Capcom owns Ada Wong and Mikhail Victor

**Preface: Company Sergeant Wong and Victor have signed a memo to move Afghan orphans to an NGO school. Police aren't happy.

A beige colored military cargotruck backed up and parked beside the police compound. The American soldiers that had been patrolling the sides of the bazaar street were now lining themselves alongside the truck, with their trigger fingers resting on their assault rifles.

The policemen rested along the wall of the compound, scowling. Sediqullah was standing in the gate entrance. Wong picked up a boy and barreled through Sediqullah, handing the child to Waltz. Another policeman decided to squeeze next to Sediqullah, to ensure there was no space to get back inside. They would subtly dig their elbows into her each time, or trip her. Wong pretended not to notice and pushed through them again and again, wrangling the boys out and over to Mikhail.

"Commander Victor this is not your business, you're not respecting our culture!" Sediqullah hurled at them, trying to pull another boy out of Wong's arms. He tried to push her down while she was kneeling, but Waltz put his body between them.

"Police spend so much on orphans, we only to help to put money back to police. Vy ponimayete? More money for to keep recruits, for training, for equipment."

When she had gotten all the boys out, she nodded at Waltz and Mikhail.

"It's not enough money!" Sediqullah shouted, "We drive donkeys and you drive armored vehicles! You give us not even breadcrumbs!"

Wong replied, "Well that's Karzai's decision, not ours." Maybe you should fucking earn it.

"You are the great Satan and I hope death upon each one of you! You know that we name dogs after you when they lose fights?!" He spat on the ground, and went back into the courtyard.

The uniformed ANA man casually walked out, resting against the wall and watching the spectacle. Wong's throat closed, as he and her locked eyes.

Sediqullah appeared from inside the compound, a little girl dangling from his hand. "Take these ones too then since you have all money and no dignity."

"Captain we are done, get these kids over to the school."

Waltz went over to one of the fallen girls but Wong called him, "Waltz I said we are done! We have Rustam and we have to get back to our mission."

Waltz went over to her looking confused, "Is this a madrassa or a school Wong?"

Mikhail answered for her, "It's school for boys and girls. Lots protection and staff."

She was shaking her head furiously no.

"Sergeant. We have a fuck-ton of troops that would give their left nut for a sweet gig protecting a school. What the fuck?! Let the girls come along. What's wrong with you?!"

"Waltz. I said no."

"Fuck you." Waltz started hitting the truck with his fists, and then kicking it. The girls were trying to get back into the police compound and being tossed back out.

Mikhail went over to the driver and handed him a piece of paper giving him a thumbs up and backing away. The soldiers milled around, watching as Sediqullah started tossing more girls high and hard into the street haphazardly.

Wong, Mikhail, Rustam, and Waltz traipsed back over to their Toyota.

"I hate you so much right now Sergeant. You're such a fucking coward fucking scumbag that should just eat shit and die. What the fuck kind of coward lets homeless, starving, little girls sit in the street without any parents?! I fucking hate you. We have-what? 100,000 men? In a place smaller than Texas! And we had the space. Ok? We have enough weapons, we have enough fucking, recon tools-call the truck back! Come on. Come on Sergeant where's your fucking balls." Waltz continued yelling at Wong the whole way back.

Mikhail nudged her, but she remained with her forehead stuck to the glass window. "You want I should shut him up?"

She shook her head no, slightly.

"Fuck this country, fuck these people, fuck lets just leave 30 years ago! We should've fucking left the second we killed Osama in fucking where? Pakistan. Not even here! I say, we nuke the police, we nuke Karzai's ass, and we call it a day."

Mikhail said, "Not easy to be leader Waltz. No decision is good decision for followers; but more you go up, more decisions become choose bad…or worse. Sergeant Bashir did great service today you should be not so upset, but you are American so your heart is made of ketchup." He made a squelching sound.

"Did you not see them fucking throwing? Throwing!" Waltz shouted, "girls right in front of us. One of them cracked her head open!"
"I didn't come here to save the dead, only the damned." Wong said.

Then Waltz shut up.

Wong couldn't bring herself to say anything else. Maybe they did have enough troops for 'new' northern Afghanistan and he was right. Their equipment, however, had been bombed to shit. And no matter how much they macgyvered each vehicle, there was no question-in her mind-that they were running out of time. The newly aligned country borders should've alleviated all the infighting of the tribes. Pashtuns govern Pashtuns, Tajiks govern Tajiks, etc etc. But Pashtuns seemed possessed by a strange fear of a Tajik war against them. It must've been the opium.

Maybe her paranoia was getting out of hand. She did feel like a coward. She did feel like a piece of shit. If she just let Waltz vent, maybe it would be enough to bridge the growing gap between them. A feeling of sadness numbed her body.

Mikhail shook her lightly as he parked on the grass outside their compound.

"Come on little gecko."

The unit needed her strength now, but pushing aside her feelings was easier said than done. If she could just rid these emotions from within herself she could be the leader she always strived to be.

She got out and Special Forces Sergeant Mohammad let her into the compound.

The goats with lipstick were crowding the whole yard. She called for Ahmad to train up the new translator.

The Afghans waved at her when she went into the home. They were still watching Spongebob in the main front room. There was food for them on the floor; rice and goat meat. They were all smoking Wong's hookah. Bilal, Malawai, Mahmoud, and two others she couldn't remember the name of.

A Jamaican-American soldier stood guard along the opposite wall. His hair was in bantu knots. He was more of a fatherly man, and his last name read Gilpin. She slid down the wall beside Bilal, motioning for the hookah hose. Her face showed her sadness. Gilpin addressed her,

"Carter didn't suck your nuts this time, Sergeant Bashir?" He smirked a bit.

She got up quickly, her face furious. "Squat! Against the wall Sergeant Gilpin!"

She whispered in his ear, "Are you a fuckin degenerate? Hmmmm? You can't say such degenerate things in the presence of Afghans."

She got in his face and yelled, "Understood?!"

"Yes Ser'nt. Sorry Sergeant."

"Squat! Rifle out front! Hold it till I say its over. Remember to watch your mouth Gilpin!"

Bilal nudged some rice over to her. She grabbed some with her right hand and ate it.

"Tashakur Bilal." Bilal showed his drum to her. "Oooh!" She smiled at him-her signature small Bashir smile. It was the kind of smile that was businesslike-not too friendly. He started drumming on it, and Wong paused the Pashtu movie for them. She remembered the ANA guy translating for her, rather than Rustam or any of the police. The music started to move through her. Bilal had a fantastic voice and his beat was right on the mark. She got up and started to clap along.

Malawai addressed her, "Pashtun?" He asked. She nodded yes and continued to move to the beat.

"Kabul?" He asked.

She nodded again. "America, Kabul."

He nodded in understanding. She saw Gilpin's rifle slipping down and she ripped into him again. She whispered in his ear, "Fuckin degenerate. Look straight ahead. That's what you are, aren't you? Lift. Squat lower. Now you're my height. How you like it now?"

"I love it Sergeant Bashir!"

"Alright relax. You did good Gilpin."

"Thank you Sergeant! I'll watch my mouth Sergeant."

She went outside and called for someone to replace Gilpin. She excused herself from her guests, hand over her heart. They waved goodbye to her.

She shouted in the front yard, "BSA platoon!"

She got the report from Gilpin. Goats were well fed, one of them slaughtered by himself for dinner, but the Umbrella report still needed to be pushed out. She picked Gilpin and two others to carry the radio equipment in their packs. They went out of the compound.

The Kuchi tribe had moved their tents to be right outside the front of the American compound, behind the Toyota cars. There were 5 tents, with pillows, carpets and horses.

"Thank goodness the police kept our location a secret!" Wong said sarcastically to Gilpin as they trekked along the hills away from everyone.

She sat down and taught Gilpin how to use the radio. On her laptop , she received a video from her counterpart researcher in the States, John.

"Wong, these latest samples are disturbing. It indicates that the parasite is too destructive to the hosts brain for it to rationalize. Los Illuminados must be more focused on the weapon itself-these things jump so high its easy for it to get over FEDRA wall outposts. If it were to get into the nations' zones that is."

"Yes, Los Illuminados is giving these magical cure-alls to rural residents and we have no way to stop them except to keep traveling door to door and warning them."

"You're doing great work Wong-"

"I'd like to be a researcher for Umbrella. Haven't I proved myself over the years?"

"Umbrella is uh, very impressed with your uh, GEO goats."

"That doesn't sound like the truth."

"Well, Umbrella would like to see more focus on muscular regeneration, healing-"

"Then give me some decent tools and a mobile lab! You expect me to work genetic miracles with an Igloo cooler on wheels in the middle of the fucking desert?!"

"Wong calm down-"

"Pft! That's rich John. That's sooo rich-just like the rich to tell the desperate how to behave."

"Wong ok, if you want to get a cushy lab out there, I'll give you some of my research notes. Basically, a lot of papers about gut bateria creating excessive proteins that feed stronger muscles; it's a phenomenon in Elephants, gorillas, rhinos."

"Ok. Aren't there…trillions of gut bacteria in the human stomach?"

"Well yes, Wong, but if you could uh…create a bacteria that feeds proteins…"

"Can I get an upgrade on my Igloo cooler?!"

"No, Wong, you must study these papers and figure it out first. Then Umbrella will consider shelling out for a mobile lab. I'm transferring the files now."

Gilpin brought her attention to a man convulsing and walking towards them in the distance.

"Team, we gotta hike!" Wong shouted. The figure started jumping, and Wong used her assault rifle to pummel it out of the sky-since she was the only one not carrying heavy items.

They all disassembled their satellite equipment and ran back to the compound. The sun was setting now. She saw Mohammad patrolling around the back of the compound. He waved at her, and she instructed the rest of the group to inventory their gear.

"Hi Mohammad, what's up?"

"Aloo Sergeant Bashir." He put his hand over his heart. "I received messages from other Afghan unit. This is note for you. He handed her a piece of paper with typed words. It said,

"Miss you Girly. It's Jordy. Can we meet tonight at the Hammon?"

Wong looked up at Mohammad. "A hammon?"

"Yes Sergeant. Bath for Afghans."

Printed letters indicated a computer-which isn't something Afghans had. It had to be from another American unit. "Ok Mohammad. I'll get my stuff and we can head out."

She went inside and shoved her other uniform into her backpack, along with her toiletries. Jordy. Wow. Specialist Panzyke all the way back at Bagram base was now close to her for the first time in years?! She remembered Jordy's taste in women, and felt herself getting wet. Maybe Panzyke would suck her clit?

Gilpin called out to her, "Sergeant where you goin?
"I'm taking a bath. Mohammad's my battlebuddy. I'll radio if I come into trouble."

Gilpin looked a bit worried. He sighed. "Well, he's Muslim so you're in good hands Bashir. Just don't forget your makeup."

She realized she hadn't put it in, or her towel. She went back into her room and shoved them again into her military pack. Gilpin went outside the back of the compound with her, watching the Kuchi men for any signs that they would follow.

Wong and Mohammad rushed along to the Afghan bathhouse.