japan.

The other occupants in the room all looked in their direction; W, Maze, and the rest of the team assembled around a group of body bags that lay on slabs in the middle of the chilly room. Tex didn't even offer a nod of greeting before she went to the nearest table and started unzipping the top of the bag. No one moved to stop her, all watched for her reaction as she paused upon seeing what was within. Even Spar, who knew what was inside and had even seen it while it was still living and breathing, was still a little creeped out.

"…I see you weren't exaggerating in your initial report." Tex said simply, eyes flickering over the corpse of the swine-man. "It certainly doesn't look like any natural creature that I know of."

"Really? The whole 'looking a hell of a lot like a pig' doesn't ring any bells with you?" Dusty, the team medic, asked with a raised brow.

"If you wish to focus on nothing more then the skin level, feel free." She put on a pair of rubber gloves, carefully touching the creature's face around its snout and eyes. Frowning, she moved on to the neck, again doing nothing more then putting light pressure on the flesh and muscles, obviously getting a 'feel' for the thing. "But for those of us who actually wish to bother with understanding the unknown, there's far more going on here then such visual trivialities."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that besides visual indicators, nothing about this creature has any similarities with the common breeds of swine or any creature within the Suidae family in general. This creature's bipedal nature alone would have to change much of the physiology from diet to cardiovascular systems. And if it was engaged in combat, then it's likely that other factors such as testosterone levels- "

"Cliffs notes only for now, Tex." W interrupted her. "We're on a bit of a time crunch here."

The scientist shot a scowl at the other, and Spar could feel the already freezing temperature of the room somehow drop a couple more degrees. But Tex zipped the body bag back up and removed her gloves with audible snapping sounds.

"If you're asking me whether or not it's from this planet, my answer is no. It doesn't match any evolutionary patterns that one would expect, and it would take genetic engineering far beyond current capabilities in order to create such a thing in a lab."

"You're sure?"

"I can't be absolutely certain until I'm able to do a thorough examination. However, based on the muscle and bone structure alone I'd say that this thing is too well put together to be created outside of some workshop straight out of science fiction. Such a creature would have telltale marks of failures to blend the genetic code in such a short period of time, and that's me being generous in the assumption that someone somewhere would even be able to raise such a hybrid to maturity without it perishing."

"Either way, it's probably not from around here." Maze rubbed his chin. "I guess we were all kind of assuming that, but it's still strange to hear out loud."

"How many bodies do you have for me?"

"Ten. I did my best to get as diverse a collection as possible, but the Japanese took some haggling." W said. "I'll be sending them to Edwards for the lab work, trying to keep this as far away from Langley as I can to give you all some breathing room."

"That include us?" Spar asked.

"For now. I want people I can trust working on this, so I need you all to be acting as the security force for Tex while she does her thing." W explained. "Past that, the ball is going to be in the Japanese Government's hands. My sources are saying that they're planning on declaring the area beyond the gate as officially part of Japan, that way they have the authority to deploy the JSDF in whatever capacity they want."

"That sounds like it's skirting the law a tad bit."

"There is no law governing this sort of thing. The only access to this apparently other world is sitting right in the middle of Tokyo, which means they can essentially do whatever they please with it." She shook her head. "This is going to be their show, which means we have to play by their rules. At least for now. So, until we're asked for help, officially or otherwise, it'll be best for the Agency to keep its profile low and make a grand entrance when they come to us. And they WILL come to us, with several Americans among the killed at Ginza, the President is going to be all to happy to jump at the opportunity."

"Us waiting on an invitation to go somewhere, That's a change of character." Spar snorted. "When do we leave?"

"Ninety minutes, I'll make sure everything is loaded up and secured for you." W looked over at Tex. "The President is going to want to be briefed on this ASAP. How fast can you work?"

"That depends entirely on the creatures themselves, considering I'll be trying to understand something entirely new."

"And if I told you to give me something within fifty hours of landing at Edwards?"

"What's the old quote? 'Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker'?" Tex answered, annoyance creeping back into her voice. "Even I need time to get results."

"Fine, just do what you can." W sighed, obviously not feeling like another round of their usual debates. "The rest of you help her however you can, except for you Maze. I'm going to be forwarding dossiers on potential new members, seeing if we can't get back up to full strength in the meantime."

"Done."

"And work on your Japanese. You'll all be coming back, one way or another."

~oOo~

Two weeks after initial incursion

The briefing room, like everything else that had been hastily given to the Marines at Camp Fuji, was old and cramped. It looked like the sort of building that hadn't been used since the days after World War Two with cracks in the walls, water pipes that creaked whenever they were in use, and a complete lack of climate control. Not exactly a morale booster when most of them had been hoping to be back in the states by this time. It was lucky this meeting only involved the Company's Platoon Officers and NCO's or Joker would have bet money on some Lance Corporal trying to burn the building down out of spite, with Reaper probably lending out his lighter.

For what it was worth, Captain Mitchell didn't look any happier about the situation then the rest of them as he stood at the front of the room. A greener and "mission driven" officer might have pushed for higher spirits and to "embrace the suck". If they were going to suffer, at least they were suffering in the understanding they were all in it together.

Mitchell was, for better or worse, definitely not the usual kind of rank chaser that was all too common in the military. Rather than try to make himself seem like a world apart and above from his troops, Mitchel drank and smoked as much as any grunt, talking to them like equals whenever not wearing the uniform. He'd been in the Corps for ten years by this point, surpassing even Joker in experience, and whatever enthusiasm he'd had about the job had probably been long kicked out of it. A damn shame, since Joker had seen him be an impressive leader and grunt in his own right during their last deployment, a pillar of stability for the company even when things looked like they were going to hell. Joker had always heard from the rumor mill that Mitchell had been MARSOC before he was their commander, but something had happened to make him request a transfer back to a regular command to finish out his contract in peace. If that was true, then the Captain seemed to have one hell of a bad luck streak.

"I'm sure you've all guessed it by now, but none of us are going home anytime soon." He began. "The JSDF has outlined a mission to go through the Gate that popped up in Ginza, and they have requested American aid under the Mutual Security treaty. Since our Company has experience combating the still unknown enemy that came from the other side, we've been assigned to Fourth Battalion and tasked with assisting the Japanese on their operation."

No one said anything, just a few nods of understanding and exasperated sighs. It was a surprise to no one at this point, having been the topic of conversation ever since the battle in Tokyo had ended. The more naïve had just assumed that once the fighting was over, they'd be boarding another a transport plane and going back no matter what, while the more Corps-weary had been looking at curfew times for Camp Fuji.

Joker knew this news would have mixed responses. Some would be eager to go, many of them having been vocal in their opinion that they should have just charge through the gate kept the fighting running the same day of the battle. Others would be less enthusiastic, knowing that this would amount to another deployment with all the time away from loved ones that entailed. Joker was lucky, had no wife or kids to worry about whenever he was told he was going somewhere dangerous and isolated. He had parents and a younger brother, but they hadn't been close since he'd enlisted out of High School, wanting to get away from the small Montana town he'd spent his entire life in. While he wasn't jumping for joy at the news, he wasn't totally opposed to the order either. After all, he was pretty damn curious like everyone else what was on the other side, a place of trolls and wyverns would probably make for something different than the usual crappy places he'd been shot at.

"Our official position is going to one of support and advising the JSDF given our clear experience gap, with the understanding that the Japanese will be the ones in charge. However- " Mitchell paused, giving an unamused look at the assembly as they are snickered. Right, "support and advising", they'd all been down this road before. "However, given the big question marks that dot this whole proposition, we will be given some flexibility depending on situations that occur."

Joker didn't need a translator to tell him what all that political bullshit meant; they would be slogging around in combat just like they always were. At least the JSDF would be a lot better to work with then the Afghan National Army, even if they were utterly lacking in real world battle experience. Besides, what honest leatherneck would be comfortable sitting back and letting someone else do all the fighting for them?

"What's the timetable we're looking at, Captain?" A Lieutenant asked.

"Not anytime soon. The Japanese want to give themselves time to equip and train the expeditionary units, while we need to assemble our troops and get our assisting unit shipped over."

"Assisting unit?"

"That's right. Gentlemen, we'll be receiving the assistance of the German Army on this operation." Mitchell said, smiling for the first time in a while. "A group of tanks and maintenance personnel will be attached to the Battalion, as their sort of 'thank you' to us and the Japanese for rescuing the hostages at their Research Institute in Tokyo."

"A gift of tanks? Aw they shouldn't have."

"I'd have preferred a few boxes of booze…"

"I don't know about this sir." Joker snorted. "The Germans and Japanese working together again? I start seeing Italians show up I might start forgetting what war I'm supposed to be fighting."

"What the hell are you worried about you blonde-haired, blue-eyed bitch." Reaper said, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. "You already look like a damn Nazi, it's the rest of us who should be worried."

"Quiet." The Captain held out a hand for silence. "I'm told that all of those who will be joining us are fluent in English, so there won't be any issues with communication. That being said, both they and us will be operating under NATO protocols, so be sure to give their officer and NCO's the proper customs and courtesies."

"This can only end badly."

"To answer the original question, there has been no set date for departure, but it's going to be at least a couple months from what I've been hearing." He continued. "Until then, we'll be doing a lot of training. Joint exercises with the JSDF and the Germans once they arrive, special weapons qualifications, language courses, the whole nine yards."

A chorus of groans greeted his words, none of them happy continue what had been driving them insane during their rotation in Korea. Joker was feeling the same way, usually good at getting out of a lot of the stupid work due to his unique position as the Company's Scout Sniper, but he doubted he'd be so lucky in this case.

"Trust me, I know exactly how you feel." Mitchel sighed, sounding very tired all of a sudden. "I'll do my best to get you all some R&R as soon as I can manage and let those of you with dependents fly out and see them for a bit before we go. Can't make any promises."

"Sir?" Reaper raised a hand. "What about me and Joker? You still want us working with Archer One-Two?"

"Only for a couple more days," Mitchel shook his head. "Then Sergeant Chadwick will be taking over. I need you two for your specialized duties too badly to keep you there."

"Thank god." Joker leaned back in his chair. He hadn't exactly been thrilled about having to take command of a squad in combat with such short notice, he'd been even less happy about having to babysit the dumbasses through the more monotonous tasks. He much preferred having to look after just himself and his spotter, far away from whatever the privates and lances got up to in their spare time. "Let someone else take care of the kids for the weekend."

"If there's no more questions, then you're all free to go relay what I just told you to your units. I'll send out more information as it comes down, and you all know how to reach me if something comes up. Dismissed."

The group stood, a couple people stretching while others pulled out their hats as they went for the exit. Joker sat there for a moment, letting the rush get out first before trying to make his own escape. Reaper followed suit, pulling out his cell phone and sending out a text while he waited.

"Off to another adventure then."

"In a few months, yeah." Joker nodded. "Get the feeling it's going to be a long wait."

"Since when is that new for us?" Reaper retorted. "Besides, should give you enough time to try to track down that JSDF girl we saw during the fighting."

"Are you still on about that?"

"Only because I know you are too."

~oOo~

Three months after initial incursion

The time had indeed passed by. It had passed like a kidney stone, but it had passed nonetheless. Day by day, week by week the Marines had gone through one form of training after another. The workload had been so demanding that even Joker didn't have time for his usual escapades, and Reaper had complained more then once during an exercise that he should have been smashed by that point in the night. They were being sharpened back into the lethal blade that the Corps wanted them to be, at the sacrifice of their moral and their usual blood alcohol levels.

But that was all over, and the day had come to put pay to all that practice. Now both the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force and United States Marine Corps soldiers had been assembled in files before the huge Gate, making final preparations before literally casting off into the unknown. It was probably the biggest military assembly that Tokyo had seen in decades, with trucks, Tanks, IFV's, and other equipment being operated in broad daylight in the middle of what had once been a bustling shopping and commercial area.

Ginza had become, for all intents and purposes, a military run district by this point. The gate was simply too important and too much of mystery to risk letting civilians have free reign of the area, and JSDF patrols and barricades could be seen all around. The only exception to this was a memorial that had been set up behind a fence line, allowing the friends and loved ones of those killed during the attack to pay their respects and get a glimpse of the assembled army. It was angled so they would really be only able to see the Japanese at the front of the group, rather then the Marines who were in the rear echelon of the so called "Spearhead".

It made Joker feel a little awkward and out of place, even if he had been part of the battle. In a time where the Japanese were rallying around one another for unity after a crisis, he was one of the token Americans who was there for no other reason other than everyone just expected them to join the counterattack. That wasn't the case of course, but that was probably how most people would see it. And a token force it really was, a single understrength battalion that was relying on another country for almost all it's heavy weaponry and fire support. Probably more back room politics at play, but Joker couldn't say he exactly agreed with the results.

At least they'd been given some direct armor support, even if it wasn't from the United States. They were at the head of the Marine contingent, two large Leopard 2 tanks bearing the German Iron Crosses at the side of their turrets. Crewmen and maintainers were running final checks before stepping away, and Joker could see that included their CO. He'd briefly talked with First Lieutenant Vahlen a couple of times during training, seeing far more of her tank during exercises where they had operated in tandem. A shorter lean woman with chestnut hair that wouldn't have reached the bottom of her neck, she seemed to be every bit the perfectionist that would be expected of the stereotypical German, at least when it came to her beast. Even now as the crew worked, she seemed to be double checking everything after they had finished. He supposed that was more comforting then a slacker being the one in charge of the tanks at least.

The rest of them were standing in loose inspection formation in front of the other vehicles, waiting for the inevitable speeches to be over with so they could get on with their jobs. The idea of having a big politician or General talk to them may have been a bigger deal to the JSDF then it did to him, since he had to sit through this sort of thing every time his unit went and came back from somewhere that sounded exotic and dangerous for the headlines. There was also the fact that even after months of tutoring, Joker only had a tenuous grasp on Japanese vocabulary, catching only about one word out of every sentence the Prime Minister was saying. He was so focused on trying to puzzle out the right translation that he almost missed the part where the man spoke in perfect English to thank United States and the Federal Republic of Germany for their aid in this challenge. It probably meant to be more for politics then morale building, but it still felt nice to be recognized.

Then the main event started for the Marines, as the Battalion CO climbed up atop one off tanks, Vahlen keeping a close watch on him as he did. Likely more concerned that he would somehow mess up her careful preparations then the older man hurting himself. Not that she need worry in either case. With silver grey hair and steely blue eyes, Lieutenant Colonel Jackson looked the part of a Senior Officer that had seen and done more things then any of his troops could hope to match. Every Marine who'd had the pleasure of serving under him knew the kind of leader they had in the Desert Storm veteran, and Joker couldn't have asked for better.

"Good morning Marines!" He wasn't quite yelling, but his voice carried to every ear.

"Good Morning, Sir!"

"It's a beautiful day out. Not too hot, not too cold. Could be out hiking, fishing, or camping right now I'd say. Any of you want to be doing something else right now?"

"No sir!"

"Let me be honest with you all. I'D rather be out doing something else right now! Unfortunately for our vacation plans, a bunch of clowns playing dress up decided to come here and wreck this beautiful city. Till our Marines and Sailors decided to snap their spines like twigs across their knees."

"RAH!" The mighty bellow seemed to shake the ground and surrounding building, and both the Japanese and Germans seemed slightly startled by the volume.

"This so called 'army' broke and fled the moment they ran into some real Devil Dogs, who showed them how real men and women fight." The Colonel's eyes narrowed. "So instead, they seek to kill the unarmed, untrained, anyone who couldn't fight back. I think it's time we head over there and show them some real honor and discipline, how about you?"

"KILL!"

"I CANNOT HEAR YOU!" The Colonel shouted for the first time.

"KILL!" The marines shouted once more.

"Damn right." Jackson gave a firm nod. "This is just another day at the office, with the bonus of them having PISSED US OFF. My Marines and Sailors, this is our moment in history, the spotlight shining down on our actions from this day forward. Remember who we are, warriors who bring the light of hope to the innocent, and bloody judgment upon tyrants. We will NOT wage a war at their level. We will be better. And if anyone stands in our way, let it be man, beast, or monster, they will be crushed under our heels. Oorah?"

"OORAH!" Joker joined on the shout until his lungs felt like bursting.

"Mount up troopers! We've got a job to do!" With that final statement, the Colonel climbed off the tank as the crewmen scrambled aboard and started it up.

"Marines! The light is green!" Mitchell shouted to his Company. "And very VERY mean!"

Joker gave one final shout, then turned around and climbed into his assigned Humvee. He took the seat behind the passenger, where the Captain boarded a moment later and Reaper to the one on his left. Across his lap, Joker loaded the M39 Marksman rifle with a magazine. It wasn't his usual weapon of choice, but it had been pointed out that they might need more versatility then the usual Scout rifle he used in combat should there be a welcoming party on the other side of the Gate.

"What do you think?" Reaper asked, nearly shouting to be heard over the clang of dozens of engines roaring to life around them. "Did we scare the others during that little speech? Saw a few of them jump when we were yelling."

"They probably think we're a bunch of wild animals." Mitchell snorted.

"It's not nice to bring up Reaper's likeness to a monkey, sir." Joker said. "He's made such good progress, even learning how to read."

"Up yours!" His spotter laughed.

Ahead, the massive armored doors that had been placed in front of the Gate began to slide open, an absolute void of darkness beckoning them to come closer. The JSDF units went first, followed by the Germans as they led the charge for the Marines.

"That's the music, let's dance." Mitchell instructed the driver, giving a double finger point forward as they headed off.

They drew closer and closer to the giant structure, Joker's heart pounding in his chest as he wondered if some kind of strange feeling would wash over him as they passed through. But as the light of the world they knew faded away, the only strange feeling he got was that of eeriness from the total blackness all around them. The vehicles all turned on their lights, making the ground in front of them more illuminated, but little else as the darkness seemed never ending.

"We're definitely not in Kansas anymore."

"Terra Incognita…" Mitchell whispered, looking out at the vast expanse to their right.

It was almost oppressive, like the only thing that kept them from being utterly swallowed up by the shadows were the head and taillights of the vehicles. If that massive army had come marching through here in almost pitch darkness, they must have been out of their damn minds. The convoy kept pressing its way forward, having only to go in a straight line thankfully kept anyone from getting lost, even if it started to unnerve.

"Cap, there is an ending to this tunnel, right?" Reaper prompted. "Like, how do we know the bad guys didn't seal off the other end like we did?"

"JSDF sent recon teams through several times in the past month. There's still an opening, and it hasn't been messed with."

"What? How come I didn't hear about that?!"

"You would have if you paid attention in the damn briefings." Joker said. He'd actually been disappointed that he hadn't been one of the Scouts sent through, mostly for the bragging rights. "It exits out into a hill, apparently not right next to any kind of settlement."

"Wait a second." Reaper frowned, barely visible in the darkness. "If there's a gate over there like the one in Tokyo, that'd be one hell of a bottleneck."

"Trust me, we're all aware of that." Mitchell answered. "But there's not much we can do about it, just need to be ready to fight our way through if need be."

"If they're packing the same hardware they threw at us before, that shouldn't be a problem."

It was hard to argue with that. Still, charging headfirst into the unknown was rarely considered a sound military tactic. They'd just have to keep their heads on a swivel and hope no one did anything stupid.

"Titan One to all callsigns." The voice of Lieutenant Vahlen came over the speaker. "Forward elements have spotted light ahead of us, likely the end of the tunnel."

The net was filled with a string of acknowledgements, and Joker racked a round into his weapon as he steadied himself into a combat mindset.

"Let's rock and roll."

No one spoke again as they went through the new glowing maw of white light ahead of them, emerging out the other end to see what might have been a rolling plain in the American Midwest. Green fields, distant mountains, all were visible in the apparent early morning without any smog or other environmental factors. Even with the mass of Japanese and American vehicles pulling around to make room for the newcomers, it was still easy to see the area around them.

It was also quite easy to see the massed enemy force waiting for them about a mile away. Back to work.

"Contacts to our front!"

"Dismount!" Mitchell ordered, as Joker threw his door open and sprinted to the nearest open position behind the gathering line of marines. He brought up his marksman rifle, zeroing in the scope towards the hostile army. In the rising sun, he could clearly make out a knight in gleaming armor sitting upon a rearing horse as he pointed his blade straight up in the air. The familiar wolf emblem on his breastplate clearly visible.

"Well. Shit."