The title 'DESERT STORM:VACUO AT WAR' was plastered across several dozen TV Screens in a shop in Vale. Hassan, Jim, Lita and Nicole watched quietly as footage of troops armed with Earth weapons and wearing shemaghs fighting each-other was playing across the screens. Makeshift armored trucks strapped with local weapons and with what looked like rusted-out guns from Earth appeared in view.
"Y'know," Lita mumbled, "I'm not the type of bitch to usually complain about the Sandbox, but that looks godawful," as she held her own Kalashnikov close. She watched a Vacuoan Faunus with an RPG tube on his shoulder shoot the HEAT rocket on it and nail a truck dead center. All of the footage was from what amounted to local versions of GoPros.
Hassan told her, "Yeah, that's about what I'd expect out of desert peoples," in a mumble. She snorted, tapping her foot. He sighed deeply, rubbing the lenses of his IVAS with his thumb to clean them, before telling them, "C'mon. The cops need us to solve another issue. Barricaded suspect with a single hostage, apparently," and he turned to lead the way.
Jim gazed out from the store as they walked, noticing the fact that, aside from a few police cars surrounding a house, the square was pretty much normal. Well, as normal as it could be during Festival preparations, what with multiple colorful booths and stands with various items of food from the multitude of cultures in the Four Kingdoms.
Huntsmen and Huntresses greeted the gang with waves of the hand, careless about the fact that only a couple dozen meters away, there was someone holding a girl hostage with a knife. The simple truth was, negotiations had failed in this case and the Misfits were being called in to pretty much do the dirty work. Nicole commented, "Cops got too used to us solving anything bigger than jaywalking, huh?"
"Gonna hurt them in the long run… Unless we manage to train up the Infantry needed to police this place," Lita answered, thumbing the safety selector of her AK between safe and semi. She looked at Hassan and Jim and said, "So, which one of you's taking the shot? Didja flip a coin about it, or no?" to which Hass pointed at Jim.
Jim told her, "Hass took the last one out. Knee shot somehow," and he cracked a smirk, "I'm gonna try and go for the knife. Be a little fancy about it," which caused the team to let out short laughs. Lita gave him a light punch in the shoulder, smirking, to which he smiled back and nodded. When they reached the side road where the building was, the PIs and Policemen looked at them with some degree of joy behind their eyes.
"Just in time," The Police Sergeant spoke, then tilted his head toward one of the house windows, where the madman, a guy that was shaved bald and looked extremely skinny, held a young woman at knife point, the edge of the blade dangerously close to her carotid. The dude looked haggard, too, dressed in some sort of hospital garb.
Lita said, "He looks stable," sarcastically as she held her rifle by the grip.
The Sergeant snorted and shook his head, "Yeah, he's been rambling in some godforsaken language we can't recognize," before looking at Lita and saying, "It's one of the reasons we called you all here… Figured you could try talking to him first," before handing her the megaphone. She stared at him with a deadpan, before sighing and grabbing it.
"Guessing he speaks Russian," Nicole mumbled. Hass shrugged, to which she said, "Why am I not surprised the Russian Sleep Experiment-looking bastard's holding a girl at knifepoint…?" before looking at Jim and tilting her head toward a covered position from where he could deal with the guy if he didn't comply.
Lita adjusted the microphone and looked up at the man as he poked his head out of the window and started screaming at them in a specific language that she was a native speaker of. She let out a long, very annoyed sigh and mumbled, "Of course he's fucking Russian…" before pausing as she noticed a Ukrainian tattoo on the side of his head. She blinked, lifted the megaphone up to her mouth and called out to him.
One of the two American Rangers, the Latino, peered down the scope with a hum, eyeing the soldier and the black-haired, green-eyed girl he'd taken prisoner. He locked onto her, noticing she was fairly beautiful, even if she was a head shorter than him. He sighed and said, "Poor girl doesn't deserve this shit, man."
"Hope you aren't saying this just because she's hot, dumbass," Joked Nicole, which got Hassan to laugh. Jim lifted up the middle finger on his free hand their way, to which she chuckled. Leaning against the car and staring at the man, she hummed, then whispered, "He's got a tattoo on his forehead. Can you see what it is, Jim?"
"Looks…" Jim replied, zoomed in, then paused as he saw a very familiar trident in a shield. His eyes widened as he whispered, "... Fuck me, it's a Uke…" and both his compatriots immediately looked up at the man, stunned. Jim still locked onto him, listening as he was screaming at Lita, waving the knife around. He tried getting a good look at the knife to shoot it, but sighed as he found no purchase.
He looked at the girl again, only to see her looking toward them, the fear in her eyes all but gone, though she still faked it on her face. Her irises flickered from green to brown in one and pink in the other and she stuck her tongue out and grinned. He blanked, then watched the man slowly start to move back, eyes wide.
Lita swore, then said, "Nicole, on me. We're breach-" before hearing the man scream. The Policemen drew their weapons, only to see the figure of the man clad in a hospital garb fall clean through the window, cracking his skull wide open on the pavement and causing several bystanders to gasp. Lita growled, then barked, "FOLLOW ME!" as she ran toward the door, kicking it down and running up the stairs.
Jim was closest behind her, with Nicole pulling up third and Hass in the rear. As they reached the top room, they scanned the place and found no sign of the girl, but certainly signs of struggle, with overturned furniture and signs of blade usage through marks on the wall. Jim blinked, lowering his rifle, then whispered, "She changed eye color…"
"What?" The other three asked.
He sighed and said, "She changed eye color… Winked the moment she saw we were looking at her and changed to brown and pink. Swear to God I'm not bullshitting you," before rubbing his eyes. Lita hummed, taking a thinker's pose. Normally, one would expect her to be a bit angry that Jim was staring at another woman, Nicole thought, but no.
"Pink and brown?" Lita stated, "Sounds like someone associated with Torchwick…" before she looked at Jim and gave him a pat on the shoulder, smiling at him, "Nice spot, you womanizing fuck," and caused him to laugh awkwardly. Nicole cracked a smile, while Hass simply gave his buddy a bump on the shoulder and followed them down.
Jim felt a slight breeze, then hummed. Moving over a little to the left, beside the overturned bed, he saw a second open window leading into a back area. He walked over, rifle raised, then checked the garden, making sure not to advance up to the window itself. He mumbled, "Basics of CQC and some Assassin's Creed Bullshit. If she's still around, she might try pulling me down…"
Seeing nothing, he sighed, lowered the rifle and said to himself, "Right then…" before descending from the place, too. He looked at Lita as she put a tarp over the corpse of the Ukrainian serviceman and turned to talk to the Police, probably asking to be kept in the loop about the man's autopsy. The two nodded to each-other, then the girl walked over to them. He told her, "Lead the way, boss-lady."
She snorted and tapped him on the chest, which, considering she was about a head shorter than him, looked sort of adorable. She told them, "Let's go. Station's not far from here…" then added, "Keep your eyes peeled in case someone is following us," as she shifted her rifle forward. An ambulance slowly rolled onto the scene as the police dispersed the small crowd that had formed.
Meanwhile, the team walked down the street, past civilians of whom some cheered them on, others stared and others yet glared at them. It was honestly understandable, mostly because it must've felt to some that all the troubles started appearing the moment the Misfit PMC started showing up around the place.
The guys looked up, meanwhile, noticing one of Atlas's air battleships hovering neatly in place as landing ships went to and fro, touching down in its hangars. Hass whispered, "What a piece of shit. Literally only has a few laser batteries for defense," before looking at Jim, who cracked a smirk at that. He shrugged and said, "What?"
"Nah, nothin', man. I agree. Kinda miss seeing the old Ticos and Arleigh Burkes back home," The Latino Ranger replied as they continued walking. He cast a quick glance back to make sure nobody was following them, noting only the normal crowds moving in the same direction as them. He remembered that the girl was short, so…
"Even a god-damn Slava-class will do right now," Hass shot back as they continued. He asked, "Hey, Lita?" as he looked ahead. The green-haired temporary fireteam leader looked back at him and raised a brow, to which he asked, "What was the Ukrainian like. Even from that far back, we saw he was pretty thin…"
"Looked like he'd been through hell," She replied awkwardly, "Scars, burns, the whole nine yards. I think he either died in captivity, God rest his soul, and he got brought back here only to die again," before she stretched her arms. She told them, "But I can tell you for certain the poor bastard was captured… That's how most Russian units treated UAF prisoners of war."
"That's fucked," Nicole whispered, trying to keep an eye out for their possible tail. The others nodded in agreement, all of them suddenly a little tense about the girl that had thrown the guy over the balcony like it was nothing. She was still smaller than him, despite the man's seeming physical issues and wounds…
They arrived at the Police Station and saw the two troopers clad in EMR holding position in front of it, rifles low and on safe. They all said their hellos as Lita led the way inside, Jim not far behind her. Pushing past the cubicles, rifles in tow, they were greeted by more police and Russian MPs and Guards chatting each-other up nearby the water coolers, as things usually went.
Lita pushed her way into the interrogation area and immediately found Robert exiting Torchwick's room and taking some gloves off. He looked at her, then said, "Oh, you guys here to talk to him? I just tenderized his ass for a bit more information, so I think he's feeling talkative," before tilting his head toward the door. Li grinned and raised her right hand for a high-five and got it from the man.
He put on his normal gloves and shifted forward his M4, then gave the others nods as they walked out, with Jim feeling a slight pang of jealousy upon seeing how friendly Lita and Rob were. When they entered, Torchwick immediately and visibly paled in front of them, only to sigh and relax as he saw it wasn't Robert coming back for seconds. Still, he asked, "The hell do you all want now? I just told your torturer buddy a few more bits of info, so I thought I was clear for the day…"
"You are. We have only a couple questions," Lita replied as she sat down. She saw a bottle of water on the table to her right, uncapped it and handed it to the cuffed man, watching him down it in several quick swigs. She mumbled to Hass, Jim and Nicole, "Remind me to tell Rob to chill out a bit with the worse kinds of torture. We don't wanna kill this fucker."
The two nodded, while Torchwick finally managed to empty the bottle and catch his breath. He wiped his mouth on the short sleeve of his orange jumpsuit, then looked up at them with a bruised face and asked, "What's your question then, soldier-boys and soldier-girls? Looking to get something on the up'n'up on the gun market? Or-"
"A man just died today, pushed out of a window by a girl with multicolored eyes," Lita spoke, straight-laced and calm, "He was like us, arrived here from some other world. He died when he cracked his skull open on the pavement just a few blocks from here. The girl with the multicolor eyes escaped," and she saw him visibly tense. She grinned and asked, "You know her, don't you? Why not tell us who she is…? Save us the trouble of getting it out of you or your electronics, eh?"
She saw him flinch as the boys and Nicole posted up behind her, but a little fire had been lit in his eyes. He grinned, then said, "Oh, yeah… I know her. And you better hope you weren't followed here, kid… Because she's gonna kill all of you," to which Lita raised a brow. Yeah, Torchwick was gonna talk without any further need for a heavy interrogation.
Beacon
Some time after, the gang had returned to the School grounds, with Lita leading the way to major Deriabin's to let her know. Approaching the office selected for her among the Beacon staff rooms, the young woman knocked on the door, then said something in Russian a little loudly. The Major called back to let them in.
She pushed the door open, walking inside only to see the woman actually typing up a report on a holographic keyboard and screen. She looked up from her virtual paperwork and smirked, stating, "Good to have you visit me of all people, Tarasova," and tilting her head to the easy chairs in front of her desk, "Take a seat, both of you."
Lita nodded, looked at Jim and showed him to follow. When the two sat themselves down, the American of the pair decided to scan the room around them, noticing a few of the major's personal effects, ones he'd seen during their cooperation in KFOR in a tent. Photos of family, of a loving daughter who probably thought her dead, a few prizes here and there for archery and even an olympic silver medal placed neatly on a shelf behind her.
The woman continued typing on the haptic interface, asking, "You go ahead and tell me how that operation went. I couldn't check the news to see who died."
"Ukrainian infantryman, probably Azov," Lita bluntly stated, causing the Major to freeze. The girl slid her Scroll over and told her, "Had tattoos… Poor bastard was thin as a toothpick, too. Looked like he'd been tortured by some of our 'comrades'," and she did the air quotes, "Back home. Probably a POW that got revived here…"
"He had hospital garbs on, though… Think he escaped from a local place?" Jim added unto the discussion.
The Major picked up the phone, looking at the photos Lita had taken, then sighed deeply and said, "I recognize him… He surrendered to us and we sent him back home alive and well," before turning the phone and pointing out a couple of details Lita should've recognized. The man was skin and bone, however. She continued, "Corporal Artyom Sevchenko, Twenty-fourth Mechanized Brigade, UAF."
"... Holy fuck, yeah, I remember now. How the hell didn't I recognize him?" Lita whispered, looking at the pictures. She mumbled sarcastically, "He shaved his beard," as she saw the cuts around his face and on his neck. Sighing, she folded the phone up and continued, "Poor bastard was holding some weird chick hostage… She threw him over the banister and out into the street, though."
"Sounds like one tough cookie, blyat," Deriabin mumbled as she wrote up the final few words for the report. Lita snorted and nodded, leaning back into the chair. The Major then said, "I hope you told Police and the Hospital staff to keep us updated with the man's autopsy…" and got a nod from Lita. She replied, "Very good, Lita… As always, I know I can trust my troops."
Jim smiled and said, "That's Li for ya, ma'am. Always trustworthy."
The green-haired woman blushed, then gave him a light punch in the shoulder. He let out a quiet, "Ouch…" before laughing a little and noticing the Major was staring at him with a smirk. He asked, "What?" confused. The woman snorted and shook her head, mumbling something in Russian as she looked to Lita that the girl replied to with some embarrassment and a much sharper voice, further elevating the confusion the American felt.
"So, the girl," The Major then looked at Jim, "You said you saw her eye color change, right?" and she started looking up some data.
The American replied, "Yes, ma'am. Went from dark green to one pink, one brown," with a hint of confusion. He saw through the holographic screen as the woman pulled up images of someone with that exact description, face and all. She had a specific kind of smug grin, too, one that Jim recognized… And her hair was the same as her eyes, brown and pink.
She told him, "Neopolitan…" before flipping the image for both of them to be able to read, "Wanted on multiple counts of homicides. Crimes always looked like assassinations. She's got one hell of a bodycount, too, including Huntsmen twice her size. No other formal data on her beyond the fact she's a somewhat known associate of Torchwick's, kind of like miss Ratty, the Scav, though far more close with the redhead. Best guess? She was trying to get you guys there…"
"... To follow us to Torchwick," Lita realized, "Fuck."
"... And we led her straight to the Police Precinct," Jim facepalmed, "Oh, fuckin' hell, hope this doesn't give the troops there any trouble," all while the Major looked over the files a bit. He told her, "We're probably gonna need to post up extra guards in the place. Hell, maybe even a couple Huntsmen we got under our employ."
"Not a bad idea," The woman replied. She grabbed her radio and switched to a frequency, then spoke, "Lieutenant Monreau, I'm going to need you and your platoon of Foreign Legionnaires to reinforce my security detail around Torchwick. Slight situation involving one of his associates knowing where to find him… I'll prep the paperwork to transfer him back here if need be."
"I copy you loud and clear, ma'am," The Quebecois Canadian answered, "We'll be on our way with the VAB in a few minutes. Monreau, out," and the com clicked. The woman set the radio aside and turned it off, before looking at the pair. She said something to Sergeant Tarasova, which the young woman nodded to, breathing an annoyed sigh.
She stood up and tapped Jim on the shoulder, stating, "Davai, Americanski," like an order. He stood up, snapped a salute to the Major, who smiled and saluted back, then walked out with Lita. The girl only stopped at the door to give the Major a quick salute that, yet again, received a short, but friendly reply, before the two started walking away.
Lita mumbled, "That would've been useful to know ahead of time," probably about Neopolitan. She looked at him, tapped him on the chest with her hand, then told him, "Good eyes. Can't believe I'm saying this, but if your sorry ass hadn't been looking at a chick, we might've missed that and not been able to warn the Major."
Jim scratched the back of his neck, mumbling, "I don't always look at chicks, y'know?"
The girl grinned, stating, "Oh, I know too well," with a slight hint of sadness in her voice as they strode through the place. The Motor Pool echoed with activity as the VAB rolled out on its four wheels, the gunner on the M2 Browning giving a wave to them. They waved back, watching the transport vehicle roll out toward the Highway.
Jim raised a brow at her, "You alright, Li?"
"Perfectly fine, blyat," She snorted, then sighed deeply and said, "Just starving is all. I heard Sam's cooking today, so I'm praying there's no bats involved," which got a short chuckle out of Jim. She smiled, then hefted her gear slightly more onto her shoulder, adding, "Today's been a day and a half, I'd say…"
"Didn't even get to try out the Festival food," Jim joked, then hummed and said, "Hey, if you're worried about Sam's cooking, we can probably still go out into town and try out whatever the hell the locals are cooking… Considering the fact we've seen a lot of familiar food here, though, we might even find Pizza or something," and he saw her visibly perk up like a puppy, eyes wide and red in her cheeks.
His heart skipped a beat at that. Meanwhile, a familiar laugh floated through the air as the Polish GROM operator walked past them, a grin on her face. Katja teased the two, "I'll be damned, Jim. Finally deciding to be smart, eh?" and gave a pat on the shoulder to Lita, who rolled her eyes and glared at her. The Polak lifted her hands and said, "Chill, chill. Have fun out there. I'll tell Sam."
"... Thanks," Li sighed deeply, "Well? Do we?"
"Sure," Jim shrugged. He paused as he saw the green-haired woman beam at that, before grabbing him by the wrist and, with a skip in her step, dragging his ass back toward the landing pads where a Bullhead had just landed. Katja smiled a little at the sight, shaking her head and mumbling to herself in Polish about them.
As Kat walked back to the common Misfit house, she lifted up her Scroll to read a newly-arrived report written by the Major, noting the Ukrainian soldier. She sighed deeply, sliding the Scroll back into a pocket and mumbling, "Spokiyno, Arteme…" to herself. She'd met the man in combat and even fought side-by-side with his unit at several points, so this was tough…
She waded through the door and was immediately hit by the smell of something sweet and sour, only to look upon Vesna and Sammy laughing together as they cooked the lunch for the team, both of them wearing aprons. They were singing a familiar tune, though Sammy's pronunciation was a bit off, going by the reaction of the three Romanians in the room.
Victor and Victoria listened to the girls singing, 'Frunzuliță Mușețel'. A strange name for a song, Kat figured, considering what it was about, but every time something cutesy was mentioned, Ves cast a glance back at Vic and her cheeks turned a little red. As the Pole walked in, she leaned over and asked the pair on the couch, "The hell is going on?"
"They just burst into song while making the food," Vic replied, smiling a little. Diana, who was also in the room, quietly hummed the tune. Vic looked at Kat, then asked her, "Where's Jim and Li? Hassan and Nicole just came in…" and she noticed the girl grin. He raised a brow, a smirk on his face, then asked, "He didn't…"
"He did. Straight to the fairgrounds where they had their mission," The girl stated, patting him on the shoulder. He laughed quietly, then looked over at his wife and their TL as they kept up working and singing. It was honestly kind of wholesome and fairly interesting to see, considering that at least a couple of the people in the room knew Sam's feelings for Vic. Vic didn't though, obviously.
A lot of that going around this unit, both Victoria and Diana thought at the same time…