I woke up to sunlight streaming in through my old bedroom window, Jill wrapped around me, her left hand laying across my chest, the ring glinting in the light. I smiled down at her, remembering the aftermath.

We'd walked back into the house to thunderous applause from Mom and Dad, cheering and whistling.

Clowns.

Mom swept Jill into a tight embrace, whispering softly to her as Jill nodded, smiling through her tears. Dad kept telling me how proud he was, sniffling, and hugging me.

All had been right with the world.

I gently stroked Jill's hair, the chocolate brown strands flowing around my fingers, letting my nails collide gently with her scalp, bringing a small contented smile to her face as she slept. Her grip on me tightened, a soft, happy hum slipping out of her throat.

I stared at her for a bit, utterly enamored. This beautiful woman, this Valkyrie, this violent, tender, rough yet feminine angel…

Was my fiancé.

HA!

I smiled like an idiot, lost in the joy of it, feeling like I'd jumped out of a plane waiting for my chute to open, that rush of excitement overwhelmed me.

Two weeks had passed, and I wasn't any less giddy.

Jill shifted against me, her eyes fluttering open, still a little hazy, but when they met my gaze, a smile more beautiful than all the wonders of the world spread across her face, "Morning baby." She whispered sleepily.

"Morning, Love."

She blushed, "I love you."

"I love you too, baby girl."

My stomach picked a great time to remind me that breakfast was a thing, growling noisily.

Jill giggled, "Someone's hungry, no?"

I smiled, "I could eat, but leaving this bed is a nonstarter."

She stretched up and kissed me, her lips were soft, and oh so sweet, morning breath was a distant concern, "I can make breakfast, babe. Pancakes?"

I nodded, "Pancakes sound awesome, but I can help baby, let me get my marbles together."

Jill shook her head, "Not a chance Kelly, I'll handle it. You relax."

She kissed me again, letting it linger for a moment before slipping out of bed, strolling to the bathroom without a care in the world, those lacy underwear hugging her ass deliciously before she walked in, she shot me a smoldering look over her shoulder, "And if the pancakes don't fill you up, I have something that you can eat."

With a small wiggle, she disappeared, the shower kicking on a moment later.

Jesus H. Christ

I leaned back against the pillows, thoroughly awake after that little display. I pulled myself up off the mattress, dragging my jeans on and fishing out a smoke, crossing the still quiet house, heading for the deck. I lit the cigarette and pulled out my phone, a missed call and a voicemail greeted me. I keyed up the message.

"Mike, it's Frank, give me a call when you get this."

I dialed, and Frank answered after a few rings. "Hey, kid."

"Hey Frank, what's the deal?"

"Well…It's not good, kid. There was an attack in Damascus, BOW's were involved, casualty figures are still coming in."

"Fuck me, how?"

"With Umbrella shut down, that shit is in the wild. A group of Jihadis calling themselves "The Dawn of Allah" already took credit. We're working on sourcing them now."

"What does that mean for us?"

He sighed, "We need you guys back; the rest of the team has already been notified. I'm sorry to cut it short on you, but we need all hands. Like it or not, you and Jill represent two of the few people on earth that have experience fighting these things."

I closed my eyes, sighing, I knew this couldn't last forever, "I'll tell Jill, we'll be on the next flight out." I smiled a little, "I asked her to marry me, Frank."

"Holy shit, kid! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, man, we're thrilled about it. I'll see you soon enough, we can grab a drink."

"Damn straight, kid, I'll make the travel arrangements, standby for all the trimmings."

"Will do, bud. Later."

I killed the call, staring off into the distance. We were going back, back to the violence and death, the screaming nightmares and monsters.

Right, where we belonged.

The sliding glass door opened, and Mom stepped out onto the porch, still blinking the sleep from her eyes, smiling when she saw me, "Morning kiddo, your fiancé is making us all pancakes." She wiggled her eyebrows, her smile getting wider.

I smiled thinly, "Yeah, she's great like that."

Mom's brows furrowed, "You okay, hun?"

"We just got the call, terrorist attack in Damascus, they don't know how many dead yet. They used the virus, Mama…"

"Jesus," She breathed, "and you guys?"

"Have to go, we have an obligation to, we're sort of Subject Matter Experts here. Some of the only people with…experience."

Mom sat down next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, "Then you've gotta go, they need you. All those people are probably praying for someone like you right now. I hate it, but you're their guardian angel Mikey. I'm proud of you, and Jill too. Don't ever forget that."

I leaned into the hug, hearing Jill laughing at one of Dad's jokes, "I know it, Ma, thank you. Now I've gotta go tell Jill." I gave her a squeeze and stood, shaking off the trepidation and walking into the kitchen, Jill was still laughing when she met my eyes, and the smile died on her face.

"What happened?"

"Damascus got hit, unknown casualties, BOW's on the ground, jihadis already took credit. Frank needs us back."

"When?"

"Time now, babe, get your stuff together, we're just waiting on the word."

She nodded; Mom walked by me and nudged her arm, "I'll finish the pancakes, honey, you go get ready."

Jill pulled her into a side, hug, "Thanks, Sandy." She walked out with fire in her eyes.

Dad blew out a sigh, "Short trip, huh?"

I nodded sadly, "Too short, but it is what it is. They need us. Can I leave the car here for a bit?"

Dad smiled, but I could see it in his eyes that he was feeling it, "Only if you leave the keys."

I chuckled, "Of course, Pop, take her for a spin, why don't ya?"

"Outstanding."

Mom laughed, "Now, you've done it."

I leaned against the counter, the atmosphere was jovial but forced, each of us dealing with it in our own way. I pushed off and walked into our room; Jill was throwing clothes in her bag, a Glock 26 tucked in her waistband, that Crossbreed holster I'd bought her was getting some mileage; I leaned against the doorframe, taking her in. Her body language was professional, focused, but there was a slight tremor there that you really had to look for.

"Jill?"

She glanced at me over her shoulder, "Hey, babe."

"You good?"

She nodded, jerkily, "I'm fine, just…Fuck Mike, all those people."

"I know, baby, it's fucking horrible."

Her shoulders slumped a little, "I just…I wonder if it will ever be finished, Wesker is still out there, and now the viruses are in the wild. It hurts thinking that the world is gonna have to deal with what we saw in Raccoon, in the mansion, maybe Pandora's box is open now."

I shook my head, "We'll get it contained Jill, we have the vaccines, we have the support, we'll shut this shit down quick."

She smiled, seemingly buoyed by my words, "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Pretty sure it's against the law for a man's fiancé to admit that, like it's in the book somewhere."

Now she giggled, "Gotta give credit where it's due, Kelly."

"Fuck I guess."

"Pancakes!" Came Mom's voice from the kitchen.

"Ready, babe?"

She looked at her handiwork and nodded, "Yeah, let's go."

I looped an arm around her as we walked out to what might've been the last home-cooked meal for a long time.

The time came up way too quick; Frank had us on a private flight out of Sheridan, Mom and Dad drove us in.

We hugged on the tarmac, the plane's engines spooling up behind us.

"Gonna miss you, boy, just be fucking careful, okay?" His voice threatened to crack, just an edge of brokenness shining through.

I hugged him tighter, "I will, Dad, I love you, man."

"I love you too, son, proud of you."

I nodded into his shoulder, stepping back, Jill quickly took my place.

"Play some cards when I get back?"

Dad nodded, "Fuckin A, gotta get my money back somehow."

Jill chuckled, her voice thick, "Keep the cards warm for me, huh?"

"Count on it, kid, you take care, you're as much a part of the family as any of us. Come back safe."

Jill nodded, stepping back and wiping her eyes.

Mom wrapped us both in a hug, "What he said, you two come home when this is over with, alive and in one piece, okay?"

"We will, Ma."

"Count on it."

Mom nodded, tears threatening to fall as she let us go.

With a final wave, we walked up the steps and into the plush interior of the Learjet. I watched the other half of my world, with Jill alongside me, climb back into the old farm truck and drive away into the setting Wyoming sun.

I hoped I'd see them again. I knew all too well what was waiting for us.

We sat around the table in the SCIF, three floors below ground at Langley; Frank was off making some phone calls. Jill kept close, our legs touching under the table. For my part, the brief vacation and a taste of life outside of this made it all the more difficult to come back, I understood her nerves, but we'd do what we came here to do regardless.

The SCIF doors slid open, Chris walked in, Rebecca following close behind. I stood and hugged Chris, giving him a warm smile that he returned; the kid looked better than I'd seen him in years, "Hey brother."

"Hey Mike, good to see you, man."

"Yeah, likewise, hey, Becca." I hugged the tiny medic, "How's business?"

"Busy," She said after we parted, "I've been running rather ragged lately, between DOD and the UN, they've kept me up nights."

"I bet, glad you found your niche, kid."

Chris hugged Jill while Bec's and I were talking; he noticed it before we had the chance to say anything, "Is that…Is that a fucking ring!?"

Becca's eyes lit up; she completely disengaged from the conversation and bounded over to Jill, who flashed her left hand with a blush. Becca's excited giggles could've woken the dead (heh) as she hugged Jill, the latter giving in to the display and laughing right along with her.

Chris turned to me, "Oh, now you've done it, Kelly, messed around and found out."

He walked over and grabbed me in a bearhug, "Congratulations, man!"

"Can't…breathe…"

He set me down, laughing, "Well, you earned that one. Jesus, that's awesome, I'm so happy for you guys!"

I smiled at the old Chris, remembering the kid that had gone into that mansion, "Thank you, brother, it means a lot."

Frank interrupted our reverie, walking into the SCIF as he finished a call, "Alright boys and girls, here's the deal. Washington doesn't want to touch this, too much of a footprint there."

His words slowly sunk in, "So we're here for nothing?"

Frank shook his head, "No, you're here because we need to talk about your role in all this. You four represent experience fighting this thing, fighting Umbrella, that's valuable now. I want to help you leverage those skills to make sure this shit doesn't happen again."

Chris chimed in, "How?"

"That private outfit you guys kickstarted, this new guy O'Brian has ambitions, wants to clean this mess up and doesn't care how he does it, he's put out an all-points for people who know the ropes. I want you to help stand them all the way up, get them ready, the politicians are gonna waffle over this. Still, we need someone on the ground, even if it's an NGO, the BSAA has some serious funding now, Big Pharma is desperate to deflect any suspicion that they were involved in Umbrella's bullshit."

"So we go back to work for them officially, and you assist?" Jill offered.

Frank nodded, "That's the size of it, Valentine, there are plenty of minds at Langley that sees this as the new war, BOW's and Zombies are a hell of a lot more deadly to the order of the world than a few jihadis with a death wish. They want us out ahead of it, and I tend to agree."

"Even if the President doesn't?" I asked.

"The fate of the world is on the line, if we worry about borders or sovereignty, the next outbreak could be the last one."

I nodded, "Just wanting to know the score, Frank, you know I'm with you. We all know how deadly this thing is, I've got no complaints."

He smiled, "Good, we're spinning up your covers as we speak, normal stuff, tired of the governments' inaction, something has to be done, blah blah, blah. On to more pressing matters, did you tell them?"

Jill nodded, a smile on her face as she grabbed my hand, her new ring on full display.

"Outstanding, dinner is on me tonight, wherever you guys want to go,"

He gave us a warm smile.

"Congratulations, you two."

Chris whooped, Rebecca clapped and whistled, Jill, held my hand tighter, a blush rising on her face.

I smiled, reveling in it, not yet knowing that I was about to have a hand in the creation of the most significant force for good the world had seen in a very long time.

We adjourned the meeting after that, the Agency set Jill and I up with an apartment in Falls Church for the next few days; once our covers were intact and we had all documents to match, we'd be heading for England, and the BSAA's unofficial headquarters to meet with Clive O'Brian, the head of the outfit, he was in over his head trying to play whack a mole with the remnants of Umbrella. It was time for some big-hitting help, and who better than the ex-STARS who were there at ground zero?

I collapsed on the couch, dumping my bag in the modest living room; Jill worked her way into the bedroom, "This bed is huge!"

I chuckled, "We take care of our own, you know this."

"Yeah, but babe! SO much room for activities!"

Well, now I had to see what that was about.

I popped up and bolted for the bedroom, taking a flying dive from the door onto the massive king-size bed. Jill screamed delightedly as I flew through the air, having found herself a spot already. I bounced on and into the plush mattress, rolling around a bit.

"Softest bed ever…this is ridiculous."

Jill crawled up, straddling me, "We only have a few days…" She gave me an almost evil smile, "Better make the most of it…"

She leaned down and kissed me hungrily; how could I argue with that?

We didn't leave the apartment for two days, ordering in mostly, hell we barely left the bedroom. But like all good things, it came to an end, and we found ourselves on the short hop across the Atlantic, a landing at Heathrow, and an embassy vehicle to convoy us to the meet with our new boss.

We pulled up to the nondescript gray building, fog rolling off the Thames gave the place an almost sinister feel and added a level of unreality to the scene; I stepped out onto the cobblestones, making sure my Glock 19 was tucked where I could get at it in a hurry. I took point, Chris, Jill, and Rebecca following close behind. The streets were clear; nothing moved for blocks as we walked up.

I raised my hand to knock, and the door opened quickly, a silhouette coming right at us, my hand dipped for my gun, Chris got his out first, the barrel appearing over my shoulder, I heard the whispering of leather, as Jill and Becca followed suit.

"Whoa, easy!"

Holy shit.

"Carlos?"

We all relaxed, and he grinned, "Mike? Man, what is with you guys and pulling guns on people?"

I hugged him, "Reflex brother, goddamn, its good to see you."

"Jesus Carlos, I almost shot you in the face," Chris said with a grin.

"Right?" Jill whispered.

"Fuck…" Rebecca added, breathing a little heavier, always tickled me to death to hear her swear.

He waved us off, "All good amigos, c'mon in, O'Brian is waiting."

We followed Carlos deeper into the building while he filled us in, Him and Ty had been running around the world since Raccoon, tagging along with whatever outfit was taking it to Umbrella, when the word had come in that the BSAA was looking for experience, they'd snuck into the UK and met with O'Brian, offering their help much the same as I was about to.

Carlos led us to an impromptu meeting room; a few ex-mil types stood around a table with a tall, dark-haired guy that I recognized as the man himself, his eyes lighting up when he saw our little group, crossing the room to shake Chris and Jill's hands in turn.

"Chris! Jill! Good to see you both." He spoke in a posh British accent, a broad smile on his face, and a fierce intelligence in his gray eyes. I liked him immediately, "And who's this?"

I stepped forward, offering my hand, "Mike Kelly, and this is Rebecca Chambers." I motioned to Becca, who offered a smile, "I've heard a lot of good things about you, Mr. O'Brian."

He shook my hand, quite a grip on the guy, with a roughness to his skin that let me know he wasn't a pencil-pusher, "Likewise, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Chambers. Chris had nothing but good things to say about your abilities, and Ms. Valentine was equally as flattering." He shook Becca's offered hand with a smile, before returning his attention to me, "What brings you to our little corner of the world?"

"We heard you were recruiting, looking for experienced individuals with our unique skills, we came to offer our services."

His eyes widened a touch; he knew who I was and what I was selling, that look assured it, "And your government?"

I nodded, "On board."

He smiled, tiredly, "We're grateful for the help, short-handed and all that. I can speak for everyone when I say that we'd be happy to have both your expertise and resources."

I held my hand out again, and he took it, "I look forward to working with you, O' Brian."

His smile gained something, a touch of hope, maybe, "Please, call me Clive."

I looked around at the gathered group; some of them looked haunted, others just looked ready, some nodded, some offered smiles of encouragement, there was an energy in the room, an excitement that united us all.

"Well then, Clive, let's get to work."

The town was on fire, bodies lined the streets, and I was fighting again, not for my life this time, but someone else's.

"Jill, hold her!" I shouted, desperately applying pressure to the gaping hole in the woman's stomach, trying to stem the bleeding from where the Hunter had all but gutted her. Tears rolled down her face… She was fighting so hard.

"BP is dropping, fuck, Becca! I need you to assist!"

Becca rushed over, "What do we have?"

"Intra-Abdominal Hemorrhage, BP is dropping, I think the fucking thing clipped her Aorta. Get an eye on it."

She shined her light into the woman's wound, looking up at me and shaking her head softly after a moment, tears in her eyes, "Shredded," she mouthed.

"Fuck," I whispered, "Jill," She looked up, hell in her eyes, "Grab me a syringe from my bag, I also need the ketamine, hurry."

The woman's movements had slowed, her dark skin paling, and her breathing coming slower now; after a moment, Jill handed me a blood-slicked package and a small vial. I pulled way more than I needed into the syringe, my mind only on taking this woman's pain away.

"It's alright," I whispered in Arabic, "You're gonna be okay."

Something like relief crossed her face and broke my fucking heart as I slid the needle in. Her eyelids fluttered, and she grabbed my hand with a surprising amount of strength; I gave it a squeeze and whispered reassurances until her eyes finally slid closed.

I held her hand right up until she stopped breathing.

I stood, ripping my helmet off and hurling it into the wall of the hut, "Motherfucker!"

Someone barged in the door behind me.

"Who told you BSAA assholes you could come into my AO?"

Hayes. The resident FBC watchdog.

"Well?" His imperious tone offended every sense I had, especially after he just strolled in here like he owned the place, our patient's body wasn't even cold yet.

Rage, hot and out of control, filled me, and I spun on a heel and drove my fist right into his surprised face. He hit the ground and was already on his way back up when I heard the sound of a hammer being cocked.

"We're here because someone has to do something."

Becca held her Beretta in rock-steady hands, aimed right at the bridge of Hayes' broken nose, her voice cracked as she spoke in that same tiny voice, "We've been watching these people die for days while your agency sat on its hands and watched. No more."

Hayes had frozen, staring at the little thing that held his life in her hands, "Easy, girl. Just take it easy."

I kept my hands up, walking towards Becca and reaching out, "It's okay, Bec's, holster that weapon, this shitbag isn't worth it."

Jill just smirked at the asshole on the ground.

I really wanted to let Becca shoot him.

Finally, Becca blinked, tears filling her eyes; slowly, she holstered her gun, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth, the implications of what she'd just done crashing across her face.

Hayes came flying off the floor, murder in his eyes, I spun and bulldozed him into the wall, my knife coming out and digging into his neck all in one motion.

"Listen here, asshole, a bullet I can't explain, but if I slice you up enough, I can blame a Chimera, and I'll walk, sleep like a baby too."

All that big-dick shit went out the window, the smallest amount of fear leaked into Hayes' eyes.

"So you're gonna get the fuck out of here. If you try to fuck me on this, I'll finish the job, hearing me?"

He nodded, and I let him go, my knife sliding back into its sheath, he hustled out of the hut without so much as a backward glance.

I walked over to where Jill was comforting Rebecca, "You okay?"

Becca shook her head, "No, Mike, I'm really not."

Jill looked at me, tried to smile and failed, sadness filling up her eyes.

I sighed and nodded, "Let's go, time to make tracks."

We walked to the door, I opened it, and we all stepped into the cool night air. The still-burning town greeted us, the smell of blood was heavy in the air, gunfire crackled as the FBC teams swept up the last of the BOWs.

A year had passed since we signed on the dotted line in London. Now here we were in Oman, supposedly in an advisory role only, but after three days of watching this village being ravaged, I'd made the call to get in here and help, against the orders of the FBC.

Ah, the Federal Bio-Terror Commission, the bane of my fucking existence. President Graham had taken the best the DMV had to offer and put them in charge of responding to the worst threat the world had ever seen. Hayes was just part of the problem; he'd dogged us since we got here.

"Make sure to keep your mutts on the sidelines where they belong, Kelly."

I lit a cigarette as we walked through the blood-soaked streets, Rebecca cried softly behind me, Jill had an arm wrapped around her, eyes still scanning for threats.

I had some choice words for a few people once we got somewhere safe.

An FBC jeep pulled up, the guy behind the wheel looked nice enough, "You BSAA?"

I nodded, "Yeah, you here to fuck my day up too?"

He smiled, "Nah, I'm here to give you a ride."

I popped the passenger side door, letting Jill and Becca hop in before finally climbing aboard myself. A nod to the driver, and we were off.

"Frank, listen to me, these FBC pricks are fucking everything up. People died tonight that didn't have to."

"There's nothing I can do, kid, nothing. They're the lead agency on this; all we can do is fight in the shadows. Don't break cover, I'll talk to the Director, maybe we can make some moves on the Hill."

"It was bad Frank, Hunters, Cerberus, and Chimera against civvies, they never stood a fucking chance, make them understand."

"I will, kid, you just stay safe, okay?"

"Doing my best, take it easy."

The FBC guy had dropped us in the city of Khasab, just outside the quarantine zone; I'd used the last of our cash to get a room for the night at the Ahlam Villa, we'd all showered in turn, and now I was sitting in the lobby while the girls rested up, waiting on a contact from a lifetime ago.

The doors opened, and I glanced up from my Omani newspaper, there she was, in a black dress more suited to a dinner party than a dusty hotel.

Fatima Saeed. Of the ISS, Oman's intelligence service.

At least until I'd gotten my hands on her.

Her dark eyes found me, and she smiled, making her way over, stopping just before she reached me, "Hello Jason."

My cover name brought back a rush of memories, mostly of the woman in front of me and some incredibly sultry nights in this very city.

"Hello, Fatima, been a while, huh?"

She smiled again, her English accented voice more like a purr, "Five years? Give or take? Too long in any case." She held her arms out and raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow, waiting.

I stepped into her embrace, the smell of her perfume taking me right back to the first night she'd dragged me back to her apartment and shown me a thing or two.

I shook it off and broke the hug, "Fati', listen, this isn't a social call."

"Shame," she whispered, "I've missed our particular brand of socializing."

"Do you have what I asked for?"

"And more, darling."

"Fatima…"

She laughed, "It's still so much fun to wind you up; yes, I have what you asked for. It looks like the man behind the sale is someone you may know."

I cocked my head at her, "How's that?"

"Well, your government has been looking for him for quite some time." She handed me an envelope, I opened it with a questioning gaze.

And almost dropped it when Wesker's name stared up at me.

Frank had told me to tug on this string, that he might be involved, but to see it written out filled me with an old hatred.

"Are you alright, Jason?"

I looked back up into Fatima's eyes, "Thank you, I know I asked a lot for old times sake, but this really helps."

She leaned in, nudging me with her shoulder, "I would have done so much more for old times sake. This is nothing. So, are you in town for long?"

"I'm getting married, Fati'."

Her eyes widened, a little sadness creeping into the edges, "Well, that is…She's a very lucky woman."

"Thank you, Fatima, for what it's worth? I'm sorry… for how it ended between us."

She smiled, back in control again, "Think nothing of it, darling, another life as they say."

I hugged her, "Still friends, yeah?"

She hugged me back, and I could feel the longing there; two kids way out of their depth flashed across my mind. "Friends."

We parted after a beat, "Thank you for everything."

She nodded, "Head on a swivel Jace, you never know who's watching."

"Likewise. Be safe."

She laid a hand on my shoulder for a moment, looking into my eyes sadly before turning and walking away.

I watched her go; she'd just handed me a piece of the puzzle, now it was time for me to roll on it.

I walked back into the room; Jill popped up as I entered, holding a finger to her lips and indicating Becca, finally asleep on the other side of the bed, "Hey, everything okay?"

"Wesker was here," I flipped the documents on the small table, "He oversaw the sale to the Jihadis. We just fucking missed him."

She shuffled through the paperwork, "Where'd you get this?"

"Old friend, she works for ISS and Frank."

"Jesus Mike, he was here."

"Yeah, I know, we gotta tell Chris."

"We have to get out of Oman first; the FBC obviously doesn't want us here. I called O'Brian and filled him in. They're gonna get us a flight out."

"Good push, babe, I need to lay the fuck down."

She held her arms out, "C'mere."

I pointed to Becca, asleep on the far side of the bed, "I don't want to wake her; the poor kid had a hell of a day. I'll take the floor, you guys rest up."

She tried to protest, "Babe I-"

"It's okay, sweetheart, I promise."

I stretched out on the floor, wiggling a little to get comfortable on the carpet, grabbing some floor pillows. I'd been battling with Becca's reaction to Hayes, the poor thing had just had enough, and I'd made the call to take her in there.

A flurry of movement behind me broke me out of my thoughts; Jill wrapped her arms around me from behind, throwing a blanket over us and sliding a pillow under my head.

"Can't leave you down here by your lonesome, Kelly. Wouldn't be a very good fiancé, would I?"

I smiled in the dark, the thoughts ebbing away again in the face of her, "Thanks, baby."

"Love you…We'll get him, you know, fucker is going all the way down."

"Love you too, baby girl, I know he is, he just doesn't know it yet."

The following morning we got word that a plane was waiting at the airstrip just outside the city. A quick drive later, and we were bound for the UK. Jill and I strung up a hammock across the cargo bay and climbed in, trying to keep comfortable at least. I helped Becca string hers up when she finally decided to bring up the previous day.

"Mike, I'm sorry."

"For what kid?"

"For pulling that gun on Hayes, I- I just snapped, I guess. All those people died, and he came in after the danger was gone to berate us about regulations that never mattered."

I wrapped an arm around her, "Becca, you did exactly what I wanted to do. You have nothing to apologize to me for."

She smiled sadly, "Thank you, I just…I don't know if I can be in the field anymore. I think it's too much. I'm not like you or Jill, or Chris for that matter. I just don't want to let anyone down."

I squeezed her tight, "You've done more than anybody had any right to ask of you, and you've done it well. I'll never stop admiring you or being proud of you because of it. You don't owe anybody a fucking explanation either."

Her smile got wider, the sadness melting away, "Thank you, Mike, for everything."

"We're a family Bec's, nothing's gonna change that."

"Quit trying to steal my fiancé, Chambers!" Came Jill's muffled voice.

We both cracked up laughing until our sides hurt; Jill tunneled out of our hammock and grinned, "Treachery!"

I really didn't deserve this woman.

I gave Becca a squeeze and hopped in the hammock with Jill. A small voice following after me, "Don't think I won't know if you two get frisky either, keep that mess to a minimum."

"Well, now it's happening whether you like it or not, Chambers!" I called back.

"Gross!" She shouted, like a little kid. I smiled as Jill cuddled up to me and let myself drift off. We had a long flight ahead of us.

A little over eight hours later, we landed at Heathrow; I untangled myself from Jill, gently shook Becca awake, and we grabbed our gear. The first red flag was O'Brian waiting on the tarmac, alarm bells ringing in my head, the second was when he jogged up the ramp instead of waiting for us to walk down.

"Clive," I called out, "What's up?"

His face was grave, sighing as he gave us news that hit like a freight train, "Chris has gone missing. We sent him out with Sherawat to investigate the Queen Zenobia after she resurfaced." I nodded, ice flooding my veins, remembering the ship from the AAR of the Terragrigia attack. That had been a nightmare; the FBC had eventually decided to burn the place down; it was too close to Raccoon for my comfort.

"They've missed two check-in windows, and we can't raise them on the emergency band."

"Fucking hell," Jill whispered, "We need to get out there."

"Oh no," Rebecca said softly.

Clive nodded, "Chambers, I need you here to go over everything we have on the virus they used in the attack. Kelly, Valentine? You two are on a helo inside the next hour, we have weapons and gear staged in hangar four. I know I don't need to say it, but our involvement here must remain no-visibility, get in, find Chris and Jessica, and get out."

Jill and I nodded in turn.

"Very well, gear up, step off in twenty."

Jill stepped up and hugged Becca, breaking the hug a moment later, "We'll get him back, I promise."

Becca hugged me tight, "I know you will. Be safe."

I nodded, "We will, kid. Back before you know it."

With a final look, we turned and hustled off towards the hangar, ducking inside, to see table after table lined with weapons and kit, the air around us was electric as we loaded magazines and checked our weapons, alive with a single sentiment driving us.

I would storm the gates of hell to ransom back my brother.