Author's Note: I wanna take this brief moment to express something.

It's been seventeen years since that horrible day. Needless to say since then the world has become very different than what all of us had envisioned our future should be. Truth be told it's been far more negative than positive. Conflict will always be a part of simply being human, we can't get rid of it. But don't hate those that want to keep you and your homes safe. Whether be American, British, German, French, Polish, Australian, Russian, Turkish, Italian, Egyptian, Israeli, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Czech, Saudi, Nigerian, it doesn't matter where on the map. Fight against those that want to continuously breed the cycle of blind hate and do not let them continue to feed off of your fear and anger.

That being said, I wanted to post this yesterday but work tends to take priority over here. Good thing is I'm almost done. Now we can expand a bit more on Koko's trip through Asia. And I also wanted to make a clarification in the previous chapter about Die Hard being a Christmas movie. I wrote that BEFORE the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis came out. Bruce said it himself that it ISN'T a Christmas movie. It's a little sad to know that after so many years, endless amounts of fans will have to accept that as a fact. But he wouldn't of said that unless he had the facts to back it up.

The World Serpent now begins to wrap around the Earth.

Chapter 41: Thunder and Smoke

January 17th 2011 1025 Hours

Ministry of State Security Headquarters, Beijing, China

After pouring himself another cup of Oolong Tea, Kang Shaowen had completed his preliminary reports on the recent spike in US intelligence activities in north Africa. Routine practices of any nations intelligence gathering agency but this was to make sure that the Committee's national interests would not be affected in a negative way concerning the recent outbreak of violence occurring in some of the Arab states. But he did not care about the petty grievances of an overzealous people. Only the mission of the MSS, which was to maintain the security of the state against any and all who would do it harm.

After putting the seal of approval on the outer folder, he then exited his office to give them to his secretary for delivery. With tea in hand, he saw through the window to his homelands capital that the snow was still falling.

"Jiang zhexie chuandi gei daoyan. Gaosu ta wo qianglie jianyi ta bixu yu di san ju lianxi. Women zai aiji de zijyan keneng chuyu weixian zhi zhong."

(Pass these along to the director. Tell him that I strongly recommend that he must get in touch with Bureau Number Three. Our resources in Egypt might be in jeopardy.)

The lady immediately put a hold on her current work, took the folder without question, and hurried to her destination. Her superior may have looked like an groomed, round faced, educated, professional. But he didn't need to scowl or sound authoritative to remind her and those who worked for him that he had the authority to carry out the wishes of the state by whatever means he saw fit. It was in a different name, but it still relied on the same merciless system founded by the communists over half a century ago. Many of the worlds most infamous intelligence agencies used their talents in ways that always were outside the bounds of international laws and even simple morals. But those whose governments came from the idea of socialism and communism were exceptionally brutal and they would achieve their goals by any means necessary.

As the agent of the MSS was about to return to his office, his second in command came through the door with urgency written on his face.

"Wu shi shenme?"

(What is it Wu?)

"Kang zhuren, ni keneng xian kan kan zhege. Jintian zaoshang women youyi wei fangke lai dao Shanghai."

(Chief Kang, you might want to take a look at this. We had a visitor arrive in Shanghai this morning.)

Wu Yuxiang handed his superior several photographs taken from surveillance cameras at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. While black and white it was a clear and precise picture focusing on a woman with another group that had arrived from Europe. As he flipped through the photos he was a bit pulled back from the woman's tall, athletic and slightly aggressive figure. He then got to the second to last picture that showed her passport identification when she and her group had landed. If it wasn't for the black eyepatch, scowl, and lack of a smile, the woman looked rather beautiful with her fair skin, black hair, and a gold colored eye. He read through it and saw that her name was Ariana Petrov, a Lithuanian national.

"Zhege ren women yinggai zhidao ma?" Kang asked.

(Is this someone we should know about?)

"Wulun ta yu shei zai yiqi dou you nengli zuo chu yixie feichang hao de weizao pin. Danshi tamen meiyou kaolu dao women bu hui tingzhi zhuibu mousha jiefangjun chengyuan de ren. Ta keyi gaiming, dan ta wufa gaibian ziji de mianmao. Kan kan zuihou yige Kang."

(Whoever she's with has the ability to make some pretty good forgeries. But they didn't take into account that we don't cease our hunt for people who murder members of the PLA. She can change her name but she can't change her face. Take a look at the last one Kang.)

Kang knew that Wu was talking about the upgraded facial recognition match software that was recently purchased for his department. It's rate of development in his country had been at a faster pace than the rest of the world. He believed the privacy of a citizen was often contradictory to the greater good. Making it easier for them to do their jobs. With his curiosity peaked he flipped the paper and saw a familiar sketch that had been made at the end of summer the previous year by workers that managed to survive the massacre at Hong Taiyang Steel. Her hair was shorter and the eyepatch was different but the description matched her perfectly. The sketch was clipped to another dossier which highlighted what had to have been the real woman.

"Ni querenle ma?" He said with a glare towards Wu wanting him to be absolutely sure.

(Did you confirm this?)

"Shenzhi tongguo guoji xingjing zhzhi jinxingle bisai, tamen dai huile tamen suo youngyou de yiqie. Ta de zhenming shi Sophia Velmer. Fenlan Kuaisu Bushu Budui de qianren shaoxiao, yeshi zuijin tuixiu de Guofang Buzhang de nuer. Zai ta de budui bei tusha zhihou, zai feizhou de yici rendao zhuyi renwu zhong, ta bei wuqing de jiegule. Bujiu zhihou ta bei Hekmatyar he Chevalier Logistics Incorporated zhaomu. Ju cheng canyule xuduo qiangzhan, sheji guyi sharen de shijian yiji yu ge zhong fanzui zhzhi de guanxi. Cong na shi qi, ta yizhi shi gongsi jichengren Koko Hekmatyar de siren baobiao. Jinguan ta nianling hen da, dan ta reng shi shijie shang zui zhongyao de junhuo shang zhi yi."

(Even ran it though Interpol and they came back with everything they had. Her real name is Sophia Velmer. A former Major in the Finnish Rapid Deployment Force and the daughter of the recently retired Chief of Defence. She was dishonorably discharged after her unit got massacred in, of all things, a humanitarian mission in Africa. Not long after that she was recruited by Hekmatyar and Chevalier Logistics Incorporated. Allegedly involved in numerous shootouts, incidents involving deliberate homicide, and association with various criminal organizations. And she's been the personal bodyguard of the company's heir, Koko Hekmatyar, ever since. Despite her age, she's one of the foremost arms dealers in the world.)

"Ta de shenfen shi shenme?"

(What's her status?)

"Ta hen ganjing. Huozhe jiu wuqi jingxiao shang er yan, jin keneng ganjing. Ta yijing zai meiguo zhongyang qingbao ju de leida shang daile yiduan shijian, da tamen meiyou dui ta de tuandui caiqu renhe xingdong. Weisheme wo bu zhidao."

(She's clean. Or as clean as you can possibly be as far as weapons dealers are concerned. She has been on the American CIA's radar for some time now but they haven't made any moves on her group. Why I don't know.)

Kang tapped his finger on the paper several times thinking.

"Ta de guzhu bushi women guanxin de wenti. Ta fuze baokuo Chen Jiangjun zai ne de xuduo jiefangjun chengyuan de siwang. Dang ta jueding kaishi ta de xiao hengchongzhizhuang shi, ta bing bu jinshen. Wo buzaihu ta weisheme zheyang zuo, dan ta jiang bei sheng zhi yi fa, binig zai shengzi de jintou." He closed the folder and handed it back to Wu with determination. "Gaosu tuandui zai shi fenzhong nei daoda huiji shi. Women yao qu Shanghai."

(Her employer is not our concern. She is responsible for the deaths of many members of the PLA, including General Chan. And she wasn't being discreet when she decided to start her little rampage. I don't care why she did it, but she WILL be brought to justice and be at the end of a rope. Tell the team to get themselves to the conference room in ten minutes. We're going to Shanghai.)

Wu nodded and left the room in a hurry, Kang then went back to his office to collect his coat and his phone. This opportunity was too perfect. After months of searching the task that he had been assigned to had been practically given to him. This was another opportunity to prove his loyalty to his motherland and bring an enemy of the Peoples Republic of China to justice. As he buttoned up his suit he made a call as he exited his office to meet with his team. Determination and authority in every step.

"Buzhang? Zhe shi Kang zhuren, wo you jinji xiaoxi gei ni."

(Minister? It's Chief Kang, I have urgent news for you.)

…

"Aisaiebiya de xiji zhe. Ta zai Zhongguo, zai Shanghai. Wo ganggang zhengshile zhe yidian."

(The attacker in Ethiopia. She's in China, in Shanghai. I just confirmed it.)

…

"Liaojie. Wulun sh haishi huo, wo duhi ba ta dai jinqu."

(Understood. Dead or alive, I will bring her in.)

He was given the excuse to cut loose. He couldn't help but smile deviously.

January 19th 2011 1135 Hours

Shanghai, China

This was our first stop on our lengthy business trip across Asia. We were flying with a lot more cargo but as long as we kept up the gesture of playing by the rules no one would care that we were hauling around enough weapons to start a small war. Not including the ones we had hidden under our winter wear. After opening up to us a little bit, Koko told us that we were essentially acquiring the necessary parts for the HCLI Logistics Network that was going to be announced next month. I was glad that we were going around buying things legally but I couldn't shake the fact that she was doing this as part of her project too. After only spending the night with her because she didn't want to be alone, she told me that me being able to finally go home without consequence was just a perk with what she could do with her project. After recomposing myself after such a massive shock I demanded that she explain how the fuck she would be able something off that was, in a sense, being infallible. But she still stood firm on its secrecy, she would not budge. But when I started to force her out of my room she grabbed me and looked at me with tears in her eyes for me to trust her. That she had came so far in accomplishing her dream, that it was within her reach, and she wanted to share it with me. One thing led to another and eventually she fell asleep on my shoulder.

What I did though, didn't come without consequence. Even though both of us told her that nothing had happened, Sophia was angry at Koko spending the night with me and she never got angry at her. The rivalry between the two of them had in the literal definition, exploded. I was partly to blame for this as well, I haven't really expressed genuine feelings of compassion towards Sophia, only enjoyable comfort of being together. But that had quickly deteriorated as we hardly spoke to each other in weeks. The crew had tended to stay out of the drama, but I could tell that they wanted to do something. Only problem was Sophia's stubbornness and me knowing that I did fuck up, so they didn't know how. It was a good idea to walk around the city to get to our assigned meeting spot where Koko wanted to meet this guy that wrote computer algorithms. Despite the cold and the crowd, it gave us all a chance to clear our heads.

The foundation of this city dates back over 6,000 years and given its location, its name literally translates to "Upon The Sea." It was and continues to be the cultural influencer of China, basing in on a style called Haipai, their version of East meets West. It began after the British victory over China in the First Opium War when they made Shanghai open to many more foreign traders. Despite the European powers carving China up and away from the ever weakening Qing Dynasty this caused a massive increase in economic prosperity and attracted many immigrants to fuel industry and cause great diversity in culture of the city. But just because the city was glamorous didn't mean it was unsusceptible to war and China has waged some of the bloodiest ones in recorded history. The Warring States, collapsing dynasty's, The Taiping Rebellion, Japanese occupation, and the Chinese Civil War which brought forth Mao Zedong. His so called "Great Leap Forward" and "Cultural Revolution" with communism in general led to the imprisonment, execution, and starvation of roughly 40 million Chinese.

Despite not being as authoritarian as they were once before, I wondered why all these people we were passing by became comfortable in living under tyranny. Maybe if you solidify your power enough and kill enough people, nobody bothers to care anymore about what kind of life you live, much less even the world. And as an American, who the fuck am I to judge? We broke, rebuilt, and broke again countless treaties with the Indians. We took what was left of Spain's colonies after a misinformed report of the Maine blowing up near Cuba. Carved apart Europe into our own factions just like the Nazi's did after World War II. Kinda forced Japan to become a new nation under our guidance and no one else's after we completely obliterated EVERYTHING on the island nation. During the Cold War we only focused on stopping the spread of Communism, while letting human rights atrocities and dictators flourish. And of course most recently, our now seemingly perpetual fight against the Middle East and Islam. Of course, considering what I did, my loyalty to my country was just ancient history now. It might seem selfish but just thinking about what I'm going to be doing for the day and the next day for myself tends to be less stressful on my brain.

"Any luck trying to talk to her again?" Lutz said nudging me with his elbow. Bringing me out of my train of thought.

We were on rear guard while Sophia and Tojo were on point, Lehm and Ugo were covering Koko while Mao and Wiley were covering the flanks. Not in a deliberate formation of course but with the density of the crowd it didn't look suspicious.

"I tried when we landed but she hasn't even looked at me unless it has anything to do with work."

It wasn't terribly cold out today but as the next breeze came in I sunk my neck in between my shoulders and tightened my trench coat around me. Lutz quickly took his gloved hands out of his pockets to adjust his scarf and continued his walk while reacting from the quick snap of cold.

"Can you really blame her?" He said as he looked right at her. "I know I've said this over and over again but what the hell were you thinking?"

The obvious answer was that I wasn't. Karl was the only one I told about in full detail about what happened. Despite his occasional misogyny towards Sophia and, when he was brave enough, Koko when they weren't around he saw both of them as more than friends. He trusted his life with them and it gave him every excuse to tell me I should have known better.

"I won't make any more excuses. But I can't reconcile if she can't even look at me."

"Apologies and earning someone's trust back are two completely different things Damien. Regardless of the situation that happened, how did you think that this would turn out? In spite of all of the things that Sophia is, she's still a woman."

Normally the crew always addresses her as Valmet, out of either just as how she preferred to be called or out of fear of being folded up like an accordion. But when Lutz spoke of her with her actual name, he did it in the defense of her. As a real friend would. I just kept silent and let him continue.

"In the years that I've worked with her she may act like violence personified but she's actually one of the strongest and most loyal people I've ever met. She always stayed positive even in the most dire straits. Even when you came on board she wanted to make sure that you were worthy enough to be a part of this crew, just like every one else that came on. I was no different, and as a matter of fact she treated me like shit. But you were the only one to openly approach her without caring about the risk of getting your face smashed in."

I chuckled at his straight forward description.

"But after we pulled you both out of Africa, she started acting in a way that I thought I'd never see. Her being happy and especially having fun being around you. Like R said, you're very special if she acts like that around you." His sentimental words then turned serious. "But you're gonna have to fix this yourself. So if you care about her in a way in which I hope I think you do, you WILL correct your mistake. Not try, will."

This was a rare sight for seeing Lutz being so mature despite his constant bitching and wise-assness. Then again, sniper's have a very different outlook on life than your average soldier. They take it very seriously because the one at the receiving end of their rifle doesn't know that they're already dead. That means that they would still have regrets and will never be able to rectify them. This was him letting me know that while he wants Sophia and me to go back to what we were, but it was up to me to figure it out.

As I then looked to the front, Sophia was still facing forward and undeterred as Koko's cell phone rang.

"Hello? Ah Zhao xiansheng. Women kuai daole. Women zou jingu de shihou ni hui kan dao women de."

(Mr. Zhao. We're almost there. You'll see us when we walk in.)

After a quick thought passed through my head on wondering how many languages did she really know, that had to be the tech expert we were about to meet. It was a decent mom and pop restaurant around the next corner. Apparently nerds were kinda the same no matter what spot on the planet you were on. He apparently lived in the apartment that was just above his parents restaurant. Not quite really a basement in their house but the concept was the same.

"He said this place makes very good dumplings so I'd figure we'd knock out lunch with this meeting too." Koko said addressing all of us.

"Fried or steamed?" I asked.

"Pick one Damien."

1155 Hours

Two blocks away and fifteen stories up in one of Shanghai's office buildings, Kang was overlooking Koko Hekmatyar's crew through high powered binoculars as they entered a restaurant. He had been following and eavesdropping on them from a safe distance for the last few days. Just enough to get a read on their routine. He didn't care why they were here. He was after only one woman and the rest were expendable. One of his agents was radioing in to one of the undercover's on the street.

"Women kan dao mubiao yidong dao jianzhu wu zhong. Xue, ni hai you shijue ma?"

(We see the target moving into a building. Xue, do you still have visual?)

A female agent that had been following them from the opposite side of the street had taken refuge inside of a bookstore so as not to be spotted.

"Kan qilai tamen zhishi zai chi dongxi, dan xi ke ma di ya er zhengzai he mou ren jianmian. Wo rengran you mubiao shijue. Ta duzi mian dui jiedao zuo wei liao wang."

(Looks like they're just eating but Hekmatyar is meeting with someone. I still have visual on the target. She's by herself facing the street acting as a lookout.)

"Xiansheng?" He asked if this was the time to strike.

(Sir?)

Kang stopped looking through the binoculars and turned his head to his subordinate.

"Xianzai baochi shijue. Kan qilai tamen zhenzheng guli de weiyi yici jiushi tamen zai jiudian de shihou. Women xianzai rang tamen fangsong yixia, dang tamen jin wan gaibian tamen de huan gang shi, da duoshu tamen jiang zai yige weizhi. Women jiang quchu da zu bing tiaoxuan qiyu bufen. Women shao hou hui xiangxi jieshao gai jihua."

(Maintain visual for now. It looks like the only time they're truly isolated is when they're at their hotel. We'll let them relax for now and when they change their guard shifts tonight, that's when the majority of them will be in one spot. We'll take out the large group and pick off the rest. We'll go over the full details of the plan later.)

"Liaojie. Xue, Ping, Long, zhanshi liuyi tamen. Women jin wan jiang jinxing tuxi."

(Understood. Xue, Ping, Long, just keep an eye on them for now. We'll be conducting the raid tonight.)

"Shou dao." Each one said on the radio.

(Copy.)

1210 Hours

Foo Chow Restaurant

When you've had a healthy enough appetite your whole life you can definitely tell when something was made from scratch. First off was the huge variety of smells that filled the restaurant of different herbs, spices, sauces, oils, and meats being cooked. Then the proper fried breading and dough along with the thick juicy shrimp of the dumplings I was scarfing down tasted like they were freshly made as well as the steamed rice on the side. It was a good distraction from the techno babble that Koko and Zhao were discussing from a table in the background.

"Can I have seconds Mrs. Zhao!?" I shouted to the old Chinese lady working the stove behind the counter.

"Big man have big stomach. Coming up!" She said in basic English that was no where near as good as her son.

After formal introductions he switched languages over to English when he began to talk to Koko. As he probably didn't want his parents to hear or understand about what he was about to do. He didn't want to take over his family business and be stuck in one spot for the rest of his life. He was one that took a more logical approach on life by getting out there and seeing the world. But reality can be a real pain in the ass as you can't just do that with intentions alone. Apparently since he came home from studying at UCLA he hit a bit of a rut in finding a job at any type of technical firm. No surprise since his algorithm's formula and capabilities had surpassed anything that current computers could handle. He had something so valuable that no one could afford to buy it. That's where Koko came in as they were discussing the capabilities on his own custom laptop. Or I should say the REALLY boring technical aspects of how a program works.

"This way you can formulate a solution to pass through any type of code and the opposing system will think it's part of it."

Zhao was in his late twenties but he looked like he properly prepared himself for the day with a collared polo. Unlike the stereotype of most computer geeks that do their work in their pajamas or sweats he looked like he prepared himself properly for each day. His black hair had appropriately groomed spikes and it appeared that he wore reading glasses instead of regular ones. Most likely due to the fact that he was in front of a computer all day, it would be less stressful on his eyes.

"And your sure it happens instantly and it can't be traced?"

"The algorithm changes so fast that it's impossible for it to do that. The principle is there but the only way I can show you is if I only have the physical parts of the computer to do this with and unfortunately I have to wait until the rest of the world can catch up to me. That's most likely going to be years maybe decades."

"How does a few weeks sound?"

Zhao was leaning back in his chair when she said that and he almost fell backwards. As he regained his composure, Koko was just looking at him with her usual smile of confidence. Zhao was baffled at the fact that Koko was being serious. And the look on peoples faces when she does that never gets old. As I tried not to laugh or I'd choke on my rice. I gave up on the chopsticks and just went right to a spoon after the first several attempts. Despite my gifts in culinary arts, some things I just ignored. I just ate the food, didn't matter what the fuck kind of fork you used cause it was still a fork.

"I can't tell you everything but I will let you know that my project is advancing faster than I anticipated. There are still materials and personnel I need to acquire in order to begin construction but if you cooperate with my staff we should make significant progress. Not to mention what I'm offering you will allow you to not only wipe out your school loans in one strike but maybe even start your own tech firm. I think that you know which decision would be best for you."

He was gonna agree, the look on his face was if he won the goddamn lottery.

"Where do I sign Miss Hekmatyar?"

"I'll email you the official contract later. I was going to also warn you that you will need to move but I don't think you care about that." She then pulled out a business card. "But as soon as you can, contact this woman during the hours of nine or ten o'clock in the morning, Port Elizabeth, South Africa time. She's my best friend, her name is Dr. Miami. Be sure to ask her about Jormungand."

"Your-what now?" He asked confused and straining on the name.

"Jor-mun-gand. She'll explain. But just bear with her, she can be awfully chatty."

He leaned forward and extended his hand for a shake. "I've listened to "teachers" that did nothing but talk and provided no education for five years. I think I can handle your friend."

She took his and shook it firmly, another success for Koko. "Say that again when you meet her face to face."

2145 Hours

The St. Regis Shanghai, Koko's Suite

Another successful day had passed but I couldn't call it just yet. I still had to do my night patrol with old man Lehm. I wasn't able to get a whole lot of shots on my camera, winter's in cities tend to not be very picturesque unless you're in old towns like Switzerland was. It was almost time to go on patrol so I checked the news on what was happening in the states one last time. In a few days the NFC and AFC championships were gonna happen. The Packers, The Bears, The Jets, and the Steelers were the four remaining teams that were gunning for Super Bowl XLV. It might be an interesting match, just had to worry though about what time zone I was going to be at next depending on where we went next. But for now I had to do one last task before I could call it a night. I shut down my laptop and loaded up my MP7. It was good that Koko had given the same type of personal defense weapon to the other guys, kinda lucky in a way. As I exited the suite, I saw Lehm talking to Sophia and Wiley standing outside. I didn't care who was watching, I had to do something to at least get her to talk to me. But as we both made eye contact she just scowled and left for her and Koko's room. I then stepped in front of her, I'd have to do this the hard way.

"Wait. Will you please just listen to me for just one second? I can't say it any clearer, nothing happened. She was just upset and…"

She then looked away with her eye closed and teeth gritted. I didn't even get a chance to start.

"I don't care Damien! Did you truly think that just because it's Koko that I wouldn't mind? You lied to me, this isn't some damn gray area topic!" She then started to close the distance. I was lying if I wasn't scared. "You think that if you beg hard enough that I'll throw myself at you!? That I'm that simple minded!? That somewhere deep down I'm an innocent girl that will understand a misunderstood situation!? Then you're a fucking idiot!"

This is what normally happened every time I wanted to talk to her or ask how can I be better. One of my biggest fears was coming true. I did fuck up something great I had going. It seems like it was just a matter of time before it happened. I'm just one big fucking walking curse.

God. Why me?

"Valmet that is enough." I was so drawn in by Sophia that I didn't even notice Lehm standing behind her. Wiley quite a distance away with both their weapons in his hands.

"Shut up Lehm and stay out of this!" She said turning her head towards him.

"Solve your little lovers quarrel on your own time. Calm down and go to sleep."

I saw the glare in Lehm's eyes, he was serious. His tone though wasn't angry, he was only turning up the volume on his voice. His posture though was as if he was preparing for what he knew would come next.

"I said shut the fuck-AHH!"

Sophia took a swing at him but Lehm had expected it. With a completely fluid motion he used the momentum of her swing to put her in an arm lock and forced her against a wall. He used his other arm to keep pressure on her head and was leaning in on her to keep her in place. The expression on Sophia's face meant that he was hitting the nerve points and making sure she wasn't going anywhere.

"This is not how we operate Valmet. Enough with this shit. You're gonna wake up everyone in the damn hotel."

After a few seconds she relaxed her form. "Alright…fine…I get it."

He let her go and she then looked to me with a scowl and walked off mad as hell. I was continuing to fail miserably at trying to fix what I broke and I had no knowledge on how the fuck I was able to do it. As I stood there defeated, Wiley passed me and handed Lehm his MP5. They both exchanged looks that they both agreed that what had just happened shouldn't have. Wiley then left towards the suite.

"Come on kid. We got a patrol to do."

"Fuck." I said under my breath as I twitched violently.

After a few seconds I then caught up with Lehm at his three. I saw out of the corner of my eye, he was looking at me. Probably thinking of how to offer up some words of wisdom and experience but he knew he had none to give. He knew I had already known about his constant hook ups and break ups with Chiquita so any type of relationship advice he had would have been more hurtful than helpful. But he seemed like he wanted to try.

"You screwed up Damien. There's no sugar coating it. But I don't recommend the direct approach anymore cause I won't be around to help you again."

I scoffed. "I didn't ask for your help."

"I wasn't planning on giving it anyway. All I did was let her know to stay in line."

"Thanks for asserting your authority." I said sarcastically.

"You're welcome."

2200 Hours

The Sky's over Shanghai

Overseeing the plan being executed from the extraction chopper, Kang's team of fifteen agents had taken a bit more time than was necessary in order to get into position. But the target was still where she needed to be. Three teams were in place, two to suppress and contain, or if necessary, kill the roving patrol. The last team would breach the suite by rappelling off of the rooftop and assaulting through the windows. Dressed in full body armor and equipped with breaching charges and assault rifles, the five star hotel they were in was about to become a full fledged battle ground. As Kang checked his watch he got on his radio to see if his teams were ready. At the same time motioned to the gunner on the chopper to prepare the machine gun for support.

"Suoyou tuandui dou shi Cong yi kaishi, banli deng ji shouxu."

(All teams this is Alpha One, check in.)

"Cong er kaishi. Zhunbei." Xue with the first containment team.

(Alpha Two. Ready)

"Cong san kaishi. Zhunbei." Ping with the second containment team

(Alpha Three. Ready.)

"Cong si kaishi. Zhunbei." Wu with the breaching team.

(Alpha Four. Ready.)

It was now or never as he looked up through the cockpit and saw that they were approaching the hotel. A shining jewel of luxury and comfort for those that wanted to visit Shanghai. It would be a shame to spill blood there. But it was a necessary sacrifice for the MSS.

"Fuzhi. Ji zhu, mubiao zui hao shi huozhe de. Dan qing ji zhu ta hui fankang. Suoyi buyao youyu." He then looked to his watch for a countdown since they were all in sync. "Weibei wo de biaoji."

(Copy. Remember the target is preferably taken alive. But remember that she will resist. So do not hesitate. Breach on my mark.)

Weapons were then loaded and safeties clicked off. Flashbang grenades were prepped and breaching charges primed. Eyes kept watch from the darkened windows that were on the doors leading to the stairs dividing the floors. Specialized retracting harnesses were tightened as the rappelers leaned back ready to descend to the floor of the suite that was several hundred feet above the streets below. The MSS's target, Sophia Velmer, had no idea of the events that were about to transpire. Anyone that would try to defend themselves would be exterminated.

"Zuo ba."

(Do it.)

The containment team went first after they saw two tall and very well built men pass by them twenty seconds before Kang gave the order to breach. They would be the ones to strike first. One was older with grey hair and sporting a black turtle neck and grey cargo pants who was two inches shorter than the much younger one. He sported a worn black leather jacket, baggy jeans, and long deep brown hair. Both however were openly carrying sub machine guns making them an immediate hostile threat. The first man that was about to go through the door to the hotel hallway saw that they were too close and they would have heard the door open. His tactical observation led him to conclude that the abduction would start loud. But not with a gunshot.

The creak of the door let the younger one of the two know that someone was behind them but he paid no mind until he heard the distinctive sound of whenever the spoon of a grenade fly's off after it's been thrown. He quickly turned his head around and realized what was coming their way. He shoved the older man into one of the alcoves of the doors to the hotels rooms while squinting his eye's hard and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"FLASHBANG!"

The grenade bursted with 130 decibles of sound and blast of light that was perfect for incapacitating an opponent. The old man shut his eyes and held his hands to his ears in pain as he slumped over on the ground while the younger one concentrated his fire from his MP7 in the direction the grenade came from. The old man then regained his sense of sight but still had difficulty hearing. The young one then noticed he was getting back on his feet and then made an unusual gesture with one hand. The first man had taken cover away from the gunfire but had determined from the gesture that they were falling back. They had to keep the pressure on them so they went on the offensive.

Back inside the suite the rest of Koko's crew had heard the racket outside and were scrambling for their weapons to go and back up Lehm and Damien from the surprise assault. They had dealt with these types of situations before, all they had to do was provide a clear path for Koko to escape. Since Lehm was already out there taking contact, Wiley designated who to go where.

"Mao! Lutz! You two are with me! Ugo! Tojo! Guard the entrance to the suite! Valmet! Don't leave Koko's side!"

"What the fuck is going on!?" Lutz shouted.

"Save the stupid questions for later! Go help them!" Valmet snapped back at him as she took Koko behind some makeshift cover of tables and a couch.

Wiley, Mao and Lutz then advanced to where Damien and Lehm were under fire. Their attackers were taking cover from down the hallway but they weren't advancing. If it wasn't for the constant amount of noise from the guns, shouts, and impacts of bullets hitting everything they would have also heard the screams from the guests in the hotel wondering what in the world was happening. Damien shared that same concern as he reloaded his SMG, the last thing he wanted was a panicking civilian getting caught in the crossfire of both his crew and whoever he thought his attackers were. They were taking there time though, they wanted to survive their assault as they then implement the secondary part of their ambush.

"Cong san kaishi! Jianqing women de yali!" Xue said through her earpiece as her team was hunkering down.

(Alpha Three! Take the pressure off us!)

In the opposite stairwell Ping tapped the shoulder of the point man so that their enemy would be contained. The covered each other from opposite sides of the hallways and prepared for imminent contact.

The time that had truly passed was only minutes but they felt like an eternity, the bodyguards of Koko Hekmatyar knew that they had to get her as far away from here as possible.

"Ugo! We got this! Take the little lady and get to your car!" Lutz shouted from down the hall.

"Got it! Déjà vu huh boss?" He said motioning to Valmet and Koko to follow him.

"Just don't pull another Torreto cause I got whiplash last time!" She said with Valmet leading her out by her hand.

But just as they were about to go the secondary team appeared from both sides of the opposite end of the hallway and took aim. Koko Hekmatyar and her crew were caught in the middle.

"Shit! Shit! Back up! Back up! Fall back!" Tojo shouted as both sides exchanged fire at the same time.

Knowing what was more important, Valmet grabbed Koko and carried her sprinting back to the suite acting as a shield. This was unexpected but nothing that the crew hadn't experienced before. In the lack of any other direction, you run towards the gunfire. If their enemies wouldn't want to let them get to an exit then they would have to make one. Damien would channel his frustration of trying to reconcile with Valmet on whoever these possible Special Forces types were.

"Mao! Help them out! And get me my bag!" He shouted to the rear as the rounds from the assault rifles blasted away a portion of the wall his head was next to.

"On it!" Mao said as he bounded back to the other half of the crew.

Outside on the roof of the hotel in the cold night Wu's team heard the suppressed shots from inside the building. No doubt that some of the hotel's patrons would have already called the police. But after Kang pulled a couple of strings he would ensure that they would be significantly delayed. And if they did get there in time then all the blame would be placed on Velmer's associates. While two were keeping guard on the rooftop entrance, he and two other agents were about to breach through the windows of the suite. That was until he heard an incoming communique from one of the teams.

"Wu, tamen feichang nuli de wajue ziji. Women meiyou shangwang, dan women buneng zheng ye sheji."

(Wu, they've dug themselves in pretty hard. We've maintained no casualties, but we can't shoot at them all night.)

He let his weapon dangle off of him to respond, keeping his break hand in place.

"Shou dao. Women jijiang weirao tamen. Cong yi kaishi. Ni du?" He said looking to the incoming chopper.

(Copy that. We're about to surround them. Alpha One. You read?)

"Wi ting dao ni de liuliang. Women jiang tigong fengmian ranhou zai nin you mubiao hou tiqu nin." Kang said.

(I hear your traffic. We'll provide cover and then extract you once you have the target.)

With that, Wu signaled to his fellow agents to breach. They then dropped their ropes and descended down the side of the building, undeterred from being so high up. With their weapons dangling off their chests they had remote charges in their free hands. They stopped just above their assigned floor, Wu then tilted himself to see inside, they were still focused on the other two teams. Taking advantage of the confusion they placed the charges on the windows, then using their specialized retracting harnesses hauled themselves up. Even though the square and flat charges imploded the blast that didn't mean it wouldn't send glass flying in all directions. While timing the bounce away from the building Wu hit the detonator.

Glass and debris flew everywhere as well as knocking out some of the lights, darkening the room, and rendering its occupants incoherent. Mao was the one closest to the blast and the force sent him flying and landing through a table with his clothes shredded and bleeding from shrapnel. Koko and Valmet were further away but not by much as the explosion threw them forward landing face first on the floor. With her ears ringing Valmet opened her eye to see Koko lying unconscious several feet from her. Digging deep for intestinal fortitude, as well as knowing that she had to protect her sister, she powered through the pain to try and stand up. But a boot to her back forcing her back onto the floor prevented that. It followed up by kicking her in the side and then rolling her over on her back. She then looked up to a Chinese man, appropriately decked out for urban warfare.

"Women zhaodaole ta."

(We've found her.)

That was the last thing she heard before the butt of his assault rifle came down on her face.

Ugo and Tojo undoubtably heard the blast from inside the suite but there was only one way into the room from where they were at. The fatal funnel had them at an extreme disadvantage as whoever was in the room was holding them off. Tojo couldn't return fire and Ugo was just managing to hold off the other attackers with his Mk46.

"Tojo! Running out of ammo here!"

"Wiley! We need help! They're in the suite!" Tojo shouted to the other half of the crew down the hall.

The entire crew then shared the same thought, that Koko was in danger. What was worse was that they were about to be over run. But at that moment, only one placed the value of his own life at nothing. Without thinking Damien broke cover and bolted back to the suite, not caring that he was being shot at or yelled at by other members of the crew about what in the hell he was about to do. His ice blue eyes with his distinct cold scowl had been replaced with shock and fear. If he didn't act fast he would lose another member of his family. Disregarding his own personal safety he combat rolled into the suite while being met with fire from two assault rifles as he scrambled to find the nearest cover, the counter top in the small kitchen that was connected to the common area. He then tried to return fire but his MP7 had run dry and was hit with more incoming fire. He dropped it and then pulled out one of his .45's but he also heard the sound of what appeared to be an object sliding against a surface but it was something he had heard many times before in his training, rope. He poked his head out from cover to see two pairs of legs disappear out of sight. He then heard a moan and saw Koko lying on the floor, he rushed to her side, her head was bleeding.

"Guys! Get in here! They've gone! Koko's hurt!" He shouted.

At the door appeared Lutz, slightly wincing from the dramatic drop in temperature of the room from the lack of windows and most of the wall leading to outside. But what was also weird was that the gunfire had ceased as well.

"You guys get the rest of them?" Damien asked.

"No they just fell back-OH SHIT!" He then noticed and ran to Mao, battered and not moving. "He's busted up pretty bad. LEHM! We gotta go!"

As both of them went to pick up their casualties they both noticed that there was one short.

"Wait a second, where the hell's Sophia!?" Damien said darting his head around the room in a panic.

"Damien…" Koko said weakly. "…they have her."

Damien immediately realized who was the extra set of legs and started to panic internally. As Lehm and Wiley entered the room he picked Koko up and handed her to Lehm, then he took Wiley's ACR.

"Where the hell are you going!?" Lehm shouted but Damien was not paying attention to him as he headed for the stairs to the roof.

Christ! Please! No! Not like this!

He wasn't even acting tactful at this point. He was instead behaving as if his worst nightmare had come true. As he got closer to the top of the stairs to the roof he then heard the distinct sound of rotor blades. He kicked open the door and was immediately hit with the cold night air as well as machine gun fire. His attackers were disembarking with the woman whom he had grown to cherish and care about in the last six months. Once again, disregarding his own personal safety he ran towards the sound of the gunfire. At that same time he felt a jolt from his hip but it did not hurt or hinder his movement. After taking cover behind a vent shaft he heard the engine throttle up, signaling it was about to take off. But the machine gun fire from the chopper was too great, he couldn't advance without getting killed and he couldn't shoot at it without accidentally hitting Valmet.

The helicopter had ascended and took off into the night sky, taking Valmet with it and leaving Damien behind.

The Ministry of State Security had succeeded in their raid of capturing an enemy of the People's Republic of China.

"Damien!"

One man tasted victory, the other had added another stunning failure to his life.

"Damien!"

Damien stood there on the roof of the hotel utterly devastated, he didn't even notice the hole in his hip from a bullet. Or Lehm's shouts until he took a hold of his shoulder.

"Damien! We have to get out of here! You ok?!"

He wasn't responding so Lehm did a quick look over him. He then saw blood coming from the left side of his jeans. He then hit Damien across the face to get him back to reality.

"Listen to me! We'll find her. But you're bleeding! We gotta go! Now!"

Broken but not beaten, Damien nodded in confirmation but the pain was finally starting to take its effects as per his limp when went to follow Lehm and get Koko somewhere safe.

"Sophia…please be safe." He said with his first tear in a while.