The next day we returned back to the base re-energized from the time we had off. We all knew that it was now time to get down to business, and that soon it would be time for our team's first mission. Rin seemed worried now more than ever, but always calmed down when I'd take her hand and smile re-assuringly. The next week or two was spent running training missions, and the team and I were rarely out of our armor. We all found ourselves wondering who we would be sent to fight, and on which continent as well. Little did we know we would soon find out. It was a late afternoon as Rin and I were running a few diagnostics on my armor when we heard someone speaking in Japanese. I recognized the voice as Cho's, and I didn't like how suspicious he sounded. I motioned for Rin to monitor what he was saying through my combat chip as I activated my armor's stealth field and quietly crept into the next room. Cho appeared to be speaking into some kind of satellite radio, and it certainly didn't look like U.S. military equipment. "Any idea what he's saying?" I asked Rin over the suit's comms. "I…I don't believe this!" She said in disbelief. "He's leaking information! Giving away the information on the program!" she said. "That bastard! I knew he was up to something!" I said. With that I yanked him away from the radio and slammed him hard to the ground. Rin rushed in quickly and stood behind me. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" I demanded. "Well Corporal, I not expect you!" he said with his thick accent. "Don't bullshit me! I know just as well as you do what you've been up to!" I said furiously. He seemed to laugh at this and said, "You all making big mistake. You all die soon!" he smirked. "No. You'll be the first to die you slimy son of a bitch!" I screamed drawing my .44 caliber Desert Eagle. "You kill me maybe, but you all die eventually!" he said. "You shut up! You couldn't kill any of the WARRIRORS if you tried, John especially!" Rin said defiantly. Cho then smirked, and said something to Rin in Japanese. She seemed to become very upset at this and clung tightly to me. "ENOUGH!" I yelled. "This ends NOW!" I said pointing my sidearm menacingly at Cho's head. "Corporal? Rin? Cho? What's going on here?" Dr. Kagamine said suddenly entering. Cho bolted for the door. I attempted to fire, but he pushed Kagamine in the would be kill-zone. "Sir do you realize that your "assistant" is really a spy!?" I asked in disbelief. "That's quite an accusation John, do you have any.." "Here, is this proof enough?" I said showing him the radio. Kagamine stared wide eyed, and then became very worried. "Corporal, gather the rest of the team, and get the girls down to the bunker. I fear you are right. I will go and confront Cho personally, but I want you and the team suited up and ready to detain him when I give you the signal." He said sternly. "Yes sir!" I said as I motioned for Rin to follow me. As we headed to the armory to retrieve the rest of my weapons I radioed the rest of the team, "Shadow Team, Shadow 2, code gray is in effect. I say again code gray!" Code gray meant an infiltration of the base, and for the team to lock down the lab and other sensitive areas. It also meant for the girls to proceed to the bunker where they would monitor our mission and give us the intel we would need. The team met Rin and I at the armory where we drew our weapons, and made sure our armor was set. We then escorted the girls to the bunker. We cleared the bunker before the girls entered to ensure it hadn't been infiltrated. Finally the girls manned their consoles that would allow them to see our helmet cam footage, and communicate with us through our comm systems. I was getting Rin settled in, when finally my curiosity overcame me. "Rin? What was it that Cho said to you that got you so upset?" I asked calmly. I saw tear roll down her face as she said, "He said that you and I could never always be together. He said that because I'm synthetic, that I'll continue to live on for years and years, but that you would eventually die, and I'd be left alone…forever….." As much as I hated to admit it, Cho had a point. What would happen to Rin when I died? Either by death in the battlefield or by old age, I would eventually die. Rin however could live continuously for who knew how long. Provided she was properly taken care of, she would be able to live for a very long time after I was gone….but alone. I removed my helmet and took Rin's hand. "Rin, I am human, and yes one day I will die. But that day is not today or anytime soon. So let's not think about that right now." I said embracing her tightly. Rin kissed me softly and then put my helmet back on me with a solemn smile. "I love you John. Be safe." She said lovingly. "I love you too Rin. And I will." I said as I followed my team out of the bunker. We then applied the lockdown codes, so that no-one would be able to re-open the bunker but us. "Alright team let's move!" SGT Wilkens said with a boom. We all fell in behind Wilkens, and proceeded towards the lab. We hadn't gone far, when we found the body of a soldier who had been assigned as base security. Rogers bent down and examined the body. "Fresh kill. Not more than 2 minutes dead. Looks like he was killed with a blade." He concluded. "Then whoever did this is still here." Wilkens said coldly. At that moment I saw a red dot on my motion tracker. "Team, movement!" I called. We all scanned the area, weapons at the ready, but saw no-one. "I don't like this…" I said. "Team, switch to thermals." Wilkens ordered. We all switched to thermal optics on our helmets and just I had switched I saw the outline of a person in a full black body suit attempt to lunge at me with a katana. I reacted by firing a quick burst into his torso. He dropped his sword and collapsed dead. We then quickly examined our new foe. "That suit he's wearing looks almost like the ones we wear under our armor." Howard said worried. "Not to mention they've got cloaking just like ours." I said. "Alright team, stay alert and watch those thermals and motion trackers. Let's move!" SGT Wilkens said as we darted for the lab. "Cardinal, Shadow 1 over." Wilkens attempted to call Kagamine on the comms, but heard no reply. "Cardinal, this is Shadow 1, respond if you are receiving!" he demanded, but was met with only static. We double timed it but were stopped short of the lab by small arms fire. Apparently an entire squad of these strange commandos had infiltrated the base. We quickly took up firing positions, and engaged the enemy. "Rin, we need some intel on what's going on!" I said over the comms. "It looks like these guys were let in by Cho. Judging by the security recordings, they came in through the west gate, cloaked, and then headed to their objective, whatever it is." Rin responded. Meanwhile I continued to suppress whoever these people were with my M-60. Quickly we dispatched a few, and the rest retreated further into the base. "Rin where are they headed?" I asked. "Engineering! It looks like they're after the reactor!" she said. "Damn! They're gonna try and overload it and level this place!" I responded. "You heard them men! Let's move with a purpose!" Wilkens ordered. We sprinted to the reactor room and stopped these strange people from trying to overload the reactor. We shot and killed what was left of them and examined the bodies. "Where the hell would these guys have gotten this kind of technology?" Rogers said confused. "I don't know, but I don't like the fact that we're not the only ones with cloaking tech." Howard said. "Look directly at one of those bodies, I think I can see an emblem of some sort." Rin said suddenly. I then looked directly at the body, and noticed what Rin spoke of. It looked to be a red dragon swallowing what looked like an American flag. "Got it. Entering the emblem into the database now. We'll know in a few minutes exactly who these guys are, and who sent them." She said. "Any word from Dr. Kagamine yet?" Rin asked worried. "Nothing. And it's worrying me." I said. "Alright, let's get up to the lab, and see what the hell is going on."Wilkens said. We double timed it to the lab only to be met with a hermetically sealed door. We all tried our access codes, but none of them worked. "Dammit! None of our codes work!" Wilkens said in frustration. "Rin, can you and the girl's transmit the codes to our chips?" I asked. "No, I can't." she said in frustration. "And why the hell not?" Howard asked confused. "The lab can only be opened by Kagamine himself, or one of us!" Miku replied over the comms. "It was an extra security measure the doctor made to make sure no-one tampered with his work." Teto added. "Alright then, one of you needs to get down here then and open this damned thing!" Wilkens said. "Hold up, I'm tracking more of those cloakers in the armory!" Miku said suddenly. "Alright, Howard and Rogers, you come with me to the armory. Adams, you wait for Rin here and secure the lab since you've got the most firepower. Radio me when you've got the place secured." "Roger Sergeant!" I said. "I'm on my way!" Rin responded. I crouched down to wait for Rin by the door. My armor convieniently went into cloaking whenever I was in a kneeling or prone position, so anyone who tried to gain access to the lab would have a nasty surprise waiting for them. Rin finally made it down to the lab, and I un-cloaked. "Are you ready?" she asked as she prepared to enter the code. "Go ahead. Whatever happens in there though, you stay behind me, ok? The last thing I want is for you to get hurt." I said. "I know, and I will." She said with a smile. She then proceeded to enter the code which required an access number, and cornea scan. Then the door began to slide open, and I lifted my 60 ready to fire. I entered the room cautiously clearing the corners and watching for any movement. I noticed a bright red blood trail on the floor. Rin gasped at the sight of this. Then I noticed a red dot on my motion tracker. It was at that moment that Cho attempted to bolt past me towards the door. I responded by firing a round into his leg. He yelped, and collapsed on the floor. He then drew a pistol and pointed it at Rin. Rin gasped in surprise and fear as he raised the gun and prepared to fire. I was quicker though and fired a burst into his chest silencing him. I ran over to Rin worried, "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" I asked frantically. "No, I'm ok. Thanks to you." She said embracing me. "Next time, we're keeping you WAY out of the combat zone ok?" I said. Rin nodded in approval. We then heard what sounded like gasping. We looked over our shoulders to find Kagamine lying in a pool of blood. Cho had apparently shot him and left him for dead. Rin ran over to him with shock and worry in her eyes. I followed close behind her. She dropped down beside him and said, "Doctor…" in desperation. We both knew it was too late to do anything to save him. He had lost over half of his blood, and his body was beginning to shut down. "Rin,….I'm…so sorry….for everything…." He gasped. "No Doctor, there's nothing to be sorry for!" Rin said through tears. "No….it is time for you to know…..Corporal,…tell her….everything…." Kagamine said. "My God…." I said in disbelief. Kagamine then took a disc out of his lab coat, handed it to Rin and with his last breath, he muttered," Kokoro…..Kokoro…" Rin wept terribly for a few minutes, as I tried my best to comfort her. Rin then lifted her head, and asked, "What did he mean John? When he said tell me everything, what did he mean?" she asked confused. "I took a deep breath as I removed my helmet, and took Rin's hand. "Rin, I know this is gonna be hard to believe, but you have to trust me." I said. "John, you know I trust you more than anyone else." She said in response. "But please, what are you not telling me?" she asked. I took another deep breath and said, "Rin, you were just as alive as I am at one point. You may not realize it, but your "Kokoro" is still beating inside your chest. That's why Kagamine and I always said it was closer than you thought."I explained. Rin became wide-eyed, and stared in disbelief. "I….I don't know what to say…." She said. "But there's no…proof…" she said looking down at the disc. We then both got up and loaded it into the lab's computer. What was accessed was a video log of Kagamine. "Rin, Corporal, if you are watching this, then something has happened, and I am no longer with you." He began. "There are many things that now must be explained. Rin, as per my instructions, I'm sure John has already told you of your "Kokoro." I can now tell you that what he says is true. Rin, you are much more than a mere android, you were a pure miracle, you were….my daughter." He explained. Rin gasped wide eyed as a tear ran down her face. "Yes Rin you were very much alive once. You were turned into an android because of a nearly fatal accident that nearly claimed your life as well as your friend's. The only way I was able to save you all was by having you all become the candidates for my android program. Because of this, your memories of your past life were erased. I hope you can forgive me for this, and for never being able to give you the love you truly deserved." He said. Rin was now in complete shock. " I had originally intended for this to be a stand-alone program aside from WARRIOR, but when I realized that a WARRIOR's combat chip could be synced with a neuro-processor, I decided to integrate the two programs. Thus, I assigned you all to the team member you had the most in common with, yours being John." I was again shocked. Kagamine had planned this all from the start! "I knew I could never again provide you with the love you needed, and so I decided that I would choose one of the WARRIORs to do what I could not. John of course, was the one who was chosen. I know that you two care deeply for each other, and it is truly touching as a father to see my daughter being treated as she should be. John, please take care of Rin, no matter what. Do what I could not, and never let her go." Rin and I exchanged looks as we took each other's hand. "Lastly, there is one other function that your neuro-connection has. You both will be able to always know where the other is by simply focusing. However, this does come with a side effect of sorts." Rin and I exchanged confused looks. "The connection is so powerful, that if one of you dies, then so will the other. This means that you both are truly locked together." Rin and I again looked at each other in awe. I knew right away what Rin was thinking. The question of what would happen to us was now answered. "John, it is time, use the code, and re-awaken the memories. Rin, I am truly sorry for everything. I wish that I could have been a better father, but I was blessed with three miracles from you. The first, was that you were born into this world, the second was the time spent with you, and the third is your Kokoro." With those final words the video ended. Rin looked at me confused. I knelt down beside her and said, "Rin I gotta do something to you. It's gonna make you remember everything." I said with my hand on her shoulder. "Ok. Go ahead." She said. I then recited a code the Doctor had given me weeks earlier in case of a scenario like this. "Activate memory bank 02/05374. Authorization Shadow 2." Rin then groaned in pain, and gripped her chest. "Rin?" I said worried. She breathed heavy for a moment, and then smiled and breathed, "Kokoro….it's real….I…I feel it inside me!" She began to sob softly with this new revelation. She finally smiled weakly and said quietly, "Arigato….father…." "Rin?" I asked again. She lifted her eyes towards me with a very tearful smile. "I finally know." She began. "How to feel. How to be happy, how to be sad…..and how to love." She said hugging me tightly. We sat there for a moment holding each other in awe of Rin's newfound heart, which of course had been there all along. "I would have told you sooner…" I began. "But Dr. Kagamine stopped me because he said it might be too much for you…." I said. "I guess I just wasn't ready yet…" Rin said. "But now I feel completely alive, and…..I….I remember it! Everything!" she said with a start. "I remember who I was, where I lived, who I knew, and…my God I remember the wreck!" she said tears filling her eyes. I held her tightly again and comforted her. "It's ok…I'm here…" I said as she cried softly into my chest. "I…I don't know what to say…" she said at last. "I..I just can't believe that I really WAS human…" "You've always been human to me." I smiled trying my best to cheer her up. She returned my smile and kissed me. "Shadow 2, Shadow 1. Report over." The silence was broken as SGT. Wilkens called over the comms. "Shadow 1, Shadow 2. Lab is secured. Sensitive data accounted for, but we have two KIA's. Cho and Kagamine. Over." I responded. "Roger, acknolwledged. Make your way down to the armory. We have a live EPW, and we're going to see what he knows. Over." Wilkens called back. "Roger, Oscar mike. Over" I replied. I picked up my helmet, and took Rin by the hand. I helped her up, and we both exchanged weak smiles. We both still knew amongst all of the chaos that was sure to follow, we would still have each other no matter what. We then proceeded to the armory to join the rest of the team and androids. It was clear to me that these people were part of the terrorist organization that Kagamine had spoken of. I made a vow that day to myself and to Rin that I would avenge her father's death, and bring whoever was responsible to justice….