Operation: Pointed Spear

The Precursor

Monika's POV
I stood shouting at Alik "hahahaha, get fucked! I'm so much better!" As he looked at me smiling "alright, alright killer, easy. You won I know" as I looked at the screen and saw I won 25-24. I dropped back onto the couch just for the door to open and Corey and Tina to be in view as Corey spoke "we got an outgoing signal from Feral, he's slipped up" I listened as Alik asked "did he slip up or is it bait?" Corey replied "it looks like he actually slipped up" as Tina explained "your brief is in an hour, Harry's getting all the topographic maps and extra intel he can scrounge up" I asked "I wonder if we bag him tonight, we've been hunting long enough" Alik answered through gritted teeth "I'll put him in the ground, like he did to my team" I felt the tension leave his body as I rested my hand on his forearm and Corey spoke "Al, we're not there to kill him. We need the information he's got" Alik grumbled before Tina spoke "I know your pain Alik, you have to let it go. It's not worth what it does to you mentally"
He looked over and replied defiantly "I'm perfectly fine mentally" as Corey replied clearly not believing him "Bro, you get an evil look in your eye when someone mentions Feral. You disregard your own health to get chances at him. You've pushed a lot of people away to try to get a path to Feral, it's not healthy" Alik sighed as I asked "why don't we go talk to my parents? They always give good advice" alik looked at me and gave me a look over before I grew my warm grin and pulled him to his feet. He followed me as I stopped at the beginning of the short hall that connects our door and the livening room, I gripped the corner and spoke "we'll be back, lock down the fort." Corey nodded before Alik and I walked out heading down the hall I stopped halfway causing Alik to take a couple more steps before he noticed my sudden cease in advancement and turned back asking "Mon, you okay?" As I walked forward and gave him a tight hug, he instinctively returned it before asking "what's wrong?" I answered truthfully "it worries me when I see the anger in your eyes"
He replied "Monika, I'll be okay. I just want this whole ordeal to be over so we can finally have that Rock climbing adventure with your family" I looked at him shocked "you remember that? That was planned like 8 months ago" he nodded and replied "I've never been rock climbing, I wanted to go. Then this all started" I tightened my grip on him before he asked "let's not keep your parents waiting, alright?" I released my grip on his clothes before smiling at him as we walked down the hallway the rest of the way to my parents room. I felt like a kid again, having to go down the hall and see my parents for a couple minutes before they had something to go do, the only thing that's changed now is I'm the one that's busy. I looked to my left when Alik asked "you okay? You look lost in your mind" I replied with a nod "yeah, just thinking about the way things have changed but stayed the same." He motioned me to explain as I spoke "when I was a kleines Mädchen I could only talk to my parents for a couple minutes, they would always be so busy. Now I still only get a couple minutes, but I'm always busy"
He froze and spoke "holy shite, you're right. Fuckin 'ell" I smiled tauntingly "I'm right more than you think, you should start listening more" he replied playing along "oh you poor thing" as he knocked on the door. A couple seconds later I saw Reinhard open the door, he smiled and spoke "Hey Schwester(hey sis)" I replied "Wie ist es dir ergangen?(how've you been?)" he rubbed the back of his neck and replied nervously "Ich bekomme immer noch die letzte Gehirnwäsche aus meinem System und arbeite hart(still getting the last bit of brainwashing out of my system, I'm working hard)" I heard Alik is strained German "Also bin ich, wir werden zusammenarbeiten, ja?(so am I, we'll work together, yeah?)" I spoke in English "you're getting better" he smiled as we walked in after Reinhard and sat down at the table my father asked "so what brings you two here? Trying to steal my food?" As he playfully got in a defensive posture over his food. I replied "no papa, just here to talk before our brief."
He sat up and asked "Alik can you pass the.... fick was ist das wort? Salz-(fuck what's the word? Salt)..... THE SALT!" Alik chuckled and handed him the salt as Mama asked "what's the mission?" Alik answered "we've got a potential on Feral, an outgoing signal. It's a risk but Harry wants to bag him" Anna sighed hopefully "maybe this will all be over and we can go back to living normally" I chuckled as Bird and Zara walked in "Nein mama, I don't think so" as Zara asked "what's going on here?" I replied "just hanging out before our brief" Bird asked "there's a brief?" Alik nodded "yea, in about 52 minutes" he sighed "for fucks sake" I laughed as they sat down as Mama asked "can I make you four anything?" I replied respectfully "Nein mama, danke" as Alik shook his head no "no thank you ma'am" as she asked "not even tea?" I saw his longing for a cup of tea as I replied for him "ja mama, he just doesn't want to ask you for things" she starred at him as he smiled sheepishly. Bird asked "can I get a cup of tea as well?"
She stood and started making it as the two called in unison "thank you!" As Papa asked "any hopes for this mission?" Alik replied "hopefully we bag Feral, we get him off the field and get intel to start hunting down other leaders" he nodded as he looked at me "what about you honey?" I replied simply "I want to get Feral so I can enjoy the next 4 months of leave we're supposed to be on" Alik looked down before I spoke "don't, it's not your fault and I'm not mad about it. I'm glad we're all here, I know you have my back just like I have yours. I'm more comfortable with the idea of you hunting the masks when I'm here with you" he chuckled as Papa spoke "so Alik, when are you joining the family?" He started coughing causing all of us to look at him weirdly as he spoke "sorry, choked on my spit. What do you mean Gunther?" He looked at me from the corner of his eye before he replied "when are you proposing?" It was my turn to be embarrassed as I cried "Papa!" To which he simply laughed.
Zara spoke "papa, leave them alone. They're obviously scared" I heard Alik laugh causing me to look at him and ask "was?" He replied "why would I be scared? You say no? Christ I'd say no to me too" we chuckled at the self deprecation before I mumbled just loud enough so I could hear the words myself "I wouldn't say no" he looked over and asked "what?" As I smiled innocently "nothing, just talking to myself" he didn't look convinced but before he could pry any deeper Mama put a cup of tea in front of him causing him to smile and say "danke Anna" she replied with a smile "kein Problem" as she gave Bird his cup. They slowly drank while we talked until Alik asked "do you guys have any plans for after we deal with Feral? Once our team gets our leave?" Anna replied "I want to go rock climbing again, I've missed the experience" Gunther replied "I want to visit Germany again, I miss my country. I miss my family" Zara replied "I can't get any art supplies so I miss that but besides getting more, I don't have much of an idea" I chuckled and replied "definitely rock climbing"
He nodded before papa asked him "what do you plan on doing with your break?" He looked down before replying "probably getting in some more paintball matches" I spoke "you never told me you played paintball" he looked over "I thought you knew, I mean you were in the room where I keep my paintball gear the night I was recruited" I flushed red at the fact he remembered me poking around his apartment before Bird answered "I'll probably play some more paintball, Alik got me into it before he left CTSFO" I prompted "maybe you could get us into it" Reinhard joked "well I have an advantage, I got trained to use weapons by the Masks" I replied simply "My dear brother, a couple months of training doesn't compare to almost 2 decades of training for Alik and I. Plus the masks are losing" Reinhard laughed before Zara asked "do you think you three could teach us to use guns? I'd feel a lot better if I knew how to handle them" I heard Bird offer "I can teach you, if you want, maybe after we get back from this mission." I nodded confirming his offer.
I saw Alik check his watch before speaking "we've got 20 minutes left before the brief" I sighed before I laughed "can't catch a break" as Papa asked "think this mission will end it all?" I heard Bird sounding confident "yeah, we get our chance at Feral and this mission is over" Alik replied "well bag and drag the bastard, no chance of him fucking off again" just as Zara asked "are you guys gonna be safe?" I looked down before leaning on the table "Zar, there's no such thing as safe in a mission. Everything you do on a battlefield can get you killed, even doing nothing" she sighed before Mama spoke sternly "all of you better come home in one piece, do you understand?" We all saluted as Bird and Achilles replied "yes ma'am" while I barked back "Jahowl mama" before Alik and Bird started drinking their tea before they looked at each other nodding passing along some information lost to the rest of us. I asked Mama and Papa "did that make sense to you?" As Papa replied still shocked "Nein, not a lick of it" as Mama spoke "they're like brothers, Zara and Reinhard used to do it too"
We talked for a bit longer before Alik spoke "we gotta get moving, 5 minutes to the brief" as we stood Alik and Bird thanked Mama for the tea once more before we walked out. I gripped alik's hand before I confessed "you know, I've got a bad feeling about this mission" he let me in on his feelings and replied "me too, it seems to simple" bird asked "we have the right to turn down missions right?" I nodded as he spoke "why don't we turn it down then?" Alik replied "because what if we're wrong and nothing is out of place and we miss our shot at Feral?" Bird nodded before I spoke "besides, most of the time people are always nervous about missions, it's just natural" we saw Corey and Mike leaning against the wall next to the door of the briefing room. Mike spoke "you're late" as I felt my face shift to horror and Alik lifted his wrist and tapped on his watch "it's 12:33, we've still got 2 minutes" Mike smiled and replied "good, Monika you need to calm down. Being late isn't as bad as you think it is" before Corey and him pushed off the wall and started in the room which we followed them into.