"You guys got anything?" Bell asked, as he swept the mounted flashlight on his Krig 6 in a side-to-side pattern. It had been about five minutes of dead quiet since the CIA Agents, a group of Lunar Guards, Princess Twilight, and Princess Luna departed for the Emissary's base. Luna had ordered roughly half of her guards to protect the town in the meantime, while the others would follow behind for the attack.

"Not a damn thing." Woods replied, checking over a thicket with his Hauer 77's own flashlight. "Are you sure we're going to the right place?"

"This route does correspond to the map we got from Dragonfly." Adler replied, checking the map over with a compass. "And turn out the flashlights, we can work without them for now."

"Got it." Mason said, switching his light off. "So...once we hit this base...what's the plan?"

"Eliminate all hostiles, secure any intel we can find, go from there." Adler replied. "Wait a sec...get down!"

As everyone present dove for cover and were soon hidden from view, a military truck with a covered bed, carrying five griffins and two human soldiers, armed with AK47s and Gallo SA12 shotguns, drove into view. The occupants took up defensive stances, and a human soldier then spoke into a radio.

"Central, this is 1-3. We are clear on this side." he said. "Should we return to the base?...copy. Will start a second sweep now."

As the soldier put his radio away, Adler motioned for the agents with suppressed weapons to take them out. Bell, Cougar, Aspen, and Mason nodded, and lined up their sights.

Adler clicked his tongue loudly twice, and on that signal, the agents opened fire, shooting the driver first. As the other hostiles fell dead, Bell quickly grabbed the radio and switched it off.

"Good work." Adler said. "We have our heading. That guy mentioned a base nearby, so that's where we're going."

"But how are we supposed to sneak in?" Twilight asked.

"Simple." Mason chuckled, as he pulled the dead griffon out of the driver's seat and started up the engine. "Everyone in the back, and mount up."

As the CIA agents did so, Luna ordered the other Guards to return back to the town, saying "We shall be fine. I will call if we need you."

The Guards nodded reluctantly, and they flew off towards Thorne's Glade. As Bell ignited the engine, the others crouched in the bed of the truck, checking over their weapons.

"You two," Mason said to Luna and Twilight. "If we come under fire, it's best if you keep your heads down and stay low. But if you think you can lend a hand using your magic, you're welcome to do it. Just don't do anything reckless in the process. The last thing we want is one or both of you taking a bullet and us not being able to save you."

"We understand." Twilight replied nervously. As the truck proceeded along the path, it wasn't long before they approached the camp entrance.

However, the checkpoint near the gate was empty, and from the side, Mason could see the guard stationed there had been shot. As the truck slowed to a halt, Mason got out and looked over the body.

"Two hits in the chest, one to the head." he reported as Adler approached. "We're not the only ones after the Emissary, Adler."

"It would seem that way." Adler replied. "No need for suppressors, then. I doubt we still have the element of surprise on our side."

"Question is...who beat us here, and what are they here for?" Cougar replied. "Ready up, everyone. We're in deep now."

As the agents unsuppressed their weapons and took up ready positions, Twilight's ears twitched, and she could faintly hear steps coming in their direction. As she looked over towards the left, a small cylinder rolled into view.

Then everything went white, Twilight's ears began to scream in pain, and she felt herself be pushed to the ground. The others were shoved in a similar fashion, their weapons kicked away by their attackers.

As their vision recovered, the group saw their assailants were Spetsnaz soldiers, clad in gray, tan, and green, carrying an assortment of weapons, all of which were customized with various attachments.

As guns were levelled at the heads of the CIA agents, an aged, authoritative voice spoke out in accented English.

"We meet again, Russell Adler. I must say, I didn't expect you'd be bringing company…"

A man wearing a fur jacket, cargo pants, a bue-and-white striped shirt, and combat boots came into view. His graying hair and beard suggested his age was around fifty or sixty, and a trio of patches lay on his shoulders. One was the Spetsnaz logo and the flag of the USSR, but the third was the patch of the Omega Group.

As Adler looked him in the eye, the CIA agent swore under his breath, recognizing his old nemesis.

"Perseus…" Adler growled. "Been a while, huh?"

"Indeed it has, Russell Adler." Perseus replied, taking a seat on a crate. "First, Operation Fracture Jaw. Then, Project Greenlight."

Twilight's eyes flared at the mention of that name, and she put the pieces together quickly.

"You're the human who tried to destroy an entire continent?" she called out.

Perseus laughed and came over.

"You know their side of the story, I presume?" he asked. "You hardly know the circumstances behind my side of it."

"First of all, I never intended to activate the Greenlight bombs. Had you dug deeper, Adler, you would've realized the signal broadcasting from Solovetsky was a deactivation sequence. I intended to disable the nuclear warheads, not detonate them and ruin an entire continent's worth of resources and kill countless people."

"Bullshit." Mason countered.

"Alex Mason, I presume?" Perseus replied. "You'd be wrong. I am a man of morals, and I hardly find it worth my time to have destroyed the European continent. Even if they did detonate and the US was blamed for it, what would happen if it was discovered that it was a Soviet plan all along?"

"The Kremlin would pay the ultimate price. On another note, I don't think any of you understand what is at stake here."

"Enlighten me." Adler scowled.

"The Emissary is responsible for the deaths of thirty Soviet soldiers, on Russian soil. Some of them had families, Adler. I was ordered to find answers for them, and to eliminate the Emissary, much like you have been as well."

"Thus, despite my second in command's recommendations, I have my orders." Perseus sighed, motioning the Spetsnaz to stand down. "Russell Adler, I propose a temporary alliance between our forces."

As the Russians kicked their weapons back with reach, Adler strode forward to face Perseus.

"Those are your orders?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"From the Premier himself." Perseus replied. "I am honest in saying we stand a better chance against the Emissary together. Because if my sources are correct...the criminal in question has something planned that is far worse than Greenlight could ever be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Woods asked.

"If you all come with me...I'll show you." Perseus smiled. As the Princesses and the CIA Agents turned to each other, Adler reluctantly nodded and spoke.

"Show us what you're talking about first. Then we'll talk about his alliance."

"Deal." Perseus beckoned towards the rear of the camp. "Follow me, my friends. We don't have much time."

Author's Note

Update!

Yeah, Perseus is the reluctant help our heroes need, but didn't ask for.

What a twist, am I right?