Time, a precious commodity that can save or take life itself. In cases it's measured in sand; in this case though, the sands of time and a desert storm swirl towards the remote outpost. Further ahead from this wrath of nature, Lima and Lina race to catch The Chief Director of The 26, Yankee. The wheels of their bike race along the landscape as the boom of the armored train’s mortars resonate in the air. Lima looks ahead, Yankee’s cell was well away from the outpost. Unfortunately, they would be victim to the sandstorm first if they don't hurry. Two of the other Directors, Juliet and Romeo, were already the victims to something monstrous. Alpha. An anomaly from the past that seems to haunt the struggling nation. There needs to be answers for all this, they just need to get to Yankee; that’s all they need to do. Lima has been pushing the machine to its limits. A trail of dust kicked up behind them, her companion holding on tight. It hasn’t been an easy trip for her either. Learning so much about what’s going on with the Directors, it was a lot to take in. What’s more daunting is what they don’t know yet. They just need time, that’s all they need.

“So, what do we do?” Bravo whispers to the minotaur as they finally reach the holding facility. They both hear the engagement outside; the guns firing, the shouting, everything is far enough, but too close for comfort. Even more so when they’re just stuck inside of a cell.

Zulu remains silent, even ignoring the glare from his pegasus counterpart. It’s only once the guards are called into the next room that he looks over to him. “We need to ge out of here. Steal a car, bike, anything we can get our mitts on and get as far away from this place as possible.” His eyes narrow, grip tensing as he nears the bars. “Alpha is still alive. It’s already killed Romeo and Juliet. And right now, it’s on it’s way here to kill us too.”

“Well of course,” Bravo paces back and forth around his cell as sweat trickles down his brow, “Victor, Oscar, and Yankee couldn’t finish it off, so I’d imagine it would be a bit ticked off enough to waste whoever is still alive. Which is all the more reason to get out of here!” The stallion then appears puzzled as the minotaur firmly grasps the bars and presses his back hooves against the stone floor. “What are you doing? You going to bend the bars?”

A devious grin appears on Zulu’s face, “No need. I just need to loosen the hinges.” Muscles tensing, the Director yanks the bars back before lunging forward to slam against the door. The chaos outside masks the loud shuttering echoing in the holding cells. After a few repeated attempts, the guards outside can be heard trotting back to investigate. As if on queue, Zulu’s cell door snaps off the hinges just before the guards enter. They only see the metal door slam against them, knocking them out. Zulu stretches his bulking arms and reaches down to grab the keys from the fallen victims. “If Alpha wants our heads, it’ll have to work for it.”

Some distance from the battle, a solitary outpost readies itself for any attack. Yankee, the Chief Director of The 26; one of the masterminds behind The Phantom Initiative, sits idly in his secluded cell. A bunk, toilet, desk and a chair are all that’s inside. All that he really needs actually. A glass of water sits on the desk, rippling with each large shell that explodes in the distance. He knows they’re here. He knows it’s here. The stallion lays on his bed, eyes closed with a relative calm despite the action outside. It’s been so long since he last spoke with it. Hopefully it still remembers what they talked about, their special deal oh so long ago. Slowly but surely the roar of the storm approaches. Sand and dust is already kicking up, flying through any window, door, or crack it can get into. Soon. Soon it will be here, and soon he will be free!

“Hurry it up, will ya!?” Bravo and Zulu had already embarked on their escape. The guards had been knocked out and they’re outside. Of course, that’s not as safe as they were before, but risks are necessary. What vexes the Pegasus was his Director counterpart wandering around looking for his weapon!

“I’m not going to leave Sasha here in this dump! The shelling won’t be the only thing tearing this place apart!” The minotaur kicks down another door to find the armory. Jackpot! Zulu strolls in, ignoring the remaining sabers, rifles and pistols that fill the shelves and walls. What draws him is a wooden crate in the corner of the room. ‘RESTRICTED’, it reads. A cheeky grin lines his face as he launches his fist into the crate with ease. “HAHA! There you are my dear!” He gives his dear weapon a kiss. “I’ve missed you so!”

“I’ve missed being free and not shot at while we’re sharing here,” Bravo cuts in. He takes a pistol, a couple of grenades, and a shotgun as well. Now armed, his nerves calm just a bit. “Ok, so we have our stuff, where to now?”

“The garages,” Zulu answers as he walks past the stallion, “We take whatever ride is left and intact. From there we head east. Come, time is of t-” A bullet grazes him ad impacts the wall behind him. The Directors take cover as the outposts guards take shots at them. Things like this are never easy; but if freedom is the reward, then it’s worth it.

A burst of static pops into Samiel’s radio as he makes a pass around the base. Smoke is the only thing rising against the raging sandstorm below. The train is on the move again, leaving a swath of destruction in its wake. The chatter in the radio is blurry, cutting in and out; however, he’s able to decipher the noise to confirm that the tanks have reached their destination. “All armored units, this is Samiel. I’m making a pass by the train, look for the red flares!” Propellers at full spin, the stallion dives down into the fray. Finding the train was easy, but pinning down which part to hit is the hard part. A section of the train houses explosives that could level a city. The canons, that’s what he’s after. He curses under his breath as he waits for the train to launch another volley. But no shots go off, not even the machine guns, why? “Oh no…” Samiel curses to himself before pulling up the radio again, “All armored units, the train has ceased fire! I’m dropping the flares now!” Evening out his biplane, Sirocco flies along the entire length of the train. Once he spots the cannons, he releases the flares and pulls up. “Target marked! Fire at will!” In the distance, he can hear the thumps of the tanks unleashing everything they have.

Lima rolls over on the ground. Her head aches, stomach churning, nausea and dizziness. She opens her eyes to find herself in the front cabin of the train. It's just her, a few crates and boxes, and doors leading to the front and rear of the train. Explosions echo as the locomotive rattles and shakes from the impacts. It's temporary. Once the train is out of range of the tanks, everything becomes still and silent. Back on her hoofs, she nears to the front of the cabin before stopping still. The door itself slams open; the dragon, head nearly bristling against the ceiling, stomps in. With each step forward, ther mare steps back. Soon, she almost has her back against the wall. It doesn't do anything, it just stands there, menacingly. Hoofsteps are heard behind it, then Yankee appears before her. "Well, looks like our Handler finally woke up." His grin widens, "I suppose introductions are in order. This is Alpha." The dragon lets loose a frightening roar, causing Lima to flinch. Yankee nods his head to the beast, and it steps away to the other end of the cabin. "Now, I've heard you've been snoopin round these parts asking questions you shouldn't be asking. Creating loose ends that needed to be tied."

Lima still tries to catch her breath, "Y-you had them killed! Why!? Why do any of this!? The train, Alpha, everything!?" The was so much going through the mare's mind. She takes a deep breath and stills her nerves. "What is the purpose of The Phantom Initiative? The REAL purpose? I've seen the records. The Initiative isn't just a sleeper agent program. Magical constructs, artificial learning..." her hoof points to the creature in the distance,"that!? What is all this!?" Lima's ocean blue eyes slightly tear up. It's the moment she's been waiting for, so why is she so afraid?

Yankee trots over to the dragon, then nods to the door behind them. The beast makes its exit, leaving the two alone. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out. I'm guessing you hit up all of the Director's safe houses?"

Lima nods, "I did. Found they were all ransacked. Only scraps left behind. I couldn't even find yours."

"Thank your buddy Fox for that. Cole Protocol dictates all agents and Handlers seize all resources and documents at their disposal. Reallocation or destruction of such items falls to the agent themselves." The Chief Director trots over to the window, "You really think all of our agents care about what we did? Heh, you'd be surprised how many cared about their paychecks than doing the "right thing", Lima. No, they took care of all that. The only loose ends were the ones you were visiting and a few agents still stuck to The 26's old ways. Handlers like you, and agents like Foxtrot."

"S-so what's your plan now?" Lima asks; she is met with laughter.

"Do you really think I'm going to spill the beans on what I'm going to do? What the Phantom Initiative really was? Nah. You know that's not how it really works."

The whirring of the propellers ring in Samiel's ears as he banks around to the side of the train. The rear half is riddled with holes and punctures from the tanks'assault, bit its still going. His eyes narrow; are those the Directors? What are they fighting? Zulu and this creature have made their way to the roof of the train. Bravo appears to be messing around with the link between two cabins. His train of thought is cut off when his radio bursts with static. Samiel picks it up, "Samiel here, over."

"Samiel? It's Baku. The armored column has secured the facility. They've sustained more losses than we have, thankfully. There's also a mare we've recovered near Yankee's post. Lina I believe her name is. She's in serious condition, but she'll pull through. Are you still by the train? Over."

Samiel breathes a sigh of relief knowing Lina is alright. It wouldn't take much to deduce that Lima is on the train. "I am. Baku, what can you tell me from the layout of the train? I have the Directors, and what appears to be this Alpha by the front of it. Where are the explosives? I can destroy the connector to it and the engine. Over."

"Hold on, over" there's a lull of silence. Samiel looks over to see Yankee now on the roof fighting with Bravo. Hits eyes narrow when he sees Lima crawl out one of the cabins. She charges the Chief Director. Even with two opponents, Yankee still is holding his own. "Alright! It appears that the explosives and mortars are in the front two cabins. The explosives aren't armed but you need to be careful regardless, over!"

"Copy that! Send forces out to recover the train! Samiel out!"