AN: So I was playing Xbox Live a couple months to go and I find the game Army of TWO: The Devil's Cartel free to download. I had fun playing this game even if it was underrated but I really liked the lore after playing it. Also while playing it, the game gave me an idea for a fic that I might try in the later future. But for now, enjoy this teaser chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Army of TWO or Infinite Stratos.
Army of TWO: Yin and Yang
(Years ago)
"I can't believe we're wasting our time scoring two brats." An armed henchman said. He and his comrade were ordered to capture the two younger twin siblings of one of the strongest IS users in the world; Chifuyu Orimura.
Behind him and his friend were the tied up and gagged blue-haired brown-eyed twins; Ichika and Madoka. The two were trying to get out of this but they couldn't.
"Shut it." His comrade said. "Our orders are to secure these brats, not complain. Besides if things go to plan here, I might get an IS." She said. "So just be quiet and don't ruin this for me, whelp."
The male grunted in irritation. Ever since the debut of IS, females have been gaining a higher power than the males. The two were simply watching and the male soldier walked up to his partner.
"What?" His comrade asked.
"Did you hear that?"
The woman listened for anything and heard a can fell over.
"Yeah, I'll go check it out. Stay with the brats." The woman said before she went into the shadows. Before she went any further, a man in a Kevlar vest with the word 'TWO' with a black camouflaged ballistic mask with flames painted on the sides grabbed her and stabbed her in the neck as he covered her mouth.
The man pulled out a silenced pistol and watched the guard holding the twins hostage.
"Listen! I don't know if you're here or not but take another step and I'm blasting these brats!" The man screamed and Madoka whispered to her twin. Despite being gagged, Ichika understood what she said.
"I'm scared…"
The guard soon felt a poke on the back and turned to see a big bulky guy with the same armor and had a black ballistic mask with half of a skull on the right side of it.
"Uh…"
BAM!
The masked man headbutted the guard and he fell down, unconscious. The two masked men regrouped and fist bumped.
"Nice." One of them said before looking at the kids.
They approached them, cut off their bounds and gags, before helping them stand. The big guy flipped his mask up, revealing a horrible scar on the right side of his face.
"Are you two okay?"
The twins looked at him.
"Relax, we're here to get you out."
"Did…Did Chifuyu send you?" Madoka asked, wondering if their masked heroes are associated with their older sister.
"Well-."
"Hey Rios, got a call. More guards incoming." The other masked man said.
"Got it, Salem." Rios said before flipping his mask down. "Get somewhere safe. We'll protect you."
The twins nodded before hiding behind a crate while Salem and Rios got ready and pointed their guns at the door. Soon guards came out and the two T.W.O operatives were shooting them or slicing them down like they're nothing. Ichika and Madoka were easily impressed. These saviors not only saved them but are cutting through a small army with barely any effort at all.
This also has them considering of being heroes like them one day.
(Years later)
A fourteen year-old Ichika and Madoka were walking through one of T.W.O's facility. Ever since their kidnapping, the twins aspired to be like Rios and Salem and even kept in contact with them after reuniting with their older sister, Chifuyu.
When with Chifuyu, they lived ordinary lives as if the kidnapping never happened. But behind her back, they asked Rios and Salem if they can join their Private Military Corporation, Tactical World Operations. The two, of course, refused to let them join due to their age but offered lessons for self-defense in close combat and gunfire. It worked…for a time. The twins were now skilled in combat as any T.W.O operative would be but it wasn't enough. Their dream of being T.W.O operatives kept them pestering Salem and Rios enough that they actually gave in.
'We already train a bunch of mercs that act like kids, we can make an exception for a couple actual kids.' The two thought as they gave in.
That was when Ichika and Madoka Orimura were officially invited to join the PMC called T.W.O. All that was left was induction test, which the Orimura twins must pass in order to be official T.W.O operatives.
They had Kevlar armor and pads, a few guns, and they both were wearing ballistic masks that were both modeled after a test dummy's face. Before entering the testing room, they see Chuy and Baker walking out of there. Rumor has it that the new guys, Alpha and Bravo, just beat their record in there and those two were trying to reclaim their place but it didn't like they had much luck.
They examined the twins.
"Nice gear but…you're in the wrong room." Baker remarked, earning a chuckle from his partner but a look of disdain from the Orimura twins.
"Kiddy room is over there, babies." Chuy said before the two left.
"Don't worry, those two are just a sour bunch ever since Alpha and Bravo beat their scores." Salem said over the intercom.
"Whatever, if Alpha and Bravo can beat them, then we'll pulverize them." Madoka said with full confidence and determination before she and her brother placed on their masks.
The two soon entered the doors and there were two shooting galleries.
"Welcome to your final test." Rios said over the intercom.
"Be aware this is gonna be one hundred percent of your grade." Salem added.
"This one seems easy enough. Just shoot the targets." Rios instructed as each twin got into one of the two shooting ranges.
"Knock'em all down, and you pass. Get to it." Salem ordered as target dummies started popping up.
First, the twins fired their standard-issued M4 assault rifles before the dummies fell down fast and easy. Soon more dummies showed up but up close to them and for that, they used their LE-400 shotguns. They fell before the medium-range dummies popped up. The twins took out their M92 pistols and they all fell down.
"Nice job." Rios complimented, making both twins smirk underneath their masks.
"Yeah, those pointers you made back then really made things easy." Madoka remarked, earning a chuckle from Salem and Rios.
"Be lucky we trained you, unlike the other idiots that screwed up on that." Salem replied, earning a chuckle back from Madoka.
"Let's get the next test done." Ichika said before the gates opened, revealing multiple covers in different sizes and in front of them was a street barrier.
"Here we're testing your ability to move from cover to cover." Rios instructed before the twins hid behind the closest cover that they can find.
"So you're making us walk from one place to another? Fourteen years of doing that are about to pay off." Madoka sarcastically remarked as she and Ichika moved to the cover next to them easily and fast too.
"Right, says the same girl with fourteen years of experience in being wobbly every time she gets out of bed." Ichika said to his twin, making her pout underneath her mask.
"I'm improving on that!"Madoka replied before they ran and slid across the floor to the barrier where they momentarily used it for cover.
Rios quietly sighed.
"Anyways, get to the other end of the area, moving from cover to cover. Go." Rios instructed before the Orimura twins vaulted the barrier and the one after that. They were soon in front of the doors to the next test.
They see two more shooting galleries and in front of them were two types of covers and beyond that was the recreation of a battle scene.
"Now, we're testing your skills with blind-fire and grenades." Riios explained.
In front of the twins were a few grenades.
"Oh I could blow up the whole world with these." Madoka said.
"That last time you said that, we blew a hole in Chifuyu's wall." Ichika said. The two had to find part-time jobs to get the money to fix the mess.
"Ah, good times…" Madoka sighed before she and her brother went to their galleries. They went behind the smaller covers before aiming and firing at the targets. They shot their targets down before more showed up. They switched covers and demonstrated blind fire, taking down a couple of the dummies. They soon stopped firing and tossed a grenade, taking down all of the remaining targets.
"Nice job, kids." Rios said.
"Feels like yesterday that we just cleaned their diapers." Salem joked.
"Come on, I can do this all day!" Madoka said, ready for the next test already.
"Same here, we can take it." Ichika added, he was just as determined as his twin.
They entered through the doors to see another shooting gallery and in front of that was another recreated battle scene. The two looked at each other and nodded before getting into their assigned spots, waiting for instructions.
"All right. This time, simply take down the targets, and you're on to the next test." Rios instructed as more training dummies popped up. The twins nodded before firing their assigned targets.
"Copy that." Ichika nodded while firing at the targets.
"Let's show what we're made of."
Inside the surveillance room, Rios and Salem were watching the Orimura twins gun down the training dummies that and they felt some pride since they were the ones who taught them all about firing a gun.
"Look at them go, Tyse." Salem remarked as he took a sip from his bottle of bear.
"I see it, Ellie." Rios said as he smiled a little while nodding. "We trained them well."
"Feels like yesterday when it was just cleaning diapers and taking them to the firing range." Salem said as he and Rios thought back to years ago.
(Years ago)
"I understand, I'll be there soon." Chifuyu said as she was about to go for job interview. The eleven year old pair of the Orimura twins was watching her rush to get her resume and belongings. "I'm going to my job interview. Rios and Salem are going to be here soon to watch you two. Do what they say while they're here." Chifuyu instructed.
"Hai, Chifuyu-nee." They replied. Usually they would object to babysitting given their age but since these were their childhood heroes, they'll make an exception.
DING DONG!
"That must be them." Chifuyu said before opening the door, revealing the two mercenaries. "Sorry to ask you two on such short notice."
Salem only smiled.
"Beats doing paperwork back at the company." Salem said as he sat comfortably on the couch and looked relaxed.
"Samantha and my baby girl Nala understood. Besides the two like the Orimura twins as if they were their own." Rios said.
"Alright, you guys know the drill. I'll be back in a couple of hours." Chifuyu said before leaving the house.
The two men looked at the young Orimura twins. They knew what the Orimura twins were about to say next, they already trained them in close range combat and promised them to take them to the firing range next time.
"So…when will you take us to the firing range?" Madoka asked with a bit of eagerness in her voice.
"Yeah, you promised us that we can go to the firing range the next time we see each other." Ichika said, ready to itch his trigger finger too.
"That depends, did you two do your homework?" Salem asked, earning nods from the twins.
Rios just sighed as he facepalmed. The twins were definitely too you for the firing range and Salem had to be the dumb one to offer the idea. While Rios was going to refuse, he saw how eager the twins looked in training with their heroes and thought about their defense. Sure, close range self-defense was good but what about firearms? Rios knew that he, Salem, or their sister Chifuyu won't be around forever.
Rios approached the kids.
"Come on, let's go practice shooting." Rios said.
(Later at a junkyard)
Salem set a few tin cans while everyone else was far from them. Rios gave the twins a pair of handguns and they looked at them.
"Are these real?" Ichika asked.
Rios shook his head.
"No, they're airsoft. They're like real guns but a whole lot less lethal." Rios explained, sorta glad that he didn't give them real guns.
"Okay, we're all set! Just fired when ready!" Salem said before Madoka fired her BB gun and hit Salem on his arm. "Ow!"
Madoka giggled while the other guys just chuckled.
"Not funny!" Salem barked before walking to a safe place.
The twins soon aimed their guns at the tin cans before firing but they missed.
"Dang it!" Madoka said before looking at Ichika. "First one to shoot a can is the winner."
"You're on!" Ichika smiled, bring out the sibling competition. They kept firing and firing but they kept missing, much to their frustration.
"Alright, what you two want to is to hold your breaths. It will make your arms steadier and aiming much easier." Rios instructed.
"It also helps to close one eye for a much more accurate aim." Salem also instructed and twin did look like they were paying attention.
The twins soon followed their advice and did what they were told before firing again but this time, they actually hit the cans.
"I got it!" The twins said at the same time before looking at each other, remembering their competition. "Who's the winner?" They both asked at the same time.
"You're all winners." Salem kid before the twins shot him. "Ow!"
"I definitely feel like one now!" Madoka said with her twin nodding in agreement. Even Rios chuckled a little at Salem's expense.
"Not cool, Tyse," Salem said as Rios looked at the twins. "Okay guys, we'll spend another hour here and then we'll go out for pizza. How does that sound?"
The twins nodded excitingly.
"Just not a word of this to that big sis of yours." Salem said, not wanting to face Chifuyu's wrath. The twins laughed before agreeing to the terms.
(Present)
The two were snapped from memory lane to see that the Orimura twins were practically tearing up the shooting gallery and Salem looked at their scores.
"Jesus, they just beat Alpha and Bravo." Salem remarked with a smirk. These two were trained by the (questionably) best and were no pushovers.
The twins soon finished and looked up at the intercom for a response.
"Okay, that was awesome." Rios said, making Salem nod.
"Remind me to stay on your good side." Salem complimented and the twins felt fully confident. Soon their dreams of being T.W.O operatives and being on a level as their childhood heroes will soon be a reality. But for now, it's still a fantasy and there was one test left.
Salem soon called the guy that was working in the final test room.
"Castle, you in position?"
"Affirmative." Castle answered.
"Get ready because the kids are now heading towards you." Salem ordered.
"You got it, boss."
The twins soon entered the final room to see Castle in a turret aimed at them. The twins immediately took cover as Castle fired rubber bullets at them and wasn't giving any breathing room.
"Hey, kids. Here's a tip: use T.W.O Vision in your mask's HUD to find the best tactical route." Rios advised and the twins looked at the camera. He could tell that they were giving him weird looks underneath their masks.
"T.W.O Vision?" Madoka asked.
"Yep, trademarked." Rios answered before going into details of this test. "This one's a test of teamwork. One of you has to draw the target's attention while the other flanks to the side for the kill." Rios explained.
"Alpha and Bravo nailed this one on the first try and beat Chuy and Baker's record. Don't let either team show you two up." Salem pressured as he and Rios started paying attention to every detail.
"Like hell we will." Madoka said before looking at Ichika. "So who's doing what?"
"Distract it while I flank." Ichika instructed and Madoka grinned.
"Works for me." Madoka fired her gun at Castle while Ichika flanked Castle. Castle noticed before he got out of the turret and looked at Ichika.
"Nice job." Castle said before leaving. Ichika and Madoka met up before fist bumping each other.
"Nice show of teamwork. That's what we're looking for." Rios commented before Madoka looked up at the surveillance camera.
"Told you guys that we'll pass the test with flying colors." Madoka said as she smiled at Ichika.
"Thank you, sir." Ichika said, feeling just as happy.
"Look, Tyse. He's going to salute you." Salem commented, making the twins laugh.
"Nope…just saying hi to our new boss." Ichika said before he and Madoka went to the next room where Rios and Salem were waiting for them. They flipped their masks up with anticipated faces, wanting to know if they passed.
"Brings a tear to the eye when the kids grow up." Salem mused, he was proud that the Orimura twins have passed the test.
"I think these belong to you two." Rios said as he gave the twins two new masks. The sign that they passed the test and were accepted into the PMC so without hesitation, the twins took their new masks.
For Ichika, he got a white mask that had a black faceplate with a luxury-like design that was separated into five sections.
For Madoka, she got a black mask with white tribal marks outlining all around and on the forehead was a small white skull with wings.
Rios and Salem let their arms out and the twins shook them immediately.
"Welcome to T.W.O."
(A few hours later)
The two were walking around the airfield while Rios and Salem left a few hours ago to Mexico with Alpha and Bravo on a hostage rescue mission. Madoka was still excited that she and her brother managed to join T.W.O.
"T.W.O, baby! We did it! We fucking did it!" Madoka cheered with a smile bright enough to blind her brother. "This is a dream come fucking true!"
"Calm down, Madoka." Ichika smiled, happy that he also joined T.W.O. "We haven't even been on our first mission yet."
"But dude, how can I not be excited? This was our dream!" Madoka said as she and Ichika started walking to the mess hall. "It's only a matter of time before we reach Rios and Salem's level and then comes the fat paychecks!"
"But aren't we going to need fat paychecks for weapons, armor, grenades, ammo, and mods?" Ichika asked, instantly putting Madoka's cheerful mood down a bit.
"You really know how to ruin a good moment for me, do you?" Madoka asked, making Ichika laugh. The twins loved messing with each other at their expense.
"You gave me fourteen years of amusement. Might as well keep it going-." Before Ichika finished, a group of medics went pass the twins. They looked at them and wondered what emergency is there. Ichika managed to stop one of them. "Medic, what's going on? Where are you going?"
"You mean you haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Salem and Rios's mission with Alpha and Bravo went FUBAR. Not only did Rios lose a leg but we lost Salem too!" The medic said, instantly alerting the Orimura twins. They always thought the two were invincible. Heck, they watched them in action and thought that they were unstoppable. Now here they are, hearing that one of them went M.I.A and the other losing a leg.
"Take us to them!" Madoka asked, she and Ichika instantly alarmed.
The medic nodded.
"Follow me!" He said before they see the helicopter landed and out was Rios being placed on a gurney.
"Let me go the fuck back!" Rios protested, upset over what happened to Salem.
"Rios, calm down-." Alpha said bit Rios pushed him away a bit.
"Shut the hell up! We left my partner, my brother back in the wolf den! We could've at least brought back a fucking body!" Rios protested. The twins were shocked, they never saw Rios so pissed off before in their life.
"Rios, man, you saw what happened-." Bravo started.
"I saw what happened! We left Salem to die, you fuck!"
"Rios, calm down." Alpha said, trying to help his boss get a hold of himself.
Rios just growled.
"You two are dismissed." Rios calmly said before Alpha and Bravo saluted and walked away, passing through the Orimura twins.
"Watch yourselves." Alpha advised.
"The guy really isn't in much of a mood to talk." Bravo stated before he and his partner were gone from sight.
Ichika and Madoka looked worried before following Rios as the medics dragged him on the gurney to the nearest hospital.
"Rios, are you okay? Where's Salem?" Madoka asked thought she was a bit afraid. She saw Rios barking like a mad dog a few moments ago and she didn't want her childhood hero to yell at her. Rios looked at her with an indifferent face but she and Ichika could tell that his eyes were displaying sadness. They never saw such a depressed look on their childhood hero's face.
"No. No, I'm not okay." Rios answered before deciding to explain what happened on the mission. "We were up against the La Guadana drug cartel to rescue a hostage. Our original hostage was gone for a long time but we found another survivor. Salem went ahead to secure our ride…he got blown up with it and I lost my leg."
"No…" Ichika let out. "He can't be dead. It would definitely take more than an explosion to kill Salem!" Ichika said, earning a nod from Madoka. They won't believe that Salem is dead or at least, not without a body to prove it.
"I'm thinking the same thing." Rios said as they entered the medical facility. He then gestured the Orimura twins to come closer. "When Alpha and Bravo were dropping off the hostage, I told the chopper pilot that another pair of T.W.O operatives will use his ride for a search and rescue mission for Salem."
"No questions?" Ichika asked, surprised that the chopper pilot didn't object because based on what he heard about the La Guadana drug cartel, they're not only massive in firepower but weaponry too. Drug sales, prostitution, and arms sales really provide quite enough profits to outfit themselves against anyone, even a private military corporation like T.W.O.
"Salem and I's PMC, I can do whatever the hell I want here." Rios smiled before getting a grim look. "I know you two are new to the company but-."
"Say no more, we got this." Ichika assured. He understood Rios's concern regarding Salem. Heck, Ichika and Madoka not only saw Salem as one of their childhood heroes but they also saw him as the crazy uncle that they never had.
"Yeah, we'll definitely get Salem out of there. Even if we have to go through hell just to save him" Madoka said, fully confident that she and her brother can get Salem out of La Guadana territory.
"Good and don't come back unless you have a body! Dead or alive!" Rios said as before he was brought to the surgery room, leaving the Orimura twins alone.
"So you actually think we can do it?" Ichika asked, wondering what Madoka is really thinking.
"Hell no, but we definitely owe Salem that much." Madoka answered as she and Ichika started walking to the helicopter.
"Oh yeah, we definitely do but still, hell of a first mission that we got." Ichika said as he and Madoka approached the chopper and the pilot looked at them.
"You two are the operatives that I was told to wait for?" The pilot asked.
"That's us!" Madoka smirked, still happy that she is an official T.W.O operative.
"Aren't you two a little too young for this kind of work?" The pilot asked, skeptical since the twins were both fourteen but they did have the official T.W.O masks.
"Don't the other mercenaries here act like kids?" Ichika replied.
"Touché, hop in! We're about to take off."
The two nodded before they got on and readied their weapons before the chopper took to the air.
(In Mexico, La Guadana territory)
The chopper landed near a bridge that was nearly destroyed thanks to Alpha.
"Alright, this is where we last saw Salem. You two know the drill. Find a body or his mask. Good luck down there." The pilot said before the Orimura twins got the masks on and got off. The helicopter took off and the Orimura twins walked around. The place looked like a mess, a trade mark of any T.W.O operative.
"Man, the guys really tore this place apart." Madoka remarked as the site saw better days. The unfinished construction site was riddled in bullets, painted in blood, and some of its pieces were laying on the ground.
The two T.W.O operatives noticed a burnt car that was upside down.
"That must be Salem's car!" Ichika and Madoka rushed towards the car to see it empty.
"Yeah, it's completely empty with no body." Ichika analyzed.
"Damn, this better not be a dead end-." Madoka noticed tracks on the ground and from the looks of it, someone or something was dragged out of the car. Ichika noticed the tracks.
"Nice, we're definitely on the right trail." Ichika commented before the two got their assault rifles out and followed.
"So, what do we tell Chifuyu if we don't make it to curfew?" Madoka asked as they were following the trail. She didn't want to be in Chifuyu's path of destruction whenever she got mad. Hell, the last time that the twins got Chifuyu mad, they were lucky to even be alive.
"We'll just say that it was for a job interview."
"That took hours?"
"We'll think of something." Ichika said before the two went down a tunnel and saw cartel forces patrolling the area. The twins immediately got into cover.
"Should we take them out?" Madoka asked.
"Probably, they are in our way."
Madoka took out her pistol and added a silencer to it before aiming out of cover and firing, she got both of them in the head. She placed her pistol away before she and Ichika dragged the bodies away.
"Come on." Ichika said before he and Madoka continued going and seeing a series of small buildings.
"Damn, how the hell are we supposed to find Salem in all this crap?" Madoka said.
"Now you know how I feel when I clean your room." Ichika responded,
"Fuck you." Madoka said, giving her twin the middle finger. "But seriously though, how the hell are we going to even find him with all these buildings?"
"A lieutenant definitely has to know something." Ichika said as the two started advancing. They were doing their best to avoid patrols and direct confrontations for as long as possible.
They found a shed which they took cover in.
"I was expecting more cartel guards in here." Madoka remarked, surprised that everyone was mostly mellow.
"Bet they aren't expecting a drop on us." Ichika said. These guards just faced the wrath of four T.W.O agents and one team of operatives can cause a huge amount of chaos and mayhem plus a dent in cartel forces.
"I need to report this to Bautista and you all will pay for your incompetence!" A man barked before walking away. The Orimura twins watched him leave after talking to the men.
"That must be our guy." Ichika said.
"What?" Madoka looked at the guy and then back at her twin. "Dude, no way. It can't be that easy."
Ichika just stared at her with a blank expression underneath his mask.
"What? You expect everything to be hard?" Ichika asked, wondering what's his partner's mentality regarding life.
"Didn't you and Chifuyu teach me never to expect anything easy? So technically speaking that can't be our guy since this is too easy." Madoka said, using the mentally that her elder siblings taught her. Ichika just face palmed his mask. This girl can be reckless and impulsive but he did't expect her to play dumb.
"Sorry that we can just storm in the building like you do in your video games. But just shut up and grab the guy." Ichika responded, he has no time to deal with this.
"Fine." Madoka said before she and Ichika tailed the guy. They watched him enter a small hut before entering themselves. Ichika walked up to the lieutenant before placed a pistol against his forehead.
"Fuck you!" The lieutenant said before Madoka smashed the right side of his face with the butt end of her shotgun.
"I can do this all day, asshole." Madoka commented as the lieutenant spitted blood and teeth.
The lieutenant got up and he had a confident defiant look on his face.
"Do what you want! I won't tell you a thing!" The lieutenant said as he spat some blood on Ichika's shoe. Ichika just punched him in the face before taking out a combat knife and placing against the lieutenant's neck. This made drop the hardcore badass façade and revealing the whimpering coward that was about to beg for his life within the lieutenant.
"Now then…where is the T.W.O operative that you captured?" Ichika asked, pressing the blade closely to the lieutenant's neck.
"I-In the farm! That's where we usually keep our prisoners…"
"You wouldn't be lying to me, right?"
"N-No." The lieutenant begged as Ichika placed the knife away.
"If I don't see him then I'm coming back." Ichika said before leaving. Madoka then headbutted the guy, knocking him out and giving him a bloodied nose but he was alive nonetheless. The two got out and started moving towards the farm house.
"Hold it." Madoka said before seeing the amount of cartel thugs guarding the front gates. There were too many to face plus there were probably just as much or more inside the barn itself.
"You're right. Charging is just plain suicide, maybe there's a side entrance." Ichika suggested, earning a nod from Madoka.
The two soon snuck to the side where they saw an alleyway. They went there and saw a bunch of guards before taking cover.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Madoka asked, tossing her gun to Ichika. Madoka walked out with her arms in the air while Ichika searched his Kevlar vest to find two silencers. He quickly attached them to his and Madoka's guns. "I'm coming out! Don't shoot!"
Just then a cartel guard tried shooting her but the bullet bounced off her mask and it hit another guard.
"Dude, what the hell? That was a dick move." Madoka remarked as she continue to walk towards them.
"Ponte de rodillas!" A cartel thug demanded.
"What?" Madoka asked before a cartel guard got behind her.
"Get on your knees-!"
Ichika got out of cover with a silenced assault rifle and fired at all the guards that were surrounding Madoka. Madoka got up and walked to her twin, who tossed her the other silenced assault rifle.
"Next time, you go out." Madoka said.
Ichika chuckled before he and Madoka advanced and found the side door.
"We should breach on my go." Ichika suggested, earning a nod from Madoka. She placed her ear against the door. She heard whispers before closing her eyes and trying to calculate how many people there are. She soon opened her eyes and looked at her twin. "Well?"
"Five." Madoka said, earning a nod from Ichika. Ichika leaned against the wall next to the door while Madoka backed up with her gun aimed at the door.
"Ready?"
"Like you have to answer." Madoka answered before Ichika shot the door knob off and Madoka kicked the door down, catching the guards by surprise. The Orimura twins rushed inside while firing at every guard who was trying to pull their gun triggers just as well but failed. When they fell down dead, the twins kept advancing but stopped when they reached the wine cellar.
"What the hell?" Ichika asked before examining a brown solid brick. "This is heroin, pure and unrefined."
Madoka took a look at all the bricks in the cellar which was a lot.
"These things gotta be worth at 30,000 US dollars…each too." Madoka remarked as she looked at all the other bricks and felt their weight which was pretty heavy. The Orimura twins knew that the La Guadana cartel was the most powerful drug cartel in all of Mexico and now they see one of the reasons why. "That's over enough heroin to kill a whole party."
"Yeah." Ichika nodded, knowing what he has to do. There was no way in hell that he was letting this amount of drugs be left unnoticed plus stealing it would cause more trouble than it's worth and their new jobs at T.W.O is definitely worth more than this. He looked at Madoka. "You thinking what I'm thinking."
Madoka went to her Kevlar vest and pulled out a grenade from it. Ichika then chuckled.
"Salem's right, twins really do think alike." Ichika mused before grabbing a grenade himself. The two took out the pins and threw the grenades and walked away before…
BOOM!
The grenades exploded with the bricks too in a blaze of fire as well. There was nothing left for the cartel to sell except the burning crumbs.
"Nice." The twins fist bumped each other and were quite proud of what they did. Unfortunately, the deed was not as subtle as the twins would hope.
"Se enteró que? (Did you hear that?)" A guard asked, hearing the boom. They quite alerted and looked around before seeing smoke escaping from what's left of the stored heroin bricks. They quickly moved to try and preserve what's left.
"Vamos! (Hurry!)" Another guard said before they spotted the twins. The T.W.O operatives started shooting as they made their way to what they assumed was the prison cells. Madoka kept firing before her assault rifle ran out of ammo.
"Shit! I'm out!" Madoka said as she drew out her shotgun and shot the guards guarding the prison. Ichika was covering the rear and was shooting the oncoming guards. Madoka found a locked door and shot the lock off as Ichika finished off the guards.
They barged in and saw…Salem. The whole right side of his body has burn scars, the rest of his body was bruised and bloodied, and from the looks of his dried and chapped lips, he didn't have any food or water since being taken prisoner.
Madoka and Ichika lifted their masks and inspected Salem. Salem started to stir.
"Tyse?"
"No, guess who he sent instead?" Madoka asked with a smile, happy that her mentor is alive despite the injuries.
Salem looked at the Orimura twins with a surprised look.
"Kids? What the…hell are you doing here?" He wheezed out, it sounded like it hurts to talk.
"Our first mission which is to get you the hell out while taking on the whole cartel army." Ichika said before looking at Madoka. "Madoka, can you carry him? I'll provide cover."
Madoka nodded and helped Salem up before putting his arm around her neck.
"Didn't think I need a kid to help walk…" Salem remarked.
"But this is a kid that you taught how to kick ass." Madoka said before looking at Salem. "By the way, old timer, you really need to stay out of the sun for a little bit." Madoka joked, looking at Salem's burn scars.
He chuckled a bit.
"You're killing me, kid. You really are…" Salem said, chuckling a little before coughing. Ichika and Madoka flipped their masks back down to their faces before moving out. They soon heard alarms, alerting every cartel guard of T.W.O's return and their rescue mission to save Salem. "Looks like we'll be getting company…"
"Maybe it's a fire drill." Madoka assumed, hoping that they weren't actually caught red-handed. Ichika opened the door to see several cartel guards pointing their guns at the three. They two groups stared at each other for a while before Ichika slowly closed the door before they got away and the door was riddled with bullets.
"Seal that up!" Salem ordered before coughing a bit from his wounds.
Ichika nodded before pushing a crate in front of the door before the guards attempted to push door but the crate was blocking them. Ichika was stacking multiple objects on the crate and soon Madoka hearing beeping from the comms in her mask. She answered it.
"Hello?"
"Ichika and Madoka Orimura?" A female voice asked, surprising the T.W.O operatives.
"Yeah?" Madoka answered.
"My name is Rebecca Decker and I'm going to be your mission handler for this operation." Rebecca explained. This surprised the twins but it felt nice to have a pair of eyes from the sky.
"Why didn't you call us earlier?" Madoka asked, wondering where she was when they absolutely needed her a while ago.
"Rios just filled me in on the situation regarding your first mission so I'm up to date. Do you two have the objective?" Rebecca asked.
"We got him alright! He looks worse for wear but he's definitely alive!" Madoka said.
"Decker, we need a way out of the building. Our only known exit was blocked off." Ichika explained as he stepped away from the blocked door. The door had a bunch of stuff directly in front of it.
"Hold on…okay, there is another side door directly opposite from where you are. Since the way you came in is closed. I would definitely recommend a new route." Rebecca said as she got a lock on their masks' GPSs and searched for any schematics regarding the building.
The twins then looked at each other.
"Well I'm open to suggestions here." Madoka said as Salem watched them work. He was curious on how the two twins would operate in the field, seeing that this is their dream.
"From surveillance footage, there appears to be cartel vehicles in the area north of your position, just take one, lose the cartel forces, and find a suitable LZ for the evac chopper to land in." Rebecca instructed. The Orimura twins nodded, this was a simple plan but the cartel is obviously going to try and stop them.
"Cartel bastards…won't make it…easy for you. Learnt that…the hard way." Salem wheezed out, remembering how he got placed in a cell to begin with. But the bastards didn't know that there was going to be a rescue. Just hope they can actually succeed in doing so.
"Copy that, Decker. We'll proceed then, just keep us updated on the situation." Ichika said.
"Roger that. Good luck down there." Rebecca said before hanging up. Ichika then looked at Madoka and gestured towards Salem.
"You heard the plan. Help the guy move." Ichika ordered. Madoka nodded before helping Salem up.
"Come on, old man. We're not out of the woods yet." Madoka said as she and Salem started to move with Ichika taking point.
"Call me old man again…I'm kicking your ass, kid."Salem said before Ichika noticed a few guards.
"I see a few of them. Three, I think." Ichika counted as Madoka used her free hand to draw out her pistol. Madoka nodded before Ichika got out of cover and shot the three down before two more.
They started to try to shoot him down but Madoka and Salem got out of cover before Madoka shot them all down.
"We gotta move now and quickly!" Ichika said before the three got moving. They soon saw a few doors and Ichika looked in it before his eyes widened and his mouth turned open underneath his mask. "Holy shit…"
"What?" Madoka asked before she and Salem saw not only heroin bricks, but also a wide assortment of drugs ranging from cocaine, meth, and weed.
"That much drugs…can set a person for life." Salem analyzed. He and Rios saw a whole lot of drug dealers in their time but they never saw drug dealers that have this much product.
"We definitely can't let them have this much product. We'll be doing the entire country of Mexico a favor by getting rid of this crap." Madoka decided before looking at Salem. "You don't mind a slight detour, do you?"
"Do…what you have to do." Salem said, giving the twins permission to proceed with the mission as they see fit. Either ignore the drug products and allow Mexico junkies to waste their money or destroy the stuff and do some community service for Mexico while giving the cartel time to fortify the other exit.
"I don't care if we're stalling time. If we die, we might as well die doing something good for a whole lot of people." Ichika said as he placed his rifle away and saw a jerry can nearby. He opened it to see that it was gasoline. Ichika walked to the product and spilled all of the jerry can's contents, letting out a bad smell.
Madoka used her free hand to put her pistol away and tossed Ichika a flare stick. Ichika instantly lit it before throwing it into the massive drug pile. The three were silent as the drugs were caught on fire.
"Come on, let's go." Madoka said before they left and went to the other door. They opened it to see that they were outside. Ichika went out first and looked around for any signs of an ambush which were none.
"Clear!" Ichika told them before he and the others soon moved out. "Decker, we need some directions."
"On it." Rebecca said as she was looking into the map. "You guys want to make off into the east but be warned, satellite surveillance showed that massive numbers of cartel forces are coming in soon. You better hurry and do what you have to do. Get home back safely."
"Got it, Decker. Will do." Ichika said before they see a few of the cartel with their guns.
"Allí están! Mátalos! (There they are! Kill them!)" One of the cartel thugs said before they all fired their guns. Madoka sat Salem behind a crate before coming out of cover while dual wielding pistols. Soon more guards appeared and joined in on the shooting.
"Toss a frag!" Ichika told Madoka before getting a grenade out, unpinning it, and throwing it at the cartel guards' feet. Soon the grenade exploded, tearing the cartel guards apart, some of them literally with arms and legs flying off in separate directions.
Madoka went back to Salem before helping him up and placed his arm over her shoulder.
"Come on, we need to move before more of them come." Madoka warned. Those guys were only a small fraction of the cartel and the T.W.O operatives do not want to be here when it comes to facing them.
"There's always…more." Salem said, recalling how he got captured. He moved up ahead of Rios, Alpha, and Bravo to secure a getaway vehicle while they escorting a new hostage but the only problem was that Salem had to deal with the full wrath of the cartel. There were bullets and yelling of Spanish everywhere. Salem started the getaway vehicle one moment and the next was that Salem and the vehicle itself was consumed in a ball of fire by a rocket launcher.
"They won't get us." Ichika assured, confident that he and his sister will succeed. They soon continued to advance as the sun was beating down on them while cartel thugs were dispersing throughout the complex.
The two looked back to see more cartel guards coming.
"Keep going, I'll hold them off!" Ichika said as he turned and fired his gun, shooting them down until they hit the floor.
Madoka contacted Rebecca as she continued running.
"Decker, how much longer until we reach the vehicle depot?" Madoka asked, wondering how much longer until they can make a good escape with Salem in one piece. Meanwhile at T.W.O command, Rebecca was keeping a lock on the GPSs in the twins' masks.
"You guys are close, Orimura. The vehicle depot is very close." Rebecca said as Madoka was dodging bullets with Salem while Ichika was covering them from all angles, shooting down whatever cartel guards that he could see.
"Come on Decker, give us some good news!" Ichika said as he reloaded his gun and it was his last mag.
"Now, look ahead of you!" Rebecca said, prompting the twins to look.
The twins saw a small building with a few garage doors. Madoka kicked the door down while Ichika shot the remaining cartel guards that were firing at them while the rest retreated to come up with a new plan. Inside the vehicle depot, Ichika barged the door while Madoka and Salem looked around for a perfect getaway vehicle.
"Alright…we need something big…tough…and has a machine gun." Salem said, learning how easily the cartel stopped and nearly killed him in his getaway vehicle which was just a simple car. Ichika soon joined and started looking around for a vehicle.
The three soon noticed something big covered in a big sheet. Ichika took it off and to their surprise they see a black armored personnel carrier with a mounted machine gun. They were surprised that the cartel had enough resources to buy a military grade vehicle such as this. Madoka looked at her twin.
"Hey, you know what everyone else has? Sport cars. You know what they don't have? APCs." Madoka joked, making Ichika and Salem chuckle a little bit.
"No one's going to double park me anymore." Ichika joked back before opening the shotgun seat. Madoka was delicately placing Salem there, making sure she doesn't break any of his bones.
"There we go, old timer." That seemingly upset Salem.
"Old timer? Listen here, kid-." Madoka closed the door on him to avoid hearing any scolding.
"If I wanted to be scolded to death, I would've gone home and pissed Chifuyu off in some form or other." Madoka said before looking at the turret and driver's seat. "So what seat should we get?" Madoka asked her brother as she eyed the turret. She really hoped that she'll have a chance to get on that and start shooting down some cartel thugs.
Ichika seemed to be thinking about it before coming to a decision.
"Alright, I'll take the driver's seat. Madoka, it's your turn to defend us." Ichika said before looking at the key rack nearby to find the keys for the APC, Ichika soon found a key and went to the APC as Madoka got settled into the turret.
"Oh man, I can just shoot the whole goddamn world with this thing." Madoka awed, looking at the big gun. Ichika got in the driver's seat, placed the key in, and turned it to activate the APC. Salem looked at Ichika as he revved the engine.
"You know how to drive?"
"No, I'm only fourteen." Ichika answered, making Salem gulp. At the bright side, at least he won't have any trouble with traffic. "Alright, let's go!" Ichika pressed the accelerator and the APC started moving before barging through the garage door, making a huge hole. Madoka shot at the guards that were getting ready in front of the garage door, tearing them to shreds. Madoka continued firing on the roofs while being shot at but luckily the bullets weren't hitting her. There was soon no one left.
"And we are out of here!" Ichika said as he drove out of the complex and got on the road but it didn't mean that they were off the leash. They soon saw trucks with mounted guns on them trying to catch up and shoot at them. "They're on our tail. Madoka, do something about them!"
"You got it!" Madoka said as she fired on the vehicles trying to catch up, consuming each one with a ball of fire. She continued shooting them as Ichika was driving down a hill while still getting used to driving. Salem was just hoping that the cartel or Ichika's driving won't kill them. "I love this job!" Madoka said as she continued shooting at the cartel forces.
Ichika soon got into contact with Rebecca.
"Decker, we're driving an APC downhill while shooting down cartel vehicles. Please advise." Ichika calmly said as Madoka shot down the remaining turret mounted vehicle.
As Ichika was talking to Rebecca, Madoka looked around for any more vehicles coming at them but she soon sighed, thinking that they're in the clear but they soon heard a buzzing noise and noticed an attack chopper flying in the sky. "Oh shit! They're sending an attack chopper!" Madoka remarked as she tried shooting the chopper down but it was doing evasive maneuvers.
"Madoka, get that chopper off our trails!" Ichika said, trying to stir the APC into tough places that a chopper would find hard to shoot at but that seems extremely difficult. "I talked with Decker, she's going to try and send an evac chopper but we need this guy off our backs."
"What do you think that I'm trying to do!?" Madoka shouted back before she saw the chopper firing a missile at them. "Missile incoming!"
The missile impacted the ground nearby, causing the APC to swerve a little but Ichika got control. Ichika kept driving before stopping at the ramp-like end of a cliff. The attack chopper flew to the end of the ram and looked down at them before firing its machine guns. Madoka hid back into the APC and took some relaxation in the back seats but it didn't change the fact that the attack chopper isn't letting up any time soon.
"Well this just turned to a shit storm real-." Salem started before the attack chopped fired a missile.
BOOM!
Luckily the armor from the APC took that but it didn't change the fact the chopper will destroy them and going outside is definitely not an answer.
"What the hell do we do?" Madoka asked while Ichika was looking around.
Ichika soon had an idea in his head and backed the APC up as the vehicle itself was being rinsed with bullets.
"Ichika, what the hell are you thinking!?" Madoka asked.
"On my word, we're gonna jump out the APC." Ichika said, surprising the other two.
Salem looked around and saw what Ichika was doing.
"Alright, yeah…Yeah, that sounds good, kid."
Madoka was confused though.
"What is your plan-?" Madoka stopped herself when seeing Ichika with a grenade in his hand. "Okay, you're insane." Madoka remarked as she got ready to leave on Ichika's say-so. Ichika continued backing up the APC until they were at a seemingly good distance away from the chopper.
"Ok, here goes nothing!" Ichika slammed his foot on the acceleration, making the APC go fast. "Ready…" As they got closer, Ichika unpinned the grenade and dropped it. "NOW!"
The three jumped out of the doors and the APC flew towards the helicopter before the grenade detonated, causing a chain explosion of the helicopter and the APC. They rolled on the ground before Ichika got up and helped Salem up.
"You okay?"
Salem nodded.
"Yeah….not bad." Salem answered. He might've gotten a few more bruises but at least he was alive and free from those cartel dogs.
Madoka got up before the twins flipped up their masks.
"Nice." Madoka complimented as she fist bumped her twin. Ichika smiled before getting on the comms.
"Decker, we're clear. Send in the chopper."
"Chopper is coming right now. Nice job, people." Rebecca said as a T.W.O chopper appeared in the sky and landed in front of them. Madoka helped Salem into the chopper before she and Ichika got on. The chopper soon took off into the air and the twins sat comfortably across from Salem.
"Well…that went smooth." Salem said, making the twins laugh before looking at each other.
"Not bad, partner." Madoka complimented Ichika.
"Not bad, sis." Ichika complimented back. They were smiling, knowing that this was the first mission for a very long career in T.W.O
(Later at T.W.O infirmary)
Rios woke up and saw his bad leg gone. He had a disgruntled look, he knew his leg was badly injured but he didn't know it was bad enough for it to be amputated.
"Tyse, you look like shit." A familiar voice said.
Rios turned and saw Salem on a bed with some casts on. Rios noticed some of his burn scars and smiled that his partner, who may have been badly injured, but is alive and back with T.W.O.
"If I look like a piece of shit, then you look like a ten pieces of shit." Rios remarked, making Salem chuckle before he turned and saw the Orimura twins outside by the door.
The twins we smiling at the reunion of their childhood heroes and mentors while Rios and Salem smiled back, seeing that the twins have found their place among T.W.O.
"Not bad for a first mission, twins." Rios said before smiling. "We're very proud of you two and you'll find the money deposited in your bank accounts."
"No bonus?" Madoka joked, making the others chuckle.
"Maybe but for now, dismissed. You guys earned your time off and we'll definitely call you two when we have a second mission." Rios said, making the twins happy.
The Orimura twins happily saluted before leaving the room. Their dream was definitely coming true by one bit every day. They were going to find some way to celebrate.
(Later at the Orimura house)
It was now late night and the twins quietly opened the door, carrying duffle bags that held their T.W.O equipment. Chifuyu should've been asleep by now and was bound to be wondering where they were.
They were about to quietly go into their rooms before the lights suddenly turned on.
"Do you two know what time it is?" A female voice asked.
Ichika and Madoka turned to see Chifuyu, in her sleepwear, sitting on a chair and looking very impatient and angry. Despite the subtle dark look, the twins could tell that she was seething in rage.
"Uh…" The twins couldn't find the words to say anything due to the fear of her wrath.
"What's that you got in those bags?" Chifuyu asked, looking at the T.W.O labeled duffle bags.
"Uh…." They still couldn't find the right words.
Chifuyu got up, walked over to them, before taking Ichika's bag and opening to find his gear and mask. She then grabbed Madoka's to see the same except her personal mask. They soon saw her in a dark red aura.
"C-Chifuyu we can explain…"
"Then start, we have nothing but time here." Chifuyu said, wondering what excuse her younger siblings have and she's sure that she's going to have a word about this to Rios and Salem. Chifuyu placed their bags on the couch before hearing the story that the twins were offering.
AN: There's one of my latest ideas, folks! I didn't like that they turned Salem into a bad guy in the third Army of TWO game so I decided to tweak the that a bit in my idea. Also if you're wondering why the twins are much younger than in the first season, it's because this takes place before the first season. The next chapter of this (if I ever decide to this) will take place on year later when they're both enrolled in IS Academy. Anyways, you guys know the drill. Be sure to review or message me with questions or comments regarding the story. And don't be afraid to check out my other stories as well.
One more note; I also have an idea with "Is It Wrong To Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?". It's an entertaining anime, I certainly have fun watching it, and would recommend it if you guys are into that kind of stuff. But if you're curious about my idea regarding that anime, then please place that in your reviews.
Alright, I'm done, goodnight