Brothers in Arms

by bluebellwren

The military was the only family that the Walker boys had besides each other, and the war against the Federation threatened to take everything from them. As the tensions reach a breaking point, Logan and David Walker are thrust into the shadows to fight alongside their father and become Ghosts. Faced with unbeatable odds at every turn, it's time for them to earn the mask.

3. A Brave New World

Chapter Two: A Brave New World

March 21st, 2027 – 0500.
Los Angeles, California, United States.

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Logan awoke to the sound of a dog panting and a tennis ball thumping against concrete. He opened his eyes, grunting at the stiffness in his neck. Once he blinked the heaviness from his eyes and focused his vision he was able to take in his surroundings. Right where he last remembered. Hunkered down in one of the back rooms of an old theater, or at least the ruins of an old theater, with his brother sitting a few feet from him against some old crates while he tossed a ball against the wall for his MWD, a German Shepherd named Riley, to catch. Dim, dull blue light filtered in through the gaps and walls in the ceiling, painting the room a familiar cold yet oddly comforting color as the sun started to rise.

It had been pitch black when they'd paused their routine patrol to take a short break. Logan hadn't meant to doze off, but he didn't feel like he had been out for very long. Then again, his sleep schedule had been thoroughly screwed for the last nine or so years. He hadn't felt well rested in years. Between being too scared to sleep for so long, then boot camp, then pulling overtime to keep the remainder of the country safe and sound along with being a very light sleeper he hadn't really managed to fit in a good night's sleep anywhere. He'd adapted to that, though. The fatigue was just normal for him. So he cursed himself in his head for slipping up and passing out, if not for the fact he was still on duty then for the fact that his neck was killing him.

"Shit, how long was I out?" he managed to ask his brother, stifling a yawn. He could hear his own voice. Quiet, as always, and hoarse from sleep. He still sounded like a young man, in fact every time he spoke he was aware of how he sounded. He hated his own voice. Unfortunately, unspoken communication could only go so far. "What time is it?"

Hesh glanced at him as he chucked the yellow ball against the ground. The force made it bounce against the wall and back, Riley practically locked onto it the whole way with his ears pricked and his tail wagging. Hesh fumbled for it before the dog could grab it, then threw it again. He risked a glance at his watch. "About five I think…yup…0500, give or take a few minutes," he replied, almost unable to catch the ball again. Riley had tried to snatch it from between his legs as it bounced off of the ground and then right over his knee but Hesh had grabbed it first. "You almost slept a whole fifteen minutes. I think that's a new record."

Logan blew out through his nose, feeling his mouth curve into a slight smile. "Oh, yeah, right, what was the last one? Like five minutes?"

"Closer to ten, I think," Hesh chuckled. His smile faded fast, returning to the blank expression he wore from before. Focused, even with something as simple as throwing a ball for the dog. "Sorry I didn't wake you…just thought you could use the sleep. Might as well let you get it where you can, y'know?"

Logan just nodded, not sure if his brother actually saw his acknowledgment or not. He felt a yawn creep up to the back of his jaw and he was unable to keep it down this time, water pricking at the edge of his eyes from the pressure of said yawn. He brought a fist to his mouth, both pointless reflexes. His fatigue never lifted from it. He was never more alert than he always was. Granted, if he was anymore alert it would teeter on the edge of paranoia and he wasn't interested in a psych eval. He would have liked if yawning served a better purpose than interrupting his conversations. And making him open his mouth when he didn't want to. His jaw snapped shut once it finally ran its course.

He quickly took in his surroundings. Everything was just like it was before he'd dozed off. The room was dim, colored various shades of blue from the early morning light. The floor was littered with old posters, newspapers, and debris from the crumbling roof and ceiling. Logan guessed it must have been a dressing room or a staff room judging by a few beat up old lockers with long faded names along with the scattered chairs and furniture, and various crates piled up on the other side. Whatever purpose it served, it wasn't doing anything but wasting away. Plants had already started to overtake the building, much like they had to the other buildings that had long since been destroyed and left to rot and collapse. Ivy climbed the walls and dangled from a gaping hole in the ceiling, swaying slightly in the cool spring breeze.

The scent of mildew and the faint smell of wet, old wood and cigarette smoke hung in the air. It was faint. Logan had just been cursed with doglike senses. Neither Logan nor Hesh were smokers, so the source was either the rest of their recon team or a Federation patrol. Riley didn't seem bothered by the scent, which meant Logan wasn't too worried about it either, content to ignore it. Still he glanced over to his side where he'd left his weapon, instinctively pulling his Honey Badger assault rifle closer to him in case he needed to spring into action. There had been too many attacks. Too many patrols. Anything out of the ordinary was cause for concern.

That was why when a distant, rough thudding sound echoed throughout the structure, as if it had been shaken to its core, the three of them leapt to their feet. Riley immediately snapped into work mode. Hesh had caught the ball and was preparing to throw it again, but in an instant the game was forgotten. The MWD let out a low growl and spun towards the open doorway, taking a few steps as his muscles tensed, his head tilted ever so slightly with one ear cocked back towards Hesh as his handler shoved the ball in his pocket to free his hands and replaced it with his own rifle. Logan jumped to his feet and watched as his brother crept forward until he was by Riley's side. The dog's tail swayed slightly as Hesh placed a hand at the edge of his harness, taking his eyes off of the open doorway only briefly to glance at Hesh.

"Easy, boy. Something out there?" Hesh asked him, his voice lowered to a whisper. A faint clattering sound followed and a growl sounded in the back of Riley's throat once again. Definitely not debris settling. He didn't startle easily, anyways. He'd only signal to them if he really had something. Logan stared at Hesh, waiting for his go, and his brother glanced over his shoulder at him and nodded. "Yeah, he's definitely got something. Grab your gear, let's go check it out."

Logan didn't have to be told twice. He raised his rifle, holding it at the ready as Hesh gave a firm pat to Riley's side and motioned forward, signaling for the dog to lead the way. Riley trotted forward as he dropped his head to the ground, shuffling along as he sniffed at the debris. Logan didn't move until Hesh did. The two of them fell in behind Riley as he led the way through the wide open doors and veered to the left – opposite the direction they'd come in from, down a hallway just as decrepit as the rest of the building. In spite of broken glass, plywood, brick, and everything else that covered the once likely pristine now rotting hardwood floors, the three of them moved silently across it with practiced, careful steps.

Riley was, in every sense, a very good boy. Bred from a surviving working line the military practically handpicked, born on the Fourth of July, no less, one day after Logan's own birthday. A perfect addition to the Walker family. Pretty much destined to become one of them. Logan loved animals, but not quite on the same level as his brother and father did. He wasn't quite sure how their father had managed it, but he presented both of the boys with an opportunity nearly three years prior to add another skill to their already thick dossiers. Logan watched, only to get the basic gist of how he was supposed to handle the dogs, but Hesh went absolutely all in and dragged their father right along with him. They got the rare privilege of overseeing most, if not all of Riley's training from the moment he passed the initial evaluation up to the official start of his training as a military working dog. He excelled in all fields, like a proper Walker boy. Perfect temperament, perfect form, perfect soldier. Hesh had practically begged to be assigned Riley. Sure enough, he got his wish. Not how things were usually done, but once you were in their circle you weren't going to go anywhere anytime soon, human or dog or fish or whatever. The point was, Riley was good at what he did. And both of them knew it. If he had been alerted by something, it was best to keep your guard up. And pray for whatever poor soul was on the receiving end of one of the dog's bites.

As they followed him out into the hallway, Hesh radioed in to the rest of their team. "Team Two, are you near our position?" he asked, keeping his voice barely above a whisper.

"Negative, we're outside," replied one of the soldiers, Davis. He paused for just a second, then asked with a voice laced in sudden concern, "Why, what's the matter? You boys got something?"

"Pretty sure Riley does. We're checkin' it now," Hesh replied. "Is everything okay on your end?"

Davis sighed. "Dead quiet. Not always a good thing, though."

"Right, I hear ya. It's been a quiet night compared to our last patrol, though, so maybe our luck's turning…knock on wood or whatever," Hesh said, speaking quickly though he kept his voice hushed as they marched along. Riley sniffed every object along the way, keeping a nose out for would-be ambushers or any explosives or other booby traps that might have been waiting for them. Logan and Hesh, meanwhile, kept an eye on every corner and doorway they passed. Hesh went on, "We'll finish our sweep of the interior and meet you outside."

"Roger that, we'll secure the exit," Davis replied. "Be careful."

"Always are. Usually…most of the time, anyways," Hesh replied, forcing a light chuckle. Logan stifled his own laugh. Somehow the two of them had a habit for being accident prone trouble magnets…Logan especially. A couple of nasty scars and two extensive medical files proved that. Maybe it had started at birth. No one was quite sure. But if there was a reward for most unlikely, creative injuries, the two of them would be the reigning champions. It wasn't as though they went out of their way to keep the title, though. The pause on the radio told them both that Davis and the others exchanged the same eye rolls and exasperated looks they always did. Hesh's expression and tone went serious again. Back to business. "We'll see you in a minute."

"Good luck," Davis replied. Short and to the point. Looking to get back to work. Logan could respect that. "Two-One out."

"I was hoping Fed activity was starting to die down," Logan mumbled out to his brother once comms went quiet. They approached an open door, a busted up red 'EXIT' sign dangled over it, but their path was blocked by an unstable pile of shelves, both rusted metal ones and rotting, damp wooden ones. Riley passed under the gap with ease, but Hesh and Logan had to crouch and ease their way through it, both of them tall enough that the back of their packs brushed against the top of it though. He continued to voice his train of thought. "We haven't had a wall breach in a while…last patrols we ran into were a couple miles from the wall."

"Yeah, well, they might be trying their luck again. Catch us when we let our guard down," Hesh commented with a slight grunt as he straightened up on the other side of the door, pausing his steps only to wait for Logan to do the same a second or two later. Riley sniffed at the open doorway before he led the way inside. Hesh and Logan followed as Hesh went on quietly, "It's like Dad was telling us…they're smart, we gotta be smarter. Can't let ourselves get into a false sense of security."

"I know," Logan replied simply, shrugging slightly against the weight of his pack. He flexed his fingers around his weapon to adjust his grip. Tense, alert, just like Riley and his brother. Under better circumstances, in a better environment, and not after they'd spent the last three days trekking around the edge of the city and clearing out enemy patrols both on their way out and on their way back, he might have found the stillness relaxing. It was nowhere near as bad as it had been the last few months, but like Hesh said, they couldn't get sloppy. "You think they've found what they're looking for?"

"Doubt it…that task force that Dad's buddies are on – Stalker? – they would've already cracked down if they had," Hesh replied, moving in sync with Logan as the two checked the area Riley had moved into on opposite sides. "Clear." Hesh said, then he went back to the previous topic in an instant, "We wouldn't be going on like business as usual, either. Forget doubled patrols, we'd be lucky if we went back inside the wall for a week."

Logan let out a hum in response as he made his way back to where his brother stood. The room they were in appeared to be an old backstage area from the theater. The ceiling was vaulted, crumbling just like the rest of it, but he imagined it must have been quite the sight once upon a time. An old grand piano sat lopsided near the curtain, behind a pile of boxes. The legs probably gave out ages ago. Some of the keys were missing too. Logan felt his fingers twitch slightly and he had to resist the urge to lean down and press them.

He wasn't the musician in their family, or he didn't consider himself to be, but he recalled the piano in their old living room. His father had played it. Sometimes Logan and Hesh would sit on either side of him and try to pluck along with whatever he was playing. They picked up a few things, but it was never Hesh's instrument of choice and Logan never committed, both having their training and other hobbies instead. Their father had bought a new piano for their new house after the strikes, but it had been ages since he'd actually played much of anything. Had they not been trying to be quiet at that moment, and had they had the time, Logan might have played around with it. Even if he wasn't good at it and it hadn't been tuned in God knows how long. He wouldn't even know what to play.

He held back a sigh and adjusted his rifle in his arms as he turned back to his brother. Riley scratched at the bottom of the curtain, then looked up at Hesh expectantly. Hesh looked back at Logan and Logan rounded on him and Riley until he stood across from Hesh, weapon at the ready, with Riley between them. He raised his rifle and braced himself, nodding, and Hesh nodded back before he brandished his combat knife from the holster on his thigh. He pushed the knife through the heavy fabric and tore down to the floor, slowly opening the gap he made. Riley pushed through first. When he didn't give them any signal of a threat, Hesh nodded to Logan. "Alright, through here. After you." He paused, then gave him a slight smile. "Hope you don't have stage fright."

"You know I do," Logan said and he sucked in a breath. It was a bad joke, but a harmless one. Still, the idea wasn't one he liked to think about. He felt the corners of his mouth tug into a very slight smile, though. He carefully stepped through the gap after Riley, raising his voice only enough that his brother could hear him as he crossed to the edge of the creaky, splintered old stage. "It's fine, I'll just…picture everyone in their underwear or whatever it is you're supposed to do, I guess."

He heard Hesh snort behind him. "Yeah, considering it's just me and Riley, actually, I'd love it if you didn't do that."

Logan blew out through his own nose. He never let his focus drift from his job, though, scanning around the rows of red seats as he kept his finger just above the trigger guard. "Clear left."

"Clear right."

Hesh's footsteps faintly thumped across the stage behind Logan, off to his right as he crossed the stage. The sudden movement startled a large flock of pigeons that had spread out across the theater, and the birds let out panicked trills as they shot up into the sky in a flurry of gray, brown, and blue and flew for the open sky overhead. All three of them instinctively froze and watched them climb. Hesh lost interest once he deemed them not to be a threat, but Logan followed them with his rifle while Riley seemed surprised and excited by the birds all at once. As if they were his favorite chew toy. It was a shame that the birds didn't see 'chew toy' as an acceptable way to show affection, otherwise he could have made a whole army of new friends. He was good with other animals. Usually. Most of the time. At least, as far as Logan knew.

Hesh clicked his tongue to get Riley's attention and the dog raced to his side. He motioned towards the pile of debris that sat beneath the caved-in ceiling and had created a path up towards the topmost seats of the theater. Riley immediately raced forward and sprang upwards. His upper body caught on a block of wood and he clawed his way the rest of the way up, pausing his ascent only to wait for Hesh to follow. "Cover us. I'm going up with Riley," he said, jogging up the pile of debris, using his arms only when he needed to. Riley raced ahead of him, and Logan kept his sights set on the upper level until his brother reached the top. Hesh scanned the rows of seats with his own rifle, ready to shoot, then relaxed slightly before he called out to him. "It's all clear ip here, come on up."

Logan followed the same steps Hesh had taken, able to remember all of them clearly. He stepped carefully up the pile of dirt, marble, concrete, twisted metal rods, and everything else that had formerly been a part of the ceiling and surrounding upper level. Some old decorative pieces of furniture. Furniture Logan guessed had been tossed here by scavengers – 'glorified looters' and 'idiots' was what their father's buddy Merrick called them…his friends Keegan and Ajax called them vultures – or Federation patrols. Either way, aside from the destruction and decay the place had obviously been ransacked at some point. At least it made for a quick way up if nothing else.

He reached the last step and switched his hold on his rifle to one hand and used his free arm to heave himself up. Once he was up on solid ground, he and Hesh started to head for the exit on the upper level. Riley's ears pricked and he started to pick up his pace until he broke into a run. He raced ahead and out into the hall, sniffing at everything as he went. Hesh and Logan exchanged a look and picked up their walking pace, both on guard at the dog's behavior. Broken pipes overhead dropped a steady stream of water onto the carpet that lined the floor, which accounted for the mildew scent. More ivy dangled from the gaps in the ceiling. It was actually almost pretty, but Logan wasn't about to stop and admire it.

They headed up a flight of carpeted stairs to the broken double doors Riley had gone through, the dog across from them sniffing at some old chairs. Just as they reached the doorbell, another clang and the sound of glass and metal colliding sounded out. Riley's attention snapped in that direction in an instant as he emitted a small whine. Hesh and Logan both froze and carefully crept out into the hallway. If they could hear that, whatever made the sound could hear them. They needed to be careful. Hesh broke the silence, lowering his voice back to a whisper. "Shit, that sounded close."

"Main lobby, you think?" Logan asked, watching his footing as he moved towards another set of stairs. These led down, towards the front door. Couldn't give whoever it was credit for originality.

"Sounds about right, nowhere else they could be. Only thing in that direction," Hesh told him. The two made their way down the stairs, into a foyer-like area. Hesh tapped Logan on his shoulder and nodded towards a half-open door, the door itself barely hanging onto the hinges. "We'll take the door on the right. Easiest point of entry."

Logan nodded and let out another hum in response. The two practically glided over to the door, each step precise and purposeful, and Riley mimicked their movements as he fell in beside them. They flanked either side of the door and Hesh nodded, so Logan raised his rifle and carefully, silently pushed the door aside and stepped into the lobby. He was aware of the shadow of two hulking figures and prepared for a firefight. Instead, and much to both his and their surprise, he was met by a pair of deer picking around the bar in search of old popcorn and what other treats had been left behind. Both bucks whirled towards him and abruptly scattered, knocking their way over furniture as they raced for the open doors they'd wandered in through.

His nerves had been shot from expecting a threat, braced for a fight. Logan felt his heart rate spike. At the noise and movement he had instinctively readied to fire, finger on the trigger, his adrenaline taking over. It took him a second to process what he had seen. No enemy. No threat. Just a deer. Ones he'd seen plenty of times before. The same kind he'd taken out with nothing more than a knife before. He relaxed as he watched them run off, lowering his rifle to his side. He let his guard down completely for a few seconds in an attempt to ease the knots that twisted in his stomach. Behind him, Riley let out frustrated barks at the deer as they fled, and his brother let out a chuckle that finally relaxed him.

No danger.

"Guess Riley was getting hungry," Hesh huffed out as the two headed for the busted, open doors the deer had charged through. He relaxed his own posture slightly, but he stayed ready to shoot. As Riley raced out of the doors, he called after him, "Riley, hey! C'mon, you don't want anything to eat out here, boy. Let's head back and get you some real food."

Logan sighed and lifted his rifle up once again, following his brother out of the open doors and into a small rotunda. A dried fountain sat in the middle. Above them was a massive, glass ceiling. As the morning dragged on, the sky had started to turn hues of pinks and purples, and the light that filtered inside had started to shift colors as well. More branches of ivy and various roots dangled through the breaks in the glass, just like they broke through every single gap in every single building and vehicle in the ruins of the city. Plants and animals had adapted and overtaken the city in a manner that rivaled the Federation. It didn't affect their way of life any. Nature didn't care about their war.

More birds fluttered up Riley charged past, with Logan and Hesh right behind him. Logan tracked their movements with his rifle, his brother doing the same, their attention drawn to the noise. Riley continued to race ahead, down a glass covered tunnel and a set of stairs that led outside, after the deer, barking the whole way. He was persistent if nothing else. Logan turned the corner in time to see a third deer, a doe, watching them until Riley raced to the base of the stairs. The deer then made the smart choice and immediately leapt away. Riley stopped at the stairs and wagged his tail. Either his intentions were pure and he had only wanted a friend, or he stood there considering the best way to get ahold of those deer. Or he was proud of himself for defending 'his' turf and people. Whatever his plan was, he wouldn't ever get the chance to act on it. He had a job to do. So did Logan. They could take a hunting trip some other time.

As they entered the tunnel, Davis' voice came over the radio. "Six-One, sitrep?"

"Just some local wildlife. A herd of deer, nothing more," Hesh replied in an instant, a hint of amusement in his tone. It was gone just as quickly. "We're good. Everything's clear."

"Check. Clear outside, too. Think we spotted your deer," Davis said. "We're moving up to RP 'Silver', copy?"

"Yeah, we'll see you in a minute. We're on our way out," Hesh replied. He and Logan moved together, in sync, and as Hesh picked up his pace Logan did, too. They reached the stairs and Riley looked back at them, falling in beside them as they passed him. Hesh continued, "Meet us at the Wall."

"Rog."

Hesh looked over his shoulder at Logan as the two of them made their way up the stairs. "Y'know, we might be able to get back in time to grab breakfast," he said. He never let himself sound too wistful. Both of them knew that the second you tried to make a normal plan, that was when the Federation decided to ruin your day. But sometimes they'd slip up. "Three days out in the field, though, I'd rather hit the showers first. Get all this sweat and grime off me. Then get right back to it, right?"

Logan chuckled slightly. His thoughts started to drift at the mention of breakfast and a shower. The creature comforts that waited for them, the day they left, the days they'd spent outside the wall and at the far edges of the city, a patrol that could have easily been done in a day if not for the amount of retreating Fed patrols. They were getting farther from the wall, though, and that was all that mattered. As they reached the top of the stairs, though, a realization hit. Something he had tucked away for later dawned on him. The date that day. And the day before. Time had slipped away from him and blurred together like it always did. He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't get the chance. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he snapped his mouth shut. The rest of their team. What he was thinking about could wait.

The wall towered over them. A massive concrete structure that stretched as far as the eye could see. It barred the city and its residents from the death and destruction that waited for them on the other side, but not everyone chose to stay in it. No one was a prisoner. You were allowed to come and go if you managed to leave and make it back alive. Very few did. You didn't last long without a weapon and some kind of training, combat or survival or otherwise. The most recent attacks had sobered up the more gung-ho civilians that weren't interested in being blown to pieces, and most of the recent victims of Federation patrols hadn't been ordinary civilians. Some still ventured outside. The Feds didn't discriminate. It didn't matter how useful someone was, they'd be dead just like the others. Logan had overheard Merrick talking about it once, when the situation had started to heat up. They all end up in the same place.

The wall still stood, though. It showed obvious signs of wear and tear, between bullet holes, sections that had to be rebuilt due to attacks, and then there were areas that had simply shifted as a result of the earthquakes that California was practically cursed with. They'd always had them, but after the strikes they had significantly increased. The tremors were especially severe, and frequent were the days in which Logan wondered if somehow they were under another attack from the ODIN satellite. Thankfully, though, ODIN had been dropped out of the sky long ago. That didn't mean he didn't stay alert. Just in case things weren't actually as they seemed. But for now, the country was about as safe as it could be, all things considered.

Beside him, his brother blew out a short whistle as he followed Logan's gaze along the wall. "Well, there she is."

"Looks like hell," Logan said simply and quietly. So that only his brother could hear him. The closer the rest of their team got, the less he felt like talking.

"Yeah, but she's still standing. That's all that matters. C'mon," Hesh tapped Logan's shoulder before he broke into a jog with Riley hot on his heels. Logan trailed behind as he opted for longer strides and a faster pace over a jog. In a matter of seconds the two groups reached each other. Hesh called out to them in greeting, his voice raised only slightly to get their attention, "Yo, Corporal Davis. We're over here."

"Lieutenant." Davis nodded respectfully to Hesh in his own greeting. He did the same towards Logan. "Sergeant."

He was flanked on either side by their other two teammates, Private Roper and Specialist Pierce, their company's medic, who had promptly been saddled with the nickname 'Hawkeye' upon her arrival. It had actually been Logan and Hesh's father that had unintentionally started it when he'd mused about an old show he used to watch with the two of them, which of course reminded Hesh of the whole thing. She shared a last name with the leading Army doctor on the show. It was practically meant to be. Or so Hesh had argued. Granted she wasn't an actual doctor, but Hesh had decided that medic was close enough. It had caught on. If she had any opinions about it, she didn't let them know. Logan guessed she probably accepted it over anything else a group of men could have taken to calling her. It was a cool name. Probably better fit a sniper. But she did shoot when she had to. Maybe she could fit both.

Compared to Davis and Roper, she was a lot friendlier than they were. She would smile when she saw people. But she was shy and far from the chattiest in the group. She didn't try to force him to talk. If he had nothing to say, she would settle into the silence with him. The only time she'd break that silence was to soothe or apologize if anything she did to patch him up caused him more pain. Because of that, he didn't really talk to her much. He didn't have a strong opinion of her either way. He certainly didn't think badly of her in any way. Then again, he didn't think badly of a lot of people, so it probably didn't say much about her. She would only be an exception or anomaly if he hated her. Regardless, when she greeted him with a faint smile and a small nod, Logan returned the gesture. Then they carried on as if the other wasn't even there. No need to make conversation.

"Your area secure?" Hesh asked as he came to a stop and rounded on Davis.

"Just about. Need to sweep this section of the wall and we'll be good to go," Davis replied quickly as he reached a hand out and gestured in the general direction they needed to go.

"Gotcha. We'll take the left side, should get it done quick that way," Hesh said with a nod and he glanced at Logan. Logan just watched them, keeping quiet and out of the way. Hesh started to back up a few steps as he added to Davis, "We'll regroup at the gas station before we clear outta here."

"You got it," Davis said with a nod as he broke off to the right. The other two were already moving after him before he even called for them to follow him. "Hawk, Roper, let's go."

Hesh gave a slight bounce to spin himself around as he headed in the opposite direction, breaking into a jog once more. This time Logan did the same and closed the gap between them. Back at his brother's side, the two of them jumped down onto a small ledge formed by a large fissure in the road to get around the rusted and burnt remains of several vehicles that had been rotting there for some time. Riley hopped down after them, the first to leap back onto solid and stable ground as soon as they crossed the ledge. The fissure itself had been caused by an earthquake a while back. It hadn't shifted much since, by some miracle. That didn't mean Logan wasn't cautious.

As they crossed the ledge and made to climb up after Riley, a tremor shook the earth around them. Dust and loose asphalt was shaken loose. It was enough to be felt, not enough to do any damage. It still made Logan tense as he jumped out of the fissure. He could feel his pulse quicken as adrenaline kicked in, more of a panic response than anything else as Logan had come to realize over time. He got used to it. The tremor ceased an instant later and he returned to his normal state of awareness, though he didn't completely let his guard down out in the open.

Riley had frozen in place once he hopped up from the ledge, his muscles visibly tensed. He let out a low snarl, his ears pricked forward as he stood angled in one direction. He stepped closer to Hesh's side once he appeared beside him. He stared ahead even as Hesh placed a hand on his head and gently stroked the thick fur of his head and neck. He only moved slightly when Hesh's hand patted the side of the tan kevlar vest the dog wore in the field. Riley had signaled again. And he was ready for Hesh's go. Hesh gave a few stiff pats to his side and motioned forward as he lowered his voice.

"Alright, Riley, c'mon. Search," he said softly before he straightened up. Riley broke off from them and crouched through the long gone windows of a car that had been flipped at the edge of the fissure, while Hesh headed for an old cafe right beside them. "Logan, we'll flank around the other side. Then – wait…" He trailed off as he quietly opened the door, pushing it open and sticking his rifle inside first. It whined on its hinges, but Hesh moved slow and steady. Staticky voices sounded somewhere on the other side of the building, from a radio that likely belonged to whoever Riley had picked up on. It was garbled. Faint. The two brothers crouched and carefully entered the cafe, and Hesh muttered, "Someone's out there for sure…"

The two carefully crossed over broken glass and wood until they came to a wide opening where a window and wall had once been. The radio was louder. Closer. Hesh motioned with his fingers to Logan and then to the opposite side of the gap. Wordlessly, Logan nodded and moved to the far right while his brother took up a position across from him, both crouched and ready to fire but unnoticed by the pair of Federation soldiers that paced outside the cafe's patio. Across the patio, down a few stairs was a walkway that led to another building. Logan spotted another two just outside of it.

"I count four Tangoes," Logan whispered. He raised his rifle over the brick and slowly, carefully rested the pad of his index finger on the trigger. "Too close for comfort…"

"Yeah…Fed Recon again. That's five in the last three days…" Hesh muttered in response. "Wait for Riley's go. Once he attacks a target, shoot to kill…we need to be quick about this." There was a stillness, the radio going quiet. Before the Federation soldier could answer, Riley sprang out from the grass with a vicious snarl and latched onto the arm of the one closest to him. The man cried out in agony as the sudden force and weight along with the pain yanked him to the ground. Hesh called out the same second, "Drop these guys, now!"

Logan's finger tightened on the trigger as he set his sights on the first enemy he could. Hesh shot the other soldier from the first group as he moved to help his comrade and shoot at Riley, while Riley dutifully finished his job and clamped down on his victim's throat. Logan meanwhile aimed for one of the soldiers at the far side of the walkway. Both raced for the stairs, but Logan fired in an instant. Three rapid fire shots center mass and the man dropped to the ground. The final soldier raced forward and both brothers took aim and fired. Their collective shots were overkill, but it crippled and then swiftly ended the man. The shots had everyone's attention. Both enemies and allies alike responded.

A third group raced out from the back of the building just as Logan and Hesh hopped onto the patio. They took cover behind the short walls as the group opened fire on them. They sprang up as soon as there was a lull and shot back. The two took them out while one tried to make a run for it, which of course was a problem. "Shit! Riley, go!" Hesh yelled and Riley raced off. The two were ready to fire in case he needed cover, but there was only silence as Riley ran through the building. He disappeared behind the brick wall and the only sound that followed was a desperate scream and then dead quiet. Hesh raised his voice again. "Riley, stay!"

"Area clear," Logan reported a second later, his own voice raised just above the whisper from before.

"We heard shots fired near your position, things okay over there?" Davis asked urgently over the radio. In the distance, Logan could already see the group of three as they sprinted towards their position.

"Another Fed patrol. Closest to the city they've been since we've been out here," Hesh replied quickly. He and Logan made their way down the stairs and across the walkway, carefully avoiding the bodies of the Federation soldiers as they went, and picked their way through the building once they got inside. "Meet us at overwatch, we need to regroup now."

"Check. We're almost there."

After a quick sweep of the room to make sure there weren't any surprises for them, Hesh approached the opposite wall. It had already crumbled significantly. It stood barely above waist level. He clicked his tongue for Riley before he put as much force as possible into a kick to send the remainder of the degraded brick to the ground. He hopped down from the wall into the ruins of what Logan always guessed used to be a clinic right beside the shop they were in, right as Riley jogged back to Hesh's side. The old building overlooked a slope with an old gas station at the base of it and the missing wall provided them with a crumbling tunnel and a perfect vantage point to scope out their surroundings. The rest of the team arrived after a few seconds and dropped into position at the edge.

There was movement around the gas station in the distance. Federation uniforms. Logan felt dread swell in his throat. They paced around a group of people as they forced them to their knees. No uniforms, but judging from the voices they were unmistakably American. It didn't take a genius to assess the situation. And it wasn't a good one. In a few seconds, they had managed to put up quite a fight, though. One man fought back even with his hands bound, and the Federation soldier beside him was forced to wrestle him to the ground. The cry the man let out was a frightened one, not angry.

"Leave us alone!" he demanded in desperation. His voice carried up the slope. "We don't know anything!"

He grunted as the Federation soldier kicked him from his knees to the ground. "Then you are of no use to us." The words were in Spanish. Logan was somewhat grateful his father had made him and Hesh keep it up even after they passed what they needed for a language credit. He'd always had foresight, even when they didn't think anything of it. The soldier raised his pistol. "This country will fall as easily as its people."

Just seconds. God only knew how long the situation had taken to escalate as far as it had. Behind him, Logan heard Roper breathe out, "Holy shit…"

Hesh and Logan didn't need long to process what they had seen before the two jumped into position. "They're executing civvies, move in, move in!" Hesh barked out the order right as Logan took aim and fired on the man with the pistol. Almost in perfect sync, his brother followed suit. Everyone else opened fire, but the abrupt way the first soldier had fallen startled the others, and they got in a few panicked shots on the civilians before they took cover where they were able and returned fire. Hesh let out a frustrated growl. "Shit! I'm moving! Logan, Hawkeye, both of you, on me. Hawk, get down there and check the civilians! Logan, cover her. The rest of you, provide cover from here! Riley, go!"

Hesh raced past Logan and down the slope and Riley zipped past right after him. Logan lunged up from where he had crouched and charged down the slope after his brother, taking aim and firing towards the Federation soldiers as their allies drew their fire. Hawkeye scrambled up after them, able to sprint her way past Logan in spite of her significantly smaller stature. Hesh and Riley split off to bust through the back entrance of the gas station. He was able to surprise a pair of soldiers that had raced through it to try and cover their own soldiers, the first through the door had been met by Riley's teeth, while the second was promptly knifed through the neck and spun around as a human shield for Hesh to fire on the remaining soldiers inside.

While his brother cleared out the interior of the gas station, Logan handled the exterior. The soldier closest to the civilians, the one that had fired, was ducked behind the ice cooler outside. He was the first one to go. Then Logan moved on to the soldiers that hid behind the pumps, caught off guard and too busy trying to shoot at Davis and Roper to notice his presence. They were easily picked off. One by one, Logan dropped every last one of them. The gunfire slowly began to die down, until it completely ceased. A soldier was thrown through the gas station window by Riley and promptly shot by Hesh as he leapt out, and that was the last of them. Davis and Roper called out the all clear and started their way down the slope.

At one point, not long after the firefight broke out, the distant sound of the alarm back at the wall sounded out and Logan could hear the dull slice and thwup sound of a helicopter in the distance. Something told him they weren't done just yet. The sound of his pulse in his ear and the gunfire drowned out both the alarm and helicopter, though his adrenaline steadily increased as the alarm didn't cease and the helicopter continued to approach somewhere in the sky. It could have been one of theirs. Maybe a false alarm. Maybe an easily solved problem. Except that he couldn't identify the helicopter, and that told him it wasn't on their side.

During the entire fight, Hawkeye had dropped to the ground and skidded to a stop on her knees by the civilians. Her rifle was thrown over her shoulder, the only gear or sign that indicated she was at all anything other than an ordinary soldier being the faint, faded red cross on the back of her pack. She pulled her kit loose and made her way down the line of bodies. Each one was already gone. The last one, the first one and the one that had put up a fight, had survived, though. He glanced over here and there to watch her work. He heard her mutter soothing words under her breath as she acted as quickly as possible and assessed the damage silently, in her head, while the man gasped and struggled for air. By the time the fight was over, her gloves – her regular gloves, not the latex ones she evidently had not had time to put on – were stained and glistening with blood. But her patient was still breathing. She lowered his stained shirt back over the freshly stitched and packed wound.

"What's the verdict?" Hesh asked as he moved in to stand over her.

"Not the greatest. He's not bleeding out now, but there wasn't an exit wound," Hawkeye announced quickly. Nervously. She stumbled over her gear and struggled to pull the man's arm across the back of her neck and shoulders. She stood at maybe five-foot-four or five, which meant that lifting a man closer to Logan and Hesh's height that was practically dead weight was a nearly impossible feat. She certainly tried, though. Hawkeye struggled to her feet and Hesh and Logan both moved to help her. Her voice wavered both with urgency and effort. "That thing probably lodged itself somewhere. If we don't get him out of here fast, he's probably done for."

Right as Logan and Hesh approached either side of her, her knees buckled under the weight and she nearly fell with her patient. Logan grabbed the man's other arm and pulled him up to him, while Hesh caught Hawkeye's forearm. "Okay, easy, we've got him. You good?" Hesh asked and she gave a stiff nod as she steadied her breathing and her posture. He quickly released her arm, returning it to his rifle. "I'm willing to bet that alarm means we've got another fight ahead of us. Everyone stay sharp."

"Here, I'll carry him," Roper said as he moved over to Logan. Logan gently passed the civilian over to Roper, who slung the man's entire torso over his shoulder blades and hefted him up, held onto by his arms and legs. It didn't look comfortable for either one of them, but it was the only option other than trying to drag the guy.

"Let's move out, let's go," Hesh ordered and motioned for everyone to follow him as he started across the overgrown pavement. "Riley, come!"

Everyone fell in behind him. As they reached the other side of the station, the alarm got louder as they got closer and closer to the long dried up Los Angeles River that now served as a road up to the wall, and a shadow shot overhead. The buzzing sound of the helicopters that Logan had heard before drowned out all other sounds around them as one of them swooped in towards the wall. Dust kicked up around them at the low approach. The radios they all wore crackled to life as one of the guards at the wall shouted into it, the only sound that was able to reach over the noise overhead.

"All available units, we have Federation contact at the wall! We're under attack, we need backup now!" the voice shouted, the sound of gunfire sounding both in the distance and through the radio in the background. "Repeat, we are under attack!"

"We've got you Lima Charlie!" Hesh replied as he broke into a full on sprint. The others did the same. "Pop smoke, we're heading to you now!"

The group sprinted through a drain painted in various, faded layers of graffiti and broke out on the other side right after a second helicopter made a low approach right ahead. They broke out on the other side, right into the middle of a full on firefight. The Federation dropped soldiers onto the bridge overhead and the ground below before they bugged out of the fight, unharmed by any attempts to shoot them. Logan and Hesh managed to pick a few off of the sides before they jumped down, but they weren't able to get the rest of them in time. Half of the fire was directed on them in an instant.

Logan dove to the ground behind an old car while Hesh did the same, only his brother crawled his way a few inches over to a concrete barricade. The others spread out across the dry river. They fired back, Hesh calling out orders to push up and get to their allies throughout the fight. Logan wasn't sure how many. All he knew was that they were severely outnumbered. Green smoke drifted up in the air in the distance, near the gate. And between them and the allies at the gate was a swarm of enemy soldiers hellbent on making sure they didn't make it any further. They'd had worse odds before, though. They'd manage.

They picked their shots carefully, not about to waste ammo if they didn't need to. Bullets flew back and forth and ricocheted off of car doors. Logan and Hesh both aimed for the Federation soldiers on the bridge. They waited for the soldiers to jump out from their limited cover, and fired before their enemy could. Center mass, in the neck or head if they happened to get lucky though that wasn't where they had aimed. The bodies dropped to the ground one after the other. When they had an opening, they pushed up. Hesh sicced Riley on one of the soldiers in their path and he took him to the ground without any hesitation, while the rest of them laid down more fire on the soldiers under the bridge. The others hung back, but Logan continued to push forward with his brother. They took risks, but only ones they were certain they could beat the odds on.

The two jumped over a car and caught three soldiers off guard while they were reloading. They brandished their knives and cut their throats. When the third jumped away in surprise and tried to shoot at them, Logan lifted his own rifle still in his free hand and released the knife so that he could fire. They ducked down behind a barricade as a fourth appeared. One that Riley charged in an instant and took out. He grabbed him by the wrist. He was close enough that Logan heard the crack of the bone as Riley wrestled him to the ground. The gun went off and fired harmlessly in the air as it missed Riley completely. When his buddies came to try and help, Logan and Hesh were on them in an instant. While Logan ducked down to reload, his brother and their allies suppressed the enemy.

Roper was busy trying to keep the injured civilian he was carrying clear of the fire, which left Davis and Hawkeye to do most of the shooting. They even got in a few good shots. Logan noticed Hawkeye, the bundle of nerves that she may have been aside, had pushed ahead of Davis and Roper. The closest that any of the three had come to actually keeping pace with Hesh, Logan, and Riley since they'd been out there. She even picked off one of the last three, getting in a shot to the chest and then head to finish him off while Hesh and Logan made similar work of the other two. In an instant, the gunfire ceased once again. The alarm from the base on the other side of the wall still blared relentlessly, but the dust settled. All of them were tense. Logan could tell. They knew it wasn't going to be that easy, not with those helicopters still around, likely to return at any minute to finish them off.

"Get to the gate! This isn't over yet," Hesh called out. The group of seven – seven if you counted the civilian and the dog, the latter of which Logan always counted – raced up towards the exterior checkpoint and took what cover they could. Logan immediately searched for some kind of anti-air weapon, and as luck would have it there was a case that the guards had been forced to abandon as they pulled back. Hesh saw it first. "Logan, grab a launcher! Take care of those birds, we'll cover you, okay?"

"On it, don't worry." Logan's voice was low. It was doubtful that anyone, even Hesh, had heard him. What mattered was that Hesh knew he would take care of it. They trusted each other. He knew that Logan had heard and would do his part. The group took up defensive positions while Logan grabbed one of the launchers and carefully loaded it. The lack of actual rockets available told him they'd tried and failed to get a few shots in. It didn't matter. He figured he would only need one or two anyway. He hoped. He'd only had to use the thing once or twice in the last ten years, when there was no one else to do it. Nevertheless, he finished prepping the weapon and approached a barricade as the others likewise got into position.

Riley stayed out in the open and barked furiously towards the direction they had come. The sound of the helicopters filled the air once again. Distant, but fast approaching. Riley continued to bark and bark and bark, his hackles raised, his whole body practically lunging with every sound he made. Hesh grabbed him and pulled him to cover, having to fight against his weight to get him out of the way. As if the dog thought he would be of any help against those things. "Easy, boy, easy. You got 'em," Hesh tried to soothe. Riley stayed by his side but kept up his own verbal assault. The black shape of the bird appeared at the other side of the bridge. Instantly, Hesh called out, "Riley, go! Hide! Everyone else, keep their focus off Logan!"

The dog sprinted for cover behind an armored vehicle while the helicopter paused to hover over the bridge. A small group of soldiers leapt down and started their assault. The rest of the team fired back, while Logan aimed the laser on the launcher just ahead of where the bird would be as it started to inch forward once again. He didn't have time to get it while it was in place, but he knew he could get it before it picked up any speed. He fired and the force knocked him a bit, but he stayed in place. The helicopter moved to evade as abruptly as it could, but the rocket hit the mark. It started to trail smoke and spin out of control, and it crashed on the riverbank before the pilot could even attempt to recover it. One down, one to go.

Around him, the rest of their team fired back at the soldiers that occupied the bridge. There weren't many of them. Logan kept his head low and debated joining them. Every instinct kicked in and told him to fight back, too. He could have fired one of the rockets at the bridge, he realized, but he didn't want to waste the precious little ammunition he had in case he missed any shots against the helicopter. Hesh and the others had done their job thus far at that moment and the enemy's numbers had started to thin more and more. The second helicopter made its return not long after the first, and it didn't bring anymore Federation troops to plop on the ground and make life difficult. Just one more shot and he could end this.

When Logan leapt up from his hiding spot, the helicopter opened fire. One of its own rockets. It didn't land close enough to do any real damage, however the blast from the impact was enough to catch Logan off guard. He felt his back hit the ground. His ears rang. He'd been in situations like that multiple times before. Somehow he always ended up knocked on his ass. It would have been a miracle if he went a day without some absurd incident happening to him. Accident prone or unlucky or a combination of both. He could hear his brother shout over the gunfire and the ringing in his ears and he forced himself to get up, rolling onto his stomach to reach for the launcher that had been thrown from his hands when he hit the ground. He crawled a few inches until he could snag his fingers around it and pull it to him, then he staggered to his feet and stumbled for cover as the pilot fired a volley of shells from the gun on its nose. He narrowly avoided a hit to the leg that no doubt would have blown it clean off. Maybe luck actually was on his side.

He aimed the launcher as the helicopter started a wide turn, no doubt onto the fact he had his sights on it. The bird wasn't as slow to react as the first. Logan fired haphazardly and the first one missed, landing harmlessly several kilometers away as it likely wrecked some of the buildings not far from the wall. Logan gritted his teeth and fired again. Another miss. He hurried to reload, shoving in the last round he had. One shot. His hands shook. He forced himself to take deep, shaky breaths until he steadied, and carefully tracked the laser ahead of the helicopter as it rounded on the bridge. It turned. Angled in a way that would be hard to miss. He took the shot and prayed harder than he ever had in his life. By the time the pilot moved to counter the shot, the rocket had already hit its mark.

Relief flooded over him as the helicopter exploded in mid air. He pulled his arm over his eyes reflexively to shield himself from the blast, the whine of the engine abruptly cut off with a boom that he could feel in his chest. Around him, Davis and Roper let out a short cheer of victory. Hawkeye and Hesh just looked relieved that the fight was over. Logan watched as Hesh scanned the bridge through his sight, then lowered his rifle. "Clear. We're clear," he announced with a sigh. He turned to Logan and took a few long, quick strides before he was at his side. "Logan, you good?"

Logan nodded slowly. "I think. I'm still breathing," he said as he swallowed a knot in his throat. Hesh held out his hand and Logan took it, allowing his brother to help pull him to his feet. He could feel his knees shaking. Hopefully that would wear off. "I hoped it'd be an easy day…"

"No such thing as that," Hesh said, and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. He looked tired and he was covered in more dirt and debris than he had been when they'd started out that morning. Logan probably looked just as terrible. It didn't slow him down any, though. He turned back to where Hawkeye and Davis helped Roper pick up the civilian once again. "Corporal Davis, you're on transport. Let's get outta here…"

"Roger." Davis broke off and jogged towards the M-ATV. A few seconds later he climbed into the driver's seat.

Hesh jogged around to the other side, pausing only to greet Riley as the dog emerged from where he'd been on the other side of the vehicle. Logan did the same as he followed his brother. Before he reached the other end of the vehicle, though, Hesh nodded towards the back of it. "Logan, you've got security on the back."

"Mmhmm. Got it." Logan didn't waste any time before he clambered onto the back platform. Once they were within the safety of the wall there was minimal need for security. People didn't pick a fight with the sole force keeping them alive and safe from the Federation. Most of the civilians were on good terms with the military. Once everyone realized they were all stuck in their current situation together, the public distaste for martial law died down, and once they realized that the army wasn't interested in fighting their own people over the outsiders the anxiety died down. They were rarely heckled or resisted. And they rarely ever used force against anyone that wasn't a Federation soldier. It had been years since an incident like that had happened. But while on duty it was better to be safe than sorry.

Hesh whistled as he climbed into the passenger seat, and the vehicle thumped underneath his weight followed by the sound of paws as they raced across the pavement and then leapt into the vehicle. Logan could hear Hesh grunt as the MWD slammed into his abdomen and leapt over him into the back seat. The dog was probably pushing 70-something pounds at about three-years-old, and yet – likely due to Hesh letting him sleep on his chest so much as a puppy – he seemed to think he could climb and step wherever he pleased in situations like that. Thankfully, though, the dog had learned over time that he was not a lap dog. He was a big, scary working dog. He had to sit in the back seat.

A different alarm replaced the first one on the other side of the wall. This time it was the dull warning sound that announced the gate was being opened, followed by a different buzz when the gate finally began to part. Heavy metal thuds and clanks could be heard as the massive metal gate, more akin to a hangar door, was slowly opened. In an instant new sounds filled the air. Logan felt almost overwhelmed by the new rush of activity after the fight he'd just had, his hair standing on edge while his skin crawled. His grip on his rifle was unrelenting. But there wasn't any danger. Just the door opening, followed by medical personnel rushing to where Roper and Hawkeye were at the very entrance of the gate.

At some point one of them must have called for someone to meet them there. Or maybe they were there for the team that had come under fire. As another team of medics relieved Roper of the civilian, who looked half-dead and pale, Logan could hear Hawkeye rattling off the man's vitals and the assessment of the situation as she passed off the baton to them and the actual doctors they'd be taking him to. She fidgeted with her hands and wrung her blood soaked fingers together, and Logan stopped paying attention to her as Davis carefully drove the vehicle through the open gate.

It began to clank shut behind them. Logan turned away from it, facing forward. Ruins were replaced by skyscrapers in the distance, still in perfect and pristine condition. The debris-filled, crumbling roads were replaced by a busy street full of soldiers as they passed by a line of trucks filled with people on their way to reinforce the wall. He felt his muscles and nerves relax. Although not what he or his family would ever refer to as a proper home, it was the closest thing that he had after all those years. And after one of the toughest battles they'd had in a week or so, he was ready to crash anywhere he could.

The eerie stillness was replaced by a comforting one. At least until they hit the city. Then everything would be overwhelming once again. But at least they'd be safe for a time. He'd take the reprieve and quietness, however brief either was, where he could. Warm sunlight had started to crawl over the horizon to the east. A welcoming light. The sky started to shift from pinks and purples to pale blues and oranges.

Another new day in a new, broken world. Logan was just happy he got to see it.

---

0630.

It was no more than a twenty minute drive from the wall up the coast, back to the base. Due to how the city was laid out next to the wall, the base was fenced off at some odd angles here and there, without a massive plot of land that they could fence off with plenty of wilderness to keep them tucked away from the civilians. Instead, a good chunk of the base jutted up against civilian buildings. Anything past the city, along the wall, further out to the desert belonged to the military as well. They'd had to arrange the rest of it however they could. Coastal apartments and old civilian houses and offices had been converted into whatever was needed, be it barracks, storage, family housing or workspace. The military bought out a few buildings outside of the fenced off area and left their contractors to operate there or to have housing that was more or less a perk of their job. It wasn't much of a fort really, but they made do. It did its job and that was all that mattered.

Logan kept his rifle rested beside him while he leaned against the top of the vehicle. At some point down the road, Riley had poked his head out from the opening at the top to watch the scenery go past them. They weren't going very fast within city limits, but he seemed to enjoy it. Hesh didn't stop him, so Logan guessed there wasn't an issue. He crossed his arms on the top and leaned against it, watching whatever caught Riley's eye out of curiosity. He was relaxed, so was Hesh from what Logan could see, so there wasn't any reason for Logan to be too alert. No more than all of them normally were, at least. It was business as usual. Nothing much but a standard city, save for the various military checkpoints.

Buildings towered overhead, every last one kept up and managed. It was peaceful and inviting. People went about their usual days. Without tourism and Hollywood to profit from, no one wanting to be so close to an active warzone if not absolutely necessary, the city was a cleaner and less overwhelming place. There was still traffic, there were still streetside performers, busy stores, people that had to commute or make a killing somehow in their life, all forced to coexist while an active threat loomed over their heads. But people lived their lives anyways. Kids still played without a care in the world. Adults still savored the weekend. Even with the threats and worries of the world, people found a way to adjust. It was actually more peaceful within…a lazy Sunday that only the soldiers were forced to work on. Every time there was an attack on the wall it set people on edge, but they always bounced back.

They pulled in through a checkpoint, past a couple of soldiers chatting with a group of civilians. The guard motioned for them to drive through with a nod and opened the gate from within before he smiled and waved in both a greeting and farewell. As they rounded the corner, a soldier called out in greeting to them and to Riley, who let out a few barks in return. They approached the building that served as their father's command post, various soldiers posted outside other buildings. They were busy unloading crates, while another group was told to load up across the street to head to the wall. They needed reinforcements. Which was likely an understatement. Attacks had died down near the wall. They'd run into four patrols in the time they'd been out, all right at or just past the old city limits, and after that day everyone was back on edge. Not that they ever weren't.

The vehicle came to a halt with a slight whine as Davis announced their stop. Riley ducked back inside as Hesh opened the door, followed out and around by the dog. Logan hopped down from the back, but not before he grabbed his rifle and carried it in through the garage. Inside were buckets filled with water, flats of bottled water, crates filled with weapons, gear, and ammunition, sandbags, and boxes full of MREs and canned food that could probably last the entire military until the end of time. Their father always had told them he worked supply and requisition…they'd teased him throughout the years and claimed he just counted cans of food all day. He was practically drowning in them, after all. It was more than that, they realized with time. That didn't mean they didn't enjoy poking fun at him. He always laughed it off, but the first time they'd been down to his post they'd given him absolute hell over the amount of supplies being stacked up in the basement. He'd jokingly threatened to pass the responsibility onto them, which got them to shut up real quick. Neither one of them wanted to go from their high action, high stress job to being stuck in a garage marking cans and buckets and water bottles. He had won yet another battle. That time due to the threat of boredom.

The garage smelled the way garages always did. Faintly of motor oil, tires, metal, and dust. It brought Logan back to the weekends when he was much younger, almost too young to remember, when he and Hesh would 'help' (read: watch and listen and sometimes get in trouble for messing with things they shouldn't) while their father slaved over his truck or an old, classic car that had long since been turned into scrap courtesy of ODIN. It had been a project he took on for their mother. He'd promised her a drive up the cost, like in the old movies. That was what Logan and Hesh had been told. It had made him sad for his father. Not for the mother he'd never known, but instead for the man he loved and cherished and idolized that never got to fulfill a promise. He always kept his promises. He just couldn't keep that one. Yet he never seemed at all bothered by it. It was in the past, though. Nothing that could be changed.

As they entered the garage, Hesh laid his rifle atop one of the crates before he dug out Riley's ball from his pocket and chucked it across the room. The dog took off after it and brought it back to Hesh, only to pull back when he tried to grab it and throw it again. Riley then dropped into a play bow and eyed both of them as he gnawed on the ball, his tail swishing ever so slightly, his ears pricked up. Fully out of work mode. He had a switch, just like Hesh did. Logan set down his own rifle while Hesh let out a chuckle and shook his head, before he said in a slightly firm tone of voice, "Riley, stay. We'll be back down in a minute, bud."

The dog paused and tilted his head slightly at the mention of his name and the order. As Hesh walked off and Logan followed, he returned to gnawing at the ball. Logan heard him growl and yip at the ball behind them. Both of them paused in the doorway to the stairs that would lead them up and looked back to see what he was doing out of curiosity, just to find him in an intense stare off with the ball. As if it was the greatest foe he had faced that day. He let out a growl in the back of his throat and then snapped his jaws at the ball before he snatched it up and trotted around the garage with it. It fell to the concrete and he was forced to chase it back down. Logan and Hesh both snickered at his game.

"At least he's having fun," Logan observed. However odd it was to see a dog still in his kevlar vest – a vest which had 'beware of dog' written out in white marker on one of the patches while another patch featured a stylized snarling dog between a rifle and a spear – playing as if he was any normal pet.

"He's like a damn puppy…just…one that can break your arm," Hesh said, making a poor attempt to hide the amusement in his voice. He lightly smacked Logan's shoulder with the back of his hand and headed over to the stairs. "Anyways, c'mon. Let's go find the old man."

Logan looked away from Riley and followed Hesh. They went through a smaller offshoot of the garage, one that was smaller and more packed with boxes than the rather spacious garage, and then followed his brother up a set of shaky, wooden stairs. The place had been under renovations for some time. When they considered the situation, it made sense that aesthetics weren't at all their priority. However, storage was. So they did the bare minimum to keep the place stocked and loaded however they could. And there were plenty more garages and warehouses that served the same purpose. It was better than wasting limited resources on new buildings when they could just fix up and repurpose old ones they'd bought up. Besides, their father kept everything in order.

Upstairs was a prettier, cleaner sight. The doorway at the top of the stairs, propped open by a rubber stopper, opened the way to a neatly set up office space. Desks and filing cabinets had been set up in an orderly fashion, various high-tech screens stretched across just about every wall and displayed various satellite images, security feeds, blueprints and other schematics, any relevant files, and a plethora of other information Logan couldn't figure out. Soldiers clacked away at their computers and shuffled through paperwork as Logan and Hesh entered the room, not even looking up. On the far end of the room, situated in front of the larger screens in the room, Logan easily picked out their father's head of silver hair. Two soldiers, one of which Logan recognized as Merrick, stood close by him. The centermost screen displayed a satellite image of the U.S., warning symbols set up along the border of the wall where the attacks and most of the breaches had been concentrated.

They were too far to hear what was being said. Whatever it was, it must have been important. Their father went over something with the man Logan wasn't familiar with. The two motioned towards the screen every now and then. Merrick stood a few feet behind them, arms crossed, just watching. Logan couldn't see their faces, but their posture bordered on tense. That didn't say much, but it was the first thing he noticed. Although it was safe there, far safer than it was outside of the wall, there was a slight, barely noticeable tension that hung in the air. It hung over everything. It ebbed, came and went, but today, in that particular building, it was heavier than it usually was.

However important what he was working on must have been, all it took was both Logan and Hesh calling out, "Dad." Almost in sync. One just slightly after the other, like when they were kids.

Their father immediately turned to face them, the reaction an instinct. He dropped what he was doing, passing off the tablet he was holding for the soldier beside him as he walked towards them. He took a few steps towards them and they stopped when he reached them. He looked them over quickly, and Logan was sure they probably looked like a mess. Covered in three days worth of sweat, blood, and dirt. "I heard about the attack," their father said as he placed one hand on Hesh's shoulder and reached out to place his other hand on Logan's, looking between them. Logan felt the tension fade and his shoulders relax as his father gently rested his hand on one of them. Safe, as always. He allowed as much concern for them as he could while all three of them were on duty and in uniform. "You boys okay?"

"Always," Hesh replied with a nod. He put on a faint smile. One that Logan suspected was to reassure the two of them as much as their father. "Had a long weekend, though. We went weeks without an incident at the wall, just for them to show up at our doorstep once we cleared out their buddies at the edge of the city."

"They're getting closer to the wall again," Logan added with a nod, keeping his voice low as he eyed Merrick and the other man a few feet from them. They didn't look to be eavesdropping. They only glanced their way every so often. Logan was familiar with Merrick, even what his father and brother considered 'chatty' for him around the guy, but the other one he only had a vague memory of. As if he'd seen him around a few times, but only once or twice. He made the decision to ignore them both, and instead focused on his father and brother. A trick he mastered to keep his thoughts grounded on who and what mattered. "I think we might've gotten careless."

Their father nodded slowly and gave them each a pat on the shoulder before he pulled away. "Alright, give me just a moment, you two. I need to finish something up." He had a genuinely apologetic look in his eyes before he turned away from them. Back to where Merrick and the second soldier stood, both tuned back into the conversation as soon as his movement caught their eye. He took a step towards them and opened his mouth, able to get out their names before he was interrupted. "Merrick, Kick –"

"We'll take off," Merrick bluntly cut him off with a nod. He glanced towards Logan and Hesh while the other man – apparently nicknamed Kick – set down the tablet on the table beneath the screens. He looked them both over and lightly tipped his bald head towards them, but his eyes shifted back over to their father. He seemed to stifle a sigh, his voice heavy with the weight of some motion he didn't express very clearly. Not agitation. It was closer to exhaustion and understanding. "Take care of your boys. We can brief later."

"You're sure?" Logan saw his father raise a brow, the concern for them still apparent on his face. The silent apology was still there, too. Which told Logan that he wasn't just concerned for the two of them, but for Merrick and Kick as well. Logan and Hesh exchanged their own worried looks. But their focus went back to their father and Merrick.

"Positive." Merrick uncrossed his arms and stepped forward. "Need some time to decompress anyways." He held out a hand for Elias to take and pulled him into a stiff bro-hug before he marched for the door. As he passed, he nodded towards Logan and Hesh. "Good to see you boys are still in one piece. Helluva fight from what I heard."

"You could say that," Hesh said as he glanced over at Logan. Logan nodded and mumbled out an agreement. "Gave us all a run for our money, but Logan pulled through for us."

"Keep up the good work. You two'll be comin' for your dad's job in no time," Merrick said, a hint of exhausted teasing to his voice. A slight smirk appeared on his face as he looked all three of the Walkers over, but it faded just as fast. He was all business again in an instant. "Let's get outta Elias' hair, Kick."

"Just wrapping up, hang on," Kick replied distractedly. He ejected a flash drive that apparently belonged to him and shoved it into the breast pocket of his uniform, among an impressive collection of writing pens and markers that were clipped to the edge of it. He put on an almost awkward, polite smile and nodded towards each one of them as he followed after Merrick. "Major, Lieutenant, Sergeant. Nice to see you all. Take care."

Again, Logan mumbled out a generic greeting and goodbye just like his brother did. And the two men left just like that. He remembered Kick, vaguely. All of their father's companions were odd in their own way, but Kick liked to stick to himself as far as Logan knew. His memories of him were vague because he blended into the background during their father's cookouts, seemingly by choice. But Logan remembered the awkwardness to his movements. The way he spoke. The fact he was shorter than him. Merrick was far more memorable, if only because he was around more often. He was a total hardass, strict because he cared. The obvious soft spot he had had faded as Logan and Hesh aged, and had almost completely disappeared by the time they had joined up. It was nonexistent in the field. It was understandable.

As Merrick and Kick walked off, Hesh and Logan's father turned back to them. He gave them a faint, ghost of a smile before his expression went blank. It almost hardened. He glanced around the office before he stiffly nodded and turned away, patting Logan on the shoulder as he passed him. "Walk with me," he said simply, and the two followed him. They crossed the office to a nice, well lit staircase. A few old boxes filled with files were stacked in the corner to the right, underneath a board with various things posted to it, but their father turned left, up the stairs. As they went, he let out a sigh and broke the brief silence. "How bad was it today?"

"It was an absolute shitshow," Hesh replied. Their father glanced over his shoulder at him, brow raised, almost in warning before he seemed to remember there was nothing he could do about the language either of the boys used. Hesh went on, unfazed. "They were executing civilians, Dad. It was hell. We tried to stop 'em, but…I mean, Haw– Pierce…she managed to patch one up, but his chances looked slim. I'm no doctor but he looked like he had one foot in the grave." Hesh let out a sigh of his own. "I know it's not the first time we've seen it, I just hate that we couldn't stop it in time."

"It was bad." Logan didn't have much more to add. He was content to let his brother do most of the talking. But he had his own feelings on the subject. Now that it was over and the adrenaline had faded, he felt sick. "If we'd been a little faster…it just felt off. Everything outside of the wall feels off…"

"I know." He said it the way he did whenever they'd come to him with their troubles. He understood, he felt just as bad about the situation, but there wasn't anything that he could do about it. He marched up the stairs, onto a landing where an American flag stood in the corner. Early morning light drifted in through the windows that covered the staircase, a few vines blocking it along with the leaves from a few trees outside. Classic and abstract framed paintings hung on the brick on one side and the wall beneath the windows, seated among photos of soldiers from the unit and military vehicles. Their father straightened one of them as he passed by, almost absentmindedly. He kept talking as they went. "They're still rounding up anyone they can. Contractors, scavengers, drifters…anyone that can find them a way into the wall. That's part of how they took Dallas practically overnight. Curfews helped, but we're not imprisoning our own people here. People will do what they want to."

"So what can we do to help?" Hesh asked. There was a hint of hopefulness in his voice that Logan picked up on. Their father didn't answer. In fact, Logan heard him draw in a sharp breath. He tensed. Hesh noticed it too, his voice laced with concern as he prompted him. "Dad? What's wrong?"

Their father walked through the kitchenette, then into the upstairs office area that was more for himself and briefings. He stayed quiet, stopping just before he reached the balcony. "This isn't as easy as I'd hoped…" he muttered as he turned to face them. He looked between them, a complicated look on his face, while Logan felt almost nervous. The look in his eyes…it was more than simple concern. It was almost fear, maybe grief or guilt, maybe a mix of all three. Incredibly complicated. His tone softened as he spoke. "Listen, you boys…you're the only thing I've got left in this world."

"Dad…" Logan started, quiet. He took a step forward but stopped himself. Whatever the issue was, there probably wasn't anything he could do to make it better. He wasn't a kid. He knew that a hug didn't fix much of anything. It was a small, brief comfort. And it wasn't the time for one anyways.

"But…that being said, you're also the only ones I know I can trust," their father added, putting on a small smile as he blew out through his nose. A breathy, forced chuckle. "I'd hoped I'd have more time for this, but…no time like the present, I suppose."

"Hey, look, whatever it is, Logan and I…" Hesh paused, glancing over at Logan. He nodded for his brother to continue, and he nodded in return and put on a soft smile as he looked back at their father. "We're ready for it."

"I know you are." He looked them over and took a deep breath. Then he took the approach he always did. Logan could pick up on the way he mentally braced himself before he sighed and ripped the metaphorical band-aid off. "You two are going to No Man's Land."

He turned and marched out towards the balcony, Hesh and Logan exchanging a surprised look before they followed after them. Hesh was audibly surprised, letting out a nervous half-laugh as he asked, "Wait, wait, for real?"

"We've been on the defensive for far too long, and you two are some of the best soldiers we've got…so I'm sending you out of the city. Outside of the wall proper," their father explained as he exited the room, out onto the balcony. He walked over to the edge and leaned onto it, looking out at the beach. What used to be a popular pier was now a military installation. Black Hawks flew past, the remainder of the Pacific fleet was anchored in the distance, troops ran laps and firing exercises towards the south while tents and a few small buildings had been erected towards the north. Fences topped with barbed wire separated it from the rest of the base. While their father watched the activity going on on the beach below, Hesh and Logan watched him while he spoke. "You'll link up with a recon team in the field, gather what intel you can on the enemy, and get your asses back here in one piece."

Hesh nodded slowly. "So where in No Man's Land are we going?"

"Somewhere you two know better than anyone." He turned to face them. He didn't smile. The expression on his face was dead serious. Logan felt a sense of dread tighten his throat and stomach again as their father turned back to look out over the beach. "You're going home."

Both of them knew what that meant. Home. San Diego. Or at least whatever was left of it. Hesh looked over his shoulder at Logan, his lips parted slightly as the shock settled in. Logan wasn't sure if he expressed the same level of shock, but he was sure his face had probably paled. He felt his eyes widen, but he kept his composure as best as he was able to. Both of them did. He watched Hesh wipe the look of his face and nod, pursing his lips slightly. He didn't sound at all shocked as he said, "Right. We won't let you down."

Logan nodded in a show of firm agreement. "Promise."

"I know you won't," their father said. Logan could hear the smile on his face. He smacked the wooden guard rail and sucked in a breath before he turned around. "But enough about that…you've got today and tomorrow to prep for the op. And if my calendar is correct we've got somebody's birthday to celebrate. A day late, but nothing wrong with that." He and Logan both looked over at Hesh with expectant, excited looks while Hesh shifted awkwardly under their gaze. "So, what're we feeling? Dinner and a movie? Some cake?"

"Y'know, you two don't have to do anything. Really," Hesh said, reaching up to rub at the edge of the beanie he wore over his buzzcut. He forced out a laugh. "There's a mission, right? Celebrations like that can wait."

"I've missed too many of your birthdays," their father said, crossing his arms. "I gotta make it up to you boys somehow."

"You've been using that excuse for the last fifteen years," Logan observed with a light chuckle of his own. Hesh gave him an almost grateful look and he shrugged it off. "Though he has a point. And neither one of us is gonna let it go." He paused, making it a point to give his brother an apologetic smile. "I meant to say something yesterday, but the date completely slipped away. Didn't realize until today. I'm sorry."

Hesh held back a groan, his face flushing. No one between the three of them liked the spotlight, but Hesh was usually the better at handling it. The outgoing, sharp, bright-eyed leader between him and Logan. But whenever it came to anything that put the focus all on him, he didn't handle it well. "Please, I would've preferred if you both just forgot about it…"

Their father laughed at his expense. "C'mon, Hesh, let your old man have this. Please?"

Always the people-pleaser and never able to say no to his father or brother, Hesh seemed to realize that he wasn't going to win that battle. He sighed, unable to keep a small smile from appearing on his face. "Alright…dinner and a movie sounds great," he said. He paused, as if to consider it for another minute. "Hell, sand is appetizing after eating nothing but protein bars and rations for the last three days."

"Attaboy. I knew you'd come around," their father said with a smile, placing a hand on the top of his head and shoving him back and forth slightly. He did that often. They'd hoped they'd grow out of it one day, but he seemed to think they were never too old to be bothered by him. Still, Hesh and Logan smiled. He released Hesh's head after one last, light shove and headed back inside. "Now c'mon. Let's get you some breakfast and work out the details before you two get busy with your packing."

Logan and Hesh followed him back inside. The whole time, though, he couldn't help the butterflies he felt in his gut. Part of it was excitement, the other grief and fear. All the way back down to San Diego, on their own until they met up with the guys in the field. He knew they could handle it. They couldn't handle everything, they weren't invincible, but their father had trained them well. They'd overcome any obstacle. Any enemy. It didn't mean it would be easy. And it didn't mean that they were fearless. He could tell his father was worried, and that worried him. He could tell that Hesh had picked up on it, too. Neither one of them would let their father know they were nervous.

They'd take it in stride and come home. For him.

---

Author's Note: First mission chapter, whoo! Writing combat of any kind is always a fun challenge...tried not to get too technical, tried to keep it fun, and hopefully it was still exciting!

Here just to announce a few things. Number one...there is an OC of mine that's here. She will be making later appearances. I actually have a few different OCs, two of which are going to be tagging along in the story. I'm very, very excited to show them develop in the story for several different reasons. They will have perspective scenes as well, since I'll be alternating between the Ghosts and Rorke and the Feds. Logan will be the primary, of course, but there's different aspects of the story I want to show from different perspectives in case that's not already obvious lol. Second, I have a possibly better title in mind and I may change it...we'll see, I'm still up in the air on it. So...if you see me change the title, no you don't.

Next chapter or two will be some nice downtime (er...if you could call all of it downtime...it's debatable, there's some travel and action) and then onto the next chapter. Whew, I'm excited! Anyways, enough of my rambling.
Hope y'all enjoyed! Take care!