12:40 PM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

December 2018

The team are all gathered at their quarters but their mood has been less talkative. While Genji was tapping away on his phone, McCree and Sombra played pool against Fio and Moira, and Marvel was losing his dart throwing match with Amelie. By the corner of the room, Ray watched the TV with disinterest.

"Man, this shit's getting boring." Ray said, breaking the silence.

"Saying that for the tenth time isn't gonna make it less boring, man." Marvel called out as he took his stance.

"And you just got out of the kill house four hours ago." Sombra added. "What more do you want, bro?"

"Shooting paper targets and blanks don't count." Ray replied. "We've been on our asses for far too long."

"Ray does raise a point." Moira butted in after finishing her turn. "We're being put on hold after all thanks to this Valorant Protocol unit."

"You mean the guys who failed to stop Null Sector from attacking Rome?"

"The intel failed them." Amelie corrected. "Unlike us, they operate by the books. The mistakes from the higher ups were out of their hands."

"You seem quite fond of the Valorant Protocol, aren't you, Amelie?" Moira asked.

"I speak with logic in mind."

"So there's a chance that they're gonna put us on the sidelines indefinitely?" Ray said.

The room went silent. Blackwatch had been in charge of handling off-the-books operations under the government's nose and they were good at what they did.

With Jack Morrison and the Valorant Protocol taking over duties for the most part, all they could do was wait and see what comes next for Blackwatch.


03:20 PM, Local Time

13 km outside of Mogadishu, Somalia

UN Refugee Campsite

Outside of the city, doctors of the United Nations are helping the Somalian citizens who were caught in the middle of the civil war between Al-Shabaab and the government, accompanied by Helix Security International who served as security detail for the humanitarian doctors.

Angela comes out of a tent as she has just finished working on a patient. She needed to get some air as she took a deep sigh in relief and whipping the sweat from her head.

"How did it go?"

Angela turns to the voice and notices Fareeha Amari walking up to her, still in her gear. She simply raised a thumbs up as Fareeha got close.

"We managed to save the boy, though the landmine shattered his right leg." Angela said. "It's a possibility that he'll have to wear a prosthetic for the rest of his life."

"What matters is that he's alive and you saved him, Angela."

"I heard you put yourself in danger to save that boy."

"If it weren't for me, the boy would've been a goner. I couldn't just leave him there."

"You know those stunts of yours are gonna get yourself killed, Fareeha."

Fareeha let out a deep sigh. She had known Angela enough that she would be aware of her heroic stunts on the field. Before the conversation could continue, an HSI contractor approached her with orders.

"Amari, we need you for a CSAR. Captain's orders." He said in Arabic.

"Got it, Tariq." Fareeha nodded. "Right behind you."

Tariq nodded before heading off.

"Going out again?" Angela asked.

"Yep." Fareeha said before turning away. "I'll see you when I get back."

"Be careful."

"No promises."

Angela watched as Fareeha caught up with her teammates and couldn't help but feel worried for her. Knowing how she always puts herself in danger for the safety of the helpless, it was admirable and courageous to say the least but Angela's gut feeling was telling her that Fareeha's actions aren't going to always be successful considering Somalia's current situation.


04:20 PM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

Gabriel makes his way to Jack's office as by the look on his face he is not going to have a pleasant conversation as he needs to question him. Once he got to the door, he knocked and waited for a response.

"Come in."

Entering the office, Gabriel walked towards Jack sitting behind his desk who looked up, eyes meeting an unexpected face.

"Ah, Gabe. Wasn't expecting you today. What can I help you with?" Jack asked.

"I've been wanting to discuss something that has been on my mind for some time," Gabriel said as he crashed onto the chair before Jack's desk.

"What is it?"

Gabriel shot a glance at Jack with sharp eyes and a somewhat interrogative aura. Jack was quick to recognize that look as he took a sip from his mug.

"I wanna know what's up with this Valorant Protocol and how a unit that came to existence out of thin air, is suddenly handling duties meant for us."

Lowering the mug from his mouth, Jack simply sighed as he set the mug on the table and leaned back on his chair.

"I figured you were going to ask me that eventually. Just didn't know when."

"You're trying to replace me and my team, aren't you? Is that the real reason why you're here and Salvatore kicked the bucket?"

"This is nothing personal, Gabe." Jack said. "You and your team have been useful for our cause but the Valorant Protocol is a government-sanctioned and, dare I say, a clean covert organization that I believe that your efforts are far suitable with them."

"You're asking me to work with a bunch of scouts just because you don't like how Blackwatch operates?"

"We can't have dirty ops under NATO's hand. This will contradict our intentions to demonstrate peace and unity."

"You honestly believe that shit when there are killers out there trying to turn this world under?" Gabe said, leaning forward. Jack sighed as he lifted his hand to his scrunched eyebrows."You think NATO's idea of peace is gonna fix the mess they've made? Our methods aren't pretty but we're the ones covering up their mess and like it or not, we do it better than any other cleanup squad they throw in."

"I understand your frustrations, Gabe, but right now, the situation is getting more heated than we've anticipated. Congress has been questioning our capabilities ever since the Rome incident and the public are getting more-"

Gabriel suddenly bolts up and slams his fists on Jack's table. "Lives are in danger and you wanna talk about your fucking approval ratings?!"

"This isn't about ratings, this is about collateral damage!" Jack snapped back. "People are scared to go out onto the streets without worrying about whether they'll live to see another day. We're supposed to be keeping our operations out of the public eye and if word gets out to the media about you and your team's existence, we'll be spending months doing damage control!"

Gabriel glared down at Jack as he continued.

"Look, I know this is not the answer you expect from me and I understand. Believe me when I say I'm with you all the way but we need to be realistic about this-"

Gabriel began to chuckle as Jack looked at him with confusion. "Realistic? Don't make me laugh. Where has being realistic ever gotten us, huh? All we did was let people die while we stood by the sidelines, knowing we could've stopped the bloodshed! You know this as much as I do, Jack, but I guess being NATO's lap dog made you forget the blood that's still on your hands"

Gabriel storms out of his office, not giving Jack the chance to speak. As the door slammed shut, Jack slumped back into his chair and sighed, taking in everything that Gabriel had said to him.


05:30 PM, Local Time

Mogadishu, Somalia

Helix contractors have just wrapped up their CSAR, returning back to their headquarters. Fareeha was in the Humvee at the front of the convoy, seated next to Captain Khalil who was driving. She looked through the window, watching the Somali people going about their lives while the civil war continued to shake their country. However, there was something that was bothering Fareeha.

"Something doesn't feel right." Fareeha said.

"Because we found nothing? Agreed." Captain Khalil answered. "Intel said there were innocent people in that area."

"Could've been a trap."

"If it was, we would've gotten into a gunfight. Luckily for us, we're still in one piece. My guess is wrong intel."

Fareeha said nothing and returned her gaze to the war-ravaged streets. Even if bad intel was the case, Fareeha's conscious was convinced something was off. She just couldn't pinpoint where exactly.


9 km north of Mogadishu, Somalia

Undisclosed Camp

Gunshots rang out in synchronization as Talon units watched insurgents of Al-Shabaab train with resilience and coordinated diligence. Talon was fortunate to find such fighters like Al-Shabaab who were more than happy to support their cause, unlike the late Macaba militia. On top of being fast learners, their motivations were the driving force and easy enough for Talon to broker a fair deal of weapon shipments and military training.

On one side, insurgents took to the firing range to test out the newest range of weaponry much more advanced than their arsenal of AK-47s, courtesy of Talon. On the other, fighters trained in close-quarters and the many ways to kill a man, thanks to Talon's best instructors.

Captain Cuerva watched from the sidelines as live fire erupted across the camp, observing for the potential candidate to join their ranks. Almost every insurgent had potential, making it a hard choice for him.

"Captain," Cuerva then turned around to find Pacanowsky approaching him, phone in hand. "The Coin wants to speak with you."

Cuerva held out his hand for Pacanowsky to hand over before lifting the phone to his ear. "Go for Cuerva."

"Bonjour, Captain," Maximilien said. "How's Mogadishu doing for you?"

Cuerva glanced over to the insurgents at the field. "Our allies are surprisingly loyal and competent. They barely managed to move an inch against the military and now they've taken over an entire town thanks to our funding and training."

"Never underestimate the power of money and power," Maximilien replied. Cuerva can feel his smirk behind the screen. "Now, I didn't call you just to catch up on trivial news. Your boss is calling for you to finish up. I have an assignment that I believe you and your team would be interested in."

A smirk grew across Cuerva's face.

"I'm listening."


05:50 PM, Local Time

13 km outside of Mogadishu, Somalia

UN Refugee Campsite

Back at the camp, Angela was walking around the camp looking around with a smile on her face watching how the refugees are feeling safe from the war.

"Angela!"

She turned and noticed Winston jogging up to her, alongside his assistant, Athena. Angela noticed he was rather breathless despite his muscular build, which was rare for a doctor like him. He must have something urgent for her to come running.

"Angela. I've been meaning to speak with you." Winston said through his labored breaths.

"Is something wrong, Doctor?" she asked, cocking her head.

He nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. The UN has ordered us to halt all activities effectively and pull out of Mogadishu ASAP."

Angela's eyes widened and her mouth went agape at what she was hearing.

"They want us to leave? Why?" she asked.

"They say the area is getting too dangerous and they can't risk us and the staff getting caught in the firefight."

Angela looked over to the tents where the patients were. "But we can't just abandon these people, Doctor. We have innocent lives on the line here and that's just a small fraction of this city."

"We've tried to reason with them but they told us that our lives are their top priority. The UN has lost all contact with the government and-"

The conversation ended with loud gunfire, engine roaring and panicked screams which caught the three's attention. Angela rushed to see what was happening.

"Mortar incoming!" a voice screamed, although tad too late.

Just as Angela comprehended the warning, a deafening blast knocked Angela onto her back as sand clouded her and everything went dark.

A few minutes later, Angela slowly woke up from the darkness, ears ringing to no end. Sand stuck to her skin as she caught a glimpse of cuts on her arms, close to where the sand was. Her body struggled to get itself back on her feet as she began to crawl, not knowing what was happening around her.

Suddenly a huge shadow casted over her face. Angela heard the figure shout, although she couldn't understand what it was saying. Once her ears fully recovered, she saw Fareeha in front of her holding her up.

"I got you, Angela! Come on!"

Angela quickly helped herself up as she followed Fareeha into cover, coming across four other doctors and the remaining Helix contractors protecting them.

"What's happening?!" Angela asked over the gunfire.

"It's Al-Shabaab! They're after the supplies and they've taken out several of our contractors!" Fareeha replied.

Angela looked around as civilians of all types ran amok as the insurgents moved past them, firing upon anyone carrying a gun. However, she noticed something was missing among the group.

"Winston's not here." Angela said before turning to the doctors. "Where's Winston and Athena?"

"We don't know!" Dr. Kessler replied. "We got separated from the mortars! Should we look for them?"

"There's no time to search for them now!" Tariq said while loading a new magazine. "We need to get you all out!"

"We'll peel off our rear! It's our only way out!" Captain Khalil ordered. "On me!"

The group followed the contractors as they provided covering fire for the doctors and themselves. During the firefight, Fareeha noticed something different about one of the insurgents' rifles. She could make out what looked to be a government-issued CZ 805, a weapon unusually in the hands of insurgents.

Who could they have gotten them from? Now that Fareeha thought about it, almost every attacker they've faced had been carrying advanced tactical gear and weapons that would've been out of reach for a group like Al-Shabaab, as well as moving in ways that mirror special forces tactics, which only furthered her suspicions.

She could only hold that thought for later as she and Captain Khalil were the last to retreat and regroup with the rest. As the group made a dash for safety, Fareeha heard Khalil let out a cry of pain behind her and turning around, she found him on the sand.

"Captain!" Fareeha shouted.

She ran to Captain Khalil as he crawled behind a few cargo boxes and helped return fire on the insurgents. Ducking to cover, Fareeha checked the Captain's wound and found a bullet hole in his lower waist.

"Go! Get everyone out of here! I'll hold them off!" Khalil shouted over the gunfire.

"No! We fight as one, Captain! Let me get you up!" Fareeha responded as she tried to help him up.

Khalil pulled her close by the vest. "Amari!" The tone made her freeze momentarily. "This is not the time to be a hero. Protect the doctors and get them to safety. That is my final order to you, Captain Amari."

Although one half of Fareeha's mind wanted her to carry Khalil with her, she needed to get Angela and everyone else out, and carrying Khalil would only make him an easy target and render her bravery in vain. Cursing under her breath, Khalil released her and she took the cue to catch up with her team.

As the group got far from the area, Fareeha turned back to catch one last sight of Khalil returning fire before an explosion erupted beside him, concealing him in smoke and sealing his fate. Fareeha sucked in her breath and faced forward as the group kept running, away from the base. Even after finding a safe distance, there was still no sign of Winston and Athena.


07:50 PM, Local Time

Rome, Italy

Embassy of the United States

Gabriel headed down the corridor after being summoned for an urgent meeting with Jack. On his way to his office, Gabriel thought hard on what to say, remembering he had stormed out in anger earlier. He eventually arrived at Jack's office and stopped by the door, taking a deep breath before opening the door. Walking in, he noticed a familiar face standing in front of Jack's desk.

Brimstone turned around and a grin grew across his face upon noticing their new visitor.

"Gabe! What a surprise!" Brimstone greeted.

"Could say the same to you, Liam." Gabriel greeted back as he and Brimstone shook hands. "Long time no see. Haven't seen you since your deployment with the Ragged Ravens."

"I got the job a few months back. Higher ups were impressed with my resume and put me on as team leader for the Valorant Protocol."

Gabriel lingered on that answer. "Interesting. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen you at our last meeting with your team."

"You two can catch up with each other later cause we have a situation that needs to be dealt with ASAP." Jack interrupted, catching both Gabriel and Brimstone's attention.

The two turned towards Jack as he began the briefing, turning on the projector to open a slideshow.

"Last night, UN humanitarian and aid workers led by Dr. Winston Hayward were stationed outside Mogadishu to provide help for those affected by the civil war when their camp was attacked by heavily armed Al-Shabaab insurgents." Jack continued to the next slide. "They were under the protection of Helix Security International but they took serious casualties and were forced to retreat. We've received a distress call from one of the contractors for HSI, Lieutenant Fareeha Amari, who was with the humanitarians at the time. We've tracked their call to Khandali Village, just several klicks southeast of their camp, which may've been their last known location."

"How many doctors do we need to save?" Gabriel asked.

"Seven, that includes the contractors." Jack replied, turning off the projector.

"I'll take Ray and Genji for this one."

"And I'll have two of my own with me." Brimstone added.

"Very well. You two will be leading this team for this joint covert op." Said Jack. "Your task is to find the doctors and the contractors, and extract them out of the country fast. And keep a low profile with this. If NATO finds out about the doctors, we'll have an international crisis on our hands."