Miss M4A1
"Retrieved the reward. Retrieved the reward. Repeat, collected the reward. Now bringing the reward back. Requesting permission to return to designated location."
"Permission granted."
Communications over the radio finally responded just to send the one message. The team was curious and suspicious about the strange young girl. The young team had saved a number of young girls, which was why they didn't find the mission strange at first. However, the girl they rescued this time was very bizarre. A normal girl's name wouldn't be M4A1.
M4A1 was the name of a firearm, but the girl couldn't have been a weapon. If she was, then I'd have a harem already.
Just as a certain ignorant team was looking at her, Miss M4A1 was also looking back at the team. She was nude, but she wasn't shy whatsoever. Apparently more interested in firearms than humans, she checked out their firearms.
"Li Wuan, are we taking the girl back with us now? She… seems… strange, though…" The soldiers who never questioned their jobs questioned what the girl was.
I lowered my radio and took in a deep breath. As the vice-captain, I needed to take responsibility for leading the team. We had a captain, but he looked at me. I looked at my colleague in the meantime: "If that's what the brass asked for, let's do that. You… give her your clothes."
In order to survive, we needed clothes that would allow us to traverse an area, namely a brown long rob and boots. She couldn't get dressed on the spot, but she didn't seem cold.
"Wear it on. First we need to confirm something. If you can move, then follow us. You must stay within the range that we can guard you. Please do not leave without permission or make noises. If something comes up, quietly report it. You are only permitted to act after we give you permission. Stay calm at night. Regardless of what happens, do not run off without our permission."
I handed the clothes to the young girl. It was awkward seeing her naked, so I sniffled. She took the clothes and checked them out as if she was checking out her body. She looked up at me: "My body isn't damaged. Don't worry. I will follow you, but please send me back to Griffon Base."
"Sorry, but that's not what our mission states. We are only responsible for taking you back to our camp. Where you go after will be decided by the brass," stated the team captain.
The mission briefing stated that we were to bring her back, not to escort her back, meaning the girl's request was beyond the mission outline. That said, she didn't seem disappointed. She replied, "I received information stating that you are allies. If you can provide me with an M4A1 rifle, I can assist you in battle."
"We don't need your help. Just stick with us."
Honestly, I didn't believe a girl could help me, especially one who was thin. The best help she could offer was not running blindly when we were under enemy fire. Lots of hostages fail to remain calm. They were always more of a threat to us than the terrorists we faced. You can speak to terrorists, but a hostage never listens to you.
The team set out. The designated destination was only a few kilometres away, but there were no vehicles or anything of the sort at our disposal, so we had to do it the old-school way, walking. We didn't need to worry about enemy backup, since the team we ambushed had no chance to report in.
We put the girl in the centre of the formation, the most experienced captain at the front as a scout, the sniper in the rear and two on the left and right wings. At the forefront was the person in front of opening up the path. The men were competent enough to win in the terrible terrain.
There were no resistance forces or pursuers as we predicted. Soon enough, we arrived at our rendezvous point. The helicopter arrived on the dot. I was very envious when I saw the huge red five-star helicopter pick up Miss M4A1, as we didn't have the right to ride the helicopter.
We were the Republic’s phantoms. We were ready for what was to come when we erased our existence in the flames by the border. The third world war was a bloody one, and it left the border empty. If security in some other place was entrusted to a private military company, then the soldiers who gave their lives for the motherland and those destroying the enemies' ambitions on the frontlines wouldn't be able to return home again.
"Now what?" asked the rookie.
I had a think before answering: "Nothing we can do about it. You have two functional legs, don't you? Walk. Don't worry. Once we get to that side, we can ride camels. Riding camels is fun - provided you throw away all the unnecessary stuff you're carrying. Dress in the locals clothing and make sure not to wear a watch or boots. I know wearing flip flops in the desert for the first time is comfortable, but if the locals catch us with money, they'll kill all of us, understood?"
"Yes, Vice-Captain…"
The rookie was an elite among elites. Still, my fake threat scared him. I didn't lie. No. I didn't. First, we did need to head back. Second, if the locals busted us, we were legitimate dead men.
Just as the team was about to begin heading back, an explosion loud as thunderclap was heard up in the sky to our rear. We all froze for a second before frantically spinning around. The helicopter was best compared to an attacked bird. Thick black smoke came from the rear of it as it crashed into a cliff…
"Go and back them up!! There might be survivors!!"
It was an instinctive reaction. That day, the elites, the veterans, the aces who just annihilated a group of over twenty men within a minute, never would've predicted what they'd run into… and they never would've imagined that the team would never show up in any reports ever again. Nobody knew what the rookie and five veterans went through.
Glossary
*Li Wuan - Pronounced 'Lee Woo-are-n'
l