●　● Dhaka City, Bangladesh

It was dark from within the make-shift pilot’s quarters where the faint aroma of the consumed Biryani remained in the air, and the only light that could be seen emanated from the screen of Sebastian’s mobile, keeping the news out of holographic display for once out of respect for the other’s slumber.

Kerry and Andre’s slumber, that was. Sam was curled up in her sleeping bag on top of her cot trying to sleep but was her chances for shut-eye were still drowning in the chaos of all the thoughts in her head: What is this junta thing everyone’s talking about? Do they mean a coup? Is it really what they say it is? And what gives? Is no one going to question us just sitting here and standing by like this? And why weren’t we allowed to help out or see the clean-up floors? I wanted to assess the LTAC wreckage for data collection like I had been long prepared to do. Why the tight security on that? And why are all the other pilots and ground forces still outside on full alert even though no one is approaching? She then rolled over a bit, popping her head out from under the top cover to see Sebastian still reading away. And why the hell is he still all up in the fucking news?! I swear that’s all he ever does! Her brow crumpled in full disapproval, shaking her head before rolling back over. That light is half the reason I am awake!! … That and Andre’s snoring…

Sebastian was oblivious to the mental turmoil taking place through various physical manifestations just a meter away from him as he continued reading intently every article he clicked on in their entirety. It had been a long while since he had to read so much English in such a political setting, leading him to be that much more cautious and thorough.

[I wonder how much of what that Sur lady was telling was the truth. I am starting to think we did the wrong thing assuming her guilt. But what if it was a set up? We ended up taking the base without her, which means she was supposedly a useless asset to begin with? This is so much to try to make sense of. I have so many questions for the director tomorrow morning. But until then, I really want to see what’s ANY official response from ANY leader here. What’s the hold up?]

As he spotted a smaller printed article title in the bottom corner of his screen “India’s Official Response?” that he thought of moving on to, a sudden flicker of light startled him to the point of almost dropping his mobile, turning to realize it was only Sam. She, too, was now sitting upright with her face buried in her mobile, sending an equal glow from her display. It only took a second to realize that she too was looking at news articles, and naturally his eyes met hers, sending her a confused and offended look.

“What?” she whispered back with the same frown and an additional shrug of her shoulders.

“Hey,” he quietly hissed, “you are reading the news!!”

“No shit, Sherlock!” she hissed back with her face back in the screen, refusing to take to the intended jab. “Who the hell are you to complain?!”

“Stop copying me!” he continued in prodding, leaning over to make sure she could hear every word. “You don’t even know what to look for!”

“Is this acceptable?!” she, with wide eyes, whisperingly shouted with the screen shoved nearly in his face, showing a displayed article titled “Bangladeshi PM Sattar Refusing to Comment”.

“Where did you find that?!” he replied with a snatch of her mobile, reading the site source. “An Akkadian outlet?”

“We take Earth news more seriously than Earth ever did,” she spat back, taking her phone back in the same breath. “This is why they are telling us to stay down for now, I think.”

“But I just…” he started before straightening his posture in a more upright position. “I just read that the whole parliament building was raided and tanks are everywhere. No one knows where the tanks came from because they are not Bangladesh military… or even paramilitary.”

“I know, it has me nervous, too,” Sam more calmly replied as she too sat upright. “Every time something like this goes on here on Earth, it makes anyone in Space nervous. I never read much into these specific things before coming to Earth myself, but a military take-over… Sebastian, this goes way, way over what we saw go down back at home for you.”

“I hate it but you’re right. The SAU saw the streets cleaned up and the riots ended, finally. This… this really has me worried and feeling a little bit sick.”

“Would you two shut the fuck up and go to sleep?!” Kerry loudly grumbled in a half-awake voice from her corner of the sleeping area. “Shit!”

“Sorr-ree!” she hissed back, slipping out of her covers and crouching next to Sebastian to continue speaking to him but in an even quieter whisper. “Here, look, read this,” she said as her cheek gently pressed up against his as they shared a screen. “It’s looking like whoever it is with this military force is waiting inside the empty parliament. I mean, don’t coups happen during a meeting or something? How do you declare victory when there is no one there to declare it over?”

“Sometimes a coup happens like this. Happens at night… you take the building… and… declare… right? Declare you are the new leader. You wait until the old leader shows up either to ah, surrender in peace, or he comes back with his own army to fight and you get a lot of big disasters after.”

She took a moment to process the situation as it applied to the current. Come to think of it, I remember both the Director and Kerry mentioning this part of the world having such turmoil over the past century or two. I think he’s trying to tell me the latter is more likely. At that point, all she could do was go along with the flow of the conversation, afraid to show fear as she normally would by this point, even though it was already starting to show in the rumpled inner corners of her eyebrows. “That’s why it’s so quiet. They would never just give it all the good old social media treatment and say it’s just the holiday.” She then scrolled down to more articles popping up, struggling to keep her anxiety from surfacing any stronger. “Do you think the new leader, assuming he becomes it-”

“-his name is Hossain,” Sebastian corrected.

“Yeah, him, whatever.” How the hell is this guy so calm?” “Anyway, assuming he becomes the new… leader, would there be anything directed at us? Doesn’t the timing seem odd?”

“You know how it is so quiet, right? This is another reason why. The people must have known for a long time, maybe. And I think they wanted this. This is… not good for us.”

Dammit, Sebastian, please don’t pile it on. “How do you know?”

He bumped aside her mobile to show her his screen. “This.” The screen portion he highlighted read “…showing a fervent support for the creation of the next global confederacy.” Sam’s heart sunk, already connecting the dots, and Sebastian saw it now more than ever just by the way she breathed in deeply the moment she finished reading. He took to the notion, calmly reaching over with his other hand, turning off the power to the display to hers as he did the same to his, leaving the two in almost complete darkness, save for the dim light coming in from the two entrance door windows that led to the still-lit access hallway. “That’s enough worrying for one night. We need rest,” he added with equal calm in his tone.

She let the weight over her head gently fall onto his shoulder as she let out that long, anxious breath she drew in. “Director did tell us to rest,” she started before finding herself chuckling, placing her mobile on the floor next to her. “And I definitely am not helping.” She knew, however, just how exhausted she was and was frankly tired of her tensed nerves rebelliously putting up such a fight. Over the next few seconds of quiet, she scanned the width of the cot she leaned against, noted Sebastian didn’t zip his sleeping bag, and realized this may be the only control she would have over any of the situations at hand. “Move over,” she spoke with a nudge, slipping her feet in one leg at a time as she laid down with her back against his chest, pulling the top sheet back over her along with his arm to top it off. She felt the frazzled nerves begin to calm at the rate of the rise and fall of his chest, only to be hastened to near sleep with the weight of his embrace.

Her calming was contagious as he too began to succumb to his exhaustion just as quickly, making sure to carefully maneuver his other arm that was in an awkwardly mashed position out from under her weight and into a more comfortable spot before allowing himself to fall asleep over the next few moments.

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●　● Airspace over India-Bangladesh Border

“You’re not going to like the options we have for you,” Al solemnly spoke over the phone to Danielle as she stared out the window, peering into the endless night sky. “And I speak with obvious limitations.”

She knew he wasn’t at the meeting table as it was far too quiet. “Are you in your office?”

“For the time being, mostly because all we can officially do is sit on our hands, waiting for word from Hossain or the PM himself.”

But you can’t mention Gabe by name, still. Knight, what chain was pulled? What do you know that we don’t, rushing us out there this fast without any other official word? How fucking nervous do you want me to be? She allowed her stare to continue aimlessly, worried not only about her traveling partner but also about her team still on the ground. “So, then, at least fill me in on these options while I have a few more sleepless days to log in.”

“Ha, if you could only join me in such company,” he joked back with a bitter smile. “I can tell you everything I have been able to assess. Forget waiting on any words, Danielle.” The instant he spoke that, she could feel something clutching her chest tightly as he continued: “You won’t get permission to land, and Hossain is taking- no, let me correct that, the country is turning to him for new leadership. Again, don’t plan on landing, so here is what I need you to think about.”

“Quit beating around the bush, damn it,” she huffed without thought or care, closing her eyes before continuing. “Are my kids going to be OK or not? I want your full honest take on this.”

“This is going to be painful for you either way, but it sounds like you are more concerned with their outcome more than your own.”

The implication came out as bitingly sharp as an accusation to Danielle. “The fuck are you saying? When the hell was that ever in question?”

“Hey, look, no one ever saw this coming.”

“I bet Vrey did.”

“That doesn’t matter right now, but the ones on the ground sure as hell do. I apologize for my remark.”

Growing tired of the meaningless garble, she let the tension out of her fist and opened her eyes, looking outside once more. “Just tell me the fucking options.”

“Command from above, or command from below, but you already seem sold on below, so maybe I can spare you all the ugly details.”

Her eyes batted a few times in confusion, surely hearing right and not because of a loosely fitting earpiece. “You all just said not too long ago that we don’t have permission to land.”

“I know.”

“Cut the bullshit, Knight. You-” Wait a damn minute, she cut herself off with the sudden recollection of a certain figure from her past, one the two of them shared in common. “You know what we are carrying aboard… of course you would you are the…” You are about to ask some serious shit of me and Gabe, aren’t you. “But what will happen to you?”

“Can I ask you the same, or will you snap back at me again?”

Danielle started laughing under her breath at the irony of the response, taking a moment to collect herself. “You know my choice. Give me the best time.”

“Kids, as you keep calling them,” he said with a much more gathered, confident tone, “are asleep as we speak, and are scheduled to wake up at five hundred hours. This means you have exactly four hours to plan whatever it is you need to, map out whatever, as I highly doubt this peace lasts past sunrise. Get everything you can, plan A, B, C, whatever the hell, get it together and don’t bother checking back in.”

“What’s my alibi?”

“You mean mine?- I’ll stop,” he said with a weak chuckle under his breath. “Amelie will have the loose ends will be tied after; she gave us her word. Just worry about your end and we will handle things here.”

Figures he had someone else in on this. Why her, though, of all people? “Alright. Leave it to me. Thanks, too, for the lovely insight on how shitty our outlook is.” She casually hung up without a parting note, looking immediately to her left across the aisle, seeing Gabriel moving over to her end of the aircraft. The cabin area they shared was small, cramped, and full of equipment in the seats left unoccupied. It was only the two of them, leaving them free to speak for the most part. “We got a lot more to plan than we bargained for, Sly. You ready?”

“You called my bluff all this time, didn’t you?” he said with a smile and a wink, sitting in the seat next to hers.

Danielle was more relaxed now, letting out a more relaxed sigh. “You took a whole damn month off for all I can tell, knowing you and all. But of course, you still aren’t going to tell me what’s up, are you?”

He popped his knuckles as he leaned back, seemingly as if to loosen up before making a heavy confession. “Truth is, I didn’t just… take off from work.”

“You what? They wouldn’t just let you slip out, now,” she said with a raise of her brow.

“Yeah…” he continued as his eyes wandered to the floor. “That moment Saff and others approached me, you know, I knew it was going to lead to something all complicated like this clusterfuck we are about to walk into. I can’t afford to get caught up in something this big and not cause problems for the brand.”

“You didn’t retire, did you!?” she said in a slightly raised and upset voice, stiffly grabbing his shoulder with her left hand. She loosened her grip immediately, however, hearing him chuckle in surprise. “Well, of course you wouldn’t be that idiotic, but what, though?”

“I took an official leave of absence with no set point of return, accepting the suspension in pay and benefits. If something were to happen, she’s already set to sever my position. If I come back, it’s like nothing happened other than my alleged need for a mental health break.” He then leaned back in his seat, looking over to her, wondering why she hadn’t responded by now. “Just the fact Suha was mentioned, much less his daughter Sam being involved as well, I knew this couldn’t end well. I did what I figured would cause the least chaos back home.”

“Then,” she responded with a sudden look of remorse mixed with her concern and confusion. “Why did you take the job? I mean, shit, I’m so sorry, Sly,” she said as her head dipped lower, lips tightening. “I thought so lightly of everything, never once thinking you would still be here with me tagging along all this time.”

“You mean to say you never once thought of an entire sovereign nation’s army being our potential threat, huh?” he said in an attempt to lighten the mood. “I only explained all of that so you wouldn’t be in the dark the entire time. And, you did ask.” He then in turn placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a firm, reassuring pat. “You and I survived way the hell worse ten years ago. Now think… if four newbie kids could wipe out that number without taking a lick, it means that, A, we did a damn good job training, and B, we aren’t even close to facing equals. Worst case, I bet we just get pulled for ROE reasons after we go too hard.”

“Well, let’s hope we get to stay in the air if that’s how you see it playing out,” she said with a smile, feeling some relief after hearing his confidence. “Still got a lot to plan out. Let’s get to work, shall we?”

.

▽　▽　▽

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●　● Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Isaiah remained seated inside his LTAC, standing between Requiem and Revenant’s amongst a dozen others just in front of the pond surrounding the Parliament building as the sun began to rise, gently warming the dark gray sky from behind the overcast cloud cover. He had, like the others, stayed tuned into the conversations going on both inside and around the building, keeping track of both official government and Infinity movements. He heard his watch alarm go off, showing that it was 5:00. “That’s the mark.”

“Sharif should be at the podium, now,” he heard Requiem respond as he switched his auxiliary monitor to a local news broadcast. “If we need to move, I guess this might be the time to get ready?”

“Hold.”

“Good morning, Bangladesh,” they heard the young man speak over the broadcast. “I am speaking on behalf of the loyal citizens to the true representatives of our great country, and I bring this message to you in order to reveal the truth behind what has been a cancer to our society, to our efforts, to our future.” The camera angle revealed the sharply-dressed Sharif Hossain to be standing in front of the entrance to Parliament, keeping the three cloaked LTACs in plain view. “But first, let me introduce what we are about as we take control of a powerless, useless regime former Prime Minister Sattar has let go out of control.”

TVs turned on around the area as lights slowly one by one began to cast a glow from behind closed windows across town, much too early for many to be up and around, but not crazy enough to silence the curiosity of many. “…As you wake up to this message, or watch it later, of course,” Sharif continued, “think about the promises made and soon forgotten. It was the BNP who promised securing of the lost funding for the ‘Rebuild Dhaka City’ project. It was the BNP who promised a fight in international courts for the repayments for lost finances to the former Indo-Asian Union and for the removal of unfair sanctions India placed on us.”

Sebastian was stirred awake by his mobile buzzing around the floor, showing a news alert notification lit up. Half awake, he blindly reached around for it, finally grabbing a hold of it as he slowly swung it over his face, activating the link. “…Only Rakib Hossain has the people in place and the wherewithal to start such things in motion and end the talks,” the voice continued. Sam too was now startled awake, rubbing her eyes as she tried to make out what the talking was all about. “…and this starts today! Why wait? Why wait while our great city dies a slow death because we are afraid to anger some ‘key allies’ who have no interest in our rebuilding? We have no allies! We must do things ourselves!”

“Sebastian,” Sam mumbled as she noticed the other two were starting to rustle in their cots, slow to awaken. “What are- or who, are you listening to?”

“This is Sharif Hossain, the man we talked about a few times before,” he quietly replied, trying not to wake the others, yet unaware he already had their attention.

.

“And you,” Sharif continued as more lights across town lit up. “so many great, strong, proud citizens of this country, I applaud your unwillingness to stay quiet and take inaction from everyone in charge. I applaud your persistence in protesting the useless Sattar-led administration all these long months. And now we see your efforts come to true meaning with the dawn of a new era of true independence!”

What’s he really getting at? Marian pondered, watching from her holographic display from within her hotel room. I hope they knew what the bloody hell they were doing with this loon.

“Now, let me continue to speak of the truths behind the cancerous BNP leaders who hang on to the coattails of those in the former Indo-Asian Union which has not existed for more than a decade! Two hundred! Two hundred billion in unused payments still managed by the former Union financial members in India and no one would tell you! Five hundred! Five hundred billion more in refunds owed by similar funds collected by the union managed by banks in Space! And on top of this, five hundred more lost to corruption over the past decade! Right here in our borders! These borders that continue to watch us crumble as if we were too weak to stand on our own again! Who let this happen? Every member of the BNP along with our police and military administration, dead-set on forever appeasing Indian and Space-bound interests!”

.

“Woah, that’s a lot of money to be claiming there,” Andre commented aloud, finishing pulling up his uniform pants as the others got prepared as well, feeling a sense of urgency and an unwillingness to wait and be surprised unpleasantly.

“…We will retrieve the trillion-plus rightfully claimed by the people of Bangladesh! We have so much to rebuild as we were once promised, and we will do that starting today! We will address the removal of this cancer today!”

“Hey, this guy actually sounds like a stand-up guy…?” Kerry pondered to the group, pulling down her uniform undershirt and straightening her hair. “Why did that Sur chick want us to fear him so badly when it sounds like he is the one who seriously wants to fix the city?”

“Yeah I get that, but, why did it take this kind of take-over for him to win an election, though?” Sam added, stepping into her pilot suit. “Why was a coup needed?”

“But that is only one cancer to speak of! What we will also do starting today is to get rid of a second cancer ailing our great country!” Sharif’s voice continued, causing each to pause momentarily in anticipation. “It is a great mockery to us that I must mention the hundreds of billions we will never reclaim that we have lost to Hexa International! … all liars who never once had any interest for our rebuilding and our recovery!”

“Oh shit, yep, that might be why,” Sam reacted with a regained anxiousness and fear that quickly permeated throughout the room.

Sebastian’s hand stopped reaching for his bag, knowing there was no way he misunderstood what he just heard. “Wait…” he thought aloud as he continued in pause to listen further.

“And to top it off,” Sharif added on in an even more emotional, stronger voice. “They senselessly murdered more than a dozen of our citizens who were simply keeping watch over property we reclaimed overnight!”

“That! That’s a lie!” Sebastian fussed as he stood up, feeling not only the burn from within from the nervousness everyone shared but from a sense of absolute indignation. “Every LTAC pilot we encounter is a foreigner! Every man we take or kill has been foreigner!”

“Did the terrible noise they caused not catch your attention?” Sharif’s voice added to his insult. “Let me show you what these foreign terrorists have done to our people, and take caution for these are very graphic images.”

“Wait, hold up!” Kerry too felt enraged by what she could tell was coming. “Gimme that phone!” she said in a race to Sebastian’s mobile that had been broadcasting by video. She clicked up the holographic display as the four looked on images of pilot remains, many missing limbs or ripped nearly in half.

None of it was censored, nauseating Sam and causing her to immediately look away. Shit, that’s bringing back images I didn’t want to recall from Bogota.

“What…” Sebastian continued in utter disbelief, seeing the names were all Bengali. “What?! These people never use locals!”