Merlin took the phone, hearing General Lawrence on the other end of the military phone. The CIA handler wasn't surprised to take it, and knew full well that this was a man that was planning a big offensive. Merlin had wanted such a thing for a while- it was good that now, finally, somebody was going to deliver it. The intel had been good- and this last stand had to be pushed out, one way or another. He was currently in the States, thousands and thousands of miles away from the action, in Washington DC. But he had a firm understanding of the situation on the ground as he knew it, and beyond that, understood what was going on in the bigger picture.
"We got your operators. Knight, Cordite, the two from Blue Sword PMC, Perth. We got limited intel on the group, but we know they're not fooling around. They have technology on their side, and seem more intelligent than your regular Jihadi group. Smarter. If you're going to strike them, you can't just rely on technical superiority. Have the manpower superiority. They're your best shot." He said, as he thought over the question.
"Don't fool around with them. They are fighting a war that is beyond insergency. For what reason, I don't know. But when we find advanced MANPADS and AK-12s, we know they have something bigger to protect."

----

"How much are we going to be worth? Oh god...well, we are already a lot of money. But you know. More is nice. I have an idea to buy a Dacha in Crimea, one right up against the cliffs and sea, with a winding road down to it. It's called "Devil's Nest". $4.5 million is the asking price. But it has a helipad and a dock within a cave, as well as being difficult to access by road. Perched on the side of the Black Sea, with sunshine and sea. It was refurbished by the last owner, who found he was no longer friendly with President Putin." She said, flexing the right arm of the suit, looking at her gauntlet, looking at her fiance, as she nodded.
"Maybe we can retire to there. And just fuck all day." She smirked, as she felt her own armor, looking down her arms and legs, moving about.
"I feel like a tank again. This armor is rated to take 12.7mm rounds, I wouldn't be suprised if it shrugged off sporadic 20mm HE. It feels like a piece of laser guided technology, not like my old suit. It had curves, but kevlar exterior...it was perhaps a little too simple. Yes, it's good to have a lot of armor...but this feels like it takes in my every curve so beautifully, I know understand when Medieval armorers made suits of armor like artists. It feels like it will just reflect shots off. They are working on a full exoskeleton, there's partial support but it isn't perfect. They don't want to overclock it yet, in case it rips my arm off or something." She said, as she watched Victor suit up, as she nodded, brushing her hair gently with the gauntlet. She adjusted the helmet's position, sliding it over her head, covering her beautiful face.
"I'm ready to kick some more ass, mon cherie. However we get there. I feel like a little revenge is in play." She added, as she locked the helmet down, looking through the Holographic HUD that flashed up, the faceplate much wider than her previous one and having a visor, rather than eyeholes. She could see a far greater proportion than before, and it felt just as protected, as she adjusted it. That material was made out of stuff that could probably survive a 12.7 millimeter round easily- it felt more like something out of science fiction, but then again, this whole armored program was precisely that. Looking to Victor, Natalie nodded with her helmet, as vaguely as she could, heading to the exit of the armory. They had a long, long way to go, and before they went, Natalie wanted a walk with this. She engaged the cooling system and felt the cool breeze blow between her legs and up her body, a relieving one, as she felt her steps make weight, connecting with the floor with a certain gravitas. The suit felt heavy, of course it did. It never didn't feel heavy, it felt like she was carrying an awful lot of weight around, and movement wasn't slow, but it was slower than her usual walk. Yet it felt powerful none the less, like she had a certain flexibility in movement, one that would at least mean that she would be able to pick herself up if something blew her off her feet. 
"I think Athena is as good a name for this suit as any." Natalie said, as she let loose a fart, flames billowing behind her, as she looked to Victor, as over the comms, the sound of her exhaling hard following it could be heard.
"Oh, that was barely my worst."