Penn Quarter, Judiciary Square

E St. Northwest

Half an hour later...

"So what happened next?" I ask as the story comes to a close. Our team steps out onto a street bathed in sunset orange.

"All we found was his helmet." Sarah glumly concludes, taking a drag of her cigarette. "Out of the twenty or so hostages, only six made it."

"Christ…" Faye murmurs, appearing just as riveted by the story as I am. I can hardly imagine the other horrible things Jay and Sarah have seen and had to do during their military careers. Although from what I know about Sarah, I know not to ask. It's a touchy subject amongst most vets, especially with her.

"I believe the operation was called a 'Strategic Failure'." The former Marine shakes her head. "Yeah, and I'm Mickey Mouse."

"I can't believe I actually envied them." I think to myself, looking down as I step around a pothole. "I once wished that I had gone into a combat zone. How Sarah and Jay told that story...all the details...I doubt I would've come back even remotely sane, if I came back at all."

It seems like every time I speak to Sarah or Jay, my mind is blown a little more and my perspective changes all over again. They likely have no idea how influential they are.

"To me, a DD-214 is proof of the existence of God." Sarah says after a moment. "I thought that second tour would never end, especially after you left." She, as well as all of us, look to Jay at this, who migrates towards her troubled companion and gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Soon after, we find ourselves entering the White House.

"How about you three get some rest." Faye suggests, seeming to direct it at Sarah. "You've earned it. Dima and I will report to Manny."

The Agent in question looks down, then nods, Jay following her towards the shower area. I find myself wandering off to find my companions.

"Kelly!" A voice calls. "Over here!"

I look around to find Finnigan waving me over to the armory area. The three of them plus one of Manny's people are sitting at a bench and working on their weapons.

"You met Lazka, right?" He asks as I enter. The guardsman in question looks up from a shotgun she's cleaning, a half finished cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

"I have now." I reply warmly, reaching in to shake her hand. "A pleasure, Lazka."

"Please, call me Shelby." She replies with a sweet sounding southern accent.

"Okay. In that case, call me Kelly. What kind of trouble have you all been getting into?"

"Just looking for parts for Sarah's truck." Upton replies as he stuffs a cleaning swab down the barrel of his rifle. "So no charges that'll stick."

"Your man Anthony found this for me while we were out." Shelby lifts the shotgun she's tinkering with as I set my rifle down.

"Very nice." I say with a nod. "These three never get me anything." I quip, nudging Tyler in the arm.

"What're you looking at me for?" He asks defensively. "Besides, you're our superior. Our gift to you is our very presence, and the fact that you are given the privilege to lead us." Finnigan concludes proudly.

"A pity I lost the receipt." I mutter just loud enough for them to hear. Shelby laughs loudly while Miller rests his face in his hands.

"Zoe Saldana." Sarah finally says after a moment of thought.

"Seriously? I may be light-skinned, but I'm not Dominican. How do you figure?" I ask as we head towards the barracks in clean(er) clothes. Mid shower, she came up with the idea of selling our story to a film studio, and we're deciding who would play all of us.

"Guardians of The Galaxy." She begins, counting on her fingers. "Star Trek, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Avatar, Colombiana. I could go on."

"Alright, alright. But what about you?" I ask. "I'm thinking Sigourney Weaver."

"Really? Come on!" My partner scoffs. "I'm not six feet tall, or near on seventy." We enter the barracks and sit on Sarah's rack. "Besides, I couldn't live up to her. I'm thinking Emily Blunt. Or maybe Anne Hathaway. Just not Michelle Rodriguez. She's too overused in action movies."

"I was going to say Hathaway for Kelly." I reply. "But I see how that could work."

"Blunt for me and Hathaway for her?"

"Yeah. Alright, how about Faye?"

That stumps her for a moment, and I steal the chance to look my best friend-turned girlfriend over.

After just a few days here in D.C., the brutal summer sun has already given her a farmers tan and mickey mouse hands. Both of which are punctuated by the tank top I suspect she has stolen from me. She rests her sun-kissed chin on her pale white knuckles, pondering my question.

"Ming-Na Wen." She concludes. "I'm sure Faye knows martial arts, at least to some degree, plus it'll bring in the Disney fans."

I find myself laying back on the bed, resting my head in my hands, a move that Sarah soon copies.

"What a crazy mission this is turning out to be, huh?" I ask.

"Like cleaning up a mountain of shit with a toothpick." Sarah comments.

"Well, with each faction we take down, a big chunk gets taken off the top. And since we have President Ellis with us, that has to be a big plus."

"Yeah, that's another thing I find odd." Sarah rolls on her side to face me, propping herself up on her elbow. "Why the hell is he even here? You see how bad D.C. is right now. Why would anyone of the President's Cabinet in their right mind come back? I would think he should be at Raven Rock, or Cheyenne Mountain."

"Maybe it was to show that the country is making a comeback?" I suggest.

"It is. Just not here. Go to New York, or Boston, L.A., Philly, literally anywhere other than here."

"You know what? Let's not talk about this." I say, shaking my head.

"Well, what do you wanna talk about?" My partner asks.

"I'm thinking of… something else." Jay slowly leans in and delivers a deep, passionate kiss. A gesture which I happily return. As we exchange kisses, I open my eyes to see her straddling me. I can't help but get a big eye full, resting my hands on her toned thighs.

To me, what makes Jay beautiful is her simplicity. She's never been big on cosmetics. The most she's ever done since I've known her was use nail polish, which she applied some time before we left and is slowly chipping off. Jay has never wanted to change her appearance in any serious way, opting for her natural looks, of which she has more than enough of.

"How about this for a topic?" She asks with a sly grin.

"This'll work." I nod, my hands migrating up to her waist. "It'll make a great scene for the movie, too."

She laughs softly, leaning down towards me again.

Heaven itself couldn't possibly feel as blissful as this.