FSE

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August 13th 2013

Chicago, Illinois

Industrial Sector

4:33 A.M.

1

Warehouse 7a

Every warehouse in the area is dark and quiet. No one except a few security guards roam the area. Everyone has gone home for the day. All except those who work at Warehouse 7A. The warehouse stood like a gargoyle next to countless others. The light from the various security lights meandered between the structures and was broken by eerie shadows cast by chain-link fences and fire escapes.

Two men stand outside the side door with alert faces. They wear heavy clothing despite the warm temperature outside.

"Do you think they will find us?

"Stop worrying! The ISAF couldn't find us if they tried, they're looking in places like Bosnia and Syria, they'd never think to look for us in America."

"I still have a bad feeling about this location, we're too close to them."

"Stop worrying you coward, we'll be fine."

"What was that?"

"What, I didn't hear anything,

"I saw a shadow, there!"

"I'm getting tired of you, watch, I'll go look, and when I come back and there is nothing, I want you to shut the hell up!"

See, I'm over here there's nothing to be.."

Silence....

"Drake?, Hey Drake! Don't play tricks on me.

"Drake should have listened to you...."

"What!, Who's there! Come out or I'll......"

thud...slump....

"FX9 to hawk's nest, do you read?"

"Loud and clear major, what's your status?"

"Perimeter breached, Minimal resistance. Moving to complete objective."

" Rodger that major, you have lethal force authorization, but try to keep it quiet, we don't want the police involved.

"understood, FX9 out,"

A figure stood outside the warehouse door. A female figure, but not quite human. She was an Arkonian, A genetic cross between a human and a canine species. This one was a fox, One of the few Arkonians to serve in the Independent State Allied Force (ISAF). She was a member of the Razgriz special forces, the most elite soldiers of the ISAF. She was alone on this mission. The fox carried the latest technology, with an optic cable, she looked under the door into the warehouse, About half a dozen people who looked like civilians, working on some kind of device in the center of the room, Another dozen people who looked like the men outside, guards, except these were carrying their AK108's at their sides openly visible. People moved to and fro like bees in a hive. She had chosen the small back door to avoid detection, If she was quick she might be able to slip in unnoticed, she would need some kind of distraction however. The fox had a reputation for being bold, and quickly came up with a plan. Something falling through the large skylight might get some attention, she thought, she looked above the building, a large overgrown tree had branches that extended over the skylight, The fox smiled, "perfect"

Julius Torelli paced nervously inside the warehouse office. These people are paying us a lot of money to keep an eye on this thing, whatever it is, he thought, A little too much in fact. He turned and walked to the outside wall of the office and gazed out the window, "Wish dey would hurry up with dat assembly, I'd like to get my money and get the hell out of here. Damn, sure is windy outside.."

Just then, the warehouse shook with an tremendous crash as the skylight above was shattered by a large tree branch. A dangerous rain of glass showered the floor below and the massive tree branch splintered several storage crates before coming to rest on the floor. The civilians ran every direction and chaos ensued. Julius ran outside the office just as the power to the building failed. "Backer, what da hell's goin' on!?"

"The wind must have broken the tree branch Boss. it must have hit a powerline and took our power out! I'm taking some men to the roof to try and restore power"

"Wait, Backer, this building's power supply is underground, something else is goin' on here, get your men togetha, seal da building and lock up da technitions, I think we may have company."

"Yes sir, I'll see to it"

"Make sure you have some men guard the device, It's worth more than you are got it?"

"yyess sir"

Through the infrared eyepiece, she could see everything, everyone. Her ears being more potent than humans, she could hear the heartbeats of the men around the corner and every whispered conversation in the area. The uneasy communication told her exactly what she wanted to hear, they had no idea what was going on. Only one thing bothered her. Where was the guy in charge of this outfit? She had to act fast. It was pitch black in the warehouse minus the flashlights carried by the guards. Even in the dark it would be nearly impossible to carry out the mission unseen. Her orders were to destroy the electrical components of the device that Julius and his crew had stolen. She also had orders to keep the rest of the device intact at all costs. "Have to take some of these guys out," she thought. Just then, One man barked orders to the guards, "Seal the building and lock up the technitians!" The guards scrambled, some gathered up the civilian technitians while other locked doors and windows. Were they just reacting to the power outage and skylight collapse or were they on to her, the fox wondered. Drawing her silenced Berretta M-9 the fox made her move, She climbed a set of storage racks and moved from rack to rack above the hostile floor, getting closer to the device. At the end of the row of racks, a guard lit up a cigarette and leaned against the rack. "Goodnight punk," the fox thought as she dropped 12 feet to land squarely on the guard, knocking him out cold. After carefully placing the unconcious guard in a nearby trash bin, she silently moved away from the rack and stood up with her back against the wall of the warehouse office. The guards were in high alert and clustered around the device and exits. I'm not getting anywhere near that thing now, she thought. Just then, she noticed a guard about to walk around the corner. The fox quickly drew herself into a dark corner near the back wall and waited. The guard turned the corner and moved toward her. She was confident that he couldn't see her in the blackness, but that flashlight he carried in his left hand was just as dangerous as the SIG P226 he carried in his right. She took the safety off her berretta and kept it aimed at the man's head. He began to turn the flashlight in her direction and she had no choice. The only sound was the guard's body slumping to the floor. She caught the brass casing before it hit the ground. The sound of the guards barking orders at each other more than drowned out the sound of a body slumping to the floor. A wave of relief began to sweep over the fox as she began to holster her weapon. This was cut short by the office's side door opening and a flashlight being shined directly on the fallen guard. It was Julius who had opened the door, "I knew it, OVER HERE! Da building has been breached, we got intruders! Find em now!"

"Shit," the fox murmered to herself. She quickly climbed a service ladder on the wall behind her and jumped on to the roof of the office. "Okay, quiet didn't work, time to be loud," She said as she took aim at the propane fuel tank of a nearby forklift and fired. The forklift erupted into a massive fireball sending several guards flying. The explosion toppled a nearby storage rack that crashed into the next one in the row and caused a dominoe effect. The guards began to scatter trying not to be crushed by the heavy boxes falling off the racks. The fox returned to the floor of the warehouse at took a run at the device, There was some light in the warehouse now due to the burning forklift and storage racks. The device was elevated off the floor by several wooden pallets and there was a person-sized space between them. The fox locked her legs and slid feet-first under the device. "This thing's huge," she thought. She then began to arm the EMP and attach it to the device. After arming the EMP she looked around, most of the guards were still preoccupied with helping their buddies who were caught under the fallen racks, She slid out from under the device and ran toward the darker side of the warehouse. One of the guards noticed a flash of movement and fired a burst of rounds from his Ak108. The fox ducked behind a nearby wall as the bullets carved staggered holes in the concrete blocking. "Over here! I think I see one," The guard shouted. "Markson! Inside your window, there!" The fox noticed a figure in the window next to her, The guard saw her as well and thrust the bayonet of his rifle through the window aiming for her midsection. The fox spun left as the bayonent missed by inches and grabbed the barrel of the rifle. The guard, startled began firing blindly, The heat from the barrel began to sear the fox's fingers, She gripped the rifle's foregrip and pushed against the wall with her leg tearing the rifle from the guard's hands, she then spun it around and blasted the window with automatic fire. By this time, most of the guards knew generally where she was and were firing blindly into the darkness toward her. The fox scrambled for cover behind a dumpster next to the office as pieces of concrete from the gunfire stung her. Not wanting to give away her exact location, she held her fire. "Can't stay here dammit" She quickly looked around for a way out, There was a small space between the office and the back wall. She went for it, dodging bullets. She turned the corner into the small space only to be met by a guard, He couldn't see her in the blackness but he had heard her footsteps and was about to fire. Acting quickly, the fox ran toward him, jumped off one wall and pushed off the opposite wall vaulting herself over and behind the guard. She then placed the butt of the assault rifle firmly to the back of the guard's skull knocking him to the ground. "Okay, you guys pissed me off now," She gathered the ammo the guard was carrying and reloaded the AK108, "Time to clean house," The fox came around the opposite side of the office, The guards were still shooting at the other side. She took out the detonator for the EMP and set it off. There was a strange, loud sound, but no apparent explosion. With the guards confused she made her move. She opened fire, firing short precise bursts and moving every few seconds. She exchanged fire with the guards for a minute or two and they went down one by one. She counted six of them. After the dust settled, she took one last look around. No one left. It was quiet. Where was the boss? "Probably took off, coward," She thought. The fox then moved into the office and looked for anything of importance. Satisfied that there was nothing she began to exit the warehouse. "FX9 to hawk's nest, package is secure, building clear, copy?......copy hawk's nest?" She looked at her radio and realized a round had gone clean through it. She almost laughed, "heh, figures, I'm outta here." The extraction point was a couple blocks away, an unmarked van. She exited the building and headed down a small alley. "I'm gonna think twice about accepting lone missions next time. That was rough,"

Julius had parked a block away waiting for the dust to settle. "Dammit! Who da hell found us out!", he yelled even though there was no one around to hear, "I saw one of em's shadow, looked like an arkonian female, Shit! got our asses handed to us by some fur!" just then he noticed a shadow in the alley, the same shadow he had seen earlier. "There ya are you bitch," He stepped on the gas and screamed toward the figure. The figure turned and began firing at the car, Julius responded by reaching out the window with a MAC-10 and spraying bullets he knew he hit the her at least twice because she screamed in pain and gripped her forearm and then her side. The fox then tried to jump over the car as he attempted to run her down. She didn't quite make it and slammed into the windshield, rolled over the car and slumped onto the pavement. Julius stopped and looked back, The fox wasn't moving, He thought about getting out and putting a bullet in her head just to make sure, but the sound of sirens approaching changed his mind, "She's dead or dyin', has ta be," he said as he sped off.

2

A Second Chance

Jay Ferah, a city paramedic was walking to his car from a local bar just as it started to rain. The only free parking around was about a half-mile from the bar near the warehouse district. He didn't mind. It wasn't a real bad neighborhood and he carried a .357 colt revolver just in case. He was startled to hear squealing tires followed by gunshots a block away. He also noticed smoke coming from the warehouse nearby. "The hell's going on?" he should have called the police and let them handle it, but something told him to look for himself. Besides, the police would take a while to get this far out on the outskirts of town. Jay walked toward the alley where he had heard the shots and carefully looked around the corner. The alley looked empty except for a few dumpsters. Jay drew his colt .357 and moved slowly down the alley fearing that the people who had fired the shots might still be in the area. As he approached one of the dumpsters he noticed a pool of dark liquid behind it. Even in the poorly lit alley, his paramedic experience told him it was blood. He ran behind the dumpster and saw a figure slumped on the pavement next to the dumpster. He quickly realized that it was an Arkonian female. Hoping she might still be alive, he gently turned her on her back and pressed two fingers against her neck. He felt a pulse, but it was weak. He also noticed that she was breathing but in short, frantic breaths. She would bleed to death if he didn't do something now. He reached for his cell phone to call for an ambulance, but then stopped. He noticed the ISAF insignia on her shoulder. There had been a terrifying ring of murders committed against ISAF officers in the area by terrorists in the city. A few had even been killed in their hospital beds after an initial attack failed. Plus the hospital was on the other side of town. Jay realized that the hospital may not be the safest place for her. He quickly examined her wounds. It looked like two gunshot wounds, one on her forearm and one that looked like it had gone clean through the flesh on her side. "Doesn't look like any organs would have been hit and it doesn't look like she has any serious internal damage. I could probably take care of her myself," he thought. Jay's car was just around the corner. After field dressing her wounds to stop the bleeding, He carried her to his Monte Carlo, wrapped a blanket around her and laid her in the back seat.

After a sleepless night, Jay walked down the hall of his suburban home to the guest room. He had gone to bed about 3 that morning satisfied that he had done all he could for the wounded fox. All he could do now is let her rest. He knew that if she had made it through the night, she had a much better chance. He opened the door to the guest room and looked in fearing that she didn't make it. After looking intently at the bed for a few seconds he was relieved to notice the steady rise and fall of the sheets that told him she was still breathing. He knew she was going to need food and water soon and after letting her sleep a few more hours he decided to try to wake her. He was nervous, he had no idea how she would react to waking up in such unfamiliar surroundings. He approached the bed and placed his hand on her shoulder,"hello? Can you hear me? Cmon, wake up...," The fox sighed and Jay noticed some movement under her eyelids, "that's it, wake up," The fox then opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. She had an exhausted and confused look on her face. She tried to get up. Jay pushed her shoulder, "don't try to move, you'll hurt yourself, trust me," The fox obeyed and tried to speak, "wh..whe.re am..I?"

"I'm a paramedic for the city, you were badly hurt, I brought you here and treated your wounds. You're at my my home just outside of town."

"I.. can't feel.. my side.. or.. my arm,"

"I've given you some pain medication that will make your wounds feel numb. It's so you won't try to move and tear your wounds."

"How..bad..am..I?"

"Well, now that you made it through the night and are speaking to me, I'd say that you're going to be fine, you need to rest however and don't try to move,"

"Thank..you, but..why didn't you take me..to the hospital?"

"I thought you might be one of the ISAF officers that have been targeted by those terrorists lately. Some of them were killed even after they were taken to the hospital,"

"Oh, right."

"Hey, What's your name? Or maybe you can't tell me.

The fox smiled slightly,"Amber, Amber Reveda

"So you can tell me, Well, nice to meet you Amber, I'm Jay Ferah. Do you feel like eating something? You could probably

use the energy.

"yeah, I do feel a little hungry. I don't feel too bad really, just tired."

"That's good but I still want you to try to move as little as possible. I'll go make us some breakfast. Do you like scrambled eggs and toast?"

"Yes, that would be fine, thanks."

Jay then left the room. Amber examined her surroundings. It was a nice room, obviously a guest room. It was painted a neutral blue color and the room had ample storage for a guest. The window next to the bed had a nice view of the suburbs that surrounded the house and the city skyline that was silhouetted against the early morning glow in the distance. She ran through the events of the night before in her head. "How could I have been so careless!," she thought, "should have checked the alley first. Guess I was lucky this guy found me." She looked at the bandage on her arm. It was definitely done by a professional. It was neat and tight, no blood had soaked through. She was a little embarrassed to realize that under the bed sheets she was wearing nothing but her underwear and a thin hospital type robe. "did he have to take my clothes off?" she thought, "Seemed like a nice guy but who knows" Soon Amber could smell breakfast being cooked downstairs. Jay entered a few minutes later with a bed tray full of food. Amber sat up, pulled the sheets up around her neck, and looked at him intently, "Look, I appreciate everything you've done, but did you have to undress me?," she said in a growling tone. Jay sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to invade your privacy but your clothes were soaked with blood and dirty rain water. Your wounds would probably have gotten infected. If it makes you feel better, I am a paramedic and I do this all the time."

"I suppose you do, didn't mean to bite your head off"

"It's alright, We get that a lot. You have to be hungry," he said setting the tray in front of her.

"Yeah, thanks.

Jay sat in a chair by the bed and began eating his own breakfast.

"Were you attacked by terrorists like the others?" Jay asked.

"No, I was on a mission that I can't tell you much about"

"Things went wrong?"

"Yeah, it was a loner mission, I'm not doing that very much anymore.

"Seems like a bad idea to send just one person"

"Not when you quote unquote don't exist"

"I recognized the insignia on your jacket, The Razgriz right?"

"Yeah how did you?..

"There was a story about you guys on 60 minutes, but they said you were elite pilots In the air force."

"That's only half of our story, I guess I can tell you some about us. The Razgriz Special Forces were started at the end of the last war as an elite group of pilots that were also trained as paratroopers. At first, we had a very specific job. We were to be dropped behind enemy lines near enemy airfields. We wore enemy fighter pilot uniforms. We were to infiltrate the airfields and simulate fake enemy radio transmissions that told the airfield that they were going to be bombed. When they scrambled their planes we were to use the confusion to steal enemy fighter jets and take off like we were on their side. Once we were in the air, we were to attack the enemy planes. Once all the enemy planes were shot down or disabled, we were supposed to turn around and attack the airfield we came from that was now defenseless. It was a brilliant strategy and it worked several times. We still do that sort of thing, But now we have expanded into a do anything, go anywhere special forces group and elite air squadron."

"Wow..that's amazing, you're one of them?!"

"Yeah, Commanding officer of Talon 2 squad Razgriz special forces AKA the black shadows. There are 5 talons. The Black Shadows, the Ghosts, the timber wolves, the Red knights, and the Vipers. Those aren't official names, just nicknames."

"Wow, you're pretty important then?"

"Well, I just do my job,"

"How long have you been in ISAF"

" 5 years, Since I was 16"

"Man, started young."

"I had to, my home country was being ravaged by terrorists, I joined the resistance under the ISAF liberation."

"That's pretty cool, I don't think I've ever met a more interesting person. Haven't met too many Arkonians either."

"ummm, thanks.. That breakfast was really good. Thanks"

"No problem, feel better?"

"A lot, thanks, Feeling is coming back in my side and arm,"

"Probably painful, I'll get some pain medication"

"I'm fine, really, It's not too bad, doesn't hurt that much," Amber said as she tried to move and then winced in pain.

"Doesn't hurt huh, Okay tough girl, I'll be right back" Jay winked at her, turned and left the room.

"Nice guy," she thought, "really taking care of me, What was that wink for? Maybe he likes me? No, don't need that right now.

3

Renegade Shadow

Colonel William Terrance walked through the debris on the warehouse floor with a scowl on his face, "I'll keep it quiet and low-impact she says, yeah, now we got a god-damned disaster area to explain to the local police," he angrily murmured to himself just as another ISAF Soldier approached him and saluted, "Sir, message from LCC, Major Reveda did not extract, She is unaccounted for."

"What next?!" Terrance shouted as he threw his arms up in disgust. He then walked over to the large device still sitting in the middle of the room. "Just like we thought, Our missing N45 Nuclear warhead," He walked closer to it and his eyes widened. "What the hell," he gasped as he wiped the identification numbers off with his finger, "This isn't it," He lifted up on the housing, it came off revealing an empty shell, "A damn model, where the hell's the real one?!"

"Sir!, a soldier barked as he ran across the warehouse, Sir, message from LCC, New information on the warhead, it was stolen and shipped out last night on a C130 that was stolen from Falker Air Base. We are tracking it now.

"So this was all just and elaborate illusion, but why?"

"Maybe she can tell us," the soldier said as he pointed out the warehouse door that led to a dark alley."

Terrance turned to see a dark but familiar outline of an Arkonian female walking toward him from the alley. "Hey, there she is, the mistress of disaster herself, you want to explain all this to me maj....hey what are you doing?" Terrance cut himself short and watched in horror as the Arkonian raised her pistol and shot two of the ISAF Soldiers and then pointed the gun at him, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING REVEDA!?" holster your weapon, NOW!" He couldn't see her face clearly but he noticed what looked like a menacing grin appear on the Fox's face, A shot rang out, the fox ducked, another ISAF soldier had been out of sight until now and was firing at her, "Get out of here sir, I'll cover you!" Terrance ran toward the other exit and the fox disappeared into the alley. Several ISAF Soldiers followed but the fox was nowhere to be seen.

4

Shock Treatment

It has been four days since Amber had been injured. She awoke about noon and decided that it was time to get out of the bed she had been in for the past four days. Jay had taken very good care of her and they had gotten to know each other a little while she wasn't asleep. She sat up and slowly moved her legs to the side of the bed just as Jay entered the room. "Be careful, you'll rip your wound open!" Jay said as he slammed the breakfast tray on the chair and ran to her side and tried to lay her back down. "I want to get up, I've been in bed for four days, I've been hurt worse, I'm not helpless," Amber said with a determined look on her face.

"All right, But let me look at that wound again and check the stitches. If it doesn't look too bad, you should be alright." Jay helped her stand up. Amber was a little annoyed at how tightly he held her making sure she didn't stretch her side. "Okay, let me see," Jay said as he began to lift up her robe,"

"Hey!," Amber grabbed his hand, "I'll do that, thank you"

"Fine," Jay said as he jerked his hand away, "I'm only trying to help." Amber pulled the robe careful to reveal only the wound on her left side. Jay touched it gently, "Looks like it's healed quite a bit, It should be fine, but you still need to be careful, alright?"

"Alright, thanks. Where can I take a warm bath?" Jay showed her around the corner. "Right here is the guest bath. I put fresh towels in here because I figured you might want to get up today or tomorrow so go ahead,"

"Oh, thank you, I need a warm bath after being in bed four days."

"I thought you would, I'll be downstairs if you need me," Jay said as he walked down the stairs. Amber slowly walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She grimaced, "I look terrible," Her hair and fur was matted and messy and her eyes looked sunken and gray. She poured a hot bath and stepped in. The hot water stung her wounds a little, but subsided. "AHH, feels great," she said to herself. "I wonder if ISAF thinks I'm dead," She thought.

Jay was downstairs and noticed that it had been about an hour after he had heard the water turned on in the bathroom, but he hadn't heard the bathroom door open, so she hadn't left. He was a little worried. "She's been in there a long time, better check on her," he thought. He walked upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door, "Yes?" Amber said from inside.

"Oh, okay, just checking," Jay said as he walked back downstairs. Amber had gotten out of the tub about fifteen minutes earlier and was brushing her fur and hair. "Man, this guy's really concerned about me," She thought.

Jay was sitting at his keyboard piano with his headphones on. He loved his hobby and put a lot of effort into it. He looked up for a moment and noticed that Amber was standing in the doorway of his studio. She had tied a towel neatly around herself and now that she was clean and revitalized from the hot bath, he noticed just how attractive she was. The majority of her fur was a burnt orange color that blended slightly darker toward her hands and feet. This was trimmed with white fur on her face and neck that ran down her chest and widened as it disappeared under the towel. Her eyes were a rich amber color that looked almost gold. She had dark brown hair that fell just past her shoulders. She was slim and even though her muscle tone was modest, he could see that she was quite physically powerful. She had long, tone legs and was quite tall.

"Are you ok??," amber said nervously,"

"f-fine, I'm fine," Jay said as he noticed he was staring at her. He took his headphones off and tried to regain his composure. "Sorry, kinda zoned out for a second heh heh"

"I noticed, you a Music major?"

"No not really, just a hobby."

"You wouldn't happen to have any clothes cut for an Arkonian would you?"

"Not really, but I washed your clothes you were wearing. They're in that room right there on your right."

"Oh, thanks. Where's the rest of my equipment?"

"In the cabinet above the dryer, They let you wear jeans under your fatigues?"

"They're comfortable, why?"

"Just seems a little strange"

"I need to call ISAF and let them know what happened"

Amber dialed a number on her cell phone and waited, James Morrow, a member of her team picked up, "State your Name and ID Number,"

"Reveda, Amber, RZT2 FX9, just letting you guys know I'm alright, ran into a problem at the ware..."

"Amber!? What the hell are you doing? You need to turn yourself in or Colonel Terrance is going to send people after you! Where are you!?

"Send people after me?! What are you talking.."

"Don't play stupid with me! Why did you shoot Davis and Remone?"

"Davis and Remone are dead? How did that happen? They were my friends! I didn't kill them!"

"They're not dead, good thing they were wearing bullet proof vests. But it sure looked like you to me Reveda! You walked up the alley next to the warehouse shot Remone then Davis and tried to shoot the colonel but we fired on you, I saw you with my own two eyes Reveda!" Amber's fur stood up on the back of her neck and her heart felt like it was beating in her neck as she realized what was happening. She spoke slowly into the phone,

"Did you see my face in that dark alley"

"Not completely but.."

"Jimmy, Listen to me, just calm down. Something is going on here. I swear to you, It wasn't me. I got hurt at the warehouse pretty bad. A paramedic took me to his house and fixed me up. I've been bed-ridden for the last four days."

"What?, But it had to have been you."

"It wasn't Jimmy, tell me you believe me?"

".....I believe you, But I don't think the colonel will. He's already put your name out as a target. Armed and dangerous, shoot to kill" Amber began to become enraged, the thought of her colleagues actually thinking that she might be a traitor burned her nerves. She yelled into the phone,"What?! Get him on the phone, NOW!"

"I can't. He's not here. They've moved him to a secure location because they think you're trying to assassinate him."

"This is insane, I'm on your side dammit!"

"Amber, the equipment at the warehouse was fake,"

"What do you mean fake?"

"The nuclear warhead wasn't real. It was an elaborate hoax. The colonel and some of the top brass think that you've become a mercenary and have been contracted by someone who set up this trap."

"No no no, This isn't happening, Doesn't anyone realize that I would never do anything like this!"

"That's what most of us think. But The colonel put talon 2 on suspension in case we're involved. I can't help you. I'm sorry Amber"

"This is a nightmare, I'm going to turn myself in and straighten all this out."

"If you're innocent that.."

"What do you mean IF!"

"Sorry, since you're innocent that might not be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"They won't believe you Amber, they'll court-martial you and have you tried for treason and murder. Amber.... that means firing squad"

"What do you suggest?"

"Find out whose behind this. I'll try to help you any way I can. Get access to a computer and I'll upload All the info I have."

"Alright, I'll call you when I get access to a computer with a secure line"

"Alright, Be careful, I think he's going to send Talon1 after you"

"I will, Thanks Jimmy,"

"Take care of yourself, we'll find a way through this"

Amber hung up the phone and turned around, Jay was standing in front of her with a concerned look on his face. He had overheard the conversation. Amber looked at him seriously, "I need your help." she said

5

Unreliable Sources

"Will this work?" Jay asked as he set the laptop on the desk in front of Amber.

"As long as I can access the internet wirelessly," Amber said, as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "My password to the ISAF net has probably been terminated. I'll have to hack in somehow. Jimmy might be able to help me." Jay watched the screen as the ISAF insignia popped up and a password was asked for. "Here goes...Dammit," Amber said in frustration when the screen registered ACCESS DENIED : ID RESTRICTED. A moment later a message registered on the screen.

.............Hello Amber...........IT'S Jimmy...... Figured you would start here......I can get you access but not for long.....What do you want to know?.......

Amber smiled," damn he's good," She typed quickly.

...........Amber here......give me everything on Julius Torelli...

....you got it...downloading now.......that's about all I can give you before the brass monitoring the channels get suspicious.... Good luck...

....Thanks Jimmy...Amber out....

Amber looked at Jay who had pulled up a chair and had been watching the Screen, "Thank you for your help Jay, I can take it from here, But get this straight, I was never here, I don't exist alright," Amber said as she gathered her equipment in a duffle bag. Jay caught her arm, "Thought you needed my help?" Amber looked at him intently, "No, no way, I can't involve you in this! You don't have any military background. It's too dangerous." Jay looked back at her, "And it sounds to me like you're in over your head, And actually, I was in the Army reserve for 5 years. It seems you don't have too many friends on the inside and if you don't exist, you sure as hell don't have any on the outside....cept me." Amber stared at him for a long time, She then sighed, smiled slightly and handed Jay the duffle bag. "Pack light, get dark clothes, we're going after Chicago's largest crime family's favorite son."

"Sounds good where do we start?"

"The Torelli family's favorite haunt. South side Dockyards. They're weapon's traffickers. They have to get their shipments from somewhere. I'm sure we'll be able to find some slime bag who works for Julius that isn't being paid enough to not give up his boss when properly.....persuaded," Amber said with a slight smirk.

"You sure that this Julius Torelli would be a reliable source to help you find out who framed you?"

"Oh these guys tend to become very reliable sources when you have the means to shut down their entire organization with a phone call."

"But you don't have THAT kind of authority now do you?"

"Julius doesn't know that does he?" Amber said as she loaded her Beretta M9 and zipped it into the bag.

Chigago dockyards

August 19th 2013

1:02 A.M.

The fog created a surreal world where boats and docks blended together and people were ghosts that appeared out of the darkness only to be engulfed into the fog once again. The only light was that of the near-full moon and the sparse dock lights that dotted the area. Mark Alters was waiting for a phone call. He stood nervously on the docks pacing back and forth. "Why do I always have to be the dammed delivery boy?, This sucks," he muttered to himself as he kicked a coiled rope into the water. He noticed a shape in the water. He leaned closer, "The hell is that?" He whispered. "Come on in the water's great," a voice whispered from the blackness, "Wha?" Mark tried to scream as he was pulled off the dock by the same rope he had kicked in. Something held him tightly under the dock. Then a hand was placed over his mouth. "sshhh, we don't want to wake up the fish now do we?" A female voice whispered in his ear,"If don't want to join them Listen up, I know you work for the Torellis. I owe Julius an introduction to the barrel of my nine millimeter, not to mention he has some information I need, Now you're going to tell me where to find him or I might decide that the fish need some company," The female voice sneered as the hand over Mark's mouth was replaced with a cold steel blade to his neck.

"Ok! Ok!, just don't do anything to me! Mark whimpered. I'm watching for a shipment for Julius. It's Important. I'm supposed to wait for a phone call telling me the ship is in the port. Then I'm supposed to call Julius and let him know. That's all I'm supposed to do I swear! I just take care of his docks"

"You take care of some of Julius's boats?"

"Y-yeah why?"

"Perfect, You help me and you live Agreed?"

"Sure, what-whatever you say hehe"

Julius was riding in his limo driving toward the dockyard when he received the phone call he had been waiting for. "Tank you Mark, I'm on my way, make sure everyding is ready...good you betta." Julius closed the phone and waited until the limo pulled up to the dockyards. A man walked off the cargo ship to greet them, "Julius Torelli?" The man asked

"Yeah, You Mathers?"

"I work for Mathers, name's Jay Panini"

"Mathers neva shows his face, son of a bitch. Were ya able to bring everading I ordered?"

"Yes, If you will come with me, I'll show you the goods"

"Come on boys, We're gonna need help carryin' all dis," Julius said as he motioned for the two thugs leaning up against the limo to follow him. Jay walked them down the stairs to the cargo hold. Jay led them through a large steel door. The door slammed shut behind Julius cutting him off from his thugs, "What you tryin' to pull ya bastard?" Julius yelled as his two thugs banged against the now sealed steel door. but his face turned from anger to fear as he heard the hammer of a Beretta click behind him. "Don't move, That is if you don't want to see what your brains look like on the wall." Julius noticed the shadow of the figure behind him on the wall. "It can't be....."

"Oh it is, The same bitch you ran down six days ago and this bitch isn't happy," Amber growled as she walked around Julius keeping the gun trained on his head. Julius followed the gun with his eyes." I'm sure ther is somethin' I can offer you"

"SHUT UP!" Amber yelled, "You have three minutes to tell me everything you know about whoever hired you."

"I dunno! I neva got his name!"

"Wrong answer,"Amber said as she lowered the beretta and fired a round into Julius's foot"

"Julius screached in pain and crumpled to the floor, "Aright! He called me bout a week ago, said he wanted security for a certain item dat was goin to be stored in dat warehouse. He didna tell me what it was, That's all I know!"

"That's it?, Then you're no good to me anymore,"Amber said as she raised the the beretta,

"NO! Wait," Julius yelped, "He came to da warehouse. He told us the keep an eye out for ISAF police. Plus he got a phone call. I heard some of it, sounded like he might be involved with dose ISAF Assasinations that have been takin' place, But I don't know for sure. There, that's all I know, now please don't kill me please!"

Amber looked at Jay, "See I told you he would be useful. But I still don't know if this makes up for all the innocent people you've killed," She said as she raised the Beretta,

"Amber!, stop. He's not worth it," Jay pleaded, trying to calm the enraged fox. Slowly, the fox lowered the pistol. "You're right, I've got a better idea," The fox said as she smashed the butt of her Berretta against Julius's forehead, knocking him out instantly.

Later that evening a large package was delivered to the Chicago 5th Precinct Police Station. The Inventory officer was a little shaken up by the fact that the crate had "To the Chicago PD from Justice" written on the side and that the crate contained three unconcious men. He ran upstairs to the lieutenant's office, "Sir you need to see this," he said as he led the lieutenant downstairs to the stock room. "The hell is this?" the lieutenant asked with a bewildered look on his face, "Hey, it's julius Torelli himself, and two of his thugs. What this?," he asked as he pulled an envelope out of Julius's jacket pocket, His eyes widened, "This is a list of ship license numbers and pictures of da Torelli's gun trafficking!" The lieutenant looked at the Inventory officer with a satisfied smirk, " Do me a favor will ya, go tell da captain we finally got im, with evidence," As the Inventory officer raced up the stairs to deliver the good news, The Lieutenant stared at the writing on the box and fixed on "Justice", "Whoever da hell ya are,... Thanks!"

6

A new Direction

Amber and Jay had been staring at the computer screen and newspaper articles for hours. Both of them were ready to fall asleep. "You know, you could have thought of a better name," Amber said under her breath. Jay looked up, "What do you mean?" He asked, confused. "Jay PANINI, you kiddin, you just named yourself Jay, ...er ...Deli Sandwich in Italian ya moron. It's a wonder the guy didn't shoot you right there," Jay looked at her with a shocked look, "What!, I don't speak Italian! It was all I could think of Jeesh.........wait..." His face changed and he started laughing, "I guess the Panini was a little dumb," Amber started laughing too, "Panini, ha, that's a real mobster name," The both looked at each other and stopped laughing. Then they both quickly returned their eyes to the screen, "Amber rubbed her eyes, "What can all of this mean? I don't know where to start." She said, frustrated. She began to get a blank look on her face as she thought about the whole situation." Jay jumped, startled as Amber slammed her fist on the desk, "This should have never happened in the first place! Why can't they see through this?!" her shoulders started heaving. Jay put his arm around her and rested his hand on her shoulder, "Hey, don't let it get to you, look, it's late and I know you're tired, lets get some sleep and get back to it in the morning. Amber got up and walked over to the leather couch and sat down letting herself sink into it. "Okay, I'll rest for a minute or two, but I'm not done for tonight." Jay joined her on the couch and laid his head back for a minute. He woke up several hours later, He was reclined on the couch with Amber lying next to him resting her head on his chest. The fur on her face was soft and warm. He could tell by her gentle breathing that she was sound asleep. He reached behind himself, turned out the light, and looked at the sleeping fox for a while silently, smiled and laid his head back again.

Jay awoke with a start from Amber shaking his shoulder. She said sharply, "I found what we're looking for." Jay rubbed his eyes, "How, how long have you been up?" Amber quickly answered, "About two hours, come here, I want to show you what I've found. They sat down at the table and Amber turned the computer toward Jay, there was a collection of ISAF military records on the screen. She Looked at Jay, "Okay, I researched the recent ISAF Officers that have been murdered. It hit me this morning, the people who killed these officers are probably the same people that tried to kill Colonel Terrance and frame me. There must be a connection between all of these officers I thought. And since these officers were murdered in very secure locations such as an ISAF hospital and at their homes on the base, I figured it wasn't just some random terrorist. "Jay raised his eyebrows, "You think this is someone inside ISAF?"

"Exactly," And they're professional killers that know how to disappear. Now, what I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room. There are a few covert ops wet-work teams inside ISAF. They're not official. They're pretty much assassins. When we have a national or internal security risk that cannot be dealt with under normal means, these guys are called, not a noble group to say the least. Anyway, they're paid per mission and about 2 years ago, One of these teams known as Firestorm botched a mission where they killed 10 Syrian terrorists when they were only supposed to kill one. It's not like they're cover was blown, they just decided to take the rest of em out. Of course, ISAF wasn't happy. They disbanded the group and did not pay for the contract calling the mission a failure. You have to understand, Jay, these people are ruthless killers for hire, nothing more. They only care about their money, so I Imagine they were not pleased with their dismissal."

"Okay, That's very interesting," Jay said crossing his arms, "But what do they have to do with these officers?"

"I'm getting to that, You see, all of these officers were involved in that contract with Firestorm. Either they ordered it or authorized it. Even Colonel Terrance was involved. That's why I think they targeted him as well. They're taking revenge for being dismissed."

"Why frame you though? Do you have anything to do with them?," Jay asked.

"No, I knew they existed, but I have never dealt with them directly. I think they're framing me to cover their tracks."

"But why you?"

"Look, These are the five members of Firestorm," Amber said as she went through several personnel records on the screen, "Issac Serras, Team leader, Human, male;

Varishni Bkeshnof, former KGB, Human, male;

Rex Thmaz, weapons expert, Arkonian, canine, doberman, male;

Isabella Krochev, also former KGB, communications, human, female,

and finally, Navra Lurekov, former Russian Spetsnaz, Arkonian, red fox, female." Jay's eyes widened as he looked at the last file, "She looks exactly like you! My god, She could be your twin!"

Amber looked at him and gritted her teeth, "That's why Firestorm decided to frame me, they have a bitch that looks exactly like me. It's a little easier to do that with Arkonians because even though we all look a little different, we're harder to tell apart from each other than humans because our fur hides some of our facial features. They planned the whole thing, the fake warhead, hiring Julius Torelli just to lure me in so they could take me out and send Navra posing as me to kill Colonel Terrance"

Jay sat back in the chair, "Now we know who's behind it, let's go get em'

Amber sighed, "I wish it were that easy. Firestorm is a ghost group, they can be impossible to find. But almost all the records I found point to a remote area of Southeast Canada as a possible base of operations for Firestorm."

Jay stood up and his eye narrowed,"Canada? That's gonna take us awhile seeing as how we can't safely travel by plane. We'll have to drive

Amber smiled, "Don't worry, I can get us a ride that's just a little faster that driving. And it may let us make a helluva getaway if we need to.

7

A Rental

Illinois farmlands Southwest of Chicago

ISAF military facility Martins's Ridge

August 21st

7:47 P.M.

"Just act calm and don't say anything. I'll get us through this," Amber said as the Jeep rumbled up the dirt road. The jeep kicked up a cloud of dust with the recent drought. There was nothing but grain fields in every direction, With just a few farmhouses dotting the landscape and a red Illinois sunset in the distance. Amber was wearing a full ISAF BDU uniform, but had torn the Razgriz Insignia off. "Won't they recognize you?" Jay asked as he grabbed hold of the armrest as the road became rougher. "No, I've never been to this facility. It's not highly secured and I doubt that it's very active right now."

"Then, why are we going there?"

"One word Jay," Amber said with a wink, "Firefly"

"O--kay, never mind I guess,"

The Jeep finally arrives at a pair of gates. An ISAF Police officer walks up and Jay holds his breath, "What brings you to Martins Ridge...major," The guard asked noticing the rank patch on Amber's shoulder. "This Is Fulton Minisk," She said motioning toward Jay, "He's a programmer, We are here to upgrade the Firefly systems." The guard looked at them for a moment, "I wasn't notified that a civilian programmer was to be expected. I'll have to..," Amber cut him off, "I'm notifying you right now! Let us through soldier! We have sensitive equipment that must be brought inside away from this dust!" The guard looked at them for a second, "Yes ma'am, the Firefly is in that hanger there to the left."

"Thank you, soldier, Hey, we'll have a beer later," Amber said smiling

"S-Sure, looking forward to it ma'am," The soldier said as he saluted and the jeep drove through the gate.

Jay sighed, "That was close,"

"Just need the right touch,...and.. the right patch on your arm. He wouldn't dare challenge a major's authority." Amber said with a smirk.

The Jeep pulls into the hanger. Amber steps out and walks up to a large covered object in the middle of the hanger. She lifts the cover up a bit for Jay to see. The word, "Firefly" is painted in grey on the black plating. "What is it?" Jay asked in wonder," Amber smiled and pulled the cover off, revealing a very small two seater helicopter. It wasn't any longer than a large car. Amber stepped back and admired the machine "The Firefly, the smallest and most advanced, manned helicopter in use today. It can even fly itself, pickup people in the field and can pack a particularly nasty sting. But this is the best part," Amber said as she stepped up into the cockpit. After flipping a few switches, the chopper's blades began to move. To Jay's amazement, the chopper ran just as quiet as an automobile. "Amber looked over her shoulder as Jay walked around the chopper, "See, it's nearly silent!"

The same guard that was watching the gate was startled to hear the base alarm start blaring followed by a message on the alarm system, "ATTENTION ALL ISAF PERSONNEL! AN UNAUTHORIZED TAKEOFF IS IN PROGRESS! ALL PERSONNEL INTERCEPT AIRCRAFT OUTSIDE HANGER 3E! The soldier looked back to see the firefly taking off, "Son of a bitch, You ain't getting away dammit," He mumbled to himself as he ran across the tarmac shouldering his rifle. He took aim and was promptly knocked down by a sergeant, "The sergeant looked down at him, "THE HELL ARE YOU DOIN?!" That's a 27 million dollar piece of equipment you gettin ready to shoot at! The sergeant threw his hat down as the helicopter faded into the distance, "Dammit, How the hell did they get in here anyway?" The soldier got up quickly and began to walk away, The sergeant noticed, "Wait a minute, you know sumthin about this Johnson?" The soldier stopped and his eyes fell, "You have got to be shitting me."

8

The Firestorm Begins

"You're crazy, you know that right?" Jay said with an awkward grin. He was sitting behind Amber. Amber looked back, "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, I dunno, stealing a secret prototype helicopter might have something to do with it." Amber laughed, "I told you, we're borrowing it,"

"You got insurance on this thing," Jay asked grinning a little more. One eight hundred Safe Chopper.

Amber laughed, "Nope"

"That's what I thought,"

The small chopper glided silently across the sky, They were over Canada now. "So where's this place at?" Jay asked.

"Not sure exactly, I've never actually been there"

"Oh great, You could have told me that earlier. We're just chasing shadows if you have no idea where.."Amber cut him off,"Quiet, Ive got something on the Infared. Looks like there's a lot of heat coming from inside that mountainside. Looks like a small cabin on the ridge above it as well. Let's land on the other side of the ridge and check it out, They won't be expecting visitors, let's keep it that way,"

The biting cold shortened their breath as the two made their way up the alpine ridge. They stopped at the top of ridge where a thin line of evergreen trees stood between them and the cabin. "Amber moved her ski mask down, "There's probably an entrance to their base in there. I mean, seems kind of weird that this is the only cabin around." Jay looked toward the cabin and squinted, "I agree, looks like no one's home though,"

"Well, we're about to become uninvited guests," Amber said as she loaded a MP5N Submachine gun and handed Jay a SPAS 12 shotgun," She looked at him intently, her tone was serious, "Don't hesitate, trust me, they won't. These guys are killers, Even though they have worked for us, I'm sure they have worked against us too. Last chance, You can stay here with the chopper." "Jay winked, "Not a chance tough girl, You're too crazy to be left alone, Hell, you might decide to blow up the whole damn mountain. Besides, how the hell am I going to get home if you go and get yourself killed." Amber smiled slightly.

The two made their way toward the cabin. Jay, following Amber's hand movements moved to the window on the right side of the door. Amber circled the cabin checking the surrounding area. Then, she moved up to the door careful to crouch below the windows She nodded to Jay who looked inside carefully. He nodded, Amber motioned for him to move right when she opened the door. She opened to door and they moved in checking the corners and side rooms, They met back in the living room, "Nothing," Amber said as she took off her ski mask and goggles. Jay did the same, "Now we have to find that entrance right?"

"Yeah, now where the hell would you hide a.." Amber was cut short by the sound of glass breaking. Soldiers wearing mercenary fatigues had rappelled off the roof and were swinging in through the windows. One of them knocked Jay to the ground Instantly and held a gun to his head. Amber raised the MP5N, "Stop!" a voice said from behind her. "If you care for him to live that is," Amber recognized the voice and her heart felt as if it were beating in her throat. "James Morrow, what have you done?" She said, her voice quivering. James walked around her pointing a Sig P266 pistol at her forehead. Amber's voice turned into a rage "I trusted you! You have betrayed me, ISAF and the free world you Son of bitch!"

"Temper, Amber, you always did have trouble controlling it. I was always the one who had to force you to come to your senses," James said snickering. Amber snarled, "Well you won't have to worry about that after I kill you," James started laughing menacingly, "Ha! Look around you, you're not in much of a position to make threats are you? You know, I'm kind of glad Julius Torelli didn't take you out, It was fun tracking you after you called me asking for help. Now drop the gun or you both die..," James pushed the soldier aside and pointed his pistol at Jay's head," starting with him," "Amber slowly laid the gun on the floor, "You bastard,"

"Take him below," James said. "Oh! Almost forgot," James snickered as he walked up to Amber. He got so close to her he touched her, Then he reached around her and took her pistol out of it's holster, "Did I ever tell you how sexy you are?" Amber kneed him hard in the groin causing him to double over and collapse, "How's that for a first date fucker," James got up heaving, "You bitch!" He snarled as he smacked the butt of his pistol against her forehead. Amber yelped in pain and everything went dark.

9

Blurred Reality

Amber woke a few hours later in a dark prison cell. It was obviously underground because no natural light was present. Only the single bare light bulb in the hallway outside the cell prevented total darkness. The cell was just a 10x10 cement cube with no bed and no toilet. She winced in pain from and clutched her forehead. She quickly removed her hand that was now sticky with blood. She sighed and leaned against the corner of the cell. "At least they put us up in the best hotel in town," A voice said from across the hall. Amber looked up, "Jay, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm not as banged up as you. Which makes sense because I'm not the one who decided to crush that guy's balls"

Amber smiled slightly, "He deserves so much more than that. He was my friend and colleague. I really can't believe he would do something like this. I'm so sorry Jay, You should have never been involved you probably have a family....a girlfriend....," Amber started to tear up, "God, I wish I had died in that alley. At least it would have ended there without someone else involved."

Jay sat back in his cell, "Family, yes, girlfriend, no, and that doesn't sound like the person that I got to know over the last week."

"Amber tried to compose herself," "sniffle" "Got any ideas?"

"Nope.....you?"

"Nope"

Just then, a figure moved down the hall to Amber's cell. The female figure spoke with a thick Russian accent, "Jusht though I would shtop by and pay my rescpects to zthe pershon who made all of this poshible." The figure said with a dark cackle. Amber stood up, "Who are you?" The figure moved into the light, "Navra Lurekov, Pleashed to meet you miss Amber Reveda. As you can shee, we picked you becaush you and I look like we are, how you say.... twins. With me being the shmart one of course.." Amber tried to grab her through the bars of the cell door, but Navra stood just far enough away. Navra leaned forward a little "You are a temperamental one, yes....I must say, I am surprised to find another Arkonian woman with such military skill. You just trusht people too much. You need to learn that all people will do anyshing for the right amount of money." Amber stood back and crossed her arms. "No, only those with no self-respect or patriotism lower themselves to killing innocent people for money. A honorless bitch such as yourself falls right in line with the other lowlifes on that side of the spectrum." Navra drew her Tokarev T-22 pistol in a rage, "I'll show you what in means to be a patriot you ISAF worm!"

"Ladies, ladies, please don't quabble, " James said as he walked up the hall and lowered Navra's arm. Navra jerked her arm away, "And you, I do not like you shaying zhat she is attractive, I thought I was your woman!" James put his hand on Navra's shoulder, "I did like her once, and you two look so much alike, but she doesn't have your eyes my dear." James said as he held Navra closer to him. Amber looked away, ."Jees, you two are perfect for each other, One rat for another. James snickered, "Say whatever you like Reveda, you and your friend are going to be witnesses to the greatest victory for the militant revolution that will turn the tide in this war." Amber had a confused look on her face, "What war? What the hell are you talking about? The Militant revolution? What is going on here?" James' face fell, "I genuinely feel sorry for you Amber. You have been trained as a soldier for a false alliance of countries known as the Independent States and Allied Nations, AKA the ISAN. The ISAN and it's military the ISAF are nothing more than a front for the largest Empire in world history. You hide it so well, claiming that your government does everything for it's people. No No NO! you are part of a Regime that promises to conquer and enslave humans and Arkonians alike. I will not be a part of it Amber and you would be wise to reconsider your place by their side. I am a generous man Amber, defect now and join our cause to rid the world of this oppression and I will spare your friend and welcome you with open arms." "Amber's eyes widened into a stare as she realized that this man who had once been her friend had gone completely insane. "Is.....that what you truly believe? I hope not, You can't be serious. What about all the good times we've had and your family back in the states....

James cut her off, "I HAVE NO FAMILY!!!!" I never did! It was all lies! They were spies planted by ISAF to watch me. I found them out and I took care of them. They will never spy on me again! I was shown proof. Undisputed proof of their betrayal! The ISAF have spies in every family! Amber threw herself at the cell doors, "Do you hear yourself Jimmy?! You're not making any sense. You killed Marna, and your sons? Please tell me you didn't." James just stared back at her with no emotion, "Amber put her hand over her mouth and stepped back, "Oh god no you didn't," She gasped. James looked at Navra, "Obviously she is going to be no use to us my dear, Take her up top so that she can see the beginning of the new era." James said as he walked back up the hall. Navra opened the cell door and stepped inside, "You vill go first Arkonian," Navra said as she handcuffed Amber and led her out of the cell. They walked up a dark corridor. Amber didn't struggle. She was still too shocked to realize what was going on. "She looked at Navra, "You really trust him?" Navra poked Amber hard in the ribs, "What doesh it matter to you anyvay? Keeo moving!"

"I saw the look you got on your face when I mentioned his family, You didn't know about that did you?"

"Like I shaid, It doesh not matter, I'm getting paid. I'm happy for zhat."

"Is that really all you care about?"

"It is all Zhat I have and don't thell me you feel shorry for me"

"There is something you should see,"

"What, and why should I care?"

"Get my wallet out of my back pocket"

"You're wasting my time!"

"Just get it and then I'll go quietly"

"Fine fine," Navra said as she stopped and reached into Amber's back pocket,"What am I looking for?"

"Those pictures, there, no the next one. Recognize the man in the picture?"

"Yesh, it is James"

"And those two boys, twelve and thirteen years old, Do they look like spies to you?"

"Navra looked at the picture for a moment and then quickly looked away, "James is a generoush man, he would have not harmed them if zshey were innocent"

"Do you really think that a twelve and thirteen year-old could be guilty of anything worth being killed for?!"

"What are you trying to shay?!"

"Don't trust him. I have known the man for 6 years, he is not himself. Something has happened to him."

"I think you are just stalling, keep moving," Navra poked Amber again and they continued walking. The corridor opened into a room full of technical equipment and several large screens on the wall. James was standing in the middle of the room and there were about 12 other people in the room. Most were part of Firestorm and a few were wearing a military uniform that Amber had never seen before. James addressed the room, "I thank you all for coming and I welcome you to the first display of the People's Militant Federation power and resolve to end world oppression and bring order to the nations once again." One of the firestorm members spoke up, "I thought we were going to ransom the warhead back to ISAF and that's how we were going to be paid!" James turned to face the man, "Patience my brother, I have a much better use for the warhead and this is only the beginning. You will receive your payment and much more. Our first target is this Military town in Northern Russia. Once a gem of the Russian military, now it is overrun by ISAF oppressors and is a haven for them," James said as the screen showed live video camera feeds of a small Russian town. Amber noticed that Navra's grip around her arm suddenly became very tight, Amber looked up at her, Navra was staring at the screen and her eyes were frantically scanning the horizon of the small town. Suddenly her eyes widened and she cried out, "Zhat is no military town! That is the village where I grew up, There are no weapons or military personnel for miles!" James turned and glared at her, "Navra! You must not let the ISAF deceive you! What better place to hide an underground military base than under a quiet town such as this one. It is the ISAF's fault that these people must die for they decided to put them in harms way. There is nothing we can do for them. The ISAF has doomed them to their fate, "James said as he pushed a button on the communications panel, "No, you can't'" Navra cried out as the screen flashed with the white light of a nuclear blast and the town was instantly consumed by the intense heat and pressure. The people vanished instantly, vaporized. Navra watched in horror as her hometown was erased from existence. She stood motionless as the dust settled on the screen. The other members of Firestorm began arguing, "This is not what we signed up for! We want out!," one of them said. James motioned to his men. They pointed their weapons at the firestorm members, "You will help me, that is, if you want to get paid and to live," James said as he motioned for the firestorm member to leave the room. The other people in the room began to leave until James, Navra, and Amber were the only ones left. James looked at Amber, You see, we now have the resources to touch you anywhere," James said with a deep cackle. Amber looked at Navra who was shaking. James noticed, "What is wrong my dear?" Navra looked at Amber with a blank expression and then screamed in rage as she ran toward James. She vaulted herself in the air and drew a long dagger. "You will die for your madness!" A shot rang out and Navra collapsed onto the floor at James' feet, "Even you do not understand it seems," James said as he turned around to face Amber. "And now to deal with you," he said as he drew his pistol and pointed it at her," I hope you have made peace with yourself, Amber Reveda. Suddenly a gurgled scream filled the room as Navra rose to her feet, with blood streaming from her neck and she slashed James across the back. James dropped his pistol, screamed with pain and fled the room, Amber rushed to Navra's side as she collapsed," Amber examined her wound. The small round had gone clean through the center of her neck. Navra looked at her and tried to speak. Amber could barely understand her because Navra was choking on her own blood, "I.....am.....s.s.sorry.....you...ww.were...right" she managed to get out. "sshh" Amber said as she placed her hand on Navra's head and quickly wrapped her neck with her shirt. "You are not honorless, you have proven yourself a patriot of your country," Navra tried to smile, Amber looked back toward the door, "My friend is a doctor, you hold on. Amber grabbed James's gun and turned to run back to the cells, Navra grabbed Amber's leg, "mmake s s sure you get...t that ....b..b bastard. Amber nodded slowly and then ran back to the cells.. She shot the lock to Jay's cell. "Jay was startled, "What the hell, did you crash the party?" Amber grabbed him and led him up the corridor, "You need to help someone. Come on!" Amber led him into the screen room.. Jay looked at Navra and then at Amber, "She's one of the bad guys though right?" Amber turned to him, "No, she tried to help us and James shot her. I'll explain later," Amber said as she ran to the door at the other side of the room. Jay looked up. "Hey! I need medical supplies, She's not going to last long," Amber looked back, "Okay, but we won't either if I don't find this thing." Jay looked back, "What?" Amber swung the door open, "I'll be right back," Amber rushed through the base. Trying to find the medical bay. Finally success. A bright red cross was marked on one of the doors. Amber tried to open the door, "Shit, shit, it's locked!" She looked around frantically, A oxygen tank caught her eye. She laid the oxygen tank on it's side at the far and pointed it at the medical supply room door. "Here goes," She said as she took an axe-swing at the valve on the tank with an assault rifle breaking the valve clean off. The tank fired off down the hall and bent the door clean off the hinges. Amber grabbed a stretcher and wheeled it back down the hall. Jay saw her coming, "Quick, help me get her on there," He said as he grabbed Navra's shoulders. They carefully lifted her onto the stretcher. Navra was barely conscious as she made several gurgling sounds in between he gasps for breath. "I don't think she's going to make it Amber," Jay said as they wheeled her back to the medical bay, "Amber looked back at him, "Just do what you can for her, that's all I ask. She deserves that much at least." Jay looked down at Navra who was now unconscious but still gasping for breath, "I'll try" he said. "All right, You help her, I have to find something," Amber said as she left the room. Jay yelled after her, "Amber wait! I need your help!," but Amber had already ran down the hall. Jay looked down at Navra who was conscious again looking at him as if to say, "help me" Jay sighed, "You're quite a fighter, All right, lets get you patched up," He said as he injected a sedative into Navra's arm. And everything went dark.

10

New Beginings

Navra opened her eyes and saw nothing but a bright white light, "I must be dead," She thought. Then, slowly, her eyes adjusted and she was able to make out the lines of a small hospital room. Then she recognized Amber sitting next to the bed. She tried to speak, but there was a thick tube in her throat. Amber sat up quickly. "She's awake! Doctor we need you!" The doctor came in, "Yep, she sure is."

Navra looked at Amber and the doctor as if to say, "I want to speak"

The doctor carefully removed the tube, "She's been breathing well for a few days now, this was just a precaution until she came out of the coma," Navra took a deep breath and looked at Amber. Navra's voice was weak, "I..I'm alive?"

"Well, I would hope so considering you're talking to me. It would be a little strange to have a conversation with a dead person," Amber said as she leaned closer to Navra. "How.....did we....escape?" Navra asked.

"Well, as soon as the nuclear blast went off in Foreshkov ISAF tracked the detonator signal and found the base. We were rescued about an hour later. Jay somehow managed to keep you alive," Amber said just as Colonel Terrance walked in, "So, our criminal is awake. You do realize that you have been kept alive purely for interrogation," Amber snapped her head around, "I thought we talked about this and we agreed to hear her case!" Navra spoke, "I accept the......how you say.....consequences.. of my actions.....Do with me what you will.....I have nothing to fight for anymore." Amber looked at Navra, "Let's continue this when you are up to it,"

Navra sat up on the bed, "No, I am fine...I vant to help any way I can." Colonel Terrance spoke up, "Will you provide us with all information regarding Firestorm and James Morrow?" Navra nodded, "Yes, anytshing to get that bastard what he desherves, He lied to all us, We were supposed to only ranshom the warhead back to ISAF for the money we were owed. The crazy bastard even convinced us that ISAF was trying to hunt us down and kill ush to cover their operationsh. I know now that was not true. Before you decide my fate, vill you listen to one requesht?" "The colonel huffed, "Oh your fate has already been determined. You will be convicted of war crimes and you WILL spend the rest of your life in prison." Amber sighed, "Can't you at least hear her out. She was lied to, deceived and in the end her hometown and family were destroyed by the very people who she was fighting for."

"She shot two ISAF officers! You remember Davis and Remone?!" Amber snapped back, "Only because she was led to believe that we were going to hunt her down and kill her. She was only doing what she was forced to do by James! I fact, I remember something in your file about a friendly fire incident where you killed another ISAF officer because you thought he shot at you when if fact he did not!" The colonel's face turned white and then red with rage, "Don't ever bring that up again." The colonel said as he looked away for a moment. "Fine, I believe that people can be forgiven. What do you have to say?" he said as he looked at Navra. Navra sat back, "All my life I have been fighting for no reason, not for a country or a cause. It is all I have ever known. I should have died at that base. I desherve noshing more. However, Now that I have been gifted with a second chance, I would like to change my life. If you want to lock me away, I understand and I vill not fight. But, put me at your side and let me fight for a cause and I pledge to serve you and ISAF to my dying breath. I vill not sleep until James and the other minds of evil in this world are defeated. I leave the decision to you,"

Amber looked at Colonel Terrance. "I will take responsibility for her if you will let me," Amber said sincerely. The colonel looked back at Navra and the two of them stared into each other's eyes as if trying to read each other. Finally, the colonel spoke with a severe tone, "Understand this Lurekov, I don't trust you in the least. You will be placed under arrest. You will be under Major Reveda's supervision. You will not leave the base and you will not roam about the base unaccompanied. I am giving you one chance to prove yourself. I am not an easy man to please, Lurekov. My trust will be THE hardest thing you have even worked for in your entire life." Navra half smiled, "I understand...Thank..." The colonel cut her off, "Do NOT thank me, Impress me" He said as he left the room. Amber looked at Navra, "It's not going to be easy for the other's to accept you." Navra grabbed Amber's hand, "Thank you for giving my life a second chance," Amber smiled as Navra laid her head back and fell asleep.

End Mission