Una strata lunga al paradiso
(A Long Road to Paradise)
BY
SHINSOU808
It's a long road to paradise
Though I feel the pain
They tell me things are different now
But I still hurt the same
Haze grey and underway
A world away from you
And miles and miles of blue
~Long Road to Paradise, Edward Bilous
Missione Una
"Il cavaliere dorato" (The Golden Knight)
Disclaimer: All trademarks are properties of their respective owners including Gunslinger Girl to Yu Aida, the characters and storyline to myself, as well as the many real world companies throughout the story, including the song above (which is the opening to the PBS documentary, Carrier, great song).
Fri. 15 June, Ancona, Italy
"Fermo! Polizia!" Teodoro Marozzi took off after the suspect. He disliked the Italian etiquette of wearing a suit, even in the middle of summer. His shoes were clacking the asphalt and concrete, trying to pursue the son of a bitch. He could take a shot from his FN Five-SeveN or the Remington 870 mainly used for door breaching, but this was a crowded urban area, any careless shot would almost always result in casualties. Casualties meant media coverage and that would be the last thing they wanted, a news special circulating in the Italian media blowing their cover. As if the Italian media wasn't bad enough, the Prime Minister nearly owns the entire network.
His cyborg, Fabrizia, was right in front of him, her black hair bouncing with every step. He didn't mind that his cyborg could outrun him. That was her job, to try to at least make up for some of the deficiencies of the handlers, to make the Fratello more effective. It was the Italian taxpayers that were providing the money, it was best to make a damn well investment of it.
Together they are part of an organization of the Italian government, the Agenzia Assistenza Sociale, The Social Welfare Agency, one of many lost in the endless maze of Italian bureaucracy. Another agency set up by the bureaucrats of the government; as much as he hated them, he had to be grateful for their rare assistance and their willingness to cover for most of the ops they took on.
However Teo was more concerned fighting the narrow and often confusing maze of Italian city streets.
"Suspect is on foot, heading toward the water. Marco, do you have a bead?" Teo radioed.
"I have. Don't let him get on the ferries. I don't want to call the Marina Militare to deal with a hostage situation." Macro observed through his binoculars at the top of Torre Civica. His new cyborg, Raffaella, was intently focused in the scope of her Austrian made, 7.62x51mm chambered, Steyr SSG 04 rifle. Despite if her short, wavy, chestnut hair was swaying in the wind underneath a scarlet beret, she was ready to take a shot if ordered.
"I know that!" Teo huffed. He didn't like running too much, especially with the sun beating down on him. The black Armani suit didn't help with the running either. He didn't know how Italians could run in this.
"Armando and Franca are nearby if you need their help," Marco informed Teo, cautiously observing the suspect.
"Thanks, but I'd like to take this one down on my own if possible. Suspect is entering three-story building, near Molo Santa Maria," he radioed as the man ducked into the building.
Following his cyborg, he paced up the steps with shotgun in hand. At least it was better here than shooting it off outside.
Fabrizia stood just outside a door on the third floor, with a French made assault rifle, the FAMAS, in hand with a full magazine of ammunition, ready to breach. They had practiced this drill before and Teo knew immediately what to do. He aimed the shotgun at the lock and shot it out, kicking the door open shortly afterward with his black shoes that had their beautiful shine ruined from the running.
Fabrizia charged inside first, dispatching the terrorists behind the couch with relative ease with a few short three round bursts of 5.56x45mm cartridges lodged in their bodies. It'd probably make a bloody mess on the floor, but nothing the cleanup crew couldn't handle. Teo soon followed inside with the Remington up to his shoulders, quickly clearing the hallway and bathroom, and meeting up to find Fabrizia cornering the terrorist shortly afterward.
"Smetilla!" Teo shouted at the man, clutching a SIG P226 against his light blue U.C. AlbinoLeffe polo shirt. Sensing that resistance was futile, he wisely dropped it, with Teo kicking it away.
"Fabrizia, restrain him," he calmed down a bit.
"Yes, sir," Fabrizia went to work with a set of handcuffs. Teo slung the shotgun over his shoulder.
"Jean, this is Teo," he radioed, making sure to keep one eye on the prisoner as well. "Suspect captured. Mission success?" he asked in anticipation.
"We'll discuss it when you return to Rome, you'll be relieved once Jose arrives," Jean said stoically. Teo rolled his eyes, How hard is it to get an approval for this guy? "Understood, Teo out." He sighed, so much for that, no confirmation.
Then came the tedious task of actually watching the poor bastard like a little kid. Thankfully it didn't seem too bad as Jose and Henrietta arrived on the scene within a few moments. Henrietta trailed behind Jose a bit, waiting patiently for her Fratello's next orders.
"Teo," Jose called.
"Hey, Jose," Teodoro responded. "Jean told me you're supposed to relieve me."
"That's right," he acknowledged. "Is that S.S. Lazio?" he asked, pointing toward the prisoner's shirt.
"Not quite," Teo replied. "AlbinoLeffe, Serie B; just relegated from Serie A this season. Why would a Northerner wear an S.S. Lazio shirt?"
"I guess you're right," Jose said.
"Anyway, good luck with him," Teo said as he turned to leave. "C'mon Fabri."
"Coming," Fabrizia pointed her weapon toward the ground as she went toward her handler.
"Ehi! Tu pezzo di merda americano!" exclaimed the prisoner as he spat toward Teo.
Teo thought nothing of it, brushing it off as it were a childish insult. His cyborg thought otherwise, pointing her FAMAS toward the prisoner, her brown eyes focused down the sights, preparing to shoot.
Teo rested his hand on her shoulder, "Fabrizia, stand down," he softly, but firmly ordered.
Fabrizia reluctantly lowered her FAMAS, safed it, and turned to follow her handler out.
Teo readjusted his tie for a bit and sighed in relief as the pair walked down the stairs, "Not bad for a first mission. Turned out okay," he nervously said to break the silence.
"Yeah, I guess," Fabrizia said with a bit of awkwardness. "That guy disrespected you though, would you have shot him?"
"Maybe if I wasn't with the agency," Teo shrugged. "Want to discuss it over a football game?" he asked. "I've heard there's an exhibition match nearby at the local football pitch."
"Uomini e calcio…" Fabrizia muttered a little coldly. She didn't like football too much; she couldn't figure out the meaning of 22 guys kicking a ball for what seemed like forever. It was utter nonsense to her to see people to go wild after just one goal, be glued to the match ever since, watching highlights countless times, and being loyal to the death. All for over a silly football team, she thought.
"Hey, I heard that," Teo chuckled, softly patting her head. "Alright then, how about lunch? Your call."
"Yeah!" she beamed as she unloaded her FAMAS into the waiting Social Welfare Agency van. Teo did the same. He wanted to make use of the leave, a good lunch always works. He hoped Fabrizia would make the right decision.
Piazza del Plebiscito, Ancona,
It was a beautiful day to eat outside, Teo thought, despite running around in a suit. A cool seabreeze swept through the plaza, swaying the plants beside him, the umbrella the both of them were sitting under, and Fabrizia's black hair in a ponytail. A mix of locals and tourists alike were mingling in the piazza, having a chat, going for a walk, minding their own business. Teo hoped he didn't want to be interrupted from lunch.
Teo didn't order wine in general for them; they needed to be sharp at all times for this job. Besides, he was a lightweight when it came to alcohol, she was a cyborg, who knows what could happen if she consumed alcohol. She definitely looked old enough to drink though.
"Great pick on that one Fabri," Teo complimented after a satisfying 2 course meal.
"Thanks!" Fabrizia munched on her biscotti, leaving crumbs everywhere on the white tablecloth, her white dress, and her jeans. "Teo, What were you going to say about the guy earlier?" she asked.
"I didn't think he was from here, probably from Switzerland. Do they ever give you a briefing on international relations in your classes?" Teo enquired, also working on his biscotti.
"No, they don't," Fabrizia shrugged.
"Really? I'd think they'd incorporate it into your studies," Teo commented. He made a note to himself to bring it up in the meetings. "Do you know about the Swiss ascension to the EU?"
"Yeah, a bit. Why?"
"Well, they have an Italian speaking region called Ticino. Unfortunately, it's quite supportive to PRF agenda and rest of Switzerland doesn't take too kindly to it."
"So… what you're trying to say is…"
"An international mess screwed up beyond belief is the last thing the agency or the country needs. If Switzerland turns into a Balkan war zone, their application that they passed by a less-than-a-percent margin is done for. The Swiss would blame us and the PRF would get instant recognition."
"The PRF would cheer for that right?
"Exactly, Southern companies would move in, kill off the local businesses, and siphon all that money to the south if the application was approved, according to their reasoning."
"What a screwed up world…" Fabrizia complained. "It's too complicated."
"It is," Teo shrugged. "But what can you do about it? I thought I could escape that by joining the agency."
"Who where you with before?" Fabrizia asked.
"Oh, I was with the Aeronautica Militare," Teo chucked. "It was much simpler back there, I gotta admit. I still have everything except my service cap if you want to take a look at it later; the guys at Aviano were the best though."
"Whatever you say," Fabrizia smiled a bit.
Teo wanted to stay longer in Ancona, watching people mill about their time and be free from the pressures of the agency. However, the both of them needed to get back to Rome. He soaked in another sea breeze before reluctantly saying, "Scusi, cameriere? Il conto per favore," to request the check. After paying the check with a bunch of Euro bills and coins, they both got into a waiting blue agency Alfa Romeo 159 that would take them straight to the airport.
Teo looked at the beautiful Adriatic Sea. He should come back here at least once as a tourist, he thought.
Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino International Airport, Rome,
Fabrizia was still sleeping after Alitalia Flight 1129 touched down in Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport in the mid-afternoon hours. The sun was still bright and up, Teo wondered how she could ever sleep though that, she asked for the window seat after all.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Fiumicino International Airport, Rome. The local time is…"
Teo didn't care. All he knew that this flight was five minutes behind schedule, like most domestic flights. He was lucky, he had read the trip reports online on how tortuous this flight might have been but it turned out pretty smoothly in the Brazilian-made jet. Fabrizia stirred awake just when the Embraer E170 was taxing toward the gate.
It was a long day for the both of them, he thought. Those thoughts didn't part as the pair bolted from the gate, through the busy terminal, and onto the regional train. Teo was reading the English language section from the Corriere della Sera, while Fabrizia was busy browsing the Cultura section, catching up on the news they might have missed. Teo didn't mind getting news from the TV or the internet but always preferred the touch and feeling of the newspaper; Fabrizia picked up the habit just by watching Teo when they went through training.
Time seemed to pass much faster by reading the newspaper as the train pulled into Stazione di Roma Travestere, near where the Agenzia decided to set up their headquarters. Teo didn't quite understand why the politicians decided to place their headquarters in Trastevere, it was not really close to the important government buildings and was definitely not near the American embassy. He had to admit, if it wasn't for the government connections and the affiliation with the Carabinieri, there wouldn't be any of the perks that came with the job.
Just like the villa on Via dei Genovesi. It was a great complex, a great place just to relax and Trastevere was a great part of Rome to be in, in his opinion.
Now dealing with Jean; that would be a different story.
Agenzia Assistenza Sociale HQ, Trastevere, Rome
"What do you mean mission failed?" Teo asked, stunned. He successfully captured the guy, why mission failed? There were no casualties, no major screw ups that he knew of.
"You were supposed to capture him in the piazza, not near the ferries, that was the mission." Jean coldly stated. Yeah, that screw up, Teo reminded himself. "You didn't capture him in the piazza, therefore, mission failed," he looked over the folder once more.
"But..." Teo pleaded.
"I will overlook this one, Teo. But, remember that any deviation from the mission will have, with few exceptions, its consequences," Jean warned, snapping the folder shut in the process. "Fortunately, there weren't many, but I am not going to cover every mission you screw up."
"Yes, sir."
"Dismissed."
Teo was busy writing up a mission report on his computer. He knew the importance of writing these but still didn't like the fact that they had to be done anyway. Something to satisfy the pencil pushers, bean counters, or policy wonks; they seemed to be everywhere. Teo took a sip of an energy drink; he didn't need that much of a kick to help him stay awake. How many rounds did his cyborg fire again? He couldn't remember.
*knock, knock,* came from the door.
"Come in, it's unlocked," Teo called from his desk, albeit somewhat hoarse and gruffly.
"Hi, Teo," Fabrizia walked in, her black hair let down and a bit messy, flowing over her purple pyjama top and blue bottom.
"Oh. Hey Fabri, what's up?" Teo smiled; a perfect, pleasant distraction from the banality of official writing.
"Nothing much," Fabrizia chimed with a CD-RW. "Everyone listens to the same thing in the dorms. Got any foreign music?"
"Have a look," he dusted off his old Dell laptop, relegated to media storage. It had gone everywhere with him once before, now it was showing its age, but it still worked. It could play every one of the songs that were squeezed onto possibly every inch of its hard drive.
"Thanks!" Fabrizia said as she went to work browsing through Teo's library of songs. American, Italian, Dutch, even Japanese music, she thought his musical variety was amazing. "Teo, you have the best library of anyone here you know."
"Really? I thought mine was nothing compared to Joze's…"
"Joze only has good music from here or England," Fabrizia commented, pushing her bangs out of her face, swinging her legs up and down in delight.
"You just say that only because I'm your fratello, Fabri," Teo joked, leaning back into his chair, slouching a bit.
"It's true though!" Fabrizia remarked, half-jokingly, half serious as the laptop burned 12 new songs onto the CD. Satisfied with her and the computer's choices, she popped the disk out and trotted cheerfully toward the door. "Buona notte, Teo."
Teo stifled a yawn, "Si, buona notte, Fabri," Teo waved off as Fabrizia went to head back to the dorms.
Teo thought he did enough of the writing to satisfy the stupid government administrative clerks, most of them were not the sharpest tool in the shed. He sorted out through some of his belongings from back in the good old days, before terrorism sent nearly the entire Western world into some sort of security paranoia.
He examined the DHL parcel that just came in the mail. It's probably been scanned or sniffed to detect anything that would compromise the villa. They certainly didn't take any chances regarding the special training of their members. He took the blue service cap from out of the box and held it in his hand, taking care to shine the brass star and wings affixed to the cap, polishing it to a near shiny clean.
Satisfied with the results, he placed it on his desk, lightly dusting off the top.
Teo went back to his computer finding a daily briefing from Jane's Information Group he hadn't read yet in his inbox. Though it was not required reading for the agents of the agency, it was still an invaluable resource nonetheless. His eyes wandered over the news headlines.
Carabinieri orchestrate successful takedown of PRF fugitive in Italy…
Yeah, barely. I messed up on that one, he thought. It was better that he had no credit in this. Who knows how that might have turned out?
US re-negotiates security deal in the Baltics, Russia on edge…
Lovely, more Russian thugs, they'd be more than happy to make our troubles even worse.
10 FGM-148 Javelins unaccounted for; may be on black market, Defence Secretary Colburn admits…
Javelins? 160,000 Euro, thermal-imaging, fire-and-forget can-openers on the black market? He shook his head. The PRF must have gotten their hands on one already or would be receiving those in a short while. Sure, they were amateurs when it came to these, but the world was full of these dangerous psychos. Unpredictable amateurs were the worst.
It didn't help the fact that Italy was still relying on its MILAN missiles, Javelins could easily outclass them, and now, Italy was too divided to agree on whether to purchase them or not. As if politicians could ever come to easy decision with lobbyists and other men breathing down their shoulders.
He shut his computer down. Thankfully, he was going to be off duty from the next operation tomorrow. He didn't worry too much on it, tomorrow was going to be an easy day.
He pulled out Fabrizia's dossier from his drawer, briefly looked it over, and returned it back to its proper place.
Yep, tomorrow was going to be an easy day…
A/N: This is my first Gunslinger Girl fanfiction. I have done the best research I can; Google Earth, Wikipedia, Wikitravel, and other guides on Italy are a tremendous help. I hope my Italian is not too bad, I've taken a bit of classes. Please read and review!
*Agenzia Assistenza Sociale, is, I think, the correct translation of the 'Social Welfare Agency' into Italian.
