They weren’t a gang, not really. Just a gaggle of kids stuck in the bad side of town. And it was bad, like really bad. Just the other month, a bunch of people had been arrested on trafficking charges, and there was essentially a mafia or two running around town that everyone knew about, but the police couldn’t get any actual evidence on either of them, so they were there and feuding until otherwise. The only reason most people stayed was if they didn’t have the money to move out, or if they were involved in the crime in one way or another.

Either way, things had somehow supposedly gotten worse. Again, supposedly. The information wasn’t technically available to the public yet, but there was a rumor that the terrorist Makarov was hiding out in the town. Some believed it, some didn’t.

What people didn’t know, however, was that the military unit Task Force 141 was going undercover to investigate.

The four men were dressed in civie clothes. Rather than their usual tactical gear, they had donned hoodies, t-shirts, and jeans. Ghost had even swapped out his iconic skull mask and balaclava for a more simple black mask that covered his mouth and nose.

The group were walking down the sidewalk around midnight, talking quietly amongst themselves. The state of the town was rather shocking, even with the knowledge of the criminal activity that happened around there. A group of teens (how were children surviving here??) were sitting in the park they were passing, laughing and chattering away like the obvious issues with this place didn’t exist.

As the 141 passed, a strange man approached the children, causing the soldiers to pause. The kids pointedly ignored him until he tried to grab one of them. Before any of the 141 could act, the kid he grabbed yanked their arm away and scowled at him.

“Excuse me, I’m talking to my friends right now!” The kid he grabbed snapped.

“I don’t care,” the man snarled, reaching for them again.

“We do!” Another kid stepped towards him. “Leave us alone!”

“Hey,” Price walked over before the situation could escalate further, the other three following him. “Leave them be.”