Yo it's Predator7…the Harbinger of Mental damages.
{Chuckles}
I'm back. And I have brought a bit of Drama (that's what I believe) and humor in this chapter here. Sorry to those suffering from mental damage due to….*static*…well don't worry, I have continued that a tad in this chapter, and what happened before that I'll reveal in the next chapter….maybe.
Here to the hope that we can get a happy Hachiman and Yukino ending for Oregairu in Volume 12….whose draft had been rejected from what I hear.
Please a review and tell me if it good or I overshot.
I once read somewhere….
Wars are fought to protect…..
But from what I have experienced….
Wars are not fought to protect….
They are mostly fought to affect politics….
To move trade and resources…..
So those sitting 1000 miles away from combat….
Getting things served on a silver platter….
Can get something to bicker about…..
To us….it's all about killing…
I dropped the sniper rifle...I just couldn't believe what I had done…
"Not a Kill shot but I'll do just fine. Nice shot" my Uncle said putting his binoculars. This man….no a man….A…Monster…
"WHY!"I yelled at him with what strength I had left….
"Why did you make me shoot her!" I just couldn't understand….He just stares at me with his dead eyes boring into mine.
"Because she was still on your mind" he said without looking at me. WHAT!…
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" I yell at him again….I was at the end of my senses from the deed I had just done….he just sighs and with a sudden force grabs me by my collar and glares at me…
My dead eyes have been called creepy an disgusting by many but…..his look nothing like mine, his eyes look like they have seen hell itself and survived to tell the tale, they look…..scary.
"Look here you little whelp. The reason you are in such a pitiful state is due to that wallow in your own misery habit of yours" he drops me to the floor and walks to the window, and checks outside with his binoculars that hung by his neck again.
"Don't worry. She'll live….shot passed….harmlessly through her. She is just out cold and will... just need an operation or two…probably" he says and stares out of the window. I look at the sniper rifle lying near his feet…maybe…..
"Don't even think about it. It's a bolt action sniper rifle and it only had two bullets in the magazine to begin with…..so now one is in The head of a Yakuza drug lord and well….the other just passed through your ex-girlfriend" he says reading my thoughts. He then turns around and faces me while folding his arms and setting himself onto the window still. In the distance I can hear police sirens approaching. Well we wouldn't be caught as we were at least a Km away…..makes me wonder how I hit her in the first place…
"Do you know why I made you shoot her?" He says to me who is still sprawled at the floor. Why would he make me shoot Yukinoshita in the first place….wait this is no time for such…I looked at him and said nothing the silence my answer.
"So that you can steel your resolve" He looks me in the eye and continues…..My Resolve?
He scratches his brow murmurs something to himself and says again.
"Ok, Let's start with you…she…..let's say she left you for that guy. OK …now you will start thinking that what brought about this change in her…..naturally due to your self programmed self destruction logical mindset you will think that it was your fault and blame you-"he stops for a second and thinks about something and then chuckles to himself.
"Well…we're more similar than I thought….I finally understand why my little bro couldn't handle you..." Oi don't make me sound like a delinquent here… "But you know what they say…..A man can be the father of his son but he is not the father of his spirit...wait. Where was I?" After a moment of Pause he continues.
"Ah yes….then you got back and found yourself getting thrown out of your house…..Fate sure isn't kind to either of us….then you abandoned all hope and jumped off a bridge…Well I knew where you were going the moment I saw the broken pot near the gate….which you broke"
I just looked at him. No doubt there is a shocked look on my face right now. Well…If a total stranger comes to you and tell your day to day doings in perfect detail you would be too.
"How do you know all of this? I asked in utter disbelief. My years of total solace and incognito have gone down the drain….now I just wanted to understand how he managed to do it….at least know what gave you out….
"Don't look at me like I am some kind of stalker Yo….I figures out the rest while I looked around your room and questioned your various fr-…acquaintances. Well it wasn't very hard. As I said right we are the same kind of people…and the same thing happened to me so it was easy" Wait…so he means that he got screwed over by someone like me?
"Yes I did….something like that happened. Expect my girlfriend shot me 3 times…with a fucking Nambu, still have the scar from that day"
"Listen kid. At that time there was nobody to guide me so I used what I felt was my only weapon to survive...Ok Hachiman lets play a game…tell me what is the most important mental tool a person should posses?" He looks at me for the answer….
The most important mental tool...Hmm…
Suddenly as fast as the answer dawns a smile tugs at my face.
"Logic" I say. His eyebrow goes wide at this and a satisfied smile forms at his face.
"Nice. I was thinking you would answer wrong but I was proven wrong again. Indeed it is logic. Too many problems are caused by men with noble dispositions and clouded minds. I know another thing about you" He points towards me with one finger.
"You're kind….more kind that anyone else will ever be. But you're too kind…so kind that you offer up yourself for the sake of another….but there lies the problem…because of this you wouldn't be able to actually know if they genuinely need help or…they're taking advantage of your kindness" He puts his finger down and gazes out again.
"On its own, being a decent person is no guarantee that you will act well, which bring us back to the one and only protection we have against demagogues, tricksters, riajuu's, Fakes and the madness of the crowds and our surest guide through the uncertain shoals of life"
"Clear and reasoned thinking"
"Logic will never fail you…unless" he whips his head back and looks at me sternly…"Someone deliberately ignores the consequences"
As he lets his words sink in I feel the weight of his words…
I realize how foolish I was to accept her confession in the first place.
My own policy…
My own rules...
As I realize I have betrayed myself…. a mindless chuckle escapes my mouth…
"But that doesn't mean that you have to become a monster of Logic or someone hating mankind itself. Nobody has a complete understanding of another person and nobody can actually do that" I stop and look at him again, he is standing in front of me with his hands behind his back, his ahoge blowing in the wind…his eyes that were fierce a minute ago strangely providing me comfort.
"When a person meets someone they form an image of a person and make a file of them. When he learns new things about that he simply adds it to the file and accordingly places expectations on him…No don't deny it, You know it's true. Just listen to me"
"But if the person doesn't live up to the expectations…it shatters your image of him and you feel betrayed" His words take me back to that day when the three of us went to the Sea Park. Tue place where I found out that Yuigahama was not a nice girl and Yukinoshita was not a strong girl.
"There are some people out there who are different…some who can gain a bit of understanding….some in the same position. But don't go running around and act if you've changed and are now a good boy….i mean...Ahhh..wait…" he suddenly stops and place his hands over his chin and scratches it as he thinks of something…
"Well it will be better if you experience it personally and then you can decide for yourself…Yes that should be best" he says while nodding his head and spinning back and walking back towards the window.
"That doesn't explain why you made me shoot them" I say without any hint of any emotion in my voice.
"Come over to the window" he says without looking back, what…Does he want me to throw off this building?
"Don't over think it, if I had to kill you, I would have rather let you drown or hired someone to ice you rather than reveal myself" Scary...
Knowing I was not in a position to negotiate, I picked up myself and slowly walked over to the open window. In the distance I saw an ambulance and several police cars now gathered around the CIT Ballroom. The Police had formed a barricade around the road and the paramedics were now carrying someone on a stretcher under the scrutiny and shields of the SWAT members, the person who….
"Quite a hilarious bunch of characters, eh?" the person standing next to me said "Do you know all that's show off…The Police can hardly control the Yakuzas and they think that they can take us on...Do you know Hachiman how miserable Japan's military is?" I didn't have to answer before he continued.
"Absolutely underfunded, an absolute pititiful armory….Do you know they still use Type 69 in many parts…and don't get me started on the manpower. Absolutely varying ages and the patriotism almost nil there, most just join for the Paycheck and the possibility to shoot someone"
"What's your point?"
"Why do you think you shot that guy without any hesitation and no later problems but now you are having problem when you shot Yuk-...that girl?" His split second fault puzzled me….then I moved on to his question….Why did I shoot that person?
"To be honest I don't know…..it just…" The full consequence of my actions now faced me…
I Hi-….I really have to forget using my name…
I….shot a perso….person in cold blood…
That guy didn't know me…..
I didn't know him…
I'm not a soldier….
Yukinoshita survived but he….
"That was what was trapped in you for a long time" he broke the silence again and using his finger pokes me in the chest.
"W-What?" I staggered..What does he mean…I am not a monster…I never took revenge on anyone I knew or her f-..
"You embraced your new role for the same reason that a dog that has been whipped since he was whipped without cause will someday turn and attack his master" He points a finger at me and continues, his actions remind me of Hiratsuka Sensei…in a way
"You are the dog here. You have been whipped and whipped and then you had a chance to strike back at a world that had shown you little kindness"
"This is madness" I concluded.
"Consider it a side effect of being a Monster of logic….also it acts as a kind of contingency plan"
"What for?"
"Kind of a last resort for an absolute Apathic sonofabitch….sorry about the language, it comes with the trade"
"Well for what I made you do those things…I think you understand that better than others don't you…and also because we have limited time"
"Is someone after yo-….does that mean you are a wanted man?" I asked now quite alarmed…why didn't I consider this earlier. This person has to be a wanted man fo-..
"Quiet you" He grumbles. "I am saying this because even after everything that has happened to you. You will still attend….So...Sobu High School...is that correct?"
"What?"I ask. A number of questions arise in my mind….where will I stay...how I will…
"Well you don't have to worry about those kinds of trivial things. I'll take care of it. Oh and I got a month's leave for you from your teacher…..don't ask how I managed to convince that woman. I must say though, she was quite concerned about you and so was that pink haired girl and silver hair….person and the chubby guy and the silver haired gal…..I know I just kind of figured out who you knew or befriended"
"I don't need a month's rest. I'm fine to go to school tomorrow" I say to which he cuts me off
"Do you think I am got the leave for you to rest?" he asks with concealed anger…did I do something wrong?
"You have been lazy for far too long…we are going to take a little trip around the world so that you understand what I exactly do" he barks and checks inside his trench coat's pocket.
"I don't want a-"
"Here catch" he cuts me off and throws something at me, as I catch it I see it is a booklet of sorts with a….wait is this?
I open the booklet and see my photo sticking on the passport ….well it could be mine but I can't read the words….
Hey don't look at me like that, this is not Japanese…..it looks like Russian?
Studying the page I see the name printed there is obviously not mine….
"What is this?" I ask him
"You new name" I look at him and the sight give me Déjà Vu. The wind blows his hair as he stands alongside me, his hands folded.
"Welcome to the Bezúkhov Family" [1]
[Some Years Later]
Iraq
"How the did you end up in the Marines, you Special Forces or something?" The Iraqi sitting in the driver's seat said while eying me through the rear view mirror.
"Shut up corporal and drive. I don't want to get blown up by an IED because you were more concerned with his name" the Marine Lieutenant sitting in the front passenger seat turned to me while scolding the Iraqi driver.
"But I'll like to know as well Bez….you look Japanese but your name's Russian any reason for that?" Aren't you being Hypocritical here lieutenant, but knowing the marines from what I learn about them until now I need to do something to get them off my case.
"Well circumstances I guess" I say adding a bit of a Russian accent with my voice, ignoring the stupid sounding nickname that the marines had given me….come on guys that my fake name.
I had been a month since I had been posted in the Middle East with the Marines.
ISIS's Jihad had raged on even when I was in High school but as Japan had 'constitutional' rules forbidding it from taking part in any war, we were mostly unaffected.
However after completing High School, I had been urged to get into the Military and follow the plan laid out by Takehiko….
If he had told me that while in high school and even that Day he made me shoot my ex. I would have fled from that place not bothering to think how I would live or what I would do if he sent men to kill me, but after taking that trip I changed my mind and devoted myself to help his cause.
I had been bouncing from one Military to another…. This time it was USMC's turn.
Due to the tensions arising between the coalition's forces posted here…mostly due to the sucker politicians, small expeditionary operations which had operatives from all the Militaries were implemented to ease the tension between them.
As I was saying, America had formally withdrawn from the Middle East but due to an angry blonde and an attempt on his life….which didn't come as a surprise to absolutely anyone….
…More or less they were more upset that it failed.
No explanation needed.
They were forced back into that Godforsaken Hellhole of a place to destroy ISIS once and for all.
And today we were sent on another Expeditionary mission…
Let me define one for you….
Go out, make some friends, make an army out of those friends, fire some lead, blow some stuff up and come back home for dinner at the end of the day….
…Or be friends with everyone and blow up anyone that resists and turns hostile.
Although it may seem barbaric it was pretty effective.
…. Expect the drawback was International outrage and organizations and News Channels calling it Iraq and Afghanistan 2.0….
….make it 2.3
So here I was, in the heat of the Middle East with a Marine, a Kurdish fighter, an Iraqi soldier and a Russian soldier in a Humvee going to nab an idiot in a town lying in no Man's land between the ISIS and the Coalition Forces while reading a Manga….
WHAT?
One thing being in the Marines taught me was that there was plenty of time to sit around and do nothing. That meant that every marine who had brains would bring something to keep himself occupied while those who didn't would slowly find themselves losing their minds. Source: ME.
"Alright ladies we got a simple task today" As he turned back towards us I stowed away my Manga into my pack.
"There a guy who is ratting out our informers in the Town. We managed to get a fix on his position, so we're gonna go in there and either capture him or waste him. Any Questions?" the Lieutenant said when the town came into view.
Lt Anderson was a "Marjah Marine" a grizzled veteran that had fought the worst the Middle East had to offer, from renegade soldiers to well trained fanatics. He survived the long and bloody battles in Afghanistan and lived to tell the Tale with fellow soldiers.
He wasn't the leader of our expedition for nothing…
It was a normal looking town…as normal as you could get in this part of the world. With many houses burnt down and several badly damaged, we could see plumes of smoke coming out from the part of the town we were going to.
"Remember keep your eyes peeled for any signs of trouble and anyone appearing suspicious. Don't care if it is a Burkha clad, Many times Jihadists use it as a cover and watch out for IED's" The lieutenant warned us as we entered the town.
We cruised through the streets watching the streets. Most streets were empty expect the main roads which had some people going about their business. A couple of children played football with a clothball and a little girl sat there hugging her doll.
Seeing them reminded me of my family…
Komachi must be in collage by now or probably entered the world now….that insect better take care of her now or I'll kill him…after cutting off his balls and chopping him up into little pieces of course..
...What abo-
"Bez Pay attention, we're here" The Lt pulls me out of my thoughts as we park in a narrow Alley. The Iraqi stops as we near a one story building which is partially destroyed, possibly from an air raid or shelling.
"Alright here's the plan. Muhammad and Ismail are going to follow me to breach the entrance while Bezúkhov and Olav watch the wheels and stay as backup" As Lt is explaining our Jobs a movement in the front catches my eye.
I see a burkha clad woman walking in front of us. The woman seems to be walking quite fast when her gaze falls on the Jeep and she stops. She watches the Vehicle for a few seconds and then walks away. She keeps sneaking a glance at us while she moves and then enters the house which we were going to breach…
"Lt a person just entered the house" At my voice the Lt Looks back to the house and with a sudden swiftness he opens his door.
"OUT!" he says while getting out of the vehicle followed by us opening our doors as well.
As soon as he jumps out a shot is fired and Muhammad, our driver emits a groan and falls face front into the jeep's wheel hitting the horn making it blare. The glass of the Humvee breaks as 4 more shots rang out.
"CONTACT!" Lt yells and using the door as a shield fires 2 shots at the person taking cover behind the balcony of the house.
I jump out and aim my M4 at the place where the guy had popped out of. Using my lead Olav gets out behind me and opens the front door and cautiously takes out the groaning Muhammad.
The hostile pops out and sprays a couple of bullets towards us. Most do not hit as it is mostly blind fire but some do hit the Humvee doors, I fire a double burst forcing him to take cover.
By this time Olav and Ismail has managed to bring Muhammad to the back of the Jeep and are currently checking him. The Lt is keeping him conscious and making him focus as the Russian checks him, although he is our LMG gunner he is also the Medic of our group.
As I keep the guy from shooting them. Lt Turns gets up and moves towards the other side of the Humvee.
"Ismail, keep those two from getting killed. Bezúkhov on me" He yells and moves towards the Building, I fire 2 more shots near the place the guy pops out of and cover the Lt While the Kurd takes the position of the Lt near the passenger side door. The streets are empty now as the people have gone into hiding.
As the Lt Reaches the door he signals me to follow. I come out from the safety of the door and sprint across the street, my advance being covered by the Kurd's AK fire.
Then as we rejoin, the Lt Kicks the door open where the woman entered not a minute ago and enter.
The house looks the same in the inside as the kind that I have seen so far. The drawing room has a sofa and two chairs a table and a couple of cheap posters hang around the walls. We move towards the stairs as the hostile was spotted on the first floor balcony.
The Lt moved through another doorway to our right which was curtained by hanging beads when a couple of bullets wiz passes him and he pulls back.
I line up next to him as he does a duck and weave to see the gunman. As he pulls back he gets ready to engage again, then as the gunman fires his next burst Lt ducks back and blind fires a couple of shots, apparently hitting the target as he moves out of cover and I follow him.
We move to the bottom of the staircases and I see the gunman collapsed near the doorway with his blue T-shirt now wet with blood around 3 spots on his torso and his AK still in his hands. I approach him and kick his AK away from his grasp…..
It's a foolproof method to prevent that the guy you just shot wakes up to find he is not dead and gets up and puts lead in your ass because his loaded weapon is still in his hands.….take it from the SAS.
"Bezúkhov Take point" Lt pulls me back and I move forward taking the leading position.
We proceed to the stairs and cautiously move up, I stop as I spot a barrel peaking from the top of the landing, apparently the guy is prone and waiting for us to show our helmets and then….
…BANG
….Game over
Unfortunately I don't have a save point. I take out a grenade and motion to Lt who nods and moves back into the other room, not wanting to endanger himself. He is not wrong, if by chance I mess this up the grenade will be our Doom.
Calculating that the person is lying just on top of the stairs, I pull the pin. I throw the grenade at a part of the wall from where it bounces off and flies to the top of the landing, I rush back to where the Lt is standing and hope that it was not a dud, I am not disappointed.
With a quick bang we move out and up the stairs, I still keep my M4 ready in case he was still alive…though the chances were low. We reach the top of the landing and I see his body lying on the side probably in the same position that he was before. I don't even have time to think about him when a side door opens at the right and another armed gunman stumbles out.
He was clutching his abdomen as if he has stomach ache and I spot a red blot near the place, which was also the moment he spotted us and pulled up his AK.
Unfortunately…for him I was faster and fire 3 shots rapidly. As the bullets make impact I see 3 more red spots appear on his white T-shirt and with the grace of an actor he staggers a bit before falling face first slightly towards the right...
The sight is well beautiful and almost theatric-…
Either something is wrong with me or I am now absolutely numb to the effect of seeing people die…..
For my sanity I'm gonna go with the latter…..
On other thoughts, something IS wrong with me…..
We move up the landing and towards the Balcony, thankfully there was no other gunmen as we move outside. As we moved out and backed the corner I saw the gunman firing a couple more shots from cover and ducking back again. I moved out and confronted him.
The gunman didn't see me before I called him out but as he did a look of shock generated on his face. He raised his gun and tried to fire from the hip but as he raised his gun and before I could react, he was shot dead by a quick burst from the Lt's carbine.
"Too slow Bez" He says as he moves in front and checks the corpse. I follow him and move to where the guy was standing a moment ago. I wave my hand in the place before I look out….so that I don't become a casualty from a friendly fire and motion the Kurd down in the street near the jeep a thumbs up. He just nods back and moves back to help the wounded Muhammad.
"Well I'll be dammed" hearing the Lt say this I turn my head back to him.
He was currently knelling next to the body and holding the photo of the person we were supposed to find…Wait is this?
"Yup, he the same sonofvabitch" He shakes his head and looks back at me.
"Mission accomplished. Let's gets back. I need a shower" He stands up and prepared to move, when a radio that the target was carrying suddenly comes alive with some sort of chatter…
"What are they saying?" I ask the Lt who returns and picks up the radio and holds it up.
"Something….about an explosive or something" he says while translating some of the chatter while I look back at the jeep to check on them when I spot something.
A man was carrying a backpack and was moving towards the jeep. When he was close enough he took off the backpack and dropped to his knees…
Suddenly knowing what he was doing I raised my M4 and fired a couple of shots at him however I miss. The man gets startled and standing up kicks the backpack under the jeep and sprints off. OH FUCK….
"GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE" I yell at the top of my lungs at those people who are at the back of the jeep, however they couldn't hear me.
Apparently the Lt catches my drift as he yanks me and drags me in the direction of the stairs. We sprint down the stairs with me in the lead and bound through the living room. We rush out of the building and I sprint towards the jeep yelling all the while.
However I am too late….
A second later an explosion occurs and I feel a strong force throwing me backwards and I wind up falling on the street with darkness engulfing my vision, I lose consciousness.
[PRESENT DAY]
PARIS
{Insert gunfire and artillery shelling}
"What the Fuck!" I instinctively reach for my sidearm and draw it to confront the attacker before I realize that instead of a battlefield, Frank was standing next to my seat and holding a phone near to me…with the rest of the 3 horsemen behind him.
Then taking his phone back and putting it back in his pocket he turned back and made a victory pose.
"I told you he would get up. I win" The others just rolled their eyes and looked away.
"Bloody hell….Frank you do that again I am gonna shoot you" I said while putting away my silverballer [2] while still glaring at him. Do you even know how precious my sleep is?
"Come on you, I know you were having one of your wet dreams ab-uh" His teasing was cut off with my fist impacting with his stomach…not lethal of course….thanks sensei I owe you for teaching me this move.
"Next time…no I don't want a next time. Got it?" He rubbed the impact spot and looked back at me standing straight.
"Sorry boss…but I couldn't help it" He said while laughing and rubbing the impact spot.
I just suppressed a headache as I grabbed my head.
No use berating him…I'm stuck with him…
Yes take a deep breath…inhale…exhale
…inhale...exhale….
Now, think clearly what to do...
Right now I have got to get out of this damn plane….
The plane my uncle had sent was a TU-22M Backfire modified for quick transport.
….the problem was it was preferred because it was a supersonic bomber and the pilot in a fit of madness decided to start a competition with the escorts…which wasn't exactly favorable to some of us and not from a military point of view. Although we flew over friendly territories there was no telling when a guided missile landed on us or an Apalis [3] snuck up on us, so he had also sent a Talon [4] and a Firefox [5] as an escort to the Backfire.
There was no problem expect that they were experimental planes on the final stages of….well, Yes the Berkut was an experimental fighter but the Russians modified it for combat and started producing it...as a result it became one of the Primary planes in our Air force.
…did I mention we are a private military force not bound to any country?
Never mind...from what I knew The Talon and the Firefox would soon replace the Berkut and the T-50….
I am getting sidetracked here, aren't I?
…I went from talking about myself to Trinity's Air force…back on topic.
…..and due to their competition going supersonic we ran out of paper bags.
Exiting the plane after grabbing my jacket and officer's hat, I am greeted by
…no one. The pilot took off after we landed and there are only some flight technicians who are checking The Talon and the Firefox….
"Well….this is not what I expected" Ralph comments after exiting the plane and seeing no one welcoming him…
"You heard the CO, it was supposed to be a secret visit" I say which shuts him up…but someone just has to barge in at this point….
"Really is that so…or it is because that you prefer to keep things quiet" Yes sir, we were just waiting for you to bless us with your presence…oh dear will lady luck smile upon me now?
"From the looks of it there will be no transport as well I guess?" Felix pops in as we observe the Military part of Charles De Gaulle International Airport.
Yup, you're right….kinda makes me think my position sucks….And if you ask anyone in the headquarters they'll just say…
' "We do it the Kerbal way" ' Yes that is the actual response that they give….kinda makes you want to shoot a couple of them immediately, had I not used the same excuse many times.
It was very useful if you ask me, not to mention it was one of the things that bonded Trinity's operatives closely.
"Seems like we have to use the civilian areas to get out of here" Marco who following us says. Yeah some-
"Oh dear, I seem to have forgotten the invisibility cloak. Sorry my bad" As Frank says this a bit loudly we stop and look at him…
Then in absolute sync we look at each other before we all burst out laughing.
Did I ever tell you I hate the media?
…well it's a love hate relationship. While we manipulate them most of the time they are…
Hold on….all together now…
"A PAIN IN THE ASS"
Thank you for the microphone Frank….
"Why do you think they are here?" Marco asks after coming back from performing a counter reconnaissance.
We had managed to make our way in through the civilian areas and after showing our ID's and badges…yes we do have them, saves us a lot of trouble, and managed to not get the French Welcome [6], but we recoiled when we say the crowd and found a safe place to think about how to get out.
Now I am not a person who is uncomfortable with crowds…looking at you Yukino but after several events I usually avoided them and also because that was not my department.
Though we can just waltz out of here, it will be better if we don't come out swaggering.
"Definitely not waiting for us" I say as we observe the….for a lack of better word, horde of media, and people waiting outside the arrival gate….
"Hey guys check this out" Felix suddenly chirps in while shoving his phone in between us. The screen was showing a page telling about the arrival of a Tennis star who….
…..wait a minute that's….
Like a flick of a switch an idea formed in my brain….
"Oui listen up. I got a plan" I say which draws their attention.
[20 Minutes later]
"Is the wireless working?" I ask to the 4 men walking behind me as move to intercept the target in the arrivals section.
""""Copy"""""
"Umm, Sir I am a tanker….not a spy"
"Stick to the plan and we'll be fine." I reply to him while I put my shades on. I was now wearing the standard High collared tunic, black pants, black boots and the specially tailored jacket of our organization, including my officer's cap. The 4 men behind me also do the same as we walk confidently amidst the busy airport crowd. Several people lift their gazes off their phone and stop talking as we come into sight. You could feel the respect and envy and the occasional fear that they had towards us.
"I feel kinda like a celebrity here" Frank said while slowly scanning the crowd while not hiding his bionic arm which has aroused the curiosity of many onlookers.
"Yeah one who is hated and Loved at the same time" Marco said while glaring at person who was tried to snap a photo of us.
"Come on we're one of the Horsemen, we are a kind of celebrity" Ralph said while catching up to us as I quicken up my pace and dodged a trolley…seriously people look after your belongings.
"As if these people are aware of our existence" Felix finished the conversation.
As we near the arrival section I see the person whom I want to see with his body guards chatting with the police officers who are checking him.
"Alright boys here we go" I say before I take a deep breath and stop a smirk from donning my face.
My men stop after a couple of steps. I don't even need to turn my head to know that they've started their act. His body guards move forward to intercept me and the French police and the person and his wife look in my direction. No doubt all eyes are on me, quizzing on my next move.
You wouldn't believe me if I told you that my actions might affect the entire ops.
…but that's all true, it reminds me of a saying I once heard.
What a Christian does, affects him alone…
What a Jew does, affect his entire race….
Moving forward I stop before the guy I once… kind of liked, I take out my badge and brandish it his bodyguards either relax or become terrified but stand down which suits me just fine.
"Mr Saika Totsuka, I presume" [8] Totsuka nods to me, no doubt intimidated by me….or maybe
…No he wouldn't remember me…and even if he did he wouldn't recognize me.
"Pierre Bezúkhov. TRI Neutralization International Task Force. I'll make this short sir, Your life is threatened by a person who is on our watch list and we've been ordered to capture him, so we'll need your cooperation" I say in the slightly Russian accent that I use.
He face goes white at when I mention that his life is threatened, matching his hair. He looks much more developed now and could easily pass for a legendary Ice skater. [9]
"My men have been ordered to protect you and work alongside your bodyguards" I said indicating to the 4 other men in similar attire as me behind me.
He seemed to regain some of his confidence before he tried to speak something
…tried but I guess he was either intimidated by me because he made the same face that he made back in high school when our first Tennis match took place. Instead of him a feminine voice behind him spoke up.
"That won't be necessary"
I look behind him and lock eyes with the one person I had not expected to see.
….technically I was joking because I knew she would be here, but hey it's a figure of speech.
Her hair no longer tied by a Chinese bun falls freely around her frame which has matured….
…back to topic.
"And you are?" I ask fully knowing who she was.
"Yui Totsuka. His manager and wife" She says strongly.
Good girl Yui, you did pick up some things off Yukino didn't you?
…well some things stick with you if you come in contact with some other people. I can mentally hear Yukino saying how my Hikigerms affected her, I chuckle a bit loudly and she is taken back.
"I'm sorry Totsuka-san but I have my order and…I intend to follow them, so it's better if you cooperate" I say with strictness in my voice, emphasizing the last part.
"And I think our presence will help you more that you can think and also no Paparazzo's will try to chase you knowing that we are near you"
Well I wasn't bluffing about the last part, everyone stays away from our Drivers… because of the stickers on each of our cars, a strict reminder of whom and whatever they've ever hit. [10]
….and also because each of them learned driving from video games, especially GTA, the end result can be easily imagined.
Apparently he can only nod in response and I realize my plan has succeeded.
[15 MINUTES LATER]
"So can tell me about yourself?" Totsuka asked. He had been staring at me for a couple of minutes now, he couldn't see me clearly partially because I was sitting in the front seat and also because I had my shades still on.
"Well there's not much to talk about my History and most of its too violent for you to know" I reply lazily ignoring their reactions and listening to the song on the Radio, which just repeated a single word…
I went like Zoobe Zoobe Zoo-….To hell with this!
Is this even Music!?
We were driving through the streets of Paris, with me, Totsuka, Yui and one of his bodyguards in a black Alpha Romeo that was being driven by his bodyguard. Ralph and Felix were sitting in the leading car while Marco and Frank were sitting in the following car…if you want to know why I designated like them I wanted a stone prince with each of the Bezerkers, it kind of balances them you know.
I was about to change the song when my phone rang. I fiddled through my pockets before I found it. Not bothering to see who the caller is…a habit I had picked up, I picked it up.
"Bezúkhov here" I reply lazily half expecting another Kerbal bastard.
….i really have to stop myself from referring them Kerbals, but you really can't help it as all of the lot including me behave like one…
"PAPA!" a vibrant voice sounded in my ears.
"Mari-Chan?" I really didn't expect her of all people to call me
"How are you…wait how did you even find this number" I asked not surprised at all…these girls were absolute geniuses, well it wouldn't be surprising to anyone who knew their mother
….and regrettably father.
"Well it was easy I just used one of Uncle Auggie's computers and used my Mother's phone to find it…did you know how awesome his computer it, daddy you should have told me sooner…" and she went for a full minute going on a full description of what she could do
...I take my earlier words back, both of them are prodigies.
"Where is your sister?" I ask breaking her lecture.
"Out kicking ass" she answered giggling.
"Language" I scold her when I realized that I was laughing as well.
Her sister was teased and bullied a lot in the starting, realizing that she needed to do something I signed her up for a self defense classes…little did I know that, that girl would become so powerful that she defeated my CQB specialist and many other people to the point where I starting fearing for the planet's safety…..
"Sorry papa, it just kind of popped out" I feel myself the need to correct her….
"I'm not your father, remember that" I feel a slight pain in my chest when I say that before she continues…
"Not yet" She replies in a playful tone and I feel two different feelings at that point….
….Embarrassment and Pain…
"I…I'm sorry….i-" She apparently realized the weight of her words because she tried to change the topic at that point…
"So tell me why you called?"I asked to divert the topic.
"Ah yes, Papa you are in France aren't you?" Wait how did she…
"And you're with Saika-san aren't you, listen I need at least one of his Tshirts and several of his signatures on it and if you can get his perfume a-"As she goes about her demands a sudden thoughts crosses my mind and I turn back a smirk on my face.
"Totsuka, can you talk to my daughter for a second" I say reverting back to Japanese and adopting the same voice that I used back in High school while handing my phone to him.
I see his face going 180 degrees as he eagerly take the phone from me and speaks to Mari….and nearly gets his eardrum blown off as Mari squeals from being able to talk to one of her idols.
I move my gaze back to the streets and relax….wait why are we driving on the wrong side of the road?
The talk goes on for at least two minutes before I feel my cuff being pulled by Yui who looks annoyed…well our destination was nearing as well.
I signaled him and he handed my phone back, muttering a thanks I hold the phone back to my ear.
"Well Mari-chan, you-?"
"Daddy? Get him back I didn't talk to him much, Mari talked more than me" Another voice interrupted me as I attempt to stop this conversation.
"Chi-chan? I thought that you were outside"
"She was joking daddy…can you get me his autographs please?"
"Alright I'll see what I can do, but I wouldn't be back for some time" I say to calm her down and to inform her about the sudden plan change.
"Just bring the goods and you'll get our love and permission" She says in a businesslike to-…WAIT A MINUTE!...
"What did you just say!?" I ask a bit angry.
"Oh, sorry-sorry it just kind of popped out, I mean the autograph not the goods" She says correcting her mistake…fool…made a think for a second that she got involved in some sort of Gang familia…
"I gotta now, Take care" I say ending the call.
"Be back before she wakes up" I hang up before she can continue.
Another call interrupts my train of thoughts and as I pick it up I realize we have neared our destination…
After listening to the person I hang up and turn my head back towards the couple sitting in the back seat, the male apparently signing a tennis cap….
"What are your daughter's names if I may ask?" he asks.
"Mari and Chitoge" I tell him and I see Yui's expression change from being absolutely expressionless to full shock
….Looks like my cover is blown.
I thought she didn't recognize me but….no….
Time to end this little encounter…..
"Good news sir I've just been informed that the perpetrator of the threat has been caught. Also we have been ordered back to base. So we'll have to part her. Stop the car here pal, we'll find a way back" I say to him and address the last words to the driver who slows down the car and pulls over to the side of the road. The rest of the convoy stops as well, and my men get off the car, with the driver nervously waiting for me to go.
I look back and take the autographed cap Totsuka extends towards me;
"Good luck with your tournaments and Thank you" I say while nodding and thanking him.
"No it is you who deserves the thanks, you guys protect us with everything you have no matter the cost to themselves" Then with a faint sense of nostalgia continues
"You know, you guys remind me of a friend I had back in Japan, though we lost contact after high school I still remember him. He was my idol in a way and he inspired me to strive and help others" He said recalling the past…
I was actually touched by his words….no one….absolutely no one…..from my old acquaintances
….Expect Zaimokuza, ever told me that they considered me a friend….or remembered me..
"Well it was a pleasure meet-" I tried to open the door before a hand stopped me and another grabbed my shades from my eyes, I was startled for a bit and looked back with Yui looking angrily at me…
"You're Hikki aren't you?" she accusingly asked me with venom in her voice, but there was also another emotion hidden in her voice that I really didn't want to deal with. Ignoring her I get out of the car and close the door…
Well he considered me a friend so I can do something at least this….
"Well the name's Bezúkhov but you can also call me Hachiman…If you can catch me that is" I say and while also yelling to the driver.
"Driver get this car rolling! Davay! Davay!" I didn't even have to say another word with the driver driving off like he got his hands on a Nitro pack. I see the two of them looking back at me from the rear windows yelling. I just tilt my cap as a sign of respect and watch as they turned a corner and disappeared.
I turned back and faced my men….
"It worked" Ralph said with a neural expression…
"We did it" Marco said his expression blank.
"Your plan worked Sir" Felix said giving me the dead eye stare….
"Why does it feel so good?" We turn towards Frank who continues..
"So good to be bad?" He utters and we start laughing….
We did it…..
"Honestly, I thought it wouldn't work but we managed to pull through" I said in between laughing and walking…passers were giving us strange looks but most ignored us.
"Alright let's go" I said while walking down the street and folded and kept the cap safely inside my coat's pocket.
MISSION SECURE TRANSPORT SUCESSFUL
[5 MINUTES LATER]
If there was one thing that we had learnt, it was that the best things were hidden in plain sight.
The same thing went for the administrative wing of our French Branch. It was hidden in the middle of the city and was not surrounded by any military checkpoints or anything else. Looking from the outside it looked like a normal eight story administrative building or a Law Enforcement building due to the large amount of cars standing outside, but inside it was a military base with enough weaponry to stage an invasion of Vatican City.
The large underground compound housed several VANEVIR APC'S along with either a Bishop 808 or a M439 Vanguard II Tank and instead of a police chopper we used one or two Kamov Ka-58 Black Ghosts [12]. And the same went with nearly all of our other buildings…expect the ones in America and the attacked nations like Japan where we almost have a mixed unit of a Marine or JSDF division and a couple of ours.
If you're wondering why we have a Tank our basement
…that is for a JIC where JIC stands for Just In case.
JIC you're wondering….
"Burnt coffee and stale donuts, the Batcave never changes" I say taking in the familiar smell of the Trinity controlled building, this is one thing that never changes whether you are here or anywhere where Trinity's operatives have made their abode.
We enter a kind of hall where a huge piece of equipment was placed and a couple of elite operatives were posted around a pair of double doors...over which there was written…MEETING ROOM and a sign of DO NOT OPEN IF ATTACKED written in big bold Red color over the door and I narrow my eyes at the site.
We made our way to a kind of reception behind which sat an operative who had busy watching a game on a small TV, then becoming aware of our presence he stood up and saluted us. Thought I wasn't the person who appeared to on TV who lead the troops and wasn't widely known in the public, I was pretty famous in Trinity because of all the shit I had done, with nearly all of the men highly respecting me.
Sometime it appeared to be borderline scary how much they were devoted to me, and they went a bit over the line like when they found out that person….whose name I currently can't remember at this time gave me corn as a birthday present….well let's just keep it at that….
"Where is the Dark Lord?" I ask….I know that's his call sign
"Sir they've been waiting in the meeting room….uh, do you want some coffee?" He replies and then points to…
Wait….
I look at the spot and then look at him again and look at the spot again…..
He was pointing to the battered, piece of machinery that looked like it predated World War 2 and was the result of a drunken one night stand between an ancient coffee machine and a model T engine.
I wouldn't be surprised if it burnt coal….
"No, we'll pass" I reply as I am thinking who has the brains to brew coffee in that thing.
"I wouldn't be surprised if that coffee could start a Tank"
neither would I Ralph….…neither would I…
"Umm, we kinda heard of the cost-saving program going on right but can we get a bit of funds to replace the coffee machine?" He asks awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head…
The machine in question chose that moment to unleash a particularly nasty-sounding gurgle and belched a cloud of thick black smoke…
"Uhh, let's see if I can put it under….umm, Soldier's rights?" I awkwardly say…
"That's good to hear! We're beginning to think here that it's been possessed by a demon" He laughs a bit…
"Really, come on now tha-"
The…coffee maker let out more smoke, this time emitting a noise which sounded more like a inhuman roar…..the whole hall goes quit at the sound and nobody speaks anything….
"I-er-I'll look into it" I said and walk towards the door.
And as I braced myself for the upcoming meeting I made a mental note in my head to get that machine replaced or at the very least get it exorcised immediately.
Bloody hell, this chapter took longer than I expected…
Notes-
1-Pierre Bezúkhov. A special prize to those who can tell where I got it from.
2-Agent 47's signature Pistol. I dropped the desert eagle when I realized that it would not be too beneficial for actual combat due to its weight.
3-XFA-24A Apalis. Single seater twin-engine, canard delta winged strike fighter in Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception and Ace combat: Joint assault. The plane takes it name from Apalis a genus of songbirds.
4-F/A-37 Talon. A near future single fighter aircraft of the US Navy in the 2005 film Stealth. Technically it should be Talon II as the name Talon has already been assigned to the T-38 trainer aircraft.
5-MiG-31 Firefox. A aircraft appearing in Craig Thomas's novels Firefox and Firefox Down as well as the Clint Eastwood film based on the former. Interceptor aircraft with stealth capabilities to the point that it turns invisible to any radar. It resembles the real life Mikoyan MiG-31 "Foxhound".
6-A Chinese man and an American and a Frenchman with a very big ring….anyone gets the Rush Hour 3 reference?
7-Anyone gets the David Livingstone reference?
8-Just for this story imagine Victor Nikiforov from Yuri on Ice as Totsuka.
9-Kind of like the pilots in WW2 who painted enemy flags near their plane noses for telling the number of kills. Here they've mimicked them by painting cars, bikes and…..i think you get the idea.
10-Ka-58 ghost was first introduced by the Russian model manufacturer Zvezda in 2000 but first took flight in 2016. It represents the new concept of advance Russian Attack Helicopter Complex. Later adopted in the computer game Act of War: High Treason, the consortium fraction operates this dedicated stealth hunter-killer helicopter…..yes I know there is a Ka-65 but still this one was better.
[AN]
GOD I REALLY WANT TO BANG A STATUE NOW…..
Also I got my ass kicked in World Conqueror 3….again.
One thing I really wanted in a story was for someone to beat the sense into Hachiman because we all know he wouldn't change no matter what happened or what the circumstance are….as a result the first scene….still if I can correct or improve it so if someone can advise me on that it will be appreciated.
Another thing that I want to ask is what I did wrong as there was no feedback to my other story….Kinda made me sad {SNIFF} and distracted me a lot because I was wondering what I did wrong?
I've got the third chapter ready to rock and roll but I'm also going to hold it back and put out a Sobu Magic High [VER 2.0] a reboot of my story, that's gonna take a different turn than the one I'd thought up till now…well some things are not going to change like what I had planned for the Chiba village night encounter between Yukinoshita and Hikigaya.
Sorry mate no spoilers….
And here are the promised goods.
My consciousness came back after a couple of minutes…or hours. I couldn't tell.
And after knocking some musical sense…literally into Frank, I sank back into my seat at the Table while massaging my swollen head, I had thrown all of them out now we were alone in the café/ bar. I loosened my collar and put my hat on the table after dusting it.
"Sorry you had to go through that, stuff like that happens all the time here" I say to the people still sitting here…they are still a bit shaken from what had occurred right now. Mainly because of me getting hit and partially because of the quickness that I had thrown the rest of them out…..
Her two girls look like they're…..Laughing?
I sigh...well can't helped can it? You don't see a guy getting knocked out by a guitar while talking everyday and if you do you'll laugh of course…
"Mister you were so funny? You are just like Pan-san in that episode" her smaller daughter giggles…..Did I tell you how much she resembled her mother?
"What are your names?" I asked trying to break the awkward atmosphere that had been generated and also I was a bit curious about them.
Her elder daughter stands up and while straightening her jacket introduces herself.
"Hello, my name is Chitoge Yukinoshita. It's nice to meet you" I don't know about you but she resembles Haruno in a way….with the way she manages to smooth things out and specially the part where she stopped immediately after being scolded by Yukinoshita.
After her, the other daughter fumbles around before she too stood up and hesitatingly introduces herself…
"He-hello, my name is Ma-Mari Yukinoshita. Nice to meet you Sir" She finishes with a bow….
Its confirmed…..both of them resemble Yukino and Haruno…..
At this moment Yukinoshita stops what she was doing, which was basically nothing and looked back at me. This time I lock my eyes with her…
Those once beautiful blue eyes that she once had now lack their luster, like something happened that took out the shine in them…
"Hikigaya-kun…I-"
"Oh I forgot my manners, would you care for some coffee Hayama-san?" I cut her off in between, both because I really needed a sip right now and because didn't want to hear that name….so I intentionally let slip that last part…
"I-…well…yes please" She flinches at the name and answers while I get up and look towards her mother….
"Yukinoshita-san?" I ask her gently
…as gentle as one can be without shooting anyone
She nods back and I move behind the counter…
"Wait, is it really Ok for you to go there?" Yukinoshita asks me, she must have seen Dmitri standing behind the counter and assumed that he was the store owner….well technically he was but practically….
"Yeah it is, you see we own this place so I can do what I want here as you can see right now I managed to get everyone out" I answer her while moving towards the kitchen looking for what I….ah there they are….
"Can I get some cookies?" her younger daughter asks and is immediately scolded by her elder sister and mother….guess I can do something about that.
"Well have some Oreo and so-…" I said while looking through the shelves in the kitchen area…
"No that won't be necessary….Mr. Bezúkhov" Yukinoshita-san cuts me off while taking my...
….Oh she does know my name?
Let's find out how much she knows about me, shall we?
"I insist Yukinoshita-san and how do you know me?" I reply to her while placing the cups on a plate while filling them with coffee.
"Well your involvement wasn't exactly unknown was it? But I didn't realize you and Cyril Bezúkhov were the same person" She replies as I arrive bearing a tray holding 5 cups of coffee and a packet of Oreo Biscuits…..Oh so she's got something wrong….
Being a Shadow Marshall has its benefits.
"What are you talking about mother?" Yukinoshita asks her as she takes one of the cups and mutters a thank you, while her younger daughter opens the packet while the elder looked in silence before the packet was thrust in front of her by the younger who giggled at her while taking a bite out of an Oreo.
"Oh, I am talking about the contact between Trinity and the Japanese government; I believe this person was heavily involved in that contact making" She looks at me while pointing a finger in my direction, in the same way like a teacher giving a child's parents a report about the bad things that he had done while the child looks at her giving her a look of betrayal.
What exactly was she talking about?
Let me tell you….
Well after Japan was attacked and the attack repulsed, Trinity offered to help in the security of their country as well. The politicians of course…
Scoffed at the very idea, partially because they didn't want a private military to roll their tanks through the streets of Tokyo and also because we offered to work only on a contact.
Japan was filled with overly-diplomatic politicians who knew nothing about military matters, and that's what I knew would someday lead to the end of Japan. That was how it was when you had people who stubbornly looked down on the military and pursued peace at any cost while being guided by emotions as opposed to logic.
The JSDF was a bit more understanding and…
Finally someone from the JSDF managed to sway the public in the favor and turn the tables against the politicians. He said a lot of things but it can be summarize as follows…
SIGN.
For the Love of Kami SIGN. Because we're utterly screwed, mostly because you've underfunded us for YEARS and these people have an insanely futuristically huge military that'll run right over us!
Did we mention you should sign, because…
YOU SHOULD SIGN THIS LIKE RIGHT NOW!
Well that's the gist of it….
"Well I don't really deny that but you are wrong about one part" I pause and settle on the chair and pick the remaining cup and lifting it take a sip out of it…
Ah bliss….
"This is…" I see back and look at Yukinoshita who had just taken sip out of the cup and recoiled a bit after tasting it.
"I did say coffee, I never specified which one. It's a long story how we managed to get this one out of Japan so I wouldn't bother"
What?
You think I will drink any other thing when I can drink my MAX COFFEE….yeah that's what I had served them.
….and also because I forgot how to operate the espresso machine…
..My Bad….
I looked out and saw that the men had disappeared…or rather collected in a group near the VANEVIERs and two men were standing between them and…..either they were arguing about something….wait a minute that's Frank….What the hell is he up to now?
Yukinoshita puts down her cup and looks at me.
"Hi-I mean…Mr. Bezúkhov if that's okay with you, you may not know but after Nee-san's death our companies were badly affected and now….I have been divorced by Hayama-san…and currently we…"
"Would like asylum from your ex-husband and Grandfather because they want to marry out your daughters to other families to keep themselves afloat due to all the mess going on right now and I suppose you want asylum for your mother also who strived to uphold the family name and when found redundant was ordered to be disposed of" I finish for her while taking a sip out of my cup and ignoring the faces which looked like Edvard Munch's "The Scream"…
I should have expected this….I swirl the contents of my cup as I ponder over it...
Ever since the mess with Haruno happened, sometimes a thought passed through my head that what I would have done if it was her sister and not her…
I looked at her again and this time I was aware of the difference between us….
When I look at her I see a person….
Someone who changed me….
Someone who I cared and loved…..
Someone with whom I thought I had found the genuine thing…
Someone who lied and bailed out on me…..
But I also see a person who is strong…..
A person who still had the guts to run…
To not allow what she had endured pass on to her children….
Someone who had enough strength to convince her mother…
One who had endured the same but hid it under a veil of harshness…
And their future depends on my decision today….
I folded my hands and leaned back on my chair….I really didn't want to deal with this now.
Did I bear her any resentment…did I hate her….
No….
I had discarded any such thoughts about her a long time ago….
Then deciding what I needed to do I put down my cup and straightened up and opened my mouth to speak what I felt was right…
"I'm sorry but I can't help you"
I've got only one thing to say here….I'm not done with this.
Thank you all for reading this chapter that ended up becoming insanely long and bearing with me for so long….
And looks like the Ship is out isn't it….
Here a quick announcement-
-The first PM POLL winner was Royal Road, so I am going to release a oneshot in about a fortnight though it may get a bit delayed because my school is opening again.
-Oh and I won't update my other crossover story for some time because I feel it's too predictable and boring because most people already knows the main plot though I am not completely going with the main story and there would be romance there but still…there's no gunpowder.
- Does it bother anyone that every new chapter is longer than the last one?
P.S- Does anyone want a Oregairu X Gekkou?
Please leave a review so that I can improve and so that I am still inspired to write.
Well till I post again…
Predator7 out
Cheers mate