#kilo squad

“They’re still swarming us, Major – Abe, watch your flank! Miyazaki, lay down suppressing fire for her! Lobby’s been shot to hell, and we’re taking fire from all sides!” I’m straining to hear Rie’s voice over the drone of gunfire in the background, as we dash through the corridors, navigating the complex for the much-needed rendezvous.

“Better pick up the pace, ma’am – I don’t know how much longer we can hold them!”

Shit. The situation’s not looking good. “Alright, change of plans. Lieutenant, take Kilo-2 and 3, fall back to the entrance. I’m sending the package to you.”

Turning back to my teammates, I call out new orders. “Jurina, Kodama, Tano and Aigasa – the four of you take the Ladybirds back to the lobby. Reinforce Kitahara and Yamamoto, and hold the Koreans there.”

“Yui, you’re with me,” I motion to her, and she understands my intentions. “Grab all the explosives you can carry. You and I are going to make sure they won’t be able to get their filthy hands on this facility anymore.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” She gives me a nod, before proceeding to retrieve equipment from the others. Detonators and high explosives – we’re going to need a fair amount if we want to collapse the buildings that housed the spent fuel pools. These were built to withstand earthquakes, after all.

“Major! Let me–”

“No, Jurina.” I interrupt her before she can complete her sentence. I know what she wants to do, and no way am I going to let her do it. It’s far too risky, what we plan to do, and having more people only makes it riskier. “Yui and I can handle this.”

“But, Ma’am–”

“Kilo-2 and 3 need all the help they can get. And how easy my job gets depends on how well you do yours.”

“Yes… Yes, Ma’am,” She finally relents, reluctance thickly coating her words. “Alright, girls. Move! Let’s not keep them waiting too long. Someone give Kitagawa a hand!”

I silently watch Jurina’s back as she dashes ahead. Always the enthusiastic one, she never shies away from an opportunity to prove herself. Always the one to take up the challenge, she is always the first to charge eagerly into battle, guns blazing. Yet, her headstrong attitude has cost her more than I’d like to admit – Jurina is no stranger to lacerations, bullet wounds, organ trauma and open fractures. She’s survived a lot, and achieved a lot as well – she’s the youngest member of the Sakae Garrison to have clocked fifty successful combat operations, and the most decorated surviving soldier across both Sierra and Kilo squads to date. But I fear her courage may one day cost her more than just a month in the hospital barracks.

As the last of them turns out of view past the corner, I beckon to the girl standing silently behind me. “Come on, Yui. Time to bury this place.”

  1255 hrs, 01 January 2026 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant: Central Spent Fuel Pool Facility

Sticking the remote detonator into the block of C4 explosive, I secure the makeshift bomb firmly against the steel column. A handful of similar improvised explosive devices line the lower walls of the small facility, placed at strategic locations and previously-identified weak points. A length of detcord connects all of them together, intended to time the sequence of explosives just right to achieve the intended effect.

“Primary charges are set. Yui, what’s your status?”

“Just finishing up the last IED on my end, Major. Coming back to you in a moment.”

The plan is to blow the building out from under it, causing it to collapse upon itself, cutting off access to the underground stockpile of nuclear waste. It’s our only shot – heavy artillery and airstrikes will risk badly damaging the fuel pools, causing another rapid meltdown. There’s no way for us to evacuate the surrounding area fast enough.

“Kitahara, what’s your status?”

“Ladybirds are with us and all accounted for. We’re holding the line at the entrance, but the Koreans are still coming at us! Numbers aren’t thinning at all! How long more?!”

“Hold the line, Lieutenant! I’m calling in for extraction now!” Switching channels, I get back on the line with October Squadron. “This is Kilo-1, do you read me, October Actual?”

“October Actual reading you loud and clear, Kilo-1. Standing by for your orders.”

“I need immediate troop extraction at the nuclear plant!”

“Roger that, mobilizing assets. Sending Ospreys to your location now. ETA 10 minutes.”

“Gotcha. Oscar Mike to the extraction zone.” By now, Yui has returned to my side. Handing me the wireless detonator, she give me a quick nod.

“It’s done, Ma’am. Secondary charges are set and ready to blow.”

“Good stuff, Yui.”

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spot the glint of metal shimmering from the catwalks. There is a sound of thunder, and a flash of light.

Oh, fucking hell.

Reflexively, I shove Yui aside.

I'm not so lucky. The impact hits me hard, and I am knocked to the ground. The pain sets in – the burning, searing pain coursing through my torso, threatening to tear me apart. Fuck, must’ve been at least a fifty-cal… it’s never been this bad before. The shock sends me in and out of consciousness, the tinnitus in my ears is deafening. I can’t even feel my hands…

I look down to see my left arm, hanging limply by my side. A huge, gaping hole in my chest is gushing blood, soaking my uniform with the viscous fluid, turning it a bright shade of red.

I feel myself being lifted to my feet. Everything’s a complete blur. Yui’s face comes into focus, panic written all over it. She presses her hand against the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding, but the blood just continues to pour out, slipping through her fingers. She’s yelling something at me, but I can’t make out what it is.

“Stay with… don’t… almost there...!”

My vision is flooded by a sharp, bright light, and there is a slight warmth flowing over my weakening body. Not sure if that’s the sun, or just fresh blood.

I lift my right hand, trembling from the shock, and threatening to cause the device to slip out of my grasp. With the last of my strength, I flick the switch.

The pilot’s voice crackles through the intercom, over the loud, deafening rumble of heavy-duty C-130 turbine engines.

My squad and I stand up as instructed, lining up along the sides of the transport plane’s interior cabin and hooking up our harnesses to the guidelines hung on the walls. A solid click from my carabiner indicates a lock, and I give the strap a strong tug, just to make sure it’s in place.

Turning my attention to my gear, I tighten the straps on my backpack, making sure that it is fastened securely around my pressure suit. My rifle is holstered snugly across my back, with a fresh, full magazine loaded in.  Spare ammunition is slotted conveniently around my waist in secured magazine pouches. I pick up my helmet, checking once more that all its components and oxygen tubes are in place. Some of us already have our helmets on. The rest of us, not wanting to put up with the humidity, choose to hold that off until the last minute, including myself.

Standing at the front of my line, I turn around to address the squad. I scan the cabin, doing a mental headcount of all the personnel present. I spot a few nervous faces from where I’m standing. Understandable – for some of these girls, it’s their first op as a full-time Ghost.

“Alright Kilo Squad, welcome to your first mission together. You know the story, you know the mission. Search and destroy. The mission zone is heavily occupied by enemy forces; we are to take back the facility using any means necessary. If we can’t take it back, we bury everything. Lethal force is authorized. Take no prisoners.”

“Your secondary objective, Kilo, is to locate and extract friendly personnel, codename Ladybirds One to Seven. We have seven personnel MIA, I want all seven accounted for by the time this op is over. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Loud, resounding, united. Just the way I like it.

“Synchronize watches to 1200 hours in 3, 2, 1, mark. Gear up and prep for the jump, ladies!”

I slip my helmet on, adjusting it until it clicks into place, locking with my pressurized suit. There is a soft hiss as the oxygen tank kicks in. I motion to the jumpmaster standing next to me, patting a firm hand on her shoulder. “Take the lead.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.” She pushes switch by her side, and the bay doors open with a low, metallic groan. The roaring wind rushes in, and sunlight floods the cabin. I narrow my eyes, letting them take a while before getting used to the brightness.

“Check static lines!” I tug on my carabiner once more – yep, that’s secure.

“Check equipment!” Done that. I turn around to check on the girl behind me. Noticing a loose end, I tie that up and… yup, that’s alright. Don’t want anything getting in the way of your parachute now, do we, Sergeant Tano?

The flashing red light by the exit turns green, accompanied by a long beep. That’s our cue. “Go! Go! Go!”

“I’ll see you on the ground, Ghosts!” Sprinting through the open bay doors, I leap out into the open sky.

Below us, a small flight of fighter jets screams past in a coincidentally cinematic display, unloading their explosive payloads – a barrage of air-to-surface missiles and bombs. The opening salvo hits the facility, and from where I am, the fireballs bloom like little orange flowers on the ground. I guess that request for support from the new squadron did come through after all.

The exhilaration, the adrenaline, and the wind whipping past my body as I free-fall through the air; the experience of a HALO jump right into enemy territory is one-of-a-kind.

Damn, I’ve really missed this feeling.

    1225 hrs, 01 January 2026 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant: Rooftops

“Roof patrols eliminated. Check your ammo.”

I reload my rifle, and casually step over the lifeless bodies as I make my way over to the side of the roof. Uncoiling a length of braided nylon rope from its compartment on my back belt pouch, I deploy it over the ledge, tying it down tightly to the metal guard rails.

Securing the rest of the rope around my waist, I stand on the ledge, scanning the breach zone while waiting for the rest of my team to set up their own rappel lines.

“Lines are secure, Major.” Yui gives me the go-ahead after checking on the rest of the team.

“Good. Hook up and stand by.” I radio the other strike teams for an update on their situation – we had split up during the jump, landing at different insertion sites for a multidirectional assault. “Kilo-2, Kilo-3, what’s your status?”

“Eastern perimeter secured, Kilo-2 moving into the facility now.”

“Roger that, Kitahara. Yamamoto, how’s Kilo-3 doing?”

“Engaging enemy personnel by the western approach.”

“I hear you. Keep pushing ahead, we don’t have much time.”

I step off the edge, slowly lowering myself down the side of the building step by step. The rest of the team follows suit.

“Windows up ahead. I count four, no, five tangoes. Ready, Kilo-1?”

“Ready when you are, Ma’am.”

I give Yui a confident smirk. Keeping my left hand tightly on the rope, I reach for my rifle with my right, readying myself with my finger on the trigger.

“Go!”

In one smooth motion, I leap off the side of the building, while releasing my grip on the cord slightly, just enough to let myself slip down to the level of the window. At the peak of my jump, I let loose a burst of automatic fire, sending large cracks through the thick glass panels. Letting the residual momentum carry me forward, I burst through the broken glass, shattering the window completely.

Flanked on both sides by my girls, we land amongst the panicking men, shards of glass raining upon them. Firing precise shots in all directions, it doesn’t take much effort for us to eliminate the rest of the guards in one fell swoop.

“Kilo-1 has breached the east wing. Moving to secure the top floor.”

Moving swiftly, we dash through the open door and across the corridor outside.

“Check those corners!” Periodically reminding the girls to stay on their toes, I keep my finger on the trigger, ready to strike at the sight of any enemy movement. I can feel the ground tremble under my feet ever so often under the continuous barrage of artillery fire being delivered by the new guns from October Squadron.

“Kilo-2, engaging hostiles at the main lobby! Heavy enemy presence on the ground floor, Major!” Rie’s voice is almost drowned out by gunfire in the background.

“Roger that. Can you handle them?”

“There’s a lot of them pouring in from upstairs, more than we expected.”

“Keep it up, don’t falter yet. Kilo-3, how long more before you reach the lobby?”

“Flanking the lobby via the rear corridors, Major. ETA to the breach point in 2 minutes. We’re moving as fast as we can.”

“Roger that, Yamamoto. The two of you, hold them at the lobby! Draw their attention away from us while we sweep the upper floors!”

Returning to the situation at hand, I am halted in my tracks by Jurina. “Multiple signature in the room ahead, Major. Locked doors here and down the hallway.”

“Come on, Jurina. You should know how I work by now.”

“Just checking, Ma’am,” Reaching for the explosive breaching charges in her field pack, she gives me a wry smile. Yui calls out the orders to the rest of the team, “Tano, get on that door. Kodama, you’re with me. Aigasa, stack up with Jurina and the Major.”

In front of me, Jurina is wrapping a length of detonating cord around the handlebars, while Aigasa and I move to stick plastic explosive along the doorframe, moulding the putty to fit securely into the cracks.

“Charges set. Get clear!” Pressing ourselves up against the wall, Jurina hands me the detonator. “Breaching in three, two, one!”

I flick the switch, and both doors are blown off their hinges, throwing clouds of dust and flecks of concrete into the air. I dash headfirst into the room, through the flying debris.

Suddenly, a figure slams right into me from the side, knocking me to the floor.

I recover quickly, only to find myself staring right down the barrel of a submachine gun, held by a young woman, one who is not as well-equipped as the soldiers we had encountered before. In fact, she is barely equipped, wearing nothing more than a tank top, pants and the boots on her feet. She is dirty, ragged and breathing heavily, her face streaked with grime and dried blood.

“Drop it!” Before any of us can say anything, Aigasa whips out her gun, pointing it right at my assailant.

“… Moe-chan?” The girls hesitate, turning around to face each other. Aigasa’s eyes widen in surprise.

    Baird shook his head. He couldn't dwell on it. Death was nothing new to him; his parents didn't shelter him, when they actually engaged with him, anyway. He lived through the final years of the Pendulum Wars, but that had happened overseas. He didn't think about it. Now that the war was on his front step, now that he was experiencing it firsthand, it was shocking. He never thought of the dead civilians in Ostri. He never thought about the homeless in Maranday.

    And he wasn't going to think about it now.

    One job,

he thought sharply.

Get to Hunter-Two alive.

    The Centaur team was Kilo's key to extraction. While the four-man squad had worked along the alleyways and streets, the tanks had cleaned up any remaining threats on the outside perimeter. The inbound Ravens were making one stop, to pick up the tanks. If Kilo wasn't there, they would have to find their own way back to base.

    The ground rumbled and a moment later a faint explosion followed. Baird hadn't been on the field very long--he hadn't finished officer training when he became front line--but he knew a Centaur's main gun when he heard it. He just didn't know if it was a straggler or real trouble. He didn't have to wait long. Before he could raise his hand to his radio, Sofia was a step ahead. Another explosion sounded.

    "Hunter-Two, this is Kilo. Is that your fire?"

    "Hunter-Two here. We had a small bogey try to come up but we got it."

    "Let us know if there's anything we can do. ETA to your position is thirty minutes."

    "Roger that. We'll sit on our hands and keep an eye out. Hunter-Two out."

    Baird glared at the small red head. Onyx Guard cadet or not, Kilo was his squad. "Next time let me handle radio procedures, Cadet," he spat.

    "I thought you were sleepwalking over there," she replied, chin up and defiant. "They got off two shots before you said anything. They could've been ambushed."

    He hadn't served with Sofia for very long but he made sure she knew he disapproved of her being on the squad. A battlefield was no place for a woman, even if she had more combat experience and almost outranked him.

    "They would radio if there was a problem. This is my squad. You're a cadet, not a true Onyx Guard. Keep trying to command my position and I'll have your ass thrown off this squad so fast--"

    A scream stopped them in their tracks. It echoed wildly through the empty streets and sent a spike of dread through the squad. Baird searched the buildings, waited for grubs to appear. There was a tense moment of silence until Cole exhaled.

    "Did ya'll hear that or was it just me?"

    "Was it a Locust?" Sofia asked. Her eyes were wide.

    Baird had never heard of Locust imitating a human cry before. Then again, intel was uncovering new information every day. There were cadavers in some top secret base where they broke down skin, bones, and organs to learn something, anything. It was gory and in the name of science--and Baird wanted to be there. He was a man of science, not a grunt.

    The scream echoed again. Sofia gripped her rifle. He had never seen her so upset.

    "Are we going to check it out?" Cole asked. Baird knew him. He knew the big guy was squirming through his morals--he had a job to do but someone needed his help. If his lieutenant made the call, could he live with walking away?

    Damn it. Baird hated these decisions.

    "We took an oath," Sofia pushed. "We have to try."

    If he agreed now it would look like she ordered him to do it. Ah, screw it. He could play the hero for once. And if it was a trap, well, they could put on his tombstone that he did it in the name of science.

    When there was another very human cry for help, he nodded. Sofia sprinted down the street to a crumbling building nearly crushed by the one beside it. She must have pinpointed the noise already. It took some trust, but he followed after her.

    In its past life, the building must have been an office. The Neo-Tyran architecture still standing spoke of generations. Desks were tipped, torn papers littered the floor. Baird spotted a soggy flier for an office party. He'd been to one of those before. For a brief moment, it was surreal. Just days ago everything was normal.

    What

was

normal?

    Sofia appeared in the lobby from a far doorway. "The stairs have collapsed. I can hear them somewhere upstairs but I can't find a way up."

    "Hello? Is someone there?"

    It was a small voice.

Shit. A little girl.

Baird's heart thundered around his ribs.

    "We're here!" Sofia shouted. "Where are you? Can you get down somewhere?"

    "My sister's trapped on the third floor. You have to help her, please!"

    "Okay, sweetie. Okay." Sofia paced, watching the sagging ceiling. "We're here to help. We're Gears. You know what that means, right? We'll come get you and your sister."

    Bare feet padded against loose wooden planks. Through the slats Baird could see a shadow--small, slim--and nothing else.

    "I don't know if there's a way up," the girl whined.

    Paduk was a step ahead. He was old but agile; a sniper always searching for a better vantage point. He caught Baird's eyes and led him to a part of the ceiling where the cement and wood had fallen staggered.

    "We can use those desks, stack a few right here," he said, indicating a starting point.

    Sofia saw this. "Okay, sweetie, we're coming up. Just stay calm; we're here now. Talk to us, okay? What's your sister's name? What were you doing here?"

    While she talked, Sofia moved closer to the makeshift steps. Cole and Paduk moved desks, the wooden behemoths scraping the once polished floor. Baird threw himself into one but barely budged it.

    "I'm Kristin, my sister is Tori. We came here two days ago looking for our parents. They're not here. Then the building came down."

    Two days? Shit.

    "Didn't the crisis crew come through here?" Baird asked. He strained to skid the desk along the floor. Paduk came to give him a hand. "You're not supposed to hide from the good people, idiot. What were you thinking?"

    Paduk gave the desk a final shove. As soon as it was in place, Sofia vaulted up to the next floor without casting Baird her typical glare. Kristin was crying again. Cole ambled up after her, always ready to play the teddy bear. Baird and Paduk followed.

    Sofia was already comforting the girl by making promises. She was safe, her sister would be okay; everything would be fine. The girl was younger than Baird anticipated. Ten or eleven, not the fourteen or fifteen he was hoping for. If her sister was even younger, their rescue mission just became difficult. Kids were stupid; reactive instead of logical.

    "It's okay, Kristin. We're here to help you. Take us to your sister, alright?"

    Rubbing Kristin's back seemed to have the calming effect Sofia wanted. She grasped Sofia's hand and led the squad towards the back of the building. The floor slid and shifted with every step. Baird tried not to worry that he would go through it, but, not for the first time, he cursed his regulation COG boots.

    The stairs from the second to third floor were still functional. Unable to shake the uneasiness in his gut, Baird tested every metal step before setting his full weight on them. Kristin bounded upstairs as if she had been born here. If they could safely get her and her sister out, could they make the rendezvous?

    Last they checked in with Hunter-Two they had forty-five minutes until evac. Making it in thirty minutes was pushing it; now they were wasting precious time on the rescue mission. Even if they got both kids out, there was no guarantee the Ravens had room for them. Not that Gears would leave kids behind. That's why he originally agreed to this. He was working on his heartless bastard persona, but he couldn't imagine being abandoned in a ghost town.

    If we don't get them out quickly, I'll find out.

    Kristin's sister, Tori, was in what could have been a personal office. The left wall had collapsed to show the outside and the interior of the neighboring building. A support beam bridged the small gap, crushing a pile of rubble with a small hand peeking out from underneath. Sofia sucked in a horrified breath.

    "Tori! Tori, soldiers are here to help. Just hang on," Kristin said. She knelt by the pile and grabbed her sister's hand. For a moment Baird thought they were about to dig out a body, but the hand squeezed back.

    His stomach flipped.

Holy shit--she's alive under there!

    "Lieutenant, what can we do?" Sofia asked.

    Nothing that he could see. The top of the pile was too heavy to move and the bottom--sure, there was a way, but not without shifting things and crushing the girl. Where was she exactly? Could she breathe? Should he call Control? And what would they do? She was trapped on the third floor of a building; they didn't have the machinery or spare man power to safely remove her.

    With Kristin staring hopefully at him, he cursed his rank for the first time. Why did he have to make the call? Why did Sofia have to make promises?

    He was saved from an immediate answer when his radio clicked.

    "Kilo, this is Hunter-Two. We should've had visual on you by now. Where the hell are you?"

    Cole crouched by the pathetic hand, saying something with a sad smile on his face. Baird turned away to talk.

    "We have a situation, Hunter-Two," he replied.

    "Well so do we. The sensors are picking up movement eight klicks out and the Ravens are ten minutes away."

    "A

civilian

situation. Two kids are stranded in a building." Baird sighed. He didn't want to see it; he definitely didn't want to talk about. "One girl is almost crushed by debris."

    The link went silent.

Yeah, try visualizing that one. I see death every day and this is what shocks me? But she's just a kid.

    "Can you get her out?" The voice was suddenly worn, exhausted.

    Baird paced away from the group, from Sofia making more promises. "I don't think so. It's too risky to move it with only the four of us."

    "Then leave her. Bring the other one with you and we'll send out an evac team later."

    "I don't know how much 'later' this girl has. They've been here two days already."

    "Lieutenant, you have seven minutes to make your rendezvous. Are you going to strand your squad out there in a situation you can't fix? Bring the kid. We'll come back for the other."

    Baird swallowed past the lump in his throat. Could he do that? Could he leave the girl behind?

    If grubs were moving on their position and only one flight out of the city, yes. He would save his own life, his squad's. Kristin wouldn't like it. What if she refused? Did he have to leave her too?

    "Wilco, Hunter-Two," Baird replied. His legs were suddenly heavy. "We might be a minute late. Hold the door for us."

    "Good luck, Lieutenant."

    It would take the crew chief of each bird at least three to five minutes to hook up a Centaur for undersling transportation. Why did he have to make the call? If they were lucky, they would get there in fifteen.

    Why did I want to become an officer? Did I think I could push papers all day? Why did I use Jocelin's influence for this shit?

    He returned to the group, sobered by the news. They all heard it. Cole was trying to pretend it never happened but Sofia looked close to tears. Paduk was, perhaps, the only one unaffected. What had he experienced in his war that leaving a child behind was okay?

    "What happened?" Kristin asked.

    "Sweetie," Sofia started softly. She smoothed the tangled hair away from the small face. "Plans have changed. Tori is going to be okay but right now we have to go."

    "What?"

    "People are waiting for us. People who can help Tori but we have to get to them first."

    "You said you would help Tori," Kristin sobbed.

    "Right now we can't. We thought we could. All of that debris is dangerous to move with just us. We need more help, okay? Do you understand?"

    "I'm

not

leaving her!"

    "We're not," said Sofia, and now she was crying. Baird shifted uncomfortably. They were wasting more time. "We need to get more help. Right? We're not leaving her."

    Kristin was about to reply--probably another disagreement--when Paduk stepped up behind her and, with one swift motion, knocked her unconscious.

    "Paduk!" Sofia gasped, horrified. She checked the girl for an immediate injury but Baird couldn't see any blood.

    Paduk shrugged. "We were all thinking it. This is the only way we'll get her out of here. She has a chance."

    "Not the best way to do it, man," Cole said, shaking his head. "She's just a kid."

    "She'll be fine." Paduk motioned to Baird. "Lieutenant?"

    He glanced at the small hand under the rubble. Kneeling beside it, he noticed just how tiny it was compared to his. It was so fragile yet gripped his glove with strength he'd never felt. His heart pounded in his ears. Tori was strong. He just hoped he could do something in time.