Well...I'm back with my next Roach fic! I had been mulling this over for the past few nights (See, I'm a major insomniac and CANNOT sleep worth fuck). This isn't gonna be a solid story. It's gonna be a string of one-shots that may or may not be related (they'll most likely be related, lol).
I'm definitely trying my hand at some much darker content. After reading A Kiss For A Kill's and Duvalia's fanfics...this was sorta inspired...so...this is for all the masochists and sadists out there who can't get enough of angst. (Like me, lol)
First Days
You could definitely say that Gary's first day at the Task Force 141's base was interesting.
He'd been hand-picked by General Shepherd to join an "elite squad compromised of only the most talented and greatest warriors on the planet". How he fit under that catagory was beyond him.
Gary never considered himself anything 'great'. In his eyes, he was just another soldier, another expendable asset for the military. Someone you could send out in the field and not give a shit if they came back alive or in a body bag.
He stepped out of the pavelow with General Shepherd, taking in the sight of the one-four-one's base. It was located out in the middle of the desert, similar to the Firebase Phoenix where he was before. Nothing seemed different. Rocks, sand, wind, and sun...to him, it was just the same place. Or so he thought.
He was led into the base and down a series of corridors, while General Shepherd chattered on about what exactly it was that the one-four-one did and just useless information that really wasn't important. He supposed it was just Shepherd's way of aquainting themselves.
Cpl. Dunn, a soldier Gary had befriended, or rather, Dunn had done the befriending, was not fond of Shepherd. Gary had known that much. He always had his doubts about the old General. Even though Shepherd had lost 30,000 troops during the 2nd Russian Civil War, the man still didn't care much for "danger close", which made Dunn feel very uneasy about him. He'd always questioned whether or not Shepherd really cared about their well-being.
Gary really didn't give a shit. Since when did the military care about anything?
He was led into a room, or a makshift office he should say, where a bulky, large man sat behind a desk filling out various paperwork. He immediately stood up and saluted Shepherd.
"At ease, Mactavish." Shepherd spoke and he took his seat again. "Captain, you have a new recruit. This is Sergeant Gary Sanderson. He was previously stationed at Firebase Phoenix."
While Gary didn't show it, he had to admit that "Captain Mactavish" was a rather intimidating figure. He found himself easily lost in his height whenever they extended their hands for a handshake. He also took notice of his unusual hairstyle. His head was shaved into a mohawk, something Gary was not used to seeing. He also couldn't help but notice the scar over his left eye and wondered how he had aquired it.
"Sanderson is a talented marksmen. He completed The Pit in under 26 seconds, hitting all the targets. That's a record on base."
"Excluding Ghost and myself." Mactavish added. He saw the questioning look in Gary's eyes and added. "We completed the course in under 20 seconds, with Ghost finishing with 18 seconds."
Shepherd turned towards me, clapping my shoulder. "Welcome, officially, to the 141 Sanderson. I have to get back to the Firebase Phoenix. I'll leave you in Mactavish's hands. He's your new CO, by the way. He'll introduce you to the rest. Good luck, Sergeant."
General Shepherd exited the room soon afterwards, leaving Gary with Mactavish. "Well, mate," Gary heard Mactavish break the silence. "How's about we get you settled in?"
"Sure..."
OO
OO
Gary had already met several one-four-one members, but the most memorable of them all was probably the Captain's Lieutenant, Ghost. Clad in his skull balaclava and dark-tinted sunglasses, the man practically screamed "dangerous". There was something very off-putting about his presence that made Gary nervous. But he was friendly towards the young Sergeant and welcoming.
"How old are you, Sanderson?" Mactavish had suddenly asked, breaking Gary from his thoughts.
"Just turned 22."
"Joined fresh out of high school?" He inferred, non-chalantly.
"You're right." Gary answered. "As soon as I was of age."
Mactavish had spotted another one-four-one member at the end of a hallway and called out to him. "Royce!"
'Royce' turned toward Mactavish and greeted him. "Hey, Captain...who's your friend?"
"I'd like you to meet Sgt. Gary Sanderson. You and Meat will be sharing quarters with him."
Royce extended his hand, smiling at Gary. There was something...gentle about Royce that made Gary feel at ease. It was those strange feelings that you get about people that tell you what they're like without even knowing them. Royce just had a good vibe to him that Gary liked.
"Royce, do me a favor and take Gary to his quarters. Thanks to Worm's accident on our last mission, I'm stuck filling our paperwork."
OO
OO
6 days later, and everything fell back into the usual pattern Gary was used to.
Royce, Archer, Toad, and Ozone were quick to befriend him. They all possessed the kind of easy-going, sarcastic attitude that Gary liked, so they all got along well.
But of course, everywhere you go, there will always be that one jackass...
"FNG!" Meat called out to Gary one night.
Gary scoffed, rolling his eyes. He didn't know how he'd been labled 'FNG'. He'd been in the service for 4 years now. Just because he was transferred to a different unit didn't mean he was new at anything. "What the fuck is it, Meat?"
"Oh, jeez...did I put you in a bad mood?" Meat said sarcastically, earning a laugh from Worm.
"No, I just don't understand why the hell you keep calling me FNG." Gary countered.
"Oh, I'm sorry...Hey, pretty boy." Worm burst into hysterics, doubling over. Gary contemplated throwing the hard-back book he was reading at his head, but decided it was best not to.
Gary was used to being criticized over his appearence. No one had really made a big deal out of it, it was just different. Sure, his skin was a few tones paler then it should have been, considering all the time he spent out in the sun. Yeah, he had a small frame, smaller then his comrades, but not in the least bit scrawny. He could easily take on men twice his size with no effort at all. His dark brown hair wasn't cropped close to his head in the usual buzz-cut. His bangs hung just at his eyebrows, fringing his bright hazel eyes. He accepted that his eye color was unusual...a strange mix of green, brown, and yellow that made his eyes appear a bright olive tone. Overall, his appearence was quite boyish more then it was manly. To the average bypasser, he would've appeared as any other teenage kid on the street.
Gary joined in, laughing sarcastically before trailing off, his smile turning into a mocking sneer. "...Ahahaha...fuck you."
Meat didn't look amused. "Watch your mouth, FNG. Don't wanna have to squish you like a bug in your first week here. That wouldn't look too good on you."
"Try me." Gary challenged. He set the book down on his bed, meeting Meat's stare.
It looked as if Meat was going to take him up on that offer, but a split second later, the door opened and Royce appeared. "Aye, Gary. Why don't you come hang with me and Archer for a while?" Gary didn't take his gaze off Meat, enjoying the fact that he was boiling on the inside. Royce contiued, voice dragging on. "C'mon. It feels like you're advoiding us. Please?"
Gary slowly slid of his bed, eyes staying on Meat. "Sure." He began walking out of the room, glancing back at the burning soldier. He saw Meat mouth a 'fuck you' and quickly flashed him the middle finger.
The door closed, leaving Meat and Worm alone. "Woah...Meat...I think he just..." Worm trailed off, noticing Meat's expression.
"Fucking bug. I'll squish him like a godamn cockroach when I find him alone."
First Chapter! Yes...Meat and Roach don't get along. I thought it would be a good idea to have Royce, Archer, and the others befriend Roach since they seem like the type to do so. I promise there will be more Soap/Roach and Ghost/Roach interaction in the future...and we'll get to delve into Roach's feelings towards them...and his background info. Oh, and here's a hint: DADT. That will be important later on.