Sword and Shield
Chapter 20: Beyond Tier One
Delta Force 1. n. 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (1st SFOD-D) is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense as Combat Applications Group.
28 March 2000, 19:07 hrs.
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
White House Situation Room
General Gordon leaned back in his chair as he saw the President chew his lip. On the displays were various satellite feeds of the operation area, the Tamagawa River, Chofu, and a close up image of the apartment. The President slowly pulled off his glasses and sat them on the table.
"You want final authorization?" He asked quietly and the assembled team and general officers shifted nervously in their seats. "I can see this is a logical follow up to the situation in Alaska."
"Yes Mr. President." Sandy Berger said quietly. "The three individuals we are attempting to capture are among the most dangerous people in the world, if they are in the wrong hands. One of them falling into such hands caused the entire Merida Island debacle. We feel it would be far better if they were in our custody."
"Hmm... the three girls, I see your notes on their apparent specialties." He tapped his lip with a pen as a trio of White House staffers stepped inside carrying pizza boxes and bottles of cola. "What about the Japanese government's response?"
"They won't be happy... one of the trio's father works at the United Nations. Hopefully no one will be able to confirm it was us that did it." General Gordon said. "Worse case scenarios, the Japanese protest the abduction of their citizen... this Chidori and we retain the other two."
The President nodded. "If we fail?"
The generals looked a bit stunned at the suggestion of that possibility. Delta Force never failed, sure, they might take casualties, cause a diplomatic incident, or something but they never actually failed in their objectives.
Sandy Berger looked just as surprised by the question. "Mr. President, Delta has never failed in a mission as trivial as this."
"Humor me." The President said. "This is Mithril we're talking about, not some terrorists in Saudi Arabia, or a gang of gun wielding maniacs in Somalia."
"Well... that would be the absolute worst possible scenario, not getting the targets, evidence of our attempt would be almost impossible to hide, especially if there are casualties." Sandy Berger said. "I don't see that as a likely outcome though."
The President nodded and let out a long sigh. "These three girls, are this important... it's hard to believe." He looked down at the authorization document and took a deep breath. "Send the word... they're go." Then he signed it and dropped it on the table.
One of the generals nodded and picked up a phone. "Tartarus is a go."
29 March 2000, 9:13 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Room 404, Mansion K Apartments
Kaname Chidori woke as the sunlight slowly began to settle over her eyes. Her side ached from the lumpy cushions of the sofa, and as she opened her eyes she saw the other two girls who shared their room still sleeping in their sleeping bags. She let out a soft sigh as she felt Sousuke shift behind her, one arm drapped protectively around her waist.
"Good morning." He said quietly and Kaname grumbled a greeting, still far from a morning person.
During the night she'd heard the whispers again, but they didn't seem as strong or potent as before the Merida event, not nearly so. Perhaps with her whisperer gone, her connection to the whispers wasn't as strong, or perhaps it was the comforting presence of Sousuke during the night, but no matter what it was, she was thankful.
Still, her low blood pressure, something most would take as a sign of good physical health, often gave her a throbbing headache as she woke and this day was little different.
She murmured to herself as she slowly sat up and slipped out of Sousuke's arms. He was awake too, she was sure, as it was an exceedingly rare occurrence for the stoic sergeant to sleep through much of anything. It seemed that he needed to be physically ill for his guard to drop enough for him to sleep through the slightest disturbance.
"Kaname?" He asked as she slipped on her slippers.
"Shower..." She muttered. "Must wake up."
"Affirmative, shall I have some coffee or tea ready for you?" He asked.
"Douzo." She murmured as she stumbled for the bathroom. A moment later she'd slipped out of her night clothes and climbed inside. Hot water beat down on her, warming her and slowly burning away the lethargy from sleep. She let out a long yawn as she began to wash her hair, a happy smile slowly slipping across her face.
The dangers and threats forgotten for the moment, Kaname reveled in the simple pleasure of washing her hair and remembering how the stoic sergeant had cuddled her in his sleep. It seemed the two of them had found comfort in each other's arms... A part of her was mortified by her own behavior. It was the same part that was so infuriated by Sousuke's 'otaku' nature, that yelled and screamed at him to shape up, to adapt, to blend in, but it was only part of who Kaname was, perhaps only a face she presented to the world.
Having spent much of her life in the United States had also greatly affected her outlook. When she'd returned to Japan and started Middle School, she'd stuck out as a foreigner to her fellow students, and while she'd never completely covered up the influence of her time in the states, she'd learned to hide it, to act like a normal Japanese teen with just a few quirks from her time outside the country.
It seemed that facade was falling away, bit by bit. Her arrangement with Sousuke, sharing an apartment and even a bed was one that would be seen as outrageous, even perverted to most Japanese people. To her, it was becoming second nature. She needed Sousuke close, as a friend, a protector, and a boyfriend. In America it might have raised eyebrows, but little more.
The Japanese part of her outlook was still mortified, but it was overshadowed by more simple human needs. Her time in Amalgam's care had burned away many of her inhibitions. The world she'd lived within in the United States would have accepted her circumstances without comment.
She didn't feel safe without him around. He was like a big teddy bear with her, shrugging off beatings with her harisen and verbal lashings with little comment, but the moment she was threatened any restraint the boy had seemed to slip off, like a safety being switched on a gun. He would defend her with his life, without a thought or regret. He was her champion, even if he was an otaku and military freak.
If Sousuke wasn't so bashful and naive Kaname bet that they'd have gone much further then holding each other at night and the occasional kiss. He wasn't the best at showing his feelings, the stoic shell of his being a mask that so rarely budged. Still she knew the feelings he had ran deep, if they hadn't, they wouldn't be so visible.
Her mind finally woken up by the hot spray and rising steam, Kaname let out a long sigh and blushed, her mind drifting back to how Sousuke had held her at night. There was something child-like underneath his stoic expression and hardened exterior. A scared boy that only came out in the darkest part of the night and held onto her for dear life.
She liked that boy, and now that Sousuke was around her so much, she could catch glimpses of him peeking out from the years of hardship and soldiering.
Kaname sighed and turned off the water and grabbed a towel. She quickly began to dry her hair as the heady aroma of coffee began to permeate the apartment. She smiled faintly. There were only a few things that Sousuke was capable of cooking on his own. He could do coffee, so long as you preferred it strong enough to wake the dead and hot enough to scald the throat, which was what Kaname needed most mornings.
She finished drying her hair and body before wrapping the towel around her waist. Outside she found Sousuke drinking his own cup of coffee with a steaming mug sitting beside it, just waiting for her. Kaname quickly slipped into her room and dressed. When she returned the coffee was no longer scalding, but still warm enough to fully wake her from her morning lethargy.
He was watching the international news again and Kaname sighed as she saw the talking heads still discussing Mithril and the fight in Alaska. She sat down beside him and took a sip from her cup. "Sousuke..."
"Yes?" He asked quietly.
"I suggest you shower and get dressed. I'll start on breakfast and wake the others." She took a gulp from the coffee and felt the caffeine wake her with a bit of a jolt. "Does that sound like a plan?"
"Affirmative."
29 March 2000, 9:35 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Parking Lot, Mansion K Apartments
Officer Wakana parked her patrol cruiser and took a gulp of coffee before settling back in her seat. Getting the CIA operative the location of their little beacon gave her something to pursue, something bigger then a pervert chasing teen girls or a bike thief that habitually destroyed her patrol car. This was bigger than Bonta-kun.
She sat her P90 Personal Defense Weapon on the seat beside her and leaned back, pulling her uniform cap tight down over her head to give the impression of an officer sleeping on the job and sat back to wait. Sagara was involved, as was the CIA.
She couldn't help but smile at the thought of the explosion she was sure was coming. It would be a grand fight, something worth breaking the rules for. Maybe she could convince someone to assign her to SWAT, or maybe these Mithril people needed a couple new recruits to replace their losses.
Her evil snicker at the thought would have disturb any who heard it, fortunately for her... she wasn't observed. Her little stake out may not have been authorized, but she'd be damned if she wasn't watching this train wreck and diving in P90 blazing.
What will it be? A couple thugs with a chopper to get them out fast, maybe a sniper to get rid of that pesky Sagara?
She didn't consider just how amateurish those ideas seemed, or what an infrared strobe really meant, all she knew was that it was a target.
29 March 2000, 9:40 hrs
Yokota Air Base, Western Tokyo, Japan
106th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Joint Special Operations Command
Lieutenant John Elliot tightened the straps of his crash harness as he ran through the pre-flight checks. Beside him, Warrant Officer Curt Saxton was tapping the multi-function display as the four Delta Force Operators clambered onto the benches that hung from either side of the AH-6J Little Bird.
"Swallow Six-Two to command, pre-flight complete." Lieutenant Elliot said as he glanced at the second AH-6J Little Bird and took a deep breath. "Ready."
"Six-Two acknowledged, Six-One?" The brisk voice of the unit commander stated flatly in the radio.
"Six-One is go."
"Acknowledged, stand by." Elliot nodded and pushed his back against the harness and waited. Then the radio crackled again. "Tartarus, I repeat, Tartarus!"
"Understood!" Lieutenant Elliot as he grabbed hold of the controls and ramped up the throttle. As the helicopter began to lift off the tarmac, Warrant Officer Saxton glanced back at the four Delta Force Operatives.
"Welcome to SOAR flight sixty-two. Our destination today is a rooftop in the middle of Tokyo home to three very pretty girls and one irate man." Curt Saxton said with a smirk. "I'd like to remind you that smoking is prohibited and seat belts are completely unnecessary for Delta Force Operators."
Low chuckles came from the group as Lieutenant Elliot reached above his head and flicked a switch. "ECS engaged!"
"We apologize for the smell of Ozone, but then I think you'd prefer the enemy not noticing our approach." Saxton said to the group who chuckled once again.
29 March 2000, 9:48 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Roof, Tigers Mansion Apartments
Wraith sighed as she stepped out onto the roof access and took a long pull from her can of coffee. A crystal-clear blue sky was overhead and she smiled faintly as she walked over to the air conditioner units of the building. As she did, she did a quick cursory glance at the surroundings and nodded to herself. A moment later, she sat down and ran a hand along the polished stock of her SVD Dragunov Sniper Rifle. It was amusing to her that the Intelligence Department had once argued strongly against the weapon.
Of course, it wasn't exactly standard issue to an intelligence operative, even in an organization such as Mithril. But, then the idea of her providing over watch for Chidori and Sagara without a weapon capable of reaching them was in itself an idiotic concept.
She'd specifically requested the Dragunov, claiming that it would fit with her 'secondary' cover. The one she would fall back on if the first had been blown. The one that in truth was not much of a cover, considering it had been her true identity and purpose up until she'd joined Mithril so many years before.
Wraith did not usually discuss her past, and always tried to avoid mention of her given name... for that fact alone would have identified her home country, or at least narrowed it down to two possibilities. She was Wraith, the code name was her identity and she left it at that.
"I wonder what Sergeant Sabotage is up to at the moment." Wraith muttered as she pulled a range finding scope from her pocket and pointed it into the window of the apartment. It seemed that all four inhabitants were up and about at least.
"Ahh... Breakfast." She sneered to herself and sighed. "Lucky dog."
29 March 2000, 9:51 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Room 404, Mansion K Apartments
Kaname shut off the stovetop and set aside the skillet before turning with her small tray full of breakfast food and setting it atop the small table in the middle of the living area. Tessa was leaning on an elbow with a tired expression playing across her face while Sara Miller was staring wide-eyed at the small omelets on the tray.
Sousuke was by the door, carefully checking over the four speaker-like explosives he'd mounted on shelves and pointed toward the door.
"Breakfast, Sousuke!" Kaname shouted before setting the tray on the table and letting a sigh slip out. "Come back here and sit down."
"Sorry, I was just checking the SLAMs to ensure they do not detonate accidentally." Sousuke said as he walked back over to them and dropped into a seat.
Tessa yawned. "Sagara-san, those weapons are extremely difficult to set off by accident."
"One can never be too careful with explosives." Sousuke said as he plucked a few omelets from the tray and started eating. "I am nervous after the fly by last night."
"You sure it wasn't something else... A broken fridge letting out a bit of ozone perhaps?" Sara Miller said as she ran a hand through her hair. "It'd be an extreme risk trying to take us from the middle of Tokyo in broad daylight, let alone the middle of the night."
"We still should be cautious." Sousuke said. "The Americans are not the sort to give up easily on an objective, especially one as valuable as a Whispered... let alone three of them."
Kaname sighed and sat down, deciding to keep silent for the moment. Interrupting or disagreeing with Sagara tending to cause a rant. She did not intend to spend the day arguing with him... even though that was occasionally a fun distraction.
"Will we ever be safe?" Sarah asked quietly and Tessa frowned.
"We'll be safer once the Japanese Government announces the deal with Admiral Borda." Tessa said. "But we will never be completely safe Sarah... it's simply not possible."
"I don't like being a target." Sarah sniffed. "I don't want to think about what they would do if they caught us."
A squawk on the Ozone detector suddenly drew their attention and Sousuke swore as he scrambled for the display. A series of Russian curses spewed from his mouth. "Another ozone signature, no... Two!" He swept his gun from the end table and held the smaller Glock handle first to Kaname.
She took the gun and swallowed as Sousuke pulled out a radio. "Urzu Seven to Urzu Two."
29 March 2000, 09:50 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Room 333, Kawasaki Green Plaza Hotel
Melissa Mao groaned as the radio on the bed table crackled to life and Sousuke's voice came through in a nervous tone. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the offending device as Kurz's arms wrapped around her middle and held her in place.
"Kurz... let go, Sagara's calling." She growled before pushing his arms away and stumbling out of bed and fumbled with the bulky device. "Sousuke?"
"You got to hit the transmit button babe." Kurz murmured from where he lay.
"Right... Sagara?" She snapped as she stood in a black tank top and panties beside her bed.
"Urzu Two, we have two ECS contacts closing on us here... we need help!"
"FUCK!" Mao yelled as she dropped the radio and ran for the pile of dirty clothes and web gear beside the bed.
29 March 2000, 9:53 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
300 meters over the Tamagawa River
Lieutenant Elliot glanced down at the cluster of apartment buildings and houses that filled the land below. Baseball diamonds and track fields filled the small stretch of land between the river itself and the built up roadway that ran along it, acting like a levy.
With a slight scowl, he pulled on his infrared goggles and shifted in his seat. Then he glanced down at the array of buildings before a bright flash on his goggles drew his attention, "Swallow Six-Two, I can see the infrared marker."
"Understood Six-Two, I see it as well, descending to thirty, prepare to disengage ECS." The reply instantly came and Lieutenant Elliot dropped his AH-6J Little Bird lower and lower until it was just skimming over the rooftops. "Six-Two this is Six-One, we'll deploy on the roof as planned, and you take the balcony."
"Affirmative." Lieutenant Elliot said.
"Disengage ECS. Go, go, go!" The command came out and Elliot pushed the cyclic forward as Warrant Officer Saxton flipped the switch. Immediately the noxious odor of ozone disappeared and he saw just ahead Six-One appearing out of thin air. Elliot pushed up the infrared goggles and smiled as the AH-6J flared over the roof and touched down a second later. Four men scrambled from the benches before it rocketed up into the air again.
"We're next, ready ropes!" Elliot yelled as he headed toward the balcony and flared the helicopter.
Wraith swore as she saw an AH-6J Little Bird roar just over her head. She dove behind the air conditioner and pulled out her radio, fumbling with it as the first helicopter landed on the roof. "Come on..."
Officer Wakana gaped as the first black helicopter roared overhead. She grabbed the radio and yelled into, "Dispatch, 10-34 at the Mansion K Apartments, 10-77!"
"Wakana?" The dispatcher shrieked as she looked up and saw the helicopter once again.
"Just get me help!" She yelled back before throwing the radio onto the chair.
"Contacts lost." Al's voice crackled from the speakers. "They might have switched off their ECS."
Kaname tightened her grip on the pistol as she leaned against the wall the chirp of the ozone detector counting down the seconds. Across from her, Sousuke was kneeling down behind the sofa, his Glock 17 gripped tightly in his hand with another hand wrapped around a command detonation remote.
Tessa and Sarah hid behind the dining room table that they had knocked over, their own hands fingering their weapons. Overhead the two of them could hear the roar of rotors.
"Uruz Seven to Uruz Two, please respond." Sousuke muttered and Kaname glanced back at him noticing for the first time the ear-bud style microphone he wore.
Wraith pulled the SVD Dragunov into her shoulder and rested her face against the cheek plate on the stock. She watched as the first of the AH-6J Little Birds tilted forward, lifting clear as its cargo of Delta Force operators scrambled through the doors down from the roof. She bit her tongue as she heard Sousuke's radio call then sighed. "Wraith here, four are coming down the stairwell, second bird approaching."
"Understood." The sergeant answered in the clipped manner she'd come to expect from him.
Then the second AH-6J Little Bird came to a hover directly over the balcony. Wraith felt her gut turn cold as she lifted the rifle toward the helicopter and found herself staring down the sights of one of the Delta Operator's silenced M4 ACOGs. His face was partly hidden behind a transparent visor and Wraith felt herself freeze for that instant.
The Operator's mouth moved to bark an order and ropes fell from the side of the chopper onto the balcony.
Wraith suddenly lurched into action centering her sights on the Operator as silenced 5.56x45mm subsonic rounds buzzed by and she felt a brief stab of pain in her arm. Her aim wavered but a moment and the Dragunov barked an angry reply.
Curt swore as the voice of one of the Delta Force operators rang in his ear. "Contact, nine o'clock low, engaging."
He twisted to look over his shoulder and saw sparks shooting up from around an air conditioner on the roof of the apartment across the street. The chopper wobbled a bit under his control as the two Delta Force operators began fast roping toward the balcony. "Come on, five more seconds!"
Wakana grabbed her P90 from the passenger seat and slammed open the side door. She knelt down behind the door and lifted the gun to her shoulder. She gazed down the simple red reticule and pointed it up toward the two soldiers sitting on the side of the helicopter, firing toward the apartment building.
Snarling she tightened her grip and held down the trigger, letting loose a wall of 5.7x28mm ammunition at the two soldiers. Sparks shot from the side of the helicopter and blue smoke began to rise from the rotors. One of the soldiers turned his gun down toward her.
The subsonic rounds made a quiet buzzing sound as they hissed over her ear, and thudded against the reinforced car door.
Wakana held down the trigger and a feral smile slipped across her face as she saw her bullets walk across the center of the soldier, tearing into his black ballistic armor. Then a bullet struck him in the neck, sending blood spurting up from the wound. He tumbled backward just as two of his comrades slid down the ropes to the balcony.
The door to apartment 404 blew into the room, clattering as it bounced over three sets of shoes and bounced off the wall. Four Delta Force operators clad in black tactical gear and digital camouflage swept into the room, their M4 ACOG carbines up in the ready position. None of them paid any heed to the four black objects on shelves in the entryway. They looked to be simple black speakers.
They weren't. Each was an M3 Selectable Lightweight Attack Munition or SLAM. The 'speaker' of each small box was in fact a shape charge warhead designed to tear through the lightly armored belly of a jeep, truck, or armored personnel carrier. When detonated a jet of molten copper would be hurled from the shaped charge into anything in the speaker's path.
Sousuke closed his eyes and opened his mouth before hitting the command: detonate. A boom echoed in the small apartment, black smoke filled the entryway, and screams of pain and panic reached Sousuke's ears, audible just above the ringing. Turning to glance down the hall Sousuke saw the four operators. Two were lying in expanding pools of their own blood, their uniforms shredded and either alight or smoldering from the burst of superheated metal. The third was writhing on the ground screaming, his clothes burning and his legs managed and bloody.
The last of the four was crouched beside his wounded comrade. He lifted the rifle toward Sousuke just as Sousuke leveled the Glock 17 at the attacker. They fired.
Sousuke felt a lance of pain at the top of his shoulder as he let loose a second round, which struck the operator in the plastic visor shattering it and sending a spray of blood and gore over the bodies of his comrades. Twitching he stumbled to the floor and let go of the M4 ACOG.
Then the glass to the balcony shattered.
"Team down! Go, go, go!" Lieutenant Elliot yelled. His feet slammed on the rudder pedals as a bullet glanced off the cockpit. The AH-6J swung toward the apartment building as a second round struck the armored glass sending a spider-web of cracks all across the canopy. Gritting his teeth, he flipped a set of controls selecting and arming the two M136 Gatling guns. Dipping the nose he centered the reticule on the air conditioners and opened fire.
A solid stream of tracers ripped across the short space, tearing apart the roofing and ricocheting off the concrete.
"Sousuke!" Kaname yelled out a warning as two more Delta Operators rolled into the room. She lifted the Glock 26 and fired as fast as she could, sending a barrage of 9mm rounds toward the two Delta Operators while Sarah screamed in fright.
Sousuke grabbed hold of the weapon of the nearest operative, wrenching it from his grasp and turning it toward its owner. The gun spat a volley of silenced rounds tearing their way from the gun's suppressor before riddling the operative before him. Kaname's panicked firing sent rounds cracking past the head of the last man while he leveled the rifle at Sousuke.
Kaname's terror turned to an icy cold rage as the gun came into line with Sousuke. Her experience with the stun gun took hold and she focused, willing herself to aim… to shoot the man before he took Sousuke from her. The sights lined up, centering on the back of his helmet and she squeezed the trigger.
The man straightened as the helmet seemed to split. Kaname fired again and the helmet split with another impact, a burst of red mist came from the hole in the helmet and the operative's body toppled forward and to the ground.
Kaname's eyes went wide. I… I killed him! She felt her arms begin to shake and then the report of a large caliber rifle echoed from across the street.
Wraith swore as she felt a piece of lead rip into her calf. The air conditioner clattered as round after round flattened against the metal. She lifted the rifle up to her shoulder as tracers hissed passed her to either side, sighted in on the pilot, and fired.
The bulletproof glass shattered, but the armor-piercing round penetrated anyway. The pilot's head snapped back and blood splattered against the headrest. Immediately the chopper began to tumble.
Snarling, Wraith tracked the co-pilot as he tried to regain control and fired, striking him in the chest.
Curt's eyes widened in horror as blood splattered against the inside of the cockpit canopy. He felt a lance of pain in his chest and glanced over at Elliot, the pilot, canted forward, his hands shoving the collective downward as well as the control stick. The chopper's nose dropped and then the thump of rotor blades cleaving and breaking against tile and concrete echoed in Curt's ears.
The master alarm was blaring and Curt grabbed at the second set of controls, but he knew it was already too late.
One rotor blade tore through the apartment wall making a gash like an enormous sword while another cleaved through the bedroom window demolishing the bed before being ripped apart and sending fragments in all directions. Kaname screamed as a piece of rotor blade cut through the apartment like a scythe barely missing her head before lodging in the refrigerator. Sousuke knocked her down as more fragments hissed through the air like angry bees and the chopper's fuselage caught the balcony and rolled off into the street, the remains of its rotor blades ripping themselves apart as they caught the concrete structure.
Wakana swore as she saw the helicopter strike the apartment building and ran from her car as pieces of tile, concrete, and shattered bits of rotor blades hurtled through the air, hissing like shrapnel. She ducked down as a blade slashed through the air and embedded itself in the concrete pillar of the office she was running to.
Then she dropped behind one of the concrete pillars and looked back just as the helicopter fell from the balcony and dropped onto the roof of her police cruiser. The sirens whirred for a moment as the blades cut through its body and then disintegrated leaving behind a smoldering wreck.
She swore and glanced toward the roof, whatever or whoever had destroyed the chopper was there. Perhaps they could help explain to the chief why she had lost yet another vehicle.
Then there was silence…
Kaname moved under Sousuke, her eyes slowly opening and locking on his. "Sousuke…?"
"Are you hurt?" Sousuke asked quickly, ignoring the bits of concrete, plaster, and drywall dust that had settled over his form.
"I… I don't think so." Kaname stared up at him then reached up and brushed the drywall dust from his hair, a nervous laugh slipping from her lips. She stopped as she saw a trickle of blood running down from a tear in his shoulder sleeve. "You're hurt!"
"It will not hinder my duty…" Sousuke answered before slowly standing. "Tessa, Mira?"
"I… I think I'm okay." Sarah Miller said. Her voice shaking as she spoke. "Is it over?"
"Unknown." Sousuke said.
"I'm fine as well… no injuries." Tessa said as she stood from behind the dining room table. She coughed as dust rolled through the room like fog. "Sousuke… the others?"
A radio crackled from one of the downed men and a voice yelled in English. "Report? Damn it, we've got a bird down! What the hell is going on in there?"
Wraith sagged beside the air conditioner, her breathing ragged. She stared down the sights of her rifle at the smashed wreck. She gasped for breath and dropped the rifle. It clattered against the concrete rooftop.
"Report? Wraith!" Sousuke's voice came through the radio and she gasped.
She stared down and swallowed. Her calf was a bloody mess. She could see her blood running from ravaged muscle. Wraith swallowed and tapped her radio.
"I am alive… for the moment." Wraith answered with a wheeze.
"Shit." Sagara growled. "Did you take down the chopper?"
"I believe… you… owe me one… sergeant." Wraith coughed and closed her eyes. She drew a ragged breath and swallowed. "I think… you… should focus… on Angel. Keep her safe."
A bang came from the roof access and Wraith rolled her head in that direction. A Japanese police officer stood with a P90 clasped in her hand, a predatory snarl on her face. Wraith swore quietly as she stalked over toward her. "What… do you… want?" She rasped.
The police officer knelt down and suddenly tore off her belt. "I want in."
Wraith blinked as the woman wrapped the belt around the top of her calf and tightened it into an impromptu tourniquet. She stared up at the woman. "Ahh… Wakana?"
The feral smile returned. "The one and only." She said. "That was the most fun I've had in years."
Wraith took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "You're… crazy."
"So are you." Wakana answered.
Wraith smiled faintly. "You're perfect for this."
28 March 2000, 19:59 hrs.
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
White House Situation Room
"Mission scrubbed... Swallow Six-One withdrawing." The single statement hung in the air as everyone glanced around at each other.
"Oh my God." General Gordon muttered as he stared at the satellite imagery. Behind him the President was sitting with an expression of profound shock on his face. Other officers were staggered by the sight of one of the AH-6J Little Birds lying crumpled atop the police car.
The damn police car, Gordon thought to himself as he stared at the imagery. "Go back... replay the imagery, focus on the police car."
Slowly everyone in the room stopped to watch as they saw a woman clad in a Police uniform scramble out of the car and open fire on the helicopter. Around him, the General heard sudden whispers as the President stared at the image. "General... What does it mean that a Japanese Police Officer was waiting for the attack?"
Everyone's expression darkened as Madeline Albright grabbed a phone and dialed the State Department. General Gordon glanced back at the President and saw that he'd turned pasty white.
"General Gordon, what relations do the Japanese have with Mithril?" He almost shouted.
"They called them to assist with one terrorist incident that we know of and Mithril acted autonomously to support their interests in two other occurances." General Gordon said. "A-21, the North Korean JAL hijacking, and the Jindai High School incident."
One of the other officers suddenly spoke up, "Don't forget General, the JSDF scrambled fighters against one of our squadrons chasing down this Mira Kudan you have as a target for this operation."
General Gordon sat and rubbed his face with his hands. "Mr. President?"
"I want your resignation on my desk tomorrow morning, you to Sandy." The President said with almost a growl. "Madeline?"
The worn looking Secretary of State glanced at him and swallowed. "I'm still trying to get through."
"Keep trying." The President said. "We need to sweep this aside, if the public learn that we attacked the Japanese over Mithril Operatives they'll start asking questions. Sandy Berger and General Gordon will assume full responsibility for this incident."
"Mr. President, the Japanese will never accept that... the Apartment was owned by the daughter of one of their diplomats at the United Nations. Their people have been demanding the removal of our forces." Secretary Albright said.
"Then who will keep North Korea and China away?" The President asked.
"Mithril." General Gordon said quietly. "Damn, this is the perfect opportunity for them."
"I'll need to make a statement," the President said quietly.
29 March 2000, 10:04 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Room 404, Mansion K Apartments
Sousuke stumbled over the smashed remains of the door as Kaname half-carried him. Behind him Tessa and Sara staggered out. They were all covered in plaster dust and flakes of drywall.
Kaname glanced at him, worry clearly visible in her eyes. "Sousuke... how bad?"
He slowly rotated his shoulder and winced as he felt the stab of pain and trickle of blood from the wound rolling down his arm. "It is not... severe. It will not impede my duty."
Which is to get you safe right now. He thought to himself before tapping the earpiece. "Urzu Two, this is Urzu Seven, initial assault repulsed... where are you?"
"Sousuke, are you alright?" Mao shouted in his ear and he flinched. "We're almost there."
"I am... inconvienced. We are fortunate the American Military follows the Geneva Convention, ball ammunition does not cause severe wounds." Sousuke winced as he heard Kaname ripe off his sleeve to check the wound. "It is not bad Kaname... a bandage and I will be fine."
"Shit." Mao muttered. "Step on it Kurz, Sousuke took a bullet."
"Do not worry about me, it's Wraith that needs medical assistance." Sousuke snapped back as Kaname tore his sleeve into a strip and wound it round the wound. He bit his lip as she tightened the improvised bandage. "The Americans were using miniguns on her position..."
"Alright, we're on it..."
The screech of sirens drew their attention and Sousuke swallowed as he saw a dozen police cars and two ambulances rush into the middle of the parking lot and stop within sight of the smashed remains of the chopper.
"The authorities have arrived." Sousuke muttered.
Kaname swallowed. "This will be on the news... it's dinner time in American... oh my father!"
29 March 2000, 10:11 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Roof, Tigers Mansion Apartments
Wakana stepped back as the paramedics scrambled to her, and knelt down beside the woman she'd found. The blood stained SVD sat on the bullet riddled rooftop.
She'd taken several rounds, though each was not the sort to be instantly fatal, in sum total they could easily kill her from blood loss. The paramedics looked a bit taken aback by the woman's appearance and the improvised tourniquet on her leg.
They quickly set to work. "Miss... your name?"
"Wraith..." She murmured before coughing. "Mithril Special Operative, Wraith." His assistant pulled out a set of scissors and set to work on her blood stained pant leg, slicing them open to expose the wound. She rolled her head and looked down at the bloody mess and swallowed. "Not good."
"Stay with us... Keep talking." The paramedic said as Wakana watched the woman swallow thickly.
"Got the bastards at least... thanks for the tourniquet Wakana, never thought you'd be the one to save my life..." Wraith murmured. "You should check on Sergeant Sabotage."
Wakana felt a slight smile play across her face. "You think he's crazy too?"
"Everyone does same with you... pity he's got a girlfriend." Wraith said thickly. "She is just as nuts as you, in her own way." She glanced up at her again. "Be sure to get word this happened up the ladder, will you?"
"Of course... then we'll talk later about joining your club." Wakana said with a wicked grin.
Wraith coughed again and smiled after a moment. "I think I'm going to pass out soon..."
The paramedic slipped an IV in her wrist and began to maneuver her onto the stretcher. "We got you... You'll be fine Miss Wraith."
"I expect I will after a couple months." She groaned. "I hate hospitals."
"Everyone does," the paramedic stated with a faint smile.
29 March 2000, 10:15 hrs
Chofu, Suburbs of Tokyo, Japan
Parking Lot, Mansion K Apartments
Mao swore as she clambered out of the car and saw the cluster of emergency vehicles. She could see Sousuke sitting by one of the ambulances along with the three girls and she headed toward them, but almost immediately a police officer was in front of her demanding she leave.
"Listen, I'm a Mithril Operative, and that's one of my squad... now step out of the way or I bust out my service weapon!" She snapped. "You don't want me to fucking pull it on you!"
After a second the police officer swallowed and let the two of them through. It was then they saw the shattered remains of the helicopter atop a police cruiser.
"Well... I think the United States isn't going to keep this quiet." Kurz said with a grin.
Melissa nodded. "Fucking serves them right."
"Melissa!" Tessa shouted and suddenly Mao found herself being embraced by the rather shaken and distraught figure of her old captain. After a moment Mao hugged her back and sighed.
"How bad?" She asked.
"Sousuke was hit, but not bad... Kana-chan's apartment is wrecked though." Tessa swallowed. "Wraith... she was hit three times in the leg and once in the shoulder. They're taking her to the hospital."
"Who was it?" Kurz asked quietly.
"It was... Delta Force." Tessa said before she burrowed her head in Mao's shoulder and sobbed. "They used a minigun on Wraith... it's horrible."
"Did Sousuke get them all, even the chopper?" Kurz asked.
"Negative." Sousuke said from where he sat. "Kaname got one and Wraith got the chopper..."
"Kana-chan shot one of them?" Kurz stammered. "She... she shot one!"
"Yes... I did." Kaname said quietly from where she sat beside Sousuke. "He had a gun on Sousuke."
Melissa swallowed. Kaname hadn't killed before. It had to be hard, terribly hard. The dull thump of a helicopter drew her attention upward and she frowned as a news helicopter began to circle.
Kaname looked up and swallowed. "Oh no... I must call my father." She pulled out her phone with shaking hands and flipped it open. She started to dial as the Paramedic removed the improvised bandage from Sousuke's arm.
"Well... the Americans really fucked up this time, didn't they?" Kurz said.
Melissa ground her teeth. "Sometimes I hate my home country."