Prologue: Rise of the Terror Guard

Chapter 5: Radio Silence

0500 Hours, Second Day


"Oh, well this is dandy innit? We got out of that bleedin' hospital, made it five blocks down the road, hunkered down for the night, an' now we lost all bloody contact to Command!" Griffon growled as he looked around, his eyes finally resting on Jin. "Plus we've our fuckin' VIP with no way to get him back safely."

"We planned on bringing him back? I thought-"

Griffon then interrupted Roddy, "Yes, I resigned to working with the fuckin' enemy! Of course not. I just didn't feel like getting squashed out by a bunch of fuckin' Replicas. We need to get him back to HQ before something happens to him. People don't just simply go walkin' about this city without having a bullet rushed into their dome."

Jin sighed before she cleared her throat, "Everyone's points are valid, especially Griffon's. The fact of the matter is simple... even if we get to HQ, we won't get accepted back in unless we can contact Command. Right now, they're not even responding to radio hailing. So, we're trapped up here until we get back in contact with them."

"Ma'am, if I may?" Logan asked as he walked over to Jin, who had nodded in return. "I worked as a grunt down in that facility for two years, and as maintenance for one year before that. I know of one other way we can enter it, or at the very least check on the status of everything down there. It is known to all units stationed there as Charlie-Romeo-Sierra. It's that radio station that before the nuke, stirred up the people and formed a resistance. It was still broadcasting until all radio signals were lost. Regardless, there's a secret area built underneath it. If we can get there... we've a way back to Command whether they permit it or not. Our mission is to get him back. It'd help complete our objective."

Becket only laughed, "You all talk like you're working under the jurisdiction of the United States' government, but not at the same time. You told me you were here to get me out of this place, not to bury me underneath it all. Besides, I'm not doing shit without Stokes and the rest of my team that survived."

"The First Lieutenant of Dark Signal is lost to us. You said it yourself, she's gone dark for nearly five hours now." Roddy stated with a shrug, "Even if she is out there, we don't have enough time to locate and save her. It's dangerous out there, either Armacham has her, the Replicas have her, or the entity raising Hell from down under has her. Either one of those are things not many recover from. The only one having done all three is the Point Man, and he isn't your normal man."

"I don't give a damn!" Becket growled as he stood up from his position of being slumped against a wall, "Regardless of what you have to say, I know Keira and I am not leaving her behind! Would you leave any of your squad mates behind? No! You wouldn't! So we're going to locate her, secure her, and then MAYBE I'll be keen to follow you into this underground facility. But not until we get Stokes."

Griffon sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "Look. We'll search for your li'l girlfriend. Fine. But how are we supposed to do that without resources, numbnuts? Ask the fuckin' Replicas if they saw a girl runnin' around with a gun? Maybe we phone up Armacham and ask them- no, an even better idea, let's just fuckin' ask Alma Wade if she's seen her! That woman is easy to negotiate with before she tears your damned intestines out through your arse! We're not going to tear the city apart looking for her ass until we get the resources and opportunities to do so. We will be able to acquire such things at the fuckin' base we're meant to be takin' you anyways for fuck's sake."

Jin huffed lightly before nodding, "Griffon has a point, Sergeant. We are of no use to Stokes if we are dead before we find her. Regardless of whatever her status may be. What we need to do is make it back to our base. From there we can use all of our available resources to locate and get her back." She informed the man before looking over at the entrance to the apartment they were in, seeing the Point Man, Ajax, and Michelle enter.

"We found out what took out not only our communications, but more than likely every piece of communication equipment within Fairport." Michelle stated quickly, "Armacham has a signal jammer right at the airport with an effective radius of the entire damned city."

Jin raised her eyebrow before nodding slowly, "How did you come across this information?"

Ajax laughed as he showed the woman his bloodied knife before wiping it on the back of Roddy's combat uniform. "My specialty. Made a Merc-y squeal like a pig and tell me all of his dirty little secrets. Commander Richard Vanek, the Commander of all of ATC's operational combat forces is here in Fairport hunting down Aristide. Well, her and your people, Becket. Don't ask me why. Regardless, they've made certain to lock down Fairport so tight that nothing enters or leaves. This is causing tensions between the United States and the Corporation, but nothing honeyed words and some nice, fresh green paper can't resolve. Word is that he's tracking not only Aristide, but Dark Signal on their way to Wade Elementary. I love nice... juicy... raw gossip from underpaid mercenaries in pain."

"That's... a lot to go on, Ajax." Roddy said as he shrugged the shoulder that now had a good amount of blood on it. "Are you sure he wasn't just spreading lies?"

Griffon shook his head, "Harlan Wade was a fucked up man. It's more than likely that there's something at the school. Especially if Aristide is makin' a bee-line for it. Anythin' with Wade at the end of it was some sort of fucked Armacham experiment behind it. I say it's worth checking out, if we don't find them it will at most provide some further intel on everything that Armacham is planning. I'd rather get there before those pyromaniacs F.E.A.R. met at the hospital do."

"Indeed," Jin said softly, "Well, we're going to be walking there unless we find transport along the way. Let's go."

Becket nodded slowly, "Now this is something I can get behind..."


As they left the building they saw something that didn't really surprise any of them. The state of the city was rapidly deteriorating. Buildings had fallen, or had gotten chunks of them torn out by various different means. Mostly the war, explosions and vehicle crashes did that to any sort of infrastructure. The sky was black thanks to how early it was, though even if the sun's rays had shown themselves they would have been choked out by the smoke arising from various fires burning throughout the city. Bodies littered the streets with various causes of deaths. Some bullets, some vicious tears, and some of them were even scorched or broken from the explosion that had occurred not that long ago. Griffon was used to such sights. He was a part of many bloody battles, some of them in parts of the world he never thought he would escape from. Fairport was definitely one of those places, but the Scot made it his duty to not allow it to affect him like the other places he had been. He wasn't nearly as afraid now as he was back when he first joined S.E.A.R. Back in the day he was afraid of having to deal with things that no man should ever have to deal with. Demons? Hauntings? Why would anyone think of those to be true? Before he joined S.E.A.R. he just thought of such occurrences as fakes, stories generated by men and women wanting to make creative writings, games, and art. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, and Alma Wade was the girl to show him that.

"So, how'd you all wind up serving for your country?" Roddy asked, "I always felt it was my duty to serve the United States. It allowed my family to move here from a hellish environment in Eastern Europe."

Griffon chuckled, "I joined S.E.A.R. because it was out of my comfort zone. Thought it would be good training, and would break me down and allow myself to rebuild and change the way I lived my life. I was right to an extent." The Scotsman explained, "Some things never change though, well, perhaps they do. I'm no longer criticizing myself over my actions because I'm too busy having nightmares about some ghost bitch killin' me in me sleep."

Logan shrugged as he thought about why he had joined. It was quite the lifetime of occurrences that brought him to where he was. He looked around and discovered that everyone wanted him to go next. Either that or they were all stuck doing the same thing he was. The man huffed before he spoke.

"I had a shit childhood. In fact, I didn't have a childhood at all. I lived on the streets with my mother. She got with multiple men, I saw her get abused by them, I got abused by them... Hell, I was stabbed at the age of seven and had to get patched up by a Hispanic lady living on the corner of downtown named Rosetta. Fast forward a few years and I gained weight, weighed three-twenty give or take ten. Never more than three-forty. Lived with my grandmother after bullshit went down. She was stressed to all Hell, and eventually I guess it just broke me down. I signed up for the Air Force to begin with, and well, my journey had started. Don't ask me how, or why, but I always seemed to get transferred. I went from Air Force, to Navy, to Army, to Marines before I got a call from the big boss. Got told I was to be relocated here to Fairport, under the command of Betters. After being a glorified janitor, and then a guard... boom. Here I am. Trying out for F.E.A.R." The man explained with a huff, "I suck at telling stories."

Ajax chuckled, "Nah. I suck at telling stories. Honestly I joined S.E.A.R. because I saved Griffon's ass after the first squad got torn to pieces by a monstrosity in Ukraine. He saw my worth. Now I'm his second in command, the only survivor of squads two, three, and four."

"Impressive resume." Logan stated with a whistle, "Much better than mine."

"Hey, you hopped through every single branch of the United States military in one life, and you're what? Twenty?" Ajax asked.

The man shook his head, "Twenty-six. Fuck, I wish I was twenty. Maybe my body would feel better than it does now. I took a hit in Afghanistan back during my time serving under the Marines. Nothing too terribly life changing... but the ache is still there. Some shrapnel as well, I think."

"Eh, we all feel like that after awhile. What 'bout you kid? What's your story?" Ajax asked Michelle as they walked, taking note of the silent Point Man and Jin who had taken the lead of the group.

He then looked over at Becket, the man carrying himself like a proper soldier. He wasn't anything special, at least to Ajax. All he saw was a man who was trapped in a hellish environment, scared, cautious... It reminded him of a younger him, until he took that damned trip to Chernobyl for a college assignment. Eighteen, fresh out of High School. Shipped to Chernobyl for points in History and some science he forgot the name of. Becket reminded him of himself during that first year or two in Ukraine. Then the years droned on... and, well... That was a fun time... and a story for another day.

"Honestly?" Michelle asked, "I'm just carrying on my family's history. Grandfather was Army, father was a Marine, mother in the Navy... And me? Well, I went Marine like my father. Got told I was being stationed under the command of Betters. One thing led to another and boom, I'm trying out right now for F.E.A.R."

Griffon chuckled lightly before shaking his head, "Cut the chatter now, we got a long ways to go 'til we're at the damned school. Lotta warzone t' cover."

"Understood, sir!" Logan acknowledged immediately as they continued.

Warzone. That was an understatement for Fairport at that point. The skies were still choked with smoke, buildings were crumbling due to the blast and the warfare going around. The entire atmosphere burned in an orange hue common to a city set aflame, both literally and figuratively. Corpses littered the streets. Civilians, police, soldiers, Armacham, mercenaries, and Replicas. Fairport was a honeypot for almost everyone wanting to make their power, riches, and knowledge grow. There was a lot of technology lying around at the moment, and a lot of secrets that once discovered, could be used for the wrong purposes. Fortunately for the world, it would be difficult for anyone to extract any piece of tech, or document as the place was at war. Anything going in got shot at, and anything going out got shot at. Anything inside was really just survival of the fittest. Whoever could shoot first would win to see another day.

"I know you're trying to cheat me..." Griffon heard the girl's voice state, "You and I both know that cannot happen. Your survival lies with me... join me, do not fight me. You can't win this game..."

"It isn't like you are able to get too far with Becket anyway. I know where you are, where you are going, and where you plan to be going. I've always been there, watching. My Replicas are allowing you safe passage. I am allowing you safe passage. If you refuse me for the final time, however, I can't allow you to keep on going down that path." The girl informed the man as he continued to walk.

Griffon was good at tuning people out, but when it came to people literally talking to him through his own thoughts... It would be easy to say that he wasn't going to be able to ignore Alma Wade for all that long. He knew that they were probably playing into Alma's trap. It wasn't like they could really do anything that would catch that girl off guard. She wasn't an entity that was bound by the strict physical rules of the world. She could ignite things on fire, and melt the skin right off of your bones in a moment's notice. How could they possibly throw her off track?

"Alright I'll do it." The man said in his mind, assuming she'd be able to hear him. "But I'm not going to force my team to join me. They've lost many friends to your bullshit, and I'm only doing this so that the world can normalize itself again. I'm sick of Armacham, and all the pain it brings to the world."

"The infection doesn't just lie within my father's baby, Griffon..." The girl informed him, "It also lies within those who allowed it to grow without any care to the pain it has given to the innocent. The world must be cleansed. Everything must be built anew, so that the infection is forever dealt with."

"Woah, woah, woah! Get down!" Griffon ordered aloud as the Point Man and Jin quickly moved to the side of the street behind some fallen debris.

The rest of the group did the same, readying their weapons and watching all around whilst making sure not to move too much. Only the three who were up front knew what was approaching. Everyone else had different jobs, like looking to the sides and even behind them. They rarely looked forward, and all they got was a glimpse of something heading straight towards them. Something large, and black. Perhaps a tank or something like it. They definitely would not be able to handle a tank, not with their limited equipment. It wasn't like they had rocket launchers or anything of the sort to deal with such heavy armor.

Their assumptions were almost right. Armored Personnel Carriers. A lot of them. They held the Armacham logos, and that just meant that they did not want to be caught by them. Those vehicles were armed to the teeth, and then you had the fifteen or so men inside of them ready to hop out and destroy anything in their path. The Point Man bit his lip as he watched the vehicles pass right by them. He was preparing for the worst, knowing that they may have spotted them on the road as they were driving. There was just that very small chance that they did. Thankfully they passed by without a problem, though that didn't mean much with the patrols that were making their rounds in the wide open area ahead of them. They were moving into the buildings which meant that there wasn't a good way to avoid them other than taking out anyone they came across stealthily.

"We're gonna have to be quiet from here on out. Stick to the shadows. Alleys and the like, kill like a shadow." Griffon stated softly as he looked back at everyone, "Keep your weapons handy, lads. No shots fired unless necessary."

"Understood, sir." Logan replied, "Where to?"

"We follow the Point Man." Griffon stated softly as he looked around. This suit seemed to be proving much better than anything else he had tried in the past.

The group started to make their way into the alleys of the suburban environment. Their best bet was to not encounter any enemy force at all, but that wasn't going to be an option for them. They were already surrounded. The only thing they could hope for was to avoid having to kill any of them. That wasn't going to be simple, especially with a group of their size. They all recognized this problem, though there was nothing they could do about it. They could always fracture into different, smaller groups, but that just led to further risks that they didn't even have at the moment.

Griffon sighed as he tried to come up with a plan of attack, and eventually he stopped everyone in a small crossroads of sorts in the alleyway. "Alrigh', we're not gettin' through this mess if we keep on walkin' together. We need some people to go 'round and eliminate OP-FOR for us so the majority can pass without too much worry." He informed everyone, and the Point Man nodded as he agreed with the plan.

It was the wiser choice. They would be close to support the entire time, whilst also making sure that the enemies surrounding them were put down before they could discover and alert their friends of their presence. The only problem was deciding who would go. Point Man already volunteered for that job upon being transferred into F.E.A.R. as the Point Man. Griffon knew this, and so the man was picked already for the job.

"Point Man's gonna be one o'them. Need two more volunteers." He stated softly.

Ajax raised his hand, "I'm good at being sneaky-deaky-like. Just like Pripyat."

Griffon chuckled quietly as he nodded, "Who else?"

"I'll go." Logan stated, "I signed on to get my hands dirty, sir. These fucks are harming innocents. I'll dispatch them with extreme prejudice and subtlety."

"Good man." Griffon stated, "I'll stay with the main group. We'll quietly make a barricade and hold position for you lot to inform us when the coast is clear."

"Roger that." Logan stated, and the three men readied their weapons.


Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the Point Man was gone. All that was left of him was that gust of wind that was barely felt on the air. He was climbing the buildings, seeking an insertion point on one of the roofs. A good strategy. No one would expect anything from above since there were no birds flying to and fro. Besides, the higher ground was always better than the lower ground. Not that you couldn't win with the odds stacked against you. Soon enough the man was on the rooftop, and he readied his weapons before spotting two snipers. Both of which were completely focused on the streets.

He very quietly stalked up to the first one, and once he was within range he quickly shot up and grabbed the man. He made sure to cover his mouth and nose before taking and twisting his neck until he heard a sickening pop. Once he had audio confirmation, he slit the man's throat with his combat knife before continuing on to the next. This one didn't get such a take-down, instead he got a knife directly to the side of the head. The Point Man then tore it from his skull and caught his corpse before it fell over the edge of the roof. He didn't care too much about the noise issue, and so he just dropped the corpse back on the concrete rooftop.

Two snipers dispatched in the matter of moments. Now it was time to push into the building. Something that he needed to do quickly if he hoped to provide the majority of the group with better cover. Anyone could easily spot something strange in the alleys. Even if they didn't spot the group themselves right away.

Logan had a similar idea, though he was just trying to clear a path towards the no-man's land. An area where resistance fighting had pushed of all attackers. One of the last free spots of Fairport, really, ran by a well-known neighborhood watchman. A good man, who was rather honorable in the way he conducted things. Logan was well informed of everything going on within Fairport, mostly because he was working in the Command Center when shit was going down. He got to hear everything that was going on. Or at least pretty close to everything. He was certain that once the group made it to the no-man's land they would be safe to take a breather. Which, really, that was what they needed. A breather. They were almost caught by an APC and that alone got everyone's adrenaline pumping.

Soon enough he was traversing through backyards, and he heard something he didn't like to hear. Dogs. Hounds that ATC had to sniff out enemies. They must have believed there were people in the area hostile towards their operations. That just begged the question of what ATC was even doing in the district to begin with. Weren't they supposed to be focusing on the school from what Ajax told them? Eh, it was most likely ATC trying to conduct damage control. Destroy all evidence, even if it meant killing the entire populace of the city to do so. Then blame it on a tragedy unrelated to them and work on getting better relations with the United States. See, one thing that everyone had overlooked due to lack of knowledge was actually that the United States were working with ATC. Armacham offered to deal with the Fairport incident, and the United States only circled the city and blockaded it to help make Armacham's job easier. Oh... when everyone found out about that... There would be Hell to pay.

Dogs. Why'd it have to be dogs? Such were the thoughts that ran through Logan's mind as he heard the beasts make their way to the alley. Fuck. He had to think fast. If he opened fire, then all surrounding units would push in on him, and thus those in the alley. He had to think of something! There had to be a way! The man brought out his knife, seeing the only way to be successful in this to take the dog out as it rounded the corner. If the dog brought the attention of its owner, it would be practically the same thing as alerting the entire neighborhood with gunshots. He just hoped there weren't more hounds. There were, though none of them nearby this one. Thankfully.

Sure enough he saw the German Shepherd round the corner, and immediately he lunged forward. Before the animal could react, it found itself in the man's grasp as he violently stabbed at its body until he felt it go limp, only whines and quiet groans escaping it. He felt bad. He didn't like killing animals. He didn't like killing in general, but it was his job. Once the animal's life was extinguished he took a deep breath and peeked around the corner.

Its owner was heading towards the corner as well. He must have heard something, or wondered where his dog was going. Logan rolled his eyes, wondering if this is how his luck was going to be for the next few days. The ATC Soldier rounded the corner and immediately pointed his gun where Logan was, but the FEAR Operative in training had quickly stood up and slashed his knife. The man's throat was cut, and Logan made sure that his gun was retrieved and sat gently on the ground. He couldn't risk a fire going off.

"Alma." Griffon thought as he watched Logan take down his two opponents and pile their bodies in the dark alley. "What's so special to you about Sergeant Becket? He's just your average soldier."

The man didn't expect a response. Why would he get one with the way he spoke of the girl? Hell, he even threatened to betray her in the end. Carrying out his original mission rather than keeping his word and working with Alma Wade. But, nevertheless he felt the cold aura of Alma once more. Even in his heated armor it made him shiver. He wasn't used to her presence. Nor did he think he ever would get used to it.

"His past." The girl replied, "That is all that is special about him, Jonathan. The only other benefit he has is his abilities, but anyone who captures Armacham's twisted interest can acquire those."

The man bit his lip, surprised at the girl's response. How did she know his name? He thought that had been covered in black ink long ago. Well, maybe there was a little bit more to Alma than he expected. She seemed resourceful. What no one knew was that there was a data leak within the chain of command for various companies, including the United States government itself. Armacham was the only place left untouched by those sympathetic to Alma. Well, at least recently. There were a few that helped her gain more knowledge about various things, but they were quickly taken out by Armacham Black Ops.

"You seem to obsess over him, is all." Griffon thought with a soft sigh following, "We will never be able to follow you if he takes command. You probably know how F.E.A.R. and S.E.A.R. operates. We don't like outsiders. It would be a stretch to command with you leading us, which means that it would only make sense for a joint operation. And that's if my people wish to sign on."

"I know these things, Griffon. Becket is merely a means to an end right now. I have a plan for him, nothing more. Nothing less. When he runs out of his usefulness he will be let go. If he is a threat, he will be disposed of appropriately. You have nothing to worry about... To you and your people he is nothing of importance. He simply poses a threat to Armacham and as such he is useful." The girl whispered, "Besides... He was designed to be a trap for me. He isn't anything like you, or any of those who follow you and my baby into battle."

The man simply chuckled as he looked over at Jin, who was looking at him curiously. "Sorry. I was just thinking of Pripyat since Ajax mentioned it. We got a call in to my Command, and we were to be extracted near the Ferris Wheel. The fucker knew that we were surrounded, so what does he do? Climbs to a top car of the wheel and starts sharpshooting bastards."

Jin smiled, "Sounds like he's quite the soldier."

"Aye, that he is. He's saved my life more times than I can count." Griffon stated with a smile behind his mask. "He still never told me what he was doing in Ukraine. He isn't from around there."

"You are also better at improvisation than he..." Alma added with a playful giggle.

The man simply huffed before standing up, "What are they doing, clearing out the entire area?"

Jin shook her head, "That's kind of the point, Griffon. We make a move with Armacham forces in the area, we're going to encounter resistance. We want the path of least resistance."

"I suppose. I just don't like sitting here, either. It'd only take one man to see one of us and we're all screwed either way. Simply put, we're sitting ducks." The man replied with a sigh.

Jin shook her head, "Not your call on this one, sadly. We're holding position until the others come back. Then we're moving ahead. We are trying to get Becket to safety, not thrown in the middle of a firefight."

That made the Sergeant only chuckle quietly, "I can handle myself if it ever came to that, I'd like to think. Thank you for your concern, though." Becket responded as he checked his rifle over.

He honestly sympathized with the Scotsman on this matter. He wanted to get moving, but at the same time he knew the importance of clearing out the area. They were a large squad, one that consisted of ten people. They wouldn't make it too far without drawing attention. Were he in charge he would have had slightly different orders, which would have promoted moving and safety. Waiting around did nothing. But alas, he wasn't the one in charge. This Miss Kwon seemed to be the one leading the mission.

That was one of the reasons why S.E.A.R. and F.E.A.R. never really worked together. They had two different leaders, and if they were forced to work together they still maintained their current objectives. This operation felt more like S.E.A.R. was being dissolved by Betters, at least to Griffon. In reality, Betters had only okay'd the two organizations working together on this one mission due to its importance. F.E.A.R. and S.E.A.R. were both government-funded organizations. They were no better than any other military force in the United States of America, and because of that they had a job to do. Countless of DELTA teams were lost in Fairport because of the outbreak, and Armacham was taking some serious flak for their negligence. Thus, they weren't seen as an ally to the U.S., and as such F.E.A.R. and S.E.A.R. were the only bodies of the military able to make a move within the city.

Jin was just the best pick for a collaborative effort, and everyone acknowledged that. Even Griffon. He'd rather have her be the lead of it than himself. More or less, he was complaining about the small thorns in his sides as a consequence of her orders, and even then he couldn't help but take some of the blame. This was a group decision, not any real order. She just made sure the order was followed through. Ironic that the strictness of a leader was one that managed to piss him off just a little bit inside.

Though, the man's mind was in shambles. There was a lot running through it, and if he were being honest the whole Alma situation wasn't making it any easier. She had good points, and each point she brought up made him want to help her with whatever her plans were. The problem with helping her with those plans was the simple fact that he served the U.S., and his men over any personal ideals he had. He didn't want to give up that job either as it was all he had known for many years. He, and anyone wanting to follow him, would have to cut all ties they had with any other group there was. In this case, the United States and its armed forces.

It was for a good cause though. That was one thing it had running for it. After this mission he'd just have to seek the thoughts of his team. That was all he cared about. Maybe if they accepted he would pass on the offer to the F.E.A.R. team. Well, that was if he accepted. He still wasn't sure about the specifics. Working for a dead girl wasn't exactly something he had ever thought about doing, and quite frankly it didn't pay nearly as well as working for the living. Or did it? He didn't know Alma's views on such matters.

Ajax groaned as he felt himself get kneed in the gut. Unfortunately the man had been forced to engage in close combat with one of Armacham's soldiers. The man he was fighting was well trained, but Ajax had fought worse. In fact, this man he was fighting was more or less a chew toy for him. He made that evident as he quickly caught a single flaw in the way the man conducted his fighting, and snapped his arm. Whilst he did that, he quickly moved his arm to cover the man's mouth as he screamed. With his opponent now resting in his arms, one final twist was delivered and Ajax emerged victorious with his foe crumpled up underneath him.

The man spit on the ground beside the man, readying his rifle whilst looking around. There wasn't much to be seen. It was an apartment, or at least it used to be. The couple there were killed by something. Ajax couldn't discern what, as he didn't see any blood. Perhaps the explosion gave them a heart attack. He couldn't blame them. It almost had given him one.

"The way forward is clear." Ajax informed everyone through his radio, "Haven't heard from the other two."

He awaited a response for some time, looking over the apartment to see if it contained anything useful. It really didn't, at least, nothing of any real importance. They had nice electronics. A good gaming PC, countless consoles, and a large flat screen in the living room. Ajax, if he really wanted to, could strip them for parts and make IED's, but the time to make them would be too much for everyone. He then saw a picture of the deceased couple, and frowned. They were a cute couple. One that didn't deserve death. That picture alone made him question their demise. They were young, and a heart attack was strange for people of their age. If he had to guess, they were maybe twenty. Hell, the girl looked to be eighteen or nineteen.

As he thought about such things, his radio activated and he heard the familiar voice of Logan. "I've cleared my sector, but I've overheard some of their radios stating that they're going to be reinforcing the perimeter. We're gonna wanna get a move on before it's too late."

"Yes, and the Point Man returned to us. He's covered his sector." Jin pitched in.

Ajax sighed as he started heading to the exit of the apartment, "Understood. I'm on my way. Any developments on your end, Miss Kwon?"

"Negative. Everything is looking good so far, and we're all ready to get moving as soon as you two get here." The woman stated, "Double time it."

"Aye aye, madame." Ajax said with a chuckle before pushing the door open and rushing to regroup.

Once everyone gathered up they moved out from the alleyway courtyard. Just in time as well, since Armacham reinforcements were starting to enter the apartments to find their sentries that didn't report in. They'd be on high alert, but thanks to the hasty efforts of the three men... The group would be long gone. Though, it wasn't like most of them were afraid to fight. Half of them wanted to.

So our group made their escape in a timely manner, and set away towards their destination. Wade Elementary was quite the distance away, but they were entering the no-man's land of Fairport now. Neither Replica nor Armacham troops set foot there, as it was dominated by well placed explosives and the People's Militia. Of course... our friends did not know that. Nor would they for some time...