Chapter 2: Crisis

With the echoing sound from the second round of blaring alarms forcing everyone to take positions, the New Saviors relied on their special to act against the ongoing attack, and so they hurried to the commander’s office to discuss the next plan of action. The panic in the base caused by the first warning siren led to the main squad dispersing, splitting up to help their teammates, while the three highest-ranking members headed to the office. Within a minute, they managed to arrive at the command center, where Commander Snake was waiting anxiously for his soldiers. His experience showed in his mature face and not only in his restrained expression, as some small but noticeable scars were displayed around both eyes and his chin, where not even his full beard could hide them.

Contrary to what he showed on the surface, the impatience and increasing fury present in his eyes couldn’t hide his uneasiness from his assistants, even when he tried to contain it by staying seated. He sat close to his desk, looking down at a large map, which he was gripping so tightly that it seemed it could rip at any moment. One of his subordinates, a tall, slim, short-haired woman in her early thirties, just as mature as him, approached him silently from his left before leaning down to try to speak to him. The other assistants in the room only recognized a whisper from the loud alarm coming from outside, and before either of them or Snake could figure out what the woman was going to say, they were caught off guard by the siren at full volume coming from the now open doors at the back of the room.

Snake’s worries were relieved as soon as his star soldiers showed up at the door, not hesitating for a second to invite themselves in, making their presence clear instantly. They were three members of the New Saviors’ main squad, Crisis, specifically the Captain, Chief, and Sergeant, standing out completely from their peers despite wearing similar combat clothes. Their presence also prompted the assistants to hastily close the door after they entered to isolate the noise from the outside, though they remained silent and didn’t even greet them to not interrupt.

The tall, busty woman with long red hair and one single, big white highlight served as the squad’s captain. Her clothes differed from the rest, as she was the only one wearing almost knee-high boots, with the remainder of her legs covered by black net leggings. This, accompanied by unusually tight shorts, highlighted her figure in exchange for exposing quite a bit of skin, even on the upper side of her body. Her cropped black leather jacket was fully open, showing most of her toned lower abdomen, all the way to her belly button since her simple, dark red tank top folded tightly around her chest and fell short to cover her full torso.

But despite her outfit making her look anything but a military captain, she appeared comfortable and confident enough to take the lead and wasn’t just showing off, since a heavy belt around her waist made it clear she was armed, and by the looks of it, she was carrying a high-caliber weapon. Even though she was the leader, and her height accentuated her assertiveness, her size actually didn’t stand out nearly as much as her appearance, at least not compared to the sergeant.

A large, bulky, dark man with short, black, faded hair stood behind her and the chief, somehow hiding his menacing appearance, as his muscles measured just as big as the gun strapped to his back. He looked like a regular soldier, and similar to Snake, he not only had a well-sized beard too, but he managed to remain composed. However, as trained as he seemed to be, he possessed a murderous look, concealed only by the fact that his eyes were similar in tone to his skin, only lighter. And while he hid his intentions, his clothing gave him a threatening look, as he wore normal camo pants like the other soldiers and heavy boots as well, but not as tall as the captain’s.

What differentiated him was that he did the bare minimum to cover his arms, wearing a black tank top as well as carrying a large ammo belt over his left shoulder, leaving the rest exposed. He brought more attention to his arms by wearing multiple bands that wrapped around his sturdy muscles, with one metallic accessory on his right forearm that looked heavy, though he was more than capable of withstanding it. In the same vein as his captain, the less he wore, the better, but the same couldn’t be said about the chief.

Instead of exposing skin, the man next to the captain, slightly shorter than her, actually seemed the most appropriately dressed in all his garments. He didn’t seem to be armed, though his appearance made up for it. His frame was that of a robust soldier, and although his size was naturally much smaller than the sergeant's, his body was fit for combat like no other. He concealed his muscles by wearing a slightly oversized black military overcoat, matching his slim, ripped tactical pants and boots, as well as a pair of long gloves, all black like his medium, wavy hair. While his style was similar to that of the other soldiers, his look was much more personalized, creating a threatening appearance similar to the sergeant's.

But as edgy as his clothes looked, his complexion hosted the real danger that seemed to be found in his eyes, which drew more attention than the mole on his upper left cheek. Striking in their light blue tone, but more intense in the emotion he expressed, they were filled with rage and resentment, delivering a violent, vicious, almost depraved glare to whatever had the misfortune of getting in his way. Staring directly in front, seemingly looking lost for a second, he spoke more than anyone with a simple gaze, and no one had yet begun speaking. However, it only took a quick glance at the three soldiers in front of him for Snake to break the short-lived silence and begin discussing a plan.

–They just keep on coming… When are they going to quit?– Snake grumbled with his deep, raspy voice, talking to himself at first as he stared down at the desk, rubbing his forehead in frustration. But after laying down the map, he stared up at his soldiers to give instructions, but not before venting more.

–First, they strike the Capital, and now… Now they really crossed a line with this one. I don’t know why they are going after those small villages, but they might be . They just want to keep playing games to draw out this war…– Snake added disdainfully, which his subordinates seemed to agree with, though they looked more skeptical of hearing the news. They didn’t make much sense of the gravity of the situation but still quickly adopted a hostile attitude after hearing the lengths the Omens had gone to this time.

–Well, then it’s time to give them a reason to quit…– Indie, the red-haired captain, responded assertively, receiving an approving nod from Snake, and getting backed up by the chief standing next to her.

–They don’t know what game they are playing…– Frost, the chief, quipped in a witty but spiteful tone. Infuriated by the situation, he didn’t hesitate to show his stance, and his teammates could see it. Indie glanced quickly to see the hatred building up in his eyes and entire face, but she decided to ignore it for now after she and the rest found his comment strange. Out of them all, the sergeant seemed the most amused by Frost’s contemptuous expression, but to clear his doubt, he stepped forward to speak to Snake directly.

–Which villages were attacked?– Panda, the team sergeant, asked with a respectful and composed tone, though he was already preparing himself for combat as he gripped the ammo belt wrapped around his torso. In response, Snake silently pointed out a few locations on the map to indicate the attacks while the three soldiers leaned in for a closer look.

–These three villages were the main targets. Try to intercept them as soon as possible. We can’t give them the chance to target the other villages– Snake ordered, drawing circles around three villages near the base to make himself clear. He didn’t need to explain himself further, as Indie, Frost, and Panda assessed the order in an instant and responded with a collective nod.

–We’ll show them not to mess with us on home turf, sons of bitches will be running back in tears…– Panda stated in a sort of growl, making a threatening expression to match Frost’s, who only scowled with his pointy eyebrows, one of which was chipped, before turning back with his teammates and heading out of the office. Snake watched with more confidence as his soldiers swiftly headed for the door, and with his assistants opening the doors for them, they were soon outside and trying to gather the rest of the team to confront the Omens as soon as possible, hoping to fight them for the last time.

| Some people thinks life is a dream
So they making matters worse |