HELLFIRE RUSH

(2 hours later) 

"Both of them are stabilised," said Sayyid as he came back up with Phineas, both panting in fatigue. They collapsed onto the floor, removing their surgical masks, worn out. 

Sean and Ariel quickly handed them water and helped them onto the dinner table, and Khai quickly passed them the 2 remaining bowls of Pho that he had reheated for the 5th time. 

They thanked him weakly, helping themselves to the food. 

Charlotte came up a while later, despite keeping her emotionless and tough exterior, the tear streak on her face betrayed her real feelings. 

After they all had eaten and washed up, Xiao Tian looked at the time. 

"It's already very late. Go sleep for 4 hours, then we will discuss what to do," he said. 

Seeing that everyone remain seated at the table, not moving an inch, he sighed. 

"I understand how anxious you all are, but right now, all of us are wounded to varying degrees, and we have been fighting non-stop since morning, if you all don't get any rest, your operation capacities will be effectively zero," he said firmly. 

With that, the operators dragged themselves to bed, while Charlotte, Khai and Sayyid took turns to watch over the front door and tend to Frederica and Louis. 

(3 am the next day) 

Sean deactivated his phone alarm, quickly washing up, rushing downstairs to the living room with Jay and Phineas behind, meeting Ariel on the way who had left the bedroom she shares with Charlotte. 

Xiao Tian and Charlotte are already at the table, analysing a map hologram. 2 empty cups of coffee lay on the table beside. 

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Xiao Tian briefed them on the operation plan. 

"Based on where we found Jay and Louis, and the last known location of their GPS modems, we managed to come up with a rough area of where they might have been taken, and cross-referenced that with Zionist activity hot spots in the area," he said, drawing on the map. 

"Here's where we believe they are held at," said Xiao Tian, enlarging the 3D projection, that of a medium sized building complex, consisting of several buildings interconnected to each other. 

"This is a storage facility that belonged the former IDF," said Xiao Tian. "After WW3 ended it remained deserted, well, until the Zionists made it their home here that is." 

Sean could not help but to feel insulted over the fact that UNAME failed to eradicate such a massive area of guerrilla activity from the Zionists, though he can understand why. 

After all, UNSSD is already under fire by the world for spending too much money on R&D, one can only imagine that the people living outside the Middle East would not be too happy with spending their hard-earned money to solve problems not directly involving them. Neither the Zionists nor the radical Islamists can impact the international trade that passes through the region, as they have all been locked away by UNAME in remote guerrilla zones far away from trade centers, meaning that all of the destruction they pull off are largely invisible to the majority of the world. 

"Why are mankind still so damn divided and aloof for such selfish reasons, even after WW3..." lamented Sean internally. 

"We are lacking in numbers to attack a facility of this scale," said Jay, looking at the Team Zero operators that are still able to fight. 

"Forgetting someone?" asked Khai, carrying crates of body armour and ammunition over. 

"Still, 6 people are not going to make the cut," he said. 

"7," corrected Charlotte, annoyed. 

"With all due respect, you stand out too much as a Bethorian, surely you don't want Spades International to be caught colluding with wanted convicts of UNSSD? Or worse, let Earth trigger a diplomatic accident with the strongest civilisation in GOMCA?" said Jay. 

"Letting you guys stay here is already costing me a lot, might as well go all the way," shrugged Charlotte. "I am still an important swing vote in the company after all." 

"Beggars cannot be choosers," said Sean firmly. "Either we go, or we let our comrades suffer." 

"Rest assured, 2 Spades International teams, including the rest of Team Bravo should be landing in Tel Aviv as we speak," said Charlotte. "They will be our Evac out." 

"And we are not coming back here," added Xiao Tian. "Once the mission is done, we will relocate to another safe house, outside of the UNAME territory." 

"Let's get dirty then," said Ariel, as they geared up, wearing their body armour, helmet and new Exo-suits over civilian clothes, removing all traces of UNSSD or Spades International on them to keep a low profile. 

Charlotte dressed in her Bethorian power armour, swapping out her blasters for Earth weaponry, carrying the Spades International standard issue Noveske N4 rifle, a QBS-09 semi automatic shotgun loaded with armour penetrating rounds, and 2 Taran Tactical Pit Viper pistols. To top it all off, she grabbed a MGL revolving grenade launcher, swapping it with the heavy handheld plasma cannon she would have carried. 

"Is she trying to be an one woman army?" mused Sean, loading his magazines into his Exo-suits' pouches. 

Khai who had finished packing his gear opened the garage door, revealing a 4-wheeled armoured vehicle. 

"Let's go," said Xiao Tian, grabbing his QSZ-92A and slotting it into his holster, and the team set off. 

"May Allah bless you," said Sayyid in Arabian, watching the vehicle leave. He then headed to the basement, preparing to transfer Frederica and Louis out once the other Spades International contractors show up. 

(Outside the compound) 

"Are you frankly trolling?" whispered Sean, having concealed himself among a pile of trash using a disguise net, aiming the LPVO of his SCAR-H at the buildings ahead, providing surveillance for his teammates that have managed to infiltrate into the building. 

"What do you mean?" asked Khai, who is next to him, surveilling the other half of the buildings with a pair of binoculars. 

"Your rifle build," whispered Sean. 

Khai looked at the rifle he propped up against the wall he is hiding behind. It's a Colt M16A2 with a fully automatic lower, a red dot sight attached to the carry handle, an under barrel M203 grenade launcher, together with a flashlight clamped to one side of the hand guard. 

"You vibing in the 1990s?" asked Sean incredulously. "Who uses such retro builds nowadays?!" 

"Well, the rifle's fine," remarked Khai. "And besides, if not for the fact that we have to standardise our ammunition to 5.56 I wouldn't have swapped out my Galil ACE." 

(Inside a building) 

"Pfft!" coughed Santos as he is pulled out of the swimming pool after 30 minutes. 

"HOW DOES IT TASTE CABRON?" asked a Zionist. 

"Better than your mom's *****!" insulted Santos in return, prompting him to be dragged onto the surface and beaten up.

"You son of a b*tch! If y'all have the balls fight me one on one b*tch!" roared James, suspended above the water beside Santos, only for him to be kicked in the shin, groaning in pain. 

"SHUT UP N*GGA!" insulted the Zionist. 

Another Zionist then lowered a beaten up Xu Qing into the water.

"You all better start talking, or he dies!" warned a Zionist, wanting to use moral pressure. 

"And here is a reminder that your lady friend is still locked up next door!" 

"MMPH!" bubbled Xu Qing, trying to free himself. 

"AHHHHHH!!!!' Nanami's screams of pain reverberated in the locker rooms re-branded as a holding cell as she is tased by the Zionists. She is chained up and suspended in the air, her body littered with cuts, bruises and burns, and she was injected with strong dampeners, rendering her unable to use Cosmic Energy magic. 

She had been stripped down to the t-shirt that she wears inside her uniform. Her desert camouflage uniform pants have also been torn into bits from the intense beating she was subjected to. 

The Zionists stopped their torture, pulling her onto the ground. She looked at them defiantly, with a crazed grin on her face, coughing up traces of blood. 

"Want to talk now?" asked a Zionist. 

"Nah, I don't think I will," replied Nanami. 

The Zionists in the room laughed. 

"Why do you think we separated you from your male buddies?" he asked. 

Nanami chuckled painfully, "I don't know, maybe because I am prettier?" 

The Zionist men in the room all laughed evilly. 

"So that they cannot hear you when we change our methods," one of them laughed.

"If methods used against men won't work, then perhaps we will try methods against women. What do you think is going in a isolated room where a hot lady is restrained with many men?" he asked, his eyes ogling he body. 

Nanami snickered, laughing out, startling them. 

She puffed up her chest deliberately. "Well, I hope you boys have enough nutrition then, don't disappoint me," she licked her lips seductively, giving him a fly kiss as well. "I have broken beds before." 

"OK, this bluff is too much even for my standards," she thought internally. "But if I don't scare them off now, things are only going to get worse." 

"And I hope you all like tentacles, especially you. Your body looks well-built, so firm~" she cooed. "My, my, are you all blushing already?" 

(1 storey down)

The rest of the rescue team walked up a flight of stairs into the second floor.

Charlotte who is acting as the point man raised her hand, signalling them to stop. 

She walked forward to the wall, aiming rightwards, taking a low ready position. Ariel stood behind her, aiming in the same direction, at high ready. 

Once they are sure that the area is clear, Charlotte and Ariel moved forward, carefully looking at what is ahead, while keeping a glimpse of their individual radars. 

Xiao Tian walked alongside Ariel, keeping his QBZ-97 raised to the right side. Jay followed, tapping Phineas who is watching their rear on the shoulder to signal that they are moving. 

"No signs of them, searching the second floor," reported Xiao Tian to Sean and Khai outside. 

As they walked to a leftwards T-shaped hallway, Charlotte changed to using her left hand to hold her rifle, allowing her to keep her exposed area minimal. 

2 Zionists guards walked towards them, chatting away obliviously. 

"The Ch*nk, N*gga and B*aner in the swimming pool at level 4 were way too f***ing loud," one of them complained, using racist slurs. 

"Just toss them into the incinerator after we are done," replied the other. "The Lita woman we can keep, I hope the guys upstairs are gentle with her, after all, there is no fun with a dead beauty," he laughed. 

"How ironic for Jews to say such things," thought Xiao Tian. 

Charlotte and Ariel then promptly opened fire, gunning them down with suppressed rifle shots. 

Xiao Tian checked a room on the right, while the rest of the team advanced. 

"2 enemy patrols down, we have found their location, heading over," reported Charlotte. She and Ariel keep advancing forward on the right side of the hallway as they turned. Xiao Tian meanwhile covered the left side of the hallway as they advanced. Jay followed behind Xiao Tian, drawing his suppressed Glock 19 and fired at the heads of the Zionists to make sure they are dead. Phineas switched to aiming forward as well, although still keeping himself alert of the back. 

They entered another hallway, where a flight of stairs is located at the end. Charlotte checked a room to their right before advancing, turning on the weapon light in the laser designator combo to the max, acting as a disorienting tool to potential enemies inside. 

Just as she cleared the room and stepped back out, bullets rained down on them from in front. 

"CONTACT!" yelled Charlotte, returning fire. 

Xiao Tian fired, covering her. Charlotte pulled out her MGL, firing a rifle grenade, suppressing the enemy's shooting. 

That did not last long, for the Zionists soon overpowered them both in terms of firepower and numbers, raining their positions with bullets. 

"FALL BACK!" ordered Xiao Tian, firing. Phineas and Jay ran backwards, sliding behind cover, opening fire relentlessly. "Go back to the stairs we came from, we will go up from there!" 

"Running!" yelled Ariel, firing off one magazine, reloading and heading back, running past Phineas and Jay who kept their suppressive fire. Once she got in position she too fired, covering Xiao Tian and Charlotte retreating. 

Outside the building, Sean got to work, sniping the Zionist reinforcements that tried to reinforce the 3 storied building his comrades are in, his suppressor and disguise allowing himself to be hidden well in the loud and messy battlefield. 

Just then, Khai noticed something which made his blood run dry. Many pickup trucks stopped outside the building, all in their shooting blind spots. Several men in turbans rushed off, heavily armed, firing at the Zionists while hurling Arabic insults. They then rushed into the building.

"THE RADICAL ISLAMISTS ARE HERE! They are going into the first floor!" he yelled, warning those inside. 

"Out of all times for them to have a raid," cursed Sean, switching his SCAR-H to automatic. "They are going to get sandwiched, we need to move," he said, pulling off his disguise net. 

The Zionists and radical Islamists are not going to stop shooting just because Sean's group belongs to neither side. After all, they hate the UN just as much as they hate each other, making this 3 way battle in reality a 2 way one, UN vs non-UN. 

Khai fired his grenade launcher, blowing off several radical Islamists, he and Sean rushed forward, opening fire wildly, taking out many from the surprise attack, and the 2 soon arrived near the building. 

"We are coming to reinforce you guys, hang in there!" radioed Sean.