Matt Simmons

(Journal Entry by Matt Simmons.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Oahu, Hawaii.

August 15, 2037, 12:05 PM (12:05 Hours))

“Twenty Years. Jesus. It’s been quite a while since everything went to hell for at least two decades. I just don’t understand why it happened in the first place. Out of all things, I wanted to have a normal life. I really did, and I gave up. I just don’t see it as a possibility anymore. The way I see it, I’ll never be able to go back. There is no way of returning to normal. Just so stubborn to accept it when life moves on. It’s rough to get it out from the inside and change for once. But we never change, do we?”

These were the words that came to Matt’s head as he remembers the Decade Anarchy. He could only remember the vivid horrors through his widescreen TV, while staying at home in his log cottage with his wife, Liesel. Everything that followed after those ten years was only a nightmare, being gun restrictions and a hunt for a man on the other side of the globe. To this point, he’s at a loss for words, and he couldn’t make sense out of everything at all.

Matt’s usual schedule consists of what needs to be done. Wake up, brush up, eat breakfast, change clothes, go out for groceries, come back home, eat lunch, clean up, eat dinner, brush up, and sleep. The usual repetition that fails to alter, despite some changes for holiday celebrations with other friends and family members. That would begin to change on the morning of January 3rd, 2037 at 8:30 A.M.

As blessed a morning could be in his pajamas of a white t-shirt, black silk boxer shorts, and flannel pants, Matt wakes up in the bedroom of his log cottage to the nearby sounds of “Freaking Out The Neighborhood” by Mac DeMarco as he gets up to go over to the bathroom. Having to bypass his desk with his typewriter and stacked written work next to the bed (as well as a window in front of the desk revealing the horizon of trees covered in a blanket of snow and the white sky of clouds above), he wanders down a hallway before making a left along the left side of the living room, only to venture into the bathroom next to the living room so he could clean up and brush his teeth away as he faces his early fifties self in the mirror (being a man with forward spiky gray hair and a growing stubble).

Within the open kitchen next to the open hallway and living room, Liesel begins to prepare today’s breakfast of some spam and eggs through a frying pan on top of the stove, while the portable radio on the counter to her left side was tuned to the Fox News station playing music hosted by Kent Lawson. With Matt finishing up, he exits out of the bathroom before wandering over to Liesel as the two of them exchange smiles to each other.

With the redheaded Liesel having a wholesome motherly smile to her face, Matt smiled back at her before wrapping his arms around her waist. Wondering what she’s doing as he’d see her giggling away at his actions, and soon watches her kiss him on the left cheek of his face. The moments continue on as Liesel finishes her cooking, later to bring her setting up the round circular table for the dish they’re eating.

As she gets the plates, Matt got the utensils as he picked up a fork, a spoon, and a bread knife for each of the two of them, whereas the both would soon get in their seats before chatting away on the good times. The memories that would get them to chuckle away wholesomely as they spoke of their honeymoon, their friends, and even the fond lives they went through.

“Mm. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had a good meal like this since our first honeymoon.” Matt said as he recalled some of the times he had with Liesel.

“Oh?” Liesel said as she continued to eat her meal up for a bit while willing to listen to her husband’s words.

“You know, the toast, the eggs, and the orange juice in a glass cup?” He continued while remembering what exactly the both of them had.

“Oh yeahhhh… God, that was years ago, wasn’t it?” She said while coming into full remembrance of that moment as she tries to think back on the subtle details.

“Definitely.” Matt said while still eating his meal up.

“I can’t get over how great the taste was, unlike the restaurants back home.”

“Heh. Well they weren’t as elegant as the places we ate at.” Liesel said before she giggled away to the little things in the past.

“Can’t argue with that. At least Christian cooked some great burgers.” Matt said in his honesty while halfway done with his meal.

“To think, why didn’t he get the attention he deserved?” She asks out of curiosity while aware of how good the Pittman’s Patties restaurant was, despite being run by a family of both parents and a daughter.

“Ehhhh restaurants tend to be common across the states. Nothing new, nothing fancy.” Matt said before eating a bit more.

“I just wish his business could’ve gone somewhere other than where it landed now.”

“I guess…. Despite the downfall it faced when things got worse.” Liesel said as she continued eating away, later to start setting her mind on what to do for today before beginning to recall the schedule.

“Okay! Tuesday! Sooooooo shopping and house chores, yeah?”

“Mhm. Just like every weekday.” Matt said out of his reassurance.

“Great! I’ll get to it after breakfast, okay?” Liesel said in her response while still thinking about it.

“Yeeeeep. And I’ll start dressing up for the shopping when you do the chores.” He said as he found himself finishing up his plate.

With breakfast being a bygone as some time passed on, Matt dressed up in his casuals of black combat boots, tundra cargo pants, a white t-shirt, a blue denim shirt, and a vintage brown leather jacket as he was getting ready for today’s shopping. Topping off with a silver ring on his left ring finger and a Kenneth Cole KC3584 watch on his left wrist, he goes over to overview his gun cabinet in the living room.

Of all the firearms he has in it and one in his desk, the Remington Model 700 Classic has usually been the most common rifle for him to carry. Featuring a black recoil pad, a black nylon Allen Company Rifle Cartridge Buttstock Holder, a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x40mm gloss scope, and a brown leather gun sling in which is attached to the rifle from the glossy walnut stock to the far front of the handguard. While all of his other firearms would have performed better under his given case, it was better to lose a wooden bolt action rifle rather than something special or useful. Especially under gun restrictions as he would’ve lost all his firearms if he wasn’t military personnel or a special operative.

The Kimber Stainless Pro Raptor II and the Heckler & Koch Mark 23 in Maritime Finish would prove special otherwise, as well as his Mossberg 590 (with a heat shield, an extended magazine tube, a bayonet lug, and a KNOXX SpecOps stock) and his Colt M16A2 (modified to be like the M16A3 and has a flashlight underneath the front sight) being more useful in comparison to the ADL. The Gen 3 Glock 17, Gen 3 Glock 19, and Gen 3 Glock 22 would be very efficient, yet he didn’t have the will to waste anymore 9x19mm Parabellum or .40 Smith & Wesson. It was also the same case for the West German SIG Sauer P226, the West German SIG Sauer P228, the Beretta 92FS, the SIG Sauer SigPro SP2009, the Heckler & Koch USP .45, the Heckler & Koch USP .40, the Beretta M9, the Colt M1911 (G.I.), the Colt M1911A1 (G.I.), the Springfield Armory M1911A1 Mil-Spec, and the West German SIG Sauer P220, even if he did have enough .45 ACP. His father’s Stainless Steel Colt Python with wooden grips would be an interesting choice, yet he barely has any .357 Magnum. This also accounts for the revolver’s capacity up to six shots, and a very slow reload to handle where finessing a speedloader becomes a requirement. There were multiple options for him to choose, but in the end he’d still have his ten handguns, one revolver, one shotgun, and two rifles by the end of the day.

Taking the Remington Model 700 Classic from the gun cabinet as it’s loaded with four .30-06 Springfield cartridges in the magazine and one in the chamber, Matt also took five more rounds into his jacket pocket for emergencies as he slings the rifle over his left shoulder. After doing so, he heads over to the front door and checks today’s mail that came through the slot, where he received a letter from the United States Marine Corps. Initially assuming it to be an advertisement sent to him given he’s a Sergeant Major, he knew he had to put it aside until the groceries were done, so he placed the letter on top of the kitchen table before heading out of the cottage.

With him heading down the snowy hillside with the beautiful view of the trees along the horizon to his left, including the big mountains standing out in the distance as the white skies of clouds remain above all else, Liesel would come out of the cottage’s front door as her and Matt would exchange waves of goodbyes to each other with the most positive looks on their faces. As she went back inside to do the chores, Matt ventured down the snowy dirt path on foot and through the trees to handle the groceries.

The first place to shop was a truck stop’s mart as it was right next to Ontario 11. With Matt’s cottage nearby and uphill, all he had to do was walk down and take a left. Coming into the mart, Gideon would be seen running the business as he goes over how much he has in his cash register. While he would usually have some customers wandering in and out, Matt was always the first customer in the mart without a truck as he’d only come in to shop for food.

With the two exchanging subtle nods to each other in greetings, Matt shops around the mart as he collects two bags of chips, one six-pack cans of sodas, four candy bars, and two water bottles of 4 liters. Having collected what he needs from the mart, Matt would carry what he can on both of his hands and his left arm as he wanders over to Gideon, who showed a genuine reaction to what he was seeing. As Matt pays up for the food as usual, Gideon processes it all through his cash register, which he hands him the change and a plastic bag for the chips, sodas, and candy bars since the two water bottles of 4 liters wouldn’t need a bag at all.

Nodding in thanks as Matt puts the food away in his plastic bag, he carries it with his right hand while carrying the bottles with his left before making a subtle wave of goodbye with his occupied left hand. As Gideon would wave back in goodbye, Matt ventures out of the mart before looking at his sides as there was one more place to stop by. Whereas he turned to his right and wandered up the highway to the fenced off town of Kapuskasing.

The second place to shop was a Larabie’s Independent grocery store within the sealed off town of Kapuskasing. Completely surrounded by barbed wire fences and quarantine signs built up from the Canadian Armed Forces, yet no military personnel in sight standing guard. And the lack of presence was one of the utilized methods to prevent what they were trying to contain from getting out. While this makes it easy for civilians to enter for necessities, it comes at a very high price involving their lives when they try to leave with it. Despite the Walmart outside of the fence, it was entirely ransacked due to being completely safe from the dangers of the town.

Matt always knew the town was a one-way trip, yet all he needed to do was to go in, gather groceries, and go out. Straightforward and on point as usual since this wasn’t the first time he trespassed into Kapuskasing for supplies. Before heading directly into the town, Matt laid his plastic bag and two water bottles down at a nearby tree to his left, before getting his Classic out to scope into what he could see from a couple meters away. It was more of a gander at what he will have to deal with for today, and it seemed that the town was in peacetime with locals going off on their day as usual. People chatting, working, driving, and having fun as they seem to mind their own business as civilians. While some were armed with firearms being bolt action rifles and pump action shotguns, as well as hunting knives, machetes, and hand axes holstered in their belts, they were either hunters or members of the Kap Rod & Gun Club near the Larabie’s.

From what Matt could see, all was alright in the town and he could fit in among the populace. With him carrying his Classic over his left shoulder once again, he also carries his groceries from the mart before wandering along the left side of the fence to a hole he cut through before, which was sealed up with wiring strapped around the loops of the fence. Placing his groceries down at the hole, he undos the wiring to gain entry and goes through. Holding onto the wiring in his jacket as the bushes and trees covered up the hole itself.

His venturing around Kapuskasing was an overall surprise, as the town seemed to be treated greatly compared to the first time he visited. As the town became lively, the foundations of buildings were standing strong, yet many of the other places were crumbling into dilapidation and overgrowth of nature. Rooftops were often used as watchtowers or spots to do some barbecue for the guys to hang out. Propaganda posters against the gun restrictions were brought high at the poles of light posts, as well as the walls of running businesses that say ‘REPEAL THE A.G.R.’or ‘SUPPORT THE R.R.I.A.’ all over the place. Since government officials had already shut down the weapon and ammunition factories, people were building ammunition of their own especially if it's makeshift. The astonishing sights to how lively Kapuskasing would become surprised Matt, yet the distraction didn’t linger for too long as he continued to walk his way to Larabie’s.

The following moments remained the same for Matt as he found himself wandering by Circle Street. After hearing what seemed to be an uproar of laughter and chanting, it drew his attention shortly as he gazed over to the left at what was happening from the sidewalk. A large crowd of the locals were beating up and torturing two men who were caught trying to take medical supplies from the Shoppers Drug Mart for themselves. Men from outside the fence as they were being stripped of their loot and belongings like a flock of vultures feasting on a dead animal. As upper clothing was ripped and tossed into the open air, the two men would be beaten and shot to death brutally as the crowd cheered and laughed as they carried them away.

As shocked Matt was by what he saw, the crowd’s eyes were of red irises. Fueled by aggression and bloodlust as the corpses they carried were paraded to the burning body piles. While Matt stood on the sidewalk with them on the road, all he could hear, the Zipsovanyy, was their cheers. “FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FREE-DOM! FUCK YOU, AMERICA! FUCK YOU, AMERICA! FUCK YOU, AMERICA! FUCK YOU, AMERICA! FUCK YOU, AMERICA! FUCK YOU, AMERICA! FUCK YOU, AMERICA! FUCK YOU, AMERICA!” They screamed as fists were thrown up in rhythm while the populace still brought their wild demeanor around Kapuskasing.

Time was slowly running out for Matt the moment he saw the rising chaos. As the crowd continued to leave, he managed to walk his way out of Circle Street before he could wander up to Larabie’s. Heading up on Cain Avenue, then a right on Sheppard Street, and finally a left and up on Brunetville Road, it took him more than what felt like a 15 or 30 minute walk to reach his destination on his right. The Larabie’s Independent grocery store was left completely unattended at its early closing time, due to the uproaring crowd going off in the town. As ransacked as always, not everything was completely gone in comparison to the Walmart, as it seems there were some people willing to take care of the store. Given the foundation looking dilapidated and overgrown like other untreated buildings, it still held up enough to last for a couple more years, but never on the verge of collapse.

With the place obviously being closed, it didn’t stop Matt to find an alternative entry as most of the windows were completely shattered from the ransacking. Unfortunately for him, he had to use the butt stock of his Classic to remove the broken glass on one of the frames for entry purposes. Climbing inside from the front entrance, the outdoor lighting revealed the front interior of the store as all Matt could see clearly were the cash registers and the front half of the aisles. Everything down the store was mainly darkness as the lighting could barely reveal what was there. Any rooms and corridors further into the store were completely pitch black, and the chances for loot in those places would be pointless.

Having the entire store all to himself, Matt grabs two of the store’s baskets as he immediately went for any canned goods he could see. Anything he deemed as non-perishables on the shelves. Water, alcohol, soda, chips, candy, resources coming from claimed airdrops as they last a week. By the moment he steps out with his needs, all Zipsovanyy eyes will be on him. Unfortunately, Matt found six canned goods (three chili with beans and three beef ravioli), four bottles of purified drinking water, two bags of chips, two bags of candy, four cans of soda, and one bottle of gin.

With the Classic still hanging onto the left side of his back by its sling, Matt lifted the two grocery baskets of food and began to leave through the same window. The streets around him were beginning to clear up of Zipsovanyy, yet those who were still around didn't seem to take notice of him. This would lead Matt to take advantage of the moment as he got himself moving. Speed walking to his right along Brunetville Road where most of the premises stayed in the clear for a few miles, at least up until the next couple of buildings ahead where things began to take a turn.

With Matt carrying two baskets from a closed store among the presence of the Zipsovanyy, it would be a dead giveaway that he was from the outside of Kapuskasing, and the signs would make it obvious given the presence he shows. As he makes it to the buildings, Matt turns right on Ontario Street and heads straight down until he makes a left on Brock Crescent. Speed Walking past any nearby Zipsovanyy he saw within the neighborhood of crumbling homes, he turned right before going straight down to the left on Citi des Jeunes Boulevard, where it was a straight away and a turn to the left.

The next thing to do was to turn right, go straight, and take a right straight down on Brunelle Road N as Matt manages to proceed in the following directions. Just as he got to the last route after the short straight away, a pickup truck cruised by him filled with Zipsovanyy having a party involving alcohol, laughing away as those sitting in the back didn’t seem to get a glance at Matt. This immediately gave him a jolt of anxiety as he shook up from the scare he received, yet he continued moving down until he made it to Ontario 11, regardless of how long it was taking to make it there.

With the highway in the clear as the afternoon begins settling in, Matt jogged his way back to the hole in the fence covered by the nature surrounding it. At first sight, this brought him to go through it with the baskets of food as he seals up the hole with the wiring he has. Strapping it around the loops of the fence tightly due to what he had seen, yet it gave him enough confidence to sort his food situation along the fence as it involved two baskets, two water bottles of 4 liters, and a plastic bag. Resulting in the plastic bag being in one basket, and the two water bottles of 4 liters in the other. All it took was a moment for Matt to settle down, until he grabbed his baskets and walked his way back home.

The journey on foot to the cottage was an everyday experience, yet lucky for Matt he didn’t have to deal with anything else outside of Kapuskasing. Treading through his surrounding area covered in a light amount of snowfall, he makes his way back home through backtracking and memory, which lead him up the familiar hillside once again before knocking at the front door with his left elbow. The sight of the happy looking Liesel opening the door rained relief and joy down on Matt, as he chuckled like he was visiting the new home owned by a close friend of his.

Wandering in the clean and tidied up cottage thanks to all the accomplished chores, Matt lays out all the groceries at the counter while Liesel would clean and wipe down all the goods. A decision made to prevent any diseases or infection getting to them out of nowhere, yet a technique that still works for them. With the two of them putting away the groceries in their respective cabinets and drawers, the couple would sit back on the living room couch and let out a long exhausting sigh of relief. Coming to the relaxation they deserved after the amount of responsibilities they’ve fulfilled.

“.......Oh shit, the letter.” Matt said as he started to recall something he left on the kitchen table.

Despite the moment of rest as the two sat side by side together, Matt remembered the letter he received from the Marine Corps, leading him to get up and go to the kitchen table where he left it. Coming back to the couch as Liesel would soon cuddle with him on it for a bit, Matt opens the envelope to read what the letter had said, except it didn’t take long for him to fully understand what it was about. A real choice mission was offered to him out of the blue, which left him stunned by the revelation at first sight.

Dear Mr. Simmons,

It has come to our attention that we request for your return in the Marine Corps. Under recent updates on Operation King’s Mist, we must now reach out to you. Last year on December 21st, 2036, we discovered a possibility for curing Viina Tvarin entirely. The Central Intelligence Agency has been carrying this information as classified, presuming it to be a myth. Then they intercepted a Ukrainian letter that was being sent to Canada under your address.

We find Operation King’s Mist to be suitable for you to participate in, given your affiliations with the sender. This request is not optional, and we will be picking you up from your residence on January 10th, 2037 at 09:00 hours in the morning. We will continue the subject of Operation King’s Mist in a meeting room at our Marine Corps base in Oahu, Hawaii on September 3rd, 2037 at 11:00 hours in the morning, given our understanding that you’ll need time to get used to being back. Expect United States Army personnel in our meeting. We’ll see you soon.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Sincerely,

W.A. Harp

2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps

Commanding Officer

The couple overviewing the letter fell into silence as neither of them couldn’t say a word about it. As shocked as they were on the couch, Liesel shed a tear on her left eye to the thought of her husband coming back into the Marines. An uncertain future for her husband, as well as an unpredictable fate where he either comes home safely or dies in combat is a fifty-fifty chance. Despite the cold truth that lies upon him, Matt hugged her on the couch as she too does the same thing to him.

The long week went by since that very day, and Matt was packing up what he needed for returning to base. With toiletries and clothes he needed to wear from his closet, he placed them into his duffel bag before taking a look back at his gun cabinet. Despite having signed the paperwork that legalizes the use of civilian firearms in the United States Military, due to the gun restrictions that ceased operations of ammunition and weapon factories, Matt went back to overview on what he wanted to bring with him even if it meant bringing a handgun and two melee weapons.

The first three handguns and one melee he looked at in the cabinet were his Beretta M9, his Heckler & Koch Mark 23 in Maritime Finish, his West German SIG Sauer P226, and his Smith & Wesson M9 Bayonet (SW3G). While his M9 is standard issue as a service pistol, they were usually beaten up and treated poorly in armories from multiple deployments. It may have a bitey slide, yet overall it’s an accurate and reliable sidearm that gets the job done. The sidearm was supposed to be replaced by the SIG Sauer M17 and M18, yet the Decade Anarchy and gun restrictions were what kept it mainly in service, given the delays the M17 and M18 pulled through for ten years.

Despite the criticisms on the size and weight of the Mark 23, it wasn’t so much to be deemed unusable or unwieldy. After all, the United States Special Operations Command did ask for an Offensive Handgun, and they got what they asked for. The only difference in comparison with the military version under the USSOCOM designation was its barrel handling Plus P ammunition, and the civilian version handles the same rounds just fine. While Mark 23s are fitted with a KAC Suppressor and an Insight Technology Laser Aiming Module, Matt’s Mark 23 didn’t have any of those two as it was a gift from his mentor who used it primarily.

The West German SIG Sauer P226 was the pistol that started it all for Matt in terms of reliability and accuracy fit for the palm of his hands. It was a shame that the M9 was chosen as the service pistol over it, but at least it saw use with the Navy SEALs and DEVGRU as the 'Mark 25'. Unlike the handgun that the SEALs and DEVGRU adopted, the West German lacked a picatinny rail mount on the underside of the frame considering its civilian use rather than military. Not only did it become the first pistol Matt bought and carried, but also purchased it from his mentor who was passing it down to him.

As useful the M9 Bayonet was to him, it became a recognizable melee weapon to his eyes as both a multipurpose knife and bayonet. A 7 inch. blade and a 5 inch. handle, totaling its whole size by 12 inches. While the Marine Corps were using the OKC-3S bayonet, the rest of the United States Armed Forces continued using the M9 Bayonet. And it’s no surprise that as soon as the branches of the United States Armed Forces shared their armories, the Marines were receiving M9 Bayonets in the process.

The firearms he observed were fully loaded with a round in the chamber, yet the safety was left on to prevent any of them from unintentional discharge. Given the overall history with the Mark 23 and P226 that he did not want to waste, he only took his Beretta M9 and the M9 Bayonet off from the cabinet as they were weapons he could sacrifice without having to worry about historical value. After dealing with his selected choices from the gun cabinet, he moved onto his desk as there was one more firearm and a modified melee weapon to choose as well. Both of them being his first owned weapons as they were the Kimber Stainless Pro Raptor II and the red DMM Rebel Ice Axe.

As M1911s go, Matt admired the Kimber Stainless Pro Raptor II for the quality that was brought upon it, featuring the aggressive slide and frame serrations, the feathered logo grips, and the special scaled texturing accents. With a unique design, everything about it to him is pure Kimber, and it was the first firearm he bought independently. Despite buying the Kimber, he had to hide it from the public throughout the years ahead as it became uncertified for sale in the State he lived in.

The red DMM Rebel Ice Axe was like a companion having his back. A wieldy tool that can do two things, fighting and climbing, and the simple modifications he made for it improved the fighting part. A simple trigger mechanism where one pull can release or retract an inner Shinogi Zukuri like blade, covering all the serrations and preventing the tool from getting stuck easily in one jab. While Matt’s findings of the climbing tool were out of surprise, he held onto it for years believing it was for him. It is a tool he could wield with ease, and he’d never let go of it. With Matt having already selected his handgun of choice, he took the red DMM Rebel Ice Axe instead prior to his companionship with it.

With all his stuff sorted out in the duffel bag, Matt would have himself set in the same casuals he’d wear as usual, before heading out with the bag on his back. Liesel would give him one last hug and a kiss as a goodbye, meaning to her that this could be the last time she’d ever see him again. As subtle tears were shared in between them at the entrance to the cottage, the two would let go from the hug as Matt heads out through the front door, and down the hillside as the two exchange waves of goodbyes to each other.

Making it to the road ahead was none other than a familiar red 1990 Jeep Cherokee, whereas the driver behind the wheel was 2nd. Lieutenant Wyatt Alan Harp. Sitting next to him was Sergeant Eric Peterson, whose presence shows that he’s there to assist Wyatt himself. Despite the small reunion and the exchange of greetings, the men needed to get a move on in order to discuss the operation. As Matt places his duffel bag in the Cherokee’s trunk, he then enters the backseat of the vehicle before it drives off. Heading to the nearest available airport that can take them to Hawaii.

. . .

(Journal Entry by Matt Simmons.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Oahu, Hawaii.

September 3, 2037, 11:03 AM (1103 Hours))

“Marine Corps Base Hawaii was our main hub of sheltering military equipment and personnel. We’d have training facilities left and right in our preparation for what’s next, and an R.R.I.A. weapons program near the shooting range that maintains our firearms. By the time I arrived and went over my adjustment period, I never expected to be the one in charge of a retrieval mission. Since I had involvement with a Rachman, it made sense to them that I should be the one leading King’s Mist. I was the only one who could succeed this under the relationship between the Simmons and the Rachmans, which lasted for a long time. And if that were the case, then so be it.”

Matt wandered around the hallways of what was within the base, as he was making his way to the meeting room. With his service A uniform replacing the casuals he wore in Canada, he expected to see a table filled with Marines, except he’d only see Harp and himself as the only Marines in the room, while three other commissioned officers were from the United States Army. This signified how big Operation King’s Mist was going to be, and it was clear to Matt that it was going to be a gold mine.

“Sergeant Major Simmons reporting, sir.” Matt said to Harp as the two men were face to face. Sharing a salute to the 2nd. Lieutenant within the entrance of the meeting room.

“Sergeant Major. Good, come on in.” Harp replies with a firm smile on his face, as he soon leads Matt to the rest of the men in their seats.

“Thank you, sir.” Matt said in which he follows Harp from behind.

“Stand at ease.” Harp replies as a suggestion, given the high authority of the men in the room.

“Yeah.” Matt says as he stands at ease the moment he saw them. Following his hands behind his waist where he stood tall looking at everyone else in the room.

Harp went over to his own seat where he picked up a packet of Marlboro laying on the table. As he was about to smoke for a bit, he glanced back at Matt before he’d ask him a question.

“Want a smoke?” He says as he hands the pack over to Matt.

“No thank you, sir.” Matt says to Harp as honest as he could be.

Putting down the packet of Marlboro on the table, Harp begins making introductions to the U.S. Army personnel sitting down, which are followed by his hand gestures. Presenting Matt to the three uniformed men in the room where he starts off with a question.

“Sergeant Major, have you ever seen these gentlemen before?” He says as he points over to the three commissioned officers.

One wore his service uniform while having short gray hair and a scar over his left eye from lower forehead to across the chin, though his eye and mouth seems to be left unharmed. Despite being in his late sixties, this was followed by his maroon military beret, which rests on the table.

Another was wearing his uniform, but had G.I. Glasses, faded blonde spiked hair, and a stubble. A seemingly young figure going through his forties in comparison with the one who has a scar, yet has the presence of an informant valuing the details of Operation King’s Mist as he sat on the seat to the left of the old man while overviewing his notes together in a folder.

The third also wore his uniform, except he had brown short hair, a growing stubble, and slightly darkened eye bags as if he had gone through a rough morning. A man somewhere in his thirties, yet he seems he’ll be able to pull through the following day. As exhausted as he was, he sat next to the old man on his right while ready to pass down whatever word he’d say about the mission.

“Yes sir. One of them.” Matt says, given the familiarity and recognition of the one in the red military beret, who he had met long before Viina Tvarin.

“Met General William Robertson, Major Jimmie Witherspoon, First Lieutenant Joe Luger, or myself?” Harp continued, wanting to be sure that Matt was being completely honest.

“Yes sir. With you and General Robertson. Personal.” He says under the case of having spoken to or met Harp and the General before.

“You’ve worked a lot on your own. Haven’t you, Sergeant Major?” Harp questions as he goes to his own seat to overview some files that rest on it. Later to flip through the sections which were about Matt himself.

“No sir. Not all the time.” Matt replies as he was aware of the assistance he had throughout his years of service.

“Your report specifies an escort with the 5th Marine Regiment.” Harp says as he overviews Matt’s activity in the Marine Corps.

“I’m not presently disposed to discuss Operation Green Dusk, sir.” Matt says as firmly as he can, knowing the fact he still has to keep that escort mission confidential to himself.

Harp closes up the files on Matt as he seems unsatisfied from the given answers. After doing so, he lights a Marlboro cigarette up with his Zippo lighter as he begins to smoke in the room, with the files held up by his right elbow while underneath his armpit. Wandering around and passing by Matt in front of him, he exhales a stream of smoke before opening the files again. Standing at Matt’s right side before he overviews what he has done so far.

“Were you not stationed in Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan from August 2011 to July 2012?” Harp questions as he flips through sections of Matt’s service.

“Yes sir. I was.” Matt says as honest as he could be.

“Did you not escort a Ukrainian scientist in the Helmand Province, February 14, 2012?” Harp continued before glancing back at Matt. Waiting for a response from him until he’d take notice of his bit of silence. In a means of breaking the quietness, Harp spoke again.

“Sergeant Major?” Harp says as a means of getting Matt’s attention.

Having blanked out for a short amount of time, Harp’s words would soon echo into Matt’s mind as he looked over before shaking his head a bit. A method to keep himself in check before he would answer his question.

“Sir, I am aware of such activity or operation given my participation in it. However, I wouldn’t be disposed to discuss such an operation regardless if it did or didn’t in fact exist, sir.” Matt said as he remained honest, in which he barely left Camp Dwyer and only had one operation outside of it.

General Robertson remained intrigued by Matt’s responses as he subtly touches his own facial hair in the shape of a pointy chin. As he stands up with his hands behind his back, he wanders to Matt before making sign languages as his way of talking. With First Lieutenant Luger realizing this, he also gets up before overviewing the General’s words before going straight to the point towards Matt.

“He says we should have a bit of lunch.” Luger said to Matt as he looked back at him.

“Fine by me, sir.” Matt says to Robertson out of his own politeness.

The five men would have their lunch being served on a cart as Harp had to be the one to move it in. The dish was a simple meal of rice and steak with shot glasses of gin as the beverage, followed by the bottle and the ice bucket from the cart. With Matt getting a plate and a fork as he sees Harp cutting up the two slices of steak with a kitchen knife, he takes five of the slices from one steak and two scoops of the rice for himself. This was later followed by him placing down the plate at his side of the meeting table while also getting himself a shot glass, some ice, and filling it up with the bottle of gin.

As chattering was exchanged between the men, Harp had new files held up by his left elbow, which came from his leave to get the men their lunch. Despite having unnoticed this, it turned out to be a dossier for Matt to overview as Harp would pass it down to him after placing his meal down on the meeting table.

“Sergeant Major, have you heard of Viina Tvarin?” Harp asked as the dossier was given to Matt.

“........Yes sir, I know what it is.” Matt responds as he had to take in a moment of thought over what he was looking at. Mostly due to the unfamiliarity of the dossier as he hadn’t seen or overviewed it before.

“Jesus…. Initial outbreak in Kharkiv, Ukraine? Developed by the administrators of Aleksey Laboratories?” Harp said as he continued on for a moment.

As Matt flips through the dossier to understand the priorities of Operation King’s Mist, Witherspoon would look up at Harp as he comes to the realization there was one more thing to give him.

“Harp, would you pass down that letter for the Sergeant Major, please? And would you kindly be careful with it?” Witherspoon says as he adjusts his glasses.

“Yes sir. My apologies.” Harp responds as he addresses Witherspoon's request. Taking out the envelope of the letter before passing it down to Matt, in which he slides it down subtly on the meeting table while standing next to him.

The letter subtly bewilders Matt as it was supposed to be directly sent to him. While it was all folded nice and neat following proper information, it was mostly outdated due to the passage of time as this letter had either been withheld or sent at a very wrong time. The back of it seemed to be originally wax sealed, following the red Ukrainian Coat of Arms symbol. Since the letter was intercepted by the C.I.A., it was opened up by them to gather any significant information, before it was translated and sent to the Marine Corps Base Hawaii for King’s Mist. Resealed with nothing special but scotch tape for the easy access of the letter. As Matt begins opening it up, he begins to start reading through it as Harp points something out.

“This was written all the way from Ukraine. It’s been verified as Ivanov Rachman’s handwriting.” Harp says as he watches Matt read through the letter, given the information it holds for him as it’s all translated out into English.

Dear Simmons,

The situation in Ukraine is becoming widespread, and we need your help more than ever. Following recent news and statistics, the virus has affected the rest of the globe and continues to put Ukraine in an unrecoverable state. We expect this epidemic to last for years or less if we’re lucky, and the development of a cure for it is underway.

Unfortunately, we can’t mass produce it without your help, so we ask for you and your brother’s assistance at Aleksey Laboratories in Kharkiv. We’ll show you both how everything works before we get to business. Once our job is done, we’ll commence a meeting at the Pidhirtsi Castle with the Sanguszko family assessing the cure has been made. The probability of making it will be high, and I believe this task can be done with all of us together. We’ll see you upon arrival.

From, The Rachmans.

Matt found himself reading through all of this in his head, leaving him to place the letter down on the table. As quiet as he was, he wanted to hear what everyone else had to say as he quietly waited for a response from any of the gentlemen in the room. With Robertson using sign language to communicate with Matt, Luger had to translate it for him.

“He says the Viina Tvarin Virus is considered to be one of the worst bioweapons Aleksey Laboratories has ever produced. It was brutal, it was torture, and it gave Hell to the entire research facility. Nobody knew of its existence since 1919 aside from international organizations like the United Nations. Then the Russian Federation Army and Federal Security Service raided it, due to relayed information from a private military company. And after that, Viina Tvarin broke out and did… its purpose.” Luger says as detailed as he could for the General. Sighing to the words of what he wanted to say to Matt as he was left with disbelief.

“Now we’ve been getting weather reports that it’s migrating West from Europe, and will enter the East Coast of the United States. We can’t say how severe it is, or when it will pass through.” Harp adds onto the General’s words as all he could do was just gulp to the dire situation North America is in.

“However, there’s also more unsurprising news to tell you as you’re probably well aware of it. We need the cure.” Witherspoon says while adding to the words of Harp, in which his tone in voice addresses that this is an operation needed to be done under a deadline.

As straightforward the officers became, Matt shook his head for a bit while trying to understand if there was else other than the cure. A question that personally riddles his mind as he was aware that it doesn’t just take one thing to save everyone. He knew that multiple steps had to be taken, and he wanted to ask about that. Taking in a moment of silence to think of the right words to say, he goes ahead and speaks to Witherspoon.

“I don’t follow sir. Anything else?” Matt asks as he wonders what else they need other than the cure. Following him flipping through the dossier to figure it out himself.

“We also need the virus and significant information that can explain why it was made. Same for the cure, except we need to know how it works. That way it can be mass produced the right way without any greater issues.” Harp answers to Matt in which the following was everything for him to retrieve from the facility.

Robertson sign languages to Matt in which he seems to be going well in depth with the whole operation. To Luger’s surprise, he couldn’t believe he had to tell every single bit of it in which he couldn’t do so word for word. As best as Luger could put it after Robertson finishes up, he looks back at Matt before telling him what he said.

“Uhhhh he says in these end times, things can get twisted out there. Order, strategies, motivations, and the necessities to get the job done. But out there with that virus, it must be a temptation to win an endless war. Because there’s a firestarter in every conflict, between politics, between opposing sides, neither always triumph. Sometimes the wait starts what Robertson would call an ulterior motive. Everything has a reason. We all have one. While the Viina Tvarin Virus has its own, it’s very obvious it has gone too far.” Luger says as it was the best he could explain the given situation. Leaving him to continue sitting on his seat thinking about what Robertson had told.

Silence filled the meeting room as the men awaited Matt’s response. The quietness surrounded the perimeter they were in as it continued for about a minute or less, leaving the muffled sounds of military personnel outside filling the room for a bit. After a single sound of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter’s rotors flew by above them, Matt figured out what to say next.

“Yes sir. Very much so sir. Obviously too far.” Matt said as he didn’t want to disagree with the General, even if he couldn’t follow through with what he told him.

As the agreement to Robertson’s words had been made, Harp hand signaled Matt to flip the pages on the Viina Tvarin dossier, which contained what he needed to know in order to accomplish the operation. With a gasp and a moment of words to tell Matt, he told him the gist of what he needed to do.

“Your mission is to proceed up to Ukraine in a Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. Along with a squad of seven Non-Commissioned Officers including yourself.” He said to Matt before letting out a simple cough as he continued on.

“Skydive off the aircraft with everyone else and land in Kyiv. Regroup, learn what you can across Ukraine. When you happen to arrive at Kharkiv since it’s the location of Aleksey Laboratories, find and enter the facility by whatever means available, and retrieve everything you can from the Rachmans’ lab before extraction.” He continued in which was the gist of what Matt needed to do.

Matt remained puzzled for a few moments as the letter mentioned his brother, except he never had any siblings. Blinking to the idea of bringing a squad less than thirteen Marines, it came up into his head in which he would mention about.

“What about my ‘brother’? Cause I don’t have any siblings of my own.” He says as he addresses it to Harp.

“We believe the sender meant a ‘brother in arms’, which you do have. Even if you were to have an actual sibling, they would be going through something else instead. And besides, two people won’t be enough to finish the job, but we aren’t going to risk any greater casualties.” Harp said informally as it was the best answer he could give to Matt.

Something within Matt wanted to bring him to ask what the mission had to do with him, yet it was already clear enough. Given Ivanov’s letter being directly sent to him, it showed how much the Simmons and the Rachmans knew each other, and maybe more so than Matt initially presumed. With him leading a squad instead of those within the meeting room, it’ll have to be his problem if they don’t know the situation, yet that’ll have to be something to concern about for later. Thinking back shortly on retrieving everything from the Rachmans’ lab, he wanted to know if Harp meant literally or just what they said.

“Everything from the lab?” Matt asked as he looked back at Harp, trying to be sure on what exactly to get.

Robertson would let out a sigh as he’d sign language to Matt, knowing the desperation brought upon North America as politics were all that keeps the continent from falling apart. With Luger looking back at the General, he glances back at Matt knowing what to say to him.

“He says the virus is still out there spreading without any form of restraint. Totally beyond the pale of any method of quarantine. And we’re all still carrying the dormant strains of Viina Tvarin until our form of aggression ignites.” He said in regards to the reality of the situation.

“We’re not ready to die, but it’s getting bad.” Witherspoon says as he found himself listening through the entire meeting.

“You understand Simmons, that this operation determines our future, as well as our fate.” Harp says to Matt as a conclusion to the meeting.

With everything all wrapped up, Robertson takes out a box of Marlboro cigarettes and a Zippo lighter from his Army service jacket. He shared everyone within the room one cigarette from the box and lit up the white end of each one the moment they’d have it in their mouths. As Matt’s cigarette gets lit up, he exhales a stream of smoke while holding onto the cigarette with two of his fingers. Looking around at everyone as the five calmly smokes away for what's to come next.