The Past Mission

Time of Mission: 1 month before the events of the warehouse.

Location: Wilderness deep in UAF territory

Mission Units: Unit Two and Fallo Unit 51, 125 and 68

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It was a windy night under a clear sky. The moon and stars cast a pale glow over the vast forest. In the distance, gunfire cracked like thunder, followed by the guttural cries of the wounded and the rage of the dying.

A rifle clicked—empty. Slick ducked down behind a boulder, frustration painting his face as he yanked the magazine free and inspected the jam. Beside him, a younger boy clung to his rifle like a teddy bear, hands trembling.

“Kid, if you’re gonna start shooting, you better be ready for what comes after,” Slick muttered, disappointment cutting through his voice like a blade.

“I-I’m sorry, sir. I panicked—”

“That doesn’t excuse the fact you nearly got us all killed, you bastard.”

The boy flinched as the words landed. Before Slick could say more, a soft rustle came from the bushes beside them, followed by a light tap on his shoulder.

“Hey, brother. Take it easy on the kid—it’s his first time out here,” Blip said, crouching beside them with his usual calm smile.

Slick scowled. “You realize his screw-up might have gotten us all killed?”

“Maybe. But might isn’t did,” Blip replied, clapping the boy gently on the back. “Besides… you hit one of ‘em, right, kiddo?”

The boy gave a shaky nod. Slick sighed and slapped a fresh mag into his rifle as Blip gave a reassuring smile to the boy.

“Where’s Unit Two?”

Blip shrugged at Slicks question. “Last I checked, they’re having just as much fun as we are.”

On the right side just ahead of them, Unit Two fought through the chaos.

Blackout was perched on a rock further back, his rifle barking with mechanical precision.

Bang. “One little UAF…”

Bang. “Two little UAF…”

Bang. “Three little UAF soldiers.”

Raven stood below, pointing out targets to him with crisp efficiency. Fallow hovered nearby, gun raised, tense but holding steady.

“There’s another one, nine o’clock,” Raven called out.

Blackout grinned, turning his weapon. “Got it.”

Up ahead, Pulse, Havoc, and Sear tore through the trees like a storm. Pulse ducked between trunks, moving with speed. Havoc just after bashing a UAF soldier’s head against a tree looked back, catching sight of fallen Fallo soldiers who hadn’t kept up.

“Sear—we lost our entire attack group!”

Sear was pressed against a tree—on the other side, a UAF soldier mirrored him. Without hesitation, Sear whipped his arm around, grabbed the soldier’s collar, and yanked him forward. He drove his knee into the man’s gut, then swept his leg out, sending him crashing to the ground.

As the soldier lay stunned, Sear stepped forward, placing a boot on his throat and letting a knife dangle between his fingers.

“Good night,” he whispered—and dropped the blade.

It embedded into the man’s skull. Sear stomped once more to drive it in deep, the only sound was a sickening crack.

A hand clapped down on his shoulder.

“Don’t zone out on me now,” Havoc said. “We’re pulling back. Only the defensive lines are left.”

Sear nodded.

“Pulse—we’re retreating!” Sear called out.

She was surrounded—three UAF soldiers with machetes, their rifles discarded, The lack of ammo clearly shown by the empty mags disregarded next to them.

“Got it!” she barked back.

“What you got, little lady?” one sneered, slashing toward her.

Pulse batted his wrist aside with her steel baton, sending his blade flying. He screamed in pain—as she drove a kick straight into his face, using the momentum to spin around toward the next. Her boot hit the dirt as her other collided with the woman’s gut, folding her to her knees. Pulse bounced off the ground, and used the last soldier like a stepping stone.

He toppled forward as she pressed her self of his shoulders, landing in a roll and sprinting back toward their lines.

Lying on the ground, the man groaned, “Well… that was embarrassing, wasn’t it?”

But before any of them could move, two sharp gunshots rang out. The sound of bodies hitting the ground followed.

The last man froze, then slowly turned his head. Two UAF soldiers stood over the corpses of his comrades.

“What… What’s going on?”

A third UAF soldier emerged from the treeline, flanked by shadows.

“We don’t have space for the wounded,” she said coldly. “Consider yourself lucky you won’t be joining them in the dirt.”

the soldier nodded slowly his chin hitting the dirt as he did

Back at the defensive line, the Fallo units kept firing back at the UAF, who had just launched another volley of bullets in their direction. Fallow joined the front as Raven and Blackout left their sniping position. She moved to support two other Fallo soldiers shooting from behind a fallen tree.

As she approached, she noticed a corpse blocking the spot she intended to take. A Fallo soldier had been shot moments before—his body slumped where she was about to crouch. The bullet had struck just below his helmet, right through his eye. Upon closer inspection, Fallow saw the scope of his rifle had been shot through—the round had entered through the lens and passed cleanly into his skull.

Fallow grabbed the man by the shoulders and dragged him aside. As she removed his helmet, she spotted a single word scratched into the inside: Lucky. A personal mark, most likely. Something he’d left behind.

She closed her eyes briefly and exhaled, then gently placed the helmet over his face. Gripping her rifle, she took position beside the two remaining soldiers.

“Thank you. What you did for Lucky, Commander… he would’ve appreciated it,” said the soldier on her right, tears trailing down her face.

“Fascia, stop crying already—you’re showing weakness in front of command,” muttered the soldier on her left, his tone tight with pain.

“No, it’s fine. Trust me,” Fallow said softly, then turned to the man who had spoken. “Uh…?”

He finished a short volley of shots before replying. “Name’s Chain, from Fallo Unit 67.”

Fascia paused her shooting “He means we are from Final hour” Fascia said before returning to her shooting. Fallo units often came up with nicknames for their members and their groups alike even tho they often didn’t get used officially.

Fallow gave a quick nod and rested her gun on the tree. “Call me Fallow from Sunshine brigade.”

Fallow started shooting just as Chain stopped “Sunshine eyy? no wonder this mission seems like a death sentence with you guys around”.