A/N: Thank you to those who are reading this. It started off as a one shot that I didn't mark as complete. Now it's growing into a real story.

My partner in crime kyoteshaman76 wrote most of this, I edited it and added a few things to flesh it out a little. He does great with the military part; me more the relationship and convo part.

Enjoy!

Thursday

One hour later

Kurz Weber managed to leave the grocery store without getting any of the things he had wanted to get; actually only getting what Melissa had told him to. Which basically meant beer.

The blond German bowed to the woman who had checked him out as he left and let his eyes roam the street; looking for danger and snipers. Mao might think he wasn't really that professional but he did know his job and he owed her more than she would ever know.

Weber saw a young raven haired beauty that looked like Kaname and looked again. It was Kaname; being held by some American in a cheap business suit. She was hanging all over him like they were dating, or more.

The sniper started to call out when he noticed three other Americans. Looking around more he could now spot at least fifteen total; and that's just what he could see. He was good but he wasn't that good. If Mao or Sagara were here there'd be no problem, but fifteen was too many for him by himself given that he was only lightly armed.

"Mao," Webber spoke into his comm. He only got static. Great, two minutes ago she wouldn't shut up in his ear about her damned beer, now she wasn't at the comm. As he tried to decide how to proceed he noticed another group of Americans in the same type of cheap suit following the first group. Upon seeing this, he immediately attempted to contact Mao on one of the several other frequencies. No luck. He only then noticed that a nearby shopkeeper manning a stand was angry at his radio for not tuning in to his favorite radio show.

"Damn!" he exclaimed under his breath. He couldn't follow the one's who had her without the others spotting him. He quickly went back inside the store and paid to have the beer delivered to the safe house. He tried, and failed, once again to get Melissa on the comm. He even went so far as to attempt calling on a landline and a borrowed cellphone. All avenues of communication were cut off. He debated momentarily on what action he needed to take next. Standard operating procedure, dictated that he needed to follow as close as he could without being caught and report as soon a communications became available again. But this was Kaname. Sousuke was extremely close to her and if he did not alert him immediately . . . . . He shivered, knowing he was too professional to not follow procedure in this instance.

Weber decided he'd have to figure out how to follow the second group. He figured they would all be heading in the same direction and to the same place. American's weren't known for their intelligence when it came to these operations. Though, they did have the budget to buy local clothes in an attempt to blend in. Just who in the fuck were these guys and where did they come from? They moved quickly and unhurriedly through the streets, proving to have good local knowledge. Yet, they were rude to people they passed by to the point anyone attempting to follow would have an easy time picking up the trail. They had money enough to jam the radios of an entire district and yet stupid enough to cut communications on the landlines as well.

That was when it hit him. This op might not be remotely legit. One of the last intel dumps he went over back at base had speculated that some of America's politicians had bought some black op agencies to do an end run around the government themselves. After all, no one would publicly chastise the people who brought them black technologies that gave them an edge over their fellow world powers. There hadn't been anything solid, just rumors and speculation.

If they did exist and this was one of them, this could be extremely bad. Part of the rumors was that they treated everyone as expendable. As things to be used and discarded after it has no use anymore. Kurz's guts clenched at the idea. Part of the reason he prefered to work for Mithral was the moral code and ideals they upheld. Always trying to keep the collateral damage to a minimum. He hated seeing anyone abuse their power.

He slowed his pace, realizing only then that he had been speeding toward the widespread group. Good thing he did, too. Even more men were seeping in from the public roads. Damn! At least 50 men on one op! There was paranoia and then there was this. The worst of it was, they were nearing a marina. It was suspiciously close to an island that housed a small private airport as well. These jerks covered their bases despite how stupid their orders might be.

He tried his radio and even the payphone nearby. Still down. At this point, he needed backup. There was no way he would be able to follow further. If he tried to even get close enough to see which boat they put her on, he would probably end up dead. No choice then. At a souvenir shop, he bought a prepaid cell and started running. He would alternate between the cell and his radio till he reached someone. Things had just blown up in a very big way.

Sousuke waited expectantly in the quad for Kaname. It gave her obvious pleasure to share her lunch with him. He never admitted it, but he enjoyed that she was making lunch just for him as well. Something warm was kindling in his guts when he spent time with her. Something that never went away entirely. He glanced at his watch. She was running a little late. Probably just congestion in the halls. Mao came on to the radio through the earpiece that they used for routine comms. Damn, not now.

"Sgt. Sagara, head back to base! Immediately!" He was confused.

"Who will cover for us while we are on mission?"

"That doesn't matter right now! Get back here asap! That is an order!"

"Understood."

He simply snatched up his bag and sprinted off of the school grounds. Mao would not simply order him home without reason. Something important has come up. Internally he growled at the mission that was bound to prevent him from spending time with Kaname. He was starting become upset with anything that prevented him from being with her. That was entirely unlike him. He put his questions aside as he raced up the steps to his apartment base. He locked the door and saluted.

"Sgt. We have a major problem. First, I need to know if you noticed if there was anything different at the school."

"Not that I am aware of", he answered with obvious confusion. "No signs of surveillance or outside interference. No bugs or listening devices in my sweep this morning."

"Damn! I was afraid of that." She swore, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the Sergeant. He wasn't going to take this well. "Kaname has been taken from the school." She watched his face go blank. Knowing it was best to treat it like a normal op she forged ahead.

"Someone snuck into the principal's office and drugged her. In that state, she sent for Ms. Chidori to be sent to the office. Once there, we assume that she was drugged as well. Kurz caught on to what was going on when he caught sight of her being escorted by Americans. He followed them down to a private marina. The one not far from Kosawa airport." He was stunned. She had been taken out from underneath his nose. His mind raced. That particular spot would be incredibly hard to track them from. Though, the airport nearby would be a quick way to move with her; he felt that they would probably take a sea route. There were any number islands that had never been recorded in government records. They probably had a base on one. Their actions proved that they at least had a passable knowledge of Mithral.

His training kicked in and imposed discipline over his raging thoughts. He could guess at what they were up to thanks to his years of experience as soldier, but what he really needed was better intel. More information was always better. All of this settled into an icy haze. He would get her back. There was no force on earth that would stop him.

"Sitrep," he said thirty seconds after receiving the information on Kaname. Mao got him up to speed and keyed into Mithral's response. He would bide his time, for now.

Five days later

The situation room was oddly quiet not even the sounds of shifting or keys clacking. The information before them was grim. An organization that was calling itself America for Americans had taken Kaname Chidori; the second favorite of the Mithral team. Captan Testarossa and her intelligence officers had followed the money trail as far as they could and had still had a hard time trying to find anything about the group, including the name. Until out of the blue they had been contacted by the leaders of the mercenaries group two days after the incident. They claimed to have the full authority of the US to act and promptly threatened to annihilate them if they attempted to get Ms. Chidori back. Once they gave their name and threat, the intel came pouring in.

As suspected by the intel officers previously; as well as by multiple other intelligence agencies, several politicians in the American government had used their considerable fortunes to buy what amounted to a small army of failed black ops soldiers and equipment. The mercs were all professionals; if not quite above board, but their bosses were merely spoiled politicians that wanted everything their way. That meant they were doing professional level service with idiots ordering them around. The US had disavowed them and were looking to press charges for treason in several instances. The Senators had, of course, left the country. Most of the groups they had bought had been cut off for dishonorable conduct or mental issues. Meaning they wouldn't always follow orders.

Mithral suspected that they were holed up on an uncharted island. The problem was going to be the extraction of their Whispered charge. No world government was willing to go in and possibly piss off the US on the off chance the idiot group found something and there was a change of heart. On the other hand, Mithral had the advantage of being a neutral anti-terrorist group with members from all over the world.

Mithral going in was going to be tantamount to starting a small war. The mercenaries might have been working for idiots, but those idiots had deep pockets. The money trail they left behind told the story; dozens of mostly up-to-date tanks and Arm Slaves on the island. M8's with unknown modifications most likely. Though some Savage models were also present. The task of taking Kaname back was looking more and more bleak because they were going to need to take out the main force to reach her.

Sousuke maintained an icy calm that hid the fiery storm of anger and frustration throughout the five days of intelligence gathering. He blamed himself for having let them take his lover in the first place. He wanted a target. Something he could unleash hell upon.

He had been running Al, his M9 Arbalest's AI, through yet another series of simulations to tune the target acquisition systems and fine tune the mech when they were called to the situation room. They had found the island and the plan was simple. The whole of Mithral would attack with the sole intent of destroying the enemy. This would be a distraction for Urzu 6, 7, and 8 to use and get into what had to be an underground facility and rescue Ms. Chidori. As they had found the island, the US hired them to wipe out the America for Americans. The US government made no bones about how the young girl they had kidnapped was expendable as long as they were all caught or killed. The feeling amongst the Mithral team was if they had thought they could get the Whispered girl away without Mithral's help they would have done so.

Kurtz pulled Sousuke aside as they headed to the hangar.

"Hey, you gonna be okay heading into this? This is going to be one of the most aggressive missions we have had in a long time and Kaname is caught in the middle." Puzzled the younger man answered as stoically as usual.

"Affirmative. Despite my stress over the situation, I have maintained an optimum state of readiness. They won't know what hit them."

"That's good. I would have thought that you would have lost sleep over her being in trouble and in a situation that might get her killed. Again. Kind of amazing how she seems to attract trouble", he replied with a pat on the arm as they continued on.

In the cockpit of the Arbalest, he did all his last minute checks. Everything was going to be optimum. At least till Murphy's Law kicked in as it always did in the middle of battle. One could only prepare so much.

"Sgt. Sagara", asked Al "are we going to go out on a mission soon?"

"Yes, Al."

"Is this a rescue attempt for Ms. Chidori?"

"Yes, Al, it is. Thank you for downloading the mission briefing and intel."

"You are mating with her. Is that the reason for the excessive maintenance and simulations?"

"It is not excessive, Al. I am just attempting to predict all variables. Improving efficiency."

"Yet, on all of the other missions we have gone on, you have never once prepared in such a manner."

"Just make sure we have power when we need it and keep us moving. I will make sure that the mission is a success."

"Yes, sir."

Sousuke pondered Al's questions. Upon thinking about it, he was being strange. He only did the extra things to get her back, safe and sound. That is when it hit him. His focus was on getting her back, even before getting the mission to do so. He dismissed the thought as unimportant. Whatever he was feeling before the mission was background noise now. He needed to get his head focused on things at hand if he wanted to survive. And rescue his Kana.

The island was on high alert. They had taken a high value target from under the noses of Mithral. Their superiors claimed that they had gotten away clean; but in hours, they were proven wrong. Mithral was looking for them. Hard. They had covered most of their tracks well. Nothing would lead back to them anytime soon. Then the money got pissed and challenged Mithral.

For the last two days they had been on alert. The only knowledge they solidly had about the enemy organization was that they were international, highly skilled, and extremely well armed. Oh, and they wanted their little girl back. Every little blip on anyone's sensors or radar was analysed. Which is why they never saw the sea attack coming.

Optically camouflaged AS units swept in from the sea like ghosts. The tanks and Savages never stood a chance. The moment they were down, Mithral's M9's started dropping from the sky in small groups, firing as they moved. The infiltration team stayed hidden and called in positions for sea batteries to fire upon.

The fighting was brutal. Mithral may have had the advantage of technology and surprise, but the AfA had a small island and the numbers to hold it. The island's surface was a sea of clashing steel, gunfire and small explosions.

Urzu 6,7, and 8 came into the fray under optical camo; they had the location of the entrance into the underground base and were going to make a beeline to their target.

"Whew! What a reception", cried Kurtz. "You guys get the feeling that they don't like us?"

"Cut the chatter, Weber! Remember, don't get too involved with the fighting! In and out, people", answered Mao.

Sousuke said nothing. Instead, focusing on the battlefield before them. So far, nothing seemed to be near the LZ that could hinder their progress. It would not stay that way for long. The reports flooding into their battle network let them know they were gaining ground. Slowly.

As quietly as AS units could, they landed and worked their way to the entrance. From the look of it, it was probably a favorite spot for maintenance workers to get a quick smoke break. No problems occured getting from their mechs to the door, either. As Kurtz went to pick it, he was nearly struck by the opening door. Before anyone could react, Sousuke smashed the man's head with the butt of his rifle and tracked the body's fall to the ground.

"Damn", Kurtz whispered. "That was almost a moment out of an anime for a moment. Nice work, Sousuke."

His reply was merely a grunt as he and Mao lead the way inside. They all noticed the hallway was so new, it practically shined. The air had the faint odor of paint and grease. They worked their way through the halls systematically. No sign of life, except for faint explosions shaking the halls and the far off sound of people yelling.

It came as a surprise when they ran across a man in pajamas, then. His mouth was covered as they shoved the sleepy man back into what could only be his room.

Weber stood by the door, keeping it cracked while he stood guard. Mao and Sousuke quickly bound the merc to a chair in the room. Mao sat on his lap, her legs straddling his. His eyes were popping out of his head in shock.

"You must be an officer," Mao said pleasantly, with her hands on his shoulders. He was looking around the room; eyeing the very somber young man and the blond man with wariness. He clearly didn't think the woman on his lap was a threat. 'more fool he' thought Weber as he watched the hallway.

The merc grunted his answer at the woman.

"Good, I hate wasting time with subordinates," Mao said; again quite pleasantly. She gave the degenerate a seductive smile, he started to ignore the men in the room. "Now, where exactly is the Whispered?" she asked him. He smirked, they wanted the girl?

"Good luck getting her away from them," he said with false cheer. "They only let us watch, they wouldn't let any of us have a taste," Mao's eyes became amber chips, Weber shut and locked the door and Sousuke drew a knife.

"Now, you really want to tell me where she is; Sir. Otherwise I'll have to let the boys play. Wouldn't you rather play with me?" she said, not so pleasantly now. He simply smiled at her.

"Darlin', I don't want to piss off those guys a whole hell of a lot more than I want to play with you. 'Sides; you don't want her back after what they did-the way she screamed? Heh, she loved it."

Neither Weber nor Mao saw Sousuke move; but the result was clear. The mercenary quickly told them where the Whispered girl was and how to get there.

"I ain't got clearance past that last red door, I don't know anything past that!" he swore to the black haired boy. Sousuke didn't answer he simply put duct tape over the bastards mouth and left him; bleeding, on the floor.

Neither Mao nor Weber said anything to the young man, although they were shocked by his actions. He waited for his team at the door, as implacable as ever.

"He was lying," Mao said quietly to the younger man. Sousuke turned fathomless black eyes to her.

"He had better have been."