Two figures braved the night winds on a certain helipad on the rooftop of one of New York's most prestigious buildings. The older of the two was an African-American in his mid-forties, decked out in full uniform. Several medals from his participation in the "War of Six Months" decorated his pocket. Dark brown eyes scowled at the night sky as he patiently awaited his charges. He spared a glance at the lieutenant by his side.

First Lieutenant Hailey Watson was as beautiful as she was cold. Perfect dark brown hair was cut short, front bangs sharper than a razor's edge. Her uniform was just as perfect: Starched till it was almost solid to the touch, and a tight skirt that stopped just above her knees. Matching brown stockings ran down her thighs to a pair of heels. "Major Sean Hughes, I do believe this constitutes sexual harassment."

Major Hughes' attention snapped back up to meet the Lieutenant's eyes. He felt his blood freeze as Lt. Watson glared at him with those cold popsicles she called eyeballs. "Er... It's cold isn't it." Jesus, with the pressure this woman gave, he would be forgiven for forgetting he outranked her.

"The weather's optimal for June. You should see a doctor."

Major Hughes opened his mouth to say something but stopped when his radio scrambled.

"The Prodigal Son has returned. I repeat, the Prodigal Son has returned, Over."

Hughes smiled. "Copy that. Guide him home, over."

Twin lights appeared in horizon, then rapidly approached. A hovercraft flew into view, circled the tower, then paused at the helipad Hughes stood on.

The Major raised his arms to block onrushing drafts from blowing dust into his eyes as the craft descended. Its landing gear slid out their locks, then balanced on the rooftop. With a slow hum, the engines gently powered down, allowing Major Hughes and Lieutenant Watson to approach as the door swung open.

Private Dayle Butcher was the first to disembark. He sported a huge grin as he ran a finger along neatly combed dark-grey hair. Unlike the Major, he was casually dressed. "Mmm...New York. Good to be back."

"For you maybe," Specialist Nina Raines chided as she fell in line beside him. Long, night black hair indigenous of her Native heritage was tied up in a high ponytail. "Always hated this dump. Too crowded, the air's terrible-"

"-but it's still home right?" Private Arthur Yount offered as he too got off the craft. Brilliant white hair was securely tied to his back to prevent it from spilling into dark grey eyes. "At least you guys get to see your home. Don't know when next I'll visit England."

Blue eyes flashed as Dayle chuckled. "See Raines, Art agrees with me. Why you gotta rain all over New York."

The glare she shot revealed her thoughts on the overplayed pun.

*cough*

"Oops, my bad," Dayle acknowledged with a sharp salute. "Private Dayle Butcher of Blitz reporting for duty." Arthur and Raines mirrored the salute offering their respective titles and greetings.

Major Hughes returned the salute. "I'm not speaking to Blitz of the army... but Blitz of Intelligence. Welcome to New York, Special Agents Butcher, Raines and Yount." Hughes shook each members hand firmly as he called out their names. "To my right is Lieutenant Hailey Watson. She will be your handler for this mission."

Dayle's eyes widened, a lecherous smile spreading across his face as he gave her a quick once-over. "Ah, It's a pleasure," he greeted, extending his hand. "I'm-"

"I know who you are Agent Butcher," Lt. Watson rebuked with a tone that sent shivers down Dayle's spine. "Your file extensively reports your condescending attitude towards women, and your penchant for risking the mission for yet another 'conquest' as you once put it." Her hand clamped his in a vice-grip. "I will be frank, agent. I hate you."

Dayle's cocky smirk did not falter. "To be fair, that report on my attitude against women was written by this H.R I refused to sleep with. You'll find no bigger supporter for women rights than me right here."

"Yeah," Raines snorted. "The right to sleep with you."

"Exactly," Dayle seconded with a grin. "See, even Raines agrees with me. And she's a woman too... sort of." He received a rap to the back of his head for his effort.

"And the conquest?" Lt Watson questioned, tone level.

"Okay. That part's kinda, sorta true," Dayle admitted sheepishly.

Lt Watson shot him a glare as she released his hand. "I sleep with a gun."

Dayle smirked. "That an invitation to your bedroom?"

"Dayle?" Arthur called, almost reluctantly.

"Yeah Art?" Dayle answered, gaze never leaving the lieutenant's.

"What did we agree about our superiors?"

"I outrank her Art."

"She's our handler. She outranks us all on this mission."

Dayle groaned inwardly. He shot a glance at Major Hughes, who simply shrugged. "Fine. No flirting with superior officers."

"Was that supposed to be flirting?" Lt. Watson sneered as she sharply spun around. "Frankly, I've seen drunken college boys with more class. Now, follow," Watson ordered as she walked over to the elevator. "We have wasted enough time on this rooftop."

"Mmm, nothing like that New York hospitality," Dayle joked. He grabbed a backpack from the hovercraft and slung it over his shoulder. He winked at Major Hughes. "Wouldn't you agree?" He jogged after Watson, not wanting to lose sight of her cute... er face, yeah face.

Raines shook her head as she followed. "God I hate this city."

Dayle spun around to face her. "Hey don't rain on my parade okay. I intend to enj-" The young man spun around and ran to the elevator, laughing as Raines chased after him.

Major Hughes glanced at the supposed 'best agents' in the world. "Looks like you've got your hand full with those to," he said to Arthur.

The young man shrugged. "You get used to it. Besides," he smiled at Hughes. "Now we've both got our hands full."

Major Hughes blinked back his surprise. Unlike Dayle's rugged handsomeness, this boy's smile was so warm, it definitely could not be reconciled with someone who had killed before. He coughed to hide his momentary discomfort.

"Don't worry Major," Arthur soothed. "I'm told I have that effect on people. It's supposedly part of my 'skill set.'" With a polite nod, he too made his way to the elevator to prevent Raines from choking Dayle to death.

Major Sean Hughes rubbed his face. He really should have taken that vacation when it was offered. Dealing with Dayle was one thing, but it seemed both Yount and Raines would be a handful. Well, on the bright side he wasn't in a stuffy conference room debating how best to commit genocide. With a resignatory shrug of the shoulders, he joined the rest in the elevator.

The elevator rode down one floor then stopped. Lt Watson inputted a code on a holographic panel that appeared on the doors. Next, she fed her biometrics in the form of a handprint and eye scan. Satisfied, the doors slid open to reveal a massive penthouse.

Dayle Butcher ran in and tossed his bag onto a sofa as he spun around taking in the glamor. "I made it mom! You hear that dad? Your son finally did it!"

A white L-shaped leather sofa sat in front of an artificial fireplace which housed a huge TV hewn into the wall some feet above. His reflection grinned back up at him from the beautiful brown marble floors. Left of the entrance was a staircase which he nimbly took two at a time. At the top was a furnished mini balcony that over looked the living room. The door on the left wall led to a passage way with a number of doors which housed what he guessed to be their rooms. Dayle jogged down, then went to the opposite wall. He rapped it twice, grinning as the display changed to the view outside. Doors placed on the walls opened up to a balcony. A quick glance revealed no buildings of similar altitude nearby for at least a mile.

Dayle walked past the party who had sat down on the sofa to a bar left of the entrance. He raised a glass, but everybody declined. Shrugging, he poured himself a glass of overpriced wine then plopped between Raines and Arthur with a contented sigh.

Lt. Watson-who stood by the fireplace-shot him a skeptical glare. "Finished with your inspection?"

"You noticed?" Dayle replied sheepishly.

"Your assessment?"

Dayle took a sip of the drink. He smacked his lips, impressed by the taste. "I could get used to this." He set the glass on a similarly glass table, then reclined on the sofa. "Elevator's security's good, but could be better. Voice authentication and full body scan recommended, but not absolutely necessary. Only major point of entry being the elevator is great for security. But it can quickly turn this dream home into a prison. How'd you swing that anyway? Doesn't that break a fire law or something?"

"It breaks many," Lt. Watson confirmed. She swiped something on a device she held. Blue light shot out from a sensor on the TV, projecting a 3-D image of the penthouse. "However, this room was designed to be a black box. A couple broken fire codes are within expectations."

Dayle jerked a hand towards the wall. "Pretty solid. Reinforced by the looks of it. Could withstand a missile or two. You were even kind enough to keep the view. I assume it's one-way?"

"Yes," Lt. Watson confirmed. "We incorporated the latest plating technology. You can switch between a natural view, a concrete wall or any scenery you wish. Cameras situated at the exteriors steadily feed information so the view is as natural as possible."

"That leaves the balcony as the largest security threat," Dayle surmised. "No buildings of similar height within a mile so that rules out snipers and grapple lines. Only way in is if they pull a Tom Cruise or come in from the air."

"Each plate is lined with pressure sensors," Lt. Watson assured. "If someone tries to climb up the side, they will receive a substantial shock for their trouble."

"And the air?"

"For now, that remains the most vulnerable location. We have anti-air radars set up, but cloaking technology is steadily advancing. So we have physical pairs of eyes watching the skies at all times."

"Anything else we should know?"

"There's a door beneath the staircase. It leads one floor below. You'll find a fully stocked gym and Olympic sized swimming pool. Of course, the temperature can be regulated to suit your preference."

Dayle raised a brow. "That's a little much isn't it?"

Lt. Watson shook her head. "This black box's purpose is to house foreign dignitaries and highly volatile personnel during their stay in New York. As such it is designed to provide maximum comfort for its occupants for the duration of their stay. Especially as it is not expected they will leave the building much."

"Then why are we here?" Raines asked, brows furrowed. "Any plain old military base would do fine wouldn't it?"

"No, sadly it won't," Col. Hughes regretfully revealed. "We have reason to believe our personnel have been compromised."

"By who? Russia? We're all on the same side aren't we?"

Col. Hughes shook his head. "This alliance is only temporary. But, no it's not the Russians. We believe it to be the work of one man."

Dayle looked doubtful. "One man? Come on, nobody has so much power intelligence gets this spooked."

"A few months ago I would have agreed with you. But recent events have taught me otherwise."

"Well come on then," Raines impatiently urged. "Who's this mystery man?"

Lt. Watson pulled up an image of a smiling blond Japanese man. "His name's James Shouyou. Aged twenty-eight. Extremely intelligent. Recorded an IQ score of 230 at the age of twelve. Given that was the maximum score available at the time, we still do not know the full extent of his IQ. He was adopted by Jediah Kaguya Minako, C.E.O of Genaco Corporations at the age of fifteen and immediately granted administrative control. He single-handedly turned a successful empire into a domineering global dynasty."

"So he's a perfect businessman," Dayle observed, eyes narrowed. "Why's he important to us?"

"Recent Intel suggests he played a major role in the discovery of the Nesla coils. At the very least he's one of the two people in the world who truly understands how they work."

Dayle momentarily closed his eyes in thought. "What of Minako. What do we have on him?"

An image of an old Japanese man appeared beside James'. Grey streaks lined either end of a crop of short black hair. Full beards with grey highlights added a bit of youth to a pair of wizened eyes. For an old man he was impressively fit, with a body wrestlers would ogle for days.

"Jediah Kaguya Minako," Lt. Watson started. "Aged sixty-seven. Currently has two sons and five grandchildren. Aside from a recent stint with the UN over the building of his commercial and residential space station, he's clean. There are a few rumors linking him to the structure in Nigeria, but we do not have enough to confirm."

Dayle returned his attention to the younger businessman. "So, Shouyou. How's he related to our mission."

Major Hughes answered, "He issued it."

"What!?" Dayle and Raines exclaimed in unison.

"Jinx," Arthur silently snickered.

"What you're about to watch is classified on the highest level," Lt. Watson warned as she switched on the TV. James Shouyou cheerfully smiled at his audience from within the screen.

"Hello, Hello, all you stuffy government people... oh and the agents they will surely show this to. You all know who I am. After all, you were probably planning how to assassinate me right before you received this video. But don't worry, no hard feelings or anything. I understand where you're coming from after all. In fact, to prove it I'm about to give you all a reward for trying so hard to kill me. What is it you ask? Oh, are you getting impatient? Stop tapping your feet, President Pagora, its unbecoming of you.

Ah, yes where was I? Oh yeah, like I was saying, I'm giving a present to the rest of the world because I'm charitable like that. You all want to know the location of the Nesla Coils primary manufacturing base, and the scientist responsible for it right? Well, I've hidden answers to both in the game world of United Front. Not only that, but the actual schematics of the Nesla coils and the process required to make them are now available in that universe. If you can find it of course. Oh, one more thing. To make sure you participate, I have uploaded the schematics for some of your latest 'secret' projects, and some sensitive classified documents to the game universe. If you can find them first, you can delete them, or risk another country getting some dirty intel on you.

Do not worry, these documents have all been locked such that only those participating in this event gets them. By that I mean no civilian or terrorist organization will get their hands on any of your dirty laundry so you can rest easy. These documents will be available starting from the 23rd of June. I suggest you start as soon as possible so you are at a level where you can obtain these heavily guarded secrets. Oh, and one last thing... Lighten up, and enjoy the game will ya? All them wrinkles don't look good on you lot."

The room fell silent as the video reached its end.

Dayle stared at the screen in disbelief. "Yo Raines, you just watched that right? I wasn't seeing things?"

"He's insane," Raines muttered. "He just challenged the entire world."

"Doesn't that just mean he's that confident?" Arthur pointed out, brow raised.

"Maybe he is, maybe he's just drunk on power," Lt Watson debated. "However that's of no importance. He sent files containing highly classified information to each country to confirm his claim. Even if the coils are fake, the stolen Intel is real. We need you to find, identify and retrieve all stolen Intel."

"It's a big world from what my brother's told me," Raines said. "Any way to refine the search?"

"Yes actually," Lt. Watson confirmed. "He gave us some keywords to work with. Said the rest should come to us in-game. They are: Individuality, Unity, Pegasus, Orion, and finally Destroyer in that exact order."

Dayle frowned. "That doesn't tell us much."

Lt. Watson shrugged. "It's all we have to work with at the moment. The rest you'll have to figure out on your own."

"What do we do if we stumble upon another country's intel?" Arthur asked.

"Officially, we return it to said country as show of alliance."

"Unofficially?"

"Sensitive files in a game world? Who knows who might have accessed what and what-not? Accidents can happen with such Intel."

Dayle grinned. "We hear you loud and clear."

Major Hughes shot off the couch, seemingly relieved. He snatched Dayle's glass off the table and downed the wine despite the younger man's protests. "Ah, now that is good wine." Hughes looked to the agents. "You guys are in good hands with First Lieutenant Watson. As for me, I have bigwigs and stuffy conference rooms to look forward to."

"Hey, Major," Dayle called as Hughes made his way to the door. "How about I take you out to town sometime eh? I've got some local contacts."

Major Hughes laughed. "Fine then, I'll look forward to it." With a short wave, he exited the penthouse via the elevator.

Dayle turned to Lt. Watson with a grin. "OW!" He cried out as Raines twisted his ear.

"What did we just agree on!?" Raines scolded.

"Fine, fine. No flirting with our superior... yeesh."

Lt. Watson's glared at him, eyes colder than ice "Oh, you can flirt all you want. As long as your inevitable depression does not affect the mission."

"Oh no," Arthur moaned, sinking into the sofa. "You shouldn't have said that."

"Challenge accepted," Dayle announced with a confident grin.

Even Raines looked like she had given up. She sent an apologetic pitying look at Lt. Watson. "Now he won't stop. Not until you sleep with him."

Lt. Watson snorted as she directed them upstairs to the room which held their virtual drives. Five Full-Drives stood vertically at the left corner, with a work station directly opposite the door. Several monitors lined the wall, their purpose to stream footage from the surveillance cameras. When needed though, they could be switched to monitor occupants of the Full Drives. The only other equipment in the room was a holo-projector at the center.

Dayle eyed the silent machines with wary excitement. "So this is where the fun begins..."

Lt Watson turned to him with disbelief. "You think you can just start playing? You won't last two seconds in there." She handed each of them a handheld device. "Your phones for the remainder of your stay. Inside you'll find a manual and strategy guides for this game. I suggest you familiarize yourself with them. You might not have time to learn from scratch once you start playing. The phones themselves are secure so you can place calls either to me or the Major. Our numbers are already in your contacts. Though I say it's secure, please show some restraint. It wouldn't do to use expensive government equipment to chat with an escort service." She glared pointedly at Dayle who raised his shoulders in mock disbelief.

"Oh don't worry," Dayle assured with a sly smirk. "You'll be the only one I spend my nights calling."

Raines groaned inwardly. "I'm off to take a shower. Show me to my room please? One more second, and I swear I'll blow this pervert's brains all over the floor."

"You might be doing women all over the world a favor with that one," Arthur remarked. He glanced apologetically at Dayle as he added, "Might even get a Nobel Peace prize or something."

Dayle's mouth opened in mock-shock. "Traitor," he spat.

Arthur shrugged. "You managed to annoy two women in a house of four." He patted Dayle's shoulder as he walked past. "I'm only choosing the winning side."

"That's my boy," Raines acknowledged with a triumphant grin at Dayle. She ruffled Arthur's hair as they left the room led by Lt. Watson.

Dayle watched the trio leave with a wry chuckle. He brushed a hand through his hair and glanced at the machines in which he would be spending a lot of time. Growing up, he had always been an 'outdoor' kid. While his mates were playing the latest games, he was running survival games in the woods. While they controlled virtual guns with their controller, he was learning how to disassemble then reassemble weapons in record time. For the first time in his life, Dayle Butcher was in a situation he wasn't entirely comfortable with. He couldn't say he relished the feeling.

Dayle took out the phone and inputted a set of numbers. Moments later his contact at the other end picked up. "Hey freak... Nah, nothing to report. Current mission most likely not linked to Trash... Leave it man, I apologized for that already... Anyway, I need you to dig as much dirt on United Front and its connection to a James Shouyou as soon as you can...Will contact in the future with more information." He cut the call, then moved over to the manual Lt. Watson had talked about. A quick glance revealed it was definitely not going to be light reading. Suppressing a groan, he marched to his room.

***

Following, Afternoon

June 4th, 2024.

Dressed in loose fitting slacks, Dayle warily stared at the machines in which he would spend most of his time, indefinitely. He rubbed his eyes, wincing as the motion shot slight pangs up to his brain.

"You okay?" Raines asked, concern in her voice. Dayle glanced at her. She was dressed similarly, but with a sports bra. "You look like shit. Spend the whole night jacking off?"

"Ugh, I wish," Dayle replied with a pained grin. "Took a crash course on gaming last night. Way too many things to remember. I thought all you needed was a pad and half a bottle of beer. Do you know they have MMO;: MMORPG, which are apparently diiferent from plain RPGs.. There's MOBAs and this game's VRMMORPG. And don't get me started on those stat skill bullshit... My brain feels like it's about to explode."

"Well, that's a nice change," Raines smirked. "Using your head as something other than a battering ram."

"Ooh, Raines. I swear if my head didn't hurt this much-"

"What'll you do?" she challenged.

"Guys," Arthur called as he entered the room. He sported an orange top on dark blue pants. Damp hair clung to his face from a recent tower. "No arguing today please. We're just about to start an important mission." Dayle glanced his way, mouth open to protest. "Lieutenant Watson's on her way." That seemed to do the trick.

Dayle instantly rejuvenated, a huge grin plastered on his face. "Should've led with that, Art."

"Uh, I'll remember that," Arthur said, brow raised.

"Can't believe I'm on the same team as this idiot," Raines moaned. "Must be karma from a past life or something.

Arthur cast an apologetic smile at her, then turned to the Full Drives. "This shouldn't be too hard. We've trained with virtual simulators."

"Virtual sims are easy," Dayle countered. "You have a mission plan, enemies are scouted and you execute. This thing has too many rules we're unfamiliar with."

"Oh? Are those pre-emptive excuses?" someone asked.

"No," Dayle refuted. "Just a logical observation."

"So you feel this mission is too difficult?"

"Well-"

"All bark and no bite as expected."

"Wait that voice." Dayle spun around, then groaned inwardly when he saw Lt. Watson at the doorway. "Lieutenant Watson... Watson. Can I call you Watson?"

"You may not," she bluntly refused.

A smile tugged corner of his lips. "People don't usually reject that. Does this mean you're trying hard not to fall fo-"

"Special Agents Raines and Yount?" Lt. Watson interrupted.

"Yes ma'am." They chorused.

"If you would please enter the Full Drives, I will explain some key factors."

Raines and Arthur both placed palms on the machine, then took a step back as they slid open.

"Shouyou was kind enough to leave a method of communication between agents and their handlers. Transmissions sent from our side will be directed to your gauntlets. Unfortunately the time lag is currently set at five times ours so replies from our end will 'feel' like a while before you receive them. There's nothing we can do about this, so you are given first choice on all mission choices. However if you come across any Intel pertaining to your mission, make sure you report before going along with it."

Raines and Arthur nodded as they stepped into their respective pods. The latches hissed as they slid shut.

Lt. Watson's voice continued through in built speakers. "You will all be spawned into a city called Kudan in Virdani. You will then regroup at The Patron. It is an establishment in which you can pick up missions, intel and most importantly, register yourselves as a fireteam. From there on, you will be on your own to pick out the best course of action that leads to completing the mission."

"What about friendlies?" Arthur asked. "Are there any American agents we should know about?"

Lt. Watson shook her head. "Every agency is going solo on this mission. We cannot risk exposure. Treat every person you meet as a potential enemy until proven otherwise."

Raines sucked in a breath as a visor lowered over her eyes. "Are we using our real names, or?"

"Your covers are still intact. As far as anyone is concerned, you're a couple of military brats taking a vacation. It is advised you use your real names. This will reduce your chances of developing Parallel."

Arthur and Raines nodded as their consciousness was sucked into the virtual world.

Satisfied, Lt. Watson made towards a nearby station where she would oversee their vitals and status. A hand on her shoulder stopped her advance. She turned to see Dayle glaring at her, eyes unusually serious. "Special Agent Butcher, you're still here?"

Dayle's glare relaxed somewhat, but he retained his grip on her shoulder. "It's Dayle. We'll talk about improving our personal relationship later. For now, I want you to answer one question."

"Yes?"

Dayle's eyes narrowed. "What is the real mission?"

Lt. Watson frowned. "What do you mean? Retrieve lost intel. That's the mission you were given."

Dayle's posture relaxed. "Seems even you don't know."

"What do you mean?"

He released her shoulder. "Had a friend look into this... United Front thing. Turns out it runs on ghost servers. No one really knows where the main server's located. Something smells fishy. I don't like starting a mission without complete Intel." Dayle shrugged, giving up at her blank stare. "Well, if you don't know anything I guess it's nothing serious."

Dayle made his way to the full-dive then entered. Just before the latch shut, he winked at her. "Remember, it's Dayle. Call me Dayle. Gotta work on our inter-office relations." The latch slid shut. So began the legend of one of the men who would stand on the forefront of history for years to come.