Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Zero watched as the island came to view in her binoculars. Making a signal for Number Two, he turned on the device that silenced the motor of the yacht. Slowing down, the yacht made its way around the island searching for a spot to land. There were some buildings that you could see from a certain distance, but they all looked empty, abandoned.

“Do you know if there are any spies on the island?” Two asked, putting his sunglasses on his head. The red hair ruffled by the breeze coming through the cockpit’s window. 

“The report said that there are no current assets on the island, but that they suspect there might be informants. That means that they don't know how to fight. They haven't been affected by the second wave of the war so far, but it's nearing. I give it months until The Other Side is here making a mess.” Zero said, watching as Number Five and Number Three seated on the table at the side of the captain's space, were checking the bags containig the gear and guns that would stay hidden until they left the island. They weren't supposed to use it, only carrying what's needed and some easy-to-carry weapons. 

“Hm, well. Then we should not need that much protection, right?” Number One said from the deck, turning her face slightly. Her silver hair was flying wildly around her, her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose. Zero observed her from her position. One lining sligthly on the railing, her white buttoned down shirt tucked into blue jeans, her feet covered by nothing, resting on the wood surface of the deck. 

One pulled down her glasses and winked at Zero, smirking softly at her. “Ugh, when will you stop this nonsense? I'm sick of you guys being like this in front of me”  Two said, making a disgusted face at them.

Zero laughed at him. “Doing what?” She said, making her way to the deck. 

“That thing! Don’t drag us with you, it's disgusting!” He said through the window. Zero walked slowly to the deck, still checking the almost perfect beauty in the face of her companion. Coming to a stop beside her, Zero elevated her hand and tucked some hair behind the blonde’s ear, smiling softly at her.

“Do you know what he’s talking about?” Zero asked, sliding down her hand and caressing her shoulder all the way to the blonde’s hand with her index finger. 

“No idea, really.” The blonde took her companion hand in her and left a little peck on the dorse of her hand.

“Brake it off you two, we’re almost at the observant point” Three said from the cockpit’s window. Zero and One let go of the other while laughing. Zero took her binoculars again silently observing the island ahead. She saw the activity of some sports yachts and other boats. It looked like a party.

“Go south, there’s a party up ahead.” Zero said to Number Two. He looked confused, they were supposed to head to the people of the island. Seeing the confusion on his friend's face she commented. “They are not what we came for, it’s not about the party, it's about the yachts they’re dancing on” She walked to the window and handed him the binoculars. 

The redhead observed that at least four luxurious yachts were full of people drinking and dancing. Some of them were wearing pastel colored polo’s, with white shorts, and some didn't have shirts on. None of the girls were wearing more than tiny bikinis. But what caught his attention was the table full of white powder, it was everywhere.

“Yikes, that's one hell of a party. You’re right,” Two said, handing back the binoculars. He turned their boat heading east as the team leader commanded. Rounding the island, still in the distance, they spotted a small beach. Some palms broke the line of the woods behind the small sand patch, rocks on the side of it made it clear it was not a suitable place to make a port for various boats, but the space was enough to park one, “Do you think it is wise to stay there tonight?” he asked after stopping the boat, the rocking of the waves still moving them gently from side to side.

“No, I suggest we do surveillance of the space for 24 hours” One said. Arriving at the cockpit which started to look a little crowded with all the team there. 

The space was simply distributed, the captain chair on the right with the panel board and a steel-and-wood ship-wheel in front of it. There was a small table on the left side with some chamois sofas surrounding half of it. Then the stairs that led to the cabin that was under the deck. The cabin had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a small living room, and the control room.

The first room was equipped with a queen sized bed, a blank wall behind it and two small windows on it. A much larger window on the right wall and under it some storage space. This room had its own private bathroom, a simple shower on the right that didn’t occupy all the space as the toilet was behind it and the sink parallel to it. The space looked big thanks to the white walls and the well placed lights. 

The second room had two separate beds united on the head, so it formed a V shape that allowed the space in the middle to walk and for some storage space to be placed under the beds. Above them there were also some wood covered shelves for more storage. White walls with small windows on either side covered the rooms making it look spacious.

The living space was connected to the kitchen. A blue chamois sofa on the right wall and a wooden table in front of it that could be retracted so the sofa could turn itself on a sofa-bed, and on the other side of the table, two wooden chairs sat neatly. On the left wall there was a retractable TV over some cabinets, two armchairs on its side and a window on the upper part of the wall. On the side of the stairs that led to the cockpit there was a small hallway where an electric kitchen and a small sink sat upon a white counter.

Going down the stairs, Zero walked to the room at the end of the space, opening the door and sitting on the single bed while looking on one of the shelves for a folder. A second later through the same door Three entered and sat on the other bed.

“How do you think this mission is going to go?” He asked while observing Zero opening the folder and searching the information. His green eyes searched her face expecting an answer, but he should know better than to find some expression on his friend’s face.

“Around three hundred people are left on the island. Only a portion of the natives could save themselves after the first wave of the war. During the first wave, police ceased to exist and more than half of the island left the territory. The ones that left were not natives, but people that threatened the real owners of this land into moving without pay to build themselves vacation houses and resorts. I assume some of them came back not caring about the second wave nearing this place” Zero explained, still looking at the papers on her hand. 

“So what? We’re not rescuing agency assets?” He asked. They have had missions rescuing civilians before, but not this large. This was going to be a hard mission, trying to protect all these people and there were only five of them. 

“No, we are rescuing civilians in hopes of the Other Side leaving the island behind when they find out we know their families are here. But the island is not our problem.” The brunette put the papers on the hands of the dark haired man. “That will be a problem for later, we need to get them to safety first.” She got up from the bed and left the room. Three looked at the papers on his hand and started reading:

MISSION #99 

Team: Elite SOND. 

Classification: S.

Team Leader: Zero. (0)

Goal: Rescue native civilians from the island. Ignore any and all advances of contact from the Mayor with the natives.

Report: 

The Mayor is involved with the advances of the Other Side. Reports say he sold the native’s side of the island to the enemies in exchange for a title. Any person not native to the island is involved in some way with the Other Side, as investors, families from high ranking people or extra rich people that paid to save themselves and move out. 

The new generation of natives (children) lack knowledge in surviving and fighting as the ones responsible for teaching them are too busy keeping them alive. The ones left on the island work for the people on the other side of the island in hopes of making some money to pay Pirates and move across waters. All services are available on the island except for a force as police and any other group controlled by the government. 

There is not much information about the other part of the island as it is invaded by possible informants to the Other Side. At the team leader’s discretion we advise to visit for a short time and undercovered as lost tourists, they seem to be friendly to people from their ‘level’.

There won't be any rescue boats at the team dispositions. The Other side is too close to send any big boats without getting lives at risk. We advise searching the nearest port to modify any boat that could be helpful. The informant reports several that could be of use. 

Best of luck to you.

-The Alliance Headquarters.

Now with this shallow information, he knew how difficult it would be. Good thing there is no force on the island that could delay or bring problems to them. His mind started racing about strategies, but none of them could be completed without important information. He sighed, desperate to start planning ahead.

Putting the papers on the folder and leaving it on the bed he made his way to the living where now the team was sitting discussing what to do. 

“Let's do a 5 hour look out. That way we can sleep and rest well.” One said. She was always taking care of everyone, one of the many things Zero loved about her.

“Yeah all right. I call dibs at midnight” Zero said.

They went on to briefing the mission, the leader telling them about what was on the report. Making a plan to approach and the fastest route to town, the night was quickly approaching.

“I’ll go make dinner. You guys should go and relax, tomorrow is going to be a hard day” Number One put a stop to the current conversation about the modifications a weapon could have and the chemical implications of putting poison on it. “And also take a shower, this place is starting to smell like the training room after the first day of noobies.” She laughed, standing up. As she passed behind Zero she caressed the brunette's shoulder, Zero taking the hand and leaving a little kiss on the inside of her hand. Letting go, One moved to the kitchen and Zero stayed at the table with Three and Five, while Two went up to the cockpit for the first look out of the night. He wanted to sleep the whole night without interruption so he offered to be the first one.

“When will you stop doing this?” Five asked, curiosity shining on his light green eyes. Reaching across the table he took one of the chip bags and opened, chewing loudly. 

“Close your mouth! Don’t be disgusting, it was already difficult to teach Two how to have manners” Zero rolled her eyes, smacking the side of his head. “And what do I need to stop?” She asked. She knew what they were asking, but the answer was the same as the last one. 

“Well, you know. One and you..” Three said, playing with the sheets on the table. Not looking at Zero.

“What about us? There’s nothing to discuss” Zero cut him right there. She did not want to discuss this again, they always tried to bring it at any mission and she was tired of explaining it.

“You know there is, you guys can’t be like this at any mission and then act like nothing happened” Five said. Zero frowned and looked at him, then turned to the kitchen and watched One shake her head as she heard them. She didn't want to talk about it either.

“We’re okay guys, you don't need to worry about us,” Zero said. “We’ve been through this before, this won't affect the team. Can we not talk about it please?” She pleaded. 

“Yeah, all right. But we're coming back to this sooner or later” Three said, Zero and One groaned.

The night sky was incredibly clear. Sitting on a chair in the deck, Zero took a sip of her beer, inhaling deeply  and directing her eyes to the stars. She listened, the soft music of a movie playing on the boat tv, the water moving, the breeze passing and then she exhaled.

Soft steps headed her way, not needing to turn as she knew the cadence of the footsteps, she just smiled. She took another sip of her beer before she spoke.

“Can’t sleep?” She turned her head watching the blonde put another chair at her side. Number One sat down and opened her beer. She sighed and looked to where Zero was looking before. 

"No, you know I can't," sleep without you was left unsaid. Looking back down, she observed Zero beside her. Her brown hair tied back but with some strands flying around her face in the cold night breeze. She observed her from her round eyebrows to the arch of her nose; her soft lips, which she dreamed of every night, and the honey-brown eyes she fell asleep thinking of. She zipped her beer, taking her gaze from the brunette and observing the black sea ahead as you can only look at the small spot through the night vision on the binoculars the brunette was currently looking at. “Zero?” She asked, turning her eyes to the brown ones again, letting the familiar feeling grace her heart and expand through her chest. 

"What's up?" Zero asked.

“Do you think Four is still out there?” She watched Zero sigh after the question, and tilt the bottle on her hand until there was nothing left on it. One fished another bottle and opened it before handling it to the other woman. Zero smiled at her, wishing she could just lean in and kiss her.

The blonde knew it was a tough question, but she also knew it was safe talking about it with Zero. She was the only person that could understand her completely. 

“Yes,” Zero finally answered. “I do think she’s alive. I can feel it deep down.” She said, still looking into One's eyes. 

“What do you think she’ll say about all this situation?” Feeling the cold bottle on her hand, she started drawing on it. She smirked thinking about their missing friend. 

One knew what she'd say, something along the lines of ‘Will you stop dancing around each other? Is disgusting, you guys should fix it on the bed’ Then Zero would probably hit her and they would start fighting each other like kids on a playground. 

“What are we doing O?” Zero extended her hand, touching the forearm of the other woman, “Why are we postponing it?” She searched for the blue eyes, looking at them like the only thing able to save her if she drowned. 

“We are not postponing anything,” The blonde answered. “We are preventing a major mess, we agreed on this.” Sadness filled her eyes. She wanted to pretend this whole situation didn’t hurt, to pretend they were not the best hope for other people around the world. She wanted to believe they were just two women in love. She wanted, with all her might, to be able to love this woman freely without fearing of losing her.

“I know, I know” The brunette said, while wiping an unshed tear on her eyes. “Sorry I brought it up. Let’s not revisit this topic until the mission is finished, all right?” She gave a watered smile to her beautiful companion, hoping to convey all the love trapped inside her.

“Yes captain, my captain” Number One laughed, she leaned closer and kissed Zero soundly on the cheek. 

They went on talking about different topics until One decided to try and go to sleep letting Zero finish her lookout alone with her thoughts.

“There were no suspicious activities throughout the night. Can we land already?” Three whined from the kitchen. 

They were sitting having breakfast. One made a typical English breakfast for the guys, while making Zero a yogurt bowl with fruit and cereal. She knew Two, Three and Five preferred to eat protein in the mornings before landing anywhere, and she also knew Zero liked to eat lightly as her body moved differently than the others. 

Zero was agile, silent and deadly. She tended to use her force to move like a feline hunting its prey, controlling her body like a well oiled machine. Moving in the shadows, with soundless footsteps and smooth movements; most of the time it looked like she was dancing except she usually carried a knife or a gun, which made it more impressive with all the gear on her body. Her body was thin, with muscles all over it- please don’t ask One about it if you want to keep your mind clean. Well, if you're reading this you probably don't have it clean anyways, moving on.

Two, well, he was a big guy. The team's engineer, always thinking of ways to improve any machine. It was thanks to him that their mission yacht was so fast, modified to get them to and from their destinations quickly. At 1.98 meters tall, with muscles rippling from his bare shoulders down his legs, he resembled a red-headed Viking, ready to meet any enemy. It was amusing, then, that his favorite weapon was a labrys, further cementing his Viking image, especially when One braided his hair. In reality, though, he was a giant teddy bear who loved his friends, engines, and beer. People at the base called him red Thor.

Three, the strategist. He was short, always with messy dark hair and a smile grazing his face. He was made to plan ahead and never leave any detail behind. His curse though, was not sharing the plan beforehand and acting alone impulsive. More often than not, he would go running without backup. One time, they were rescuing some agency assets- agents kidnapped by the other side- in Alaska; he decided it was a good decision to put the modified C-4 on the place the kidnappers used to rest, he didn't tell anyone and went head into the wolf's mouth, almost killing himself in the process. Let’s say One never pulled his ear harder than Two’s mom.

Four-

Sorry. Five, was a tall lanky man, but do not let that fool you, he had insane strength, pretty good at hand to hand combat and a good shooter too, but his thing was medicine. He was the doctor of the group, he excelled at attending wounds on the field. Always making sure to not make any mistake under pressure, he loved his team and would die for them, but most importantly, against what any doctor stands for, he would kill for them.

And One, of course. She was the stealth expert, everything that needed spying, patience and silence was her thing. She surpassed the expectations on her shooting tests, therefore she became the sniper for the team. She resembled a tiny spider, always creeping in the corners, silently waiting for the best moment to move. She had the ability to blend in with the background so easy it was frightening. Especially considering that she was stunning, but she learned how to behave to avoid looks. If the mission was in a closed space she tended to use a mask to hide her silver blonde hair, she won't dye it, are you crazy? Her long, beautiful, well-take-care-off, silky hair? She'll die before putting a drop of paint on her hair.

Well… Not really. There was this time when Zero said she'll look good with black hair. Number One thought about pleasing her and dyeing it, but then Zero kissed her cheek and said “Who am I kidding you'll look good even if you were bald” One had to suppress the scream of horror at the thought of her bald head. 

They finished their breakfast, Zero and Two going to the cockpit, starting the way to the small headland they observed all night. Three and Five, were organizing all the equipment for quick extraction while One organized the Kitchen. 

After washing and putting away all the plates, she opened the pantry and put canned food in five separate lunch bags. Remembering to put snacks that the team liked on them. They didn't pack one bag of food in case they got separated, so everyone had a bag of food in their own backpacks. She also packed a tiny first aid kit for each of them, for the same reason. 

“Almost there guys, 10 minutes out” Zero said from the stairs. One moved from the kitchen and started climbing up with the bags on her arms. She stopped beside Zero and gave a quick kiss on her eyebrow before moving on to avoid the boys’ teasing.

Three came up a minute after with two backpacks on his arms, he moved them to the space outside of the cockpit where the stairs to descend the boat were, putting the backpack on the floor. There was a medium sized table where they normally ate lunch to enjoy the day. This time it was full of equipment. One approached and opened the backpacks, filled with things to camp and hunt, she put the respective bags on their respective compartments. Five arrived with the other three backpacks.

“Did you check the barrels again? I think one of the guns had the trigger locked” Three said to Five. They went on, talking about the inventory while One walked to the deck.

Leaning on the railing she observed the quickly approaching sand patch. They wouldn’t stay there tonight, they would park the boat and start moving towards the village, probably camping at the middle of the journey.

“Can we come back to this place when all this shit is over?” Even though she didn't hear the brunette, she didn't jump when she appeared on her side. The agreement they made a long time ago was starting to wave. Maybe it was the magic of the place that made it so easy to keep forgetting what was best for them. Remembering the place and situation they were in, Zero took a step aside, putting distance between them. The hurt on both of their eyes reflected with the light of the ocean.

“Maybe, it will depend on what the locals will do with the island. It's up to them after all” The blonde responded. She took her eyes off her companion and looked at the island.

Just before arriving, they inflated the raft that would transport them to the shore, as the yacht would get stranded if they got too close, the island was flooded with volcanic rock, which made it difficult to get closer without a proper port. They dropped the raft into the water. Three went in to receive the backpacks and all the other equipment they would take with them. The team hopped on the raft, leaving the motorboat behind. They rowed until they reached shore and unloaded all their things. While the others were moving the equipment, Two pulled out a remote controller, like the ones used to control a toy car but closer to a Formula One wheel than the plastic toy one. Suddenly, the motorboat started moving, taking it to a place where they could anchor it without any problems. After it was left in the perfect spot, Two pressed a yellow button on the remote that read “Camouflage,” and just like that, the machine disappeared from plain sight.

“It’s always  surprising when it does that” One said beside Two. The blonde was ready with her pack on her back and the weapons holstered on their holder. 

The man smiled and turned to look at her. “Yeah, I know. I’m very proud of it. The updates I made this week are paying off, now it's even harder to look at it even if you knew where it was” He turned to the boat again and indeed, it was hard to see the boat, it blended so well with its environment. 

“Let’s go guys, we need to hit the middle point before dark.” Zero said. 

Two and Five moved to disinflate the raft, while Zero, One and Three separated the equipment equally so nobody was taking more bags than the others, either way, they’ll be dropping half of it at some point in the middle of the way.

3 Kilometers walking into the dense forest and they hit a road.

Zero stopped them once she saw the road. They did know the island was once inhabited by thousands of people, therefore there would be roads like this. But they had to be careful as they knew there were people that couldn't see them dressed and loaded like this.

“Three and I would go left. One and Two go right. Five stay, watch out for any weird thing. Turn on communicators, if anything goes wrong, the meet up point is 2 kilometres west. Be careful and report anything weird.” Zero commanded 

They started to move alongside the road, carefully listening to any motor or sign of human life that gave them a sign of some threat. 20 minutes walking, Zero and Three found the first sign of past civilization, a small street sign giving directions. It read: Falelatai and it pointed to the direction they were heading, Matafaa that pointed to where they were coming from and another one with a blurred name, it could only read ‘Beach Resort’ and it pointed to a small street on the side. Some houses on the side and a little ahead there was what resembled a church and a sign at the beginning of the town read ‘Welcome, Farwell’.

“We found a town, guys,” Three said, hearing the others saying they were on their way. They walked to a building that resembled a church, deciding to wait for the other ones to decide if entering the town was wise. Zero observed from the stairs the little she could see from the town. The houses were clearly abandoned, but they were still standing. She could see how colourful they were, and how the town must have felt lived and loved. She saw some abandoned plastic chairs under a tree just before the welcoming sign, they looked well used, the same ones she saw on some of the South America towns she visited over time in missions. Then she knew they were probably generational relics for any family that left it behind. Feeling sad about the families forced to leave their homes because of a war that started years ago and was still standing, she sighed trying to think about something else, her brain taking her to some plans to steal and modify some boats for the people.

Some time later the others arrived silently, all of them deciding to not enter the town at least until they were sure that no one was there. So they divided with the intention of searching the building for any threat. There were none, so they entered and decided to sit down for the day in hopes of resting the charged walk and exploring town by the end of the day.

While Five and Two piece together a carry on table, Zero helped One make something good with the canned food they carried. Three sat on the floor pulling out a notebook with all his notes about what he noted of the terrain on the way over, writing ways to travel faster through it, losing himself to his strategies. 

And so, the group passed some calm hours before disaster decided to make an appearance.

Somewhere on what used to be the American Continent.

North Tower.

Operation floor of the Other Side

“Sir! Sir!” The man wobbled behind his boss. The man was of short stature, some thin blonde hair on his head, but it was painfully obvious that he had a hard time maintaining it, so the baldness was more evident than whatever hair was left on him. His face was fat, with droplets of sweat running through his forehead and down his nose, some of them splashing the tablet he held in his hand. He moved nervously, like he expected anything to hit him at any moment. He actually couldn't understand how he kept the job, none of the jobs he got throughout his life lasted long enough to gain any experience. But what he did learn was how to read people well enough to know when to shut up and move to avoid hitting. I guess that’s what his boss likes more about him, that he didn't die the first day of the job.

His boss, a tall man with flawless dark hair, light skin, thin under his black and green uniform. A man of few words, imposing in all his might. He was smart, but so arrogant that he couldn’t see past himself. The only flaw he could ever have in his life, was that he never owned his mistakes, for everything else, he always was better.

“What do you want now, rat?” He dragged the words, tired of listening to his irritating voice.

“Sir, someone on the protected island said they saw a strange boat arriving on one of its coasts.” The man said, trying to give the information as quickly as possible to avoid being hit by his mast- boss! By his boss. 

“So what? They must be tourists searching for some fun.” He continued walking, he didn’t want to be late to his reunion with The Head.

The Head, the leader of the Other Side. A funny man that wanted everyone that met him to sit down and drink hot chocolate with him. He looked like a real life Santa Clause, the difference between the two was one was a magical man and the other one held the world in the palm of his hand. Choose wisely who you think The Head was.  

“Sir, they said the boat didn’t land on the Harbor” The assistant said, trembling. The tall man stopped, and turned to him. His cold green eyes narrowed on the rat-like face, searching for the answer of a question he hadn't even let out yet.

“So, you’re interrupting me on a way to an important meeting, because a fucking boat landed on a fucking island?” He towered over the short man. Snarling at him like he was just a nuance on his way.

“S-sir, is A-apia. They are concerned about The Alliance searching for information, o-or hostages” He tried again. Knowing that the island was full of the Other Side’s families.

“They won’t take anyone hostage if they are The Alliance, they are too altruist to hit first” He said, rolling his eyes. Why was he wasting his time with this simple problem? He brought a hand to his forehead where a headache started to appear. “Peter, if they become too concerned about this boat just tell the Mayor to take his security and investigate, if he refuses to do anything on his own then tell him to suck it up and to stop bothering us with his problems” He sighed, finally giving a solution to the poor man shaking the fear off. Peter nodded, running through the hall to make the respective call.

Finally, the tall man continued his way to the end of the hallway. Two big wood doors stood before him, they were custom made, recently replaced, as the place was remodeled to house the new occupants. They were 2.5 meters tall, made of Walnut and carved to tell the story of The Occupants, one of the Other Side elite teams. The man himself was part of that team years ago when the war had started. The carving recounted stories of colonization, of how they advanced in cupping and taking half of the world for themselves. Destroying other governments through spying, tactical and, specially, dirty methods. 

He swept his hand over one of the figures on the wood. It was a man attacking someone, it had a spear in his hand, with a knee flexed and the right arm extended over his head to strike the person before him. The man then sighed and recovered his posture. It wasn't the moment to remember the fallen, there was still work to do. 

“Welcome my dear Tom!” The white bearded man said from his seat near the fireplace. He was wearing a dark red suit, with a black buttoned down shirt and a black tie. A leg crossed over the other, his shoes shining slightly with the fire light.

Even though his beard was white, he was only in his sixties, almost seventies, you could even think his face looked younger. He had muscles, but nothing big, almost as if he didn't care to build them, which was a lie as he worked out every day in the mornings. His hands had scars all over them, some of them hidden under the dark shirt he was wearing, But one large scar came out of the collar of his shirt, tracing a path from the left shoulder crossing thru the neck till it ended just below his right ear. The largest, deeper and most dangerous scar the man carried, the one that made him promise to never stop until he could clear the world of the unfit.

“Evening, Head. Sorry about my delay, there was an inconvenience I had to solve” Tom said, trying not to talk about The Island as he knew the only family left of The Head resided there. His two sons. Two of the most lazy and problematic men Tom has ever met. 

“What problem, my boy?” He leaned to the table taking the cup of hot chocolate sitting there. “Please, sit. And you know you can call me by my name when it's only us two” He signaled the man to sit on the arm chair across from him. Tom was usually the only one able to sit in that seat. The only other person that had that right didn't live there with them. “Sherbet lemon?” He asked as Tom sat down, sliding the bowl with the candy towards him. The black haired man always ate two to not disappoint the older man, but he didn't actually like them.

“Nothing Sir, just a tiny inconvenience” Tom answered his first question. A second later, a side door in the office opened, letting a medium sized woman with white hair and a neutral face enter. She carried a tray with a cup and a small plate with chocolate chip cookies in it.

 “Thank you, Poppy,” The Head said, extending his hand to stop her, he took her hand and pulled her to him. She tried to resist, but knowing what would happen if she resisted, she relented, letting the man put her to his lap and shove a wet and sticky kiss to her cheek. “Someday, you will stop resisting my advances, Poppy” He taunted her name, whispering it in her ear. A shiver ran through her spine. She closed her eyes imagining her happy place, her wife and their kids. She breathed trying to remember their scents, the sweet smell of lavender that lingered forever on her wife’s clothes; the smell of dirt and salty water the kids always carried because of the hours playing outside and into the ocean. Instead, all she got when she inhaled was the smell of dark chocolate and lemon. The scent of the man that kept her captive. “You have to start accepting that you belong to me now, Poppy” He shoved another forceful kiss on her cheeks, manhandling her face and then shoving her off his lap, almost making her stumble to the ground. She took the now empty tray and walked to the side door, entering the hall that took directly to the kitchen, the only place on the building that The Head wasn’t interested in entering “Now, tell me about this inconvenience, boy. We have other matters to attend” 

Tom hesitated, trying to think of something to deceive the curious man, but when he saw his face, he made the decision to not to lie. The only time he lied, he lost the only beautiful thing this empty world held for him, the love of his life. “There were reports of an unknown boat near The Island. I believe it was just tourists, but Lucius thinks it might be a threat” He sneered at the Mayor’s name, he never liked Malfoy, too vain and self centered even for him, the perfect man. The only thing Malfoy wanted in this world was power over powerless people, he wanted to rule, but he didn't want to make the effort it takes to rule. So, because of his money, they gave him The Island’s Mayor title. There he could do as he pleased, surrounded by the same vain and empty people.

“Hmm. Are you sure there is no threat coming to the island?” The head asked, this time he didn’t look at Tom, his eyes trained in the flames dancing. “I don’t need to remind you what’s at stake if they take The Island, Tom” He said, this time his eyes zeroed on the black haired man, coldly.

“I am aware, Sir. But if there was a threat from The Alliance or any Pirate the boat would be larger and filled with people. I assure you, there is no threat to The Island” But, even if he was sure of his answer, he couldn't help but doubt, a small feeling at the back of his head whispering for him to search more. 

“Allright, I trust you my boy. Now let's talk about business” The man smiled, bringing a cookie to his mouth and eating happily.

Somewhere in the Pacific 

10 minutes till the sun goes out

“Pff, don’t be bragging now big boy! There’s no way you carried a whole ass car” Five laughed at the story Two was telling. They decided to stay the night in hopes of moving farther than the half point tomorrow and set the extraction camp. 

“I did bro, I swear it wasn't as heavy as it looked!” He took a swing of the beer he was holding while the others laughed at him.

“Perhaps it wasn't as heavy because I saw you take all the mechanical components before moving only the shell of it. Even I could do that!” Three said, smacking the redhead’s head. They all laughed.

Zero watched them from one of the windows that looked to the street, smiling at her team's antics. She observed them, talking and playing together. This was her family, they meant everything to her. She couldn't help but think about Four and all the people they lost during the first wave of the war. She wished with all her might, Four was alive and resisting, waiting for them to take her out of wherever they held her. Then she looked at One, laying on the floor with her head only raised by a backpack, smiling at the boys. These were the moments she wished she never became an agent, not being able to love freely the only person that could make her feel alive with only one look was awful. 

One turned and looked at her, blowing a kiss and a wink. Zero smiled, catching the kiss and pocketing in her pants. The blonde rolled her eyes with a smile on her face and turned back to talking with the boys. Zero observed from the window how the last rays of sun took rest, and that's when she heard it, an engine.

“Guys!” She called while turning her head at the road, as the street passed beside the building, they could easily hide. “Car incoming!” She said, Two rushed to turn off the lamp in the middle of the room, lighting only enough of the space. Just as he turned it off and everyone lowered to the ground the first car passed at a fast speed. A Jeep with no roof  and no doors rolled by with loud music banging. Some young people danced in the back of the car as Zero watched them pass from a corner of the window, another car came in, and another, and another. Suddenly a whole float of Jeeps were barrelling through the town's silence. Some of the cars stopped ahead, the people leaving the cars and entering some houses with stuff on their hands, she could see it was some bats or pipes.

“They are going to destroy the town.” One said beside her, watching the same thing “Can’t we stop them?” She turned to the leader.

“It’s not worth risking our cover. They'll eventually stop.” She said, watching as some of them started making fire to throw at the houses. Lets cover any possible entrance to the place and take cover. It’s better to avoid being seen by now until we make contact with the village.” They separated, barreling the doors and windows while Three watched the principal door, watching the chaos erupting in the quiet town. 

“Some of them are heading this way. What should we do?” He turned searching for Zero, the woman making a signal that indicated distraction. He nodded, crouching behind a window on the side of the door. He received a gun from Five, an airsoft gun they kept around when doing distraction missions. As he shot them, the destroyers became frantic, looking for whatever was attacking them they walked faster to the entrance of the building. As they came close to the door, Three ducked behind the wall Two and Zero took their places beside the door, when it opened, each one took one of the destroyers and put a hand to their mouth. A chemical fluid on a napkin and some minutes later both bodies came down. As One watched out for anyone else, Zero and Number Two carried the bodies across the small place separating them from the group of destroyers. They left the unresponsive bodies beside one of the cars and retired to the building again, this time closing the entrance door and trapping themselves inside.

“Let’s take lookout points until they leave, you see anything, say it. Nothing gets past us tonight.” One said and everyone nodded. 

Sometime later, the destroyers left town, the two unresponsive bodies howled up in the back of some Jeep as their friend assumed they were just passed out from the alcohol. 

“Okay, we need sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I prefer if we arrive at the Village tomorrow instead of camping another night, guys, I don't want to run into these people again.” Zero said to her team.

They all nodded, each choosing one of the schedules for the night lookout. 

They'd been walking for hours when they decided to set up the provisional camp. Somewhere in the middle of the tropical jungle of the island, the team decided to build the hideouts of their equipment. They were two hours away from the village, as they had planned before, they wouldn't be taking anything more than their clothes and one weapon of their preference. That way they reduced the size of their equipment from a big camping bag to a mere backpack big enough to fit some spare change of clothes, the small first aid kit and some food. 

Zero observed One camouflage some boxes that contained kits of surviving for the people they'll eventually take out of the island. She snickered, remembering a funny situation with Four.

“Is it that one time that Four just threw the boxes and all the food spilled out?” Three asked beside her. 

“Yeah, we told her explicitly to not move that one box and she didn't listen” They both laughed. Four was competing with One over who could move and camouflage more boxes in less time, and the food box was so extremely heavy that it had to be moved by two people. So when Zero told her to leave that one out of it, she clearly chose not to listen to the leader and try to move it alone. Four tried with so much force that she dislocated her shoulder and the team had to put it back on while she screamed her ass off.

“She never listens” Two shakes his head, red hair shining slightly on the midday sun. He missed Four, out of all of them he was the one who lost more. Zero watched silently how the joy slipped from Two features, knowing how badly he hurt and the hope of getting her back never leaving them.

“Guys!” Number Five said from the top of a tree. He was trying to set up a wooden base that will allow them to put some of the gear and food. That way if someone or something actually stumbled upon the improvised camp they wouldn't take the important things. “The base is ready, let’s put everything up so we can leave and be at the village before sundown”

They all got to work. In less than an hour half of their things were up and safe.

Soon One and Three got to make the food, while Two, Zero and Five rested over a log that laid nearby.

“Do you think they know we're here?” Five asked, turning his head to Zero who was adjusting her cap.

“Yeah, but I bet they don’t know who we are,” she smiled. Knowing The Other side, they probably assumed they were some tourist because The Alliance never striked first.

“So, what? They just let us be?” Two asked confused about the hard part of this mission.

“Mhm, if our job is well made, they won't notice we're in and out” Zero answered.

“Isn´t it weird that tourists choose this place to visit? I mean, it’s weird enough that tourists still exist,” the redhead questioned.

“At this time of history it doesn't matter what side you're on, if you have money to give, people will let you live. Money still moves a world in crisis,” the brunette returned, finally pulling her cap on. 

“Food is ready! Come eat, my loves” the blonde woman said from the cooking place, with her arms open showing all the plates with warm food already served. 

They sat side by side forming a circle, like the family they were. None of them forgot to leave the empty space for the only member missing.

“We have to move ASAP, we are a bit late with the ETA” One said while looking at her watch, the other nodding along finishing their food. “The Alliance will try to contact us tomorrow morning, by then we should be already established.

After finishing their food the team hurried to get ready and set foot to the village where the people they came to save resided. Two hours walking and they get to some path seeing some houses appear in the distance.

“Remember that they must not know where we come from, at least not until we speak with the village chief,” Zero reminded the team, they all stopped briefly to put on the ‘tourist’ clothes and then resumed their walk to the town.

The more they got closer, the more life they could perceive. Children playing in the street, some adults sitting outside in plastic chairs, teenagers laughing in groups. They walked the long road straight to the end while all the people around stared at them. The group waved, smiling nervously. They continued that way until someone approached them. A girl, no older than 16 years old. She was tall, as tall as One, had brown skin and dark curly hair.

“O a mea e fai e turisi i lea itu o le motu?” She questioned while looking at them with a slightly disgusted face. An adult watching nearby hurried to hold the teen.

“Malu, aua le faaita i latou,” The man said “manatua le mea e tupu pe a iloa e taitai” he pushed the teen back, turning around to watch the group of outsiders. “E tei loa faasamoa?” he asked the group, seeing no response he continued, “I'm sorry. Hi, I'm Atamai. This is Malu. What can we do for you?” The group could clearly see the strained way the words came out of the man. They must be really sick of strangers using their island and treating them badly.

Zero stepped forward from the group and extended a hand with an easy smile. “Hello, we came to visit the island and got a little lost while camping.” She said, still with her hand raised. The man, Atami, still a little suspicious, took her hand and shook it twice.

“This side of the island is not for tourists, ma’am. We don't have any hotels or commodities here for you” He didn’t look really apologetic. “We can find a transport to take you to the capital so you can have a place to sleep.” He offered.

“Actually, we don’t need a hotel, if there’s somewhere we can put our tents that would be amazing. We will leave tomorrow morning by ourselves, don’t worry about it.” One said from behind Zero, smiling at the man. 

Atami’s features turned from menaceful to confused. He had never met a tourist that wanted to camp in the wild. These people were weird for him. He took a moment to observe the group, watching the way their bodies were packed with muscle, athletic and easy going. They looked friendly, not like the ones in the city, they were rude and lazy.

“You can stay at my home then, the backyard is big enough to put your tents” Atami finally said, if they insisted on staying, then it was his duty to protect the town.

With the sun low, he guided the group to a house that laid neatly on the side of the road, facing the sea. It had a cream color on the walls, the doors and windows were white, it had beds of flowers surrounding the small porch. The group spied two kids snooping on the corners of the windows, watching them curiously and giggling the moment Atami landed his eyes on them.

“Aua le sau i fafo sei vagana ua ou fai atu, tamaiti” Atami said from the small steps of the porch. Without letting them get inside the house, he guided them to the side until they reached the backyard. Nothing remarkable about it more than it was a very green and healthy land. “You can stay here all the time you want, I just ask to never come inside my house without my permission and don't wander the town without me. Tourists are not very welcome here.” The man let them get ready, entering the house.

“They aren’t really fond of strangers aren’t they?” Five said while putting up one side of the tent, Three putting up the other one. 

“Of course they’re not. The people that reside in the city must be really rude and abusive to them. From what I gathered these people were forced to leave their other places around the island and only managed to stay here while the ones who refused to leave their homes were killed by The Other side in the first wave.” Zero answered.

One sat and relaxed for a bit, observing her team work. She got a bit distracted by some little giggles coming from the door of the house. The same two kids from the window sat on the floor, watching the rest of the team get tangled on some rope. She smiled, watching the joy these little humans had in their faces. This is why they do what they do, for those smiles. 

She couldn’t help but watch the leader of the team, that beautiful brunette that took her heart completely. She tried, but couldn’t stop her imagination running free, seeing this beautiful woman holding the hand of a kid and carrying another. She wanted a family with her, a home. But she knew, that moment wasn’t close. 

Some hours later, Atami resurfaced from the house with some bowls on his hands, close to him were the two kids holding cups full of some liquids.

“We brought you food,” Atami said, handing a bowl to each of them. 

“It wasn’t necessary, Mr Atami, we had food for ourselves” Three said, still receiving the bowl anyway.

“It is. You might not be staying inside but you are still a guest in my house. I will tend to you as I will with any other” He turned to the kids who watched them curiously. “These are my two kids, Mailelagi, my oldest daughter, she’s six years old; and this is Alaimalo, he’s four years old. Talofa tamaiti” he signaled his kids. 

“Talofa lava” both kids said while bowing slightly.

“Enough kids, please go back inside it’s almost time to sleep” Atami said, waiting until the kids went inside to bring a chair and sit down with the team. He cleared his throat. “Let’s see. You're supposedly a tourist, right?” He said, watching directly at the biggest of them, Two, who squirmed under his gaze. “Let’s drop the act, shall we? Who are you and what do you want with our island?” He questioned, his glare intensifying each silent second. 

“We can’t tell you. At least not everything,” Zero said from her seat, posture relaxed. She understood the man held no actual threat as none of them came to harm the locals. “We come to help you escape The Other Side. You can know more details after we speak with the chief of the village.” Even if he had the mien, Zero knew this man was not the leader of these people. “If you could arrange a meeting with him as soon as possible, we can get to work even quicker.” The brunette stood up, extending a hand to the man.

“I assume you’re the leader of this team, right?” He said, taking the under arm instead of her hand. “We can keep talking in the morning. For now just rest, I can see the tiredness in your faces. Rest assured, nothing will happen to you here.” He nodded, dropping the arm and going inside of his house.

“Well guys, you heard him, let’s go to sleep. Same as the first night alright? Change of guards every 5 hours” One said getting up from her chair and entering the tent. 

She changed her clothes and laid down on her sleep bag. Zero just behind her letting the boys debate who will take the first guard of the night. The brunette longed for the warmth of the woman just two spaces away, remembering the nights in their bed, talking until the sleep crept closer and closer. Unable to resist she closed the distance and hugged the blonde from behind, spooning her.

“I’ll always love you, my love. You’re everything to me” The brunette said, leaving a kiss on her cheek. With the intention of getting back to her spot she let go of the blonde, but a force pulled her back down. 

“I love you too, my life. Till the end of times” She turned, dropping a kiss on the brunette’s cheeks and then letting go.

After that moment, both of them blacked out, expecting to have a long day of explanations and planning tomorrow.