I don't like this place. It is cold, windy, dark, and has an aura of mystery around it. Too much mystery makes me uneasy, because no one can plan around the unknown. But this place is necessary for our mission, here in this god forsaken town. This troublesome and wild country, The Federation.

Agent L

Parma, can you hand me that rod please?

Agent P

Here you go. Be careful when handling it, its slippery. Also, here's a wrench.

Agent L

Thanks. We need to assemble this weapon before they get across the bridge.

He's so infatuated with that contraption to a point where his eyes wouldn't budge from a single spot. I find that obsession with your profession kind of cute, if I'm being honest. Although, sometimes you have to reel him in so he doesn't forget that I'm much better looking than that thing.

Agent L

God damn this launcher is complicated to work with. Even if I liked assembling this monstrosity back then, it doesn't change the fact that I need to do something so important as to save two VIPs, with just a day of preparation. I mean, I haven't used this machine, not since training that happened years ago. Yet they expect me to fully operate it without any warnings?!

He looks at me while angrily cranking a bolt, making the palm of his hand red and chafed. I replied with a smile on my face and a pat on his back. He's going through a lot, even though I'm doing the same exact thing as him since we got inside of this country.

It seems my ability to plan our trip makes him happy. He knows what should be done next and can expect almost everything in day-to-day basis. But with sudden assignment like this, everything fell apart and now we have the obligation to follow our orders, as usual.

Agent L

I'm sorry for my rant Parma, it's unbecoming of me to do that. You have planned the routes for us. With it, we can go throughout the country, enjoy ourselves, visits romantic spots, and finish my J-MEF duties at the same time.

Agent P

Yeah, about your work. We should be in the clear right?

Agent L

Yeah we should be. I sent them a notice about a change in our initial route. Just made up something about our cars breaking down. So instead of going to the north part of Baraks, we are going to take a detour to service our car. Thank god they are kind enough to ate that reason up.

Agent P

Yeah, that's nice of them to just accept it like that. Yet here we are using this golden opportunity to do...

That.

Agent L

We are here to kill some people. God damn this mission goes from zero to a hundred so fast. Does our job clauses says that we are able to kill someone based upon our superiors order?

Agent P

We are working under The Agency, Lukman. I don't think they care about words on some paper. What they care is that we are saving the right people. At least to their standard.

Agent L

Again, this goes hardcore, fast.

Agent P

I suggest you to continue working on that machine babe, they should be coming around the corner soon.

Agent L

How much time do we have?

Agent P

About twenty minutes, at least that's what the GPS says.

Agent L

Alright then, please give me that SBC, keyboards, and that little screen. I need to do some setups here before we launch the payload.

SBC is an abbreviation of Single Board Computers. It's a small, light, and not very powerful devices used for low powered calculation usage such as operating this machine. You could imagine it as a very useful little laptop that you can program in, but cheaper. Right now Lukman is using it to control the launcher through a tiny screen, just a bit larger than his hand. I have no idea what he's configuring but it's probably something about calibration.

Agent L

Okay let's calibrate this launcher shall we. Right now in this building, which are thankfully abandoned, we are at the 40th floor right now. Based on this altitude sensors, it says we are about one hundred fifty arms from the ground. Our target will drive through the middle part of that bridge. I reckoned the distance should be more or less, 650 arms.

I think this estimation is good enough.

Agent P

Don't you need to be a bit more precise than that?

Agent L

Oh, you don't need to be too precise with this launcher. Because this one will launch a special payload. I don't think you have seen it before, so how about we open that black briefcase first.

Among the usual parts of a guided launcher, is the payload itself.

I gave the black briefcase to him, then he stares at the locks and input a combination of number into it. After a push of a button, I can hear an audible click, followed by the "mouths" of the briefcase slowly being pushed apart. Inside, there's a neatly placed missile-shaped projectile that's no bigger than two of my hands stretched on a table. It has been a while since I have seen a live missile, so it confuses me by how small it really looks. It's colored yellow with a white tip, three evenly spaced fins at the back, and a big hole behind it.

He loads in that payload through the back of the launcher, while still waiting for our target to come. His forehead is sweaty from an intense amount of thinking, it seems that it's harder than it looks like. He's controlling the launcher with those foldable rubber keyboards that you can find in a convenient store. His hands taps those inaccurate keys, sometimes repeatedly because it doesn't register. I grab a handkerchief from my breast pocket and wipe sweat out from his head.

Agent L

Thanks Parma.

Agent P

You're welcome babe.

Agent L

A little command here, some change in configs there... and I think that's it! Everything should be ready, I just need to press the "return" keys to launch the payload. Remind me again where they are, Parma?

Agent P

They're there!

I point out a moving vehicle that just turn onto the corner, one straight road away from the bridge. We can clearly see that they're our VIPs by how those vehicles are being treated by the chasers. The VIPs are sitting inside of a white van, screaming through the streets, visibly battered by impact from another car not far behind them. It's a bit hard to see, but I noticed there's little black spot all over its bodies. Probably bullet holes.

There's only one car chasing them thankfully, a commonly used black sedan. Pretty discreet and unassuming, it must be the local gangs that our brief were talking about. They also happened to be our target. This weapon will hopefully disable their vehicles, allowing our VIPs to escape safely.

Those vehicles swerving left and right, arms away from the lip of that bridge. Agent L's hand is on the trigger, sweaty and shaky. He takes a deep breath one last time before the point of no return. We only get one shot here. Either way, someone is going to die. By this weapon, or other means necessary.

Agent L

Launching, now!

SCLUNK!

It's propelled out of a tube, making a similar sound when it got inside of the launcher a moment ago. I can still see the payload, it seems there's not enough velocity for it to reach our target. Agent L looks tense, but determined. He whispers a small clue to what's going on.

Agent L

Wait for it.

I can clearly tell what's going on even from far away. This is a late, rocket propelled, projectile. It soars through the air for a moment and lock itself to a designated target that was configured by Lukman a few minutes ago. After a successful visual lock, the projectile then will activate its rocket booster, launching itself forward at a speed too high for my eyes to truly register. It chases that black sedan in less than a moment, just to embed itself deep inside of the car. It punches away all of that steel and aluminium like a nail through a cotton.

But nothing happens afterwards. I thought the projectile is supposed to explode or something, but I don't see a change in the trajectory of the vehicle. Lukman goes up from his sitting position and starts to pack things up. I give him this dumbfounded look, because I truly have no idea what's happening right now.

Agent L

It's over, let's wrap this up and go to a hotel. I'm going to be extra tired after this, the stairs will definitely kill my thighs.

Agent P

Wait, that's it? Nothing is happening to the car chasing our VIP!

Agent L

What do you mean by that? Look again.

That black sedan, stops in the middle of the bridge. Everyone inside scatters away from their vehicle, preparing themselves to shoot our VIP's van with everything they have. It's clear that they are putting out their last ditch effort here, desperate for a result.

I can see that van pushing away from us as fast as they could, hoping to dodge any bullets from their assailant. A sigh of relief comes out of Lukman's nose when the VIPs are turning on a corner, away from our sights, and definitely those skimpy looking women with guns.

Agent P

I was expecting an explosion instead of...

that.

Agent L

When I first saw this weapon, I also thought of that. But it turns out all it did is to disturb the electronic inside a car enough, so it would break down and stops it from functioning.

Agent P

Then, what about the killing people part?

Agent L

Nah, I'm just screwing with yo-

Ouch, why you hitting me?

His smug face makes me pissed off. I was readying myself for a killing. I mean, it was all I had in mind since we climbed up this building. This husband of mine deserve a punishing or two after this.

Parmadita

You're sleeping on the couch tonight. Nay, the floor!

Lukman

Oh, come on Parma don't sulk. Do you really think The Agency would let us kill people when we can barely hold a gun?

Parmadita

I'm going to sulk.

Lukman

You still look beautiful when you sulk though, so I'm not complaining.

Parmadita

Shut up.