Playing MechAssualt for the X-box gave me the idea for this fanfiction.
It's a crossover between Evangelion and the Mechwarrior games, using
Evangelion's basic themes and characters, Mechwarrior's suits, and a
original story. You don't have to be very familar with Mechwarrior to
understand this story, just a vague idea what a Battlemech is. All you
have to do is look on the cover of any Mechwarrior game box. Also, if you
want to go into detail the Mech stats for each Mech I introduce is posted
at the bottom of this chapter, as will any other non-original mechs I
include in this story. R/R
~Bahamut2n8
~0~0~0~
THE EVANGELION BATTLEMECH 0:01
MERCENARY
~Phil~
Phil the bartender continued to clean the glasses that he kept under the bar for the fourth time in the last two hours. It wasn't that the glasses were getting dirty very often, but rather the only way the bartender could busy himself with all his free time. Customers around these parts were scarce, especially with the tribe war going on. At least a dozen skirmish had taken place within sight of the establishment, but so far the bar, along with the few houses that made up this little settlement by the sea. But the amount of destroyed Mechs was growing outside the small town, and that meant thieves and scavengers could start to gather, looking for good salvage. Also, the place was far too small for either side of the NERV/Seele tribe war to occupy. But that also meant that there was practically no one to keep the mercenaries and soldiers of the tribes to use the buildings as target practice. The thought drove most of the local residents out of their homes and into the bigger settlements, where even more problems awaited them. Most of the men and women, children included, ended up piloting a Mech just to feed their families.
Phil finished cleaning the inside of the mug he held in his hand before placing it back on the shelf under the bar. He stood up, arching his back, trying to loosen the muscles that been strained from bending down too much. Glancing around his empty establishment, he was forced to sigh. Before the war began, there was always a crowd here, drinking and relaxing after a hard day's work. But now . . . he had only one regular customer. His only customer, sometimes for a month at a time.
The creak of the front door caught Phil's attention. Indeed, that customer had just arrived. He wore a long cloak and hood, as was common to keep the desert wind and sand out of one's face, especially needed for long travels. Phil also knew this guy traveled here from a distance, as he searched all the empty houses surrounding the area for the guy at night. Other than an approximate age, his gender, and his preferred drink, Phil knew almost nothing about the guy. He tried many of times to at least get his name, but failed miserably everytime.
"Hello again, familiar stranger." said Phil with a warm smile on his face, although the guy only gave him a nod in return. "The usual?"
Another nod came from the stranger. As Phil poured the carbonated drink - the guy never drank alcohol - the cloaked man sat down in his usual seat, the third stool from the right.
As the mug filled with the dark liquid, Phil glanced up at the figure. 'He comes in here every day exactly at five o'clock in the evening. He stays for exactly two hours before leaving, and always has a total of five carbonates. By the look of him, he probably isn't old enough to buy rum. He pays for all five of his drinks before I even set the first mug down. Who IS this guy?'
The boy in question watched the bartender with interest, meeting his gaze but revealing nothing. But then there was a slight twitch in the mouth, and he pointed to the mug Phil had been filling. "I think it's full."
Phil glanced down to see the mug now overfilling with carbonated drink. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice that the mug was overflowing.
Phil jerked so fast to turn the tap off and remove the mug from the stream of drink that he lost his balance and toppled over backwards. The mug came crashing to the floor, spilling its contents all over the floor behind the bar. Phil sat in a daze at the sudden chaos caused by a simple distraction. But the real amazement came by what followed.
The mysterious customer stood up from his seat and walked behind the bar, and bent down to offer the bartender a hand up.
Surprised, Phil gratefully took his hand and hauled himself up off the floor. Now dripping with the spilled drink, he had to smile at the amused grin on the stranger's face. That smile turned into a chuckle, and then a full out laugh.
"What's so funny?"
Phil forced himself to stop laughing and take some deep breaths. "You. Hehe. I don't know much about you, even if I've seen you every day for over a year. But I never pegged you as a person that would help others. You just didn't seem to be the type."
The boy shrugged. "A lot of people peg me for something that I really am not. I don't now why or how. But I really don't care what others think. Makes work a little tough . . . err . . ." The boy suddenly looked like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Phil saw the opening, and for his own curiosity pushed the issue. "I would like to get to know my only customer. What is it you do? Steal?"
The boy grimaced. "NO! I do honest . . . well, more honest work than common thieves, anyway. But I really don't want people to know . . . it tends to get my friends in trouble. I've already lost one best friend because of it . . ." The boy's head dropped, and Phil could have sworn he saw tears in his eyes for a second.
"Hey, hey, I'm sorry. I just don't get many people around here anymore. I guess I'm just trying to be friendly." said Phil quickly, shaking his head. "If you don't want me to know, that's fine, but if I can ask . . . What is your name? Can you at least tell me that?"
"............." The boy was silent for a moment, as if pondering a profound statement. "........Shinji. My name is Shinji."
Phil couldn't help but smile and feel important, on having succeeded in making Shinji open up. He missed that with his old crowd.
~Shinji~
Shinji hadn't moved from his seat for over an hour after the incident. Phil wasn't charging for his sodas today, since Shinji had been kind enough to help him. It was a gesture of gratitude, he guessed, but Shinji didn't really care. His 'job' kept the boy financed nicely, although a good deal of the money he earned went to equipment. But there was still plenty left over to keep Phil in business.
He had only stopped in at Phil's bar by coincidence - he had been thirsty and saw that the light was on. Curious, since it seemed the rest of the town had evacuated, he stopped in to be greeted with a smile. Shinji bought his drink - the same drink he was drinking now - but he tried to keep his silence. Shinji didn't want Phil to know anything about him, or the agents could find him. But curiosity got the better of him.
"Why are you still here? This town is dead."
Phil had looked awfully sad for a moment, but it vanished as he smiled. "My father and mother started this place, and these kinds of things just shouldn't be abandoned like that, should they? So I'll stay here. I've got enough food and water, and maybe . . . who knows?"
Shinji didn't tell Phil that day, but they had something in common. They protected something given to them from their parents. And because of that, Shinji felt as if he needed to protect this place. So Shinji drove miles every day just to have some drinks at the bar. Also, he told his clients to stay away from the area or else he Shinji would consider it to be an assault against him and retaliate.
And he did his job efficiently enough to the point that his clients were scared to go anywhere near the place.
Now he enjoyed the silence and peace for the last few minutes before he had to head out. When he got up, Phil was near his tenth time cleaning the mugs today.
"Heading off now, Shinji?"
"Please . . . don't use my name." replied the boy.
"Oh! Err . . . okay . . . you're heading off?"
Shinji nodded slightly. "I have business to attend to, and they don't like it if I'm late. I won't be here tomorrow, but the day after I should be."
Phil smiled, although Shinji didn't see it. Instead, Shinji headed out to his transport. An old hovercraft, scrapped by the NERV Tribe long ago as inefficient since it couldn't hold more than a quarter-ton of supplies. It had sat broken in the desert area for a long time, a victim of an ambush by thieves. Shinji's friend found it some time ago, fixed it up, and now served Shinji and his colleague as personnel transport.
It started without much complaint, and five minutes later Shinji was cruising towards his final destination. It would take over half an hour to reach his destination, but he needed that time to prepare for the meeting. Shinji had to be cautious about this kind of work. He doubted the people that hired him knew of his past, or the fact their superiors wanted him brought in alive, but he didn't want to take a chance.
He pulled out an inconspicuous bag, and one by one removed the contents, examining each one. There was a temporary tattoo, which he would put on his arm, scar make-up, and a wig, along with a change of clothes to match the local dressing fads. He wanted to blend in to the crowds that would inevitably be there at the drop site.
Half an hour later, Shinji, dressed in a borrowed NERV uniform from the local base, strolled down the main street of City Alpha Tokyo. Not many gave him a second glance, as people in uniform were quite common in the streets of the city. Alpha-Tokyo was an occupied city, just a few hours drive from Tokyo-3, the headquarters of the NERV Tribe.
Unobserved, Shinji turned down one of the many back alleys and left the hustle and bustle of the main street. Now he became surrounded by garbage and rats, as was common in the unseen places of the cities since the locals were more worried about being bombed or attacked instead of cleaning the corners. He continued in the darkness towards his destination. He reached it without incident - a small watering hole for lowlifes and dregs, scumbags and mercenaries.
Shinji fit into that last category.
Glancing quickly at his surroundings, Shinji pulled into a dark corner, and checking again to make sure no one saw him. Then he stripped himself down to the more common clothes he wore underneath the uniform, before stashing the uniform back into the hidden corner. Straightening himself up, Shinji entered the bar with a swagger that was obviously forced to those who knew him. But to those that didn't, the walk made him seem like the stuck-up ego windbag. And that assumption often meant many people Shinji would rather avoid leave him alone.
The bar was dark, shadowy, and stank of beer with a trace of vomit from those who did not make it to the rest rooms in time. It was the perfect place to go if you didn't want to be seen, and Shinji was one of them.
Shinji saw his contact sitting in one of the booth, leaning back as if enjoying herself. And the reason why was sitting on the table. No less than a dozen empty beer bottles sat in front of her, and as Shinji approached, the smell of booze grew, making Shinji grimace in disgust.
"SSSh . . . Hhhi . . ." said the young woman, her speech slurred badly.
". . . you're drunk again, Misato."
"SO? You're not one to talk, MISTER I don't want to meet the people who hire me, and don't say me name . . ." said the drunken violet-haired woman. Misato was Shinji's middle man, or woman as she constantly reminded him. She worked with, but not for, the NERV faction, and often was able to get jobs to mercenaries. Shinji had known her for years before the war started, and she often gave him the highest paying jobs. However . . .
"I don't meet the officials directly for good reason. You know that, at least when you're not drunk. Also, if I did that you wouldn't get paid as well as you do."
Misato stared at the boy, as if he just said something profound. In her current state of understanding, it probably was.
"..... Misato, the papers?"
"Huh? What're you talk*hic* talking about?"
Shinji sighed heavily, before reaching across from her and pulling out a folder marked with the NERV logo. He opened it carefully, and removed its contents.
The first thing Shinji did was count the cred cards that the folder contained. It wasn't much, only about half the usual for the jobs Shinji usually took. Next, he looked at the map that was provided and mission briefing.
"Sector Beta 76 . . . meet up . . . armored supply route . . . that's it? No wonder they're paying so little, it's cake." he whispered. "You usually can get me better jobs, Misato . . . Misato?"
Shinji looked up to find the woman out cold, the effects of the alcohol taking effect. Shinji sighed and picked up the credits, briefing papers and map, putting them all in some hidden inner pockets inside his coat. Before leaving he headed over to the bartender to pay for Misato's drinks, and to persuade the guy not to throw her out onto the street come closing tip with the help of a fifty credit bribe.
Shinji didn't bother with the uniform this time. The streets were practically devoid of life after dark, and no one would see him. Black-out conditions were in effect the entire time, and although lack of sight wasn't going to stop heatseekers or radar, it made the citizens of Alpha- Tokyo feel a little better, and it made traveling in stealth a lot easier for Shinji. Shinji mused that if the citizens couldn't see it, they thought the trouble couldn't affect them.
But then again, most of the Mechs he destroyed didn't see him until it was too late.
~Asuka~
"Captain! The Commander wants to see you!"
Despite the near deafening noise of Mechs being powered up and tested, a cranky voice could be heard from the cockpit of the Atlas, cursing in a foreign language that nobody else in the vicinity understood.
The small messenger, no older than twelve, stiffened at the cursing. The Captain was well known for her temper, and was also known to be one of the harshest people on the base when said temper was flaring. Judging by the amount of curses and thrown tools coming from inside the Captain's Mech, she had worked herself into an impressive rage.
Riding the lift up to the top of the Mech felt like a walk down death row for the young boy. In fact, the few who were brave enough to be in the same area as the fuming Captain bowed their heads in sorrow as he approached the open hatch of the Battlemech.
"Uh, C-Captain?" asked the boy, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. The figure inside the Mech let out another curse, and grab hold of the side of the fuselage, pulling herself out. She shook her head, her long auburn hair to fall behind her head. It was a face and body many men dreamed about, but an attitude that they all feared.
Captain Asuka scrawled at the messenger before her. Messengers usually meant a boss wanted to see you, and when a boss wanted to see you, it meant trouble since mission orders were handed down in another manner. Therefore, in Asuka's mind, messengers were something to hate, even if they were only messengers. As such, Asuka threw down the tool in her hand and glared at the boy, giving him two seconds to realize he was on thin ice with her already.
"WHAT!?!" yelled Asuka.
"Well, um," stuttered the boy, "T-The Commander wanted to see you . . ."
Asuka gave the frightened boy another good glare before continuing in a low, menacing voice, "There are four Commanders on this base. Which one?"
"Kaji, ma'am." replied the boy, trying to back away from the glaring girl. "Commander Kaji wants to see you."
Asuka froze when she heard that. Her heart felt like it had stopped for a moment just at the sound of the man's name. And to think HE wanted to see her! The hunkiest, sexiest man on the base wanted to see HER!
Asuka grabbed the boy's collar, giving him a playful shake as her scrawl did a one-eighty into a bright smile. "Why didn't you SAY so!?! Quick, do I have any grease on my face?" The boy, stunned by the sudden mood swing, could only shake his head slightly. Asuka frowned at him. "Oh, forget it!" she said as she pushed past him, and descended to the ground.
"Oh, he had to call me now . . .! I barely have enough time to change clothes, let alone put on some make-up . . ."
~Asuka~
Auska took a deep breath as she entered into the office of Commander Kaji, excited about seeing the handsome man again. He was the one who got he through training, helping her up through the ranks faster than anyone else her age. She had been crushing on him since the beginning, and she had yet to give up on her endeavor, trying to catch his eye every time she saw him.
The commander looked up when she entered, then offered her one the chairs in front of him with the roguish smile Asuka came to relate him with. Asuka smiled, and took the seat in a way that allowed Kaji to catch a glimpse of her long legs.
If the Commander saw anything, he didn't respond. He only returned to the papers on his desk, obviously searching for something. "You're probably wondering why I called you here?"
Asuka smiled, leaning forward to give the Commander a view of her cleavage. "You wanted to ask me out because we've worked together for so long?"
The Commander looked smug, but he shook his head. "No, I've got a special mission for you. You are to be part of an elaborate experiment that the higher ups have apparently been working on for a long time."
Asuka didn't bother to hide her frustration and disappointment, slamming back into her seat. "So I'm a lab rat now?"
Kaji shook his head. "No, you're one of the best warriors we've got. That's why you were chosen for this experiment." he said as he handed the girl her written orders.
Asuka's pride swelled from being called the best, and by Kaji no less. She took the orders in good grace, and began to read them as Kaji verbally explained them.
"You are to take these two recruits, code-named 'Rei' and 'Kaworu', and hunt down this man." Kaji slide Asuka a profile report, witch was surprisingly blank. "He's a mercenary who's been working with NERV for some time, preying on our supply convoys and Mech patrols. They call him 'Snipe' because he prefers to snipe his targets instead of the usual mercenary tactic of charging in and blasting. He has never done too much to hurt us, but he is a thorn that needs to be dealt with."
"But more importantly, you are going to observe the recruits as they battle along side you, and record their progress as directed in your orders. Do NOT, under any circumstances, allow them to be captured. Kill them if you have to, they cannot be allowed to fall in NERV hands."
Asuka felt a lump grow her throat as she heard the last part of her orders. "You want me to kill them, sir?"
Kaji's smile disappeared, replaced with a cold, hard stare. "Did I misstate myself? Do NOT let them be captured alive. You are to be preped and left in one hour. The recruits will meet you and your team at the base entrance, using Mad Cat MKIIs. Dismissed."
~Shinji~
Shinji sat in his Vulture Battlemech, waiting for the convoy to arrive. He had meet his 'escort' two hours ago, and now they both were waiting for the target to arrive. Normally, Shinj didn't like to have NERV's escorts around because they might recognize him, and they didn't do squat in most of the missions he took. Mostly they were rookies, sent under him to learn from him since NERV was short on experienced pilots. Shinji often felt as if he were training new recruits for the NERV tribe, as many of the 'escorts' were very green, and had yet to see any combat.
That or they were professional spies for the NERV weapon development branch, trying to figure out how a seemingly ordinary man, with only a medium-weight Mech could take on so many assault mechs and not even take a single hit. Shinji shook his head over the thought. He had no real secret.
His 'secret' was a high-powered gauss rifle coupled with a high-powered zoom scope. He had traded his lasers on his right arm for the special rifle, created in NERV research's facility. Of course, NERV didn't realize that.
Shinji often would hit his targets dead-on in the cockpits before they could even detect his mech. He sat outside the range of most conventional sensors, spying out the intended route, and when he had his sights on a cockpit, he fired.
Shinji shook his head free of distracting thoughts, and looked back to his scopes. The targets should have been there by now, but they had not yet seen a glimpse of them.
He sighed and sat back again, wishing for the hundredth time he had brought a book or solo game. His COM board lit up, telling him he was getting radio feed from his escort again. Shinji bit back a sigh and turned his COM back on.
"I told you, I don't talk to you. I only do my job. Don't bother me again." replied Shinji. His transmission is put through a voice scrambler, in case the pilot was recording. If NERV or Seele ever figured out who he really was, he would be in trouble.
{Sorry} replied his escort, and a pop told Shinji that he had just gone back to radio silence. It confused Shinji a little that his escort didn't press him for more of a response, as the others had before him and for some reason it troubled him. But time for small issues disappeared as a HUB light on his scope told him that it had detected movement.
Shinji brought up his targeting scope, zooming in on the target location. Indeed, the convoy had finally come into range. They were still outside sensor range, but his optical scope could see well beyond that range and advanced targeting computers in the rifle itself could hit those targets before they even knew that an enemy had sighted them. The convoy conceited of an Uziel medium Mech, two tanks, and remotely controlled supply trucks, Shinji armed his Gauss rifle and centered it on the Uziel. Shinji watched it for a moment, gauging its speed and movements, compensating for the distance the bullet would need to travel, and pulled the trigger.
Half a second later, the bullet pierced the Uziel's cockpit and collapsed as the machine lost its balance without imput from its pilot. The tanks spread out, and the supply trucks began to group together. Shinji targeted the first tank, and took it out with a single shot. The second tank was taken out by a similar shot a few seconds later.
Shinji let out a sigh. It had been easy, but Shinji hadn't really expected much. There was a part of him that longed for a better challenge, but for the most part he was glad it wasn't too hard.
{What in the world do you think you're doing!?! Why did you fire!?! It for sure gave away our position!!}
"I was doing my job, what I was paid to do. If you don't believe me, move out. Their remains are about four hundred yards outside your sensor range."
The pilot in the escort Mech didn't respond, but did power up and begin to move out. His escort could easily clean up the defenseless supply trucks, and Shinji didn't really feel like mopping up. Instead, as his escort moves out, he turned around and moved out to rendezvous with his support man, after he was sure he had left his escort behind.
Maybe he would be able to make it to Phil's tonight.
~0~0~0~
AS7-D Atlas - A tall and heavy mech, it offers much offensive power and decent defense, but lacks much in speed. 100 tons, 54 Kph Max speed. Usually armed with six lasers, gauss rifle, and missiles.
Mad Cat MKII - The most well-known BattleMech. A heavy mech with a good balance of offense and defense, and extremely agile for its size. 90 tons, 73 Kph Max speed. Usually armed with two lasers, gauss rifles, dual missile launchers and Jump Jets.
Vulture - A medium mech used usually for support, the Vulture is speedy yet still has some decent weapons. 60 tons, 86 Kph Max speed. Usually armed with four lasers, missile launcher and Jump Jets. NOTE: Shinji has traded two of his lasers for his Gauss rifle.
Uziel - Another Medium Mech. What it lacks in armor it makes up for in speed. 50 tons, 94 Kph Max Speed. Usually armed with two PPCs, machine guns, missile launcher, and Jump Jets.
~Bahamut2n8
~0~0~0~
THE EVANGELION BATTLEMECH 0:01
MERCENARY
~Phil~
Phil the bartender continued to clean the glasses that he kept under the bar for the fourth time in the last two hours. It wasn't that the glasses were getting dirty very often, but rather the only way the bartender could busy himself with all his free time. Customers around these parts were scarce, especially with the tribe war going on. At least a dozen skirmish had taken place within sight of the establishment, but so far the bar, along with the few houses that made up this little settlement by the sea. But the amount of destroyed Mechs was growing outside the small town, and that meant thieves and scavengers could start to gather, looking for good salvage. Also, the place was far too small for either side of the NERV/Seele tribe war to occupy. But that also meant that there was practically no one to keep the mercenaries and soldiers of the tribes to use the buildings as target practice. The thought drove most of the local residents out of their homes and into the bigger settlements, where even more problems awaited them. Most of the men and women, children included, ended up piloting a Mech just to feed their families.
Phil finished cleaning the inside of the mug he held in his hand before placing it back on the shelf under the bar. He stood up, arching his back, trying to loosen the muscles that been strained from bending down too much. Glancing around his empty establishment, he was forced to sigh. Before the war began, there was always a crowd here, drinking and relaxing after a hard day's work. But now . . . he had only one regular customer. His only customer, sometimes for a month at a time.
The creak of the front door caught Phil's attention. Indeed, that customer had just arrived. He wore a long cloak and hood, as was common to keep the desert wind and sand out of one's face, especially needed for long travels. Phil also knew this guy traveled here from a distance, as he searched all the empty houses surrounding the area for the guy at night. Other than an approximate age, his gender, and his preferred drink, Phil knew almost nothing about the guy. He tried many of times to at least get his name, but failed miserably everytime.
"Hello again, familiar stranger." said Phil with a warm smile on his face, although the guy only gave him a nod in return. "The usual?"
Another nod came from the stranger. As Phil poured the carbonated drink - the guy never drank alcohol - the cloaked man sat down in his usual seat, the third stool from the right.
As the mug filled with the dark liquid, Phil glanced up at the figure. 'He comes in here every day exactly at five o'clock in the evening. He stays for exactly two hours before leaving, and always has a total of five carbonates. By the look of him, he probably isn't old enough to buy rum. He pays for all five of his drinks before I even set the first mug down. Who IS this guy?'
The boy in question watched the bartender with interest, meeting his gaze but revealing nothing. But then there was a slight twitch in the mouth, and he pointed to the mug Phil had been filling. "I think it's full."
Phil glanced down to see the mug now overfilling with carbonated drink. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he failed to notice that the mug was overflowing.
Phil jerked so fast to turn the tap off and remove the mug from the stream of drink that he lost his balance and toppled over backwards. The mug came crashing to the floor, spilling its contents all over the floor behind the bar. Phil sat in a daze at the sudden chaos caused by a simple distraction. But the real amazement came by what followed.
The mysterious customer stood up from his seat and walked behind the bar, and bent down to offer the bartender a hand up.
Surprised, Phil gratefully took his hand and hauled himself up off the floor. Now dripping with the spilled drink, he had to smile at the amused grin on the stranger's face. That smile turned into a chuckle, and then a full out laugh.
"What's so funny?"
Phil forced himself to stop laughing and take some deep breaths. "You. Hehe. I don't know much about you, even if I've seen you every day for over a year. But I never pegged you as a person that would help others. You just didn't seem to be the type."
The boy shrugged. "A lot of people peg me for something that I really am not. I don't now why or how. But I really don't care what others think. Makes work a little tough . . . err . . ." The boy suddenly looked like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Phil saw the opening, and for his own curiosity pushed the issue. "I would like to get to know my only customer. What is it you do? Steal?"
The boy grimaced. "NO! I do honest . . . well, more honest work than common thieves, anyway. But I really don't want people to know . . . it tends to get my friends in trouble. I've already lost one best friend because of it . . ." The boy's head dropped, and Phil could have sworn he saw tears in his eyes for a second.
"Hey, hey, I'm sorry. I just don't get many people around here anymore. I guess I'm just trying to be friendly." said Phil quickly, shaking his head. "If you don't want me to know, that's fine, but if I can ask . . . What is your name? Can you at least tell me that?"
"............." The boy was silent for a moment, as if pondering a profound statement. "........Shinji. My name is Shinji."
Phil couldn't help but smile and feel important, on having succeeded in making Shinji open up. He missed that with his old crowd.
~Shinji~
Shinji hadn't moved from his seat for over an hour after the incident. Phil wasn't charging for his sodas today, since Shinji had been kind enough to help him. It was a gesture of gratitude, he guessed, but Shinji didn't really care. His 'job' kept the boy financed nicely, although a good deal of the money he earned went to equipment. But there was still plenty left over to keep Phil in business.
He had only stopped in at Phil's bar by coincidence - he had been thirsty and saw that the light was on. Curious, since it seemed the rest of the town had evacuated, he stopped in to be greeted with a smile. Shinji bought his drink - the same drink he was drinking now - but he tried to keep his silence. Shinji didn't want Phil to know anything about him, or the agents could find him. But curiosity got the better of him.
"Why are you still here? This town is dead."
Phil had looked awfully sad for a moment, but it vanished as he smiled. "My father and mother started this place, and these kinds of things just shouldn't be abandoned like that, should they? So I'll stay here. I've got enough food and water, and maybe . . . who knows?"
Shinji didn't tell Phil that day, but they had something in common. They protected something given to them from their parents. And because of that, Shinji felt as if he needed to protect this place. So Shinji drove miles every day just to have some drinks at the bar. Also, he told his clients to stay away from the area or else he Shinji would consider it to be an assault against him and retaliate.
And he did his job efficiently enough to the point that his clients were scared to go anywhere near the place.
Now he enjoyed the silence and peace for the last few minutes before he had to head out. When he got up, Phil was near his tenth time cleaning the mugs today.
"Heading off now, Shinji?"
"Please . . . don't use my name." replied the boy.
"Oh! Err . . . okay . . . you're heading off?"
Shinji nodded slightly. "I have business to attend to, and they don't like it if I'm late. I won't be here tomorrow, but the day after I should be."
Phil smiled, although Shinji didn't see it. Instead, Shinji headed out to his transport. An old hovercraft, scrapped by the NERV Tribe long ago as inefficient since it couldn't hold more than a quarter-ton of supplies. It had sat broken in the desert area for a long time, a victim of an ambush by thieves. Shinji's friend found it some time ago, fixed it up, and now served Shinji and his colleague as personnel transport.
It started without much complaint, and five minutes later Shinji was cruising towards his final destination. It would take over half an hour to reach his destination, but he needed that time to prepare for the meeting. Shinji had to be cautious about this kind of work. He doubted the people that hired him knew of his past, or the fact their superiors wanted him brought in alive, but he didn't want to take a chance.
He pulled out an inconspicuous bag, and one by one removed the contents, examining each one. There was a temporary tattoo, which he would put on his arm, scar make-up, and a wig, along with a change of clothes to match the local dressing fads. He wanted to blend in to the crowds that would inevitably be there at the drop site.
Half an hour later, Shinji, dressed in a borrowed NERV uniform from the local base, strolled down the main street of City Alpha Tokyo. Not many gave him a second glance, as people in uniform were quite common in the streets of the city. Alpha-Tokyo was an occupied city, just a few hours drive from Tokyo-3, the headquarters of the NERV Tribe.
Unobserved, Shinji turned down one of the many back alleys and left the hustle and bustle of the main street. Now he became surrounded by garbage and rats, as was common in the unseen places of the cities since the locals were more worried about being bombed or attacked instead of cleaning the corners. He continued in the darkness towards his destination. He reached it without incident - a small watering hole for lowlifes and dregs, scumbags and mercenaries.
Shinji fit into that last category.
Glancing quickly at his surroundings, Shinji pulled into a dark corner, and checking again to make sure no one saw him. Then he stripped himself down to the more common clothes he wore underneath the uniform, before stashing the uniform back into the hidden corner. Straightening himself up, Shinji entered the bar with a swagger that was obviously forced to those who knew him. But to those that didn't, the walk made him seem like the stuck-up ego windbag. And that assumption often meant many people Shinji would rather avoid leave him alone.
The bar was dark, shadowy, and stank of beer with a trace of vomit from those who did not make it to the rest rooms in time. It was the perfect place to go if you didn't want to be seen, and Shinji was one of them.
Shinji saw his contact sitting in one of the booth, leaning back as if enjoying herself. And the reason why was sitting on the table. No less than a dozen empty beer bottles sat in front of her, and as Shinji approached, the smell of booze grew, making Shinji grimace in disgust.
"SSSh . . . Hhhi . . ." said the young woman, her speech slurred badly.
". . . you're drunk again, Misato."
"SO? You're not one to talk, MISTER I don't want to meet the people who hire me, and don't say me name . . ." said the drunken violet-haired woman. Misato was Shinji's middle man, or woman as she constantly reminded him. She worked with, but not for, the NERV faction, and often was able to get jobs to mercenaries. Shinji had known her for years before the war started, and she often gave him the highest paying jobs. However . . .
"I don't meet the officials directly for good reason. You know that, at least when you're not drunk. Also, if I did that you wouldn't get paid as well as you do."
Misato stared at the boy, as if he just said something profound. In her current state of understanding, it probably was.
"..... Misato, the papers?"
"Huh? What're you talk*hic* talking about?"
Shinji sighed heavily, before reaching across from her and pulling out a folder marked with the NERV logo. He opened it carefully, and removed its contents.
The first thing Shinji did was count the cred cards that the folder contained. It wasn't much, only about half the usual for the jobs Shinji usually took. Next, he looked at the map that was provided and mission briefing.
"Sector Beta 76 . . . meet up . . . armored supply route . . . that's it? No wonder they're paying so little, it's cake." he whispered. "You usually can get me better jobs, Misato . . . Misato?"
Shinji looked up to find the woman out cold, the effects of the alcohol taking effect. Shinji sighed and picked up the credits, briefing papers and map, putting them all in some hidden inner pockets inside his coat. Before leaving he headed over to the bartender to pay for Misato's drinks, and to persuade the guy not to throw her out onto the street come closing tip with the help of a fifty credit bribe.
Shinji didn't bother with the uniform this time. The streets were practically devoid of life after dark, and no one would see him. Black-out conditions were in effect the entire time, and although lack of sight wasn't going to stop heatseekers or radar, it made the citizens of Alpha- Tokyo feel a little better, and it made traveling in stealth a lot easier for Shinji. Shinji mused that if the citizens couldn't see it, they thought the trouble couldn't affect them.
But then again, most of the Mechs he destroyed didn't see him until it was too late.
~Asuka~
"Captain! The Commander wants to see you!"
Despite the near deafening noise of Mechs being powered up and tested, a cranky voice could be heard from the cockpit of the Atlas, cursing in a foreign language that nobody else in the vicinity understood.
The small messenger, no older than twelve, stiffened at the cursing. The Captain was well known for her temper, and was also known to be one of the harshest people on the base when said temper was flaring. Judging by the amount of curses and thrown tools coming from inside the Captain's Mech, she had worked herself into an impressive rage.
Riding the lift up to the top of the Mech felt like a walk down death row for the young boy. In fact, the few who were brave enough to be in the same area as the fuming Captain bowed their heads in sorrow as he approached the open hatch of the Battlemech.
"Uh, C-Captain?" asked the boy, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. The figure inside the Mech let out another curse, and grab hold of the side of the fuselage, pulling herself out. She shook her head, her long auburn hair to fall behind her head. It was a face and body many men dreamed about, but an attitude that they all feared.
Captain Asuka scrawled at the messenger before her. Messengers usually meant a boss wanted to see you, and when a boss wanted to see you, it meant trouble since mission orders were handed down in another manner. Therefore, in Asuka's mind, messengers were something to hate, even if they were only messengers. As such, Asuka threw down the tool in her hand and glared at the boy, giving him two seconds to realize he was on thin ice with her already.
"WHAT!?!" yelled Asuka.
"Well, um," stuttered the boy, "T-The Commander wanted to see you . . ."
Asuka gave the frightened boy another good glare before continuing in a low, menacing voice, "There are four Commanders on this base. Which one?"
"Kaji, ma'am." replied the boy, trying to back away from the glaring girl. "Commander Kaji wants to see you."
Asuka froze when she heard that. Her heart felt like it had stopped for a moment just at the sound of the man's name. And to think HE wanted to see her! The hunkiest, sexiest man on the base wanted to see HER!
Asuka grabbed the boy's collar, giving him a playful shake as her scrawl did a one-eighty into a bright smile. "Why didn't you SAY so!?! Quick, do I have any grease on my face?" The boy, stunned by the sudden mood swing, could only shake his head slightly. Asuka frowned at him. "Oh, forget it!" she said as she pushed past him, and descended to the ground.
"Oh, he had to call me now . . .! I barely have enough time to change clothes, let alone put on some make-up . . ."
~Asuka~
Auska took a deep breath as she entered into the office of Commander Kaji, excited about seeing the handsome man again. He was the one who got he through training, helping her up through the ranks faster than anyone else her age. She had been crushing on him since the beginning, and she had yet to give up on her endeavor, trying to catch his eye every time she saw him.
The commander looked up when she entered, then offered her one the chairs in front of him with the roguish smile Asuka came to relate him with. Asuka smiled, and took the seat in a way that allowed Kaji to catch a glimpse of her long legs.
If the Commander saw anything, he didn't respond. He only returned to the papers on his desk, obviously searching for something. "You're probably wondering why I called you here?"
Asuka smiled, leaning forward to give the Commander a view of her cleavage. "You wanted to ask me out because we've worked together for so long?"
The Commander looked smug, but he shook his head. "No, I've got a special mission for you. You are to be part of an elaborate experiment that the higher ups have apparently been working on for a long time."
Asuka didn't bother to hide her frustration and disappointment, slamming back into her seat. "So I'm a lab rat now?"
Kaji shook his head. "No, you're one of the best warriors we've got. That's why you were chosen for this experiment." he said as he handed the girl her written orders.
Asuka's pride swelled from being called the best, and by Kaji no less. She took the orders in good grace, and began to read them as Kaji verbally explained them.
"You are to take these two recruits, code-named 'Rei' and 'Kaworu', and hunt down this man." Kaji slide Asuka a profile report, witch was surprisingly blank. "He's a mercenary who's been working with NERV for some time, preying on our supply convoys and Mech patrols. They call him 'Snipe' because he prefers to snipe his targets instead of the usual mercenary tactic of charging in and blasting. He has never done too much to hurt us, but he is a thorn that needs to be dealt with."
"But more importantly, you are going to observe the recruits as they battle along side you, and record their progress as directed in your orders. Do NOT, under any circumstances, allow them to be captured. Kill them if you have to, they cannot be allowed to fall in NERV hands."
Asuka felt a lump grow her throat as she heard the last part of her orders. "You want me to kill them, sir?"
Kaji's smile disappeared, replaced with a cold, hard stare. "Did I misstate myself? Do NOT let them be captured alive. You are to be preped and left in one hour. The recruits will meet you and your team at the base entrance, using Mad Cat MKIIs. Dismissed."
~Shinji~
Shinji sat in his Vulture Battlemech, waiting for the convoy to arrive. He had meet his 'escort' two hours ago, and now they both were waiting for the target to arrive. Normally, Shinj didn't like to have NERV's escorts around because they might recognize him, and they didn't do squat in most of the missions he took. Mostly they were rookies, sent under him to learn from him since NERV was short on experienced pilots. Shinji often felt as if he were training new recruits for the NERV tribe, as many of the 'escorts' were very green, and had yet to see any combat.
That or they were professional spies for the NERV weapon development branch, trying to figure out how a seemingly ordinary man, with only a medium-weight Mech could take on so many assault mechs and not even take a single hit. Shinji shook his head over the thought. He had no real secret.
His 'secret' was a high-powered gauss rifle coupled with a high-powered zoom scope. He had traded his lasers on his right arm for the special rifle, created in NERV research's facility. Of course, NERV didn't realize that.
Shinji often would hit his targets dead-on in the cockpits before they could even detect his mech. He sat outside the range of most conventional sensors, spying out the intended route, and when he had his sights on a cockpit, he fired.
Shinji shook his head free of distracting thoughts, and looked back to his scopes. The targets should have been there by now, but they had not yet seen a glimpse of them.
He sighed and sat back again, wishing for the hundredth time he had brought a book or solo game. His COM board lit up, telling him he was getting radio feed from his escort again. Shinji bit back a sigh and turned his COM back on.
"I told you, I don't talk to you. I only do my job. Don't bother me again." replied Shinji. His transmission is put through a voice scrambler, in case the pilot was recording. If NERV or Seele ever figured out who he really was, he would be in trouble.
{Sorry} replied his escort, and a pop told Shinji that he had just gone back to radio silence. It confused Shinji a little that his escort didn't press him for more of a response, as the others had before him and for some reason it troubled him. But time for small issues disappeared as a HUB light on his scope told him that it had detected movement.
Shinji brought up his targeting scope, zooming in on the target location. Indeed, the convoy had finally come into range. They were still outside sensor range, but his optical scope could see well beyond that range and advanced targeting computers in the rifle itself could hit those targets before they even knew that an enemy had sighted them. The convoy conceited of an Uziel medium Mech, two tanks, and remotely controlled supply trucks, Shinji armed his Gauss rifle and centered it on the Uziel. Shinji watched it for a moment, gauging its speed and movements, compensating for the distance the bullet would need to travel, and pulled the trigger.
Half a second later, the bullet pierced the Uziel's cockpit and collapsed as the machine lost its balance without imput from its pilot. The tanks spread out, and the supply trucks began to group together. Shinji targeted the first tank, and took it out with a single shot. The second tank was taken out by a similar shot a few seconds later.
Shinji let out a sigh. It had been easy, but Shinji hadn't really expected much. There was a part of him that longed for a better challenge, but for the most part he was glad it wasn't too hard.
{What in the world do you think you're doing!?! Why did you fire!?! It for sure gave away our position!!}
"I was doing my job, what I was paid to do. If you don't believe me, move out. Their remains are about four hundred yards outside your sensor range."
The pilot in the escort Mech didn't respond, but did power up and begin to move out. His escort could easily clean up the defenseless supply trucks, and Shinji didn't really feel like mopping up. Instead, as his escort moves out, he turned around and moved out to rendezvous with his support man, after he was sure he had left his escort behind.
Maybe he would be able to make it to Phil's tonight.
~0~0~0~
AS7-D Atlas - A tall and heavy mech, it offers much offensive power and decent defense, but lacks much in speed. 100 tons, 54 Kph Max speed. Usually armed with six lasers, gauss rifle, and missiles.
Mad Cat MKII - The most well-known BattleMech. A heavy mech with a good balance of offense and defense, and extremely agile for its size. 90 tons, 73 Kph Max speed. Usually armed with two lasers, gauss rifles, dual missile launchers and Jump Jets.
Vulture - A medium mech used usually for support, the Vulture is speedy yet still has some decent weapons. 60 tons, 86 Kph Max speed. Usually armed with four lasers, missile launcher and Jump Jets. NOTE: Shinji has traded two of his lasers for his Gauss rifle.
Uziel - Another Medium Mech. What it lacks in armor it makes up for in speed. 50 tons, 94 Kph Max Speed. Usually armed with two PPCs, machine guns, missile launcher, and Jump Jets.