Kerberos: Mixed Pack (Ch.1 In-Progress)

The prologue and part of the first chapter of a Kerberos Saga fan-fiction (If you're unfamiliar with Kerberos maybe Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade rings a bell)

Prologue



“So, what do you think ?” Hideki asked Jerry from across the table, drawing only a shrug. He stabbed at a pile of pasta with his fork absent-mindedly, reviewing his actions and why he let Hideki manipulate him like this again.

“I think I’m too soft for how persuasive you are.” He grumbled as he continued shredding his food with his fork, no longer even intending to eat it. Hideki sighed and leaned back in his chair as Jerry continued brooding.

“Okay, that right there is your problem. I try to bring you out here and find you someone you can talk to normally, and your cynicism just blows out of control. I can’t help you when your morale is so low.” He said, shaking his head in defeat. Jerry shrugged and leaned back, finally satisfied with the destroyed food. He took a sip of water and looked his friend in the eye, smirking insipidly.

“Thought we already went over this, Hideki. I’m here for three months max for my station, and with the way Europe’s been looking, I’m probably going to get shipped out even earlier than that. I don’t wanna even chance falling in love before going off to war. It’s bad luck, dude.” He said as he slowly got up, his fingers rubbing at the pack of cigarettes in his coat pocket.

“And I thought we went over this too, Jerry. Just because you have that crazy notion of love before war fucking a guy over doesn’t mean you can’t get laid while you’re here, right? It’s Japan, man. I thought all you American guys have that yellow fever.” Hideki shot back, drawing a smile from Jerry, who just shrugged and continued out of the restaurant. As he hit the cold, Jerry instantly tensed and reached for the Zippo in his pocket, He flipped the lighter open and grunted as he reached into his other pocket with his free hand and took out a pack of Cowboy Killers. He flipped open the pack and sighed as he drew out the lucky and put it in his mouth, then sparking the Zippo a couple times before finally lighting it and taking a drag.

“Ah, that’s great, man. Whenever you’re pissed, first one is the feel good drag.” He said to no one in particular. Hideki’s nose crunched up and he turned away from Jerry, still not used to how much the man smoked.

“Hey, the health warning is large because it’s a pretty big warning, man. You should really watch that shit.” Hideki said with concern. Jericho shrugged and pointed to a gas mask advertisement on the wall across the street.

“My family died because of the DX-1143 strain, and most of my friends went when Seattle got fucked by the North Koreans. Only friends I have left are in the hospital, in prison, or right here.” He said, dismissing Hideki’s concern for the state of his lungs.

“Okay, look. All I was trying to do this for was to wipe that fucking gloomy look off your face. You need to start enjoying things in life when you have such a bleak outlook on it!” Hideki said, Jerry appreciated hi concern, but still looked skyward. The whole city looked skyward as the UN Orbital Station streaked through the atmosphere, re-entry tearing the fragile structure apart. Jerry finished his cigarette and tossed it to the ground as he confirmed it in his mind: The dissolution of a global identity was final. He was going to war. “What are you going to do?” Hideki asked him, coming to the same conclusion.

“I have three weeks at least before moving out. First MEU will be moving in through the middle east with the help of Iran and the Saudis, so we have to get prepped and wait for the rest of the Division before moving out. Before then, I guess I’ll take your advice. May as well get laid once before I die.” He said to the ground. Hideki’s eyes widened and he struggled to hold back laughter despite the grim situation.

“You mean?” He started before laughing. Jerry smiled and shook his head, surprisingly devoid of shame.

“Nope, I guess you’re right, though. Maybe it was the dark disposition. Maybe I can get the pity-fuck before going to the Gates, but if not, I’ll have a few good war stories for the El Tee.” He said absent-mindedly, thinking in the back of his mind that ten years ago, the world would have been in shock over the falling of an orbital station. Now, it was just another facet of the rapidly decaying world.

United States Marine Corps. Military Installation
Okinawa, Japan

“Sergeant Gerald Shephard reporting, sir.” He said in as official of a tone that he could muster. The Lieutenant nodded to Jerry and motioned for him to sit in the chair opposite the large oak desk in the office. He complied silently and sat in the cushioned chair. The mood in the office seemed bleak as the Lieutenant flipped through the paperwork on his desk before closing the manilla folder and looking up to Jerry with a frown on his face.

“Shephard, I’ve got news, and its up to you whether its good or bad. Japs are on our side for this shit-storm, and we’ve revised the new Constitution the Germans left them after World War II. They now have a full standing army. One of the clauses, however, was the inclusion of American forces in the Capital Police Special Unit, as well as various other cells of the JSDF that have been expanded and militarized. Wasn’t such a stretch for the Special Unit, though. Reason I’m telling you this is because command asked me to select someone from my platoon, and I figured hey, Shephard’s the one with a hard-on for Japanese culture, why not let him get integrated? You’re in for the Special Unit, and as of this time next week you’ll be part of the Japanese Kerberos Brigade. On all the papers you’ll be in the USMC, but you will no longer carry American rank, nor will you be buried in Arlington should the worst happen. You’re a Jap as far as we’re concerned now.” The Lieutenant bluntly informed Jerry, blindsiding him.

“Hey, is this even legal? I’m a citizen of the United States, and I’m under contract with the Corps, sir. You can’t just shoulder me into this Kerberos crap.” He said, almost sputtering as he grappled with the news.

“Can and will, Shephard. We need someone between us and China if they side with the Euros, and they need American supervisors to make it kosher in the public eye. Get over it, Shephard, and get the hell out of my office. That’s my final order for you. Good day.” The Lieutenant said before waving a hand in dismissal to Jerry, who sat in silence, muttering to himself before standing up and leaving the room. He noted how just three days ago he was speaking so light-heartedly with Hideki about such trivial things, and now he was being booted from the Corps and shoved into the Japanese military. Sex seemed like the most irrelevant thing in the world now. He was being shoved into what he knew to be Jap special forces. The Kerberos dogs were the back hand of the Capital Police for the past fifty-something years. There was a lot of tension between them and the government for a while, but now they had the good fortune of becoming bona-fide soldiers. He walked through the halls of the base muttering to himself before leaving the base perimeter and returning to the apartment the Corps had issued him.

As he approached the door, his mouth dropped open and he balled his fists in anger. A notice of relocation was placed on the door, along with a time at which small personal effect would be delivered to him, the rest was seized by the government. As Jerry inspected the new address listed on the piece of paper stuck to his door, he realized that it had to be the Special Unit academy, where he had to undergo yet more training, as if Recon School wasn’t enough. He started to sigh, but decided it didn’t matter how much pity he had for himself, this was an absolute.

He felt alien walking through Okinawa without being part of the military. He contacted a man named Tachibana from the Special Unit the day before, and confirmed that the only academy was indeed in Tokyo, Jerry didn’t expect more from a unit that was once Capital Police. Tachibana was polite enough to provide him with the name of a ferry that could take him to the main-land, and he was now tasked with finding the liner and making it to the academy in time. He checked the name again and looked to the fancy kanji on the sign in front of him, then shook his head and continued on, still looking for the correct liner. As an hour passed with no luck, he decided to give up and call Hideki, who answered sullenly.

“What’s the problem?” Jerry asked, instantly noticing the massive change in his friend’s disposition. He only heard a sigh through the phone before Hideki finally replied.

“Just got my papers today, I’m officially part of the Japanese military. Heh, never thought we’d have one of those ever again.” He said in a defeated voice. Jerry smiled, thinking of the first Japanese draft in over seventy years.

“Well, that makes two of us, buddy. This time next week I’ll be Staff Sergeant Shephard of the First Kerberos Strike Group. Well, I’ll be in training to be in the FKSG.” He said as nonchalantly as he could manage. He heard Hideki gasp and suddenly get up, Jerry guessed he was lying on his bed, sulking.

“What?! You quit out of the Corps?!” He asked, suddenly full of his usual vigor. Jerry laughed at the quick change of character before deciding to humor Hideki.

“Kicked out is the more proper term. I’ll be a military advisor or some shit for the JA, that’s why I’m starting at Staff Sergeant, whereas you’ll be a private. Oh, hey. I can pull rank on you. When I tell you to shut up you’ll have to now.” He said, finally seeing a silver lining to his predicament.

“Yeah, yeah. Wait, did you say Kerberos? They were dissolved a while ago after their rebellion. Why are they being brought back?” Hideki asked Jerry, who could only shrug, because he himself had asked Tachibana that question before the call dropped, or rather, before Tachibana hung up the phone.

“Yeah, I know, and I don’t know what’s going on with their reformation. All I know is that the academy is opening its doors again and I need to get there for training ASAP.” Jerry replied, just as oblivious as his friend, even though he was being sucked into the mystery. “Sorry to cut this short, but my flight is boarding now. Don’t know when I’ll be able to call you again, so I’ll say thanks for everything now. You were a great friend, man.” Jerry said, trying to voice how he felt like he always did before going somewhere important.

“Just go, man. Never did like it when you got all sentimental. You know my number, and even if the confiscate your phone, you can just use a pay-phone while you’re on leave for some reason or other.” Hideki said before hanging up abruptly. Jerry raised his eyebrows before shrugging and ending the call at his end as well. As he slipped the phone in his pocket, he heard the first boarding call and stood up, feeling awkward to not pick up any bags to take with him on-board. He showed his ticket to the attendant at the All Nippon Airways counter, and was received by a forced smile and a stale †˜Enjoy your flight’. He felt for the tired girl, too. Having to be cordial for eight hours a day, five days a week. He thought of all the ways he would crack and go off on people as he sat down at his seat and fastened his seat belt. He leaned on the wall of the cabin and began to drift off as he heard someone sit next to him, and then a light sigh. He opened his eyes and looked over to the girl about his age, who saw him and forced a smile. He did the same before rubbing his eyes and pulling down the food tray from the seat in front of him and drumming his fingers on it. After a few minutes passed, he had noticed the girl had grown tense and stopped quickly.

“Apologies.” He said with an awkward smile. She only nodded as he flipped the tray back up and leaned back into his chair. They sat silently for a few seconds before she finally spoke.

“At least you’re more polite than most Americans.” She said, though it didn’t even feel like she was saying it to him directly. He smiled at her and shrugged before the silence dominated the space between them once more.

“Uh, if you don’t mind my asking, what brings you to Tokyo?” He asked her, trying to at least be able to talk to her. He didn’t want to fall asleep during the flight and throw off his sleeping schedule. She looked over to him, small signs of annoyance in her face, but she was kind enough to at least humor him.

“Now that we threw in our hand with the US for this war, Okinawa isn’t safe anymore. I’m moving in with some family in Tokyo because if we fall, it’ll be there. The missile shield will make sure of that.” She said, reminiscing about the atomic bombs the Germans had dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It didn’t surprise him that they were still bitter about it. “Well, now I suppose I should ask you: What brings you to Tokyo?”

“Army business.” He said, embarrassed that he could say so little, considering that he had started the uneasy conversation. She furrowed her eyebrows and her lips pinched in puzzlement as she spoke slowly.

“But, um. Wouldn’t you be going to Okinawa, then? Not leaving Okinawa?” She asked him as plainly as she could. Jerry smiled a bit and shook his head.

“Oh, no. I’m in the Japanese Army. Still feel safe knowing that a guy that drums his fingers on food trays is one of the men defending you?” He asked her. She smiled genuinely and nodded to him.

“Yeah, I think if nothing else you can just scare them off with your bad manners.” She joked. Jerry acted offended and put a hand on his chest, exaggerating the damage of it.

“Hey, I think Tokyo will warm up to me. I’ve only been in the country for a month, so could you cut me at least a little slack?” He said, holding up his hand with his thumb and forefinger about an inch apart from each other. Her eyebrows arched, genuinely surprised.

“You speak Japanese pretty well for only being here a month.” She said. Jerry nodded in thanks before stretching and trying to stifle a yawn.

“Ah, sorry about that. Anyway, I learned it with Rosetta Stone for a couple years before hand, and a friend of mine helped me brush up a bit before I cam over here.” He said in explanation.

“Well, you have a very good friend, then. Did you sit in front of him for a week screaming †˜Oshiete, Oshiete!’ and eating Pocky or something because its cliché.” She said mockingly. Jerry smiled and pointed at her.

“You know, for me being so un-refined compared to you, you are certainly very rude.” He said. She only smiled and stuck out her tongue slightly.

“Only to strangers that try to talk me up for no reason.” She said, taking another stab at Jerry. He nodded in acceptance before extending his right hand.

“Well then, let’s clear that up. Jerry Shephard, nice to meet you.” She looked at his hand for a second before extending her own.

“Rei Katagiri.”

The gates of the Academy building looked like they had existed forever, and Jerry looked at the three-headed dog that reared on its hind legs before him, immortalized in embossed metal at the center of the gate. He shouldered his ruck-sack and pushed the gate slightly, then watched it swing inward of its own accord.

"Name, please." A guard said from the small house just beside the gate of the compound. Jerry jumped slightly before composing himself and turning toward the callous-looking man.

"Gerald Shephard. Recruit for the First-"

"Yeah, yeah. You're the American, I get it. Papers?" The guard cut Jerry off without a second thought. Jerry bit his lower lip slightly as he reached into his jacket's pocket and withdrew the documents. The guard looked them over and nodded slightly before writing something down on his ledger and handing him the papers. "Follow the signs." He said, pointing to the posts a few yards ahead before sitting in a small folding chair and picking up the remote for a TV.

"Yessir, thank you." Jerry murmured, receiving nothing more than a grunt in return. He shrugged at the disgruntled guard before turning and continuing farther into the compound before directing his attention to the directory post. He slowly found the kanji for 'Recruit Battacks' and followed the arrows through the sprawling Academy. He passed what he assumed to be the administration building and killhouse before finally happening upon a modest apartment-style building with recruits slowly entering and leaving periodically. He nodded and approached the structure.

A room sat empty on the first floor with his name etched on a fresh placard nestled in the small slot in the center of the western-style door. He twisted the handle and pulled it outward, letting the door open fully before stepping into the poorly-lit room. He closed the door behind him and dumped the clothes in his ruck-sack into the small dresser tucked in the corner of the room, then turned his attention to the white undershirt, khaki cargo pants, and steel-toed combat boots on his bed. He eyed them suspiciously before checking the sizes and changing into them, his old clothes flying into an empty corner.

As he fastened the belt he found with the pants, Jerry sat on the bed and leaned back, sighing heavily. As he began to nod off, a gruff voice sounded from the other side of his door.

"Get up, Shephard! We just got your file, and we know what you can do, so we're throwing you in the Seventh Strike Platoon. They're almost done with their training already so they're beginning kill-house ops right now. Get your ass over there!"

Shephard stood at attention in the bulky Protect Gear on the parade grounds of the Academy, his instructor before him and the rest of the platoon with a satisfied smile on his face. They had finally completed the advanced kill-house exercises with no casualties or foul-ups with the limitations of their gear. His platoon was the first to pass the new course set down by Director Kazuki Fuse, a veteran from the fifties that served shortly before the rebellion started. According to their instructor, they were to be posted for defensive duties immediately. The Chinese were gathering their forces along their eastern borders, which didn't bode well for Japan. The Seventh would stay in Tokyo for the duration of the war unless the JA went on the offensive, which wasn't expected from anyone. Granted, they were allowed full military numbers now, but they simply weren't able to shore up the vehicles, materials, and man-power to add much to their standing JSDF numbers.

"Alright, then. Liberty Call, gentlemen." The instructor said with a genuine smile, which just about every man returned after removing their respirators and helmets. The platoon fell out of formation and splintered into the small groups of friends that had developed throughout training. Jerry stepped over to a gaunt-looking man named Tomoya, who had been his partner for most exercises. They were on friendly terms, but neither of them exceeded at small talk and mostly only met when something important happened. Tomoya nodded to Jerry and stifled a smile as their point-man, Daisuke, stealthily maneuvered behind them and grabbed them both in a headlock as he howled in excitement.

"Bar. That's what we need. Right now. Bar." Daisuke said as he released his grip on the two men, who smiled awkwardly in agreement. Daisuke beamed widely as he led the two slow-walking men to the barracks and waited as they changed into their civilian clothes. Jerry left his room just before Tomoya, and was forced to make small talk with Daisuke before their rear guard arrived and they left the base, each of them smiling as they flashed the guard their 48-hour pass and departed.

"So, where to first?" Tomoya asked in his quiet voice. Daisuke furrowed his brow in thought and Jerry slowly peeled away from the group as he noticed a small phone booth across the street.

"I've gotta make a call. Go on without me." He said to Tomoya, who nodded as Daisuke continued to wrack his brain for the name of a suitable dive. Jerry nodded once more to Tomoya before crossing the street and entering the small booth. He pulled a 100 yen coin from his pocket and deposited it into the small slot above the receiver, then picked it the hand-piece and punched in Hideki's cell phone number, which rang three times before finally cutting off. There was shallow breathing and then a voice finally rang through.

"Hello?" Hideki's brother, Tomoe, said cautiously. Jerry internally berated himself for forgetting that Hideki had already been shipped out to basic training. He chewed on his lower lip before finally opening his mouth.

"Um, yeah. This is Hideki's friend, Shephard. Could you just ask him to drop a letter by the Kerberos Academy when he has the chance? Thanks. . .bye" He said awkwardly before putting the receiver back onto its cradle and collecting the change that tumbled down into the small slot. As he put the coins in his pocket, he looked across the street and saw a pair of shocked eyes staring back at him. He stepped out of the booth and squinted, trying to see the person more clearly. The blue and black coat, the shoulder-length hair, the wire-framed glasses. There was no doubt about it: It was Her.

"Rei." He choked the word out as a cable car passed by. He slowly began to cross the street as he went over their conversation on the plane over and over. She had given him her number, but he lost it when they took his wallet. She had told him where she would be living, but the training purged it from his mind. Now, she was there in front of him again, almost as if by some stroke of fate.

"W-Wow, it really is you, Jerry-kun." She said. He was slightly taken aback by the added suffix, but he had been in an academy where they degraded you in mind and soul for the past two months. He had forgotten all about the complex Japanese honorific system. They stood in silence for a minute, simply enjoying the familiar company.

"Sorry for not calling, I hope you didn't get too worried, Rei-chan." He said, bowing slightly. "Well, how about we talk about the past couple months over coffee?" He said, indicating a small cafe that Daisuke had marked on his map of the city. He covered the small side-note that read 'Nice and quiet for dates' with his thumb.

"Not worried, mostly angry." She said, pouting and brushing off his invitation. "You know a pretty young lady like me gives some foreign tough guy who she just met his number, then he never calls her and one day just up and invites her to coffee? Isn't that code for something over in America?" She said, still sticking to the stubborn persona she donned on the plane. Jerry smiled and continued to apologize as she berated him, because he knew this was just her way of coping.

Working on two projects right now. If anyone's reading this, there may not be an update for a little bit while I finish talks about the other project.

As Rei had finally wound down her long-winded speech, Shephard's ears twitched and his face flushed. Rei's mouth froze in place and they both looked skyward as the air raid warning grew louder.

"Get to your bunker, now." He said curtly before turning and sprinting back to the Academy. He heard her shout something behind him, but turning around would lead right into the bad luck he had always coached Hideki about. As he ran toward the center of the city, JGDF forces were marshalling their defensive effort. He saw Stinger missiles streak off into the twilight as the power grids were taken down to hamper the ease of the incoming paratroopers. "This isn't World War II! How the hell did they get this close before the warning system went off?" He asked himself as he rounded another corner and dashed through the academy gates, where trainee platoons were gathering and moving out, his own platoon still in the armory putting on their new Protect Gear.

"Shephard hurry the fuck up! This shit isn't nearly as easy to get on as what you used in training!" An instructor said as he shoved a large duffel bag into his hands and pointed at a locker in the ocrner of the armory.

"Yeah, but you can take a hell of a lot more too, now" A soldier said as he affixed his respirator and botted up the goggles and HUD. Shephard maneuvered through the crampedroom and began putting on the standard light kevlar-wave undershirt and trousers, then the balistic gel layered vest that was in the duffel bag. Once he finished securing the vest, he pulled open the locker and pulled out the various pieces of armor and electronics equipment. He put on the shin and thigh protectors, bracers, chest plate, power module, helmet, and mask more quickly than he expected, thanks to some help from already finished operatives. Shephard quickly engaged the HUD and set the goggl setting to normal ambience before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. As he passed the weapons locker a man in a black jumpsuit handed him an M240G and a large pack, which he quickly swung onto his back.

"M240G Medium Machine gun is a perfect weapon for you fuckers with the synthetic muscles in your armor. It'll handle like an M249 PARA but dish out the same as a 7.62 co-ax on a tank. Pack has 12 200 round plastic box magazines. Got it?" The armsmaster said quickly. Shephard nodded and received a slap on the back before he ran out of the building. Behind him he heard the armsmaster sigh from repeating the same speech 30 times and begin to clean up the locker.

"We've got the north-west section of the Yamanote Circle tonight, boys. Let's get to it!" The platoon Lieutenant Hayatani said as three small APCs rolled into the Academy gates and the platoon boarded. Shephard entered last and cleared the door before pulling it up as the vehicle lurched and began taking them ot their destination. As he finished securing the door and sat down, Shephard finally realized that what he had said to Hideki 2 months ago was coming true. He was at war. But something even greater nagged at the back of his mind:Rei.

"Oh, shit." He murmured as the revelation dawned on him. "It's love."



"Alright, Ikebukuro. We're here." The driver said as the vehicle slowly stopped and the doors fell open. Shephard trotted out of the car and followed the rest of the men to the Lieutenant, who was already coordinating the defense.

"Team Paladin will move into this apartment building a couple blocks north of here." he began as Shephard sighed in relief. He had not missed his unit's assignment. Hayatani marked the building on the squad's HUD waypoint marker and gave them the digitized go code. Shephard began the jog toward the building with Tomoya, Daisuke, and Mizoguchi at his heels.

"HOw're we going to hold an entire apartment building?" Daisuke said over the SQUAD-COM, receiving only a shrug from Tomoya. Shephard looked up and saw the spotlights painting the sky, along with small explosions from Stinger missile hits and the ominous shadows of Chinese cargo planes.

"We'll head to the top floor, just below roof access. They'll have to do a top-down clear to get through the building and if we wait there we can neutralize them quickly and move to where we're needed next easily." He said, highlighting the tenth floor of the high-rise apartments.

"Jeez, look at the American takin' charge." Daisuke said jokingly. Tomoya chuckled as they entered the apartment building and shouldered down the steel security door. "Fucking hell, Tomoya!" Daisuke said as he vaulted over the door and kept running. Tomoya simply shrugged as led the team to the sairs, which they quickly ascended before finally arriving at their destination and stopped, breathing heavily.

"Get in an apartment and turn on you IR once you her a thud on the roof." Shephard ordered. They all nodded silently and forced their way into an apartment. The lack of frightened screams told him that everyone had been good and evacuated as ordered, and made Shephard's job easier by doing so. He quietly pushed a door in and closed it again as much as he could before he leaned against the wall and waited.

"How do we know they'll land here?" Tomoya said over the CoOMs, receiving a 'hey yeah' from Mizoguchi.

"We marked it with Chinese military landing flares. There are hundreds of them all over the city, so I don't think the paratroopers will notice a couple dozen extra sites, especially with Stinger missiles blowing one in 3 planes out of the sky." Shephard said with all the calm he could muster.

"Well how many planes are there?" Daisuke aasked, the obvious follow-up question. Shephard said nothing, he only bit his lower lip and sighed.

"Oh, fuck" Tomoya murmured

Shephard breathed silently as the seconds slowly slid by, the COMs now eerily barren and the city outside unnaturally dark in comparison to the mass of color it once was. The only things punctuating the darkness were the far-spread flares that the Chinese had deployed and the spotlights that the JGSDF still had control over. For a short moment Shephard found himself lost in the shift he had so radically taken, that the world had so radically taken.

The thuds on the roof dragged him back into the situation and he looked up to the low ceiling before adjusting his breathing mask and feeling his heartbeat accelerate in anticipation.

"Contacts, directly above. Ready for breach." Mizoguchi murmured, anxiety creeping into his voice. Each man silently readied themselves in their own way. Shephard flipped open the breach of his M240B and re-aligned the belt before pushing it closed and inhaling slowly.

The stairway door exploded inward and a squad of Chinese paratroopers entered and quickly swept the main hallway before whispering their orders and continuing.

"Daisuike, they're moving on you now." Tomoya whispered quickly on the COMs. Daisuke grunted in confirmation but stayed otherwise silent within the apartment. Shephard carefully pulled his door open partway and saw two five-man teams, one of which was outside Daisuke's door with the other moving to Mizoguchi's. He looked quickly to Tomoya, who was also edging slowly into the hallway. A nod between the two men confirmed a hastily constructed plan from training and Shephard swiftly pulled a concussion grenade from his belt. He slowly pulled the pin and held it in his hand before releasing the safety handle and catching it before it clattered to the floor. Three seconds passed before he threw the grenade down the hall and leaned back into his room. A loud thud shook the walls and Shephard quickly jogged out of his room in unison with Tomoya, each of them firing a quick burst into the ceiling from their M240s.

"Drop your weapons and give yourselves up!" Shephard said over the suit's external speakers in the little Mandarin he knew. The shocked Chinese looked up with faces contorted in pain from the lacerations their internal organ were given by the massive force of the grenade. The few men that still stood tried to raise their weapons, causing Tomoya to simply say 'Go' on the closed COMs. Daisuke and Mizoguchi each began firing from within their apartments, 7.62 mm slugs tearing down the doors and the standing Chinese while Tomoya and Shephard concentrated their fire on policing the ones on the ground. After a solid nine seconds of fire each man stopped and raised their smoking guns, their belts spent.

Shephard opened his visor and smiled in satisfaction before opening the M240 and swatting away the last pieces of plastic in the breach, then pulled another belt from his back and loaded it in before sealing the breach and pulling the charging handle.

"This is Paladin. We're clear over here. Out."