A surprise came for me today. Work was boring as we resumed our previous work exigencies. I had many paperwork and reports to complete while Captain was involved in a few board meetings. Marcus was back to his tinkering in the armour - upgrading our weaponry and the rookies were back to their usual training session headed by Lucas and Tom.
We were back in HQ, in the city and it was a few days since I returned to my comfy bed.
It was getting too soft and uncomfortable for me.
Typing away on the keyboard and frowning as I stared at the monitor screen, I was giving my full attention to the report as I referred to a tattered piece of draft paper I had managed to scribble onto during the many missions I had been involved in. The paper had gone through hell, soaked and dirtied with mud. There was blood on it too.
I wasn't sure if it was mine.
Suddenly, the office telephone rang and I reached out to pick it up. It was the front desk soldiers and they had to repeat twice for me to understand what they were talking about. I had to do a double take when I finally realised the enormity of it.
"I'm on my way!" I urged. "Do not let him wander off!"
Slamming the phone down, I realised that I was breathing hard. My heart was pumping double rate and pulled out my mobile phone and wanted to contact Captain Frank immediately but knowing that he was busy in an important meeting, I called Lucas instead.
Telling me to bring at least a handgun with me, and that they'll be there for back up, he ended the call swiftly. I let out a deep sigh and grabbed my gun where I had left it on the desk, shoving it in its holster before I left my office.
This is not good!
This is not good at all!
Making my way down to the front counter, a billion and one thoughts spun inside my head as I tried to grasp the severity of the situation I was heading into. It was hard to admit that the fact that the one person I least suspected to has found my true identity and he is here now in my fucking office.
It was detrimental to the mission that our identities were not to be found out.
What would happen to the mission now?
Turning the corner where the front counter was situated on the right, I saw him first. He was dressed in a dark suit and wearing a pair of sunglasses as he stared off into the distance. His pale face held no expression whatsoever and I was unsure if meeting him here was the right decision.
Hang on, wasn't this a breach of security? How did he find out about me? My profile and information was stored in the military database. To be able to pull out such info and to know where I was based, was a problem I realised too late.
By the corner of my eye through the window pane, I saw the boys coming up from the other side, crouching low and in full gear as they spread out to cover me at all sides. Knowing that I was not alone, I planted myself in front of Kirishima - blocking his direct line of sight.
"How did you find out where I worked?" I asked flatly.
He pulled down the sunglasses, revealing his emotionless eyes as he assessed me. "Oh hello. It's good to see you," he said and shrugged as if it was nothing that he could do. "I was unsure if I got the correct information."
"Who are you?" I asked. "You do know that what you did is illegal, right?"
He grins. "My name is Ishikawa Kirishima," he introduced and spoke, "It's only illegal if you can get evidence against me and I'm sure that you cannot."
He's brazen to even say it aloud. He's out of his mind.
Kirishima took a step closer, and my gun was already in my hand. I was being very cautious, putting up an act in my HQ. Knowing that there were people watching, and I need to react accordingly. It was a great move from me, because an evil smile lifted at the ends of his lips as he raised his hands up.
"Speak. You have five seconds."
"I want your mobile number."
"Rejected. Get out. Now."
"You know I can find out without asking you. I didn't want to do that, which is why I am here to ask you personally."
I didn't want to listen to him talk any longer, so I ordered to the two soldiers manning the front desk. "Get him out of here."
"Yes Ma'am!"
Despite being manhandled by two soldiers, Kirishima looked at ease as if this was a joke he would tell his friends and he gave a cheery wave as he was escorted out of the premises. I let out a sigh and kept my handgun into the holster once he was finally gone and I was met with the rest of the team as they approached from all corners of the area.
"He's out of his damn mind," commented Lucas.
"How did he know where you worked?" Marcus asked worriedly. "We need to report this to Frank."
"He even know your name now," added the rookie, Quinn solemnly.
"This is a breach of security," Keith pointed out.
I let out an exasperated sound and whirled around to the boys, glaring at Tom specifically. "This is your fault," I accused angrily and walked away from the group.
.
Due to the breach in security, we were all interrogated as to how a Yakuza was able to retrieve personal information from the server and if the mission was unknowingly compromised when Tom broke character. It was a gruelling week for me as I was required to remember even the smallest detail, and reveal the reason behind Tom's incapability in maintaining his composure.
After hours of interrogation, I left the room mentally and emotionally drained.
My heart was heavy. My chest hurt. I kept my head down and eyes glued to the floor as I walked along the corridor – depending on my legs to bring me to my office so I could retrieve my personal items. I wanted to head home and sleep the exhaustion away.
I didn't want to deal with people.
Yet I bumped into the last person I wanted to see. She saw me walking with my eyes glued to the floor and proceeded to plant herself in front of me, forcing me to a stop so I won't collide into her head-on. Looking up made me grimace and sigh, as my emotions plummet straight down to my boots.
The person was Tom's girlfriend, the woman he cheated on me with.
"Amelia," she spoke my name with fake brightness before she dropped all friendliness yet she kept up with her fake smile. "I heard what you had been saying about me. Why would you state such lies? You know they're not true at all."
I had little patience to deal with her today and I stepped aside without replying to her statement. I was very close to screaming in her face or unleashing all of my pent up anger at her yet I fought them down and walked away. However, she didn't take it lightly and grabbed a hold of my arm, twisted me around before grabbing a fistful of my lapels. I let her do that, fighting against my natural instinct and simply stared at her.
Knowing that she wants to dominate and break me apart, I waited for it. "The only reason Tom chose me is because you're unlovable and emotionless," she said quietly, a smirk at the side of her lips. "You're like a fucking rock, and all you thought about was your job. He had no space in your heart or your mind."
This wasn't the first time she said such scathing and hurtful words.
"You two are no longer a story," she continued on. "And I think it's best for you to close it before I do it for you. I don't think you would like that at all."
"The anger in your heart warms you now, but will leave you cold in your grave," I said quietly as I pried her hand off me earning a sharp gasp of pain from her. "Someday, you will have to answer for your actions and God may not be merciful."
Her face had turned pale with fear and I let her hand go. She tried to regain her dignity.
"You're out of your mind," she interjected scathingly. "Your entire unit is nuts!"
"No one asked for your opinion, you abominable shit goblin," I stated flatly.
I showed my middle finger to her angrily as I stomped away, muttering dark curses under my breath at her childish pettiness. I would've slapped the hell out of her if I wanted to! She's so aggravating I want to choke the living shit out of her.
.
"Amelia, you're on point."
I could hear Frank giving the orders to the rest of the team members.
We had intel that a terrorist cell had barred themselves on a skyscraper and a helicopter is on its way to transport a known terrorist leader out from the city. If we were to lose the guy, we will lose everything. All of the leads and intels that we had led to this moment.
I was running my way up the neighbouring building, my sniper rifle bouncing on my back with another soldier hot on my tails. The police had cut off all the electricity in this building, so we had little choice but to climb our way upward. It was a tough climb, and we were panting by the time we've reached the roof.
A large area had been cordoned off – two teams were in this mission tonight and the Leopard team were busy fortifying the defence circle as the Wolf team charged their way into the building.
The ground team ensured the citizens were slowly but surely evacuated to a safer location.
Making myself comfortable on the parapet, I looked through the scope to look out for any potential threat. The team had broken off into three smaller groups so they could gun down the threat in a systematic way. On the 24th floor, Marcus, and two rookies were with him as they entered an apartment.
I saw a shadow coming out from behind. "Marcus, duck!" I yelled, switching to infrared so I could see the occupants in the room. "Three assailants are in the room with you! Brad, on your left!"
Thanks to my early warning, they were able to intercept the enemy. I watched them struggle through my scope but I did not dare fire as I might hit them accidentally.
Two floors above them, the rest of the team were caught in a crossfire. I could hear gunshots and bullets raining down on them but I was not in a good vantage point to knock the enemy out. Cursing at the lack of height and trajectory, I tried to find another location but there were none that were good.
I heard the sniper on my right drop to the ground suddenly and without a pause, I threw myself onto the ground before the next bullet could pierce through me.
"Contact on the roof!" I shouted and pulled my rifle down next to me just when bullets started to rain.
Judging from the frequency of bullets and the sound it was spewing, the enemy was using a semi-automatic machine gun and incendiary rounds embedded themselves into the concrete wall behind me. The cover that I had was minimal and I could feel the force of the bullets vibrating on my back.
I let out an angry yell, keeping myself curled up in a small ball while cursing at his family and his future generations. Coughing at the shower of concrete dust and pieces of flying debris, I tried to find other places for cover. I cannot stay in this position for very long.
"Amelia! Report!" Frank yelled over the intercom. "Are you still there? "
"Last seen position of the enemy is on the 13th floor northwest side of the building," I yelled over the noise, coughing slightly at the dust. "He may not be alone. He took out the other sniper."
"Don't move! We're coming!" Keith shouted.
"It's not like I can move anywhere, dumbass!" I rebutted angrily.
"Sit tight!"
I tried to crawl to the right, away from where the enemy thought I was and looked around. The roof was too open and I cannot find a safe way to exit this location. I glanced over at the fallen sniper, seeing him unmoving.
Is he dead? I can't know for certain.
Cursing, I crawled sideways and within seconds, the firing stopped abruptly and the door to the roof slammed open. Out came three insurgents intending to find our dead bodies.
I knew that I did not have time to think. If I hesitated, I would be dead too. My body moved before I could command it to – I pulled out my handgun and shot them down before they could realise.
"Ground team, insurgents are entering the building I'm in!" I yelled as I took cover by the corner, at an angle so I'm away from the roof door and the sniper's birds eye view. "I can't hold them down for long!"
"We're on it!" Benjamin answered swiftly. "Let's go guys!"
"You'd better get his ass, Keith!" I threatened as I reloaded angrily. "How the fuck do they know where we are! Our position is compromised!"
The said enemy started firing again, this time much closer to where I was – hitting the roof floors and the parapet again, showering me with a layer of concrete dust and pieces of flying debris.
The firing stopped once again, and I waited – aiming my gun at the door.
"We've secured the building," Benjamin reported.
"He's down, Amelia," Keith spoke next. "He's got some powerful fire power here. Seems like he's not –"
His words were cut off abruptly and an explosion rocked the ground. I let out a gasp and scurried upward to see – the thirteenth floor was in flames. My eyes went wide with fear and I feared the worst.
"Keith!!" I shouted, my heart went in my throat as I grabbed my rifle and ran down the building.
"What was that?"
"Where's the bomb at?!"
"Keith?! What happened Amelia?!"
"He's caught in the bomb explosion!" I sobbed as I cleared the ground floor and ran to the building. "I need to get to him!"
"Keith!" Lucas yelled.
"Dumbass, don't just run off!" Frank yelled. "Ground Team, Benjamin and Wesley, assist Amelia to the thirteenth floor. Samantha, you're our eyes now. Get to Block D. There's another point you can roost."
"Roger, sir!"
With Benjamin and Wesley flanking me, we entered the building and scaled up to the thirteenth floor. We could feel the heat roaring on the twelfth floor. Before we entered the thirteenth floor, I made them cover their mouths with a wet cloth with the water bottles that we carried, and strap on a pair of goggles. For extra measures, I poured water all over their uniform too including mine.
"We do this systematically," I said firmly. "Benjamin, you take left. Wesley, you got the right. I'm gonna fan out from the middle. Keep low, the smoke will be high, and you can't see anything so keep low. There should be only two bodies. You see him, you grab him, okay?"
Both nodded and we entered the blazing hot room with one intention. We go in fast and we go out fast. Keeping low, I crawled along the linoleum floor and moved fast. The temperatures soared incredibly, and we needed to find him fast.
I knew where he was last, but if he had moved to avoid the explosion, he could be anywhere.
About four minutes passed by with no success when I finally hear Wesley shouting in triumph and seeing him drag Keith's unconscious body across the floor. Both Benjamin and I hurried over to help, carrying him out of the room and to safety.
"Medic, this is Lieutenant Amelia. We need a medic on the thirteenth floor of Block B. I need you to come here quickly!" I shouted, my hands were trembling as I tried to locate his vitals and my vision was getting blurry the longer, I looked down at his blackened body.
No! No! No!
Please, don't. Please! Please...
A gloved hand grabbed my wrist, halting my erratic attempts and I looked up sharply to see the rookie, Benjamin looking at me with a serious look on his face, as if letting me know that he will take over for me. Nodding at his unasked question, I rested on my haunches and allowed him to take control of the situation.
Let him live.
Let him live!
Oh God, please...!
Wesley remained quiet as he stood next to me, keeping a hand on my shoulder as we watched on helplessly. A pair of corpsmen came running up the staircase with their bulky bags and two more came running with a stretcher. We all knew that he needed immediate medical attention and the speed of the journey to the hospital was vital for his recovery.
We watched as Keith was hoisted up via the stretcher and they descended and disappeared without so much as a word exchanged.
"Amelia!"
The rest of the boys came running forwards and Frank planted himself right in front of me, grabbing me by the shoulders to snap me out of my endless thoughts. "Are you alright?" he demanded. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head numbly.
"Where's Keith?" he asked. "Have the medics brought him away?"
I nodded.
"Captain, let's get out of here."
Together, we vacated the building without more incident and descended to the ground floor where a flurry of activities met my disoriented self. They had cordoned off the entire area and had installed flood lights – brightening the area.
Frank held my arm. "You need to get yourself checked out at the hospital," he said firmly as he pointed. "You got burns on your arm."
Looking down at his finger, I finally noticed the blackened cloth and blood had soaked through, drenching my fingers. I hadn't realised it because there was no pain and I nodded blankly, looking around for the ambulance. There should be one parked nearby.
The thought of Keith getting injured was a shock to me, and I couldn't accept the reality of it. My mind wouldn't allow me to wrap around the notion of it – instead I was trying my hardest not to think too much about anything.
The walk to the ambulance was long and my legs were stiff as I sat down to receive treatment from the medic. The man cut the cloth around my arm and as he tinkered with it, I stared numbly at the ground. I didn't hear what he said, and then I realised I was riding inside the ambulance heading to the hospital.
"Are you okay?"
I remained silent.
A hand touched my shoulder. "Soldier, are you okay?" he asked again.
I nodded.
"I need you to stay with me," he said. "We're heading to the hospital. You need immediate medical attention."
I nodded again.
The rest were a blur to me, and I remembered being sent to the ER to get my arm washed to remove all the dirt, and congealed blood. A female nurse picked out all the bits of concrete on my wound and another gave me a bottled water to stay hydrated.
Once the wound was deemed clean, the doctor on duty slathered a layer of medication on it, gauze on top of it and wrapped it up tightly with bandages. He secured it with tape and made me sit down on a chair as he settled the paperwork.
I kept my head down as the room bustled with activity. Intrusive thoughts were the worst and I was struggling to keep my mind from wandering too much.
Suddenly, a pair of legs appeared in my vision and then a familiar face.
It was Ishikawa Kirishima.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked in annoyance. "How the fuck do you know where I am?"
He smiled serenely as he rested his arms on my legs and his chin on his arms. I glared at him, but he didn't move away.
"I have my sources," he said simply and nodded at the bandages on my arm. "How are you feeling? Does it hurt?"
I sighed. "Not as much as it's supposed to," I answered.
"You're covered in dust," he commented. "You look like shit though."
"I'm a soldier, Kirishima," I said flatly. "This is generally how I look like most of the time when I'm on missions. Don't you see these things most of the time?"
"Hmm?"
"Your line of work," I prompted.
"Oh, right."
"Still creepy that you know where I am," I muttered as I looked around, searching for the doctor who was filing my paperwork. "Isn't this breaching privacy laws or something?"
"Is that from a bullet?" he asked curiously.
I was taken aback. "What?"
"Your arm, were you shot?"
"No, it's just third-degree burns."
He tilted his head in confusion.
I sighed. I can't believe I'm explaining these minor details to a stranger, and a freaking yakuza to boot. I don't understand why I'm talking a lot to him either. "I plunged headfirst into a burning apartment trying to save my team mate," I explained. "The fire must've been too hot and burned through."
The doctor came back with the paperwork and made me sign some papers. After signing, I was released and left the ER with Kirishima tagging close to me. I kept my hands in my pockets as I walked out of the hospital compounds and called for Marcus to pick me up.
As I turned into a quiet street, I pointed the handgun to Kirishima.
"Oh wow."
"Stop following me around."
"That is so sexy. You look so hot."
I looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you a masochist, you sick fuck?" I asked flatly. "Go away. I don't want you tailing me."
He looked at me for the longest time with an expression that I could not read. I didn't know how long we stood facing the other but then eventually, he raised his hands up and admitted defeat. Telling me to take care, he bid goodbye and disappeared from the street.
I let out a sigh and kept the handgun in its holster.
.
A few weeks later...
"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me."
Hearing the statement coming out from Lucas' mouth, I looked up from my game to see the woman entering the room with her nose high up in the air. She had the damn balls to enter our staff room. Rolling my eyes at her haughtiness, I resumed with my game and plugged in my earphones, so I don't have to listen to her or him flirt with the other.
The role-playing game held my concentration and I was navigating my character across a forest while armed so I can retrieve some supplies. It was a zombie game and I was hooked onto it due to its visual effects. The creators had spent a lot of effort in creating the game with such clarity that I was impressed with their talent.
Navigating my character as she swam across the ocean, I was rudely interrupted when my mobile phone was snatched away from my hands including my earphones and to see that the woman was the culprit, my temper rose inside me like boiling water.
She was yelling at me, but none of her words registered. I was pissed and no table will stop me from getting back what belonged to me. She already took away everything that I knew, and I am not allowing her to shove me around anymore.
"You fucking slut, give it back!" I shouted as I vaulted over the table and kicked her square in the chest. Seeing her fly backwards and land onto the floor, I wrestled the mobile phone off her claws.
I took another step forward, hands out to inflict more damage but was hauled backwards by Frank who didn't want to watch me throttle the heck out of the woman. While I struggled to be free so I could launch myself at her, I watched as Tom went to pick her up as she coughed and struggled for breath.
"Stupid bitch is a fucking animal!" she cried. "She's crazy!"
"I could crush your fucking windpipe under my boot, and it'd be like stepping on a cockroach!" I yelled. "I hope you get buried alive and die begging for air! Because no one will save your whore ass!"
"Step down, Amelia!" Frank shouted. "This is an order!"
Panting heavily as Frank finally released me, I sank to the ground shaking with fury as he went to approach the couple. Tom was trying his hardest to calm the woman down as she was in hysterics, yelling, "... showing such blatant disrespect to a fellow officer!" and when Frank stood towering next to them, she fell quiet.
I saw the anger in his face.
I knew it was time to retreat.
"You don't come in here and create trouble with one of our own. You got beef with her, you got beef with every single one of us," he said sternly but there was anger in his voice. "Get the fuck out of my office. You are not welcome in here."
The woman knew she had lost a battle and fled from the room with her tail wagging between her legs. Frank whirled around to face Tom.
"If she doesn't know how to respect personal boundaries in a workplace, I think she is not worth the goddamn trouble," he warned. "She is not the Queen of fucking Scotland nor is she some fucking Greek Goddess. She just can't burst into your office like she owns the goddamn place and attack one of our own."
I sighed as I got up from the ground, knowing that I was partly to blame as well.
"Boss, it's also – "
"You're just following orders. Putting aside your personal feelings are part of being a soldier and for her not to understand it is an absolute disgrace," he growled and turned to Tom. "The both of you are a fucking disgrace! If you weren't one of the elites, I would've sacked you a long time ago!"
Tom's face went slack with horror and he looked down at his feet before he left the room. The tension in the room dissipated and the boys returned to their own devices as if a fight had never occurred.
"That was kinda harsh wasn't it, Frank?" Lucas asked.
"I hadn't yelled at him for fucking up his relationship with Amelia so thanks for reminding me, Lucas," Frank said.
Lucas sighed. "That woman is beyond crazy," he commented. "What does he see in her?"
I rolled my eyes. "It's the same damn question I asked myself when you got married, brother," I pointed out flatly.
"Hey, at least I got my kid with me."
"Shut up, the both of you."
"Yes, sir!"
.