Shepard looked down at Avery and Babble, eyes practically narrowed into slits. "So… you two understand your mission?"

Both women nodded. "Yes, sir- rest assured, you can count on us," Babble assured the CO.

"Not just me. The entirety of the Federation Military in Presidia is counting on you two," Shepard reminded them. "Are you sure you're up to the task? There's no shame in backing out now."

"These are the kind of missions we trained for. It's as good as done," Avery said.

Shepard nodded solemnly. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather wallet. The crisp sound of bills folding on themselves hit Avery's ears as Shepard pulled out three one-hundred bills. "Then get going, and don't come back until you have enough fireworks to wow the whole base," he said as he handed Babble the money. The corners of his mouth finally curled into a smirk as he nodded at them. "Dismissed."

Avery followed Babble to her car, and once they were in, they began driving down the road. Before long, they were out of the base and on the highway, driving into the city. Having lived downtown for most of her life, Avery was still getting used to looking at Presidia from so far away. It was only from a distance that she could appreciate just how tall some of the buildings were. She leaned her head against the window, watching the city stand tall as the landscape passed by. For a moment, Avery was so engrossed in the view that she didn't even notice that Babble was trying to get her attention.

"Huh? What's up?" she asked, leaning away from the window and looking at the driver.

Babble rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face. "I said have you ever seen the Air Force celebrate New Year's Eve before?"

Avery shook her head. "I've never actually celebrated New Year's Eve at all. It just never really mattered that much to me," she admitted.

"Really?" Babble asked, looking her with an almost confused expression before a smirk settled on her face. "Then you're in for one helluva surprise. Nobody does New Year's quite like we do. And you'll start seeing what I mean when you see the kind of fireworks we're getting."

"Who exactly are we buying these from, anyway?"

"He's an ex-military guy. He used to be an explosives specialist until a few years ago when he quit the Army and started up a pyrotechnics place downtown. We've been buying fireworks from him since he opened up- he even gives us a sweet discount for being active service. He's a cool guy," Babble explained as she began to veer off the highway and onto the exit leading into the city.

Avery looked around at the sidewalks as they passed by. The only movement to be seen was trash tumbling through the winter breeze. "Sure seems quiet today- especially for New Year's Eve," she observed. "I guess things have really changed since I left for flight school."

"No, something's definitely off here," Babble replied as she pulled into a roundabout and came out the other side. "Not sure if there's some event going on but it's never this quiet." She shrugged as she pulled into a parking space on the side of the street. "Oh well, guess it just means less traffic for us on the drive back."

Avery stepped out of the car and followed Babble into a small store that was part of a much larger building. A sign that read "Carson's Pyrotechnics" hung above the door, hand-painted in bolded orange letters against a white background covered with fireworks. As the two pilots stepped inside, the door hit triggered a bell to ring out through the store, immediately attracting the attention of the man at the counter.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Carrie, and who's this with you?" he asked in a jovial voice- far more so than Avery expected from the way Babble described him.

Babble put a hand on Avery's shoulder. "This here is Locksmith Squadron's newest pilot: Avery Finch." She closed the remaining distance between herself and the counter and leaned up against it. "And I think you know why we're here."

Carson rubbed the back of his neck as he tried his hardest to avoid eye contact with her. "Er… about that. If I had known that it was gonna be as busy as it was today, I absolutely would've tried to hold onto some for you, but as it stands… I'm completely out of fireworks."

Avery shared a confused look with Babble before they both looked back to him. "Seriously? Surely it can't have been that busy."

"I was surprised by it myself," Carson admitted. "Truth be told, I think that was the busiest it's ever been in here."

Babble drummed her fingers against the counter as she looked at him with something of a scowl on her face. "Do you at least know where we could get some fireworks?"

Carson shrugged. "This late in the day? I honestly don't have a clue. I'm sorry I can't be more of a help, but I guess that's just how it goes."

In the week Avery had been part of the squadron, she'd gotten to know Babble well enough to tell when she was about to go off on a tirade, so she quickly grabbed her arm, and started pulling her away. "Thanks anyway, Carson. It was nice to meet you!" she called back as she and Babble left the shop.

"Well, that pretty much screws everything up," Babble said as she got into the car and slammed her door shut. "I'm sure Shepard's gonna be absolutely thrilled when we come back empty-handed- unless you happen to have any bright ideas on where we can get some fireworks."

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Avery's mind. It had been years since she'd even seen him- let alone solicited his services, but it was worth a try. "As a matter of fact, I think I just might. Take us to Woodview. I'll give you directions from there."

"Woodview?" Babble echoed. "You do realize we're gonna need some actual, legitimate fireworks, right- not the kind you find at a general store? How are we supposed to find those in the suburbs?" she asked as she started driving.

"Trust me, we'll get 'em," Avery assured her. "Growing up, there was this kid in the neighborhood- name was Jimmy- and he was always the one you went to whenever you were trying to get stuff," she explained, looking out the window as the storefronts passed by. "His parents were… actually, I don't really remember what they did for a living, but that's how he got his hands on so much stuff."

"And you think he's gonna be able to get us some fireworks?" Babble asked.

Avery scoffed. "Oh, without a doubt. He's definitely gotten weirder for other people," she assured her. "Trust me, if anyone in this city is gonna have fireworks, it'll be him."

Babble turned around a corner and suddenly stopped the car. "That's if we can get to him." She let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back against her seat. "God dammit, this is just what we needed."

Avery looked ahead and instantly saw what the problem was. The way ahead was entirely blocked by thousands of people standing in the street. Most of them were holding signs that she was too far away to read, and they seemed to be yelling at a sizable group of armed Federation soldiers that were blocking their path.

"These protestors need to stop making everything so goddamn difficult," Babble groaned as her fingers drummed against the steering wheel. "I mean, they can't seriously think that they're actually accomplishing anything here, can they?"

Avery's gaze shifted between the protestors and Babble. "What are they protesting, exactly?"

"Us- the Federation. They keep talking about how all of a sudden we're using Cascadian resources to "forcefully expand our empire" or some bullshit- even though we haven't even had a military intervention somewhere since Oceania, which I think everyone can agree was necessary." Babble leaned forward and swung the car around in a U-turn to start driving away from the protestors. "Well, looks like we're out of options."

Avery, on the other hand, wasn't about to give in so easily. "Not yet, we aren't. I know a back way to get to Woodview. It's a bit longer of a drive, but It'll get us there," she promised.

Sure enough, Avery's route took them around the protestors without any issue, and before they knew it, they had made it to the neighborhood she grew up in. She couldn't help but feel a slight sense of pride as she helped Babble navigate through the streets that she once played in. The feeling she got when she made a difference- that feeling of belonging- filled her with pride.

Finally, they pulled over on the side of the street in front of one of the bigger houses on the block. It looked like it had barely aged a day since Avery last saw it. She looked over her shoulder at Babble as the two got out of the car. "Just follow my lead, and those fireworks will be as good as ours." She led Babble down the paved pathway through the front yard and stepped onto the front porch, taking a deep breath in and out before ringing the doorbell.

About twenty seconds passed, and Avery was about to press it again when she heard footsteps on the other side of the door. A moment later, it swung open, and the face she couldn't forget if she tried stepped out. "Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or is that none other than Avery Finch on my doorstep?" Jimmy asked, grinning from ear to ear. "Man, how long has it been."

"Gotta be close to about six years now- at least," Avery guessed, pausing to get a good look at him. Unlike the house he lived in, he had most definitely aged since she last saw him, but it seemed to be for the best. "You look good. How you been?"

Jimmy shrugged. "Oh, you know, same-old, same-old. To be honest, not much has really changed since high school."

"Well, you know what? I think that actually works out rather well, because I've come to er… enlist your services, if you catch my drift."

Jimmy looked at her with a grin. "Is that right? Well, it certainly has been a while since you've done that. And just what might I be able to help you with this time, hm?" he asked.

"We need your help getting fireworks- proper fireworks," Avery explained. She turned to Babble and nodded, signaling her to pull out the money Shepard had given them and hand it to her. "As big and as many as you can give me for this kinda money."

"Y'know what, Avery? I think you're in luck. With Unification Day right around the corner, I actually happen to have some fireworks right here at home. Give me just a minute." He turned around and left into his house, leaving Avery and Babble standing on the porch until he returned about a minute later with a fairly large box of fireworks. "How's that for you?"

Avery smiled. "It's perfect. We'll take it," she said, handing him the money and taking the box from him. "It was a pleasure doing business with you again, Jimmy."

"Likewise, Avery," Jimmy replied with a single nod. "It was good to see you, and I wish you the best of luck."

As the two women went back to Babble's car, Avery set the fireworks securely in the trunk before getting back in. "See? I told you we'd get it sorted," she told Babble with a cocky grin.

Babble rolled her eyes as she started the car. "Gotta admit, I'm impressed, Glade. It's a good thing you grew up here or else we woulda been screwed, and trust me, you don't wanna see Shepard when he's mad. It's not a pleasant sight."

"In that case, we should probably get a move on and head back," Avery suggested. "After all, we wouldn't wanna be late with the fireworks."

"I couldn't agree more," Babble replied before turning back onto the road and beginning the long drive back to the air base.

"Well, you two certainly took your sweet time," Shepard said, half-teasing as Avery and Babble stepped out of the car. "I was just about to call and see where you'd gone off to."

"Hey, it's not our fault!" Babble protested as she pulled the fireworks out from the car. "Blame Carson for not planning ahead and running out of fireworks by the time we got there. We woulda been shit outta luck if not for Glade."

Shepard looked toward Avery with curiosity. "How's that?"

Avery nonchalantly waved her hand. "Oh, it was nothing. Just had a feeling an old friend of mine would be able to help us out, and he did."

"Well, it paid off, so I'd say it's a win-win." Shepard nodded to a pair of what looked to be mechanics walking up to them, who promptly grabbed the box of fireworks and hauled it off. "The boys'll get everything set up. In the meantime, we're missing out on dinner, so let's get down to the mess."

"Heh, you don't gotta tell me twice, sir," Babble assured him, already leading the way.

"I just wish we could've gotten here earlier," Avery said as she followed both of them through the main building. "Although, to be fair, we probably would've if not for that protest that made us take the long way."

"Another protest?" Shepard asked before shaking his head. "Feels like they've just been getting more and more frequent lately. I just wish we could sort this out together instead of yelling at each other all the time, and it doesn't help that a bunch of Cascadian nationalists keep getting more and more violent."

"Well, we can worry about that some other time- a time when we're not celebrating," Babble decided as the three pilots entered the mess hall.

It didn't take more than a few moments for the other pilots to notice them through the crowd and call them over. "Hey, Glade, c'mere! I've got something for you," Pad called out, holding a bottle of wine.

Avery rolled her eyes, already knowing what was about to happen. "Oh, Dust Mother, not again. You really think this is gonna end up any different from the last time?"

"No, no, no, trust me, this'll be better for you," Pad assured her, turning around to the table and pouring into a wine glass. "This is a sweet red. I think it'll be much better for you."

"Well, I suppose I don' t really have much of a choice here," Avery groaned, picking up the glass and looking at the wine swirling around. "Here goes nothing." She put the rim of the glass to her lips and slowly tilted it back until just a few drops landed on her tongue, which she instantly regretted. She coughed profusely, putting the wine glass back down and putting as much distance between it and herself as possible. "How is that worse than the first one?"

"Seriously?" Babble asked in disbelief. "I swear, Glade, one of these days, I'm gonna find you an alcohol that you enjoy drinking, mark my words," she promised, wrapping her arm around Avery's shoulder.

ASH scoffed. "Yeah, good luck with that."

Avery was about to reply one a voice echoed through the room. "Hey! Someone turn on the TVs, quick!" they called out.

A few moments later, the two TVs on opposite sides of the mess hall came on, both showing a news reporter sitting at a desk. "-this horrible tragedy. At least six people are dead and a dozen more injured after a group of Federation soldiers fired into a crowd of protestors just moments ago," the reporter said. The screens switched to a feed from a helicopter hovering over downtown, where the light from EMS sirens lit up the night. "According to initial reports, the protestors were becoming increasingly hostile with the Federation soldiers sent to keep a handle on the situation- even going as far as to throw rocks at them. Suddenly, they all heard a loud sound, and, thinking it to be gunfire aimed at them, opened fire at the protestors. We'll keep you all informed on this situation as it develops."

"Oh shit," Cutter murmured.

The news went to a commercial brake, which was barely audible as the mess hall exploded into chaos. Arguments broke out between the National Guard and the Federation soldiers, none of them fully audible to Avery, but that hardly mattered because she knew what the rest of Locksmith Squadron, and surely everyone else on the base, knew; which was that things were about to get a lot more complicated, and more importantly, dangerous.