Location: Military Base – Barracks, Late Night
The sound of laughter echoed through the tent as Jeffrie leaned back in his chair, tossing a stress ball between his hands. Across from him, Ray and Trice were engaged in their usual debate—this time about the best way to win a bar fight.
"I'm telling' you, Brudda," Ray said, grinning as he gestured wildly, "it's all about speed. First punch, right to the jaw, fight's over before it even starts."
Trice snorted, arms crossed. "Nah, see, that's where you got it wrong. Big dudes don't go down in one hit. You gotta grab 'em, throw 'em off balance—then you knock 'em out."
Jeffrie smirked. "Or... you could just not get into bar fights."
Both Ray and Trice turned to him like he had just spoken another language.
"Man, what?" Trice scoffed. "Where's the fun in that?"
Ray shook his head in disappointment. "Jeff, I swear, you the best fighter in this unit, and you out here actin' responsible? Unacceptable."
Jeffrie just chuckled, shaking his head. He didn't need to win these arguments—just watching these two go back and forth was entertainment enough.
For eleven years, it had been them against the world.
• They met at 15, just kids trying to survive in a rough city.
• At 18, they enlisted together, side by side.
• Now at 26, they were more than a unit. They were family.
Ray tossed a bottle cap at Trice's head. "A'ight, forget bar fights—what's the plan after we get outta this life?"
Trice grinned. "I'm going back home. Getting a house by the water. Something peaceful."
Ray nodded. "I like that." Then he smirked. "But me? I'm opening a bar."
Jeffrie raised an eyebrow. "You? Running a bar?"
Ray grinned. "Hell yeah! Classy, too. Dress code, top-shelf drinks. Real nice vibe."
Trice burst out laughing. "Man, who is tryna drink at a 'classy' Ray bar?"
Ray gasped dramatically. "See, this is why I don't tell y'all my dreams."
Jeffrie chuckled. "Because they're ridiculous?"
Trice nodded. "Exactly."
More laughter filled the tent.
These were the best nights.
No war. No missions. Just them.
Jeffrie looked between them, feeling a rare sense of peace.
"Doesn't matter where we go," he said. "As long as we're still together."
Ray and Trice went quiet for a second, then nodded.
"Always, Brudda."
"Damn right."
They'd never been apart in eleven years. But this morning? Everything changes. One solo op. One strange decision. One quiet warning in Jeffrie's gut: something isn't right
Location: Military Base – Early Morning
Jeffrie rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he fastened his vest, already preparing for his next mission. Ray and Trice were getting ready too, but there was a different energy in the air.
"Weird," Ray muttered, lacing up his boots. "They're splitting us up."
Jeffrie frowned. "What?"
Trice nodded, checking his gear. "Yeah, we got orders this morning. Me and Ray are heading out together. You? You're on a solo op."
Jeffrie's frown deepened. "Since when does command split us up?"
"Since they started making weird-ass decisions," Ray muttered.
Jeffrie didn't like this. They never worked apart. Not in eleven years.
Trice clapped him on the shoulder. "It ain't nothing, cuzzo. Quick job. We'll be back before you even miss us."
Jeffrie exhaled, shaking off the bad feeling in his gut. "Yeah. See you soon."
They fist-bumped.
Then Ray and Trice walked out of the tent.
⸻
Later – Jeffrie Returns to the Base
The mission had been routine. Quick in-and-out recon. Nothing special.
So why the hell did it feel like something was wrong?
Jeffrie stepped into the barracks, expecting to find Ray and Trice waiting for him. Maybe they'd be arguing about something stupid again. Or maybe Ray would be trying (and failing) to cook.
But the tent was empty.
Then his comm buzzed.
"Unit 01, report to Command immediately."
Jeffrie's stomach twisted.
Something was wrong.
Location: Command Office – Minutes Later
When Jeffrie stepped into the briefing room, he wasn't expecting an ambush.
Nyah, Camila, Naomi, and Izzy. Not just fellow soldiers, not just familiar faces. These were the women who had been by their side since high school—Ray and Trice's wives. His sisters-in-law. His family.
Nyah, cool and calculating, leaned against the wall, her sharp gaze locked on him.
Camila, calm as ever, stood near the window, unreadable but always alert.
Naomi paced near the back, her fire barely contained—Trice's storm.
And Izzy, the one who felt most like blood, stood closest. She had always been like a big sister to Jeffrie. Protective. Loyal. Watching him now with quiet concern.
Their faces were tense. Too tense.
And at the center of it all sat Commander Sable, fingers steepled, eyes cold and unreadable.
Jeffrie saluted. "Sir."
Sable nodded. "At ease. Take a seat."
Jeffrie did. "Where's Ray and Trice?"
Sable exhaled slowly, then slid a file across the table. "That's what we need to talk about."
Jeffrie opened it.
His stomach dropped.
⸻
MISSION REPORT
SUBJECTS: RAYMOND COLLADO & LEIQUAN TRICE – MIA
STATUS: TRAITORS
CHARGES: DERELICTION OF DUTY, THEFT OF CLASSIFIED INTELLIGENCE, DESTRUCTION OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY
⸻
Jeffrie's hands tightened around the pages. "What the hell is this?"
Nyah was the first to speak, her voice soft but urgent. "They... they abandoned their mission, Jeff."
Naomi nodded. "Not just that. They destroyed an entire facility."
Izzy swallowed. "They stole something important. Documents, tech—we don't know what, but higher-ups are freaking out."
Camila crossed her arms. "They're calling them traitors."
Jeffrie couldn't process it.
Ray and Trice? Traitors?
No. Impossible.
"They wouldn't—" He started, shaking his head. "This has to be wrong."
Sable leaned forward, his voice calm but sharp. "I thought you'd say that."
He pulled out one final piece of evidence.
The security footage.
And then—for the first time—Jeffrie saw it with his own eyes.
Ray and Trice, standing over a burning facility, weapons drawn, a hard drive clutched in Ray's hand.
Then—they disappeared into the night.
Without looking back.
Without telling him a damn thing.
Jeffrie's breath was shaky now. "What the hell did they do?"
Sable's voice was cold. "The question is, what will you do about it?"
Silence.
Then Jeffrie straightened. His hands curled into fists.
"They're my brothers."
Sable nodded. "Then you know what you have to do."
⸻
Flashback: 11 years ago
Rain fell like it had a score to settle.
The alley behind the liquor store was soaked in shadow and steam from busted vents. Jeffrie was supposed to keep walking. Just another night, just another city that didn't care who you were or where you ended up.
But the sounds stopped him.
Fists. Grunts. The dull thud of a body hitting brick.
He stepped into the alley and saw them — two boys, surrounded.
One of them was bleeding from the mouth, still laughing, still talking trash like the pain was a joke. The other was dead silent, fists clenched, stance low, taking hits like he'd done it a hundred times and wasn't going down for anyone.
Jeffrie didn't hesitate.
The first guy he hit didn't get back up.
Another swung a pipe. Jeffrie blocked, countered, dropped him.
Back-to-back with the quiet one, they moved like they'd fought together before. Fluid. Brutal. Efficient.
The last three attackers ran.
Rain, blood, and silence followed.
The loud one — Ray — leaned against the wall, wincing and grinning.
"Yo... where the hell did you come from?"
He wiped blood from his lip. "You know we had that, right?"
Jeffrie looked at him, calm and cold.
"You were about five seconds from getting folded."
Ray blinked. Then let out a short laugh.
"Damn. You're funny and useful. Rare combo."
The other kid — Trice — turned to Jeffrie and nodded once, steady.
"You fight clean," he said. "Could've kept walking."
Jeffrie shrugged.
"Could've," he said. "Didn't."
That was it.
They didn't ask names. Didn't trade backstories.
They just stood there, blood mixing with rain, heads high.
That was the night Jeffrie stopped being alone.
The night Ray, Trice, and Jeffrie stopped being three broken kids... and became something stronger.
Not friends.
Brothers.
Back to the present:
Later That Night – The Fallout
Jeffrie barely remembered walking back to his tent.
The file. The footage. The word "traitor" still ringing in his ears.
It didn't make sense.
None of it did.
He sat on the edge of his bunk, gripping his knees, trying to breathe. His brothers—the men he trusted more than anyone—had vanished. Stole intel. Destroyed a facility.
But why?
His gaze fell on a photo.
Him, Ray, and Trice—first deployment. Arms slung over shoulders. Grins like the world couldn't touch them.
"Always, Brudda."
"Damn right."
His own words mocked him.
He clenched the frame tight.
Ray and Trice wouldn't betray him.
Would they?
Then—the tent flap rustled.
Scarlett, Azul, Sophia, Lily, and Raven stepped in. Their faces a mix of concern and fire.
Scarlett crossed her arms. "So... are you gonna tell us what the hell is going on?"
Azul tilted her head. "Because we just got some interesting news, BruddaBear. And it ain't pretty."
Jeffrie exhaled, setting the frame down. "I assume they told you what happened?"
Sophia nodded. "That Ray and Trice went AWOL. That they burned down a facility. That they stole something."
Lily stepped closer. "Jeff... tell us this isn't true."
He didn't answer right away. Because he didn't know.
Raven, quiet until now, stepped forward. "What did they say to you?"
Jeffrie rubbed his face, exhaustion creeping in. "That they're traitors. That they abandoned the mission. That they destroyed everything and left."
Scarlett scoffed. "Bullshit."
Jeffrie shot her a look. "You don't know that."
Scarlett's green eyes flashed. "I do. Because I know them—same as you."
Azul shrugged. "They wouldn't. But something made them."
Jeffrie swallowed hard. That was the part that hurt most.
Because deep down... he needed to believe there was a reason.
Lily sat beside him. "So... what are you going to do?"
Jeffrie looked down at his hands.
There was only one answer.
"I have to find them."
Silence.
Sophia sighed. "Which means you're going to have to hunt them."
Jeffrie nodded. "I need answers."
Scarlett shook her head. "I don't like this, Hotshot."
Raven met his gaze. "Then let's hope you don't regret it."