Chapter 4 – Road Trips, Sightseeing and Meetings OH MY!

Somewhere in the hills of Virginia

A damaged airport shuttle bus careens down the hillside, barely avoiding trees and rocks as it smashes its way through the forest.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

xix – Several days earlier, Italica

Bad Company stayed at Formal mansion for the night as thanks for being on the front lines during the Battle. The refugees stayed with them as well, for various other reasons.

The next day the Marines are still policing the bodies, the Airborne troops having left the evening before. The Marines set their temporary camp up outside the south gate while placing checkpoints at the east and west gate respectively. They will need to wait for reinforcements before they can set up firebases further away from Italica.

At around midday, a drone flying recon sees a visible dust cloud coming from the road to the east. The operator signals the drone to fly over the dust cloud, zooming in on what he sees is a column of armored riders leading a detachment of foot soldiers towards the City. The operator immediately contacts the marine base.

"FOB Rohan, FOB Rohan, this is drone operator Watcher-4, come in FOB Rohan."

A communications Sergeant answers. "This is Sergeant Phillis at FOB Rohan, go ahead Watcher-4."

"FOB Rohan, be advised, a force of enemy soldiers are coming towards Italica from the east."

"Roger that Watcher-4." Sergeant Phillis motions for someone to get an officer. "What can you tell me about their makeup."

"Wait one." The drone operator engages the zoom, taking a closer look at the enemy forces. The zoom isn't that great, so he can't get a detailed look at their individual features, but he can give a rough estimate about their size. "It looks like there are about a hundred armored knights on horseback, and uh … five hundred legionnaires on foot. They should reach Italica in about, um, let me check the map here … one hour at their current speed."

"Copy that." He sees a captain walking over to his position. "Keep us updated on any further enemy movements."

"Will do, Watcher-4 out."

Phillis turns to the approaching officer. "Captain Wilkins, drone operator Watcher-4 has just informed me that an enemy force numbering around 600 individuals is approaching Italica from the east. ETA, 1 hour."

Wilkins puts a hand to his chin in thought. "Could be a strike force from the Empire, but most likely it's the reinforcements Princess Piña told us about. I'll let Major Ramirez know about this."

The Major orders most of the armored vehicles and men to re-enforce the Eastern Gate, leaving token forces at the other locations. He also requests that Princess Piña and her subordinates be with him at the wall to verify if it is her men or not.

The last of the Marines are in place. Bad Company arrives with the princess and the refugees, meeting Major Ramirez atop the battlements.

"Thank you for coming Princess," says the Major, Lelei translating for him.

Piña nods nervously. She is in her traveling clothes and has no weapons on her other than a small dagger sheathed on her waist. Not that she would have attacked if she had her normal weapons, as that would only lead to her unnecessary death. Piña stands to the left of Ramirez, with Lelei in between them. Most of Bad Company is on the wall, with Team 1 standing behind the Major.

Piña clears her throat and asks, ":If these are the reinforcements I called for, what will you do?:"

Ramirez turns to look at her in the eye. "They are part of the empire, so they are technically still my enemy." He holds up a hand to forestall her argument. "However, as long as they do not attack my men or try to enter Italica, I will not do anything."

":What!:" she exclaims. ":Italica has always been open to all peoples! To deny anyone entrance is unheard of!:"

"You forget yourself Princess." The Major states heatedly. "Italica is no longer under the domain of the Empire, but a protectorate of the U.S. Government. A government that is currently in conflict with the Empire. And I will not allow my enemies free access to our countries' holdings."

Piña grinds her teeth, but knows that she cannot do anything. It is only by the grace of this Major Ramirez that she has not been kicked out yet. And, she has to concede, Piña herself would not have allowed these Men in Green entrance if she had the choice.

They turn their attention back to the approaching forces, who have stopped their advance and started spreading out to attack formation, just outside what would be considered the maximum range for bows and arrows. Their ranks part as two armored Knights on horseback approach the closed gates.

Major Ramirez sees them and addresses Piña again. "It looks like two of your subordinates are approaching. I suggest you go out there to greet them and inform them of the current situation. Their current location is the closest to the walls I will allow them to approach without any force on my part."

Piña nods. ":And how long will you allow them to stay?:"

Ramirez thinks it over. "As you know, there are some citizens who wish to stay with the Empire. Your soldiers may stay to escort them out of the lands owned by Clan Formal. Bad Company, accompany the Princess to meet her subordinates."

"Sir!" Team 1 replies. The others, including the refugees, stay on the wall. Meanwhile, Team 1 escorts Piña, Hamilton and Grey out of the gates and towards the armored Knights, who stopped halfway between the walls and their forces. It doesn't take long for Piña to recognize the leaders and call out to them.

":Bozes! Panache!:" she yells out, waving to them while jogging forwards. Her two subordinates recognize her voice and canter up to her, glad to see she is well.

":Princess!:" ":Piña!:" they both yell. They dismount as they reach her, all three embracing each other. They then disengage, Bozes and Panache eyeing Piña up and down to make sure that she is alright. ":Are you injured?:" Bozes asks. ":What happened to the marauders?:" She eyes Bad Company, who had caught up to them, along with Hamilton and Grey. ":And who are they?:"

Piña grimaces. ":They are part of the army that saved Italica from the marauders … the same army that has just annexed Italica and all its holdings from the Empire.:"

":What!:" the two newcomers exclaim. They both put their hand on their swords. ":Are you being held hostage? Should we prepare to lay siege on the town?:"

Bad Company still has their weapons pointed downwards but they tense, ready to open fire should the need arrive. They subtly create distance between themselves and Piña's group.

":No!:" The princess yells, putting her hands on theirs and forcing the swords to stay sheathed. ":Countess Miyu willingly surrendered Italica. In exchange, they will return her father, who was captured after the failed assault through the Gate.:"

The two are shocked. They know what it would mean for the capital city should the flow of goods that go through Italica be blocked or diverted. ":But-what-how-what-what do we do now?:" asks Bozes, still reeling from the implications.

":For now, nothing.:" She cuts off their rebuttal with a piercing stare. ":They hold Italica, a city they rescued from deserters of the Empire's army, a city that the leader of willingly surrendered. They are well entrenched and can easily be re-enforced. Even if we took the city, the people would turn on us the moment we showed our backs to them. There is nothing we can do.:"

Reluctantly, the two let go of their swords. Panache repeats the question, ":What do we do now?:"

":Like I said, nothing. I was informed that our men are not allowed to approach any closer than their current positions. To do so would initiate hostilities, something we cannot afford.:"

":So we are to just sit and wait?:" demands Bozes.

":No. I was informed by Countess Miyu earlier that a number of Italica's citizens wish to remain with the Empire. I have been asked to escort them to the capital. They will be leaving later today, around the same time that I will be going to meet with the leaders of the Men in Green to discuss the transfer of prisoners from beyond the Gate.:"

The knowledge that there are people so loyal to the Empire they are willing to leave their homes and start over swells the chests of the two knights with pride. ":Understood:" replies Bozes. ":Who will you be taking with you to meet their leaders?:"

":I am planning to go by myself-:"

":NO!:" ":Out of the question!:" they both exclaim, Bozes speaking afterwards. ":You cannot go alone. At the very least, take either Panache or myself to act as a bodyguard.:"

Piña bites her lower lip in thought. The number of people she can trust to watch her back is small, and each of them are needed for other duties at the moment. Hamilton needs to act as her representative in the capital to get all the citizens settled. Grey is trusted as one of the defenders and is needed to keep the people calm during the trip. Bozes is the second in command of the Rose Knights, but Panache would be able to handle her duties. She makes her decision.

":Panache, you will stay and lead the troops in my stead. Escort the citizens to the Capital, where Hamilton and Grey will use my authority to help them re-settle. Bozes, you will come with me to act as my bodyguard and advisor.:"

":Ma'am:" They both saluted. Piña turns to Redford. ":I wish for my subordinate to accompany me to meet your leaders. If possible, I would like you to allow her access to the City while I am here.:" Sweetwater translates and communicates the message along to Major Ramirez.

"Wolfpack Actual to Bravo 2 Actual, I'll allow the subordinate entrance to the city as long as she removes all her weapons and armor."

Redford nods and looks to Sweetwater, who translates the message to Piña. After a short discussion, Bozes goes back to her horse and quickly strips off her armor and weapons, placing them on the saddle and tying them down.

Bozes then goes with Piña while Panache returns with the extra horse to the Rose Knights.

Later that afternoon, Bad Company is preparing to leave Italica to go back to Fort Gondor. They're busy packing up all their stuff and putting it back in their vehicles, with the team talking amongst themselves.

Mainly, it's Sweetwater complaining. "Man, why do we have to go back? It's nice here. Couldn't the refugees be taken back by air or something?"

Haggard, who got tired of his bitching a while ago, says "Sweets, the only reason you want to stay here is to get some from the cat lady."

"CAT GIRLS HAGGARD! Real, living, breathing, beautiful cat girls!" Sweets grabs Haggard by the shoulders and shakes him. "Do you know how happy I was to learn they were real! Do you know how long I've been dreaming about this!"

"I know that if you don't let go of me you're going to be dreaming real soon."

Sweets ignores him. "Cat Girls, Bunny Girls, DragonGirls, DogGirls, SnakeGirlsRealEarsRealTailsRealWings!" He shakes Haggard with every statement. "I'm living every otaku's wet dream and now I'm being ordered to –"

Preston smacks the support gunner upside the back of his helmet. "Shut up Sweets. You're scaring the locals." Indeed, the refugees are standing not too far away. Though not fluent like Lelei, Rory and Tuka understand enough to get the gist of what Sweetwater is going on about, resulting in a lecherous smile from Rory and a wary expression from Tuka. Lelei is as disinterested as ever. "Besides, I'm sure we'll be back soon."

Sweetwater lets go of Haggard and rubs the back of his head. "Oh sure, easy for you to say. You already have two fantasy girls wanting you, who cares about what the rest of us are interested in." Sweets' statement makes the smile on Rory's face go from lecherous to mischievous and Tuka's from wary to embarrassed. Lelei's brow creases however, once she figures out that they are not counting her amongst the ones interested in the young Sergeants affection.

Preston gets a chill that runs up and down his back several times, which gets worse once he looks at the three girls. Any reply is stopped when Redford walks up to them, Piña and Bozes in tow.

"You boys ready yet?" he asks, unaware of the previous conversation.

Haggard answers him. "Yeah Sarge, just about finished."

"Alright. We just need to wait for those who want to leave Italica to depart before we go." Preston opens his mouth to question but Redford continues. "It's to make sure that Piña here sees that we are men of our word. Also, Piña and uh," he looks at Bozes, but can't for the life of him remember her name "…her friend will be riding with us back to Fort Gondor."

Rory has to cover her mouth to stop from laughing at the casual dismissal of Bozes. Had the young girl understood the conversation she would no doubt be having quite the temper tantrum.

"Come on," continues Redford, "they should be moving out right about now. We need to be at the top of the wall so that Piña can see them leaving."

The two Knights, Team 1 and the Refugees all go towards the West Gate. Arriving in about twenty minutes, they climb up the walls and look at the train of people leaving Italica. Among those who are truly loyal to the Empire, Team Metal hides in their midst. With new equipment hidden amongst the carts, as well as a few small bags of Wyvern Scales and other money carried on them, they leave for the Capital of the Empire to gather information and set up a series of safe houses for future operations.

The group watches as the last of the citizens leave the city and reach the Rose Knights. Redford turns to Piña as the Knights start to leave. ":Satisfied?:" he asks. Piña nods and follows him back to the rest of Bad Company.

They all load up into the Cougar, Haggard driving once more. Redford sits up front and gets on the radio. "FOB Rohan, this is Bravo 2 Actual, Bravo 2 is leaving Italica via the south gate to Fort Gondor, confirm?"

"Bravo 2 Actual, movement confirmed. FOB Rohan, Out."

Redford switches the channel to the local net. "Bravo 2, move out, back to base full speed." He puts the mic up and turns to Preston. "Marlowe, put some music on. Something upbeat."

The soldier brings out his phone and scrolls through the selection. He plugs in the audio jack and plays 'Immigrant Song' by Led Zeppelin, just as the convoy leaves the still destroyed South Gate, traveling to Alnus. Those in the Cougar start singing once they recognize what song is playing.

"aaAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAh. aaAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAh. We come from the land of the Ice and Snow from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow."

The two Knights are frightened, unsure of what is going on. It isn't helped when Preston decides to open up the gunners hatch and stand up at the second chorus, screaming the lyrics into the wilderness while dancing in place.

"aaAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAh. aaAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAh."

Piña and Bozes grab each other, afraid that this is some kind of post battle ritual needed to appease their gods. It doesn't help that the Men in Green are swaying their bodies side to side like the priests do for their ceremonies, speaking in a language they don't understand while disembodied voices are blaring throughout the vehicle. It gets worse when the end of the song occurs, and the strange voices start moaning.

"Ooo, Ooo, ooh. Ooo, Ooo, ooh."

They relax once the song stops. Unfortunately for them, the next song lined up is another Led Zeppelin classic, 'Black Dog.'

'Hey mama, said the way you move, gonna make you shake, gonna make you groooove….'

The guitar rift starts, and the two Knights tighten their hold on each other as the Men in Green start head banging. They have never heard sounds like this before. Tuka enjoys the music, Lelei doesn't pay them any mind, and Rory? She's too busy laughing at the reactions of the two Imperials to try and calm them down.

It was going to be a long ride for them.

xx – Fort Gondor, General Braidwood's office

Braidwood is going through the After Action Reports regarding Italica. No casualties, a number of prisoners and their first real expansion into the Empire's territory. After a year of just sitting on their asses, seeing progress being made is refreshing.

A knock on the door breaks him out of his thoughts. "Enter," he orders, taking a sip of coffee.

Lt. Smith enters and salutes the General. "Braidwood sir," he begins, "Bad Company will be returning to Fort Gondor within the next half hour, along with the refugees and Princess Piña."

Braidwood nods. "And what do you think of her request for us to release more prisoners?"

"At the very least, we should definitely meet with her. If nothing else, she could let slip some information we could use in the future." Smith sits down in front of the desk. "However, any release of prisoners would have to go through the State Department and require Presidential authorization."

"Hmmm." Braidwood leans back in his chair and thinks. "We'll listen to what she has to say before determining if it warrants the attention of the State Department." His face scrunches in thought. "There is a Congressional hearing soon regarding our actions here, correct?"

"Correct sir, in five days. We have Colonel Rupert and Major Hawthorne going to make the reports, though it will need to be updated to include our latest actions in Italica." Minus certain aspects of course. "The Congressional Committee also requested a few of the refugees to provide, what the committee chair says is, 'an unbiased look into the fiasco that resulted in the deaths of almost a hundred civilians.'"

Braidwood exhales in annoyance. Like they could have predicted something like that would happen. "Alright, we could possibly work this to our advantage. Who do you recommend sending?"

"The three that went to Italica, along with Elrond."

"Elrond?"

"Sorry, the leader of the Elves, Hodoryu." Braidwood stares at him. "Some of the boys are having trouble saying his name, and since their village is called Rivendell and he's the wise and respected leader of a village of Elves called Rivendell, well…"

"I get it." The general shakes his head in exasperation. He taps his pen on the table, creating a plan. "Update Rupert and Hawthorne on the situation in Italica, make sure they go to DC today. In three days, we'll have the chosen Refugees cross over to testify before the congressional committee." He pauses as something occurs to him. "Rory Mercury."

"Yes sir?"

"Do you think we should send her?"

Smith shrugs. "I don't see why not. Every person over here we've met holds her in high regard. Short term? There's no reason to not send her. Long term?" He shrugs again. "Having her on our side will probably be beneficial."

"Alright, send her along as well. Contact the State Department through the back channels about Piña, this needs to stay quiet. Also, inform DSS that we need protection for five VIPs, as well as clearance for a squad of soldiers to operate on the mainland. I'll tell the CIA to up their surveillance, the other countries are going to try something with the Refugees."

"Yes sir." Smith stands and salutes, smirking at a thought. "I know exactly who to contact in DC to get the security sorted out. Shall I inform Sergeant Redford of his assignment?"

"Yes. Tell Redford that he can choose whomever he wishes to go with, up to 6 members. I'll contact Gozer to get authorization for the refugees." Braidwood dismisses Smith, going back to the reports.

Smith leaves the room and goes to his own office to make the arrangements. By the time he was done, Bad Company had arrived back at Fort Gondor, the two Knights and Lelei in tow. He changes to the formal uniform and prepares to meet them with the General.

xxi – Fort Gondor, The GATE

Braidwood decided it would be a good idea to send Piña to DC, attaching her along with the refugees as cover. Redford had chosen Team 1 plus Sinclair to provide escort duties for the Refugees. Sinclair so that she can provide protection in areas the rest of the team would not be able to go, Team 1 because they hadn't been state side in over a year.

The escort team meet up in front of the Gate wearing civilian clothes, each wearing a jacket both to conceal weapons and to protect them from the cold as it is mid December on Earth. They talk amongst themselves while waiting for their charges.

"I'm telling you Sweets, you can't be him."

"Why not Hags, huh? None of you knew about it, I'm the only one that watched the show before any of us even came through the Gate! Why can't I be Jack O'Neil?"

"Because Sweetwater," says Preston, "you're not cool enough, handsome enough or charming enough to be McGuyver."

Sweetwater flips him off. "Fine. I'm not Jack O'Neil. But I can be-"

"Nope," interrupts Haggard, "you're not Daniel Jackson either. And you can't be Samantha Carter."

"Fine then, I'll be Teal'c." Redford turns to look at him. "Okay, bad choice. Can I at least be Walter?"

"No," says Marlowe, "if you're a character from Stargate, you're … Rodney McKay." The other two nod in agreement while Sinclair is unsure of what they're arguing about, her ponytail flapping as she looks back and forth between the speakers.

"WHAT!" he exclaims, "No way in hell am I that annoying-"

"Shut up," orders Redford, smacking Sweetwater upside the head, "they're here."

A cargo truck pulls up in front of the waiting soldiers and stops. Two soldiers in the back let down the door and helped the passengers get down. Lieutenant Smith got out of the front cab and walked over to Redford.

"All right folks. Keep them safe, don't do anything stupid. Now, let me remind you of what your mission is." Smith clears his throat. "It is currently 10 A.M. in Seattle. Once you cross, you will travel via convoy to McChord Air Force Base where a business jet is currently waiting for you. The jet will fly non-stop to Andrews, where you will meet your local DSS contact. They will provide you with credentials, your security detail, housing information and travel itinerary. You're arriving two days before the scheduled hearing, so spend the extra day taking the guests on a tour of D.C."

"What kind of tour?" asks Marlowe.

"The kind that impresses them. Take them shopping, go to museums, landmarks, restaurants, etcetera, etcetera. You'll have a stipend you can use, so no worries about the money." He sees the disgruntled look on the soldiers who are forced to play babysitter. "Think of it as a different kind of 'shock and awe.' Impress them, especially the Princess. The sooner we get her to play ball, the easier negotiations will go, the sooner you boys get to go home permanently."

They grumble but accept the reasoning. Soon, the group is ready to leave and they all enter the large, reinforced concrete building that holds the Gate. Each person has a biometric and retinal scan done on them to verify their identity before they try to cross back from the other side.

Piña looks up at the Gate, gulping in nervousness.

":Your highness:," Bozes says beside her.

Piña nods to her aid and steels herself, before stiffly walking through the Gate behind the others-

xxii – Gate Checkpoint, Seattle, WA

-and enters a new world.

'What a magnificent Tower.'

Piña has just walked out of the corresponding reinforced structure housing the Gate on earth. The Visitors from the other side gape at the Space Needle. They have all witnessed their fair share of impressive buildings, but they have never seen a structure so unique.

Due to its approximate location to the Gate, the Space Needle is closed as a tourist attraction and now serves as the headquarters for Keymaster, the group in charge of guarding the Gate in Seattle. Both Gatekeeper and Keymaster are under Gozer, the command group created to deal with all aspects of the Gate.

":Hey!:" calls out Redford, who is standing by an airport shuttle bus with tinted windows, ":This way, we will be late:"

The group stop staring at the Space Needle and make their way to the bus, getting on and taking their seats. Redford gets on last and does a headcount, making sure everyone is aboard. He then sits just behind the bus driver, before ordering the driver to leave.

Escorted by two police cars and four police motorcycles, the convoy leaves the reinforced walls of the Seattle Gate. As they pass through Seattle with their police escorts moving traffic out of the way, the Visitors look on in awe at their surroundings while Team 1 talks amongst themselves.

"Any of you been to D.C. before?" asks Redford.

"Once during a high school field trip for a few days," replies Marlowe.

Haggard and Sinclair shake their head in the negative while Sweetwater pipes up. "I have. My family would come down from Jersey to D.C. almost every year for various things. Why?"

"Smith said to spend a day taking them around town and show them the sights, as well as take them shopping. Other than the National Mall and the Smithsonian museums, I have no clue where we should bring them. Can you think of anything?"

Sweets is silent for a few moments. "Yeah, I remember a few places that should still be open. I'll check once we get to the hotel, but the Fashion Centre in Arlington should still be open. It's right next to the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery, and not too far from the National Mall. What's the game plan?"

"We'll get in too late to really do anything tonight other than check in and eat. Tomorrow we'll do the shopping. The Congressional Testimony is the morning after, so that gives us the afternoon to tour the National Mall before returning. We'll see what the DSS says."

It doesn't take long for them to get to the Air Force Base, where their escort leaves them as they go through security.

The guards there do a thorough check of the vehicle, as well as coming aboard to verify the passengers. Once that is complete, they make their way onto the runway where a jet is waiting for them. They all get off and start walking towards the Lear Jet, with Haggard whistling in appreciation.

"Goddamn," he remarks, "that's a Gulfstream G550. Since it's run by the military, it's the model C-37B, most likely the Navy version as they have three to spare." The rest of Team 1 slowly turn their heads toward him, a slightly bewildered look on their faces. "Two pilots, it can carry up to 19 passengers, with a range of over 6,000 miles. Price tag of around 50 million, the ones built for the U.S. military are designed for VIP transportation, though other countries use it as an early warning system." He's about to continue when he notices the looks he is getting.

"What?" he says indignantly, "I know stuff!"

"Yeah," says Sweetwater, "Like identifying an AN-225 correctly."

"I told you, there was a lot of dust! The 124 and 225 look very similar from a distance!"

They reach the plane and are greeted by the Pilot and Co-pilot, both dressed in their flight suits.

"Hi," says the one on the left, holding out his hand for Redford to shake, which he does, "I'm Lieutenant Commander Troy, this is Lieutenant Richards. We'll be your pilots for the trip to D.C. and the trip back here to Seattle."

"Nice to meet you Commander," Redford replies, shaking Richards hand as well. He stands beside the two pilots as he motions everyone on board. "How long do you think the flight will be?"

"About 5 hours, as long as there's no delays." He goes quiet as the Visitors slowly ascend the stairs to the plane. "You don't recognize us, do you?"

Surprised, Redford turns to Troy. "I'm sorry, should we?"

Troy and Richards smile. "Not surprised. Richards and I were shot down in Argentina and captured by the locals. We were taken to a prison camp deep in the jungles, us and about fifty other U.S. Military personnel. We were prisoners for about 3 months before Bad Company came through, killed all the guards and set all the prisoners free."

Redford remembers that fight, but doesn't remember the Commander. "It's ok if you don't remember Sergeant Redford. There were over a thousand prisoners at that camp, mainly locals who objected to the militia working for the Russians. I'd be surprised if you did remember us." Sinclair starts boarding the airplane, the last in line to do so, so the three follow her up the stairs. "I just want to say, you can count on us. We'll get you there and back safely."

Redford nods in thanks and the two pilots turn left into the cockpit as he turns right to the cabin. He looks inside to get the layout of the interior: A straight aisle goes through the entirety of the aircraft, with a bar/food area just inside the doors and walls along the side to separate it from the passengers. After that, two seats facing each other with a table in between them are on either side of the aisle, with another identical set behind them. Afterwards, a long couch sits on one wall with a wooden table opposite it. There is another large couch after that, with a single seat across the aisle rather than a table. At the end of the cabin, there is a door that leads to the lavatory.

The Visitors are all seated, admiring the leather seats while Sinclair and Preston are making sure they have their seatbelts on. Sweetwater is storing Rory's axe away in the rear, while Haggard stands up from examining the liquor cabinet.

"Check it out Sarge!" Haggard exclaims, straightening while turning to face the front. He holds up a bottle of alcohol in each hand. "They got beer, wine, champagne, bourbon, fruit juice, soda, sparkling water, and I haven't even looked in the fridge yet to see what kind of food they have." He looks at the two bottles he has. "This is awesome!"

"Put them back and find a seat Haggard, no drinking until we're up in the air." Haggard slumps a bit but does as he's told. Redford moves past him and takes the chair in the very back, while Haggard and Sweetwater have to share the couch, as Sinclair and Marlowe took the last two available single chairs.

Lieutenant Richards comes out of the cockpit and steps past the bar area to address the passengers. "I have to give a safety briefing, who can translate for me?"

"Sinclair or Marlowe, one of you do it," orders Redford from the back.

The two look at each other, before Preston shrugs and unbuckles himself. He goes to the front and translates for Richards, who keeps the briefing short, and demonstrates how the seatbelt works. Once done, Richards turns to Preston. "You know, the seats that face backwards can swivel around so that takeoff and landing are more comfortable. Let me show you how." He goes to Piña and bends over, pushing a lever below her seat and spinning her to face the front. The princess lets out a little "eep" at the sudden movement, but stays seated. Preston nods and does the same thing for Lelei, Tuka and Sinclair before sitting down himself as Richards closes the cabin door.

The speakers crackle before Lieutenant Commander Troy speaks to them. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Pilot speaking, we will be departing shortly for Washington D.C. Current flight time is estimated to be around five hours, weather permitting with arrival estimated to be around 6:30 PM local time. Weather in our nation's capital is currently 35 degrees Fahrenheit with a 50% chance of snow. Thank you for flying with us, please stay seated until otherwise informed."

The speakers go silent as the plane begins to Taxi onto the runway, which has already been cleared for their departure. Soon, they get to the beginning of the runway and receive final clearance from the tower.

Though used to the strange way the Men in Green travelled, the Visitors are unprepared for the sudden acceleration of the plane. Pushed back into their seats by an unknown force, they strain their bodies to keep upright in a panic, not realizing that the seats are doing that for them. The acceleration doesn't last that long, but for those unused to it, it seems like an eternity.

Soon, the pilot comes on the intercom system. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our cruising altitude. Feel free to move about the cabin and help yourself to the refreshments."

Team 1 unbuckled themselves and Marlowe swiveled the seats back around. Those who never flew before are all breathing deeply, trying to catch their breaths.

":W-what:" stammers Hodoryu, ":what was that?:"

"Hmm?" questions Sweetwater, "Oh. :That's what happens when there is a sudden acceleration to cruising altitude:"

Those from the other side all look at him questioningly. Redford walks past him and says ":Is normal, no worries. Look out window to see view:" and goes towards the bar area. The Visitors do so, and gasp at what they see.

":How are we so high up?:"

":Amazing…:"

":Oh my:"

":…:"

Redford gets to the bar area, pulling out a bottle of champagne and some orange juice. "Alright, who wants a Mimosa?"

Haggard looks confused, "The Indian pastry?"

"That's a Samosa," answers Sweetwater.

"The girl scout cookie?"

"Those are Samoas," answers Preston.

"Like The Rock?"

"He's Samoan," answers Redford, preparing an entire pitcher full of Mimosa with ice for those onboard. He pours himself a large glass and drinks from it, before turning to the rest of the cabin. "Alright, we got a number of hours before landing. I'm going to finish my drink and go to sleep. Team 1, keep them busy without tearing the plane apart. And we better be crashing if you're going to wake me."

Redford then finishes his drink, refills it and heads to his seat in the back, sitting down, lowering his hat so that it covers his eyes and goes immediately to sleep.

Haggard is still confused over the whole Mimosa situation so Preston and Sinclair take a look at what food is available while Sweets heads for the cockpit to ask the pilots about the onboard entertainment.

By the time sandwiches, wraps, chips and Mimosas were passed around and consumed (with the Visitors remarking how fresh tasting everything is) Sweetwater had figured out how to get the TV to rise out of the wooden table and connect to the satellite DVR system.

"What should we watch?" he asks.

"Lord of the Rings?" asks Sinclair.

Marlowe shakes his head, "We only have six hours at most, that's nowhere near enough time."

"How about Gladiator?" responds Haggard, taking a swig of his soda.

The rest of Team 1 look at each other before shrugging in acceptance. They gathered the visitors and had them sit on the couches, explaining what they were about to do.

":We are going to watch a…movie?:" asks Lelei, ":What is that?:"

"Ummm…" Preston thinks, as the rest of the visitors all turn to him for an explanation. Hodoryu, Tuka, Piña and Bozes are sitting on the couch, while Lelei and Rory sit in front on the floor. Rory would usually be insulted, but she is currently demolishing several bags of popcorn and is otherwise preoccupied. Preston sits on the floor next to Lelei, Sinclair is next to Rory, while Haggard and Sweetwater sit on the couch armchairs.

":You record words with writing correct?:" he asks, looking at Lelei. The young mage nods in response. ":We record movement and sound, and can show it any time, as long as we have record. We can watch a play when we want.:"

Lelei hums in understanding as Sinclair speaks. "Hey, is everyone able to understand what they're saying in the movie, or should we translate for them?"

Team 1 looks at each other, realizing the predicament. "Let's go ahead and translate, just in case," says Preston.

"I want to be Maximus!" exclaim both Haggard and Sweetwater. They turn to each other before holding out their fist and start playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. First it was best out of 3, then best out of 5, then 7, 9, 11, 13, and so on and so on as they played each other too many times for one to get the advantage.

Preston hits start on the movie and asks, "Haggard, do you even know enough Imperial to be able to translate?"

They pause their game, 11-11, while Haggard looks to the floor in mild embarrassment. "…yes?"

Marlowe turns back to the TV. "Sweets and I will switch off on the male characters. Sinclair, can you be the princess?" She nods in the affirmative.

Piña wonders what they are saying, and how this object can play back movement and sound. She takes some of the popcorn and eats it, marveling at the sweet and salty flavor they have.

Then the movie starts and she is immediately entranced. It is nothing like she has ever seen before. She feels as if the events are happening in front of her very eyes, rather than a recreation made for enjoyment.

As the credits roll, the Visitors are all astonished at what they've seen. Such a moving story, such dramatic betrayals, fight scenes, drama, death, redemption!

":Magnificent!:" exclaims Rory, ":My word, that was quite the story we witnessed.:" The others all agreed with her.

"Told you they would like it," preens Haggard. "What should we watch next?"

"Dunno," answers Marlowe, "I'll ask the pilots how long it will be." He then turns to the rest. ":Need to relieve water?:" Tuka and Bozes shyly nod. "Sinclair, go show them how to use the bathroom while I figure out how much longer it will take."

When Marlowe comes back, Tuka is sitting on the couch again as Bozes goes into the bathroom. "All right, we're going towards a pretty strong headwind according to the pilots, we should arrive in about three hours instead."

":Want to watch another movie:?" Asks Sinclair. The Visitors nod vigorously, and she goes back to see what else is available.

":Tell me,:" asks Rory, ":Was that play based on a real person?:"

":No:" answers Sweets, ":place real, but most people not.:"

":Shame. Maximus would have made a great soul to have at Emroy's side:"

The soldiers don't quite know how to respond to that. They know that Rory is some type of religious figure, but don't quite have a full understanding of what she truly is.

"Hey," interrupts Sinclair, "They got Saving Private Ryan here."

"Oooo, good one! Let's watch it next!" says Haggard.

The others agree and Sinclair starts the movie.

Once more, those visiting from the gate had their breath taken away. They couldn't put into words what they had just experienced.

":Amazing:" breathes out Piña, ":this is, without a doubt, high art.:"

Bozes nods in agreement, still lost in the story she had just witnessed.

The intercom turns on at that moment. "Ladies and Gentleman, this is your pilot speaking, we are about fifteen minutes from Andrews Air Force Base. Please return to your seats and prepare for landing."

Preston and Sinclair get the Visitors back to their seats while Haggard goes to wake Redford, who grumpily woke up and downed his now lukewarm drink in one go.

The Visitors looked out the window and saw lights, uncountable below them stretching out into the distance. Some are in regimented rows, but many more of them are haphazardly placed.

":Sir Preston:" asks Piña, ":what are those lights down there?"

He looks out the window before leaning back in his seat. ":City lights. For people.:"

Piña turns from the window to look at him. ":City lights? There are so many. How many live here?"

":Not know. Is um…:", Preston then realizes he never learned the word for Million. The highest number he learned was thousand. ":… tens of hundreds of thousands.:"

She looks at him questioningly. ":How many?:"

":Not know number. Number to big, know not in Imperial.:"

":More than a hundred thousand?:

":Yes. Much much more.:"

Piña turns back to the window, mind swimming. 'Preposterous,' she thinks, 'they can't possibly have that many people living in one city.' Not even the Imperial Capital has more than a hundred and fifty thousand people living in it, though the population is still growing.

The Plane then starts its descent. If accelerating to cruising altitude was a new and terrifying experience, the act of landing elevated their fear to new heights. The rapidly changing air pressure, turbulence, and the actual act of landing itself caused more than one of them to pray to multiple dieties..

Once landing is complete, the plane starts approaching a line of seven Chevy Suburban SUVs, several suited agents standing to provide security. "Ladies and Gentleman, we have landed at Andrews Air Force Base. Current time is 7:45 PM, the temperature outside is a balmy 28 degrees Fahrenheit, so make sure to wear your sunscreen. On behalf of the U.S. Navy, I hope you enjoyed your flight."

The plane comes to a stop about fifty feet away and parallel to the line of cars, and a group of suited agents detach from the security detail to approach.

Bad Company gets the Visitors ready to depart as one of the Pilots opens the door before getting called back into the cockpit. They go down the steps, with the Visitors hugging themselves at the sudden drop in temperature.

Redford leads them to the five approaching agents, his eyes narrowing when he recognizes the one in front.

An older white man with white hair, he stops before the Sergeant. "Redford," he says.

"Kovic," Redford growls in return.

"Wait, Kovic?!" comes a shout from the back from Haggard, who is pushing himself to the front, "Did you just say Kovic?" Haggard makes his way through the small crowd and pauses next to Redford, shocked at who he sees.

He lunges for the Agent but is stopped by both Marlowe and Sweetwater, though the two of them don't want to and would rather join him in violence.

"Let me at 'em, let me at him!" Haggard yells, struggling to get out of their grips.

Kovic addresses Redford. "Sergeant, I will be your DSS contact while you and your men are here in D.C."

"Don't ignore me you sonuvabitch!" Haggard almost gets free but they keep him back at the last moment. The others are lost, unsure of why the Engineer is so enraged while the Agents with Kovic shift nervously on their feet. "You owe me half a ton of gold! Where is it! Where's my gold!"

Kovic continues to talk to Redford. "Sergeant, you ride with me, I'll brief you on our current setup and your responsibilities." He gestures to the Agents on either side of him. "These four will guide the rest of your men and the guests to their cars." He turns around and starts to walk away without waiting for a reply.

"STOP IGNORING ME!" Haggard yells at the top of his lungs. Redford follows Kovic while the Agents awkwardly lead the others to their assigned cars, Haggard yelling and struggling the entire way.

Sweetwater and Preston manage to manhandle Haggard to the fourth SUV, where Marlowe decides to speak up.

"Hey!" he commands, smacking Haggard on the back of the head. "I'm pissed too, but this is not the time or place for this."

"But Marlowe, this is the first time we've even had a whiff of this guy in three years! Who knows how long it'll be before we even hear of him again!"

"I know, but we're on a military base outnumbered and surrounded. Not to mention the people we have to protect." He put both hands on Haggards shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "Trust me. We'll find him again. We'll get our gold. But not now. Right now, we have to wait."

Haggard wants to argue but he knows that Preston is right. He yells in frustration and climbs into the SUV, getting into a middle seat. Preston lets out a sigh and nods to Sweetwater. Sweets gets in the SUV while Marlowe goes into the fourth SUV, getting in and sitting in one of the middle seats.

Rory pops her head up next to him, smiling mischievously. "So," she says, trying out her English, "who was that?" Preston sighs and does his best to ignore her.

Redford and Kovic are in the third Suburban with Tuka and Hodoryu, while Piña and Bozes sit with Sweets and Haggard. The convoy moves out as Kovic explains the plan to Redford.

"Here are the credentials for you and your team," he says, handing over a large, stuffed manila envelope. "Included is a State Department credit card and a thousand dollars in cash, just in case." Not waiting, he pulls out another manila envelope and hands it to Redford. "This is the plan for the next four days you are here, as well as backup plans and other details of your protection plan. Do you know what you'll be doing tonight and tomorrow?"

Redford opens the folder with the plans and replies, "Nothing for tonight, we're just going to crash at the hotel and get dinner delivered. Where are we staying?"

"The Willard Intercontinental, Thomas Jefferson Presidential Suite. It's big enough for all the Visitors to get a room, though they need to share a bed. Your team will need to sleep on couches and floors though. DSS agents will guard the floor and hotel 24/7." Redford grunts. "What about tomorrow?"

"We were told to show them a good time, so we'll probably go shopping or something. The congressional testimony is in two days right?"

"In the morning, yes."

"Alright. We'll tour the National Mall afterwards since it's right there." He pauses as he gets to day 4, the day after the testimony. "The President wants to have dinner with them?"

"Yes. It won't be a formal state dinner, but Congressional leaders will be there, as well as the Cabinet and various other heads of Governmental and non-governmental agencies."

"Great." Day 5 would just be the return to the Gate, so he put the papers back in the folder and looked over at the agent. "Anything else I should know?"

"Extra equipment is already waiting for you at the hotel, mainly cellphones and a satellite phone for emergencies." Kovic pulls out a business card and hands it to Redford. "This is my direct line for the next four days. Call me only for emergencies." Redford takes it and puts the card in his pocket. "The Dress Blues for you and your men will be delivered tomorrow, though not all of the ribbons and medals will be present." Redford can't remember the last time he put on the Army Service Uniform, and he doubts the others ever had a reason to wear theirs after Basic. "Any other questions?"

"No."

"Good." Kovic retrieves a laptop from under his seat and starts working on it, while Redford merely looks out his window at the passing scenery.

The trip through Washington D.C. is pretty quick, thanks to the police escort stopping traffic and allowing the convoy to bypass all the stop lights. It still took about half an hour anyways, during which the Visitors attempted to take in their surroundings. Unfortunately, it was night time and they are unable to see much.

Pulling up to the hotel, the convoy stops at the main entrance. They would normally go through the underground parking lot for security reasons, but the State Department wants to make a big impact by taking them into the front lobby and all its splendor.

The Visitors and Bad Company are awed at the lobby, the exquisite design leaving them speechless. Piña, Bozes and Rory have seen similar lobbies, but such things would be reserved for the Emperor and extremely rich kings and rulers. They don't have much time to admire the scenery before they are herded to the elevators, which take them to their suite.

Reaching the Suite, the Agents scan their cards and open the large double doors. The Visitors are once again awed at the opulence shown.

":Amazing:" says Hodoryu, ":are all inns like this?:"

":No,:" answers Redford. Bad Company as a whole are just as impressed. ":For special guests, and very rich guests.:"

":I want to see what is in here!:" exclaims Rory. She runs off before anyone can stop her, leaving Preston to try and chase her down.

Redford shakes his head and turns around, but sees that the doors are closed. He opens them and talks to the guard outside. "Where are the others?"

"The other DSS agents have retired for the night. Only your squad is staying in the Jefferson Suite."

"Great. Got a good pizza place you recommend that delivers here?"

The guard looks up and down the corridor, making sure his superiors are not around, before reaching into his suit jacket and pulling out a to-go menu for a local pizzeria that is popular with the DSS agents. "I recommend the calzones, but their other items are just as good."

Redford takes the pamphlet. "Thanks. You want anything?"

"Already ate, but thanks for asking."

Redford comes back inside, where Preston has given up trying to wrangle Rory back and is now sitting on one of the plush couches. The other Visitors had split up to check out the rest of the Suite, while Team 1 stayed behind to get briefed by Redford.

"So, pizza. What do you boys want?"

"Brooklyn style, cheese." Says Sweetwater.

"Deep Dish, sausage." Answers Preston.

"Meat lovers." Is what Haggard is craving.

"Well I want a supreme."

The four eye each other. This would be the first time eating non-military rations in over a year, like hell they weren't going to get what they wanted.

Each held out a fist, and a four way Rock-Paper-Scissors game started. It went on for longer than it should have before Sinclair spoke up.

"Um, sir?" The soldiers stop their game and all look at her. "Um, is the food also for the Visitors? And who is going to pay for it?"

They all think about it, before Redford makes his way over to the hotel phone and dials the number of the pizzeria.

"Yes, hello, I'd like to place a large delivery order. Two large Brooklyn style with cheese, two large deep dish with sausage, two large meat lovers, two large supreme. Yes, I would like six dozen wings in buffalo and honey BBQ. Yes, celery and extra blue cheese sauce please. For drinks, I'll have six two liters. Coke, Sprite, and Orange Soda if you have it. I would absolutely be interested in dessert. Cookies and molten chocolate lava cake sound good. Enough for a dozen people. Plates, cups, napkins and utensils if you can provide them, I'll pay the extra charge. An hour? Sounds good.

"Credit card." Afterwards, he gives them the hotel address and tells them to contact the Jefferson Suite.

A bit over an hour later, the food arrives and is delivered to the Suite. They all ate like kings and had no regrets.

The next morning, Preston wakes up on the couch and stretches. He pulls the blanket off him and sits upright, smacking his lips and looking around.

Redford, Sinclair and he got the couches, while Haggard and Sweetwater had to use sleeping bags. Redford is missing, and he can hear the sink going on in one of the bathrooms before it shuts off. Shortly afterwards, Redford comes back into the main area and sees that Preston is awake.

"Morning Sergeant."

"Morning Marlowe. Bathroom's free."

He gets up off the couch and stretches again. "Anyone else up yet?"

"I think Hodoryu and Tuka are, not sure about the others. It's almost 7, so we should wake them up soon anyway."

"Right." Preston goes to the bathroom and does his morning routine, before coming back to see that the other soldiers had been woken up already, while Redford is on the phone.

"-Yeah, go ahead and bring it up, we'll serve ourselves." He hangs up and turns to the others. "Breakfast is coming in about half an hour, go ahead and wake everyone else up."

Once the food is delivered and spread out on the dining table, everyone starts to sit down and eat.

"All right," says Redford, having finished first, "The plan for today is to go shopping, then catch the National Symphony Orchestra tonight at the Kennedy Center. Sweetwater, you said you had a good place in mind?"

The support gunner swallows his French Toast. "Yeah, the Fashion Center at Pentagon city. It's right across the highway from the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery."

Redford checks his watch. "It's 9:30 right now. Say, half an hour to get to the mall, shop for 6 hours, then a half hour to the Kennedy Center, three hour show, and we come back here for the night." He drains the rest of his Grapefruit juice. "Everyone have their ID's?"

Team 1 and Sinclair all nod, having received their badges the night before just before eating. It identifies them as DSS agents allowed to operate within U.S. borders. It also makes them rank above any local government forces for anything involving the Visitors unless the State Department says otherwise.

And for once, the plan goes off without a hitch. The DSS agents provide extra security while the Visitors shopped at a mall and ate in the food court. Plenty of pictures were taken, and interest in the congressional testimony the next day shot through the roof.

By the time they came back to the hotel after the concert, the Visitors were the only thing anyone would talk about.

xxiii – Day of the testimony

Everyone woke up at 7 so they could get ready and arrive early. The Visitors put on their best clothes while the Soldiers put on their Dress Uniforms.

Haggard finishes and winces at how tight the clothes feel. "Man, I think they got my measurements wrong." He twists and turns in place. "I'm getting squeezed … everywhere."

"They would have taken your sizes from the last time you got measured, so no surprises there." Redford's uniform is slightly too big, as he has lost weight since he last played dress up.

Preston finishes inspecting his outfit, when Haggard notices something amiss. "Hey Marlowe, they made a mistake on your uniform." Frowning, Preston looks down to see what Haggard is talking about. "Your tabs. They put on Special Forces, Airborne and Ranger tabs on accident."

"No they didn't."

"What? You Special Forces qualified?"

"You're not?"

The two stare at each other.

"Wait a minute!" Sweetwater nearly shouts, "You're an Airborne Ranger? And you went through Special Forces training?"

"Well yeah. That's why I was so bored being on the back lines when I was in Europe. Why go through all that training if I'm just going to be guarding ammo dumps." The other three look at him strangely. "Didn't you think it was strange that I could use all of the weapons and equipment the first time I came across them? Or that I knew how to drive a tank and control a drone?" They just continue to stare blankly. "You guys suck."

Sinclair emerged from the bathroom, having put hers on in private and breaking up the atmosphere. She has a smattering of Ribbons on her uniform, though nowhere near the amount the rest of Team 1 has, due to graduating from boot camp just after the ceasefire was announced.

"C'mon," Redford says as the Visitors come out of their rooms, "we're going to be late."

Everyone exits the hotel room and gets into the SUVs, Piña and Bozes getting their own car as they would not be part of the testimony. The convoy quickly makes its way to the Capitol Building, zooming through the streets with a full police escort. They quickly enter the underground parking structure, where Team 1 and the Visitors exit.

Piña and Bozes make to follow, but are stopped by their guards.

":No,:" he says, ":You meet different.:"

":What?:" Piña questions, ":but your Senate is here. I want to appeal directly to them for peace.:"

The guard shakes his head. ":You meet with others, not Senate, not here.:"

Piña tries to argue but the SUV takes off before she can get another word out. She looks out the window at the others who would be meeting with the enemy leaders, and grits her teeth in frustration. Her plan was to convince their Senate that the Empire wants peace, and perhaps return Italica to them. But now her plans have been dashed. She bites on her thumbnail as the SUV drives off.

Back with Team 1, Rory is desperately clinging onto Marlowe. She does this whenever they enter any kind of underground structure, whether it be a basement or a car park, and mutters something about Hardy coming after her.

"Who's Hardy?" asks Sweetwater as they enter a large elevator.

"God of the Underworld and Hell, any location below the surface is her domain." Answers Lelei in perfect English.

He turns to Rory, "Why are you so afraid of Hardy?"

":That pervert asked for my hand in marriage several hundred years ago and has been relentless ever since!:"

":That's ... a shame?:" says Preston, unsure of how to respond to having a God wanting you as their lover. It's like something from a Greek Epic: could be good, could be bad.

":It is,:" the elevator dings as it reaches their floor. She looks up at him in a sultry manner. ":Though, I'm currently interested someone else.:"

Preston gets another cold chill up his spine and quickly exits the elevator without Rory, who pouts at his actions.

Everyone exits and is led through the hallways. The group is gawked at by those working there, murmurs following them as they head towards a side room to wait for the meeting to start.

Two other soldiers are present in their Dress Uniforms. There are a few chairs as well as a small table of refreshments.

"Wait here, we'll call you when it's time to go to the Committee meeting." Says their guide/guard, who closes the door behind the group.

The Visitors go to the table to grab refreshments while the two soldiers already present approach Team 1.

"Sergent Redford?" asks the one on the left, an older man with silver oak leaves on his shoulders, "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Hawthorne." He tilts his head to the man beside him. "This is Major Rupert."

"Sir." Team 1 replies with a salute that is promptly returned.

"So," says Rupert with a slight sneer, "This is Bad Company." He examines all of them one by one. "I expected more. Try not to start another war while you're here." He then leaves the group and approaches Lelei.

"What's up his ass?" asks Haggard.

Hawthorne snorts. "Don't mind him, that's just how he is."

"An asshole?"

"I was going to say uptight, but sure."

"Why is he even here?" asks Sweetwater

"He's here to testify before the committee, same as me," Hawthorne says, "I'm here to explain the operations we've undertaken, including the taking of Italica, and a few other things. He's here to inform them of the cost so far."

"He's an accountant?"

"Not quite," he explains, pondering the question. "How should I put this ... He's in charge of requisitioning all assets and materials needed for Operation Looking Glass. Every bullet fired, every drop of gas, every bean eaten, and every bandage used, he gets it for us and he gets it quick. Braidwood doesn't have useless subordinates."

They grumble amongst themselves but accept his explanation of Rupert's importance.

"Why are we even here anyways?" asks Preston, "what does the Armed Forces Committee want with a bunch of people from the other side of the Gate?"

"You don't know?" asks Hawthorne, surprised at the question. "It's to determine if the U.S. Military should be the only ones operating on the other side."

"Who would want access?"

"Honestly? Everyone." He continues at their surprised looks. "Companies want to send explorers to find and exploit resources, or just set up shop and sell their own goods and services. Religions want to send missionaries to convert the locals. Universities want to send researchers to record and study damn near everything. And with the recent refugee situation, NGOs like Doctors Without Borders want to make sure we're taking care of the civilians correctly. That's not including the other countries complaining about lack of access as well."

"Like Russia and China?" asks Redford.

"Sure, but the other NATO countries are starting to get impatient as well."

Redford groans, "So it's a shit show."

"Yes, it is," says Major Rupert, coming back from talking with the Visitors. "Lucky for us, Braidwood has told us to not let the four of you talk. Hawthorne and I will be responsible for that, you just sit quietly and try not to get into a fight." He turns to Hawthorne, "I've informed the Visitors of the type of questions they should expect to get. I still think we should give them guidelines on what to say."

"Do that and the committee will know we did something."

"Hrmph," Rupert responds. "I'll be going over my testimony. Try not to set the building on fire."

The Major walks away to a table that has a small stack of papers on it.

"He's still an asshole," states Haggard.

About 15 minutes later, the guard opens the door and informs those inside its time.

They make their way as a group to the Committee chambers, ignoring the shouted questions of the gathered press.

They enter and are guided to their respective spots, while the cameras follow their every move and countless pictures are taken.

"Here we go." Says Preston under his breath.

Two hours later, Team 1 and the Visitors nearly ran out of the Committee chambers.

"That wasn't a shit show, it was a shit circus!" Exclaims Sweetwater, "No, a circus is too understated. That was a Shit Super Bowl. If the Olympics had a shit show competition, we would have swept the podium!"

"Just keep moving," stresses Redford, making sure no one blocks their path to the exit, "if we're lucky, they'll be too busy screaming to order our arrests."

Between Rory claiming to be a demi-god to a very ultra conservative Christian Chairman while talking down to him, Lelei demonstrating magic in front of said chairman and Hodryu revealing his true age, the meeting turned to chaos about ten minutes after Hawthorne and Rupert finished their reports.

Redford feels a buzz in his pocket and pulls out the cell phone provided by the DSS.

"Redford here," he says, leading the group down a set of stairs.

"Congratulations, you somehow made things worse by doing exactly what you were supposed to," says Kovic, his voice taking on an irritated tone. Much shouting could be heard in the background. "Well, we're going to try and salvage what we can. The President wants to meet with one of the Visitors today."

"Today? Now?"

"Yes today and right fucking now." Rustling paper comes through the phone. "He wants to meet the Elf leader, Hodoryu, at the White House. The President's schedule is cleared and a guest bedroom has been readied. Hodoryu will stay the night and reunite with your group tomorrow. Depending on what happens the White House Dinner may be cancelled, so get him here quick."

Kovic hangs up and Redford puts away his phone as they enter the underground parking garage. The SUVs are ready, with Bozes and Piña already waiting in one of them.

"Sergeant Redford," one of the suited agents calls out, "my team is here to take Hodoryu to the White House."

"Right." He turns to Sweetwater, "tell Hodoryu that we're splitting up. Tell him our leader wants to talk to him about what just happened, and that it's very important that he go with these gentlemen right now."

Sweetwater informs Hodoryu of the plan and the group split. Though reluctant to part with his only daughter in a foreign world, Hodoryu understands the importance of such a meeting and willingly departs the group.

As the convoy makes their way back to the hotel, Redford's phone rings again.

"Redford here."

"We got a situation," Kovic states, "intel has come through that certain groups are going to try and extricate the Visitors through force, damn the consequences. Cancel whatever plans you have about showing them around, go back to the Hotel and execute plan Delta."

"Isn't that where-"

"Yes, it is," he interrupts, "Don't say it out loud, even on a secure line." Rapid keystrokes are heard through the phone. "You have a forty minute window starting now to execute the plan. Any questions?"

"What about Hodoryu?"

"If the groups we're talking about are able to take the White House then we got bigger problems. Anything else?"

"No."

"Good." Kovic pauses. "Good luck."

The call disconnects and Preston looks over to him. "Good news?"

Redford puts away the phone. "Kovic just wished us luck." Preston groans in response. "I'll explain more once we're back."

The ride back is silent and tense. None of the soldiers feel like talking while Rory has a satisfied grin on her face.

The convoy makes its way into the hotel basement parking. Fifteen minutes later, they leave at high speed, full police escorts blaring. They cut their way through the city, drawing as much attention to themselves as possible.

Twenty minutes after the convoy leaves a lone, unremarkable airport shuttle bus leaves the hotel parking garage and meanders its way to the airport, though its ultimate destination is unknown.

xxiv – Late night, Government Safe House, Undisclosed location in West Virginia

The shuttle pulls into the hidden driveway illuminated by the full moon and stops by the large Lodge style house. The door opens as Redford exits, followed shortly by the Visitors and the rest of Team 1.

"What is this place again?" asks Sweetwater, sipping from his drink. He holds a trash bag with the empty wrappers of the group's evening meal, purchased at a truck stop McDonalds. He thought it was a bit low class to feed such cheap food to a princess, a revered demi-god and the daughter of their closest ally. Instead, they had to stop by another McDonalds for some more fries along with a few happy meal toys for Rory and Lelei.

"It's a Safe House used by various government agencies to stash foreign VIP diplomats while they're in the U.S." He gets a questioning look from Sinclair. "They stash people who we're not officially supposed to talk to here for plausible deniability. It doesn't officially exist in any record."

They enter into a large room with a multitude of windows and a fireplace to their left. On the right is the dining area with a table large enough for twelve, open to an equally large kitchen. Stairs flank the room with the fireplace on both sides, and a ring of couches and chairs face a large flat screen TV. A hallway leads to further closed doors.

Redford gets everyone's attention after they enter. "Alright people, the plan is to stay here for one night while some things are getting resolved back in the capitol. There are enough rooms for everyone upstairs if we go two people per room. Go ahead and shower, but don't go outside."

The group split up, each choosing their own rooms, showering and changing into the provided bathrobes. After they were all done with their ablutions, the guests all came back downstairs for some entertainment.

"So," begins Rory, "what are the plans for the evening gentleman?"

"Sweets and I figured out how this damn satellite TV works," replies Haggard, "Y'all up for some movies tonight?"

":Oh?:" questions Piña, ":what movie?:"

"Only the best Christmas movie ever!" exclaims Sweetwater.

"We're watching 'It's A Wonderful Life'?" asks Preston.

Sweetwater and Haggard look at each other before they reply. "Die Hard!"

The movie begins as Team 1 starts a discussion on what actually counts as a Christmas movie. They still provide running translations, thoroughly enjoying the entertainment.

As the movie ends, the signal cuts out. Sweetwater tries to troubleshoot the situation, but concludes that they lost signal.

"Damn satellites," growls Haggard, "always cutting out."

"Not like we have a choice this far away," says Redford, "We don't even have internet here." He looks around the room. ":Tired? Want sleep:?"

The visitors shake their heads. ":No,:" says Piña, ":We rested quite a bit on the trip here.:" She looks questioningly at Team 1. ":Do you not have any stories or plays you can do without a movie?:"

They look around at what is available when Haggard sees a book of Shakespeare plays. "Oooo, we can do that!" He gets up and grabs the book off the shelf, opening the Index to see what is available. "They got all the big plays here. We can act out one them."

Sweetwater laughs. "You know what, I'm game. Sarge, Preston, Sinclair?"

"Why not." "Sure." "I want to be Juliet."

So they get into position, doing their best to translate the play in real time.

"Do you bite your thumb at us sir?" Demands Preston.

"I do bite my thumb sir!" answers Sweetwater.

"Do you bite your thumb at US sir?"

Sweetwater turns to Haggard. "Is the law of our side if I say ay?"

"No," he replies.

"No sir, I do not bite my thumb at you sir but I bite my thumb, sir."

The visitors laugh at the play. Team 1 really gets into it, each of them grabbing a fireplace poker or long stick and begin to mock fight, continuing the play until three breaching charges blow three of the doors inward, each followed swiftly by several flashbangs that blind and deafen everyone inside.

With their eyes shut and ears ringing, Team 1 and the Visitors are pushed down to their knees with guns pointed at the back of their heads.

Three distinct groups each hold one third of the occupants hostage while pointing their guns at each other. Each group yells at each other in different languages, as well as differently accented english.

Preston shakes his head to clear the ringing out of his ears, slowly getting his hearing and vision back. He looks up and around, seeing that they're all being held at gunpoint. He makes eye contact with Redford, who slowly shakes his head. Not yet.

One by one, the Visitors notice their predicament. Each of them has a look of fear. Except for one.

Rory, annoyed at the interruption of the play, as well as being deafened and blinded, rises to her feet. She sees Team 1 being held at gunpoint. She sees the different groups, all shouting at each other in a foreign language, pointing guns at each other. A large grin appears on her face, before she tilts her head back and lets out a large laugh.

That gets the attention of everyone, so they all witness her crouch down and jump up to the interior balcony before dashing into her room. The two groups near the stairs each send a few men to grab her.

The shouting starts again, and even as they near Rory's room they point guns at each other, yelling in a language neither group understands. They near her door as a large axe swings through the wall, bisecting two men from two groups at the waist, two torsos flying through the air to land back on the first level. The men on the balcony stop in their tracks, shifting the guns to point at the now bisected door.

All shouting stops as Rory steps out of the room, her large bloody axe on one shoulder, a huge grin on her face. Everyone looks at her, forgetting about the others in the room, allowing Preston and Sweetwater to surreptitiously grab a fireplace poker.

"Gentleman," she says, a large toothy smile on her face, "I thank you for providing tonight's entertainment!"

"Oh shit," Preston whispers.

Time seems to slow down as Rory Jumps off the balcony, Axe raised in the air. Everyone armed slowly shifts their aim to the most dangerous person in the room. Preston and Sweetwater bring up their poker to strike as Haggard, Redford and Sinclair throw themselves on top of the visitors, bringing them down to the floor.

Time resumes its normal flow as Rory lands, cutting a man in half vertically. Preston shoves his poker through his captors neck and into the brain. He takes the gun and starts shooting anyone not dressed in a bathrobe.

The Lodge devolves into chaos, noise and blood as Rory swings her way through the unknown men who shoot both at her and each other. Sweetwater takes down the ones on the balcony as Redford blasts away with a shotgun. Three men grab Bozes by her hair and try to drag her away in the confusion, but Haggard intercepts them with a flying tackle. Engaging in hand to hand combat, he kills two of the kidnappers with a knife. The third attempts to shoot him but is killed by a volley of bullets from Preston.

Redford runs out of bullets and beats a man to death with the empty shotgun as Rory slices a man in half and Sinclair shoots the last man with a pilfered handgun.

Breathing heavily, Rory stands to full height and wipes some blood and sweat off her forehead, the large smile on her face never having gone away. Team 1 slowly stands up, each panting and holding an empty gun.

"What," demands Preston, "what the hell just happened!"

"I don't know!" snaps Redford, discarding his shotgun and picking up an AN-94. He checks the magazine before speaking again. "Anyone injured?"

Though some of them are covered in blood, none of them were injured except for Rory. ":I am Sir Redford:" she says, slamming her axe blade first into the ground. Sinclair starts to make her way to Rory, but the demigoddess waves her off. ":Tis nothing serious. Watch:"

Rory closes her eyes and concentrates. Team 1 watches as bullets are pushed out of her body and the wounds heal. She pulls open one of the bullet holes on the bathrobes and shows off the now unblemished skin. ":Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to take a shower:" She pulls out her axe and makes her way upstairs, stepping on the body parts and through the puddles of blood without a care.

Redford shakes his head but doesn't try to think about it too much. "Good idea. Sinclair!" The medic comes to attention. "Get the visitors up to their rooms. Have them wash off the blood and change into their traveling clothes, we're leaving as soon as possible." Sinclair salutes and wrangles the women upstairs. "The rest of you, try to find out who these people are."

Team 1 exchanges or reloads their empty guns and starts to rifle through the dead bodies.

Sweetwater speaks first. "Well, pretty sure this group here are Chinese Special forces." He holds up a QBZ-95 and some documents written in Mandarin.

"These guys are definitely Russian Spetsnaz." He picks up a VSS Vintorez and looks it over, deciding to use it as his main gun. "Fought them enough times to recognize their equipment. And smell." He looks over to Preston. "What about your guys?"

"I have no clue." Preston looks through the pockets of his fourth dead body. "Nothing is standard with these guys. I've found weapons from Europe, Israel, South Africa and Russia. One person has French literature, another German, another Arabic." He lets out an irritated grunt as he drops the body and goes to another one. "I mean, it's like they're a bunch of -" He stops talking as he pulls out a heavy object from one of the pockets.

Redford looks over to him. "Bunch of what?" Preston doesn't reply as he crouches over a body. "Preston? What did you find?"

Preston slowly gets to his feet. "I think we're in serious trouble fellas." He turns around and shows them the gold bar he pulled from the dead body.

"Oh hell," says Haggard, approaching Preston. "Tell me that not what I think it is."

"I wish I could man."

"No," denies Sweetwater, "we killed him." He points to Preston. "You killed him. You shot his helicopter down."

"How many times have we survived getting our helicopter shot down!" Preston snaps back.

"Oh man, oh man, he's going to kill us." Sweetwater paces back and forth, running a hand through his hair. "First we kill his men, then we steal his gold, then we leave him for dead. He's going to chase us to the ends of the earth."

"Get it together Sweetwater," orders Redford, who finally found his satellite phone. "We beat him once, we can beat him again." He hits the dial button but nothing comes through the headset. "No signal."

He then goes to the desk phone that miraculously survived the gunfight and picks it up. There is no dial tone, so he pushes the receiver several times but still gets nothing. "They cut the phone lines, see if you can use their radios."

All four pick up a different radio and try to get a signal, but only static comes through. "They must be using a wide spectrum radio jammer." Deduces Sweetwater.

"Which one?"

"Well, probably all of them, otherwise one of these radios should work."

"Just our luck," bemoans Haggard, "three different groups all use jammers at the same time and attack us at the same moment without being aware of each other. Only with us, only with us."

Sinclair comes back down with the Visitors, each changed into their traveling clothes. Redford takes charge again. "Team 1, our turn to wash the blood off and change. Sinclair, pick up a gun and keep the visitors in the kitchen."

The boys go upstairs to do their washing and changing quickly, reassembling downstairs in less than 3 minutes.

"Load up boys, we're probably gonna have to fight our way out of here."

"What's the plan Sarge?" asks Sinclair, armed with a PP-2000.

"We're not walking back to D.C. that's for sure. And who knows how many of them are out in the woods. Best bet, take the shuttle bus and drive back to D.C."

"Won't they be on the lookout for us?"

"They're probably looking at us with their spy satellites right now. No way would a government do this without some way to track in real time."

"So they'll be able to follow us?"

"Yeah, but with the jamming going on they won't be able to tell their people where we are until much later. But just in case." He pulls an RPG off one of the dead bodies.

Redford turns to the rest of Team 1. Haggard still has his Vintorez, as well as a shotgun for close range. Preston carries a suppressed AK-74U, while Sweetwater chose an MG-36.

"Haggard, Sweetwater, go out and make sure they didn't tamper with the shuttle bus. Lights off."

All lights in the house are extinguished as Haggard and Sweetwater exit the side entrance, making their way to the shuttle bus. They quickly but thoroughly check the bus, finding nothing. They open and start the van as the rest of Team 1 and the visitors quickly exit the house and run towards the Van.

As the last of them enter, Haggard leans his body out of the window and flips the bird off towards the night sky, before putting the van in Drive and leaving.

Getting back on the road, he informs Redford of a problem. "Hey Sarge, I don't have a GPS signal. I don't know where I'm going."

"Away from here." Redford says. "That's all that matters right now."

The drive is silent as they make their way down the winding road, until Haggard notices something. "Looks like a roadblock Sarge."

"Figured." He lifts up the RPG. "Good thing I brought this. Team One to the front, we're not slowing down. Hit it."

Haggard opens the passenger door as Sweetwater leans out one the left windows. Preston crouches at the passenger door and Redford stands with the RPG.

Sweetwater and Preston open fire when they're 100 meters away, peppering the blocking vehicles and forcing the enemies to cover while Haggard floors it. 50 meters away, Redford lets loose with the RPG, blowing up one van clean off the road. They keep firing as they move past the roadblock, Sweetwater making sure to badly damage the other car and Preston to keep their heads down.

Once past a bend with the blockade no longer in sight, the shooting stops and Haggard slows down to normal speed.

"That should be it." Redford says, getting back into his seat. "But just in case." He reloads the RPG.

The ride is silent for another few minutes, as they expect more enemies around every corner. When nothing happens, Redford lets out a long sigh.

"Well," the Sergeant says as they turn right, "it looks like we got through." An explosion on a tree just behind the turn shakes the van, causing Redford to stumble. "Me and my big mouth." He makes his way to the back, where Preston and Sweetwater are looking through the windows. "What was that?"

"No idea," replies Preston, who pulls down one of the rear passenger windows and tries to look behind the van. "These windows are so small, I can't get a good look."

"Yeah," says Sweetwater, "the rear window is tinted too, so that doesn't help."

":Oh?:" Rory says, walking to the back with her axe, ":Having trouble seeing?:"

"What?"

Rory doesn't respond and pulls both Sweetwater and Preston from the windows and into a pile on the floor.

Preston untangles himself and stands up. "What was that -" Preston starts, before feeling something big and heavy pass just in front of his face, as the top rear end of the shuttle bus flies off. "Ahhhhh!" he yells, not believing what was done.

Haggard feels the weight of the bus shift. "Whoa, what's going on back there?"

"Rory - she just - a quarter of the van just got cut off!"

"What?" He looks behind him briefly, before what he sees registers and he whips his head back around. "WHAT?!"

":What?:" questions Rory, a satisfied smile on her face, ":Did you not say you have trouble seeing?:"

Redford is nearly apoplectic. "Just - sit down, we got this covered." He makes his way to the back with Sweetwater, joining Preston at what was once the rear wall of the Van, now at half height. "What do you see?"

He points at a small vague dark shape in the sky. "Pretty sure that's a helicopter." A point of light detaches from the shape and streaks towards them. "Aaaaand it just shot another missile at us."

"Great, any other news?"

"Rory cut away the rear A/C unit, so it's going to be a bit hot for the rest of our trip."

Redford smacks him on the back of the head. "HAGGARD! We got another missile incoming!"

"What do you want me to do about it?" he shouts back.

"Can you shake it off?" The missile is halfway to them now.

"With this thing?!" He floors it, but knows that won't do anything. "We got a tunnel!"

The van enters the mouth of the tunnel, a few seconds before the missile hits the side of the hill.

The occupants sigh in relief, but it is short lived as the tunnel ends and they are out in the open again.

"Well," Sweetwater states, "that won't work again."

"Look for the emergency roadside kit." Orders Redford. Team 1 gets on their hands and knees to look before Sinclaire finds it at the front.

"Got it here Sergeant!" she says, grabbing the large bag and sliding it down the aisle.

"Good work. Stay up front with Haggard and help him navigate." Redford grabs the bag and opens it, rummaging inside.

"Another missile!" yells Preston.

Redford finds the package of Road Flares and pulls them out, kicking the rest of the bag under one of the seats. He walks to the back and ignites one the flares. "Let's hope this works," he mutters, before throwing the flare out. The missile immediately loses track of the van and impacts the road.

"Yeah!" yells Sweetwater, high fiving Preston.

The shape starts getting larger, to the point that they can make out the shape of it and identify the helicopter as a Kamarov KA-50N, just as it opens fire with the main gun.

"INCOMING!" screams Redford.

High explosive rounds streak towards the van, exploding all around and sending shrapnel into the bodywork as Haggard jerks the wheel back and forth, hoping to avoid all the bullets. The movement causes Sinclaire to stumble and accidentally turn on the CD player that has an Elton John CD inserted.

"'It's getting late, have you seen my mates, Ma tell me when the boys get here…'"

"Open Fire!" orders Redford. The three in the back do so, doing their best to shoot down a helicopter designed to withstand much bigger calibers than what they have available.

"Missile Incoming!" Marlowe stops and lights a flare, throwing it out the back and diverting the missile away from the van.

"Another One!" Marlowe repeats his actions with another flare.

The Helicopter keeps sending bursts of explosive shells at the van the entire time, Haggard doing his best to make sure one doesn't find them. One of the shells finds its way underneath the left of the van, blowing a small hole in the floor and tipping the vehicle on the right two wheels for a moment as everyone inside stumbles around.

"Sarge, I don't know how long I can keep this up!" Haggard yells. He tries to turn right on a bend, but a string of explosive rounds cuts off his path and forces him through a guardrail. "OH SHIT!" he exclaims as the vehicle goes airborne. "HANG ON!"

Those in the back were too busy shooting to hear, their first notice of something going wrong being the feeling of weightlessness before slamming back down onto the seats. Sweetwater and Redford were able to grab onto the seats but Preston wasn't so fortunate. The next large bump the van hits, Marlowe goes over the back, barely grabbing the cut edge as his weapon goes flying and smashes apart against a tree, toes scraping against the forest floor.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Redford tries to grab Preston, but the jerky movement of the van makes it impossible for him to stand up. Haggard cranks the steering wheel to the left, scraping the right side of the van along a tree and shattering all the windows on that side.

"'Saturday night's alright for fighting, Get a little action in.'"

The front wheels hit a downed tree, popping the front up before the back wheels hit, slamming the front back down and ripping the bumper off. The movement flips Marlowe up and forward into the van, where he gets jammed upside down in one of the seats.

The van continues down the hill for a few more seconds before bursting through the treeline and onto a road again. The passengers stop screaming and start gasping for breath as Marlowe's feet kick in the air while trying to un-wedge himself. "Someone help me!"

Redford uses the seats to steady himself as he makes his way to Preston, grabbing both legs and pulling.

Sinclaire had collapsed behind Haggard and now sits uprights, looking back towards the rest of the occupants.

Piña, Bozes, Tuka and Lelei have their eyes shut and are holding on the seats or each other with white knuckles, praying desperately for salvation. Rory meanwhile has a large grin on her face and is trying to make her way to the rear on wobbly legs.

"Did we lose him?" Sinclaire gasps.

Redford manages to pull Preston out of the seat as the sound of a helicopter reaches them.

"Nevermind."

"Preston, where's your gun?" Redford asks. Marlowe just waves vaguely from where they came from. "Take the RPG." They make their way to the rear, where Redford sees something is missing. "Sweetwater, where are the flares?"

"I think they went out the back with Marlowe."

"Tsk. Anyone see the helo?"

"I do," says Sinclaire, pointing to the left side. "I think he's about to come alongside us and shoot."

Haggard chimes in, "We got more problems. It's a straight two lane highway as far as I can see, we got nothing to hide behind."

"It just keeps getting better," Redford growls. He turns to Preston. "You got one shot at this. When that bastard comes alongside us, you bring him down."

Preston nods and climbs on top of the seats, one leg on each side of the aisle. "Hand me the RPG and steady me. Haggard, whatever you do keep it straight and steady." Redford passes the RPG and grabs the left foot while Sweetwater holds onto the right.

Preston keeps the RPG under the roof, not wanting to spook the pilot. He watches as the helicopter comes closer, stopping when it is no more than 20 meters away.

"You gonna shoot it?" Redford asks.

Preston stays quiet and watches the helicopter move towards the front.

"Fellas?" Haggard calls back.

The helo gets in front and starts to pivot.

"Anytime now."

The pilot finishes turning, the helicopter now flying backwards, its gun coming up.

"Marlowe!"

Preston brings the RPG above the roof, sights in on the canopy and fires.

The rocket surges forward as the enemy pilot reactively jerks to the right. But it doesn't save him as the RPG impacts just below the rotors and destroys one of the engines.

The helicopter immediately goes into a tailspin, still traveling backwards at great speed. It crashes onto the ground before it starts bouncing and rolling, the gun stuck firing on full auto as it shoots indiscriminately in every direction while missiles randomly careen off into the distance or detonate against the trees.

"'Saturday, saturday, saturday, Saturday, saturday, saturday, Saturday, saturday, Saturday night's alright.'"

The van occupants start screaming as they are heading towards an uncontrollable, tumbling death machine that's on fire and shooting explosive rounds, one of which penetrates the windshield and passes just above Sweetwater's head before exiting out the back. Rory is laughing uproariously, finding the whole thing beyond entertaining.

Haggard swerves the vehicle left and right, trying to find a way around when the fuselage starts losing momentum and bounces into the air. Preston can see it heading right towards his face and falls backwards with a panicked scream, the wreckage coming down and ripping what's left of the rear wall and seats away.

Now ahead of the flaming death ball, Haggard slams on the abused brakes as what's left of the helicopter craters itself and fires off the last two missiles into the forest, coming to a halt 15 meters behind the van.

Team 1 and the Visitors collapse, gasping for breath and wondering if they are still alive. The Elton John song ends and another one starts up.

"'She packed my bags last night pre-flight. Zero hour Nine-AM.'"

The song continues playing as everyone slowly comes to the conclusion that they did indeed survive, it wasn't a nightmare, and they somehow got through it without any injuries.

"'Oh no no no, I'm a rocket man. Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone.'"

Redford is the first to get his motor functions somewhat under control. He rises up and stumbles his way to the front, tripping and moving towards the radio. His fingers still not working correctly, he mashes the controls until the stereo turns off before falling into the seat opposite Sinclaire.

"Everyone still alive?" he asks.

That kicked off something in Sinclaire, who makes choking noises and lunges towards the passenger door, which Haggard opens. She runs towards the side of the road and immediately throws up.

"BLEAAAAAAARRGGGGGH! Hork, ulgglh, blrk."

She senses a body come up on either side of her before they also stark puking. "Waaagh!" "Bluuuurgh!"

Amanda opens her eyes and sees both Bozes and Piña losing their dinner, lunch and possibly breakfast as well.

Sweetwater looks out from the van and calls out to her. "Hey Sinclaire, you ok?"

"HUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH."

"I'll leave you to it."

A tree on the side of the road lets out a large crack and falls over, having taken a direct hit from a missile. This pulls Redford out of his malaise. He stands up and taps Haggard on the shoulder. "Come on, we need to check the wreckage."

"What?" Haggard asks, slumped over the steering wheel. "Why? There's no way anyone survived that."

"I'm not taking that chance again. We're all gonna check." He makes his way towards the back, looking at Tuka and Lelei. They stopped ducking their heads and finally let go of each other, but their eyes are still not focused on anything ahead of them, sweat visible on their brows. He looks over to Rory and sees that she has a large, pleased smile on her face while laying down across the seats. He decides to not think about it. ":Stay here:" he orders them. The three snap out of their trances as he repeats the order.

Making his way towards the rear, Sweetwater pulls Marlowe to his feet as Redford reaches them. "Follow me." Preston pulls out a handgun he pocketed earlier, following the others out the back. They spread out and approach what's left of the helicopter. The main body surprisingly survived, but what's left is half buried in the road and mostly on fire. They stop about 3 meters from the lip of the crater, none of them wanting to get any closer.

"Welp," Haggard says, "I think he's -"

A gloved hand grips the edge of the crater, causing the four of the to yelp in surprise and take a step back. Another hand joins the first and pulls up a helmeted figure in a damaged flight suit. The figure takes a few steps towards Team 1 before noticing the four guns pointed at him. It stops and pulls the helmet off his head, revealing The Legionnaire as he drops the helmet and looks at Bad Company with hate filled eyes, illuminated from behind by the burning wreckage.

"Well shit. It really is him."

The Legionnaire stands still, before raising his hands and saying, "I surrender."

His statement throws them all off. "What?" Preston asks.

"I surrender. Take me prisoner."

This makes Sweetwater angry. "You try to kill us and you expect us to take you prisoner when you surrender?!"

"Of course."

"Screw you! You don't get to try and kill us and live after failing!"

"SWEETWATER!" Redfords shouts, "Stand down!"

"Wha - Sarge, you can't possibly-"

"I said Stand Down!" Redford doesn't take his eyes off the Legionnaire. "He surrendered. We have to take him in."

"Why?!"

"Because we're soldiers, not monsters."

Sweetwater opens his mouth several times to try and argue, but nothing comes out of his mouth other than a frustrated yell. The Legionnaire smirks.

":What's this?:" Rory asks, coming up behind them. ":Is this the man that tried and failed to kill us?" Her large axe is casually propped up on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Haggard growls, "And he just surrendered, so we can't kill him."

Rory tilts her head in confusion. ":I have seen you kill a large number of your enemies. Why does it matter if he surrenders or not?:"

Redford answers her. "Because the Rules of War says if a soldier surrenders, he is to be taken prisoner and not killed on the spot, even though we're not technically at war and he's just a mercenary."

":So you won't kill him?:"

"Unfortunately."

":Boring:" she says before switching to english, "Well, allow me then."

Rory hefts her axe and moves forward before Preston grabs her arm and pulls her back, still facing the Legionnaire.

"Whoa whoa whoa," he says, "you can't do that."

":Why?:"

"Rules."

She sighs in exasperation, causing the Legionnaire to laugh.

"You find this funny?" Redford growls, as another tree lets out a large crack.

"Yes," The Legionnaire smirks, "take me prisoner. It does not matter. My men will free me. I have waited three years. I can wait another three before I kill you. So go ahead and -" SLAM!

Team 1 screams in surprise a tree falls down exactly where the Legionnaire stood, crushing him and spraying the area with blood. Rory blinks in surprise at what transpired.

"What just happened?" questions Preston. Team 1 and Rory slowly approach the spot where the Legionnaire stood, finding the broken body, eyes open and empty.

"That solves that problem," says Haggard.

Redford sighs in both relief and frustration. "C'mon everyone, let's go."

Rory and most of Team 1 go back towards the van while Preston approaches a dry heaving Sinclaire, Bozes and Piña. "Hey," he says, grabbing their attention, "time to go."

The three women nod and turn towards the van. Bozes and Piña make their way to the van first as Preston pats Sinclaire on the shoulder. "Don't worry, the first time is always the hardest. You'll get used to it." Preston doesn't see her shudder at the thought.

Haggard gets back into the driver seat. "Hey Sarge, got some good news and bad news."

"Give it to me."

"We're pretty low on gas, don't think we'll make it to DC. The engine temp is high and oil pressure is low. But the GPS is working again."

"Don't use the GPS, they may be using that to track us." Haggard turns off the unit. "Just … keep going, hopefully we find an all night gas station."

The van ride is quiet as they travel through the forests of western Virginia. The gas gets to almost empty before they spot the lights of a 24 hour gas station and pull in.

"Alright folks." Redford says, standing at the front, "Haggard, fill up the tank and do what repairs you can in ten minutes. Preston, help him in any way he says to. Sinclaire, take the visitors inside and get whatever they want. Sweetwater, go with them. I need to go in and make a phone call."

They leave the van Haggard pops open the hood, telling Preston what stuff he initially needs. The rest enter the station, still fully armed.

The teenage clerk takes one look at them and immediately throws his hands up, backing away from the register. "Hey, just take whatever you want, I won't-"

"Relax kid," says Redford, "We're not here to rob you." He takes out the envelope of money and puts five $20 bills on the counter. "I need you to turn on the #2 pump. The ones behind me will be shopping while I need to make a phone call."

The clerk slowly puts his hands down and approaches the counter. "You're really not here to rob me?"

"No. Now where's your phone?"

"It's in the manager's office. But I can't let you back there." Reford gives him a flat look. "Though … I guess I can make an exception."

Redford goes to the back while Sweetwater steps up to the counter next. "You sell any pants?"

Redford finds the phone and brings out the business card Kovic gave him, calling the number printed. It rings twice before being answered. "This better be good."

"Oh it's amazing, you're gonna hate it."

"...Sergeant Redford?"

"Yeah."

"*sigh* What happened?"

He retells the events after arriving at the safe house, culminating with the death of the Legionnaire and arriving at the gas station. He can feel Kovic's facepalm.

"Does your team go out of their way to look for trouble?"

"No, trouble seems to always know our exact coordinates."

"Yeah," he sighs heavily, the creak of a bed coming through, "how long will it take you to get back to D.C.?"

"I have no idea where we are, I turned off the GPS in the van and left all the phones in the cabin."

Kovic grunts in understanding. "You're going back through the gate immediately. I'll get the jet ready and have Hodoryu meet you onboard. So skip D.C. if you can and just go to Andrews."

"Right. We're not that far out, we should get there in four hours at the maximum."

"I'll have the local and state police on the lookout for you to provide an escort. Do you have a way to signal to them?"

"Just tell them to look out for a damaged airport shuttle bus, they'll know it when they see us. Anything else?"

"No. Kovic out." Click.

Redford hangs up and enters the main area as Sweetwater exits the bathroom, pulling up a new pair of sweatpants. Redford goes back to the cashier as the last of the purchases are entered, takes a folded road map of the state from a rack next to him and puts it on the counter.

"The total is $83.50." The cashier says.

Redford pushes the money forward. "Keep the change." The cashier nods as Redford unfolds the map. "Now, show me where we are."

The cashier leans over the map before putting a finger on their position.

"Thanks. This place have any security cameras?"

"Yeah, two outside and three inside."

"Are the recordings kept onsite?"

"Yeah, in the manager's office."

Redford motions to Sweetwater. "Go to the back office and delete the video recordings."

The cashier tries to protest. "You can't do that." Redford pulls out another $100. "But then again, that thing goes on the fritz all the time." He picks up the money and pockets it.

"Remember," Redford says, "we were never here. Understood?"

The cashier nods as Sweetwater finishes up and exits the office. They leave the gas station together, as Haggard finishes putting in the coolant and throws the last bottle in the trash.

"We're good to go Sarge," Haggard states, slamming the hood back down. "It's not in the best condition, but it'll get us to wherever we're going."

"Andrews Air Force Base." He holds up the map, stepping onto the van. "We're gonna need to navigate the old fashioned way."

xxv – Early Morning, Damaged Airport Shuttle Bus heading East through Virginia

The trip, thankfully, was uneventful. But it didn't stop Team 1 from tensing up at every headlight coming towards them.

Two hours into their trip, police lights came on and pulled up behind them. Redford orders Haggard to not stop and tells everyone else to get ready to fight. The police car stays behind them for half a minute before it speeds up ahead of them, turning on their siren and clearing any traffic that may slow them down.

The passengers relax. Soon enough, a convoy of four Highway Patrol cars/suvs escort them the rest of the way to Washington D.C. When they approach the city limits, the Highway Patrol is swiftly and seamlessly replaced with four D.C. Police Cruisers, two unmarked black SUVS and eight Motorcycle Policemen as the first rays of sunlight start to light up the night sky.

They reach the front gates of Andrews AFB just as the sun rises above the horizon, the escort peeling off as the gates are raised and the Shuttle Bus goes through, now escorted by a convoy of four Humvees, their mounted weapons pointed outwards and swiveling.

Progress is swift and unimpeded and they soon arrive on the tarmac, parking next to the Gulfstream that brought Team 1 and the Visitors to Washington D.C.

Richards is standing at the base of the stairs to the plane wondering what the last minute scramble was for. His eyes widen at the damaged Shuttle Bus. He can see what looks like shrapnel pock marking the side facing him. The bus disgorges the passengers, the first of which is Sergeant Redford.

"Don't ask," Redford states, climbing up the stairs, "just get us out of here."

All the passengers immediately sit down and buckle up, Tuka speaking quickly and quietly to Hodoryu in a special Elven language none of the others understand. Richards decides to drop it for now and closes the airplane door, entering the cockpit after deciding that the safety briefing could be skipped.

Troy looks up from the Pilot's seat. "What's going on Rick?"

"Not sure," Richards replies, getting into the Co-Pilot's seat, "but I think it's best we get moving now. Questions can wait."

Troy nods, radioing the tower for clearance which he immediately gets. Taxiing onto the runway, he notices two F35 jets are on the same Tarmac so he radios the tower again.

"Andrews Control, this is Navy Gulf Five Five Zero Two, there are two F35s on our Takeoff runway, please advise."

"Roger that Navy Gulf Five Five Zero Two, they are call signs Phoenix 4-4 and Phoenix 4-5, they will be the escorts for your flight."

The two pilots look at each other in confusion. "Sorry Control, not sure if I heard that right. Did you say we have two F35 escorts?"

"That is correct. They will escort you across the U.S. to your destination."

"...Roger that control, Out."

Richards squirms a bit as they get into position and start the takeoff procedure. "What the hell happened that requires two next generation fighter jets to fly escort across our own country."

"Nothing good."

The Plane takes off, heading west and are soon joined by their escorts.

After reaching cruising altitude, the passengers all pass out in their seats, the fatigue from the previous night catching up to them. Their rest remain undisturbed until Richards enters the cabin and gently shakes Redford awake.

"Sergeant Redford," Richards whispers, shaking his arm, "Sergeant Redford, I need you to wake up."

Redford snorts, jerking awake and wildly looks around. "Sergeant Redford. It's me, Lieutenant Richards."

Redford focuses on the Lieutenant and relaxes, rubbing his eyes. "What is it?" he yawns, "are we back in Seattle?"

"No," Richards answers, "we're above Nevada."

"Nevada? What are we doing here?"

"We're picking up a passenger from the Groom Lake Detention Center. We're about ten minutes out, I wanted to let you know before we landed."

Redford nods and Richards goes back into the cockpit. The descent of the airplane is enough to wake up Team 1 minus Sinclaire.

"What's going on?" asks Sweetwater sleepily. He slept on one of the couches, Haggard getting the other one. "Are we there yet?"

"No, we're making a stop to pick up a passenger."

"A passenger?" Haggard questions with a yawn, "who we picking up?"

"Someone from the Groom Lake Detention Center."

"Groom Lake Detention Center? Where is that?"

"Nevada. More widely known as Area 51." Sweetwater and Haggard look at him with surprise. "Can you two think of anywhere more fitting to hold extraterrestrials in the Continental U.S.?"

Everyone else woke up and were informed of the imminent landing. The plane stopped on the runway, where tanker trucks started refueling and a uniformed Army Officer came aboard, making his way to the rear.

"Gentleman," the officer says, "I'm Major Wolden. I realize this is extremely short notice, but we have a prisoner we need you to take back through the Gate."

"Who?" asks Preston.

"It's -"

":Count Formal!:" shouts Bozes.

The passengers all crane their heads to look at the front of the plane, where a blonde, middle aged man dressed in Imperial clothing stood, smiling.

":Lady Bozes:," the Count responds, ":and Princess Piña as well! So good to see you two again, and on this new world no less. How are you ladies faring?:"

They continue to talk while the Officer clears his throat. "As I was saying, that is Count Colt Formal, head of the Formal clan and leader of Italica. As per our deal with Countess Miyu, we are returning her father in return for their cooperation. Take him and the two Imperial negotiators to Italica first chance you get."

The Officer then turned around and headed for the front of the plane, where he interrupted a conversation between Count Formal and Rory. He says a few words and shakes the Count's hand before departing.

Sinclaire gives up her seat at the front for Count Formal, who sits down and buckles himself in place. The Count converses with the Visitors, even Tuka, Hodoryu and Lelei. Hodoryu knows of Count Formal's kindness towards demi-humans and has a positive opinion of the man, though they have never met before.

Preston joins Team 1 in the back, allowing the Visitors to converse freely after takeoff. With two hours until they reach Seattle, Team 1 decides to get some more much needed sleep. They all nod off, one by one until Sinclaire is the only one still awake.

Amanda is still shaken from what happened the previous night. She understood that as a soldier dying is a real possibility. But being targeted specifically by two governments and a mercenary company then surviving the bus ride from hell while being completely helpless is not what she signed up for. If what happened is a normal occurrence for Bad Company, she wanted no part of it.

"Sergeant Redford?" Sinclaire asks, waking the sleeping man, "can I ask you for a favor?"

"Mmmph," he replies, "what is it Sinclaire?"

"Sir. When we get back to Fort Gondor, could you help me transfer?"

"Transfer?" he cracks an eye open and looks at her. "You sure about that?"

"Yes sir."

He looks at her, not saying a word before addressing the rest of Team 1. "What do you boys think?"

"Sure." "She can hold her own." "Why not."

Redford nods. "I'll talk to Braidwood first thing after dropping off our guests."

Sinclaire lets out the breath she unconsciously held. "Thank you." She couldn't wait to get back to her original unit.

The rest of the flight is quiet, the passengers remaining undisturbed until after they land at McChord Air Force Base.

Redford and Preston stand at the front of the plane, getting everyone ready to exit. "Alright everyone, time to go."

Bozes stands up and pulls on her coat, having taken it off due to the mild temperature of the cabin and draping it on her seat. A loud thump echoes through the plane as a heavy object strikes the floor.

"What was that?" Redford asks, making his way back. Bozes panics and attempts to kick the object away but is stopped by Redford, who leans down and picks up the handgun she attempted to smuggle. "What the-?"

He stands back up and looks at Bozes, who fails to meet his eyes. "Marlow!" he bellows, pointing the gun at Bozes.

"Yes Sarge?"

"Bozes here tried to smuggle a gun through the Gate. Pat her down, see what else she's hiding."

Preston does so. He doesn't find any more guns but uncovers a smoke grenade and a radio. Redford pushes Bozes down into the seat before rounding on Piña. "Check her next."

Marlowe uncovers another handgun, as well as two spare magazines and a knife. "That's all."

Redford grabs Piña's shirt and pulls her close, their faces almost touching and his gun jammed under her chin. "You're lucky my orders are to bring you back alive," he growls before pushing her away.

He unloads both guns before knocking on the cockpit door. He shoves all the weapons into Richards hands as soon as it opens. "Get rid of these for me."

Redford exits the plane and makes a beeline for an airport bus, the other passengers following closely. On the bus, the only one who would even look at the two Imperials is Count Formal.

Haggard speaks. "So Sarge, how we getting to the Gate?"

Sweetwater nods as well. "Yeah. If the Russians and Chinese were willing to try something on the East Coast, they're probably willing to do the same over here."

Redford points out the front window. "We're going through the Gate with them."

The bus approaches a column of APCs, Humvees and Cargo Trucks. "The First Armored Division, along with the two companies from the infantry division of the Marine Expeditionary Unit already over there. They'll be replacing the Marine units that have moved to FOB Rohan. We'll tag along with the Marines once on the other side on their way to Italica."

Preston whistles in appreciation. "That's a hell of alotta metal. What are we riding in? And where are the Tanks?"

"The Tanks would tear up the concrete streets like nobody's business, so they'll come later on special semis. We get two Strykers."

They get off the bus and are introduced to the Commanding Officer, who shows them their Strykers. The group splits in two and get into the vehicles, the convoy taking off after they get settled.

The ride to the Gate and through the other side is thankfully uneventful, with the other Countries either not having resources in the area or being deterred by the abundance of heavy ordnance surrounding their target.

They hand off the Imperials and Count Formal to General Braidwood, who puts them up for the night.

The next morning Bad Company forms up, ready to deliver Count Formal and the Princess back to Italica. Tuka, Lelei and Rory tag along because they want to. They join the departing Marines, making quick time to the city.

Once at Italica, Bad Company breaks off from the Convoy and drives straight to the Mansion where they are greeted by Count Miyu and the Maids, along with Major Ramirez and an interpreter.

":Father!:" Miyu yells, running forwards and launching herself at Count Formal.

Colt laughs and picks Miyu up, swinging her around before engulfing the young girl in a hug. ":Miyu! Oh how I have missed you.:" He laughs and puts her back onto the ground, turning towards the Marine Officer. ":You must be the one in charge of the United States forces here. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Count Colt Formal, head of the Formal Clan and Ruler of Italica.:" He bows to the Officer.

"And I am Major Ramirez of the United States Marine Corps. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Ramirez shakes the Count's hand as an interpreter speaks. "I believe we have some business to attend to."

":Yes, of course. Please, all of you follow me inside, we can continue this discussion in the dining room.:"

Bad Company is about to depart, but the Maids start trying to maneuver them into the mansion. Redford looks to Ramirez, who just nods in acceptance. They follow the Count inside and are soon seated at a large table brimming with food.

Miyu and Colt sit at the head of the table, Ramirez at his right and Piña on his left. Bad Company sat further down the table, with Team 1 being closest to the high chair after the interpreter. Bozes, Rory, Tuka and Lelei are on the opposite side of the table to them.

The meal wraps up along with the business discussion between Count Formal, Major Ramirez and Princess Piña. Piña isn't happy with the concessions the Empire will have to give for continued trade with Italica but knows it could have, and may still be, much worse.

"Thank you Count Formal," Major Ramirez says, "I'll have our agreements written up and presented for your signature tomorrow."

":Thank you Major:," Colt says, putting down his utensils, ":though a signature is quite binding, there are ways to forge stronger ties between our two people.:"

"What ways?"

":Why, through Marriage of course!:"

Everyone turned towards the head of the table. "Marriage?" "What?" "Marriage to who?" "Why'd everyone stop eating?"

Ramirez clears his throat. "Count Formal, the United States Government has never used marriage to bind an agreement between two nations. Also, I'm not sure we could legally provide you a bride for this marriage."

":I'm sure an exception could be made. As for the bride, I am too old to provide any more heirs, a bride would be wasted on me. I was talking about marriage for my daughter Miyu.:"

"Countess Miyu?!" Everyone in the room gasps in shock at the statement, "Sir, even if an exception was made, Miyu is still just eleven years old. It is highly inappropriate for someone her age to get married in our culture."

":The marriage does not need to happen immediately, but a betrothal would help cement any agreements between my holdings and your people. I'm sure that in five years time Miyu would grow to be a lovely young woman.:"

All eyes turn to the young girl who is red faced and staring down at her lap. She knows that marriage to secure an alliance would be her future, but she did not expect it to be with one of the foreign invaders.

Ramirez clears his throat again. "Sir, I'm not sure this is possible. We also do not have any candidates that would be appropriate."

":No worries Major:," Colt interrupts, ":I already have someone in mind for the betrothal.:"

Ramirez's eyes narrow. "Who?"

Count Formal smiles, ":Why, the one who defeated me in honorable combat!:" Eyes start turning towards Preston. ":The one whose fighting prowess is so formidable, he was able to make a Flame Dragon retreat!:" Preston starts to sweat, wondering if he is in a nightmare. ":The one who came into a city controlled by his enemy and valiantly fought to protect its people from marauders and bandits.:" Marlowe wonders why he hasn't woken up yet.

":I am talking of course about Sir Preston Marlowe!:" Count Formal announces, standing and pointing his arm out at the young Sergeant, whose mouth is currently opening and closing without making any sound. ":What say you sir?:" He pats Miyu on the shoulder. ":If Miyu is anything like her mother, she will give you many healthy children during your time together.:"

Ramirez jumps up from his seat. "THANK YOU, Count Formal, for your hospitality. We will take your proposal into consideration." He quickly ushers Bad Company out of their seats and into the courtyard where they parked.

They start getting into their vehicles, when Major Ramirez calls out to them. "Sergeant Preston," he commands, "come here for a moment." Marlowe approaches the officer, while the rest of Bad Company and the Refugees eavesdrop.

"First, let me assure you that the United States Government would never force you into marriage." Marlowe relaxes at that statement. "Who you legally marry is up to you." Marlowe nods, glad they weren't -

"However," Ramirez pauses, "however, having said that, I would like you to veeery carefully consider the proposal by Count Formal." Marlowe's mouth drops open in shock. "Like I said," Ramirez continues, eyes focused on a point over Preston's shoulder, "the United States Government cannot force you to do this. But it is something I recommend you think deeply about."

Ramirez turns away and starts walking to his own Humvee, while Preston stands rooted to his spot.

xxvi – Later that day, Fort Gondor

The ride back from Italica was uncomfortably quiet.

Preston didn't speak and no one else wanted to break the awkward silence that fell on them. The refugees however were angry for some reason, each shooting glances at Marlowe who was too out of it to notice. Once they arrived back at Fort Gondor, Sergeant Redford ordered Sinclair to report to HQ for the debrief of their little jaunt through the woods. It was excruciating and full of disbelief, most of it coming from her.

But now it's over and she can start the paperwork to transfer. Amanda enters the dormitory and makes way to her shared room. She opens the door and pauses in the opening.

"What the hell? Where's all my stuff!" The bed and table are still in place, but all her personal items are missing. She opens her closet to find it empty of clothes. "Ok, who took my stuff!"

"Amanda?" Her roommate pokes her head into the doorway, "What's wrong?"

"All my things are gone. Did you guys do this?"

"Us? No way. Two guys from Bad Company came and took it. Said something about you moving."

"What did they look like?"

"A skinny white guy with glasses and another white guy wearing a beanie with a Texas accent."

"Sweetwater and Haggard? Why would they take my things?"

"I dunno," her roommate points to the next dormitory over, "but they're on the 2nd floor next door, go ask them."

Annoyed, Sinclair exits the dorms and enters the indicated building, trying to find someone from Team 1.

"Sinclair?" ask Haggard, having been noticed by her, "where you been?"

"I was debriefing. Did you and Sweetwater take my stuff?"

"Oh that? Yeah, we wanted to move you to your new place. C'mon, I'll show you."

'New place? I'm transferring, but unless I get moved back to Earth, there's no reason to re-assign my bunk.' She follows the engineer as he explains the setup.

They start walking past empty rooms. "We got a whole floor to ourselves here. Whoever assigned the dorm rooms must have thought we were at least platoon strength, probably didn't realize that our 'Company' is really just four guys. Well, five now. So instead of sharing a room, we all get our own. Hell, we don't even need to share bathrooms either."

Haggard stops about halfway down the hall and starts pointing at doors. "So that's Sarges, that one's mine, there's Sweetwater, Preston chose that one and this," he beams proudly, standing in front of a door with a piece of paper stuck to it that says 'A. Sinclair', "this is your room."

He enters the room, not giving Amanda the chance to interrupt. "We put your stuff away as best we could, even got you some welcoming gifts." She spots some jerky, fudge and what looks to be cigars on the table. Haggard leans in and whispers, "I also left ya some moonshine, but I had to hide it in the closet. Make sure you don't breathe in the fumes, you'll lose your sense of smell."

Sinclair is overwhelmed and doesn't understand what is happening. "Wha-"

"Haggard!" yells Redford from down the hallway, "Sweetwater! Preston!"

Haggard exits the room. "Over here Sarge. What'cha lookin for?"

"You three. What are you doing?"

"Showing Sinclair her new room." Redford appears in the doorway and nods at what he sees.

"Good work. Where are the other two?"

"Well, after Sweetwater and I moved all of Sinclair's stuff we noticed Preston moping around. Sweets decided to take him outside for some air, try to lift his mood a little."

Redford grunts. "Good idea. Go find them, make sure Preston stays away from HQ, it's a mess right now."

Haggard nods and exits, leaving just Redford and Sinclair now.

Amanda clears her throat, "Sergeant Redford, I'm not sure what's going on. Why did they move my things?"

"Sorry about that, they should have got your permission first. They're just excited about having a new member, that's all."

Sinclair blanches. 'New member? What new member?'

"Speaking of which," Redford holds out the folder he has been carrying to her, "here are your transfer papers. Braidwood already agreed and signed off on them." She takes the folder, still not comprehending the situation.

"You'll find us to be less, hmm, professional than other units you've been in, but I'm sure you'll get used to it."

'Get used to what? GET USED TO WHAT!?' She wanted to scream, but her voice was stuck.

"It'll be nice having a permanent medic on the team." Redford turns to leave, but pauses in the doorway and turns back. "Before I forget." He pulls out a unit patch from his pocket and tosses it at Sinclair. "Welcome to Bad Company."

Amanda stands, rooted in place as Redford leaves and his footsteps disappear down the hall. The conversations from the last day and a half start echoing in her head.

Preston pats Sinclaire on the shoulder. "Don't worry, the first time is always the hardest. You'll get used to it."

She didn't want to get used to it. That's why she requested the unit transfer.

"Sir. When we get back to Fort Gondor, could you help me transfer?"

"Transfer?" he cracks an eye open and looks at her. "You sure about that?"

"Yes sir."

He looks at her, not saying a word before addressing the rest of Team 1. "What do you boys think?"

"Sure." "She can hold her own." "Why not."

Transfer out. She wanted to transfer out, why would Redford ask the other members of Bad Company their opinions if she was going to transfer out!

"We wanted to move you to your new place."

No. No, no, no, no, NO!

"Welcome to Bad Company."

The last sentence from Redford echoes in her head as she looks down at the unit patch, recognizing it as what Team 1 wears, completely different to the unit patches the temporary members of Bad Company have.

All the conversations keep replaying in her mind as she comes to the realization that they misinterpreted her request. Her fear and horror are distilled into a single word.

"Fuck."

##

AN: Chapter 4, done. Been a while huh?

So, I write because of two things. #1, I'm bored. #2, I have fun writing. #3, I have an idea. If those three things don't happen, I don't write. In the past several years, I haven't been bored that much, and writing hasn't been fun for me. So I didn't write. This is why I make sure there are no cliffhangers at the end of my chapters, cause who knows how long it will be before I get the next one out.

The legionnaire came back because I needed three different forces to attack and I figured he's the oldest enemy Bad Company had and would have a hard on for revenge. His attack with the helicopter is based on the opening mission in BF4.

In this story, BL manga is replaced with Movies/TV as Piña's obsession, cause there is no one to introduce her to manga. I thought about comics, but Redford would shoot down the idea of visiting a comic book store by Sweetwater.

Kovic is the CIA agent from BF3 that dies in BF4. I'm trying to keep my OC's to a minimum, drawing as many from the Battlefield games as I can. And a few from the MW series, due to the 'pussy ass heartbeat sensor' joke from BC2.

Also, another thing that got to me in the manga. The JSDF deployed a blimp for overwatch, but the author decides to ignore the fact that the U.S. government has spy satellites with real time monitoring or even drones. No way a black ops mission like that would play out without satellite overwatch.

Also, I chose Elton John as the CD in the van just for that Rocketman joke.

Poor Preston. Poor Sinclair.

It wasn't that long ago, history wise, that marriages were used to seal alliances and trade deals. Not sure if it was a Roman tradition as well, but I thought it would be funny here. Also, Sherry is 'engaged' to Sugawara, so having Miyu betrothed wouldn't be that far of a stretch.

As for Sinclair, I realized that I needed someone to fill in for Kurokawa, personality and skill wise. I can already have Haggard fill in for Shino, Sweetwater for Kurata (and to an extent Itami). So I sacrificed her sanity for the good of the plot.

Also, foreshadowing of Bozes and Haggard. He fills in Tomita's spot, cause I thought it would be hilarious for a high class lady like Bozes to get together with a good 'ol boy like Haggard.

Gatekeeper, Keymaster, Gozer. Please tell me you get this reference.

Next chapter is the Flame Dragon and Yao. Expect more Lord of the Rings references, and some Skyrim references.

No ETA, you know why.