Break Me One More Time [McLennon]

in which they go to war

Paul and George found one another on the tarmac outside of the Unknowables' makeshift headquarters. It seemed ironic that they were finally able to leave this place after weeks of being trapped there for their own safety, and they were walking straight into the jaws of the beast; they were walking to their execution and they knew it. The sun was just barely beginning to rise and the morning air was noticeably cool against their faces.

"So this is it," George said.

"This is it," Paul sighed.

"Paul! George!" They both looked up to see Yoko running toward them, waving her arms above her head to get their attention. Both of them grinned at her.

"Come to say goodbye, then?" George barked.

"I just came to say I'll see you both in hell," Yoko snorted.

"All right, but seriously," Paul huffed. "Best of luck to both of you today. Stay as safe as you possibly can, okay?"

"Yeah. Thank you."

"Same to you, Paul."

They were about to split up and go their separate ways, off to their assigned squadrons, but just as they were about to say their final farewell, another voice was shouting for them.

"Wait! Wait! I'm coming!"

Paul, Yoko, and George looked up to find that Barney was sprinting toward them. He stumbled to a halt in front of them. "I had to make sure I came and said goodbye to all of you. It has been an honor knowing each one of you."

"Oh, Barney," Yoko sighed, and she pulled him in a hug. George laughed sadly, and he hugged Barney, as well.

George and Yoko departed, heading off to where they were meant to be. Paul turned to Barney, frowning. "I guess this is really goodbye, then."

"Oh, no, not for us," Barney said, and to Paul's surprise, he grinned. A classic Barney Grin. It warmed something up inside of Paul that had been cold for several months now; it breathed something back to life inside of him. "You and me, 'til the very end, Paul. They've assigned me to escort you into battle and stay at your side as long as possible."

"What? Why? I'm just a soldier, now, like everybody else."

Barney snorted. "Yeah, no. You're still Paul McCartney. You're sort of a hot commodity."

Paul sighed. "Whatever. We're teammates, then."

"Always."

"C'mon, then," Paul laughed. "Let's get to our station, soldier."

***

Paul leaned back against the wall he was seated against, and he clutched the gun that Marbella had pushed into his hands as he was boarding his assigned aircraft back on the tarmac. He was breathing heavily, looking around anxiously, and he was trying to figure out how everything had gone so horribly wrong so quickly.

Paul and Barney's squadron had gone around the perimeter of the F.H.O. headquarters, and knocked out the guard that was blocking the entrance to the basement with ease.

The plan was to attack from all sides. Some, who were trained with such equipment, were sent in using jet packs; they were going to come in from all sides, on all floors. The Unknowables agents who had been working for the F.H.O. in order to infiltrate their headquarters were to spread themselves out, with several of them stationed on each floor. That was the first strike. The second strike would consist of ground agents infiltrating from underneath (coming up from the basement) and through the front and back doors.