Department Affairs
Chapter One
March 1996
He fidgets, nervous as he sits in his nicest black dress shirt and slacks. He's never had a big interview like this before. Little things, sure; like convenience stores and Wal-Mart. But this is a huge opportunity for him. 'Relax, you went through five years in the military. You can do this; you qualify. You just need to get through this.' He told himself, reassuring the nagging other voices in his head that wondered 'what if'?
Brett Marshal shifts nervously in the uncomfortable plastic seat. His fingers are shaking ever so slightly as he observes his competition.
Sitting next to him is a young woman. Her short burgundy hair covers her right eye as she sits; legs relaxed and head leaning against the wall, seemingly asleep with a white headphone plugged into her right ear. Her lip and ears are pierced and he can see bright ink peeking out from under the left sleeve of her black blouse. Her entire outfit, dress slacks, belt and heeled boots are black. She's tall, like him; with light skin and curvy features. He imagined she could be an intimidating woman if approached wrong.
There's a man across from him; his chair against the other wall. His brown haired head is tilted back in a feigned bored manner; but his sharp dark eyes never leave the door to the interview room. He's dressed casually, in jeans and a brown shirt and his arms sit crossed over his chest. He's lean but muscular. 'Shorter than me. Good.'
Next to the man across from him is another young woman. She's dressed professionally in a neat, pressed navy blue blazer and pencil skirt with low black heels. She's wearing a white blouse under the blazer, the buttons done up just enough to be proper, yet tantalizing. She's thin and somehow elegant in shape. Her blue eyes are bright and alert. They seem an unearthly shade of blue, now that he thinks of it. She tucks a short, brown strand of hair behind her ear and catches him looking.
He almost bites his lip, but catches himself and simply smiles at the pretty brunette. She smiles back, genuine, friendly. "Are you nervous?" She asks him, taking him by surprise. He opens his mouth, about to lie and say 'no'. "A little bit. You?" He asks, attempting at conversation. Anything's better than the silence. "Just a little. I try not to freak myself out." She replies, still smiling.
They've caught the attention of the other two. The other man scoffs; grinning cockily. "I'm not; I got this down." He replies, leaning forward and holding out his arm. "Chris Redfield." He introduces himself. Brett shakes his hand. "Brett Marshal. Good to meet ya." He replies pleasantly. Chris's arrogance bothers him a little but he says nothing. The young woman next to Chris offers Brett her hand first, and then Chris. "I'm Jill Valentine."
The three look to the remaining one, no longer appearing asleep. She smirks, not smiles; but offers her hand to Brett. "Mary Shepherd." She informs, just her name; no more. They each shake her hand. She looks around to all of them. "Nice group; maybe we'll get to work together."
Just then, the door to the interview room opens and a nervous looking man shuffles out; head down and shaking slightly; his fists balled in his pockets as he walks away as fast as he can without drawing attention to himself. Another man steps just over the threshold and looks at a clipboard. He's dressed in a blue dress shirt, black BDU's and a black tactical vest. His blonde hair is perfectly slicked back from his sharply angled face and he's wearing black mirrored sunglasses. "Brett Marshal?" He drawls, sounding uninterested.
Brett gets to his feet, his nerves shooting through the roof from seeing the last victim and who was interviewing him. "That's me, sir." The blonde turns his head as Brett speaks. "Let's go." He directs; standing to the side and gesturing into the room.
Brett takes a deep breath and walks in; straightening his posture and readying his answers.
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"Five years active duty with the Illinois National Guard. No college, no record. What made you enter the Guard, Mr. Marshal?" The blonde asks; who Brett finds out is Albert Wesker; the man who, if he passes this interview, would be his Captain. Brett clears his throat, more out of nerves and less out of necessity. "My father is the Captain of the Street Crimes unit in Chicago. I always wanted to be an officer; but I couldn't afford the college classes they required of me there. So I joined the Guard." Brett reiterated patiently; glad that his voice didn't shake at all.
Wesker jots something down on the clipboard and Brett's heart sinks. "Mmm-hmm. And what attracted you to the position of point man?" He asks, his tone still an unsettling mix of icy and uninterested. "Well sir, I'm eager to put my skills to use. The Guard taught me well and it would be a shame to waste that knowledge." He replies; feeling more confident as time passes.
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April 1996
Mary almost fell out of her bed; her cell ringing loudly serving as her alarm and the cause of her shock. Through bleary eyes; she struggled to read the id: Captain Wesker calling. She gave an alarmed gasp, thinking she was late for her first day. Fumbling to her feet with the phone and half sprinting/half tripping over the mess in her bedroom, she answered. "Shepherd."
"Get to the precinct; there's a hostage situation. Don't drag your feet." Wesker's short, curt order was issued and he hung up before she could reply. She felt herself become more awake as she made it to her closet; removing her uniform pants and shirt, her vest and boots.
As fast as she could, she dressed, laced her boots and hastily ran a brush through her hair before snatching her wallet, gun and a muffin from the fridge.
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The same call was issued to Brett. Immediately, he shot up, answered and rose to his feet. "Get to the precinct; hostage situation in progress." It was his new captain. Brett nodded tersely to himself before reaching his wardrobe, taking his vest and pulling it on over the shirt he slept in. He also pulled on his BDU's and already-laced boots. They were loose but he'd tighten them later. He snatches up his uniform shirt, checks his vest for his id and keys and swiftly leaves his apartment.
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"Hey, Valentine!" Mary calls, jogging briskly into the large precinct building; still wiping sleep from her eyes. Jill turns and meets her new co-worker's disorientated gaze. "Did you get that hostage call?" She asks, breathless. They're both fast walking to the S.T.A.R.S office. "Yep. Exciting first day, huh?" Jill questions, smiling as they both barge into the office; Wesker already debriefing the team.
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Mary follows behind Brett on the left side of the bank. They're waiting by the rear entrance. The team is wearing protective gear; getting ready to storm in when signaled to. Wesker's negotiating; his voice clear and loud over the megaphone as he crouches behind one of the cruisers. There's two suspects, both armed with machine guns (she can't remember what kind) and about fifteen hostages.
Barry, Alpha Team's weapons specialist; is behind her. He places a reassuring hand on her shoulder and squeezes. Somehow; the older man's presence helps put the rookie at ease.
She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. 'I can do this. I spent years preparing for this.'
When Wesker comes in over their radios, telling them to strike; they do.
As one suspect raises his gun to a sobbing mother's head; Mary squeezes the trigger. It's the first time she's ever shot someone.
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November 1996
"Hello Miss November." Chris greets as he changes the month on the calendar next to his desk. Jill rolls her eyes and refocuses on filing her nails. It's a slow day.
"Sometimes I think you're overcompensating with that calendar, the websites and all that bragging about your conquests." Mary states to Chris as she plays Snake on her phone out of boredom. Brett's desk in in front of hers, facing her. He chuckles at her and shakes his head.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris demands, outraged. Mary smirks and pulls herself away from her game. "What did ya think it meant, Redfield? Sometimes I wonder if you're gay or not. What with all that carrying on you do." She clarifies; causing Brett, Brad and Jill to snicker.
"I am not! Look at me, I'm as manly as they get!" He exclaims; flexing his arms and posing. Jill giggles. From his desk, Mary swears Wesker just gave an amused chuckle. "I dunno man, she's got a point. How many woman have you claimed to bring home just this week?" Brett asks, giving Mary a supportive smile.
"Not to mention, you make sure you look very… pretty. How long do you spend in front of the mirror before we hit the bar?" Brad asks, joining in on the fun. "Can it, Chickenheart!" Chris rounds on him. They're just playing with Redfield; but it never gets old.
"Come on now, guys. His looks are all he's got going for him; of course he's gonna focus on em." Barry defends Chris, leaning back in his chair with his feet propped on his desk. "Thank you – Hey!" Chris catches on, glaring at his friend. The office roars with laughter.
"Alright, alright; that's enough. Who wants lunch? I'm buying." Brett calls everyone's attention away from tormenting Chris; starting to feel bad for the poor man. Chris relaxed his posture and gave a grin to his unlikely savior. "Free food; I'm in!" Brett rose from his seat and looked around expectantly. A loud chorus of various affirmatives rang through the office. Everyone, aside from Wesker (of course) and Brad (who still had a mass of paperwork to do), stands and follows as Brett leads the way out.
Mary lingers as everyone happily bounds out to take their lunch break. She tries to get close to Wesker's desk without seeming to obvious. "Not coming with, Captain?" She asks, abruptly deciding 'fuck it' and approaching directly, bracing an arm on his desk.
He looks up; she sees her reflection in his shades.
"I think not, Ms. Shepherd. I still have reports that need to be filed." He answers, in his usual flat drawl. She suppresses a frown. "Well…how bout I bring you back something?" She tries again, not to be daunted by his behavior. She swears she sees the corners of his lips twitch.
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Author's Note:
Still trying to find ways around the formatting BS with the page breaks/line thingies! But I can breathe a sigh of relief that the story is now on the proper account. Chapter two is written, just need to converse about it a little more and it should be posted later tonight or tomorrow. Hope you like!
MistressMaryD and Agent Krivins