Mid-March rolls around into late April. The usual route of my downtime between missions is well established. Physically I am back to 100% from last year’s stomping I received from the Ghoul. My medical checks came back all good. The zone effects were all gone as well. The last thing Alexander said to me stayed rattling around my head.

“President Robertson’s impeachment and removal from office last year have led to a state of political and economic instability in the US.”

My computer was streaming a news service as I was working out. An anchorman was droning on.

“The two main political parties are fracturing now and it is expected within days that at least two new parties will emerge within the American political system.”

“The British Government has released a statement saying that this an internal issue to the United States and condemns the increasing level of urban violence being reported in many cities.”

Things were heading from bad to worse in the US. Robertson’s impeachment and removal from office were over with his Vice President a woman named Janet Taggert now finishing his term. The political meltdown however was only escalating with no end in sight. Protesters and supporters of the former President were clashing on the streets in increasing violent altercations blaming each other.

This was leading to economic problems with people moving their money out of America until the situation was resolved. The CANZUK countries were the main recipients of this influx of capital and increasingly people. The US Government had indicated that they might take action to stem the flow which had only made the problem worse. Tension was raising on the Canadian border as the US was making things harder to travel out of the country.

“Reports from Japan and South Korea have indicated that a massive Zone has formed in North Korea. Near the capital of Pyongyang. Experts around the world are becoming increasingly concerned as this Zone now exceeds the Portland Zone in the US. No official word has come from the North Korean Government. The Pacific Co-operative are calling for greater information.”

“China however has moved several divisions to the border. This may be in response to help manage the influx of refugees being reported fleeing North Korea. It has been reported that military units are beginning to flee the country. South Korea is also reporting mass defections.”

“China and Russia are still blocking any information of Zone activity within their nations. Stating that National Security concerns. However, it is being reported that there is increasing public unrest.”

Many nations are reporting increasing unrest within the population. The countries actively and openly working to contain Zones seem to be doing the best. People are getting more worried overall.

“It has just been announced that the Latin American Alliance will be joining the United Nations Zone Elimination Initiative (UNZEI). This means that only a few nations the biggest being the US, Russia and China are now not working together to stop the spread of Zones.”

Well, that’s good news for once. The world was finally coming together to deal with the Zones. In truth the parts that had not gone isolationist or into a state of collapse. Several talking heads came on to give their views I drowned them out.

“The European Union is reporting that zone activity has stable over this month with no major actions reported.”

The newscaster went into the Europe section of the report. This was an odd statement far shorter than normal. This section goes over far more normally with a mixture of actual events and fluff pieces. The single sentence and movement in the stream told me something had or was happening.

Europe combined all their operatives into a content wide organisation as part of the Euro Corp army. The organisation was ponderous to start but has become much more efficient due to the threat we are facing.

The Euro Corp has been expanded to meet the issues with Russia, Africa and the Middle East that the Zones have created. The American chaotic response and the effective paralysation of NATO is the primary driving factor. To the effect, many now question NATO’s continued existence even in the UK.

“The British Government has reported the sealing off three breaches on the British mainland in the last two months. The Government has stated that this added to the overall total means that Brittan has the highest recorded number of breaches closed in the world.”

This is true as far as I was aware. The UK was at the moment one of the most proactive nations when dealing with the Zones. Yes, the UK Government is actually doing something right!

The stream continues along the usual news lines with no notable differences. This means things are pretty much are going along as they had for the last few years.

I had been planning a few nights out and other social activities. The downtime was welcome as always. I split my time between training and just living my life. I don’t have any lofty goals to aim for keeping the stress in my life located mostly on my “job”.

My mental health is good for intent and purposes. Ironic from the life and death situations I am placed in regularly. I wrap up the weight training I was doing and just spend a few minutes with my eyes closed enjoying the sun streaming through the window. I drown out the news stream as it is now just rehashing what has gone before.

It’s the simple thing in life that matter most to me. My health, no crazy dreams and quiet. These are the things I value most.

Alas, the universe has a thing of fuck with me, I think.

My official phone starts ringing. Sighing I pick it up. The display says control is calling. I press the accept button.

“Hello”

“Zone Command Alpha 1-1-C” The voice on the other end said.

“Harrington 2-T-3” I countered signed. Security codes got to love them.

“Alert this is a level three call up notification. The collection will be tomorrow at 05:00hrs. Do you copy?”

“Confirmed.” That was all I could say.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

This was never good. I went to my go-bag and made sure it was ready.

Then went to inform my mother. Argument time.

## ## ## ## ##

I hate early starts. I really hate alerts called early starts. Gregson picks me up from the corner and we head to RM Condor for transport.

“What’s the call up for?” I ask after attaching my seat belt and we pull off.

“Don’t know but I heard you’re not the only one called.” He answered. That was odd as Gregson was not the type to volunteer much information. Must be big.

We travel quickly to the base as traffic at this time of the morning is light at worst. Gregson shows his ID at the gate and is waved through by the armed marines on duty.

The old airfield that was present at the base and used for glider training has been updated and now can handle light aircraft. We pull up to a twin-engine propeller aircraft waiting for us to leave. The aircraft is on the runway and its engines running. We get in.

Gregson sits me next to a man I didn’t recognise and sits behind us. We strap in and the plane quickly heads down the runway for take-off. Once in the air the man next to me turns and starts talking.

“Good morning Operative Harrington.” He is in his late thirties and white. Black hair and his deminer shout civil servant in casual clothes. “Alexander Harley-Grenville will not be your HM Government on this on I John Smith will be.” He has to speak a bit louder than normal due to the noise from the engines.

The look on my face causes him to laugh.

“Yes, John Smith is my name I am afraid. I had to learn to live and laugh with it. Alexander is at Zone Command we are responding to an escalating situation on the Continent.” He went on. He opened a bag on his lap pulling out several documents.

“Two days ago, things went crazy in Northern France and Belgium. The Euro Corps had just successfully finished a major operation in Italy. A few hours later four zones began expanding aggressively. Teams were dispatched with their Operatives to investigate. Contact has been lost with two of the Operatives with the others injured in the Zones.” He explains this to me while flicking through a file to an aerial photograph that he handed to me.

“Herzeele Zone in northern France is where we are heading.” He says handing me the image on an e-pad. The image was of a community with a larger church. No zone so an old one probably.

“The Europeans have been caught flat-footed by this. Their recent losses and operations have drained the available pool of personnel. The British Government has agreed to send four Operatives to these Zones to support the Euro Corps.”

“The other three will join Euro Corps Operatives and assess the Zones affected.”

“The other three?” I ask.

He nods. “I am afraid that you have drawn the short straw for this one. You will be heading into the Zone alone.” He answered with an apologetic tone.

“The breach has been expanding and all residents nearby have been now evacuated.”

This left me stunned. I was getting thrown into an unknown hell. Again!

“There will be an expanded support team for your mission. Which will be explained on-site.”

I return the photograph to him. He looks back to the folders in his bag as he puts the file and image back. Looking back at me he continues.

“We are aware that this is an extremely bad situation we are sending you into. The issue that will remain classified is that the Europeans are a lot more stretched Than they are publicly admitting to.” His tome was solemn. “They have responded as well as anyone could have hoped. The operation in Italy was an attempt to clear several zones in one go. Which worked with 5 breaches sealed but the events in the north we had not foreseen.”

“It shows the European’s desperation that they sought our aid as fast as they did. The Government agreed to the deployment of you four as a trial. We also don’t want a repeat of Portland close to the Channel.”

“I will be going with you and Sergeant Gregson to act as the Government liaison and interpreter.”

He lapses into silence at this for the rest of the flight as we all mull over what is happening.

We fly across the country and come to the Channel. We continue to the French coast I assume. This is the first time I have ever left mainland Britain and whatever excitement I should have at this is lost to the anxiety of what is ahead of me.

We land at an airfield in France. Smith takes lead and meets the group sent to escort us to the site. He engages them in French and we are led to three Government looking vehicles. Gregson and I are put in the middle with Smith going with his counterpart in the first. I suspect the last is full of security.

We drive through communities and the countryside to the base camp that is located on the edge of a large zone. The camp is a lot larger than the ones I normally operate from. A lot more military-grade combat vehicles make up the perimeter facing outwards. A middle-aged man dressed in Euro Corps field fatigues was waiting for us as we pulled up.