GATE: In the Company of Shadows

by Krueger-X

The JSDF handled the opening of the gate well, but what they don't know is that another gate has opened within the Special Region. On the opposite side? A multinational tier one private military company. Will Japan be able to share this new resource rich fantasy world with a group of shady mercenaries or will rising political tensions cause them to reach their breaking point?

13. Exit Light, Enter Night

Gate: In the Company of Shadows

Chapter 13

Exit Light, Enter Night

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[REDACTED] RONIN [REDACTED] - SHADOW CO, THIRD RECON JSDF

HOTEL SANKAI, HAKONE HOT SPRINGS, JAPAN

NOVEMBER 9, 2022 - 21:21:03

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Arriving to an expensive and luxurious onsen hot springs resort in the forests near the Hakone mountains of Japan should have been relaxing, just like a vacation. But relaxation was hard to experience when one found themselves working. One didn't work during vacations - otherwise it's not a vacation anymore, is it? How could one truly enjoy themselves while working?

For Ronin, work was his vacation. It gave him something to do rather than just lounging around in his bed all day, bored out of his mind. Like back at the headquarters in Maryland or in the squad tent at Site Hotel Gamma. Watching TV or listening to the radio was a bore, writing in a journal seemed pointless when he had a phone, and opening his phone was even more pointless because what would he even write about in the first place? Out in the field, he didn't have to worry about finding any answers to those sorts of questions - on account of him being more concerned with avoiding a bullet to the brain and keeping himself alive.

Hey, it made him feel important. Plus it was exciting and invigorating. That already made it ten times better than any regular old vacation. Ronin wasn't going to give up the thrill of adventure anytime soon. He worked so much that he was almost always alert and active. And if there was ever a time for alertness, then this definitely qualified.

Ronin found a sense of familiarity as he walked through the door into the washitsu; a small, modest room lined with traditional tatami mats on the floor, shoji windows to allow sunlight, and a kotatsu table in the middle, giving it all a very distinctly Japanese feel.

That sense of familiarity and Japanese culture was immediately replaced with a cosmopolitan vibe as he inspected the rest of the room.

A messy cluster of bags and backpacks sat inside the tokonoma alcove, all in varying levels of fullness. Several different rifles, magazines, and bullets laid against the kotatsu table, and their owners stood nearby, donning their familiar black uniforms as tan plate carriers clipped back over their torsos. The clicking of assembled gun parts, zipping of pockets, the ripping of velcro, and the nearby radio playing faint heavy metal brought back the sort of familiarity that Ronin liked.

"-We're surrounded by ninjas! I told him, 'no shit, we're in Afghanistan'. Every chick is covering themselves up. He acts like he's never seen a burka before-"

"-Jumpin' around like an idiot. The look on his face was priceless-"

"-I'm tellin' ya, their receiver sucks, dude. That fifteen yard penalty really fucked the team over-"

"-My girl suggested Italian again, as if we don't eat it every fuckin' time we go out-"

"-Aw damn! Yo, anybody here willing to lend a fella some double A batteries? My holosight just died on me-"

"-Oi, which one of you muppets stole my lighter-"

Home is where the heart is, right Vale? Well I'm definitely feeling right at home here… Ronin took a breath and began to relax, the banter of his fellow Shadows serving as his version of a calming white noise.

Speaking of noise, he looked towards the flat screen television near the corner of the room, which was currently turned on and displaying several outside shots of Japan's National Diet building in some sort of news broadcast. He glanced around for the remote before finding it on a nearby nightstand, prompting him to pick it up and turn up the volume.

"-Say that public opinion of politician Kohara Mizuki, has lowered substantially after the question and answer session taking place just yesterday within the Diet building. While the answers the inhabitants of the Special Region provided helped to shed light regarding JSDF activities across the gate, much of the the situation within the Special Region is still clouded in mystery. One of these mysteries being the emergence of a private military company, which has apparently already begun operating within the Special Region."

The camera cut to the Diet session, Graves leaning forward to the mic as he rested his hands firmly against the interview table. "-Between you and me, this will not be a negotiation for poorly trained, rank and file, amateur blue helmets to step foot on Special Region soil for any supposed peacekeeping operations concerning my Shadow Company. That. Is. Final!"

"Commander and CEO of Shadow Company, Phillip Graves, has made his stance clear on foreign involvement within the region. It is unknown whose interests the company is representing, but one thing is for certain. His words have put the world into a state of unease. Representatives from their respective countries involved in the UN security council convened in a meeting earlier today to express serious concern over this matter. Japanese lawmakers and authorities have continually reassured the international community that the situation is still being worked out. However, the United States, like many others, is still skeptical about such assurances."

The camera cut to a middle aged man in a green suit with glasses, who stood behind a podium lined with microphones as cameras flashed every once in a while.

"Mr. Greenhill, sir!" A reporter spoke up. "What do you have to say about Japan being involved with this new private military known as Shadow Company?"

"How does the international community intend to keep their eyes on this PMC?"

"Does this open up future possibilities for other countries to get involved?"

The man sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "We're willing to cooperate fully with Japan, but in order for us to make sure that this 'Shadow Company' does nothing wrong within the Special Region, Japan must first be willing to cooperate with the rest of the world. That means beginning discussions for joint operations to allow other troops to cross the gate."

"Rumors have also begun circulating online about how the company operates. Many eyewitnesses report seeing Phillip Graves and his men openly attacking and brandishing a weapon at a man in the street. We're unable to get a hold of any footage surrounding this event, so nothing has been confirmed as of yet-"

The news anchor was cut off as Ronin pressed the power button on the remote, turning off the TV. News… he hated it. It was a shame they were in another world. He would have preferred it if they could have them disappear suddenly, just like that one investigative journalist the company caught snooping around their base that one time. Needless to say, that journalist didn't exist anymore. He tossed the remote back onto the nightstand before seeing Graves brush past him and make his way to the front of the room.

"Alright, all Shadows, listen up!" Graves announced, cutting through the mindless chatter as everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, one of the Shadows muting the radio nearby for him. Gone was Graves' casual wear of jeans and office button up, new being replaced by his signature all black combat uniform. "As much as earlier today made it seem like one, let me be the first to remind you that this ain't a vacation. We're strictly here on business, so game faces on, everybody. Our number one priority here is protecting our VIPs. That means nothing must happen to the princess, her knight, or Itami; if anything does happen to them, a cut in your pay will be the last thing you'll all be worrying about, right?"

"What about the others?" One of the operators asked as he finished buckling his helmet.

Graves shook his head. "They're not important. Well, they're not important to us, but they'll be important to our VIPs. So I guess we'll be watching over them as well - but those main three are our priorities, okay? Vale and Boxer, I want your boys providing security in the form of a cordon around the resort - you can go about that anyway you see fit. I'll take Carnival to patrol outside the perimeter with me. Teams will rotate positions every hour. Keep an eye out for any trouble, ya hear?"

"Will all of us really be enough, sir?" Vale asked as he finished lacing his boot. "That tail was watching us the whole time. They know how many guys we've got. They'll respond with even numbers, if not more."

"Oh don't you worry about that, Vale. I heard from a little birdie that we're not on our own out here. Itami and his people were kind enough to offer some of their own help. Switch comms to long range, channel 1, frequency 93.7. Encryption key is 79-JB."

Everyone did as he asked, pulling out their hand held radios and switching to the stated frequency. Graves reached a hand over, leaning into the push to talk on his vest. "All stations, this is Shadow-Actual, comms check."

An older male voice returned from his headset. "This is Akita-Actual, we're reading you loud and clear, Shadow Actual."

"Shadow-Actual, this is Fate 1-1. We hear you." A younger man spoke up after. Probably their backup if Ronin assumed correctly.

"Fate 1-1, how many elements do you have in your unit?"

"Nine men, including me. We're already deployed in the field. Over."

Just nine men? Ronin thought. Unless they were some tier one special forces operators, that didn't really seem like much. It appeared Graves thought the same, judging by the way his brows furrowed.

"Nine guys?" Viper asked nearby. "Are they special forces?"

Graves shrugged his shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Here's hopin' they can hold their own."

Graves brought his attention back to the radio. "Copy that, what's the situation lookin' like?"

"Me and my men have just finished sweeping our sectors and ISR drones confirm no unusual activity. Over."

"Roger that. Out here." Graves let go of the radio as he turned back to the rest of them. "Well, you heard him. We've got eyes in the sky and Japanese boots on the ground. If any of you have any grievances with operating with Japanese forces, I highly recommend that you put that aside for now." He said with a pointed look towards Angel.

"Out here, we are trusting their intel just as much as they're trusting ours. Do not rely on them though. They could be bogus amateurs for all we know and there is no place for amateurs here. I want this operation kept under wraps, or else we'll get Public Security bureau guys storming this place at the first sign of any disturbance. Now c'mon, let's finish gearin' up and get after it, people! I want everyone ready to go by 2230." Graves commanded as the rest of the Shadow Company operators continued putting on their gear, preparing for the next leg of their mission.

The plan was simple enough; provide security to the VIPs inside the onsen resort by setting a perimeter around it, and make sure that no one ever got past. There really wasn't all that much to worry about. In fact, there was probably no need for worry in the first place. If Japanese officials were truly concerned about the safety of their otherworldly guests, wouldn't they have just restricted access to their specific hotel with loads of actual soldiers? No one would have actually been dumb enough to attack Japan on its home turf in such a way if that were the case, right?

-O-

The next forty five minutes passed by in a blur, most of them already geared and loaded up before they went over every detail they had received earlier again. Now, everyone was ready to go. Optics zeroed, mags topped off, and night vision mounted. The last one made him a little giddy.

"Haha, thank you taxpayer dollars for allowing me to use quad NODs!" He laughed happily to himself as he stood in the hallway outside of the room, adjusting the night vision on his helmet mount.

"Excuse me?" He suddenly felt a light tap on the shoulder, prompting him to turn around. Standing in front of him with a small shopping bag in her left hand with something wrapped inside was none other than Itami's ex. What was her name again? Risa? Yes, Risa… What could she have wanted from him at this time?

"Ah, Risa-San. I wasn't expecting to see you here." Ronin said as he looked down the opposite hall towards the hot springs changing rooms. The other VIPs had already gone through the gender divided noren curtains, but here she was standing in front of him for some reason. "I thought you were already preparing to get in the water with the others."

She shook her head. "I was but, I sort of found something that I believe belongs to one of your acquaintances..."

She found something? What could she have found that someone in the company was looking for? He raised a brow up at her. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to be more specific than that. I know a lot of people in the company."

She nodded, before reaching into her pocket. She pulled her hand out, opening her fist and revealing a zippo lighter with the familiar design of the United Kingdom's Union Jack in her palm. "I believe this belongs to Bristol."

"-Oi, which one of you muppets stole my lighter-"

"So that's why he's been all pissy for the past hour." Ronin muttered under his breath. Now everything made sense to him. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you come across this? As far as I'm aware, he usually keeps something like this close to him."

Risa laughed nervously, glancing away. "Oh, really? Heh, that's strange…" She said very unconvincingly. "The how doesn't really matter here in this situation, right? I'm just wondering if you knew where he was so that I could return it to him."

Ronin rolled his eyes, clearly not buying her act of cluelessness. "Just give it to me. Trust me, I don't think you'll want to listen to the man ramble on the moment he sees it in your hands. He just starts talking and he never stops." He offered his hand out to take the lighter from her.

Risa hesitated, stepping back and shaking her head. "Nahhh... No, that's okay! I just need to know when he has a moment, so that I can give this to him myself."

"What?" Ronin asked, "Why do you want to do that?

"So that I can give him his lighter." She answered. Judging by the determination on her face, the woman wasn't going to budge anytime soon.

Ronin blinked in confusion. Why the hell was she so interested in delivering the lighter to him personally? And why did she feel the need to ask him about the Brit? Maybe she wanted to berate him or something? Ronin sighed, shrugging as he jabbed a thumb back to the room behind him. "He's in the washitsu down the hall. Everyone is. Just don't touch anything in there, alright? We've got a lot of equipment out for tonight."

"Yes, sir!" She exclaimed with a mock salute and an accompanying grateful smile before moving past him down the hallway.

Ronin shook his head. Ronin didn't know what exactly had possessed him to agree with Risa's request. Perhaps it was because of the fact that she was a surprisingly fearless girl not budging to a hardened contract killer, or perhaps it was simply because the idea of the Englishman being bothered was amusing to him. Whatever, if she wanted to find Bristol herself then she would. He had better things to do, like memorizing the plan and ensuring the safety of everyone inside the resort. He didn't have time to worry about the Englishman's stupid smoking habits.

---

RISA AOI - THIRD RECON JSDF, SHADOW CO.

HOTEL SANKAI, HAKONE HOT SPRINGS, JAPAN

NOVEMBER 9, 2022 - 22:00:0

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Risa walked down the hallway at a brisk pace. Not too quick to seem anxious, but also not too slow to waste time. The others were already storing their belongings in the lockers and using the showers by the time she left with the lighter. By the time she got back, they'd probably already be relaxing in the hot water without her. A shame really. A warm shower and a hot bath sounded really good right about now, especially after the way she'd been living for the past week. But she could wait just a little while longer, as this took more importance! A friend was missing one of his personal belongings, that she may or may not have stolen, and it was her job to return it to him at once. That was also just an excuse to give him the souvenir she carried in the bag with her before it slipped her mind…

The sound of rambunctious laughter drew her attention and she quickened her pace just a tad as she got closer towards the source of the noise.

Reaching the entrance, she pushed the slide door open to the washitsu to find a mess of men gathered around the room. Some were standing up whilst others sat or leaned against the walls, conversing with each other. A couple of them absentmindedly turned around to see who walked in, and once they noticed it was her, they briefly whispered quietly to each other before they turned their attention back to what they were doing.

If someone had told her a week ago that she'd be opening the door to a room inside of an expensive hot springs resort to be met with a small band of armed and deadly mercenaries from another world, she'd have asked what story they read or what drugs they took to pull that absurd idea from.

But this wasn't some fantasy story or a weird drug trip was it? This was reality now, and soon enough it'd become the norm. The absurdity of the situation really was just now starting to hit her as she paused in the doorway. It must have been obvious that she was out of it, as one of the contractors snapped their fingers in front of her face.

"Oi, Risa!" A familiar voice called out. She shook herself out of her stupor before realizing that someone was now standing in front of her. The familiar face of Bristol greeted her, except now he was equipped from head to toe in tan colored high-end tactical gear - which rested over a black combat uniform. His vest carried extra magazines no doubt filled with bullets. Heavy duty pouches carried smoke and frag grenades, and a bundle of chemlights hung off from the side of his battle belt; along with miscellaneous items that were attached securely like an individual first aid kit, carabiner clips, and a pistol holster. It was safe to say that the man looked very different from when they first met in her apartment. "You alright there, luv? You're not lost or something, are you?"

She laughed nervously, rubbing her hands together as if trying to warm them up - which was technically true. November in Japan did tend to get pretty chilly. "Sorry, I was just caught up in my mind, you know? Just thinking." She replied quickly, forcing a smile.

"Right, well if you say so," He said, chuckling as he put his gloves on before looking at her expectantly with his own small smile. "What can we help ya with?"

She looked past his shoulder and over to the rest of the men all kitted up. One of the men sitting near the large kotatsu table picked up his AK, which was no doubt fitted with expensive aftermarket parts, before briefly pulling the charging handle back to inspect inside the gun's chamber and letting it go - allowing the bolt to slide forward as steel slammed against the front trunnion. It was a little concerning that she could remember all the parts of a rifle that the British man had only just pointed out to her yesterday night.

I hope I'm not becoming some sort of obsessive gun otaku in addition to my manga addiction as well…

She swallowed nervously, and slowly turned her gaze back to Bristol. "What, uh… what's with all this?" She asked in concern, gesturing to the various amounts of lethal weaponry that littered the room.

Bristol cocked his head slightly in before answering her. "Ain't it obvious?" He asked before chuckling softly. "Besides standing around and looking badass, we've been tasked with protecting your group in case anything happens tonight…"

That's… extremely concerning. she thought, feeling her stomach churn uneasily. "Do you believe something's gonna happen tonight?" She asked in worry.

The man in front of her cringed, obviously unsure of how to really answer her question without inflicting any more undue alarm.

"Ah… well, everyone you're with has been seen by the public in some capacity - some more globally than others - and some people clearly want to take advantage of them." He glanced back over his shoulder, seeing his commander talking to another contractor. He gestured for her to come closer as he leaned down and began to whisper. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but we've been tailed ever since we stepped out for that shopping spree."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Really?!" She hissed out in a harsh whisper.

"Yes, but not to worry, we've got this handled." He reassured her with a hand on her shoulder. "Itami's got people in the field around the resort, and the company is fixin' to join 'em."

"Is there anything I should be doing?"

He sighed as he ruffled her hair gently, yanking it back as she swatted it away. "Nah, not much you can do. Just carry on as if it were a normal vacation. We've got this handled. Trust us, okay?" He asked with a wink.

"But what if you need backup? What if it's too much for you all, and then they come after us?" She asked quickly, glancing back at the hall behind her as she thought about the others. They were unaware, meaning they wouldn't have the same dilemma that she had, and that was - How the heck was she supposed to relax and treat it as a normal vacation when the threat of being watched loomed over her? Were they going to be kidnapped, tortured, and killed tonight?!

"Oh ye of little faith, Risa. We're professionals. We're more than capable of providing a little security." He said with an easy smile gracing his face. "Besides, if it somehow does end up being too much for us to handle, we can always trust Itami to have your best interests in mind. He'll make sure you're all safe in our stead."

"I'm not doubting that, but will you all be okay?" Her eyes sparkled anxiously, causing him to chuckle softly.

"Yeah, I'm sure. We'll be working off standard operating procedures. Just routine patrol sweeps around the resort. No one will be getting anywhere close to you all - not if we have anything to say about it."

She sighed with a small frown. "Okay then... If you're sure."

"I'm sure. So, what did you originally show up here for?"

Risa paused, her mouth forming a small O as she suddenly remembered why she was standing in front of him in the first place.

"Oh! Oh yeah! Right!" She fumbled with her jacket pocket before removing the lighter and offering it to him, smiling sheepishly all the while. "I found this lying around on the ground. I assumed it belonged to you. You know, because you're British and all that… or was it wrong of me to assume that it belonged to you? Is that offensive?"

His brows shot up in recognition and mild surprise as he accepted the lighter. "So you had it this whole time? I've been lookin' everywhere for this bloody thing. Thanks a lot, Risa." He said, looking genuinely grateful.

She shrugged awkwardly. "No problem. But uh… you might want to put that away, though," She said, pointing towards the cigarette carton that he now had out. "I don't think you can smoke in here. Plus, I don't think it suits you."

"You kiddin' me?" He asked incredulously as he opened up the carton. "I haven't smoked since I got to Japan. Who's gonna stop me out here?"

He looked inside the box before pausing abruptly. His eyes narrowed as he gave an exasperated groan. Risa was about to ask what was wrong before he turned the box over, shaking it as nothing fell out.

"Apparently the only person who can stop you is yourself," She smirked. "Because I'm not seeing any death sticks falling out of that box of yours."

Bristol rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, yeah, point and laugh. I've gotta refill when we get outta here… Is there anything else you need, or is that it? We've gotta get to it soon."

"Nope, I've got one more thing to bother you with."

"Ah, great," He replied sarcastically. "Well, what is it?"

"First, I need you to make me a promise."

He stared blankly at her, blinking slowly. "Uh - sure, fine, whatever - shoot."

"Promise me that you'll take better care of yourself."

The request definitely caught him off guard. It was obvious that the man had a few memories of previous promises before - ones involving others - but judging by the way he reacted, he couldn't recall any of the promises pertaining to him, let alone for his own health. He tried not to let his curiosity show through his expression. "Bit ironic coming from you…" He joked back.

"I'm being serious here, Bristol."

"And I'm being serious too."

His tone was enough to make her stop. "What… why? The way I live my life doesn't really concern you, does it?"

"Likewise. You see the problem here?" He continued speaking, not giving her the chance to continue. "I saw the state you were in Risa, everyone here did. Freezing in a tiny and dusty apartment with a pile of urgent notice bills stacked up in front of the door's mail slot. It was honestly sad…"

"Hey! It wasn't completely bad! I didn't have any dirty dishes."

"You had no dirty dishes, because you had no real food to eat. Itami made us stop by a teriyaki place just so that he could feed you. Be honest with me, before that night, when was the last time you actually enjoyed a proper hot meal?"

She looked away from him, eyes unable to meet him as she mumbled quietly under her breath.

"Huh? Speak up, luv." He said.

"... About a month..."

"Exactly. It's been about a month," He repeated. "A month since you've not just eaten a hot meal, but a month since you've truly enjoyed one."

There was silence for a moment as she struggled internally. So much for a relaxing vacation. She wasn't expecting things to get so serious tonight. " I guess you're right..." She sighed heavily.

He nodded slowly as he inspected the lighter in his hands. "So, how about we make a deal?"

"Huh?" She questioned. "A deal?"

"Yeah, a deal, a compromise - whatever you wanna call it."

"Uh… for what?"

"For our health, since that's what seems to be the concern. You look out for me and I'll look out for you. As friends. Sound good to you?"

She frowned slightly. She knew that he was being genuine, but that didn't stop the request from sounding like something she might hear from some cheesy friendship manga, which was both flattering and annoying. 'Help! I'm a tiny Japanese mangaka that's friends with a deadly mercenary from another world!' would be the title. Oh God, why did her mind think in this way? She could understand him looking out for her, but how exactly was she supposed to do that for him? Just make sure he didn't put unhealthy substances in his body?

"As friends?" She asked reluctantly.

"As friends," He reassured her. "I promise."

Risa paused before sighing again. "Well it's nice to know that you're taking this whole friendship thing seriously at least…"

"Now that's more like it!" He smirked proudly. "Now that we understand each other, what was it that you needed?"

She perked up, more than happy to move on from the heaviness of the previous conversation. She held her left arm out, offering the plain brown shopping bag in her hand. He looked down at it with a raised brow before shrugging his shoulders and taking it. She watched him open the bag before he reached a hand in, rummaging past the packing paper which surrounded the item inside.

"How was your trip to the library?" She asked. "Find any good books?"

"Not really much of a big reader," He said dismissively, as he pulled out the packing paper. "But the princess and her knight were a little influenced by your reading material. Got quite the chuckle out of me… others, not so much. What about you? Find anything special on your little shopping spree?"

"Oh nothing big," She shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing worth mentioning anyway."

Bristol looked bag down at the bag in his hands and Risa saw a curious look appear on his face. He glanced back up at her, as she nodded her head eagerly. "Go ahead."

She watched as he carefully took the item out of the bag and into his hands, turning it over in his palm. He stared at the object intently, inspecting it up and down as if it were some foreign alien device; in reality it was just a simple white and red accented ceramic cat statue - the ones that waved their arms in stores - except the one in his hand was chibified. The cat had its eyes closed, but it still smiled up at him with that signature cat smile she'd commonly seen in manga and anime tropes.

"This is…" He paused, trying to find the right words for her sake. "Nice? Yeah, it's… it's nice..."

She rolled her eyes at his feeble attempt to spare her feelings. "I know it's not the most impressive souvenir, but it's meant to mean something. You know, sentimental value rather than monetary value. It's also a good luck charm if the previous doesn't sound too interesting."

"A good luck charm?" He asked. "How?"

"Well it's called a maneki-neko, or simply lucky cat." She explained. "The raised paw when swinging is meant to look as if it's beckoning someone over."

"Yeah, I'm sorry to break it to ya Risa, but I'm a hired gun. I'm not runnin' a local takeout store back in the UK."

"That's if the left paw is up. I figured you'd prefer the one with the right paw raised."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It invokes wealth." She answered simply.

"Really now? No offense, but it sounds like you'd need it more than me." He said as he held it out to her.

"Nope!" She hastily shook her head, refusing to take the statue back as she pushed it back against his chest. "That cat is your Japanese souvenir - my gift to you - for accepting me as a friend."

"Risa, I'm already a rich bloke. I don't need to 'invoke' any sort of wealth."

She crossed her arms with a humph "Be that as it may, I believe it best if you still had the luck on your side."

Bristol opened his mouth to retort, but found any coherent responses dying on his tongue. "I… I don't know what to say, Risa."

"How about a thank you?"

He gave her a deadpan stare, "I genuinely appreciate the thought." He offered.

.

.

.

"Ehhh, close enough..."

"I'll put this somewhere safe hopefully, now scram," He said, shooing her out of the room. "The others are probably wonderin' where you are. Get out of here and enjoy the hot water!"

She sighed deeply, "Alright, alright, I'm going!" She replied, before hurriedly leaving the packed room.

---

[REDACTED] VALE [REDACTED] - SHADOW CO.

HOTEL SANKAI, HAKONE HOT SPRINGS, JAPAN

NOVEMBER 9, 2022 - 23:35:00

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The decorative and distinctly Japanese architecture of the resort was nice to look at, but only for a little while though. After about an hour, the novelty of it wore off. Vale didn't know if that was because he quickly got used to the design or if it was because he was more focused on other things. The modernity of the jagged edges of picatinny rails, high cut helmets, and inelegant panoramic GPNVG-18s contrasted heavily against the backdrop scenery of a culturally nostalgic way of life. The buzzing of dragonflies or cicadas, and the croaking of frogs as they quietly splashed around in the koi pond set the scene of a peaceful night, complete with the ambient lighting of a full moon after the colors of a twilight sky had long since dipped past the horizon.

He heard a cawing sound, causing him to look up slightly. Above him sat a pair of birds - one crow and one raven - both silhouetted against the moon behind them as they sat on a tree branch. They looked down towards him, making eye contact and tilting their heads curiously. Perhaps their appearance was a sign of an ill omen?

He raised a brow before shaking his head. "I'm being way too dramatic right now…" He scoffed quietly to himself as the birds continued to stare down at him.

"You talkin' to yourself again, Vale?" A voice nearby interrupted his thoughts. He turned around, finding Bristol stepping beside him. "I swear you've got some sort of main character syndrome. They ain't makin' a movie or a game about us anytime soon y'know? What were you lookin' at anyways?"

"Just some birds. Nothing important."

"Ah, lookin' to get some target practice in?"

Vale frowned at him. "We're not wasting munitions on bird hunting, Bristol."

"Come on, bird shooting is fun. Especially since we don't really need the ammunition anyways."

"Just because we're not currently in an active combat zone doesn't mean it won't become one later. I don't want you wasting ammo all willy-nilly, only for us to get into a gunfight where every round counts."

"Well then I guess I'll keep my rifle by my side." Bristol quipped with a mock salute before turning back to gaze upwards. They both remained silent as they watched the winged creatures go about their night.

Vale sighed and shook his head. There were times when he was certain he'd never understand how laid back some people were, especially people like Bristol, but he supposed it was part of his charm. In all honesty, Vale wasn't looking forward to getting into a gunfight at all tonight. They were in unfamiliar territory - territory that their Japanese allies analyzed more than they did. Regardless, while the Japanese were more intimately familiar with the area, Shadow Company were still the more experienced operators, especially when it came to combat; They didn't have to fight many battles, but the ones they did fight usually ended pretty quickly. Such was the life of a hired gun.

After about two minutes, Angel, who was standing nearby, cut through the awkward silence. "This is boring, man…"

"Oh I'm sorry, how about we just go back to the resort and spy on the women bathing?"

"Wot?" Bristol asked. "Really now?"

"No. Come on, Graves is trusting us to do our jobs." Vale said to Angel. "Just suck it up for tonight, and then we'll be back across the gate come tomorrow, okay?"

"I bet Viper and Ronin are spying on the ladies…" Angel grumbled as he readjusted his sling.

Vale glared at him. "They're doing no such thing. I sent those two out on scouting reconnaissance, they're not acting like perverted creeps."

"Whatever you say, V."

Vale rolled his eyes before heading further along the clearing. It was quiet out in the forest, unlike inside the resort, which was no doubt filled with conversation. By now, everyone would have been done with the water, and probably getting ready to rest for the night. But not his people. No, his people were pulling an all-nighter.

Speaking of his people…

"Bishop 1-1 to Bishop 1-2," He said over the radio. "Give me a sitrep."

"1-2 here," Viper responded quietly. "All clear on our end. Nothing but squirrels and bugs so far. Over."

"Solid copy 1-2, continue your recon sweep and circle back with us whenever you're finished. 1-1 out."

"Does Graves seriously expect anything to happen out here tonight?" Angel asked, gesturing with his free hand to the forest with clear skepticism. "I mean, really think about it. What forces would actually attack us here when we have the home field advantage. I doubt they're smuggling anything high end grade through Japanese customs for a successful raid."

"Smuggling gear into a country ain't too difficult, Angel. Anyone can do it." Vale replied, "It's not about what you know, but who you know. I imagine that some Japanese customs officers are under other payrolls, and wouldn't mind looking the other way for a bit."

Angel snorted softly. "Yeah? Maybe Ronin can back up those claims, but I think you're givin' them too much credit. That seems a bit too simple for their tastes."

"You really think a country's gonna send anybody after us with stripped down AKs?" Vale asked.

"Haha, I can imagine one big bad red country doing so!" Bristol laughed out loud. He held out his AK-105 before posturing himself straight and attempting a very stereotypical Russian accent. "Comrade Colonel, why are we being sent into Japan with Chinese type 56 instead of Soviet motherland produced AK-74?"

Vale rolled his eyes before deciding to shrug his shoulders and join in with his own stereotypical Russian impression. "Nyet conscript number seven hundred eighty seven, we do not run free charity here on base. What we have is what you get. You think we hand you Western style foregrip and optic? Blyat, you think wrong!"

Angel chuckled at their poorly done impressions. "Hehe, what's that saying the Russkies have? Nyet, rifle is fine? Besides, aren't you using one of their AKs, Bristol?"

"Well yeah, but I don't buy from Russian manufacturers. I don't trust 'em."

Angel rose his brows up at him. "Sounds expensive…"

"Eh, we can afford it." Bristol shrugged. "Besides, I think that only applies to the conscripts. Y'know, reds puttin' up a tough front for their government supplying them with absolute piss poor dogshite. Your average Russian foot soldier ain't getting the same gear as Spetsnaz, nor are they living long enough to complain anyways. I know I would be if I had to use some Yugoslavian knock off-" Vale imagined that Bristol would have continued his 'small' hour long rant for the rest of their patrol, but the sound of his radio buzzing interrupted him, and he cut himself off.

He was silently thankful for the interruption…

"This is Akita-Actual to all stations, be advised: Drone feed just went down unexpectedly, ISR activities are down at this time." Several voices were heard in the background, which Vale assumed to be everyone inside the command center scrambling to resolve the issue. "We're working on getting it back up, ETA is unknown."

"Fate 1-1 here, three of my guys aren't responding on comms too. Either the transmitter is bad or something went wrong. I need a team to check it out."

Graves' voice came through in response. "Fate 1-1, this is Shadow-Actual. Interrogative: what was their last known positions, and who are we lookin' out for?"

"Shadow-Actual, the callsigns of my missing three men are Shielder, Assassin, and Ruler. Their last reported position was 300 meters South of the resort. How copy? Over."

"Solid copy 1-1, me and Carnival will check it out. we'll update you once we find your boys but we'll be going dark on comms for a bit. In the meantime, get your desk jockeys in command to sort out that ISR problem. We're operating in the blind here without it. Shadow-Actual, out."

Angel hugged his Scar-H closer to his chest. "ISR is down? That don't sound too promising."

"No shit…" Vale muttered under his breath. The loss of their aerial drone support was very worrying, even more so when he heard that they were unaware of when it'd be back online - if it ever was going to come back in the first place... "Come on, let's get back in formation and resume our patrol. Graves is gonna get pissed if he catches us slackin' off, especially after having to deal with Japan's hiccups here."

"Good point, I'd rather not draw the boss man's ire tonight." Bristol agreed.

"Yeah I hear ya," Angel agreed, following the two through the forest vegetation. "Just hope that ISR problem is taken care of."

"Hopefully it's sooner rather than later..."

-O-

Vale scanned the same forest in front of him with bored eyes. The forest vegetation was thick and plentiful, offering lots of concealment for the natural wildlife around. An added benefit for the guys he sent on recon duty. He imagined that Viper and Ronin were enjoying the opportunity to be back out in the field like that: All ghillied up as a sniper and spotter pair, one looking down a thermal scope, the other providing security. Though the air now smelled of wet grass and damp dirt. Why?

Because it had started raining. He had just felt the droplets about fifteen minutes ago, which served as his only warning to prepare himself. The pitter patter of water against his helmet only got worse as time went on, and every stinging drop added an extra sense of discomfort into the mix, which caused him to roll his sleeves down.

He imagined Viper and Ronin weren't enjoying this particular part of the fieldwork.

Vale yawned as he idly stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders back to slightly adjust the weight of his vest. He'd realize he had lost track of time before holding his wrist up to check his watch… only to see that it had only been thirty minutes since the trio continued their walk. The foliage blocked out almost all of the ambient light, leaving only just the moonlight filtering down on the path they took. For any regular person, this would have left them to fumble around blindly in the dark, but for Shadow Company, the darkness served as their ally. Plus it was a good excuse for them to run their absurdly expensive night vision equipment.

The natural and narrow trails leading deeper into the forest grew colder every minute, the downsides of conducting a patrol during Japan's fall season in the rain. Every step was met with more wet mud and he was thankful every time they came across a puddle, which allowed him the opportunity to splash some of the muck off his boots. His balaclava was moist as it clung to his face, and he had to keep using his glove to wipe the water from his goggles.

It was annoying, but he was used to this sort of weather.

He wouldn't make any assumptions, but maybe Bristol was too with how little he was complaining. It was understandable when he really thought about it. Constantly looking up at the dreadful and weary English skies all the time would prepare anybody for less than favorable conditions. That, or the Brit had gone through some hardened S.A.S training at Hereford. It wouldn't have surprised him if he did.

Although, he couldn't really speak for Angel, who certainly seemed to be a bit more… vocal… with his complaints.

"Puta madre!" Angel cursed as he slipped for the third time in fifteen minutes. Vale stopped to turn around, watching as Bristol stifled his laughter behind a closed fist as Angel stained his uniform with even more mud. "Shut the fuck up, Bristol! I don't wanna hear it!"

"You alright there, mate?" Bristol asked, grabbing Angel's arm and helping to hoist him up, along with brushing the soil that caked his rifle.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Damn, why's it gotta be freezing and raining out tonight? Ain't we in the middle of November? By tomorrow morning, this resort is gonna be a frozen swamp like it's the Everglades or something."

"You're being dramatic. The Everglades has gators, Japan doesn't."

"You get what I mean," Angel fussed as he did his best to wipe the dirt from his gear. "I ain't used to this sort of shitty weather."

Vale rolled his eyes. "Quit your bellyaching, Angel. It'll let up soon enough. I'm bettin' that Viper and Ronin are layin' belly down in this shit. If they can do it, we can do it. We'll be fine."

"Ugh, whatever, easy for you to say. Just remind me to purchase some boot gaiters and ponchos after this. My softshell jacket is already drenched."

"Told ya not to skimp out on clothing. That's what happens when you buy the cheap shite," Bristol lectured Angel, pinching the sleeve of his ruined jacket much to his annoyance. "Although I will say that it's very amusing to see your black clothes turn more brown as the night progresses. Maybe we can call it camouflage, huh?"

Angel responded by winding his middle finger up at the Brit.

Vale chuckled at the sight and turned away, starting off again. "Alright you two, enough bickering. We've been walking like this for about half an hour now and we're lucky that no one's shown up. Let's reconvene with Sentinel."

"No one's dumb enough to show up out here in this weather…" Angel mumbled. "Except for us anyhow…"

"Don't forget about Viper and Ronin," Bristol reminded, as he fell into step behind him. "I don't think they'd find it very funny if you left them in the cold like this."

"Right, thanks," Vale said as he reached for his radio. "Bishop 1-1 to 1-2, you boys see anything over there?"

"Bishop 1-1, this is 1-2, wait one, over," After a few tense moments of silence, a tired groan eventually responded from the other end. "Nevermind, 1-3 just saw a rabbit."

A faint, "Shut up…" could be heard from the background, the distinct voice of Ronin easily recognizable.

"Roger 1-2, the rest of Bishop is moving to rendezvous point alpha to reconvene and swap with Sentinel elements. Get your asses moving to provide overwatch for us. How copy? Over."

"Solid copy 1-1, we're on the move now. Out here."

After another twenty minutes of walking, the forest eventually gave way to a small expanse of open area. As the team approached the edge of the clearing, the trio could finally make out the figures of fellow Shadows milling about or standing guard, the large multitude of glowing IFF patches helping to identify them as friendly through their night vision's IR capabilities. This was a good sign - the team had been on the outer path since nightfall and It seemed that everyone, bar Viper and Ronin, was already here. Actually scratch that, Graves and Carnival were still nowhere to be found. The only ones he could see in their little clearing were his trio and Sentinel.

Boxer saw his approaching figure and shifted his stance slightly. "Sun!"

"Shadow!" Vale called out the countersign in response.

Boxer relaxed, before nodding at him and waving him over. "Vale, how's it going for your group? Weather give you any trouble?" He asked, purposefully looking towards Angel, who was caked in wet and cold soil.

"We've been through worse." Vale shrugged. "A little bit of rain won't cause too much of an issue for us-"

"Unless of course, one of us gets a cold or the company dryers aren't up and running when we're back and we've gotta hang dry our gear…" Angel cut in, still annoyed.

"He makes a good point, you know?"

Vale shook his head before he made a show of looking around, clearly trying to find something or someone in the surrounding area. "Graves or Carnival get back to you yet?"

"Negative, they've been radio silent ever since they went to find the missing Japanese guys. My bet is that Graves and Carnival are being forced to play a really stupid and immature game of hide and seek from some wannabe soldiers who've just discovered how to put together a ghillie suit."

"You think the Japanese are slackin' off?" Vale asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that…" Boxer trailed off. "But it's always a possibility. Why? Are you worried?"

"For them? Nah, I'm not worried. Graves and Carnival can hold their own. It's us that I'm more worried about."

"Really? How so?"

"Command or the Japs haven't said anything since the ISR feed went down, at the same time Graves went dark. Ain't that at least a little strange to you?" Vale pointed out. "I suspect that they've been keeping us out of the loop."

Boxer shrugged easily, clearly not sharing the same level of concern as Vale. "To be fair, he did warn us that he'd be going dark on comms for a bit. If anything did happen to them, we wouldn't even know. Not a single word. No commotion, no nothing."

The three members of Bishop exchanged glances before looking around, wondering where the rest of their team was. It was obvious that Bristol and Angel were starting to grow concerned now as well.

The air was still and quiet save for the wind rustling the trees and the droplets hitting the ground. There wasn't any sign of an enemy presence… So far… Even so, it's not like they'd be able to tell at the moment. Although they had the most advanced piece of night vision equipment that money could buy sitting right in front of their eyes - visibility through a storm was still going to be low - There was no getting around that, no matter how brief the storm was.

something didn't feel right…

After all, the enemy would have had to trek through a cold and rainy forest in the middle of the night if they wanted to reach the resort, which wouldn't have been a problem as their ISR would have caught any movement - but something like that would have been much harder to properly respond to in these conditions - especially since their communications with Graves and the Japanese Special Operations Central Command ceased since the last time they checked in.

"All stations, this is Bishop 1-1. Three Bishop elements have linked up with the rest of Sentinel at rendezvous point alpha. Can I get a quick comms check and an update on that ISR? Over."

"..." Nothing but static greeted him back. The silence felt extremely off, and it unnerved Vale greatly. He couldn't speak for the Japanese, but he knew Graves and the other Shadows were always on top of things, usually giving him a response within five seconds, tops. It was uncharacteristic for none of them to have responded by now. They must have been extremely preoccupied with something important or coincidentally, their radio's transmitters weren't working all of a sudden.

He didn't believe in coincidences in this line of work; he learned that the hard way from back in Afghanistan.

"Boxer…" Vale began cautiously, scanning the surrounding treeline for movement. His fellow squad leader, noticing Vale's abrupt shift in tone, changed his stance alongside him as he prepared to shoulder his weapon. "We're not alone out here. All Shadows, weapons off safe, prep for contact."

I guess we'll have to wait just a little while longer until we hear from Graves or Carnival.

"Shit… I got movement from the treeline, North side." One of Boxer's men whispered.

Boxer nodded curtly to show that he heard, but kept his attention focused outward as he leveled his gun up. "How many are there?"

"I don't fucking know, dude. I counted at least ten contacts, maybe more. They were moving pretty quick."

"Damn it…" Boxer hissed out before turning to Vale. "Vale, what's the call here? Are we in or do we bug out?"

"Fuck, kinda hard to miss such a firefight. We dig in for the moment, if any of you have a shot, take it." Vale ordered. Sure the enemy may have been stealthy enough to slip through the forest undetected until now, but stealth wouldn't matter with a shot to the head.

"Visibility's shit out here man. Don't know if that's a bush and I'm jumping at shadows, or if that's some bastard pointing a gun at me. Probably just my imagination though, right?" One of Boxer's men asked, nervously glancing around from behind his rock cover and shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"Laze it." Boxer ordered.

The operator thumbed the pressure switch of his PEQ-15, activating the IR laser that pointed towards the treeline. "I saw it right over-"

The man that Boxer was speaking to was unceremoniously cut off as a bullet slammed into his throat, sending him staggering back onto the ground as he dropped the rifle in the brush to clutch his hands over the open wound.

"Shit, man down!" Vale yelled out as rounds began cracking and whizzing past him. He and the other Shadows began returning fire, doing their best to maintain some sort of fire superiority against whatever unknown force just opened fire on them. It was extremely hard to spot or make out any enemy signatures though, the rain and forest vegetation they hid in did well to conceal their positions, and judging by the sounds around them, were also using suppressors to greatly reduce muzzle flashes.

"Who's hit?!" Boxer barked out over the sound of gunfire.

"1-3 is hit! Bastards shot him in the fucking throat!"

Vale hunched down behind his cover as he turned to look at the wounded man nearby. The man - that he only knew by his callsign - Sentinel 1-3, was writhing on the ground with his hand covering his throat. The blood was quickly spurting out despite his attempts to stop the bleeding, staining the originally coyote brown tactical glove into a shade of crimson red. Wide eyes stared up, drowning in fear and blood as he gurgled and choked at another Shadow, who kneeled beside him and began doing his best to help.

"You're gonna be okay, Serf!" The operator said as he pulled out a clean white bandage from his IFAK. He tried prying his fingers away in an attempt to apply the bandage, but the wounded man was resistant. "Move your fuckin' hand dude, I need to treat that nasty wound of yours!"

1-3 weakly complied, still unable to speak as his face contorted in pain.

"This is Sentinel 1-1 to all stations, troops in contact! Taking effective fire at rendezvous point alpha - Sentinel 1-3 is down!"

Vale aimed his rifle back past his tree cover, firing a few rounds before he noticed a bright laser pointed straight at him. His eyes widened as he immediately dropped back down, barely avoiding the bullets that flew overhead. Unfortunately, the optic on his rifle didn't come down in time with him, and the rifle nearly flew out of his hands as the scope and magnifier combo found a bullet making a new home inside of it. He paused for a moment, gaping at the exposed wiring and internals, along with the bullet that came so close to taking his life, before hurriedly detaching the useless weight from the riser rail mount. It was a good thing that contract work paid a lot, because it looks like he had another thing to add to the shopping list for next time…

"Bloody hell!" Bristol complained. "Who the fuck are these cunts?!"

"Not sure!" Vale yelled out in response as he carelessly discarded the broken optic on the ground. "But they're conventional forces of some sort!"

"No shit, Sherlock! They've got NODs!"

"We need to force through their ambush line now!" Angel shouted from behind a mound. "That'll create confusion amongst their ranks!"

"Negative Angel, we don't know how much manpower they've got!" Vale argued back. "We hold position here!"

"Hold position?!" Angel asked incredulously. "With what fucking cover?! We need to push those fuckers!"

"1-3's losing too much blood, I can't stop the bleeding!" Vale heard a voice cry out. He turned, finding that Sentinel 1-3 was now lying still, wide eyes stared up at the moon and stars above as the operator next to him did his best to shake him conscious. "Hey! Now's not the time to be fuckin' around man, answer me!"

No response was returned as it was clear that not a single thought was running through his mind. The man simply wasn't there anymore…

"Kind of hard for him to do that right now, what with the bullet lodged in his throat!" Boxer yelled out. "He's gone Quill! Pick up your weapon and return fire!"

"Fuck!" The operator, now identified as Quill, snarled as he threw down the bloody red clump of bandages, splashing it against a nearby puddle and picking up his gun.

Immediately after, the gunfire from the North lightened up considerably, prompting Vale to peek out from his cover and fire several more rounds at the source. Vale was momentarily confused. He couldn't see any reason for the enemy to have focused less attention on them, not until he flinched from another bullet striking the tree trunk next to him.

"Contact right!"

"I've got movement on the West side, 290!"

Looking left and right, Vale saw more tiny muzzle flashes aimed in their direction and the amount of fire increased exponentially. There wasn't a discernible pattern to the fire and it was hard to determine how far the shots might have traveled, but the directions they seemed to originate from confirmed that the enemy was either beginning to flank them, or that, God forbid, these were two entirely different hostile forces coming to join the party.

If it was the latter, then it would appear that this situation was escalating much further out of control than it initially was…

"Fuck, there's too many of them, we need to break contact! Boxer, have your men cover us! Bishop's gonna fall back first!" Vale shouted as he reached for his radio once more. "Viper, Ronin! We've got heavy contact from unknown forces here from the North, East, and West! Rendezvous point alpha is compromised! It's a Goddamn clusterfuck over here! We're trying to break contact and fall back to the treeline, South of the clearing!"

"Copy 1-1, we're almost there! Just hold out a little while longer!" Viper replied, clearly running towards them as quickly as possible.

"Bishop, retreat! Retreat! Fall back to the South side!"

Bristol didn't need to be told twice, as the man got up from his prone position and shouted, "Moving!" before Vale could see his form quickly running away with his rifle up in one hand.

"That's a dumb fuckin' idea, Vale!" Angel yelled back, firing several rounds back to cover Bristol's retreat. "Those bastards are gonna be waiting for us there for sure! We need to stay in the fight and push up!"

Given the fact that they weren't moving from their current firing positions, it appeared that the opposing forces weren't about to relent. Not yet at any rate. They had enough time to harden and solidify their positions with ample cover and concealment that rushing them now would be a bad call.

"Not if we get there first!" Vale could feel himself rapidly beginning to lose his patience, not wanting to argue in the middle of a combat situation as rounds flew overhead. "Now shut the fuck up and move your ass! We're in the damn kill zone and Sentinel's covering!"

"Alright, alright!" He finally complied, bounding back as Bristol returned fire from a distance.

Vale popped out from cover to fire a few more rounds back. "Boxer, once my guy is back, I'll move, and then it'll be your turn to get your boys the fuck outta dodge! Understood?!"

"Roger, just make it quick, okay?!" Boxer replied, changing mags as he crouched behind a tree.

Vale sighed quietly under his breath before he turned back around. "Angel! Are you ready?! We've gotta move before our cover runs out!"

Angel snapped around, crouching as he leveled his rifle against a boulder "Affirm Vale, I got you, move!" He shouted back as he began returning fire alongside Bristol.

Vale glanced left and right, flinching as another round hit his tree. Looks like it was time to go. "I'm on my way!"

Vale immediately got up and booked it for cover. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him even though he knew that bullets would be quicker. He was relying entirely on the enemy's aim being bad and his teammate's aim being better enough to keep their heads down. One blink later, and he suddenly found himself standing behind another boulder near his teammates. It appeared that the fear of death was a really good motivator. He couldn't even remember running the distance from Sentinel to the rest of Bishop. He shook his head, getting rid of the stray thoughts as he leveled his gun up alongside his team.

"Sentinel, move!" He called out.

Vale watched as words were exchanged between Boxer and his men, and one by one, they began making their way towards them, rushing to avoid the enemy's bullets. As long as the enemy kept their focus on Bishop, the rest of Sentinel should be able to get into cover easily enough. It seemed that the enemy hadn't made any attempts to advance forward despite how obvious their attempt at a retreat was.

Most of Sentinel squad had successfully retreated to where Bishop was currently holed up, all except for Boxer and one of his men. Nearing their cover, a grenade blew up right behind the two retreating operators. Boxer managed to narrowly avoid it, but the same couldn't be said for his teammate, who tumbled to the ground as he absorbed the brunt of the shrapnel that flew out from the grenade near his feet.

"Fuuuck!" Boxer whined as he stumbled forward, cupping his ears in an effort to reduce the ringing. Vale could understand his pain. There was only so much a military grade headset could do for hearing protection, especially when a lethal explosion literally happened right next to you. He would understand the man complaining, but he was doing it out in the open and not behind cover. "Was that a fucking frag?!"

"Shit! Boxer, pull him back! Pull him back!" Vale repeated in an effort to make sure he was heard. "Boxer! Pull him back, now!"

"Huh?!" Boxer looked back to find his teammate writhing on the ground in pain. "Damnit, Quill! I've got you, hang on!"

"Aaaaaah!" The wounded man cried out in agony as he weakly raised his rifle up with one hand and fired back wildly. Boxer did his best to drag him back, their only saving cover was that of a nearby tree, as they hadn't yet reached the hard cover that the rest of the operators hid behind.

A visible trail was left on the ground from the man that Vale's night vision was just barely able to pick up, painting a pretty bad picture for the man's health. "Boxer! How's your man?!" He figured he'd ask anyway just to be sure.

"Grenade shredded him up badly!" He shouted, flinching as bullets chipped the tree next to him. He turned the man slightly, looking worriedly at his legs. "I think it hit an artery! He's leaking like a fucking fountain!"

"Argh!" Quill cried out as he slammed his fist against the ground. Boxer tried his best to stem the flow of blood, but Quill was delirious at this point and wouldn't sit still. "Hrrrgh- God fuckin' damnit! You motherfuckers! You want some?! Huh?! Come and get some! There's plenty for all of ya!"

Vale frowned at the sight. With an artery wound, Quill may as well have been another casualty just like 1-3 was earlier. Add the fact that they were going to get surrounded if they didn't move soon, they'd end up just like them. He understood Boxer's frustrations as a leader, which is why Vale briefly hated himself for this next order, even if they'd both look back at it later and know that it was the right call. "We don't have time to patch him up, leave him!"

Boxer's head snapped up as he stared at Vale in disbelief, though that stare of disbelief quickly shifted to a glare as he properly registered his words. "Are you shitting me?! If we leave him here he'll bleed out!"

"He'll bleed out regardless! We're outnumbered here! Peel back now while I still got ammo to cover you!" Vale urged him. "We don't have time to argue! We gotta go now or we'll end up just like him!"

For a moment, Vale could see Boxer stood frozen in indecision as the gears turned in his head. There was no getting around the reality of the situation. The survival of Quill's life hung in the balance, and the decision he made now would affect all of them. The life of one over the life of others?

A classic trolley problem…

"Fuck that! I'm not leaving him you bastard!" Boxer ignored Vale as bullets continued to hammer the dirt around where Quill was lying. "I'm gonna administer some morphine and apply his tourniquet!"

"Damnit Boxer, there's no time!"

As Boxer went to work on helping his teammate, a single grenade thudded against the ground nearby. Vales' eyes widened as he got down low. "Oh shit, grenade! Grenade!"

The explosion came immediately after, kicking up dirt and shaking the leaves off from the tree nearby as a tinnitus laden sound rang loudly in his ears. A cloud of smoke obscured Boxer and his wounded man from his vision, leaving their fates briefly unknown.

Vale was disorientated for a moment, before he shook his head and raised his MK18 again. The rifle fired one round before it clicked. He quickly turned and inspected the rifle to make sure he didn't have any malfunctions, only to see that the bolt was locked back and the chamber was empty. "Fuck, we're getting stitched up over here and I gotta reload! Angel, get up here and get that 203 popping!"

Angel came up behind him, finger on the trigger of the underbarrel grenade launcher attached to his Scar-H. "40 mike-mike out!" The signature thump of the M203 sounded out over him, followed by a distant explosion from the enemy positions. Their fire lightened up considerably, but only for a moment. Regardless, it was enough time for Vale to crouch behind cover and insert a new mag to return suppressing fire again.

"Boxer!" He called out into the smoke. "Boxer, speak to me! Are you alive over there?!"

A dirty and blood soaked glove emerged from within, waving away some of the remaining smoke and allowing Vale to get a better look at its owner from the corner of his eye. Boxer coughed, lifting up his NVGs to wipe his face which was smeared in grime, dirt, and soot as he pushed his teammate off of him. "Ah scheiße! I'm up, but we lost Quill!"

"Nothing we can do for him now! Leave him! Get your ass out of there, now!"

"That's fucked up, Vale! You're cold brother, ice cold! Loading!" Bristol shouted before ducking down to swap mags. "Bloody hell… I can't believe I'm saying this, lads, but I kinda wish we were back in Afghanistan right about now!"

"Bristol, shut the fuck up and shoot!" Angel shouted from above him.

Boxer groaned as he slowly got up, trying his best not to move around too much as he felt his injuries begin to protest at such movement. Wobbly legs nearly collapsed under him as he leaned against the tree, using the trunk to lift himself up. It wasn't much help, considering how close that second grenade was to him. Human body shield or not, he definitely sustained some of his own injuries - maybe internally - even if his adrenaline was preventing him from feeling the full extent of them right now.

At least they could verify that they lost Quill, who was eerily silent and no longer complaining about every stray round that entered his still corpse.

Boxer hesitated as rounds chipped and splintered closer, removing more and more bark off from the tree next to him.

Vale grunted impatiently. "God damnit Boxer, I'm coverin' you! Fall back! Fall back now!"

"Alright, I'm going!" He yelled out. As he sprinted out from his quickly dwindling cover, one of their enemies got lucky with their shot placements and a bullet found itself entering his ankle and exiting through the other side as he neared Vale.

"Argh, fuck!" Boxer hissed out in pain as he tripped forward. He ended up smashing his night vision against the ground, no doubt busting it as it detached from his helmet mount. "Aaah, I'm hit!"

Vale winced at the sight before cursing to himself. He was still operational, and leaving him behind would have been a dick move, especially after he already told Boxer to leave behind a man of his own. "Boxer's hit! Cover me!" He yelled out.

Vale sprinted out from his cover, rushing to Boxer as he laid on his back and fired at the treeline. As he neared the man, he attempted to grab onto his vest's drag handle, missing it the first time and swiping at air - due to nerves and adrenaline - before successfully getting a firm grasp on it the second time. He pulled the wounded man back into cover, with Boxer doing his best to lighten the load as he scooted himself back with the leg that didn't have a bleeding hole in it. "We need more grenades if we're to put distance between us and them!"

"I don't exactly have a bottomless supply here, Vale!"

"Just work with what you've got!"

"On our six!" One of the Boxer's men shouted. Vale glanced behind him and saw that more of the assailants had managed to flank the pinned down team - currently shooting at the operators and forcing them further into their already little cover.

"Fuck!" He cursed under his breath, leveling his gun up towards the rest of the attackers and shooting blindly into the tree line as he pulled Boxer behind a large rock. The cracks and whizzes of bullets meant that the shots were getting even closer, until eventually, a bullet skipped off the stone he hid behind by a couple of inches, throwing tiny bits of chipped rock debris into the lenses of his goggles. He flinched, ducking down immediately as he heard the impacts of bullets embedding themselves into rock.

"Vale, I'm gonna run dry here soon!" Bristol shouted. "We're surrounded and outgunned! We need to get the fuck outta here!"

"I'm workin' on it! Just give me a second to formulate a plan, okay?!"

"In a second, we're about to be overrun! Think faster!"

Vale nodded, before looking down at the man he was dragging. "Can you run?"

"Nein! I just got shot in the fucking ankle! I can't even walk, you asshole!"

Vale glanced over his shoulder, unable to see where or exactly how many enemies were firing at them due to the suppressors hiding their muzzle flashes.

"Shit…" He said quietly. They weren't gonna last much longer like this, out in the open like sitting ducks. They were gonna get smoked within the hour. Smoked…

Wait… that was it!

With newfound resolve, he turned to the rest of the operators.

"Hey, any of you boys got smokes?"

"Cigarettes?! At a time like this?!" Bristol asked dumbly, not taking his attention away as he continuously returned fire. "I don't want this to be my last smoke!"

"I mean grenades, you fuckin' moron!"

"Oh, plenty!"

"Alright, I'm gonna need ya to pop 'em. Once they start fuming, we take Boxer, and we force through the line towards the resort building!"

"Why the fuck are we goin' back there for?!" One of Boxer's men asked as Bristol and others could be seen pulling their pins and throwing smoke grenades out.

"Cause Princess Pina and her knight are back there with Itami's people, and Graves will cut our fuckin' pay if anything happens to 'em!"

"Fair enough!"

The canisters popped in the distance, hissing as they began to rapidly spew smoke out. It did well to block the enemy's view, but it also did the exact same for them. Their IR lasers poked through, scanning the smoke for any possible movement while the team had yet to make any of their own. Maybe they'd be able to use it to their advantage.

"Alright, all Shadows, on my mark, we shoot and maneuver through that smoke! We move fast, we get the jump on these bastards! Yeah?"

"Yep yep!"

"Okay! Three, two, one… Mark!"

---

[REDACTED] VIPER [REDACTED] - SHADOW CO.

HOTEL SANKAI FOREST, HAKONE HOT SPRINGS, JAPAN

NOVEMBER 10, 2022 - 00:12:00

---

Viper, at the moment, decided that the world hated him. At least, maybe it hated everything about him? He didn't truly know. The point was that he wasn't having a good week. Not at all…

First there was the situation with the defense of Italica, where they were nearly overrun by bandits and had to have their asses bailed out by a little girl with an ax and Japanese air support that nearly shredded them and their vehicles. Then fast forward a few days, and he found himself pouring his heart to some otherworldly royal knight in the manga section of a Japanese public library after her incessant nagging. Now, he was trudging through the cold and wet environment of the Hakone forests, all ghillied up with no response from his commander or their Japanese allies, trying to reach the rest of his squad in time before they got slaughtered. It was a good thing he wasn't alone in his experience of suffering though.

"Shots and explosions," Ronin spoke up from behind him. "They're still popping off."

"Yeah?" Viper asked. "That's good then."

Though both their focus was on watching their surroundings, Viper could still feel Ronin gaze curiously at his back. "Really? That's good? How?"

"Means we're not too late..."

The two were currently trekking through the forest shrubbery, moving at a brisk pace with their weapons raised as Viper took point, leading the way towards their team. The sound of gunfire and explosions that Ronin had just pointed out seemed to be getting louder and louder as they got closer to rendezvous point alpha. He could only imagine the storm that the rest of Bishop and Sentinel were attempting to weather through, both literally and figuratively. Maybe those explosions were, in actuality, just a bad combination of thunder and coincidental timing.

"Shit… that sounds really fucking bad," Ronin muttered his exact thoughts out loud. "You think our boys are okay over there?"

Viper grimaced as he adjusted the high cut ACH helmet under his ghillie viper hood, and for a moment or two, he could imagine walking into a massacre. "Hope so… if not, that's where we come in."

A ping from his rifle's heartbeat sensor sounded off, causing him to look down at the screen. Three white dots and the accompanying sound of approaching footsteps and voices had them both tensing up. "Shit… you hear that? Got movement approaching from the front - small patrol - dead ahead." He warned.

As soon as Viper dropped to the ground, he closed his heartbeat sensor and lowered the gun against the dirt, keeping his hand firmly planted on the pistol grip just in case. He heard Ronin rustling the grass behind him as he wordlessly did the same. A few seconds later, a three man patrol emerged from the bushes ahead of them. From what Viper could see, the men had no country specific uniforms, but the gear they were equipped with was definitely tier one grade. PEQ boxes, dual tube PVS-15's, plate carriers, the whole shebang. He couldn't make out any identifiable markings or insignias on their persons aside from a punisher skull patch on one of their vests. The only thing he had to go off of was their voices.

"-Nothing's changed, we're still doing the pickup like we planned," The man in front said. "Now quit your whining, we've still got a job to do."

English… Americans…

"Are you kidding me? We're just leaving the others to deal with these Shadow Company fucks?" The one in the middle complained.

"Cut the bullshit Roger, they're not our main concern. And you need to take it easy too, Chuck," The one near the back chastised as he unknowingly stepped over Viper. "Right now, we need to worry about Goldman and his team. They haven't responded on comms ever since they dealt with those Japs."

"We can check on Goldman and his people after we've secured the targets," The man now identified as Chuck shot back. "And don't tell me to take it easy. Our main priority is carrying out our original orders, not worrying about what happened to some two-bit contractors."

"To be fair, we're posing as those very same two-bit contractors. And you know, I heard they took one of the Japs prisoner before they went dark."

"Really now…?"

Their voices slowly became more faint as they walked off, getting distant as they got further and further away. Viper waited another twenty seconds just in case, before slowly reaching a hand out and opening the heartbeat sensor again. He glanced down at the screen in front of him, letting it pulse once as water dripped from his ghillie foliage and onto the display.

No dots…

He sighed, shaking his head as he quickly wiped the screen and got back up. That was way too close for comfort. He heard Ronin grunting behind him as he followed suit.

"You heard that, Viper?"

"They walked right over us, how could I not?"

"They were speaking English and posing as contractors," Ronin noted. "Just who the hell were those guys?"

Viper briefly glanced behind him, cocking a singular brow up at his teammate as he vaulted over a fallen log. "You're asking me as if I know the answer."

Ronin returned a deadpan stare as he climbed over the log. "I asked that in a more rhetorical sense."

"Sure, sure," Viper quietly chuckled to himself in amusement as he turned back around. It was a good think he had Ronin accompanying him. It gave him someone to converse and joke around with to help take his mind off the recent adrenaline rushing experience. He probably thought the same thing too. "You know me, Ronin. I don't do rhetoric."

Viper could hear Ronin scoff from behind him, probably rolling his eyes too. "Yeah, I can tell…"

"Shadow Actual, Akita Actual, any station this net! This is Bishop 1-1! We're taking heavy contact - two KIA and one wounded at rendezvous point alpha! We're falling back but we're getting stitched up over here! Requesting a QRF!"

"Fuck!" Viper hissed out. "Our boys are up shits creek without a paddle, we need to hurry."

"Wait, what about the VIPs?" Ronin asked, causing Viper to pause and turn around. The man gestured towards the direction of the resort by jabbing a thumb behind him. "Graves is entrusting us with their safety, and if what that patrol said was true, they'll be heading to the hotel next."

"If what that patrol said was true, then Bishop and Sentinel are dealing with a platoon size worth of hostiles - one that we won't be able to defend against if we don't help the others hold out!" He shot back. "Now come on, let's move!"

It would appear as though Viper's voice had reached Ronin's ears because he immediately agreed and started jogging behind him to catch up. Their mission objective, the one they had set out to accomplish under Graves' command, was to ensure that no harm came to their VIPs or the otherworld guests. There was no telling how safe they were at the moment, but Viper was right. The best chance that they had was if they managed to keep the enemy occupied with as many of their own guys for as long as possible. As long as they kept them busy and away from the resort, they should have no fear of failing their mission. Unfortunately, all the Shadows were currently too far from the resort, so for now, the duo had to instead focus their efforts toward getting all the operators out safely and back to the hotel as soon as possible.

After several more tense minutes, the duo cleared up the last of the brush blocking their path, and came upon the South most treeline at the rendezvous point that Graves had set up earlier. In front of them stood two squads of men, all armed to the teeth and ready for battle. And battle they did. They looked like they had been exchanging rounds with Bishop and Sentinel in the clearing for quite a while already. It was clear that they weren't expecting anyone, as was evidenced by their focus in front, but that didn't stop them from having at least one person pulling security behind them. For that reason, it was a good thing that Viper and Ronin approached slowly, staying as low profile as possible thanks to the use of their ghillies. After all, any sort of attention could prove detrimental to their plan. Besides, the longer they could stay hidden, the better. They didn't want to alert any of them right now, as that would be a guaranteed death sentence.

Once they were within earshot of the sentry, they slowed their pace down until they stopped, lying still behind the cover provided by a nearby tree, and listened closely to their conversations.

"Yo, keep the pressure up on those assholes!" One of them, which Viper assumed to be the leader, commanded the others. "They're surrounded from all sides!"

"Oh yeah," One of the men laughed out loud. "They're getting fucked up for sure!"

"And we can fuck 'em up even more! McCabe, get those frags out of your bag!"

"On it!" One of the men replied, as he unzipped his bag before digging around inside of it. "Alright, give me a second, just gotta… Ah-ha! Got it!" He announced, pulling out the familiar and deadly round shaped explosive.

"Alright! Hey guys, listen up!" The leader shouted. "We're gonna make short work of these fools real quick with these frags - then we'll call the others and move on to the target building!"

"Shit…" Ronin whispered. "Viper, we gotta stop 'em."

"Yeah, I know. Take aim. I'll deal with the squad on the right, you deal with the one on the left." Viper whispered back. Once Ronin shifted his weapon slightly, he was now aimed and prepared to fire at the other five. It took quite a bit of skill for a two man to conduct a simultaneous take down of two squads in such close proximity to each other, but Viper was confident that they'd be able to pull it off. Besides, they'd done much crazier shit before. "You ready?" He asked.

"Ready."

"On three," Viper advised. "One… two… three."

At the very moment Viper said three, the sentry providing security turned around to glance at his team, a mistake which proved to be fatal as he took his eyes off of their position. The duo took advantage of the opportunity, and began opening fire on the unaware group. The men were completely caught off guard as their teammates began dropping next to them, and either attempted to turn around and return fire, or run away to other cover. Regardless of whatever split second decisions they made, they didn't get very far with either of them, as several well placed shots had the entire team lying down on the ground.

"Good shit!" Viper complimented Ronin. He offered a offered a closed fist in his direction.

Ronin briefly bumped it with his own. "Looks like all that competition shooting at the range actually pays off, huh?"

"Eh," Viper shrugged at him. "You still haven't beaten my score yet…"

"Yet," Ronin reminded him. "I'm still gunnin' for it, you know?"

"Really? Are you sure?" Viper asked with furrowed brows before looking away and pretending to be in deep thought. "I've seen your score and run times at the company range and killhouse. Didn't know you were serious about those…" He muttered out loud.

Ronin punched him in the arm. "Yeah, real funny, asshole…"

Their brief moment of casualness was interrupted as another explosion sounded out from within the clearing. Both of them jumped at the sudden noise and turned to look at the source. The pair shared a look and quickly ran over to the treeline. The two hid behind a tree, watching as Bishop and Sentinel did their best to cover each other and fall back. Unfortunately, some of their cover fire was aimed in their direction, the shooters unaware that the enemy forces from the South side had already been dealt with by them.

Ronin flinched as a bullet struck the tree they hid behind, splintering tiny pieces of bark off into several different directions. "Fuck! Viper, hurry up and tell those damn morons that they're shooting at friendlies!"

"On it!" He replied quickly. "Bishop 1-1, this is 1-2, we're-"

He was cut off as a loud bang sounded off, and he felt a brief bit of pain before falling forward. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Ronin shouting his name as the ground rushed to meet his face.

---

[REDACTED] RONIN [REDACTED] - SHADOW CO.

HOTEL SANKAI FOREST, HAKONE HOT SPRINGS, JAPAN

NOVEMBER 10, 2022 - 00:22:00

---

Ronin jumped as the shot rang out, watching Viper collapse forward as time seemed to slow down to a crawl. He yelled his name out in worry, before snapping his head around to the source of the shot. His breath caught when he saw one of the men that they'd shot on his back, rifle pointed directly at him now. He did his best to hold his gun steady, his aim slightly off center as his hands shook violently with adrenaline. Ronin realized that the man must have been extremely terrified, just like he was. He couldn't really blame him though. He'd say it was appropriate, given the situation. There'd be no way for Ronin to level his gun up in time. He was entirely at the mercy of this random, wounded, gunman.

The soldier pulled the trigger…

.

.

.

The gun clicked empty…

The man was entirely at the mercy of Ronin. That feeling of fear the Shadow felt earlier, now shifted into anger. Ronin, at this moment, wasn't feeling particularly merciful. The soldier must have realized this as well, as his eyes widened, and he fumbled with his sidearm holster as Ronin menacingly approached closer. The soldier managed to free his pistol from the holster, a simple looking service Glock from Ronin's very brief glance, and pointed it straight at him. He was quick on the draw… but Ronin was quicker.

The Shadow harshly kicked the gun out from his hand, sending it skidding against the ground to the bushes nearby. The soldier's personal weaponry was gone now, but that didn't make him completely defenseless. He was fighting for his life, so he was guaranteed to fight like hell. Ronin liked that challenge.

What Ronin didn't like was how the man fought. A punch to the groin and a sweep to the legs had Ronin sprawled out on the ground and on his back within seconds. For someone already so weak and wounded, he certainly found some new strength to fight back pretty quickly. Unfortunately, in his quest for vengeance, Ronin completely forgot about the rifle in his hands until it was too late. The man was now on top of him, preventing him from lifting the gun up in his direction. The soldier wrapped his hands around Ronin's throat, wordlessly beginning to squeeze the life out of him. Ronin struggled from underneath the soldier's grip, flailing as the edge of his vision began darkening as he did his best to stay awake. Ronin's hand reached for something - anything - that he could possibly pick up from the ground to use against his attacker, before it settled upon something hard.

Having no clue what it was, Ronin didn't exactly care to find out as he rolled it closer and grabbed it before swinging back. A heavy thud sounded out as the object impacted his attacker, and Ronin gasped for air, coming back from the brink of unconsciousness now that his airway was no longer being forcefully restricted. Ronin didn't have any time to relax though, as the enemy was still in front of him, hissing in pain as he rolled back.

Ronin's vision was red at this point. Not red from the recent lack of air, but red in anger at the one who thought they could get a leg up on him, who so foolishly thought that they were tough enough that they could take him on in a one on one fight. Ronin glanced at the object in his hand, discovering that it was a rock that he had bashed him with.

Ronin cursed as the enemy attempted to get up, an action which he halted immediately by hurling the stone at his attacker's face and subsequently smashing the night vision off of his helmet mount and into his eyes. That would definitely bruise in the morning, but bruising would be the least of the mans concerns. Ronin was on him almost instantly, not risking the chance for him to return the favor by attempting to reach for his sidearm that was still on the ground nearby.

"Don't feel so tough with the positions reversed, huh?!" Ronin snarled before roughly jamming both his thumbs into his eyes. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!"

The man cried out in pain as he struggled beneath him, reaching a hand up to Ronin's face in an attempt to push him off. Ronin bit down hard on his thumb. He bit down hard enough to draw blood and probably tear the appendage from his hand. As the man's resistance became less strong and more sluggish, only then did Ronin remove his thumbs. Two bloody sockets were all that remained on the face that wished to weep tears, which Ronin headbutted against the ground right after. Ronin got up, before pausing as he looked down. He contemplated stomping the man's skull into the ground repeatedly for the trouble he caused him, but he'd be wasting even more precious time, time which the rest of his team couldn't afford. He wasn't going to finish him off though. If the man was still alive, then he wasn't worth the ammo…

...

He flicked the fire selector of his MCX to full auto before mag dumping the man's skull beneath him. Sure, he just expended a whole mag, but damn was it oh so worth it. Besides, it was always better to be safe than sorry…

As he finished reloading, a groan from nearby shook him from his musings and caused him to raise his rifle up. Looking towards the voice, he paused in disbelief. Viper was slowly coming to as he held a hand up to his head.

"Holy shit, Vipes!" Ronin called out before rushing to his aid. He slid down next to his mentor before helping him up. "I thought you were fuckin' dead, bro!"

"Argh, please stop yelling, man. I just got my bell rung." He complained, pulling the ghillie hood off of his helmet. Ronin found his brows shooting up on his head, seeing a small and newly formed mark which contrasted against the usual smoothness of his helmet. He tapped his knuckle against the head protection a few times before chuckling. "Just grazed it, nothing serious. It'll take a lot more than some amateur gunman to kill me."

Ronin's sense of relief, mixed with the absurdity of his mentor brushing off his possible death with a little bit of humor and some stupid quip caused Ronin to shake his head and laugh alongside him.

"I see that you're up too," Viper noted. "I'm guessin' you came out on top? Was he a problem? Cause you look a little winded right now."

"Heh, you should see the other guy…" He quipped back before cringing. "Actually no… you probably shouldn't."

Viper winced at him, "That bad, huh?" He asked.

Ronin glanced behind them, seeing the pool of blood that surrounded the fleshy, pulpy, mush of what was once a human skull. "Trust me, you don't wanna lay your eyes on him."

"This is 1-1 to 1-2, say again your last! Your message did not come through! I say again, your message did not come through!"

The two of them looked past the treeline to find the clearing now covered from smoke grenades, obscuring their vision from their teammates.

"Oh shit!" Viper cursed as he hurriedly reached for his radio. "1-1, check fire, check fire! You've got friendlies nearby! 1-2 and 1-3 are at the south treeline behind your smokes!"

"Rog, hold position, we're comin' to ya!"

Moments later, the rest of Bishop could be seen emerging from the smoke, rushing to get away from the killzone and into some decent cover to break contact with the enemy. Sentinel followed closely behind, with one of their operators carrying Boxer over their shoulders in a fireman's carry. Ronin frowned as he inspected them. The squad's numbers were considerably lighter, as several faces that Ronin had come to recognize were now no longer with them.

Only the dead have truly seen the end of war… He thought. Rest well, guys…

He was pulled from his thoughts as his radio cackled to life. "-ishop… Actual-... ome in-... how cop-" Static and stuttering made the faint voice even harder to hear.

Vale's eyes widened as he caught his breath. "Shadow-Actual, this is Bishop 1-1, you're coming in weak and unreadable over the comms. Switch to backup frequency and try again!"

...

"Bishop, Sentinel, it's Shadow-Actual, how do you read me now? Over."

"Bishop reads you loud and clear, Shadow-Actual! Graves, is it damn good to hear your voice! What happened to y'all?! Why aren't the Japanese communicating with us?! And who the fuck is shooting at us?!"

"No time to explain right now Vale, we need to link up and get back to the resort ASAP. Carnival's marking our position with a rope in the sky now, confirm you have a visual!"

Everyone craned their necks up to get a better view. The rain and clouds had finally dissipated, reducing to a light sprinkle and allowing for better visibility to the night. A bright laser spun around in circles in the distance, contrasting against the backdrop of the starry skies behind it.

"Shadow-Actual, we have a confirmed visual on your lasso mark, we're oscar-mike now!" Vale responded before turning to the rest of them. "Come on, people! Graves needs us and this fight ain't over just yet! Let's be the ones to finish it, yeah?"

"Yep, yep!"

---

Author's Notes:

Surprise! I'm back early! The holidays and time away with family and friends were, ironically enough, just what I needed to type the rest of this chapter out. I hope everyone enjoyed it just as much as I did. I got so much inspiration while over in Canada that my excitement to type peaked. I haven't felt this way in a long time, not since I originally published the first chapter of this story.

Speaking of the story, let's talk about it.

We've finally reached Hakone, and the situation for Shadow Company or the Japanese isn't looking too good. For those of you that are concerned that Shadow Company is just going to get beat down here, they're not. But I'm trying to be at least a little realistic in my approach. Sure, they're a tier one private military, and sure, the main crew probably have plot armor, but not everyone is an overpowered CoD protagonist. Shadow Company will encounter losses on their side too just like everybody else. They're not invincible…

Graves and Carnival's absence for most of this chapter's action will be explained in due time.

Now I know that this chapter's ending is pretty abrupt, but that's because there's going to be a part two. 16,000 words makes this the longest chapter I've ever typed now. I would have continued and made this possibly 20,000 or maybe even pushed it to 25,000 but that would have been a bit much to cram in here, and would have made this a chore to read. I don't want it to become too bogged down with an absurdly high word count. So, I'm splitting this up into two parts. You won't have to wait too long again, I've already got a decent chunk planned as well, and I'm getting more ideas popping into my head as I type this AN right now. I'm genuinely excited to work on the next chapter, and I hope you're all just as excited to read it.

Also, happy new year's everybody! (at least, depending on your time zones and when you're reading this.) Let's hope that 2023 is somehow better than 2022.

My expectations are low to be honest...