Eric was at his wits’ end. He had been staying at the hotel for over two weeks now, and nothing had changed about their situation. His routine in Tuscaloosa had been to get up in the morning and take accountability of the troops, then he would attend meetings until lunch. He would take accountability after lunch, and proceed to more meetings. At 1700, he would conduct a final accountabilty formation before heading back to his hotel room and waiting for Mia to get off of work so they could video call.

"I’m tired of this shit!" Eric growled as he stared at the screen. The letters were swimming together and his vision was blurry. He had been behind the desk for nearly three hours after PT, and felt like he was slowly losing his grasp on his sanity. He had been tasked with filing daily reports about the troops he had with him. Those reports only took ten minutes to write. The rest of his day was comprised of listening to reports over the radio, or watching the news.

After today’s report, Eric turned on the TV. His eyes widened.

A panel of people sat at a desk, with a large map sitting behind them. The reporters were asking a man dressed in a black suit and tie about the map. "So, Dr. Hiedesmith, for the people just now tuning in, can you explain what the map behind you is?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses and took a collapsible pointer out. "On the right, you can see two pictures side by side. Those pictures are Earth as it was before the "merge" as it is now known. The other image is Brishan. As you can see, Brishan resembled Pangea. It had two countries. Riemskin, and Cartharic. Cartharic is the Empire you all know by now. Riemskin is the country that so eagerly helped our soldiers in their time of need. Now, the picture on the left. That is Brishan as it is today."

Eric watched the broadcast in horror. "What the fuck are they doing!" He groaned. "If you release this shit to the public, Cartharic can use it!"

He immediately called Milano. "Sir, what the fuck is going on at the godddamn pentagon?"

Milano didn’t answer immediately. He sighed before responding. "I tried to warn them, but those General’s are politicians before they are soldiers. Public outcry is at an all time high because people aren’t allowed to leave their homes, monster attacks in Russia and other parts of Europe have left thousands dead, and calls for our technology and tactics have been on the rise. We had to do something. Our allies in NATO have been calling for you and me to teach their top brass because their armies are having trouble against monster hordes. On top of everything, they don’t realize how deep Cartharic information networks run, or how powerful the Empire really is. At this point, we finally have a good working map. Check your BFT. It is time you come home, Eric."

Eric took one last at the TV. The doctor was explaining the same point he had taught his team at the start of the world merge. His eyes narrowed as he thought of the ramifications. "Sir, we need to make sure all critical assets and infastructure are heavily guarded. I’m not worried about the Nuclear weapons, but I worry about artillery, aircraft, and God forbid if they capture engineers to help bolster their Arks."

Milano sighed. "Eric, just get back here. Set aside the workaholic for once."

"Sir-"

"That’s an order, you goddamn stubborn bastard."

"I think that’s the first time you cussed at me so unprofessionally, sir."

Eric swore he heard Milano grumble before he heard two words he never thought Milano would say. "Fuck you. Get your ass over to HQ. You have three days."

The line went dead.

At the next accountability formation, Eric broke the news to his soldiers. He stood in front of the formation and did his best to ignore the civilians standing off to the side. A crowd of civilians would show up at nearly every lunch and close of business formation. They would often record Eric as he lectured the soldiers or handed out blocks of instruction. Today, there was a solemn gravity in the air. Eric grimly walked in front of the formation, Justin and Michael stood at the back.

"Command has informed us the issues with SATCOM have been fixed." He said as he had the soldiers relax. "We will leave at 1800, so pack your effects and load the trucks. NCO’s, let me know when your teams are up. Are there any questions?"

A private in the back raised his hand. "Master Sergeant, what are we going to do about the vehicles back near the Ark?"

Eric sighed. "It seems some among you haven’t paid attention. The units from Fort Rucker have taken ownership of those vehicles. The Army will be issuing us new ones after the United States consolidation has been finished. Any more questions?"

No one else raised their hands, so Eric dismissed the platoon. He walked over to Michael and Justin. "Who wants to bet the soldiers won’t be ready?"

Michael slammed a five down on the hood of their Humvee. "I got five on it."

Justin laughed. "I got twenty that says they are."

Jessica stood off to the side, rolling her eyes as she walked back into the hotel. "Men." She muttered as she headed to her room.

At 1745, Eric stood in front of the formation. Each soldier was present, and Eric hid his shock. "Alright, there have been reports of numerous monster attacks on the routes we will take, so Roam and Jessica, you will man the .50’s. The rest of you, stay in condition one status as we mobilize. The route home may not be easy. Keep watch over your sectors of fire."

The soldiers in the formation nodded and grabbed their weapons firmly. Determination covered their faces as they picked up their gear.

Eric looked around and smirked as he motioned to the vehicles. "Get in the trucks. Let’s go home."