I struggled to get sleep that night. Any slight variation that my senses picked up on brought me wide awake all over again. The operation had in no way gone according to plan, or at least to the standards I now wanted to hold myself to. I was still unsure if I had gotten away without anybody truly following me. There is always a risk of retaliation.

　　My body was so exhausted from the sleepless night that I actually made a cup of coffee in my hotel room when morning arrived. The scorching Arizona sun rose in the East and greeted me as I sipped on the bean juice. I sat by the window to my hotel room and eyed the area as closely as I could. My gaze took notice of any slight changes that occurred around my area. My brain couldn`t stop until I was positive there was no threat narrowing in on me.

　　{&} | [:::]

　　My mind was finally distracted when a message from Brian arrived. "Good morning"

　　"Hey" was all I responded.

　　"Good job yesterday. You did quiet the number on Proporchek and his goons."

　　"Oh?"

　　"We had to do a little assisting in adding some breadcrumbs towards influencing the narrative. But so far the belief is that the hit was conducted by the Lysaco Mafia Family. A strong mafia family originating from Moldova. One of the nieces of the don was at the city square where the bombing took place that Proporchek assisted with. So far, the ruse has paid off. We haven`t seen any information coming across where they know who you are, or our agencies involvement."

　　"Sounds good."

　　"Sasha also sent this."

　　I perked up as soon as I saw a new video file icon arrive. "Hey big guy." I could see she was sitting in a waiting area, the camera moving around slightly and I made out what looked to be an airport terminal. She had turned her head momentarily to look throughout the area. I saw the headphones in her ears and her serious analytical expression return to her face as she was all business for the brief moment. I was confident that she was ensuring her surroundings were still clear of any potential threats or harm to others. The look on ones face that is in our line of work is pretty identifiable when it occurs.

　　She soon returned to the camera and looked straight into it with her dark brown eyes. "Sorry& I had to check something really quick." She paused and looked down, smiled for a brief moment but it then faded away. As I watched every detail of her facial expressions, I was interpreting an internal struggle going on within her. She looked as if she was mentally battling over a million emotions and all of them were now coming to life within her mindscape. "I uhh, I read over the report from Scalpel and got the intel from my side this morning. Looks like you are back to being your old self again, but& the good part, and hopefully&" She paused and glanced back at the camera, then quickly looked back away and she brought her hand up to her face and bit down on her thumb nail. "Hopefully the bad part of B2 is& still back in that coma state."

　　She shook her head for a half second. She looked as if she was disgusted with herself. She had let go of her protective barrier between us and was now reaching out. "I just& I just wanted to say thanks for taking care of that for me, and doing it quickly." She looked away from the camera again, rescanning her area briefly, but soon returned. "I have to go overseas for work, not really sure how long I`m going to be gone on this one. It uhh& seems like it`s going to be a Puru situation all over again. Only& different location this time. Shit&" She let out an exhale and lifted her eyebrows with a slight rotation of her head, "I just remembered you probably don`t have any recollection of Puru. Anyways& thanks big guy, again. Stay safe while I am away and& I`ll& I`ll let you know when I get back state side. Talk to you soon. Lumu."

　　I messaged Brian, "What is Lumu?"

　　It took him a few moments but finally responded, "That was what you two used to say to each other. Lumu equates to Love You, Miss You. I am not sure which one of you started it but that was how you two use to end each conversation. To be fair, it was weird when you started saying it to me, and a few other bromantic phrases."

　　My heart and defensive walls were so far gone that I was like France in every major war, instantly surrendering to my Sasha without a second thought. I replayed the message a few more times and saw just how much she had struggled to send the video file. Her facial expressions highlighted the war which was raging within herself& the hardest part for me was knowing that I was the one who had caused that war to rage within her. My guilt had pulled me deep within myself for over an hour as I didn`t even contemplate the time or space as my soul was darkened with the severity of how our past& my past& does not just go away with time. The ramifications of my actions were still real, brutally real.

　　I was saved from the sinking spiral of depression by Brian sending me a new message. "You did really good on that last mission B2. Granted, it was a little sloppy and not as& discrete& as we normally prefer, but you certainly made Sasha and her bosses very happy, and that makes the exec board very happy."

　　"Well& that`s good, but honestly, just as long as Sasha is happy. That`s all I fucking care about."

　　"Completely understandable. The board, however, feels you`ve proven yourself for your next operation. This one is a big one, the biggest you`ve had to face& since B2 2.0 has been back with us. Terra is going to try and coordinate to have another Field Agent nearby to come in and assist if you need. We are still working to get you the full briefing, but first thing is first. We need you to get on the road and start making your way to Yuma, Arizona."

　　"Yuma?"

　　"Yup& we need you to get& well& it is highly recommended that you get reconfigured and kitted up for this next operation. I know Terra is working the threat assessment briefing, but just knowing the client, target, and situation. I would not be surprised if this one turned into a real bloodbath, so to speak."

　　"What do I do with the rental?"

　　"Take it with you, just saves us time in coordinated agency transportation and you might as well hang onto it for the time being."

　　"Got it."

　　The address to my next destination arrived soon after Brian and I stopped messaging. Silver Stone RV Storage. 2165 E. 16th St, Yuma, AZ 85365. I told my Neurochip to load up the directions into my mini map. My bottom left corner came to life with the highlighted path of travel to take. I rolled the windows down and let the warm air of morning blow over my face. My hair had grown back in and flopped around as the breeze swept around me. Neurochip, play "Arizona" by Josh Kerr.

　　It took me roughly three hours with the traffic to make it into Yuma and arrive at the storage site Brian had told me to go to. A quiet lot tucked away at the far end of town. There was only one small detail Brian forgot to tell me. "Uhh, code to get into the place?"

　　"LOL, I forgot about that. It`s #80085" He sent in response.

　　"Haha, boobs, I like it!"

　　"You would, you were the one who came up with it and its` what we now use at most of our remote sites."

　　"What should I be looking for?"

　　"Oregon plate, JGS 347"

　　A slow roll through the lot as I passed all the long metal buildings. I looked down the empty rows as the metal garage doors to the containers greeted me. I approached the back gravel area of the compound and found the long line of parked vehicles. Most of them were RV`s but there were some boats and trailers scattered throughout as well. I finally came to a stop almost dead center in the line as the massive RV stood out from the rest. I whistled out loud as I got out of the minivan and walked up to the 36 ft RV which towered over me. I did a quick internet search through my neurochip and found out it was a 2017 Fleetwood RV Pace Arrow 35E. A Class A Diesel, Freightliner Chassis that traditionally could sleep 9 people and also featured an interior height of 7 ft.

　　//ACCESS GRANTED\\

　　I walked up to the front access door and reached for the handle. The same "Access" icon appeared in my vision . An audible clunk sounded out as the locking system disengaged and a decompression sequence occurred. The door swung open as compressed air spurted out above. As soon as I took my first step upwards and into the front cockpit area of the RV, LED lights began to illuminate the front cab portion. The windows were completely blackened with limousine security tinting. The entire driver apparatus had been reconfigured and only a few control panels were displayed. A look of some enhanced futuristic tech that only Brian could concoct.

　　"Figures" I said out loud. The front portion I was in was a separate cabin area from the rest of the RV. A solid wall made out of a metal composite prevented me from entering further into the rig. I knocked my knuckle against the walls surface, there wasn`t even a deep audible reverberation. The solid construction left me thinking it could take a direct hit from a rocket propelled grenade. My hand outstretched towards a key access pad once I realized it was off to the side of the door frame. My HUD then displayed the access granted notification again.

　　//ACCESS GRANTED\\

　　The door popped out about 6 inches towards me. It was then when I was able to look the whole thing over, its` construction appeared to be of a solid 4 inches thick of a thick metal composite. The door started to slide back like a barn style door. LED overhead lights began to activate as I proceeded further inside.

　　Two computer workstations greeted me off to my right as I stepped into the next area. Both were sitting one beside the other. Monitors mounted to the wall and pivot seats which were retracted underneath the small workstation platform area. I could see the seats design was one where they could be swung outwards and sat on, but they auto retracted underneath the desk area when not in use.

　　Across from the computers was a multitude of server wracks with digital components. Lights flickering in a variety of colors and pulses. Some of the LED displays were on and looked like they were analyzing radio wave frequencies. A few others showed an outstretched global map which had dots and lines jumping across the screen. I was guessing it was an active VPN algorithm of some kind. Another display was similar in its layout but displayed multiple satellite icons which had lines showing trajectory and path history. A transparent coloration shot out from the satellite icon and overlayed itself on certain portions of the globe. The author`s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

　　"Holy shit&" I mumbled. My head rocked from side to side at the grand scale of our operation and agency. The room area I was in looked roughly 8 ft in length. There wasn`t an inch of space that was wasted in the layout or design configuration.

　　A smaller partition was placed to separate the tech center area from what I started to interpret as the ready room, or kit setup area. The partition had a somewhat sci-fi feel to it as hexagon shapes were formed and stacked one on top of the other as it formed a barrier. The next set of LEDs activated for the next compartment as I drew near the threshold.

　　I stepped inside and took notice of the armor racks installed along the right side. Each rack was holding Brian`s brand-new armament system. My eyes glided down the wrack system and noticed that it was not secured to the floor. A rail system continued through the rubber matted floor I was standing on. I curiously took hold of the top lip of the wrack system and pulled upward.

　　The decompression sound barely let out, but the rack itself began to slide upwards in a smooth motion. Underneath the heavy shelled armament racks was another separate storage area with soft armor. A more traditionally Kevlar worn commonly by law enforcement.

　　I was even more surprised as the rack system still continued to rise upwards. A third section underneath appeared, and I found that the final section was all the dragonskin`s shirts and upper torso configurations one could want or need. The third compartment section also included additional options such as the dragonskin armored blue jeans and other tactical pants. I went down the line and pulled upwards and then realized that each wrack configuration was matched with size options as well as had male and female tailored options within the sizes. A one stop shop for field agents to resupply or get whatever they needed for a new operation or mission.

　　It took me a minute to figure out how the rack system returned to the original position. But once I figured it out, I slid all the racks back down to how they were. It then dawned on me. I sat down on top of the rack and they were designed to be utilized as benches when lowered all the way down. "Okay& that`s a fucking cool design implementation."

　　There was a slight cut out on the rubber matting at the center of the room in the shape of a large rectangle. My eyes took notice of a small control panel on the wall. I walked over to it and pressed the up arrow which was displayed under the text of, Center Island`. The shape in the floor came to life as an island compartment began to rise upwards, the first compartment was nothing but different weapon systems. Bolt rifles, semi-auto`s, shotty`s, sub-machine guns, and even one or two full auto platforms.

　　On the opposite side of the weapon system were a multitude of rocket launchers, grenade launching systems and other explosives. "Fuck me sideways." I muttered. My fingers danced across the RPG rockets and launcher system. They were contained within their own separate portion of the wrack.

　　I turned around to the left side of the compartment to see a similar storage configuration as the armament wracks. The entire thing had an assortment of handguns and additional equipment items such as NVG`s, thermal imagers, binoculars, and much more. I pulled up on the rack unit and just like the other side, they began to lift upwards. These, however, had hundreds upon hundreds of weapon magazines in the different ammunition configurations. I felt there was enough ammunition here to launch an invasion of a small third world country. I slid the wrack system back down and then went to the final section of the RV.

　　My fingers glided over the bed mattress as there was a bunk system on the right side with three bunks total. The left side held two medical bunk beds. I could see a small latch on the first medical bunk and went to pry it upwards. I found a storage compartment on the underside with a ton of medical devices. All assorted and organized within the compartments. My eyes took notice of the sliced inlay on the floor, a quick glance around the room and I pressed the button on the digital pad.

　　Another decompressed island compartment began to rise from the floor. This one was directly next to the bunk beds on the right side. As the compartment lifted, it completely enclosed the bunk bed compartment. It provided even more medical devices and items, if there was someone providing aid to another on the medical side, they would now have more supplies directly available to them. The final portion along the back wall was a shitter and a tiny shower area.

　　I had gone back into the ready room portion when the message arrived from Brian. "New mission is coming over now."

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　　OBJECTIVE: TARGET PROTECTION / ASSASINATION DETERRENCE

　　LOCATION : 32.715649, -117.166415

　　ADDRESS: 333 W Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101

　　ACCESS: N/A

　　REQUEST: ASSASINATION DETERRENCE

　　SUBJECT: RAUL LORENZO CRUZ, MUNICIPAL PRESIDENT, CUAUTITLAN, JALISCO

　　SUBJECT 2: LUIS DE JESUS ARCOS, CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT, THE 5 KINGS CARTEL

　　CLIENT : STAND UP AGAINST CARTEL

　　TIMEFRAME : 24 HRS

　　COMPENSATION : SUBSTANCIAL

　　INTEL : INTEL: District Attorney of the 9th Circuit Court, EDWARD THOMPSON has been working a 3 year long investigation alongside Detective NATHANIEL CRAVEN. CRAVEN is the Team Leader for the NECCTF, (Narcotic Enforcement California Central-Valley Task Force.) CRAVEN alongside THOMPSON are ready to launch prosecution charges against THE 5 KINGS CARTEL. Extradition has been the hardest part of the coordination effort. Given the current state of corrupted Mexican officials at all levels. RAUL LORENZO CRUZ, Municipal President of Cuautitlan, Jalisco, Mexico has made it a point towards cleaning up his district. CRUZ has been instrumental in working with US officials towards eradicating the cartel infestation. CRUZ was able to flip one of THE 5 KINGS leading members, LUIS DE JESUS ARCOS to provide sworn testimony against the remaining members of THE 5 KINGS. Additionally, ARCO`s is assisting in providing the intel and locations of THE 5 KINGS senior leadership. TOMORROW at 0700 HRS. CRUZ and ARCO`s will be departing Mexico and arriving at the district courthouse in San Diego to meet with THOMPSON and CRAVEN. Final preparations are to be arranged and planned towards the execution of arrest warrants, charges, extradition coordination and warm handoffs upon arrest.

　　Intercepted communications between THE 5 KINGS senior leadership identify that ARCO`s connection to the government officials has been compromised and the cartel is aware of the meeting. Current analysis predicts that an assassination attempt is going to take place shortly after CRUZ and ARCO`s proceed back into Mexico, immediately following the meeting. Initial suspicion is that the assassination attempt will occur between INDEPENDENCE BLVD and INTERSTATE 1. SEE BELOW FOR CURRENT MAP OF AREA.

　　STAND UP AGAINST CARTEL, a rival of THE 5 KINGS has contracted Scalpel to thwart and deter any assassination attempt made on CRUZ and ARCO. Their vested interest in gaining regional control of drug operations. Should THE 5 KINGS be removed via government control, it would be of a significant advantage to STAND UP AGAINST. The STAND UP AGAINST CARTEL is assisting in providing up-to-date information from their cross-organizational sources within THE 5 KINGS.

　　OBJECTIVE: Proceed into Tijuana ASAP and scout out the area for any potential attack sites within the designated area. Await further instructions or deter any threats presented to yourself or directed towards CRUZ / ARCO.

　　DIRECTIVE: Scalpel Mobile Operations Vehicle, (MOV) will transport you through US / Mexico Border at the Tecate station via Highway 188. Scalpel MOV will ensure you are taken through Lane 4 which is pre-coordinated and will allow you through without stoppage. You will then proceed C. Constelacion St. where you can stage out of there and into the area.

　　RAUL LORENZO CRUZ LUIS DE JESUS ARCOS

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　　SEE BELOW FOR ZONES CREATED WITHIN DESIGNATED AREA.

　　I had messaged Brian to ask him what I was suppose to do with the rental van. The asshole jokingly asked me what rental van I was referring to, and by the time I poked my head outside the MOV it was gone. All my belongs being left perfectly next to the MOV front steps. I just shook my head at how much secret squirrel shit the agency did, but also just how many other figures there were operating in the shadows and working quietly and quickly to ensure we didn`t overlap with one another. I grabbed my few things and before I knew it, the bus was in motion and we were on our way to Mexico. I chuckled as the classic scene form a pop-culture movie returned to me, " You boys like Mexi-co? WOO!"

　　The majority of the time during the trip was in the ready room. I was even surprised to find that my exact weapon configuration for my M1A rifle was inside the weapon wrack within the RV. Brian later informed me that once one of the field agents makes a change to their weapon system, Jack places a notification in the system and all remote locations for Scalpel implement those exact changes immediately.

　　My mind was awakening more with how much Scalpel truly was an international affair. Everywhere I went, there seemed to be resupply ninja`s all over the place happy to take care of whatever I needed to operate. It was still a little weird to me, but at the same time, fuck it & It wasn`t anything to complain about or be concerned with, that`s for damn sure.

　　I loaded up my armament system with the same loadout I had done at Scalpel for my M1A. Four 20x round magazines of FMJ and Four 20x round magazines of the new HAMMER rounds. I then loaded out my 9mm magazines with 6x FMJ, 4x Shatter, and 4x Armor Piercing magazines. I gave myself 2x stun grenades, 2x smoke grenades, 2x fragment grenades, and 2x that were labeled, "Heavy Fragment Grenades". I had not seen them in the arsenal before, but figured there was no harm in trying them out. 255x rounds of 9mm ammunition, to include the magazine in my pistol, and 180 rounds of 7.62mm to include the magazine in my rifle.

　　I placed the armor on and secured it the way Brian had helped show me when I was at Scalpel. A notification flashed in my HUD, "Would you like to sync with new armor system?" I mentally said yes to the prompt, and I saw the light begin to flash repeatedly for only a few seconds before it turned blue. The other six lights were all lit green. My mind replayed Brian telling me those were the battery life status for my ammunition drive train system, as well as my air coolant delivery drive.

　　Before I knew it, the MOV had pulled up to our destination. I pulled up my map in my HUD and noticed that I was 1.3 miles North-East of the area that was suspected to be the ambush location for the assassination attempt. I noticed the grid pattern of the streets which led down towards the area, before I changed into my runners outfit. Though I didn`t like being unarmed out in the field, especially in an area I didn`t really know a lot about, I wanted to get my eyes directly on target.

　　I grabbed my ballcap that I had with me and found a shirt and pair of running shorts in the storage compartment within the MOV. I went out for a run and weaved my way through the multiple streets and all throughout the area that was indicated in my reports. I found nothing but quiet streets and usual traffic and activity for an evening in a standard neighborhood. All was quiet and I settled in for the night. The last thoughts I had as I drifted off were, I hope the trip down here wasn`t just a big waste of my fucking time.